I’m writing for tomorrow and still trying to establish a new sleeping pattern. Basically, I’m just making sleep a priority and allowing myself to sleep whenever I feel the need. That will work this week, but next week I have two medical appointments, so that should prove interesting.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:59 (average 5:08). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From TPM: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was in no mood to celebrate the five-year anniversary of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package on Monday.
“Five years later, the stimulus is no success to celebrate,” McConnell said, as quoted by the Associated Press. “It is a tragedy to lament.”
White House economic adviser Jason Furman wrote in a White House blog post that the stimulus, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, had by itself saved or created an average of 1.6 million jobs a year through the end of 2012.
I suppose it’s a matter of perspective. For Bought Bitch Mitch, saving 1.6 million jobs, when the President is a Democrat, is a tragedy.
From Think Progress: For the fourth time in two years, a rural hospital in Georgia is shuttering its doors over a dearth of patients who can pay for their medical services, the Albany Herald reports. An increasing number of hospitals that serve large numbers of poor and uninsured Americans are being forced to close in states that are refusing the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.
The Lower Oconee Community Hospital, a so-called “critical access” hospital in southeastern Georgia with 25 beds, will close down and possibly re-open as an urgent care center that provides services that aren’t quite serious enough to necessitate an emergency room visit. Patients in the Wheeler County region who need more extensive medical care after the hospital closes will need to travel upwards of thirty miles in order to receive it.
“We just did not have sufficient volume to support the expenses,” said CEO Karen O’Neal in an interview with local CBS affiliate WMAZ. “It’s a terrible situation, and it’s tragic, the loss of jobs and the economic impact.”
Like other Red states, Georgia is experiencing the benefits of electing Republicans. I hope the fools that voted them in are leaning their lesson.
From Blue Oregon: Last week, the the Kansas House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill to allow any individual, group, or private business to refuse to serve gay couples if “it would be contrary to their sincerely held religious beliefs.” Brought by conservatives cowering against the fear of impending marriage equality in their state, this deep red state considered codifying anti-gay segregation into law. The state senate reined the whole thing in on Friday, however. Apparently allowing public safety officials to pick and choose which people they serve and protect based on sexual orientation was just too much, even for Kansas.
Lest you think this type of public policy is the providence of states where conservatives rule: think again. Oregon has it’s own version of this circulating now as a petition, and they’re gathering signatures. This proposal, along with the one in Kansas, is being sold as honoring "religious liberty".
No. This is not about religious liberty. This is about segregation. "Separate but equal" should never be public policy in Oregon.
Even here in Oregon, which usually leads the way on progressive issues, we need to continually guard against Republican TEAbuggery!
Cartoon:
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3:21 I pedaled my butt off to beat TomCat on my bike.
3:13 I pedaled so fast that I am blurry.
3:19 I hit a few bumps in the road! . . . Jerry quit dropping bread crumbs!
Grab all the catnaps you can while you can.
TPM ~ Depending on who is doing the writing or talking, the stimulus was a failure or a success. Most on the Right said it was a total waste of government funds while those on the Left said it didn't go far enough. I'm sure you know on which side I stand. Like everything else that has happened since Pres. Obama was elected, the Right thinks it's a tragedy. When GW did almost the same thing it was wonderful.
Think Progress ~ The fools will learn their lesson only if they need the hospital's services. They have to stop drinking the InsaniTea too.
Blue Oregon ~ Sadly, the TeaBuggers exist in every state. We just always have to be on the alert against their shenanigans.
Cartoon ~ Yet another thing we have to guard against in our own states. NY has pretty strict gun laws. It's very hard to get a carry permit. I seriously doubt that we will change in my lifetime. It's too bad more states weren't like us in this regard.
Just in case one needs to actually have FACTS to take down a wingnut (even though they're pretty much immune to Facts), here are a couple of good articles documenting that THE STIMULUS WORKED
From the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/opinion/sunday/dont-tell-anyone-but-the-stimulus-worked.html?_r=3&
From the National Memo:
http://www.nationalmemo.com/5-ways-stimulus-saved-remade-america/
Pretty Amazing! Video of the largest calving of a glacier ever filmed – about half the size of Manhattan (I think … Closed Caption in YouTube is crappy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC3VTgIPoGU#t=5
~~Amazing event… Whoa
"… refuse to serve gay couples if “it would be contrary to their sincerely held religious beliefs.”"
Beliefs are one thing. But, when you codify those beliefs, then you are mixing religion and government, something expressly prohibited by the Constitiution. Believe anything you want, but laws cannot be based on religious beliefs.
"Separate but equal" NEVER meant equal in any way.
6:24 It doesn't LOOK uphill…
TPM – "McConnell said Obama could better secure the nation's finances by scaling back regulations and giving the green light to the Keystone XL pipeline project" ???!???1!11!!! Yeah, right. There wouldn't be a nation to secure the finances of, but who cares? Besides the serfs, I mean.
Think Progress – I too hope they learn their lesson – but I doubt it. For one thing the people who really need the services won't vote. Unless "out of state agitators" come in and "stir them up" (translation – unless reasonsble and kind people come in from out of the state to advise them of their rights and assist them to exercise them). I believe one of the Democratic committees that follow elections has allotted found for exactly that. I hope there's enough, and I hope it helps.
Blue Oregon – Actually the Kansas state legislature was massively in favor of this bill until (I think this is how it was worded) the "ramifications became more clear." "Ramifications" is code for thousands of phone calls, letters, emails, and whatnot from constituents all over the state screaming bloody murder. So even if you think signing that petition can't possibly help, that no one is listening, that we can't accomplish anything – sign anyway. Sometimes it helps.
P.S. This was shared in one of my groups and I wanted to pass it on. I don't have good luck posting images here so I'll just share the link.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EK_K7tbUm9I/UwM96leu2SI/AAAAAAAABCc/_sHdQUlaMug/s1600/3-4-2011.jpg
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think ANYONE (other than TC) can post images any longer.
Jo, Nameless is correct. Until such time as the author of the graphic editor we use fixes a gaping security hole that would allow hackers access to the back end of the site, where they could commit all manner of vile TEAbuggery, WordPress has disabled that function for all but authors.
However, posting that particular picxture here would violate the author's © anyway. 🙂
Splendid. Now I know it isn't me. And I don't want to violate copyright. But I do intent to get one copy printed for personal use to mail to DH, the only way I can really share with him.
Excellent!
Puzzle — 3:19 I hit a few bumps in the road! . . . Jerry quit dropping bread crumbs!
TPM — The Turtle is such a putz!
Of course not because he is only willing to celebrate the political demise of Obama . . . like all Republicanus/Teabaggers, he has done everything he could to sink Obama and bring about the permanent Republicanus/Teabagger Reich!
Think Progress — A sad state. The poor have paid and continue to pay for the greed of the 1% and their Republicanus/Teabagger lackeys! How many deaths will it take to justify the Republicanus/Teabagger idiotology?
Blue Oregon — Religious liberty, my ass! This is plain and simple HATE!
And I thought that religion and government were supposed to be separate!
The only good Republicanus/Teabagger is a neutered and unemployed Republicanus/Teabagger!
Cartoon — Outlawed genocide in 1986? Me thinks that the Republicanus/Teabaggers should be tried for genocide then for their treatment of gays, the poor, women etc. Their laws have relegated these groups, and others, to death.
My first comments got wiped out by Internet Explorer.
TPM" Any success by the president is a tragedy to Mitch.
Think Progress: I agree, I hope the fools who voted for them are learning their lesson.
Blue Oregon" I cannot understand why so many feel threatened by gays.
Cartoon: Stand your ground is just a way of saying you can kill anyone you don;t like.
I hope you get all the sleep you need.
Thabks everyone. Very long, very busy day.
5:37 – Puzzle
I'm going to read a few of members links…. 😆