Trumpcare

Well, there you have it: Republicans have finally achieved their seven-year long dream of sticking it to Obama and the ACA...at least in the first round. After these folks get back to their hometowns, hear from their constituents who are losing their insurance ("It's only seven percent of the population" said one GOPer), and pat themselves on their collective backs for preserving their Right Wing cred, maybe reality will set in. But then again, Trump voters will never be able to see the forest for the trees. 

Never mind that the ACA was beginning to level out, never mind that the uncertainty of the Trump administration's plan on this was causing real problems, never mind that adjustments (bipartisan efforts) would have solved the ACA's problems going forward...the GOP (Paul Ryan especially) were determined to erase anything Obama did from the history books. 

Speaking of history: lots of healthcare talk has centered around "preexisting conditions." From the GOP point of view, these are conditions in your medical history that "those other people" must deal with...because of poor life choices, station in life, race, sex, age, lack of religious beliefs, or place of birth. NOT them of course, and beside they have taxpayer subsidized insurance. 

Having worked in OB/GYN and family practice, and dealing with insurance, let me present a short list of these conditions if they have EVER showed up as a diagnosis on your fee slip as you checked out:

abnormal pap smear, elevated blood sugar, back pain, hypothyroid, dizziness, heavy periods, obesity, smoker, use of alcohol, asthma, COPD, history of miscarriage, restless leg syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraines, allergies, pregnancy, age level, STDs, cancer (cured years ago), eating disorders, skin, disorders, ....almost any diagnosis submitted to get payment. Notice these are NOT the heavy hitters you would naturally think of such as cancer, MS, Parkinson's, tuberculosis, Alzheimers, or birth defects. ANYTHING the insurance companies can use to charge you higher premiums will suffice...for anybody. And do NOT think that these practices will be on just the exchanges. Insurance companies will be spreading this to their employer-based group policies, too. 

All you poor folks trying to work two jobs, or go to school, raise a family as a single parent or make your Social Security go a little farther: don't worry. The STATES will get a hunk of money to divide among you, if it's not swallowed up in administration costs. It makes the Repubs feel so good to pass the buck on care for all those folks, and think they have done a great job. Praise the lord! Now the rich and corporations can get those tax cuts, which was the main purpose of this whole thing.

It was liberal Juan Williams’ turn to speak. “I hope it covers mental illness because we’re seeing a lot of it at the table tonight,” he began. Williams slammed Trump for pressuring Republicans to pass the bill because he was “desperate for something that he can call a victory.”.....from FOX News/Newshounds

But do NOT give up....can't see this mess passing the Senate vote. Think of this as Trump's premature "Mission Accomplished" moment.

We're In Charge Here….

UPDATE
This action may not have gone as well as intended:
Asked about the open letter of 47 US Senators to Iranian leaders, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Dr. Javad Zarif, responded that "in our view, this letter has no legal value and is mostly a propaganda ploy. 
….added that "I should bring one important point to the attention of the authors and that is, the world is not the United States, and the conduct of inter-state relations is governed by international law, and not by US domestic law."
http://tinyurl.com/nrs8e99

Would somebody PLEASE tell me how much farther this complete and arrogant disregard for the man in the White House can possibly go? (See what I did there?)

It's NOT enough that none of the Congressmen invited to have lunch or dinner with President Obama soon after his first electoral win accepted his offer……they were BUSY with governing things, I am sure. It's NOT enough that within 24 hours of his swearing in that a large of group of Republicans met in secret and vowed to oppose everything this man intended to do….even before he presented it. It's NOT enough that Mitch McConnell publicly stated that his one job was to make "Obama a one term president." (How'd that turn out, Mitch?)

It's NOT enough that when the President worked for (and Congress passed) a healthcare initiative for the people of this country…and it was a plan endorsed and presented by the Right Wing Heritage Foundation years ago…the GOP raised holy hell and have been dead set on gutting for years now. (As well as voting rights, women's reproductive rights and equal pay, citizenship for immigrants, the education system, and unions.) It is NOT bad enough that Boehner was thinking of uninviting Mr. Obama to the Annual Prayer Breakfast and  telling him to "mail in" his State of the Union speech. It's NOT enough that they have their "unofficial" own FOX network to keep repeating their fear and falsehoods to the masses.

John Boehner and his cohorts not only thought it was a great idea for the Repubs to ask Netanyahu, Israel Prime Minister, to bolster their threat of war against Iran and also improve HIS election chances. (A two-for, in their minds.) This, in their thinking showed, who the leaders in THIS country were….and it wasn't Obama. Never mind that Bibi was just as much an propagandist and liar as they are.

NOW, in another act of defiance…and almost sedition…several Republican Congressman have actually WRITTEN a letter (signed their real names and everything) to the leader of Iran telling him NOT to agree to anything, or to sign anything anything with President Obama: 

“It has come to our attention while observing your nuclear negotiations with our government that you may not fully understand our constitutional system … Anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement,” the senators wrote. “The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.”

http://tinyurl.com/nbd5ncv

In other words…."don't get too friendly with the black guy in the White House 'cause when we get in we're gonna kick your ass."

Or as this Republican says: "The end of these negotiations isn't an unintended consequence of congressional action. It is very much an intended consequence. A feature, not a bug, so speak," Sen. Tom Cotton said in January, speaking at a conservative conference hosted by the advocacy group Heritage Action for America.

Seems like this has escaped their memory:

The Logan Act (1 Stat. 613, 30 January 1799, currently codified at 18 U.S.C. § 953) is a United States federal law that forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments. It was passed in 1799 and last amended in 1994. Violation of the Logan Act is a felony, punishable under federal law with imprisonment of up to three years.

My state is so proud of itself: it fought off OBAMACARE

Tennessee's Governor Haslam, not a Dem by any means, stalled for months like a good conservative and did nothing for the working poor in his state. In the meantime he haggled with the administration to "expand Medicaid his way"….and it "was not Obamacare." That was his story and he was sticking to it.

"The governor told a Nashville meeting of the Tennessee Press Association on Thursday that the agreement he hammered out with federal officials over 21 months was the market-oriented approach he thought the Republican-dominated Legislature wanted."

There was a reason for that:

"... Haslam's allies circulated a polling memo to GOP state legislators this week, written by the firm of longtime national GOP pollster Whit Ayres, showing that 85 percent of Republican voters in Tennessee oppose "Obamacare," but just 16 percent oppose "Insure Tennessee."

http://tinyurl.com/pqyfq4l

Haslam was really naive….
The Koch Brothers should really be proud of themselves:

Andrew Ogles, head of Americans for Prosperity in Tennessee, via Chattanooga TFP): “We couldn’t have done this without our grassroots activists showing up to hold their legislators accountable.. Thank you for listening to your constituents and voting to stop Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion in Tennessee.”

Grass roots my butt:The sea of red crowded out representatives of the Tennessee Hospital Association, one of the big advocates of the Medicaid expansion, who were left to stand in the back or unable to get into the room at all. (Tee shirts provided by AFP and KOCH money….)

The Koch Brothers learned early on that "all politics is local" and it is to their benefit to start their influence there.

"It is a smart strategy. The national president of Americans for Prosperity explains, “We fight local issue battles…because they result in good policy outcomes, generally promoting economic freedom via less taxes, less government spending.” He might have also said that this is a good strategy for identifying and cultivating budding politicians who, after taking on local, small-town issues, could move up to state politics and eventually to national levels carrying AFP’s pro-business, free market, anti-regulation message. A Democratic state representative from Coralville got the message about the AFP strategy: “I think right now, too, that they’re doing whatever groundwork they can for the 2014 elections—so any inroads they can make anywhere,” David Jacoby said."

Said Republican Speaker Ron Ramsey:…."Tennessee has always been a well-run, fiscally-responsible state. We could not in good conscience put our stamp of approval on a mere verbal agreement with the Obama administration."  (For the record Tennessee receives 41.27per cent of it's annual budget from the government, getting $1.64 back for every dollar it gives the government in taxes…..)

Then there is the GOP Alternative to Obamacare that they hope to implement after gutting the ACA…if they can do it.
The Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment (CARE) Act 
In this little gem:
 "Republicans want to make it harder for women to prevent themselves from getting pregnant, and then they want to deny women the maternity care they need when they do become pregnant while at the same time making healthcare more expensive for them."

Keep voting for these people, thank them for picking your pockets and making themselves rich, and then wonder why you are the one left holding the bag….

Isn't This Special……..

         

Just as all nonwhites are NOT criminals, not ALL cops are saints, though the majority have been. 

Just in case you folks are still under the delusion that the police in NYC are feeling put upon by the actions of the protestors….which were evident before the latest sickening murder of two of their own by a crazed lone killer……and are just acting out because they are "misunderstood", think again. 

Those on the Right…..I am talking about YOU Giuliani….are not wasting a MINUTE to use this as a political cudgel to bully those higher up: Mayor de Blasio, President Obama, Eric Holder, etc. This is nothing new for NYPD, but this time they have a racial component to use as a weapon, too…….and using it they are.

"Meanwhile, Republican operatives see a chance to do fatal damage to a rising Democratic star and close Clinton ally by resurrecting the kind of racial backlash politics that won them urban white votes during the Nixon era."

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/emails-and-racist-chats-show-how-cops-and-gop-are-teaming-undermine-de-blasio

" In an email to a supporter, Queens Village Republican Club president Joe Concannon referred to the planned wave of protests as “our plan to keep it in the news for the first half of 2015.”

Yes, I know…protests in the name of justice for killing unarmed black men, innocent until proven guilty…...BAD.

NYPD protests against officials…who have expressed support of law officers, but are black….and also against the other protestors…...GOOD

NYPD's Short Memory….

…or the one they HOPE the public has.

1992

"The demonstration two weeks ago to protest Mayor David Dinkins's plan for a more independent civilian complaint review board quickly deteriorated into a brawl. Beer-drinking officers broke through barricades to rush the steps of City Hall; others blocked traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge and used racial epithets to describe the Mayor."

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/30/opinion/strong-words-for-a-police-riot.html


In case you have forgotten: 
"And who was doing the same thing that he's doing now: 
 one Rudolph Giuliani, was right in the middle of it, fanning the flames of racial resentment for his own political gain, something Giuliani would do repeatedly ……"
http://tinyurl.com/kda9594

Even earlier this year, the unions were setting up for a showdown:
" A New York City police union leader on Tuesday castigated Mayor Bill de Blasio and his bid to HOST the 2016 Democratic National Convention, saying the city was losing ground in the fight against crime since he took office in January."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/26/nyc-police-union-de-blasio_n_5717801.html

They continue on their childish, hateful path, turning their backs to Mayor de Blasio during a solemn funeral service. BUT they want respect, obedience, honor, better pay (there IS a contract negotiation going, don't forget). And they are NOT racist…….

Tell me why, then, although these "union thugs" (remember that term Repubs used against auto workers, teachers, fast food employees and others who were organized in such a manner?) have a history of such actions….they really go all out when there are nonwhites involved, say a President, an Attorney General, protestors that finally have had enough…..or a Mayor with a mixed race family.
I'm sure it is just a mere coincidence…

Nobody has ever said being an officer of the law is an easy task. Their actions/reactions are sometimes in question...
…..and the availability of videoing those actions in their "policing" that have always remained hidden, where the word of the officers was always the last one wasn't welcomed either. But getting respect while giving none is ludicrous. I expect better behavior from my kids.

Just came across this article about the Police Chief in Nashville: talk about completely different views about policing and protesting.
http://gawker.com/police-chief-respecting-cops-means-respecting-protesto-1675787560

It's a Puzzlement…...

Well,  it doesn't get any plainer than this: we are living in a screwed up country.

* POLL FINDING OF THE DAY, OBAMA DERANGEMENT EDITION: A new Bloomberg poll finds that by a large margin of 55-34, Americans believe Republicans are acting “more out of antagonism towards Obama” than out of a “deep belief in their vision for the country.” By contrast, Americans believe by 54-36 that Obama is more driven by his vision than by antagonism towards Republicans. Perhaps the American people ought to have a word with our both-sides-to-blame pundits.

On the other hand, the poll also finds the GOP’s approval rating at a five year high while Obama has hit bottom. So maybe there’s no downside in being perceived as driven by antagonism towards Obama!

http://tinyurl.com/oqd6mqh

Hmmmmm…….I wonder what the problem could be?

I guess FOX News and the Republicans DID find a cure for the spread of the dreaded Ebola virus: the midterm election results.

Funniest thing…….

Bloodbath. Sweep. Wave. Victory. Obama Rejection…..

call it what you will. The Dems…you and me…..were hornswaggled and soundly beaten by the very same people that got us into this mess in the first place. 

This speaks very badly for the intelligence and foresight of the American populace in general, or maybe the members of the current Democratic Party are the biggest chickenshits we have ever seen. It's a toss-up either way, in my estimation.

When you have the most narcissistic, ignorant, grifting female in America……hoisted upon us by the GOP, remember……..using President Obama's own words (the ones she herself mocked just a few years ago)……to goad the Repubs into action, you have come full circle in mental gymnastics. 

"So, establishment types, remember that you didn’t build this! This majority that swept you into power tonight is thanks to the rank and file commonsense conservative grassroots. That’s who built it. And they expect results. They deserve the best for America."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/05/sarah-palin-warns-gop_n_6105208.html
(We'll leave that commonsense conservative grassroots meme for another time…..)

And then there is this nonsense to go along with it: http://tinyurl.com/kvbbc32

The SCOTUS opened the door and the Big Money came rolling in….being carried in part by the "religious right" whom the conservatives are surreptitiously using with their anti-abortion and contraception issues (see Justice Ginsberg's warning), and supplanted by the Koch Brothers' money-is-no-issue-for-us-to-buy-the kind-of government-we-want. Throw in the "we lose when everybody votes" meme the Repubs have used in secret for decades, but now have brought front and center…and we are going to pay for it.

"McConnell’s next play is perfectly clear. His interest lies in creating two more years of ugliness and gridlock. He does not want spectacular, high-profile failures that command public attention — no shutdowns, no impeachment. Instead, he wants tedious, enervating stalemate. McConnell needs to drain away any possibility of hope and excitement from government, so that the disengaged Democratic voters remain disengaged in 2016.
http://tinyurl.com/mtqte9p

I am ashamed of the Dems themselves…trying to be Republican lite. Are you ashamed of the accomplishments that this president has battled to achieve?? Did you not get everything you thought you should get when you thought you should get it?? Are you freaking afraid of the NRA?? Have the scientists' dire warnings (and possible solutions) caused you to panic, not wanting to upset McConnell's coal-supporting buddies….maybe letting the future generations deal with it?? Are you actually becoming to believe that it is all those "lazy, mooching  unemployed takers wanting free stuff" that is ruining it for everybody else instead of Walmart and Wall Street?? Are you also secretly afraid that all those brown/black/yellow/purple people are going to take way your "good" life, too?? 

I am not a great church-goer at this stage of my life, having "been there" all through my youth, but this quote came to mind:

        So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I will spit you out of my mouth.   Revelation 3:16

I really feel that since we….Dems….cannot even stand up for what we believe in, cannot back up and cheerlead for the things their President has done for us ( but we can complain, and run from them in order to appear "above it all."), and cannot even attempt to get a word in edgewise about our goals to our corporate media, we got what was coming. 

The next two years before the next presidential election will be very telling. If a failing educational system, privatization of all necessary services in the name of "saving money and efficiency", letting "free market" rule your healthcare choices, watching fewer groups of citizens being able to vote, watching a gradual militarization of the police forces that are supposed to be protecting you, seeing more of our state and government lands being exploited for profit by fossil fuel corporations to the detriment of people's health, and state governments decimating women's healthcare services…………..just don't take it out on this President. Blame Big Money, and yourselves.

Loving Obama Here In Tennessee…..

I bet that got your attention.

But if you have been bombarded by all the political ads on television lately, you can SEE all those Republicans running for office have opponents here who are practically in bed with the guy. Not to mention all the LIBERAL judges that are pushing their LIBERAL agenda in the State Supreme Court.

"Judging by political advertising lately, it’s truly remarkable how much support President Barack Obama and the Affordable Care Act enjoy among Tennessee Republicans and our state’s court system." http://tinyurl.com/q948oel

Yep, those folks have been showing all the LIBERAL love here in this state the last few years: 

" …. in Tennessee, because of (Gov.) Haslam's decision, they won't be covered. Without the money, some hospitals could close, particularly in rural areas where they already are struggling financially.

"There may be hospitals that will have to close," (LT. Gov.) Ramsey says. "But look, if you want to operate in a free market, things like that happen." 

http://tinyurl.com/kyb54gh

Of course, the governor also expressed his love of children:

http://knoxblogs.com/humphreyhill/2014/07/25/haslam-obama-surprise-placement-immigrant-children-tn-unacceptable/

It is also easier for outside groups and “super PACs” to run attack ads, leaving the positive message up to the candidates, and the result is an increasingly negative sheen to the general political discourse. “There’s no question that the sheer number of ads, combined with the fact that voters don’t know who’s paying for the ad, creates a layer of toxicity in our politics that is very corrosive,” said Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado and chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
http://tinyurl.com/nbceqxk

But that's OK. They ALL have the blessing of the Chamber of Commerce, high ratings from the NRA, are outstanding members of their various churches, and believe in the free market. They also love to push the First Amendment to the limit….and off a cliff.

JOBS……...

This really is encouraging, especially if you have lost your job in the last few months, your unemployment is running out, and you need to feed your family or pay off your student loans.  I'm sure you've sent hundreds of resume's detailing your decades of experience, college degrees and credentials, military service, your "team leadership", glowing references from those folks who decided to sent your job overseas or "downsize", and you check your emails hourly for responses. 

LiveCareer's research has determined the Top 15 Jobs for 2014 to be:

1. Personal Care Aides
2. Registered Nurses
3. Retail Salespeople
4. Food Preparation and Serving Workers (read: WALMART, McDONALDS)
5. Nursing Assistants
6. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
7. Customer Service Representatives
8. Janitors and Cleaners
9. General and Operations Managers
10. Construction Laborers
11. Bookkeeping, Accounting and Auditing Clerks
12. Childcare Workers
13. Office Clerks
14. Waiters and Waitresses (read: below minimum wage, counting on tips)
15. Cashiers
16. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/service-jobs-top-the-list-for-job-seekers-in-2014-246311221.html

All you unemployed folks out there…..get hopping! Who cares if you were once a bank branch manager, teacher, nurse, fireman, teacher, department supervisor, master mechanic, billing clerk, physician's assistant, librarian, technical advisor for a large corporation, auto worker, college professor or dietician. There are PLENTY of jobs out there up for grabs. (Five folks for each one…..) So what if you have to work 2 or 3 of them…you can ALWAYS work your way up, but never to what you were making a year ago, certainly. Just ask any Republican congressman…..if you can find one to talk with you.

Or better yet, ask your parents ( they're on Social Security living it up anyway) to loan you money to go back to school or start your own business. Who knows…one more degree MAY be the answer and there ARE laws against age discrimination. (Oh, I'm sorry: You are overqualified for this position.)

Yeah, Corker, About Those New Jobs

Senator Bob Corker of TN is soooo proud of himself and the antics of his GOP friends here. They managed to spread enough fear mongering, threats, and guilt among the workers at the VW plant in Chattanooga so that the employees voted against a union by about 86 votes .  Not a big landslide but enough for the Repubs in this state to go tooting their horns. And lord knows there are ENOUGH of them here……Blackburn, Campfield, Corker, Alexander, Duncan, and De Jarlais to name a few.

Well,…..lookey here: VW is not so happy about the goings on during the voting.

"I can imagine fairly well that another VW factory in the United States, provided that one more should still be set up there, does not necessarily have to be assigned to the south again," said Bernd Osterloh, head of VW's works council.

"If co-determination isn't guaranteed in the first place, we as workers will hardly be able to vote in favor" of potentially building another plant in the U.S. south, Osterloh, who is also on VW's supervisory board, said. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/19/us-vw-usplant-idUSBREA1I0S820140219

Remember: "The board (NLRB) spent years in the crosshairs of GOP lawmakers after its general counsel brought a controversial complaint against Boeing in April 2011. Republicans tried to strip the independent agency of its funding and even shut it down temporarily by declining to confirm board nominees."
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/18/bob-corker-volkswagen-uaw-vote_n_4810757.html

I just wish the American people would wake up and see what hypocritical blowhards these Repubs are. Everything is for their benefit. The bottom line is king. They have continued on their march for decades. If they cannot control the workplace, the voting booth, women's reproductive life, education,  deport every nonwhite available (except those that do their laundry and yards…) and push their view of the Bible into everyday life…..they will not rest. Enough is enough. Looks like someone's calling their bluff this time.

I Can't Take It Anymore…...

My husband has banned me from the the family room. The cat has jumped off the couch in fear for her life. If I didn't want to waste a good glass of Pinot Grigio…and lose the only flatscreen TV we all have for a while (gotta get the roof redone first), I came to vent at the computer. You can pretty well guess that I will not be invited to watch the State of the Union address….or the what-is-it-now, 500 Republican responses, rebuttals, points of view, denigrations, and get-my-face-in-front-of-the-cameras to follow (although their speeches have been written for weeks…).

I have had my fill of the likes of Paul Ryan, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell,  and Steve Stockman (and where the hell WAS he for 2 weeks?). I do not watch CNN, FOX, ABC, or NBC, for "dinner time" news reports. Besides, I follow everything on the internet, and throw in BBC and AJE along with several great blogs. (And of course Stewart and Colbert.)

As I watched Scott Pelley on CBS..…yes, I hoped that somewhere a moderate news journalist existed, even though I gave up on 60 Minutes. Then he interviewed (which is polite for acquiescing to his political point of view) Paul Ryan, asking his opinion of Pres. Obama's speech…before Ryan's even heard it. Such BS I cannot comprehend. And Pelley sat right there NOT even asking for clarification or calling out the mistruths. ("You Lie")

"The president seems as if he wants to go around the Constitution" with his threat of Executive Orders says Ryan…….just the same as Boehner and Mcconnell continue to spout. NEVER BEFORE has a president (read BLACK) done this!!

The listing of numbers of executive orders issued during the terms of modern presidents included in one of the examples above also bears no resemblance to reality. This chart compares the claimed number of orders issued by each president on the list with the actual number issued, as documented by The American Presidency Project: 

Name	Number claimed:	Actual number:
Theodore Roosevelt	3	1,081
Franklin Roosevelt	11	3,522
Harry Truman	5	907
Dwight Eisenhower	2	484
John Kennedy	4	214
Lyndon Johnson	4	325
Richard Nixon	1	346
Gerald Ford	3	169
Jimmy Carter	3	320
Ronald Reagan	5	381
George H.W. Bush	3	166
Bill Clinton	15	364
George W. Bush	62	291
Barack Obama	923	168

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/executiveorders.asp

Democrats need to shout it from the roof tops, make sure everybody on the internet knows it, call out journalists when they continue to allow the Right to spread their garbage on the airwaves, make their voices heard, donate, make sure people vote, and stand up for everybody, not just keep their thoughts and beliefs to themselves. Enough of this "well, we are the reasonable, fact based, understanding party. People will eventually see we have their best interests at heart." NO, they will not……not when they are bombarded constantly with BS, Right Wing money, false equivalency, and GOD (well, I made that last one up…).

OK….I'm done now.

Slutty Female College Students??

This is just getting disgusting! We all have heard how Republicans in Texas HATE Wendy Davis for standing up against their insatiable drive against women's reproductive rights (read: abortion).

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/01/25/sexist-attacks-wendy-davis/

 We all know how the Right DESPISES educated people and critical thinking, hence the decades-long push to privatize schools by giving vouchers to their charter schools where the learning is low and the profits are high. We all know how they think that poor folks should have just TRIED harder, gotten a college education which in their minds is the roadmap to a lucrative future (or it would be if you could also maneuver it into a lobbyist position so you can pay off your student loans).

So what do you get when you combine the misogynistic old white guy party's two favorite things? A slanderous underhanded push to denigrate a female's march to the front. This is what passes as "reporting" in Ohio (that bastion of Kasich and the Koch Brothers money these days.)…...

Miami University among fastest growing “Sugar Baby” schools in Ohio

Rising tuition costs and mounting college debt have some college students in Ohio seeking an alternative way to pay for their education. According to a new survey by SeekingArrangement.com, a dating site, six Ohio colleges are among the “Top fastest growing sugar baby schools,” where female students use “sugar daddies” to pay for college.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/miami-university-among-fastest-growing-sugar-baby-/ncnjG/

I don't know what the aim of this sort of push is……..just to denigrate all female students, I guess. Look for this to be occurring other states as well. I'm getting REAL tired of this "subliminal" message the Right is pushing. Just too chicken to come right out and say it I guess. How any self-respecting, critical thinking, compassionate, hard working member of the female sex……..or members of ANY nonwhite sector of this country……can be OK with this denigration and lying BS is beyond me! Anybody that votes to keep these poor excuses of humanity in office are out of their minds!

We Pay These Guys?

I am soooo embarrassed by the antics of the Republican Congress critters in my state. Having no empathy, or care and consideration for the poor, unemployed, veterans, children, or those with health problems…..they refused to expand Medicaid and develop their own health insurance exchanges….and support the slashing of food stamps in Tennessee. (But you can carry GUNS almost anywhere here.)

We have Marsha Blackburn with her "let 'em drive Fords" idiocy, spouting off at the Obamacare hearings the other day……..she was so concerned about the outcome that she LEFT right after her television close ups and was interviewed by FOX outside the hearing room.

Just the other day in Memphis, Senator Brian Kelsey gave Kathleen Sebelius a primer  to "help her with the healthcare website."

TN Sen @BrianKelsey gave Kathleen Sebelius "Websites for Dummies" during #Memphis #healthcare event #news

4:37 PM - 1 Nov 13 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/hunterschwarz/a-lawmaker-gave-kathleen-sebelius-a-web-sites-for-dummies-bo

These jerks, along with their fellow Republicans in the Congress, have done everything possible from Day One to throw a monkey wrench into the progress of the Obama administration. Their latest obstruction of NOT giving the HHS department enough funds to implement the website and help it's implementation was totally destructive. Not letting their states (mostly Repub governed Southern ones…) expand Medicaid and do their own exchanges was another blow. This put all the more strain on the federal exchanges and sites. 

This was not an accident…...just another round in their "make Obama look like a foolish failure" campaign.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/the-obamacare-sabotage-campaign-99176.html

But not to worry…..Canter released the calendar for working days in Congress next year.

"The 2014 calendar for the House was released Thursday by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), and shows members will only work only 113 days. That's down from 2013, when House lawmakers were scheduled to meet for 126 days."

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/10/31/congress-working-less-than-13-of-year-in-2014-getting-full-salary/

I wonder how much pain and havoc….plus ignorance and juvenile antics….they can concoct during that short time?

Panic! Fear!

I'm getting really tired of the "panic' and "Oh Noes" being bandied about regarding the ACA. The Right has done its usual first-rate job of spreading fear and misinformation. Or do everyday people REALLY have no idea how the insurance policies they have had for years..…or currently do not have due to being suddenly without a job….really works?? 

First of all, these costs have been rising for decades. This NOT a reaction to "socialized medicine", or Obamacare. Here is a chart from 2006:

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/health-insurance1.htm

Then there is the structure of group insurance itself. An employer may have several types of health plans from an insurance company to offer, but these are standardized for all employees and cannot be customized. (Yes, your premiums are already covering those other people with diabetes, kids, chronic health problems, vasectomies, pregnancy, and prescriptions that you do not use. So STOP with the "why should I pay for all those other moochers?") Premiums are simply those rates in effect at the time. Since costs are not usually risked-based in group insurance, all premiums are the same. If you do not have group insurance, and you have an individual policy paid by you, your costs are obviously higher anyway.

There are a few things that an employer may not have to cover for you.The ACA is trying to correct these situations:

http://www.insurance.com

The Republicans have been totally against anything that President Obama has tried to do…from day one. Going against his premiere legislation was high on their list: 

"The Obama administration originally had asked for more than half a billion dollars to spend on public relations and outreach for the law. House Republicans had returned with an offer of nothing. That's right: zero dollars. Without necessary funds, the Department of Health and Human Services worried it would not have the necessary money to pay for navigators to help people enroll in health care, for the technology needed to implement the exchanges and for the public relations campaign that was required to inform citizens about what the law actually did."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/28/opinion/carroll-gop-obamacare-hypocrisy/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Throw in the fact that Republican-governed states said NO to expanding Medicaid or setting up their own exchanges (They forgot all about that state's rights position they love)…and made the federal government do it. More chaos ensued. No money, no help. "Train Wreck" in GOP parlance.

"People are being thrown off their policies"……they were not actually total coverage anyway.

"Spouses are no long covered"……..only if the spouse also is eligible for coverage at his/her employer. Why should one employer pay both costs?

"Premiums are going sky high"……unless you make bundles of bucks (or are young and invincible) you probably will get a subsidy. Don't always believe what FOX tells you. And young people: wait till you get the bill for a broken leg, car wreck injuries, unexpected cancer or asthma, sports injuries,

or need medication…..

All I can say is PLEASE get that Healthcare.gov website fixed! I realize the ACA is not perfect, but come on: the garbage floating around the airwaves and internet is making me sick.