I’m writing for tomorrow, and I still feel horrible. Tomorrow my Broncos will be worshiping, and I shall be meditating.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:50 (average 5:29). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From NY Times: There is nothing good to say about the December employment report, which showed that only 74,000 jobs were added last month. But dismal as it was, the report came at an opportune political moment. The new numbers rebut the Republican arguments that jobless benefits need not be renewed, and that the current minimum wage is adequate. At the same time, they underscore the need, only recently raised to the top of the political agenda, to combat poverty and inequality.
The report showed that average monthly job growth in 2013 was 182,000, basically unchanged from 2012. Even the decline in the jobless rate last month, from 7 percent in November to 6.7 percent, was a sign of weakness: It mainly reflects a shrinking labor force — not new hiring — as the share of workers employed or looking for work fell to the lowest level since 1978. That’s a tragic waste of human capital. It would be comforting to ascribe the dwindling labor force mainly to retirements or other long-term changes, but most of the decline is due to weak job opportunities and weak labor demand since the Great Recession.
One result is that the share of jobless workers who have been unemployed for six months or longer has remained stubbornly high. In December, it was nearly 38 percent, still higher by far than at any time before the Great Recession, in records going back to 1948.
This is the fruit of Republican sabotage, preventing the passage of needed jobs programs. The private sector did improve, but the Republican-forced loss of public sector jobs, continues to hurt the economy. The Republican plan is still to destroy the economy and project the blame they have earned onto Democrats.
From Alternet: The White House is poised to sign a year-long contract with global consulting firm Accenture, worth roughly $90 million, to maintain the government’s trouble-plagued health insurance website, a report said.
The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, said the administration of US President Barack Obama has decided to part ways with CGI Federal, the main contractor that built HealthCare.gov and worked to solve the litany of problems since its October 1 rollout.
The Post said the contract with Accenture could be signed early next week. It also said the government believed CGI had not repaired the problems with the website as well as it could have.
While I can’t say anything about Accenture, one way or the other, firing CGI is way past due!
From Crooks and Liars: The hosts and guests of MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Friday offered their usual spin on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s marathon press conference regarding the apparently vindictive lane closures on the George Washington Bridge which emails have revealed were aimed at causing headaches for the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee. Host Joe Scarborough said it was hypocritical to attack Christie for fostering a "culture" that permitted this behavior from his subordinates and not attack President Barack Obama for the same thing.
I often hear Republicans claim that MSNBC is biased to the left, but it is not. While MSNBC has some excellent progressive commentators like Ed, Chris, Rachel and Lawrence, they also have three solid hours of dishonest Republican propaganda like this every morning. Note how they elevated the IRS Scandal, long since proven false, to a higher level of culpability than Bridgeghazi.
Cartoon:
Fortunately for Julius, Chris Christie had no bridge there.
11 Responses to “Open Thread–1/12/2014”
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Thanks TC – so sorry you are still sick – but you are in my prayers daily (for what that is worth!).
Not being in a position to watch MSNBC directly I didn't realise that it had 3 hrs a day of GOP programming -and am very sorry to hear that indeed! I thought that (as you said) that somewhere that has Ed, Rachel, Chris and Lawrence would have a greater grip on sanity!
"Nobody EVER pays!" – said on video with apparent regret from a group that lies and lies and lies and never admits it or pays for their mistakes, a group that insists on starving the poor and grossly overfeeding the rich! Couldn't stay to watch more as I could feel my bp rising!
5:28, just under the new average of 5:39.
NY Times: Yet there are still public sector jobs in agencies which ought not to exist. Case in point the USDA's "Wildlife Services" (http://www.predatordefense.org/exposed/), not to be confused with any agency in the Interior Department with a similar name. Many people who care about wildlife and even spend a lot of time in the wild have never even heard of this group. And if you try to Google it you likely won't find it.
Pat A – Your quote "Nobody EVER pays!" – gee, doesn't that sound like "They ALWAYS get away with it"?
Cartoon – To the best of my recollection, no one had a bridge there at all. In thise days when people wanted to cross a river, they worked at it.
Morning Joe is talking $hit period…
4:21 –
4:16 Here's hoping you are number 2 today.
Whoops! The sick one beat both of us.
3:42 . . . and I minded my time and beat the 3 of you! Not bad for someone who is out of practice and really short on time these days!
Just a lucky puzzle for me, sometimes it happens… 😆
Glad your Broncos won today.
NY Times: I didn't think any year would be worse than 1978. I was working in the Unemployment Office then and worked at least ten hours a day, sometimes twelve, plus every Saturday. I even worked on Easter Sunday that year. This shows how really bad things are, and the Repubs. don't care who suffers as long as they get their petty way.
Alternet" I have had too many e mails from Republ friend saying CGI was hire because of close personal friend ships with Michelle and Barak Obama. I hope this is not true.
Crooks and Liars: MOrning JOe is a Republican's dream home.
Love the cartoon. I hope you are feeling better soon.
Thanks everyone.
Jo I had no t56rouble finding more info about it. Also, you remember the ebenyt correctly. There was no bridge there, so you and Julius hasds to wade. 😉
Ever notice how Mika disses Willie Geist constantly and tells him that whatever he's going to say isn't worthwhile? Then she goes on to rant about how excited she is at being invited to her "…first Marcella Hazan garden party." In other words, my God, she is insufferable x 100. There's no redeeming quality that Joe has. A few days ago, he ranted that Christie will be the president in 2016 and bridgeghazi was no big deal. No big deal? Somebody died and there was the potential for a lot of people to die in that scenario. Idiots – both of them.