Apr 26, 2017

Overheard Today

Ivanka Trump is a feminist in exactly the same way Steve Bannon is a black Dominican rabbi.

hat tip = @rmasher2

Daily Outrage

Because, apparently, they are the assholes we've suspected they are for 35 years.

Vox:

Republican legislators liked this policy well enough to offer it in a new amendment. They do not, however, seem to like it enough to have it apply to themselves and their staff. A spokesperson for
Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) who authored this amendment confirmed this was the case: members of Congress and their staff would get the guarantee of keeping this Obamacare regulations. Health law expert Tim Jost flagged me to this particular issue.

A bit of background is helpful here. Obamacare requires all members of Congress and their staff to purchase coverage on the individual market, just like Obamacare enrollees. The politics of that plank were simple enough, meant to demonstrate that if the coverage in this law were good enough for Americans than it should be good enough for their representations in Washington.

That’s been happening for the past four years now. Fast-forward to this new amendment, which would allow states to waive out of key Obamacare protections like the ban on pre-existing conditions or the requirement to cover things like maternity care and mental health services.

If Congressional aides lived in a state that decided to waive these protections, the aides who were sick could be vulnerable to higher premiums than the aides that are healthy. Their benefits package could get skimpier as Obamacare’s essential health benefits requirement may no longer apply either.

Today's Tweet

Get 'Em While They're Hot

Now available at Amazon - in men's or women's


Apr 25, 2017

Today's Keith

Posing the question - can we impeach TV POTUS in the same way Bill O'Reilly got whacked?

In a system that makes no delineation between right and wrong; when the only things that matter are winning or losing, and profit or loss - we may need first to use tools other than those in Articles 1 and 2 in order to bring those proper Impeachment tools to bear. 

We'll have to play the game as it's been set up.


John Oliver

Quick reminder on where 45* stands on getting the Executive Branch up and running:






Today's Tweet

Apr 24, 2017

Redneck Participation Trophies

April is the "unofficial" Confederate History month because there's a Democrat in the Governor's Mansion right now. As soon as that changes, I suspect we'll be right back to the Dixie Rising bullshit that comes back on us like malaria every few-to-several years.

And this junk is everywhere.

There are some pretty solid efforts now to get these things relegated to the museums where (I think) they belong - they are some pretty great pieces of art, after all. And they depict a facet of our history that needs to stay front and center, even if the monuments to the "heroes" who led a bloody traitorous insurrection (in support of White Supremacy and the "right" to own human beings as chattel) should be removed from the public square.






Keith

Piling On

And happy to do it. I don't watch this crap anymore, even as an exercise in scouting the other team.

It's way past time for turning O'Reilly out to pasture. Somebody's sure to make a deal, and that's what it looks like has happened, allowing him to stay with his podcast, which I have to assume is approved and/or supported by DumFux News.

WaPo:

A scathing investigation by the New York Times in early April about the allegations surrounding O’Reilly triggered an advertiser exodus from his top-rated program, “The O’Reilly Factor,” and brought out at least three more complaints against the opinionated host. It ultimately led the Murdoch family to invoke the termination clause on Wednesday, ending O’Reilly’s 21-year career at Fox. He has maintained that the complaints against him are unfounded, and plans to return to the air Monday with his “No Spin News” podcast.