Open Thread July 12 2024

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 122024
 

A few days ago, the Lincoln Project released a new video – a Doomsday video. It’s a bit over four minutes, which is long for them, but the details demanded it. As bad as it is, and as long as it is, it’s still only a fraction But please watch it – and share it where it will do the most good. Now, yesterday, I got a call from one of my California cousins.  She’s the same age that I am but less mobile – and doesn’t have any equipment but a plain cane – not even a quad cane. I gave her some information on walkers and said I’d send a note confirming it, so I had to stop and do that (it took longer than I thought, because the place where I got mine doesnn’t have a paper catalog, and she is computer illiterate  So I had to  . But though I may end up posting this later than usual, y’all won’t notice the difference, since I schedule ahead. 🙂

Joyce Vance is, or should be the go-to on Project 2025. And she should also be the go-to in the Republican Parrty’s “official platform” – their first in 8 years – which more or less follows Project 2025 but omits any mention of abortion or marriage (because they know their stands are even more unpopular than the rest of the project.) Sso don’t be fooled by the “official platform.” They are just as determined to eliminate all abortion (and way too many pregnant women with it) and gay and interracial marriage as they have ever been.

I don’t suppose this is news to anyone – they have been doing it creepingly for literally decades. But it won’t be creepingly any more if they get into office. It will be more like a nuclear bomb.

Now here is an idea whose time has come. There are so many reasons why this makes perfect sense. As aperson living in Colorado, I have seen a lot of abandoned mines, and have worried a great deal about someone – especially cildren – getting trapped there. And that isn’t even the best reason – only the most obviously compassionate one.

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Open Thread August 14, 2023

 Posted by at 6:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 142023
 

Yesterday, I saw Virgil and we were able to play cribbage. I think I’ve mentioned that the deck is not new, so it’s sticky, and there are at least a half dozen cards, 0maybe as many as 10, that bend in half, both of which make it hard to shuffle and also hard to deal, which can result in some strange happenings. For example, I had a hand with two 7’s, two 3’s and one 5 (including the starter.) Well, that’s a nice hand, but I don’t recall seeing anything quite like it before. But several hands later, I  got the exact hand again, And several hands after that, I got a hand with two 9’s, 2 aces, and a five – which is essentially the same hand, just different denominations. And a few hands after that, I got that exact same hand again. Very strange. All in good fun, of course. I guess a little weirdness never hurts.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The New Yorker – Can “Cop City” Be Stopped at the Ballot Box?
Quote – I reached out to Mayor Dickens to ask whether he believes that Atlanta voters should be able to decide, after all the conflict and concern expressed in the past two years, whether to build the training center in the South River Forest. A spokesperson, in an e-mail, disputed the notion that a referendum could repeal a city ordinance. This initiative, he wrote, “would violate the constitutional prohibition on the impairment of contracts. That said,” he added, “we welcome public dialogue and engagement around our goal to build the most progressive Public Safety Training Center in the nation.”
Click through for story, of which, if you aren’t aware, it is not Freya’s fault. I would point out that “”progressive” does not mean the same thing in training police that it does in politics. In police training, it appears to mean something like all the latest gadgets to more effectively vcontrol people. Also, IANAL, but the theory that a referendum cannot revoke a city ordinance appears to me to be in violation of the people’s right to petition the government for redress of grievances, a right guaranteed by the First Amendment. It’s an empty right if the government in question claims in advance that there can be no redress.

al dot com – ‘Get them off their fannies:’ Gov. Kay Ivey on how to grow Alabama’s workforce
Quote – According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Alabama has a labor participation rate of 72.1 percent. Only three states rank lower even as the state’s workforce of about 2.3 million represents a new high mark. Still, ranking near the bottom nationally in labor participation somewhat offsets the fact that Alabama is 7th nationally with a 2.2 percent unemployment rate. The unemployment rate, of course, only includes those looking for jobs. “Today, over 2.1 million people are employed in Alabama,” Ivey told the chamber audience. “That’s the most in state history, y’all.
Click thrugh for details. If you have so many job openings that you can’t fill them all, even with people who are not looking for work (and probably NOT “sitting on their fannies”), woudln’t it be a good idea to make your state more friendly to potential workers? Like with reproductuve rights and other health care, and diversity and friendliness? What am I missong? (Heck, they can’t even keep both Senators in the state. Tuberville has moved to Florida – not that he isn’t a good fit there.)

Food For Thought

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Video Thread 6/12/22

 Posted by at 11:38 am  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 122022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Preview of J6 committee public hearings: what do we expect to see & what happens after we see it?

Meidas Touch – Texas Paul REACTS to Dr. Oz NOT Being Registered to Vote in Pennsylvania

The Lincoln Project – Think Again

via DAPL – Dakota Water Wars #3 – No Praying without a Permit (Parts 1 and 2 here )

Farron Balanced – MyPillow Guy Hatches New Conspiracy To Stroke Trump’s Ego

Hidden Camera Catches Cat Comforting Anxious Dog While Family’s Away

Beau – Let’s talk about unemployment, Wall Street, and Main Street….

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Trump* Lies about "Relief" Plan

 Posted by at 11:05 am  Editorial, Politics
Aug 102020
 

Last weekend, Resident Donald Trump*, Fuhrer of the Nazi Republican Reich, promised a press conference in which he would explain how he would provide his own relief plan for the American People.  It was really a campaign rally, delivered at taxpayer expense from his own Bedminster, NJ country club, while greedy Republican billionaires cheered him on.  Everything he said and everything his supporters, like Larry Kudlow, said later were lies.

According to the Washington Post, his so-called unemployment relief created a whole new program that would take months to set up.  States would have to pay $100 of the $400 per person per month payments, and pay for the administration of the program.  Trump also said he would suspend payroll taxes.  These are not taxes at all, but the entitlement payments that fund Social Security and Medicare.  He said he will terminate those “taxes”, if reelected.  The so-called rent relief provides for studies, but no relief at all. The measure on student loans is just a two month extension of the relief Democrats passed in March.

According to the NY Times, the Trump* plan included no relief for small businesses, schools, or state and local governments.

According to Market Watch, workers would still be on the hook to repay the payroll tax relief by April 15.  Unless governors request the unemployment relief and can afford to pay their share, workers will receive nothing.  Since Republicans are funding the program with money repurposed from from disaster relief funds, the program will run out of money in two months and leave nothing for disaster relief during hurricane season.

On the other hand, if Trump steals the White House again, and eliminates the “payroll taxes” permanently, Republicans will have an excuse to cut Social Security and Medicare, as they have wanted to do for years.

In short, this is nothing but a dog and pony show, intended to make Trump* look good before the election, but providing virtually no relief.

I’ll leave you with wise words from Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi calls Trump’s executive actions ‘absurdly unconstitutional’

 

RESIST!!

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Open Thread–5/9/2020

 Posted by at 10:15 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion
May 092020
 

It’s a very painful day, here in the CatBox.  The Radiation Oncologist told me to expect increased pain for a few days and a week before relief.  Tomorrow and Monday please expect no more than a personal Update or an Open Thread.  Tomorrow is a WWWendy Day, and Monday is my chemo infusion.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:54 (average 5:26).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

This is another oldie!

Trump* Virus Update:

0509TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,325,521
Deaths: 78,762
Recovered: 223,937

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In a test result that he called “a tremendous relief,” the Attorney General, Bill Barr, has tested negative for integrity, Barr confirmed on Friday.

Barr submitted to the test after learning that he had come into contact with career Justice Department prosecutors who were found to be integrity carriers.

“When I learned that there were still people at the Justice Department with integrity, I was understandably furious,” Barr told reporters. “I told them to go home at once.”

Barr said that he was putting into place new protocols that would require Justice Department employees to be tested for integrity before entering the building.

But Andy… Barrf need not worry about catching integrity. He’s immune.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): U.S. Logs Record High Unemployment Numbers – What Comes Next?

This is the other half of the Republican Reich crisis. The first half is Trump* virus. The second is the Republican depression of 2020. The solution? Flush the Republican Reich!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Matthew’s Southern Comfort – Woodstock


Ah… the memories!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

 

 

 

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