Forgive my brevity. I have lot to do today. Until I’m more stable, I’ll leave Jig Zone duties to our beloved Squatch.
Short Takes:
From Upworthy: A whole lot of us aren’t the best at accepting compliments.
Maybe it’s because we don’t receive them so often. Maybe it’s because we don’t know what to say. Maybe it’s because we don’t believe them. Whatever the reason, the struggle can be real!
This article is directed to people I find beautiful. 
From PRWatch: What a mess this court has wrought!" Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson declared in the latest chapter in the state’s John Doe legal saga.
On Wednesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s majority contorted itself to find a new way to protect both Scott Walker and the Court’s biggest supporters–not to mention itself–following its decision in July rewriting the state’s limits on money in politics and ending the "John Doe" investigation into Walker’s campaign coordinating with dark money groups.
Wednesday’s ruling was supposed to be a straightforward decision on a motion to reconsider, in light of additional evidence that Walker and his allies had violated the campaign finance laws that the Court upheld in July.
The Court denied that motion, but then (in a lengthy unsigned opinion) went further, rewriting its July decision to fire the Republican Special Prosecutor who had led the investigation, Francis Schmitz, making it harder for him to challenge the justices’ conflicts-of-interest by appealing the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Those conflicts arise from the fact that the same groups that coordinated with Walker’s campaign were among the majority’s biggest financial supporters, raising concerns under U.S. Supreme Court precedent about whether the justices should have heard the case at all.
Sucking Nevermind is still paying off for the Fartfuhrer of Fitzwalkerstan. Click through.
From NY Times: A little-noticed health care provision that Senator Marco Rubio of Florida slipped into a giant spending law last year has tangled up the Obama administration, sent tremors through health insurance markets and rattled confidence in the durability of President Obama’s signature health law.
So for all the Republican talk about dismantling the Affordable Care Act, one Republican presidential hopeful has actually done something toward achieving that goal.
Mr. Rubio’s efforts against the so-called risk corridor provision of the health law have hardly risen to the forefront of the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but his plan limiting how much the government can spend to protect insurance companies against financial losses has shown the effectiveness of quiet legislative sabotage.
The risk corridors were intended to help some insurance companies if they ended up with too many new sick people on their rolls and too little cash from premiums to cover their medical bills in the first three years under the health law. But because of Mr. Rubio’s efforts, the administration says it will pay only 13 percent of what insurance companies were expecting to receive this year. The payments were supposed to help insurers cope with the risks they assumed when they decided to participate in the law’s new insurance marketplaces.
Mr. Rubio’s talking point is bumper-sticker ready. The payments, he says, are “a taxpayer-funded bailout for insurance companies.” But without them, insurers say, many consumers will face higher premiums and may have to scramble for other coverage. Already, some insurers have shut down over the unexpected shortfall.
“Risk corridors have become a political football,” said Dawn H. Bonder, the president and chief executive of Health Republic of Oregon, an insurance co-op that announced in October it would close its doors after learning that it would receive only $995,000 of the $7.9 million it had expected from the government. “We were stable, had a growing membership and could have been successful if we had received those payments. We relied on the payments in pricing our plans, but the government reneged on its promise. I am disgusted.”
I see risk corridors as a temporary indirect subsidy of insured people, not a additional subsidy of the insurance industry. Of course, the solution is Medicare for all. This sleazy sabotage could ret Border Booter the nomination from the Republican Reich. Click through.
Cartoon:
12 Responses to “Open Thread–12/10/2015”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
By all means don't hurt yourself.
Upworthy – I'm not sure it's compliments in general that raise the specter of cognitive dissonance – I think it's specifically being told one is beautiful that causes us to writhe. And IMO understandably. In order to communicate in our language, we kind of have to sign our rights away to certain words, and agree to understand them as society defines them, and one of those words is "beautiful." I am old enough to have multi-layered definitions of beauty, but if someone says I am beautiful, it's the narrow societal one that springs to the top, and I am not comfortable. (Unless, of course, the person saying it is hubby; I already know he's nuts.)
On the other hand, I was so tickled by a compliment on a comment I made on AlterNet that I can't even remember the exact words, but it was to the effect of great analysis – thinking outside the box – absolutely right – well done. I just responded "Thank you."
PRWatch – Yes – and we think SCROTUS is bad. The US Supreme Court justices are only – "only," listen to that – raking in money. The Wisconsin justices are not only raking in money, but also deliberately and obviously covering their worthless asses. I feel sorry for the real victims here- the people of Wisconsin who did not vote for Walker.
NY Times – Everyone is just as vulnerable as anyone else to the dangers of not paying attention. The way, according to the artice, this was slipped through gives a reason for its success not is not an excuse for Democrats who let it slip. I don't blame Dawn Bonder for being disgusted, but her disgust is not really rightly aimed. It's not the government that's the problem. It's Republucans in government.
Cartoon – Sometimes I think they go beyond "Rights? What Rights" to "Humans? What Humans?"
Dearest Tom, I want you and everyone else to know that I have not been neglecting or ignoring you. First of all, so glad you are at home, Tom. I have had a bad back problem, Oxycodone was prescribed. Severe allergic reaction. A vesicular rash which became lesions which became infected. Better now. Have 2 scars on my arm. Back still hurts, but am able to spend some time at the computer. All of you who post on Tom's thread, I have missed you.
So good to see you back too, Dotti. Glad you're feeling a bit better and able to come here again, even if it's for short periods.
Glad to see you with us again Dotti–I was beginning to worry, with good reason it seems.
Upworthy: I too, would feel uncomfortable if someone, or a stranger said that to me. I'd blush too.
PR Watch: Corruption at it's worse. Walker is despicable and so is the Court. There should be an investigation on how this was handled.
Cartoon: It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
*Link: http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/
Hope that you have a good day, a little at a time too. Take care, enjoy your evening, and Thanks Tom.
Looks like you have settled back in. It's good to be home. Take care of yourself.
So good to see you back where you belong, TomCat! I'm sure you'll take a while to get settled into your old routines as much as possible, so take all the time you need, with plenty of catnaps in between, to get your strength again. I hope all the adjustments to your home have been done before your arrival too.
Upworthy: Why thank you, TomCat. Of course the two most beautiful things were the girl behind the camera and the feline directing the video at people he finds beautiful.
PR Watch: Is this kind of back tracking by a court to protect itself and "special interest groups" when confronted with more evidence even legal? They've been playing strip poker with blind dame Justice and she hasn't much left to wear to cover herself decently. Next time we need a special juridical barf bag alert when you post things like this, TomCat, because reading this is just as nauseating as reading what politicians say or do.
NY Times: Democratic legislators should wake up and scrutinize all possible loopholes, because if there are any, the Republicans, with the help of those heavily sponsored think tanks will find them and use them for their own political gain. And the game is always played exactly the same: they (Rubio in this case) will find a loophole and than force the administration to retract some of its promises. And when they do that – under duress – all the Republicans – and insurance companies – act disgusted and blame the administration (Obama) for coming back on its promise. Please hand me another barf bag.
Cartoon: Those rights are only for those entitled to them, my guess is that's about 10% of the population.
human rights declaration, must be the most unholy day of the year to the GOP
Thanks and hugs!
Glad to see you back at the hrlm. Stay Well Puddy Cat must be thrilled. Lynn did a GREAT Job.
Two thoughts.1) How come European Countries,(and Cuba) have Universall Health Care.? and the USA. According to Rubio" the greatest country in the History of the world" Does not and cannot even build adequate
roads and bridges!?.I fear that Mr Rubio failed history!. ( along with TRUTH TELLING"
2nd. thought.How many of the hateful Repug voters,Who wish to keep desperate refugees, out of America.are actual Americans?. I thought that the only REAL Americans are the Native American tribes,who became the subject of GENOCIDE!, at the hands of European immigrants?.Justify your bigotry,you non compassionate stance.
Yes…beware of immigrants…especially the first ones to come here and bring pox, v.d., ruthless theft of land and life….of course, they are the ones the Rethugs say have a "divine right" to be here. Disgusted.
The courts are no longer, in quite a few instances, magisterial. More corrupt that I can abide.
The beautiful, beautiful video is wonderful. And so is the statement of our rights. So glad that the Puddy Tat is back!
Upworthy: A wonderful and fun video but it is a socially interesting one to watch how people react to be told that they are beautiful. Yes, compliments are hard for some people to accept and at times awkward.
PRWatch: Congratulations to the people of Wisconsin for electing Scott Walker as Governor in the first place. Corruption abounds not only in the higher offices but in the Wisconsin courts. With the help of dark money and Koch Bros, Wisconsin has sunk to new lows. What a quagmire!
NY Times: Rubio isn't that smart to have come up with this "risk corridor" and payment plan on his own. Rubio, no doubt, has sabotaged the ACA. The republicans are the root of their continuous attack on ACA. They want to protect the insurance companies for its outrageous greed and profits rather than the health of the people. SICK! The Republicans need to be sued every time they vote to overturn ACA. Each time they vote, it costs the taxpayer 1 million dollars.
Cartoon: Universal Human Rights. A beautiful concept but there are those who would trample on it. People simply want to live their lives in peace, dignity. A Majority of them!