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Columbia Journalism Review: In Hollywood and the accounts of many of the nation’s leading journalists, events in Washington revolve around the president, who is thought to have virtually unlimited powers to cajole, charm, threaten, or bribe legislators into enacting his agenda. Within this framework, the success or failure of the president’s legislative agenda is typically attributed to his tactics, not contextual factors like party support in Congress.
In reality, the idea that the President can force an uncooperative Congress to do his bidding has been falsified over and over again—not just during President Obama’s administration on issues like gun control, but during previous presidencies. Even Lyndon Baines Johnson, the prototypical presidential wheeler-dealer, became far less persuasive when the national political climate changed after the 1966 midterm elections (one aide commented that by the end LBJ “couldn’t get Mother’s Day through” Congress). And yet journalists and commentators still try to defend their misguided notions of presidential power, suggesting instead that, for instance, Obama is being held back by a lack of personal charm or a failure to twist enough arms in Congress.
More here
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KRDO (Colorado Springs, CO): The first lady and Jill Biden pushed companies to continue hiring veterans and their spouses. According to the Associated Press, 1 million members of the military are expected to join the civilian workforce over the next five years. Michelle Obama said companies have hired or trained 290,000 veterans in less than two years. However, she said, there is still work to be done. Statistics show the unemployment rate among veterans is lower than non-veterans.
Jill Biden said there are initiatives in Washington working to help military spouses as well called Military Spouse Employment Partnership. “This effort has helped spouses build strong resumes, has sponsored hiring fairs and created strong resume programs. Since its launch, more than 160 Fortune 500 employers have signed on to the partnership,” said Biden. “More than 43,000 military spouses have been hired.”
Pikes Peak Workforce Center is hosting a job fair geared toward veterans May 15-17 at Pikes Peak Community College. Amthor said 100 local and national companies have already signed on. Here is a link for more information on the job fair: http://mvee.org/
More here
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Kevin Drum: President Obama said today that he believes there are some Republicans in Congress who’d like to compromise with him to enact “common sense” solutions to America’s problems. I’m sympathetic, because I agree. I don’t think that Republicans have declined to make a budget deal because Obama didn’t schmooze them enough, or because they didn’t understand what he was offering, or because Democrats haven’t framed their compromise proposals quite right. Republicans have declined to make a deal because they don’t like any of the deals Obama is willing to make. Full stop. Unfortunately, I think Ed falls into the same trap when he suggests that Obama’s dinners with senators have gone quite far enough, thankyouverymuch.
All of which gets us to the guts of the problem: most likely, nothing is going to work. But if you’re the president, you can’t say that. You can’t even act like it. You have to go out day after day after day insisting that progress is possible and deals can be made. This gets you lots of flak from fellow lefties who think it displays terminal naiveté, but what choice do you have? Obama pretty obviously understands everything that his lefty critics understand—he’s not an idiot, and this is hardly rocket science, after all—but he also understands one other thing: he can’t admit it. I imagine it’s frustrating as hell. But like it or not, presidents have to keep their chin up in public and keep trying to make things happen, even if they know perfectly well that success is unlikely. Welcome to hell.
More here
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Ross Douthat: you can’t actually have a conservative alternative to Obamacare if you can’t recognize that “managing” the health care system requires changing the way it (already, pre-Obama!) subsidizes health care, which in turn requires increasing the subsidies available to at least some people (the sick, and Americans who don’t get insurance through their employers) even as you reduce them for others (by capping the deduction for health insurance, as a first step). Instead, they’re happy to just pretend that the existing system represents some sort of free-market ideal in order to score points against the new health care law and avoid taking on any policy risk themselves — and then happy, as in this case, to demagogue as “big government” any constructive steps toward a world that’s actually more consonant with free market principles than the status quo.
This, this, is the Republican Party’s health care problem. This means that no matter how much of a “bureaucratic nightmare” the implementation of the current health care law turns out to be, liberals at least have this ace in the hole: When it comes to health care reform, there is still no politically realistic alternative to their approach.
More here
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Scott Lemieux: Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court famously declared in Gideon v. Wainwright that the government was required to supply counsel to defendants who cannot afford it. The noble ideals of the Bill of Rights, Justice Hugo Black wrote in that case, “cannot be realized if the poor man charged with crime has to face his accusers without a lawyer to assist him.”
First of all, the sequester that resulted from Republican hostage-taking in 2011 is undermining both public safety and the rights of defendants. Even worse, the sequester will not have the same effect on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which handles prosecutions, further diminishing the important check on government power provided by the Sixth Amendment. In cases less high-profile than Tsarnaev’s, the sequester may mean defendants receiving inadequate representation and could possibly require some defendants to be released (or have their convictions overturned).
More here
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Jamelle Bouie: In previous elections, stretching back to 1976, Republicans were able to win between 10 and 14 percent of the African American vote. This doesn’t sound like much, and in an overwhelmingly white electorate, it isn’t. But over the last ten years, two things have happened — the electorate has become less white, and black turnout has grown, from 10 percent in 2000 to 11 percent in 2004 to 13 percent in 2008 and 2012. And indeed, in last year’s election, blacks voted at a higher rate than any other racial group, including whites. Put another way, almost every eligible African American voter voted in last year’s election.
If blacks were dispersed throughout the country, or concentrated in a handful of blue states, this wouldn’t mean much. But large numbers of African Americans are concentrated in a handful of swing states—Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and Ohio—as well as states that could swing under the right circumstances, like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Indiana. To put this in the most straightforward way possible, black support is worth more in those states than comparable support from any other demographic group.
In terms of return on investment, it makes far more sense for Republicans to win back the black voters they lost over the last four years, than it does to make inroads with Hispanics. Neglecting black voters, antagonizing them with voter identification laws — this is a sure way to harm GOP chances for a comeback.
More here
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Greg Sargent: At today’s press conference, President Obama spent a fair amount of time pushing back on what some of us are calling the “Green Lantern Theory of Presidential Power.” This theory — which seems to hold broad sway over many in the press — holds that presidents should be able to bend Congress to their will, and any failure to do so proves their weakness and perhaps even their irrelevance.
But as many others have explained at great length — see Jonathan Bernstein and Kevin Drum on this – the president’s influence over Congress is currently quite limited, historically speaking, for a host of reasons. And in the particular case of guns and the sequester, the Green Lantern argument is even more absurd: Toomey-Manchin wouldn’t have passed even if everyDemocrat had voted for it; and the sequester cuts can’t be replaced with a compromise of Obama’s choosing because Republicans control the House of Representatives.
More here
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Jonathan Cohn: The “chaos” of Obamacare just got a little less chaotic. On Tuesday morning, the Obama Administration released its new insurance application, for use on the new health insurance marketplaces. The marketplaces are for people without employer-sponsored coverage, and the idea has always been to make the application process as simple as possible.The result is a new, sleeker application. (You can see the full family version here.)
I tried the application myself and it took me less than ten minutes to fill out the whole thing. Apparently that’s pretty average: Administration officials say that, in their tests, the average completion time was seven minutes. In my home state of Michigan, as in many states, the largest insurer selling individual coverage is Blue Cross Blue Shield. The application for its “One Blue” plan—you can see it here—is longer and more complicated than Obamacare’s.
Now go back to the Obamacare application and look for the questions about medical history. You won’t find any. That’s because, once the law is in effect, medical history won’t matter. Insurers won’t be able to treat the healthy and sick differently. That alone is a huge change for the better.
More here
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https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/329582867103481856
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Presidential Daily Schedule (All Times Eastern)
9:45AM: Pres. Obama and VP Biden receive the presidential daily briefing
10:30AM: Pres. Obama meets with senior advisors
12:30PM: Press Sec. Jay Carney briefs the press
2:15PM: Pres. Obama makes a personnel announcement
4:00PM: Pres. Obama and VP Biden meet with Secretary of State John Kerry
4:30PM: Pres. Obama and VP Biden meet with Treasury Secretary Jack Lew
7:15PM: VP Biden delivers remarks at an event for the D.C. Volunteer Lawyers Project
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Have A Great Day! 😀
The Obama Diary 
Good morning all
Congrats.
Great R&S UT!
Thanks. And lookachu second place! 😀
Nothing for 18th??? 😥
Here’s to you finally arriving at 18th?!?!?
Aw, thank you UT! 😆 Cheers to you too!
https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/329582867103481856
Morning all from cool crisp NYC
Gooooood morning you lot. Get outta them bunks. Heave out and trice up. The smoking lamp is lit. Clean up all berthing areas and give a clean sweep down fore and aft……..Reveille, reveille!
😀
Oh, yardarm, you made me tired just reading that.
‘Tis a good way to get the blood flowing, eh? 😆
😆 What a spectacular good morning Yardarm!!
If you say so Admiral. 😀
I was a bit sluggish until I saw your ‘good morning’ Yardarm, now I’m ready to take on the day in a highly punchy kind of way!
Let ‘er rip. The sun’s up and visibility is good. Full steam ahead.
🙂 Plain sailing, shipmate!
That would be ‘smooth’ sailing Admiral. 🙂
Smooth it is, Shipmate!
Morning! Is it Wednesday already??!! Happy Hump Day! Thank for a great R/S, UT!
Great R&S UT. People do forget what difficulties Johnson had once the GOP gained in elections. The big accomplishments of his presidency came with overwhelming Dem majorities in both Houses. The same with FDR.
They may point to Bush’s accomplishments, but the war in Iraq was mainly due to the paranoia post 9/11. The tax cuts barely got through. He lost in his attempts to privatize SS or do immigration reform.
But for some reason, PBO is supposed to do better with less to work with. I am trying to figure out the difference between PBO and his predecessors that might cause this. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I am sure it will come to me.
Yes, it’s a real headscratcher, Japa.
Good morning – wanted to share this with you: our next U.S. Senator from Massachusetts on Primary Night
http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?vcid=24781073&freewheel=90106&sitesection=bostonglobe
Wow, he’s good. Hope he wins in a landslide.
I spent about $14 on lunch and dinner yesterday, one was a Chinese buffet and the other was Sonic. So no!! I can’t.
Good Morning, Everyone 🙂
It’s encouraging to see the Columbia Journalism Review provide a mature perspective on presidential power. So much garbage passes as journalism, I hope those aspiring to enter the profession take their guidance from the reasonable ones and not the loonies. Please, God, do not let any journalism school graduate more Maureen Dowds, or Fox news wannabes. Something desperately poisonous affected the journalism industry in the last several decades and the only antidote on the horizon is young people refusing to injest the stuff that kills their minds and consciences.
Good morning TOD family. What a great Rise and Shine. Thanks UT.
Here in Montana on May 2 we have snow on the ground. I am ready for some sunshine. It’s a busy day for me. Hope everyone has a great day.
Continued prayers for Gobrooklyn and all other who are going through tough times.
First!!!!! 😕
UT? Sending you a big snuggly huggily cyber hug, you bundle of gem-ness. Thank you so much, R&S is brilliant!!!
You’re welcome. Any day, anytime. 😀
Be careful with that kind of generosity UT, I’ll have you working morning, noon and night! Thank you again, you’re great.
‘Conservatives less likely to buy energy efficient bulbs if labelled as environmentally friendly’
Oh my gawd…..
I know right? I was caught between laughter and WTF?!
Stupidity: It has no limits.
I honestly thought it was a joke at first, and I laughed loudly. Then I saw the link. The logic? Being kind to the environment is a bad thing because, dunno, it’s commie thing? I need a gin and tonic.
I hope ADP is wrong about Fridays jobs report, because everybody knows the reason the economy hasn’t taken off is austerity, not The Presidents fault.
But, Beltway will blame the President. It’s pathetic!
It’s mostly the sequester effect that the Senate and House GOP will not repeal.
UT – brilliant R&S. Wish I could hang but am at work – good job! 😀 Have a great day everybody!
Let’s get ‘er started with a chuckle, eh?
A Man’s Age, as Determined by a Trip to Home Depot
You are in the middle of a few projects at your home: putting in a new fence, painting the basement walls, putting in a new garden.You are hot and sweaty, covered in dust, lawn clippings, dirt and paint. You have your old work clothes on. You know the outfit — shorts with the hole in the crotch, old T-shirt with a stain from who-knows-what, and an old pair of tennis shoes.
Right in the middle of these projects you realize you need to run to Home Depot for supplies.
Depending on your age you might do the following:
In your 20s:
Stop what you are doing. Shave, take a shower, blow dry your hair, brush your teeth, floss and put on clean clothes.
Check yourself in the mirror and flex. Add a dab of your favorite cologne because, you never know, you just might meet some hot chick while standing in the checkout line.
And yes, you went to school with the pretty girl running the register.
In your 30s:
Stop what you are doing, put on clean shorts and shirt. Change your shoes. You married the hot chick so no need for much else.
Wash your hands and comb your hair. Check yourself in the mirror. Still got it. Add a shot of your favorite cologne to cover the smell.
The cute girl running the register is the kid sister to someone you went to school with.
In your 40s:
Stop what you are doing. Put on a sweatshirt that is long enough to cover the hole in the crotch of your shorts.
Put on different shoes and a hat. Wash your hands. Your bottle of Brute is almost empty, so don’t waste any of it on a trip to Home Depot.
Check yourself in the mirror and do more sucking in than flexing.
The hot young thing running the register is your daughter’s age and you feel weird about thinking she’s spicy.
In your 50s:
Stop what you are doing. Put on a hat. Wipe the dirt off your hands onto your shirt. Change shoes because you don’t want to get dog crap in your new sports car. Check yourself in the mirror and swear not to wear that shirt anymore
because it makes you look fat.
The cutie running the register smiles when she sees you coming and you think you still have it. Then you remember — the hat you have on is from Bubba’s Bait & Beer Bar and it says, ‘I Got Worms ‘
In your 60s:
Stop what you are doing. No need for a hat any more. Hose the dog crap off your shoes. The mirror was shattered when you were in your 50s. You hope you have underwear on so nothing hangs out the hole in your pants.
The girl running the register may be cute but you don’t have your glasses on, so you’re not sure.
In your 70s:
Stop what you are doing. Wait to go to Home Depot until the drug store has your prescriptions ready too. Don’t even notice the dog crap on your shoes.
The young thing at the register stares at you and you realize your balls are hanging out the hole in your crotch.
In your 80s:
Stop what you are doing. Start again. Then stop again. Now you remember you need to go to Home Depot. Go to Wal-Mart instead.
You went to school with the old lady greeter.
You wander around trying to remember what you are looking for. Then you fart out loud and think someone called your name.
In your 90s & beyond:
What’s a home deep hoe? Something for my garden? Where am I? Who am I? Why am I reading this?
Did I send it? Did you? Who farted?
Yo and g’day! Off to clinic soon, BBL! hope to bring back good news! Light those candles!
Candles lit, wishing you the best Pamela, see ya later.
good morning all – has there been any word on gobrooklyn? i missed reading her post announcing her health issues so if anyone can recap i would be grateful. all i know is that she was in hospital and due for surgery yesterday. thanks.
I was wondering the same thing. I know she is in all our thoughts and prayers.
Morning Cluny, no word yet from GoBrooklyn, she said once she’d recovered from her operation (yesterday) she’d be back to let us know how she is. She was having what she hoped would be a final operation on her spine, she’s been through a horrible time, but her spirit is extraordinary. Love to her from all of us.
Thank you for explaining and a super big hug to gobrooklyn.
Some people have been critical of Colbert Busch because she isn’t fully behind PBO. SO be it. But my thinking on the subject is simple:
https://twitter.com/deaconmill/status/329588543208960001
Very true Japa. I was really disappointed to hear some of her utterances, but you’re right, she’s still a better option than a Republican, at least she’d support some of the President’s agenda.
Heidi Heitkamp was the same way when she was running- made negative statements against the President.. and yeah I still voted for her, realizing that she’d at least vote as a Democrat some of the time- because the alternative would have been another teabagger repub. I don’t like Heidi and I don’t like her sort of democrat.. but in places like ND- I’ll take her over the republican anytime. I’m just glad I’m in MD now and won’t have to vote for the likes of her again 😉
Ha, I understand Sherijr! It’s a case of holding your nose while voting for these people, but at least with the knowledge they’re sure as heck better than the alternative!
Oh, no, not more Ted Cruz. Spare us, Republicans!
Good morning, anyway, Yardarm!
Morning jc!
I know this is petty, but does anyone else find Cruz’s appearance repellent. He has no charm, no charisma, offends everyone and he’s apparently heartless. Sounds like a perfect GOP candidate.
Yup, yup. You got it.
JackieG – Even Cruz’s hair is scuzzy-lookin’. Cannot stand looking at him, so guess I’m being petty as well – which is no problem for me in his case!
GM folks. GM chips.
john cole has to bring back his mast ‘how has obama pissed you off today?’ ?
plenty of butthurt bright and early at bj over some fcc appointment.
Morning Amk, that ‘how has obama pissed you off today?’ series must be near endless for these people 🙄
This is the guy they’re freaking about:
https://twitter.com/deaconmill/status/329602489693388800
Loving your thoughtful Tweets….
No—–only the financial stake some well-known Americans have in its approval—-many connected to the State Dept., which is disturbing. (Hillary’s—–haven’t heard Kerry’s opinion yet)
Girl, 2, accidentally shot and killed.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/police-ky-girl-2-accidentally-shot-killed
Oh God, will it ever end?
The 5 year old brother shoots his sister with a rifle he received as a gift. There are no words.
They were shootin’ people in Chgo last night also—3 dead, 17 wounded. What is an additional shame—all the appeals following the Hadiya Pendleton tragedy—-nothing changed. Have gun, will shoot.
Fantastic and thought provoking Rise and Shine!!…UT..
There is no better place to start the day then here at TOD…
Forward>>>>>>>>>>>>>
That Columbia Journalism article is superb – eg:
“Dowd’s column was notable because it let the mask slip, showing how much coverage of the presidency is driven by assumptions that bear little resemblance to reality.”
x 1,000,000,000
Otherwise known as “SWAG-ScientificWildAssGuess”!
chips, I’m trying to learn about this blogging thing, gonna start a blog for my fam & friends to follow. so as a blog maven, can u tell me what the “protocol” when posting pics as part of a blog post (not comment section) or articles. is there someplace I can find a compilation of “blogging etiquette”?
Hi Lamh, welcome to the blogging world! I’m not sure if there are any strict ‘etiquette’ rules, but the gist: generally it’s fine to post an extract from an article from a newspaper/blog with the link to the original source at the end. That way you drive traffic to the source, which makes them happy! Some photos, like the White House ones, are free for everyone to use, the others not so much. But the photo agencies charge so much for their use, it’s impossible for people running not-for-profit blogs to afford them – so, you take a chance that they won’t come after you. And, generally, they don’t if you run a personal blog that isn’t a money-making exercise. I started putting credits on all photos a while back, but once I did that my old stalker friend began reporting me to the agencies in the hope of getting the blog shut down. Despite the fact that he copies all the photos from here – he’s not too bright. 😆
Happy to answer any other questions Lamh, best of luck with the blog!
Thanks chips!
GM Chips, TOD. UT Wonderful R&S!
Morning LP!
GM Chips! Finally got over 7 hours of sleep (been a month due to going back and forth to hospital) Don’t know what to do w/ myself?
Sleep some more LP, you have a lot of catching up to do!
Preaching to the choir!!! In two weeks I plan to pitch a tent in front of my TV, and watch the last 100 hrs. of DVR stuff I have missed.
Marissa Mayer (Google employee #9 and a huge PBO supporter) is changing the culture at a Yahoo!
Good morning all.
Just a quick note to thank UTA for posting that Flannel Moth/Trump comparison pic. Still has me chuckling.
Like others on this blog, I don’t get the media’s (negative) fascination with PBO from a personal perspective. I caught the tail-end of upChuck’s Daily Rundown, which featured threee female reporters (don’t know the other two, but one was Nia Malika Henderson-WaPo). Their discussion centered around “how tired the President looked,” that “he’s given up” (paraphrase of their reaction to Jon Karl’s jackass “juice” question).
These people didn’t dwell on GWB’s personal quirks (low-hanging fruit). And they don’t have a sense of humor; PBO’s response to the jackass juice comment wasn’t serious, since the question wasn’t serious or specific.
Since everything seems to be all about themselves, they must be envious of the President on a personal level. Speculation sure is easier than actual reporting.
Oh, as a coda to @Lawrence’s “boundless egomania” of the WHPC last night, check out this completely unself-aware tweet. MSM congratulating themselves for asking unspecific, useless questions of POTUS. When did that become a journalistic standard? Don’t you learn in high school that asking non-specific questions gets you the same results?
https://twitter.com/jameshohmann/status/329251217689673728
http://twitter.com/TheObamaDiary/status/329613811575312384
Three more suspects taken in to custody re Boston bombings
Wow!
*Hoping* they’re just family or friends being brought in for questioning, Donna.
Good Morning TOD – Outstanding job on the Rise and Shine UT.
Forgive me but I need to vent just a little this morning!
The Sequester is hurting lots of folks all over this country. I’m guessing that the jobs numbers will begin to reflect its effects this Friday. Instead of the media informing the public about the constant obstruction that is rampant in Congress by the Republican party they will instead choose to pound away at how this will hurt the President and his party going into the 2014 mid-terms. Ugh!!!
We know their game because its been played over and over and over again.
I look at the suffering that is taking place all over this country because of this sequester and I ask myself, “where is the outrage?”. When the FAA started taking complaints from people at airports they told them to contact Congress to do something about it. They did and it changed.
Why are we as a Nation so apathetic? People of color are again being disproportionally affected by the sequester but do we hear a peep out of the Congressional Black Caucus or the Hispanic Caucus? Where is Maxine Waters while program after program is being slashed in our communities? Where is their bus tour and townhalls to get people inspired to do something about the atrocities taking place in their cities?
Why do people feel that PBO has to do ALL of the heavy lifting? Why don’t we feel a sense of obligation to bring about change?
It brought me some hope when I read this article this morning:
Black Ministers v. GOP: 17 Arrests as NAACP Protests Extreme Right-wing Agenda in North Carolina
Calling for justice, religious leaders and activists put their bodies on the line.
{Snip}
Anger is rising. Yesterday, an NC-NAACP group, eight of whom are ministers, held a vigil to protest the GOP-backed legislative program of decimating unemployment benefits, gutting public education, shoveling money towards the rich in the form of tax giveaways, refusing federal Medicaid expansion, and a bill requiring voters to present photo ID, an old tactic for suppressing the black vote.
http://www.alternet.org/activism/black-ministers-v-gop-17-arrests-naacp-protests-extreme-right-wing-agenda-north-carolina
More of this please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Donna, I so agree with you. The Republicans in Congress and in our state houses are decimating this country. Their goal is to bring so much misery that people give up and acquiesce to putting them in charge of everything. If you are a party that is willing to inflict suffering and undermine the national economy to win an election, then you are an enemy of the United States. Short and simple. But they are not going to silence us. We are going to vote and in greater numbers than ever before and we’re not going to give up the fight against this enemy.
Your complaints about the minority caucuses in Congress are right on. They should be on their feet screaming about this every day. Why is everything on the president? He can’t do it alone.
I see people still wailing about Gitmo?? Where are we putting these prisoners if Congress decides to give PBO the money to close it. Everyone can criticize but where are soutions? I can imagine there aren’t a lot of countries jumping up and down take them. Most Americans don’t want them in the mainland, so now what?
Actually, many of them casn be sent to other countries who are open to having some of them. Also, many towns in the country that have prisons are willing for them to come to those prisons as it would help the local economy. The only thing holding this up is the bedwetters in Congress who have worked for years to instill fear in the country.
We are a country of, excuse the term, chicken shits, who quiver in fear of the bogeyman under our beds.
*bedwetters in Congress*
Hope I remember that description, because it’s a good one to use going forward. Sad but true!
There are prisons here in the U.S. to put the prisoners we keep. I could be wrong but I heard it cost 800 million to keep Gitmo running. A hell of alot of money. Some of the prisoners will be taken by other countries, I hope and the ones rule dangerous will be brought here and put in prison. It was a disgrace the way people acted the last time, trying to act as if they had something to be scared of if they were brought over here. We already have terrorists who have been tried and convicted serving time in our prisons right now. Gitmo need to be closed. And the reason it have not been closed, is because of our sorry ass House and Senate.
I’ve just been followed by a Spanish libertarian on Twitter. It’s a wacky old world. 😕
Ah, yes, Chips. Wacky would be the word!
A special good morning to you!
Moooooooooooooooooorning Jacqueline!!
Well, now I’m wide awake! Ha!
It might have been a cell? I don’t know, need more information?
This is interesting. I have my doubts if it was a cell, but the brothers may have had help getting the explosives, etc. As you say, we need to wait to get more info.
Said to be college students—–I’m guessing friends of the younger brother. There has been news of authorities at the apt. of his acquaintances, searching and questioning.
Apparently, these are students likely to be charged with obstruction of justice. Not sure, of course, because I just saw that on CNN.
https://twitter.com/deaconmill/status/329619726806417409
They are really swiftboating the crap out if the President. It’s a constant and persistent level of blame with no help in DC.
Mornin’. Our new “breaking news” cycle: CNN reads a tweet from the Boston Police on air, saying they’ve confirmed the Twitter account wasn’t hacked, to announce new suspects in the Boston case. Why do we need CNN, again? Go, Boston Police!
Harboring a fugitive?
But why on earth would you help them unless you were sympathetic?
In connection to the Douthat b.s. about the health care system and ACA, here is what I hear from conservatives (and the persuadable Democrats who would rather be afraid than learn how the bill works): ‘doctor shortages’. Obamacare leads to ‘doctor shortages’. Very thinly veiled translation: “I’ve got my doctor, so you’d better not muck up the system with more patients.”. I will ever understand why the administration does not push the fact that improved access to health care is a JOB CREATOR, and that includes doctors.
My goddaughter, the surgeon, tells me that we are the only first world nation that doesn’t train their doctors for free. She maintains that many qualified people would become doctors if they weren’t burdened by the immense debt incurred to become a doctor. And without immense debt, many, many doctors would be happy to make a decent living, working in areas where there are doctor shortages. But if you have a half million dollars to pay back, you become part of the system that artificially inflates the actual costs of medical care. The ‘free market’ at work, screwing the consumer and ultimately, the health of the nation.
This reminds me about what a good friend in northern VA is always ” bragging” about….her coin dirge health care/doctor. Btw, I am on my iPad and can’t see what I am typing so no idea about spelling or spacing.
Coincierge health care. Always hurts my heart that she has such a selfish attitude. “I’ve got mine. Screw everyone else.”
Doctors are NOT trained for free in Australia. Like all university students they have to pay fees – which can be deferred and paid off once they are earning a certain level of income. When they finish their basic training they then are paid interns in hospitals (I’m not sure for how long) and if they train in a specialist area this is usually done through the public hospital system. Once they have finished all their training they can work in either the public or private hospital system – some work in both.
Anyone can use the public hospital system – but for some non emergency specialist areas it can be a long wait for treatment. Everyone pays a tax levy for health care & you can take out private health insurance as well (but you still pay the tax levy). The government pays a % of the cost of private doctors/specialist – many of whom treat the elderly/poor/disadvantaged taking only the government subsidy. For most people with a middle class income level there is a co-pay – which can be up to 50% of the doctor cost. Insurance plans can cover 100% of private hospital costs – which seem to be very much less than the US rates.
I stand corrected but it sounds like Australian doctors are not amassing the insane debt that it takes to become a doctor in the U.S.
Are there certain price controls on what doctors can charge? As a self-employed (almost) 63 year old, I pay all doctor’s visits out-of-pocket. In order to see my regular asthma doctor, get a basic blood work-up – it’s $600.Plus my full-cost medications for controlled asthma and a little high blood pressure – they cost me about $600/month. And I’m not ‘sick’. that’s what’s so impossible in the U.S. You cannot afford basic care. You can’t afford a colonoscopy out-of-pocket, or bone density screening. It’s a vicious circle that leads to out-of-control costs that bear no resemblance to reality.
I think the total debt for a doctor would be under $100,000 – but they would also need living expenses for the first 7 years. I have a niece who is a ob./gyno & it took about 14 years before she was fully qualified. She is now in private practice and does very well – but the first 7/8 years she lived the life of a pauper.
Um – no – our costs are nothing like yours. My husband has asthma/bp medications – they cost about $120/month & when we add mine it’s $200 per month. Once we spend c. $1600 in a year a “safety net” comes in and the costs drop to about $40 per month. Once we turn 65 every month will be the $40 – except for those with incomes over about $100,000 – which won’t be us in retirement.
Basic visit to GP is $75 – government pays about half. Once you are 65/retired many of the doctors only charge what the government pays. There is no out of pocket on most pathology/blood tests – but specialist doctors can charge what they like. The government sets a “preferred fee” but most charge much more. Probably the most expensive we have had to pay was about $5000 out of pocket when my husband had major surgery a few years back. He could have waited for the public hospital treatment – but sometimes you really don’t want to wait. There is also a “safety net” on doctor charges but it doesn’t cover treatment in hospital – I’ve never worked out why??
We pay about $2500 per year hospital insurance and that covers 100% any private hospital expenses – it covers no medical costs. Insurance is at a single or family rate – and family is 2 – whatever number of people. So 0 children or 6, insurance costs the same.
There are good and bad things about our system – overly complex – still people try to defraud – public companies owning doctor practices – and sometimes interminable waits – but everyone can get health care & for the elderly and low income folks – their out of pocket expenses are minimal
Can I come move to Australia? The American health care system is deplorable. Instead of the shame the entire Congress should feel, they fight any and all efforts to join the modern world. All in the name of ‘free market’. Except the market is not ‘free’ when insurance companies are protected by greedy politicians and regular Americans cannot afford the basics of health care. Despicable.
Oh no—-rape and kidnapping arrests of student athletes at Morehouse College—-3 on the bball team and 1 on the football team. President Obama is delivering the commencement address there May 19.
ajc.com
Somehow they will say its obamas fault !
That’s awful, dotster!
Pete Williams is reporting that the 3 people arrested were roommates of Dhokhar at UMASS. They had no knowledge of bombing but are being charged w/ removing items from the apartment. 2 have immigration problems, 1 arrested today is a U.S. citizen and was arrested today. Feds charges coming soon.
Why are they removing evidence? Something fishy in Denmark!
FBI had them under surveillance for last 10 days. Freaking morons whatever they did, especially the idiots who have immigration problems.
https://twitter.com/francisreddy/status/329623957361799170
Congratulations Kay!!!!!
Congratulations Kay. That’s a very big deal and we’re very, very proud of you.!
Live now: Additional Boston Marathon Bombings Arrests – http://www.cbsnews.com/liveFeed/widget.shtml
CNN all up in arms as to whether they should be read Miranda.
And who do they ask for advice?
Rep Peter King of Ny….
Aye yaye yaye!
You know, when some said CNN were just trying to turn themselves in to Fox, I had my doubts. But I’m beginning to think they were right. King? 🙄
What little I watched during the first couple days of the bombing amazed me that practically all of these cable shows experts are people from the Bush Administration or Republicans in Congress. It left me shaking my head in disgust. Oh and MSNBC isn’t much better when it comes to this. This trot out one Bushie after the next to give their opinion. Ugh!!!!
Donna, I’m getting very close to setting my TV on fire, there’s not much more of these creeps I can take. Just incredible that these disgraced ****ers are being wheeled out for their ‘expertise’.
I am exactly where you and Donna are on this, Chips, “not much more of these creeps I can take.” Even knowing the cable news a-holes can’t bring out current government officials who actually know what they are talking about but aren’t into leakin’ it, and are busy – as the President says – actually having something to say before they say it, the ****ers they are bringing out from the GWB crowd are all the most dead-eyed, hair-on-fire, fear mongerin’, unhappy, under-endowed, has-beens-for-profit fools imaginable.
Wow. That felt good gettin’ that all out from under my craw, whatever that means. 🙂
And, luckily, there’s an endless supply of paint.
Top o’ the mornin’, Obots!
Expect more musical deliciousness for tonight’s night owl post.
I also have an essay running around in my head; I just need time to set it down.
FORWARD!
New post:
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/05/01/dear-brian/
Generic ballot by ten points to retake house??? Wtf? Is that true
Isn’t the Daily rundown Chuckie? When has he ever been right about anything…..Krystal needs to stay quiet until her hormones quiet down. Yes, yes, I know that may sound sexist, but as a woman who’s been pregnant, I know whereof I speak!