I’m writing for tomorrow, day 90. Yesterday I enjoyed working with a dozen of my guys in our prison CoDA group. We talked about no effort being too great to achieve change. Critter sends greetings from prison to Critter for the last time. Critter will be a free man on Friday. I told him he will have to get used to some changes, after 46 years in prison. I explained: “When you see brown stuff on your plate, that wont be your veggie anymore. It will be your meat. And when you see green stuff on your plate, that won’t be your meat anymore. It will be your veggie.” We’re now under a high heat warning until 9:00 PM, and I expect temperatures at my desk well in excess of 100° today. I also have a medical appointment tomorrow, so Friday blogging is iffy.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:44 (average 4:49). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: The claim has become a staple of Republican efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act and transform Medicare into a system in which future elderly receive vouchers to purchase health insurance in the private market. "We are starting to see physicians turn away from taking patients who are on Medicare," the GOP.gov website [fascists delinked] warns, with "more and more physicians are choosing to opt out of Medicare altogether." In July, the Wall Street Journal dutifully picked up that cudgel, cheering one "doctor goes off the grid" [Murdoch delinked] while fretting "more doctors steer clear of Medicare [Murdoch delinked]."
Unfortunately, there’s only one problem with the conservative claim that America’s doctors are fleeing Medicare—and Medicare patients—in massive numbers. As a new study from the Department from Health and Human Services reveals, it’s simply not true.
Of course Republicans lie about matters like this. If they told the truth, even the most stupid sheeple would not vote for them.
From NY Times: Bill de Blasio, whose campaign for mayor of New York tapped into a city’s deepening unease with income inequality and aggressive police practices, captured far more votes than any of his rivals in the Democratic primary on Tuesday.
But as Mr. de Blasio, an activist-turned-operative and now the city’s public advocate, celebrated a remarkable come-from-behind surge, it was not clear if he had won the 40 percent needed to avoid a runoff election on Oct. 1 with William C. Thompson Jr., who finished second. At night’s end, he had won just over 40 percent of the ballots counted; thousands of paper ballots had yet to be tallied, which could take days.
I hope he avoids the runoff. He is, in my opinion, NYC’s best choice.
From Bill Moyers: The top 10 percent of earners in the United States took home more than 50 percent of all income in 2012, the highest amount ever recorded since data was first collected in 1917, according to an updated report from economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty.
While the wealthiest took a big hit during the financial crisis, they’ve almost fully recovered. Last year, income for the top 1 percent of earners “increased sharply,” the report notes, growing by nearly 20 percent, while the bottom 99 percent only saw money rise by 1 percent. “In sum,” the authors write, “top 1 percent incomes are close to full recovery while bottom 99 percent incomes have hardly started to recover.”
Until now, America had the most inequitable distribution of wealth since it caused the Great Republican Depression in 1929. Now it is the most inequitable distribution of wealth in our nation’s history.
Cartoon:
15 Responses to “Open Thread–9/12/2013”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
3:50 Not quite fast enough to beat the TomCat with my Bugatti.
3:22 I'm off the the races. Can I keep ahead of Lynn?
Crunched. It obviously wasn't a foot race. 😉
3:33 Well, I'm glad this wheel is going around for me. Yesterday I went to pick up my brother only to have my car, Bella, konk out! Two hours later and my wallet $300 lighter, I had a jump start from the towing company and a new battery. Arrggghhhh!!!!! I guess to be expected. It was 5.5 years old!
Day 90! Woo-Woo! Good for you! Great news about Critter too. I wish him well. We had temps and weathe like you the past few days here in Barneveld 93 yeaster with unbearable humidity. Cool wave starts this afternoon. I can't wait. I made golubki yesterday on my deck in the electric roaster just so I wouldn't heat the house with the oven. It was my brother-in-law's birthday dinner. He and my sister on on their way back to Florida, not to return until next Summer. I will miss them.
Daily Kos ~ False claims by the RepubliCons? OMG! Strictly commonplace. Too bad so many actually listen to them and believe their drivel. Refer to your Cartoon and you will understand why.
NY Times ~ I also hope he avoids the runoff election. He is the best choice.
Bill Moyers ~ Oddly enough, the top earners have almost fully recovered yet the rest of us just keep struggling just to survive. No Depression? HAH!
Cartoon ~ No Child Left Behind? how did he graduate from Harvard? Does he always read books upside down?
He graduated from Harvard with huge donations from his family.
Thanls patty. My cool wave starts Sunday, and, sadly, my heat wave is on the way to you.
Bingo!
Agree.
Amen!
What Edie said. He partied, while daddy bough the degree with profits granddaddy made supplying Hitler, even after we entered the war.
How did you do? 7:12
It's tough to argue with the Facts.
Not one of your best.
Thanks!
The Republicans have told these lies about the Affordable Care Act so many times, I think they almost believe them now. OUr sheeple who only watch Fox news certainly do.
Love the cartoon. So apt.
Amen!
Thanks Edir!
I hope Critter has a lot of help reconditioning. The world has changed drastically in the last 46 years.
Edie, our guys have a recidivism rate of under 10%, a small fraction of the national average. He's moving into a halfway house, and he has my phone numer, so the support is there.
Puzzle — 3:33 Well, I'm glad this wheel is going around for me. Yesterday I went to pick up my brother only to have my car, Bella, konk out! Two hours later and my wallet $300 lighter, I had a jump start from the towing company and a new battery. Arrggghhhh!!!!! I guess to be expected. It was 5.5 years old!
Daily Kos — Obviously, the Republicanus/Teabaggers sought out members of the 9.3% of doctors shunning Medicare upon which to build their myth. What a bunch of liars and scoundrels!
NY Times — I hope there is no run off and the Dems can solidly unite behind de Blasio to kick Lhota, as the Republicanus/Teabagger candidate, to the side of the street for pick up with the trash.
Bill Moyers — And the 'Great Divide' just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Cartoon — I heard he learned to read upside down so that he could cheat off of our student's tests etc at Harvard!
Obviously not a foor race. 😉 Doesn't Canada have abn AAA equivalent? ARGH!
I bet the Republicans surveyed doctors too incompetent to practice, so they became members of Congress instead.
The trash might object to having to associate with a Republican.
Indeed it does!
LOL!