On This Day: President Obama signs letters from children backstage after signing executive orders and unveiling new gun control proposals as part of the Administration’s response to the Newtown, Conn., shootings, and other tragedies, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building South Court Auditorium, Jan. 16, 2013. The children wrote the President letters in the wake of the Newtown tragedy expressing their concerns about gun violence and school safety (Photo by Pete Souza)
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Presidential Daily Schedule (All Times Eastern):
11:20 EST: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama deliver remarks at an event on expanding college opportunity; South Court Auditorium
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Black fathers are more involved in their children's care than white fathers, according to a CDC study http://t.co/F92ooZysgN
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Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) January 15, 2014****
AP: Obama Convenes College Leaders On Expanding Access
President Barack Obama is bringing university presidents from across the country together to exact commitments from each to expand access to higher education. The president and first lady Michelle Obama were to greet leaders from more than 100 colleges and universities, plus 40 nonprofit and other groups, in a White House auditorium Thursday. The price of admission: a promise to voluntarily take action to help more low-income students attend college.
The participating schools have agreed to take action in one of four areas: Helping low-income students connect with colleges that can meet their needs and then seeking to ensure that they graduate. Reaching out to elementary, middle and high school students in hopes that by engaging earlier, more students will be encouraged to pursue higher education. Boosting remedial programs so underprepared students will still have opportunities to succeed. Seeking to ensure lower-income students aren’t disadvantaged by lack of access to college advisers and inability to prepare for entrance exams like the SAT and ACT.
More here
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Enroll in a health plan today and be covered on February 1st: http://t.co/Y6LKz1aL43 pic.twitter.com/4GdsoqRxST
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 15, 2014
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The People’s View: Blowout Interest: 8 Million Have Applied For Coverage Under ACA
The headline numbers for the Affordable Care Act this week have been the 2.2 million Americans who have enrolled in a marketplace plan. But beneath the headlines lurks an even bigger blowout case for Obamacare: the interest is nearly literally off the charts.
By the 28th of last month 4,348,224 applications had been completed through the state and federal-run marketplaces applying for coverage for 7,716,824 individuals. Of those, 5.1 million have been deemed eligible for marketplace plans, and an additional 1.5 million for expanded Medicaid (note that Medicaid enrollees are not necessarily all enrolling through the exchanges, and additional numbers are doing so by directly applying with their states). About 1 million applicants’ status is still pending.
That only about 2.2 million of the over 5 million had chosen marketplace plans by December 28 is an indication of a surge in enrollments that likely continued past that date. That means that as we continue to receive updates and March 31 end of open-enrollment approaches, the numbers are likely to blast past even the huge spike in enrollment in December.
More here
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Reuters: UnitedHealth says quarterly profit rose, sees 2014 growth
UnitedHealth Group Inc, the largest U.S. health insurer, on Thursday reported a higher fourth-quarter profit and the addition of 170,000 members, and said 2014 earnings would improve as well. The fourth quarter marked the beginning of sales of new individual plans created under the national healthcare reform law often called Obamacare, coverage which went into effect for the first customers on January 1. UnitedHealth has limited its participation in selling those new plans so far to three states but said in the release that “strength in sales to individuals and smaller employer groups” had contributed to adding new customers in the quarter.
Net income rose to $1.4 billion, or $1.41 per share, from $1.2 billion, or $1.20 per share, a year earlier. The insurer is the first to report its results in a group that also includes WellPoint Inc and Aetna Inc. Employer-based plans and government health programs, as well as a fast-growing health technology division, make up the bulk of UnitedHealth’s annual sales. UnitedHealth also added new members in its government plans for seniors and for the poor, for a total of 45,445,000 medical customers at the end of 2013. The company said that revenue rose to $31.12 billion, up from $28.77 billion a year earlier. Both earnings and revenue came in slightly ahead of analyst expectations
More here
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USA Today: White House Jump Starts Health Exchanges With Celebrities
After a month of marketing the federal exchange site as “not broken anymore,” the White House has tossed the ball to Magic Johnson and Alonzo Mourning in new ads touting health insurance to begin running Thursday. Both men offered up their help for free, said Julie Bataille, communications director at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Their ads will spark a full-court press effort to get young people — in particular, young men — to sign up for health insurance before enrollment ends March 31. The ads, part of a $52 million campaign in digital, TV and radio advertising for the first quarter of 2014, will air on ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBAtv during NBA games.
Johnson and Mourning say they discovered their ailments and received treatment because they had health insurance. Johnson was diagnosed with HIV in 1991, but had no idea he was sick until after a full exam from his doctor, something he says wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t insured. Mourning’s cousin, retired Marine Jason Cooper, donated his kidney to Mourning in 2003 after Mourning was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease. “I was at the top of my game,” Mourning says in his ad spot. “I felt invincible, but when I went for my regular team physical, it turned out I had serious kidney disease. It was caught in time to treat, and lucky for me, I was insured.”
More here
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Make this call 2day for the 1.3 million who can't make their rent, car payment or grocery bills this month. #RenewUI http://t.co/03tniBJCB4
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Donna NoShock (@NoShock) January 16, 2014****
Ryan Cooper: Cory Booker Wants To Torpedo A Major Obama Achievement. What’s His Endgame?
American and Iranian negotiators came to an agreement Sunday on a six-month deal to put the Iranian nuclear program on hold in exchange for easing sanctions slightly, in the hopes of reaching a more permanent agreement in the interim. Meanwhile, at last count, 59 senators are supporting a bill that would impose new sanctions—among them Cory Booker, the brand-new New Jersey senator. President Barack Obama has threatened to veto it.
The bill’s supporters insist that they’re simply trying to improve the U.S. negotiating posture. On Twitter, Booker insisted that he favors a peaceful solution, adding, “I’m 4 additional sanctions if current negotiations fail 2 start or fail 2 work.”
A senior Democratic aide told Joshua Hersh and Ryan Grim, “The goal isn’t to disrupt things, it’s to make Iran even more willing to make serious concessions by making them aware of what will happen if they don’t.”
This isn’t credible….
More here
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Hunter Walker: What Christie Did To Get A Reputation As A Political Bully Even In College
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is no stranger to accusations of political bullying and backroom dealing like those at the heart of the bridge scandal. TPM has found one of the first times the brash political brawler faced such claims was in the mid-1980s when he was an undergrad at the University of Delaware. There, student newspaper archives show, Christie was accused of establishing a college political machine that rewarded his friends and drove his classmates out of student government. One fellow student even wrote to the paper to decry Christie’s “cronyism” and question the legitimacy of the future governor’s reign.
The accusations have have relevance anew now that the potential 2016 presidential contender is facing the biggest turmoil of his career with the uproar over the George Washington Bridge. Democrats in New Jersey have accused members of Christie’s administration of using their power to close lanes on the bridge, causing a traffic jam in the town of Fort Lee, N.J. as revenge against the mayor there.
More here
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UnitedHealth Group Inc reported a higher fourth-quarter profit and the addition of 170K members, thanks to #ObamaCare reuters.com/article/2014/0…
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Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) January 16, 2014****
NJ Gov. Chris Christie has hired outside counsel to assist with internal review that was announced last week - @KellyO
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NBC News (@NBCNews) January 16, 2014****
Bob Cesca: President Set To Announce NSA Reforms, Greenwald Insists Nothing Will Change
On Friday, President Obama will announce a slate of reforms aimed at the National Security Agency’s surveillance operations, as well as the FISA Court that oversees it. These changes are expected to be closely related to the recommendations published by the administration’s NSA review panel last month. From what we know now, the president will announce the following: 1) He’ll reform bulk collection of metadata by limiting NSA’s access to it. A source told The Washington Post that the president will say that “NSA’s bulk collection of phone data — which includes numbers dialed but not call content — is not something that the government should rely on except in limited circumstances.”
2) He’ll call for privacy measures to foreign intelligence gathering. 3) He’ll create a public civil liberties advocate on the FISA Court as a counter-point to NSA requests. But the president is wisely not planning to unilaterally turn over bulk collection to private sector corporations, as the panel had proposed. Instead, he’s going to leave this in the hands of Congress to decide. At the time, the panel’s recommendations were applauded by a practically giddy Glenn Greenwald and his supporters who believed the findings vindicated the national security leaks by Edward Snowden. But now that the president has decided to implement most of the panel’s top shelf recommendations, including (and to repeat) limiting the bulk metadata program, which is arguably the Greenwald crowd’s primary gripe, the president is evidently not changing anything. Literally nothing, says Greenwald.
More here
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Milt Shook: The Republicanization Of The United States: Becoming A “Can Do” Nation Again
The debt is astronomical. At the time Saint Reagan took office, the total amount of debt the United States held was $900 billion. That’s for the entire 193 years since the Constitution was ratified. Again, that was 31% of the constantly increasing GDP at the time. By the time Saint Reagan and the elder Bush were done, in just 12 years, the total debt topped $6 trillion, and it represented 63% of GDP. Think about it; they have been cutting — and continue to cut — money for food inspections, money for OSHA inspections, money for the EPA, money for customs inspections, and money for pretty much anything that makes us safer, at the same time they’re giving oil companies billions of dollars in subsidies and giving the Pentagon money that even it says it doesn’t need for projects it says it doesn’t want.
At the same time, they crow about “free markets” even as everything in most of our stores is made in Asia. and they do everything they can to prevent workers from organizing into unions. Republicans have taken us from being a nation where every worker has a right to unionize to one in which “at-will employment” and “right to work” essentially gives employers the right to do anything they want. The Republicanization of the United States has to stop, and we have to stop it.
More here
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‘Foggy morning on the South Lawn of the White House’ by Pete Souza
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David Ingram: U.S. Judge Upholds Subsidies Pivotal To Obamacare
A judge on Wednesday upheld subsidies at the heart of President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul, rejecting one of the main legal challenges to the policy by conservatives opposed to an expansion of the federal government. A ruling in favor of a lawsuit brought by individuals and businesses in Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia would have crippled the implementation of the law by making health insurance unaffordable for many people. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington D.C. wrote that Congress clearly intended to make the subsidies available nationwide under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
“There is evidence throughout the statute of Congress’s desire to ensure broad access to affordable health coverage,” the judge wrote. In 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a requirement of the law, commonly called Obamacare, that most Americans buy health insurance or pay a tax penalty. The subsidies, in the form of tax credits, are available to people with annual incomes of up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or $94,200 for a family of four. The law aims to provide health coverage to millions of uninsured or under-insured Americans by offering private insurance at federally subsidized rates through new online health insurance marketplaces in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C.
More here
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On This Day:
President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia at a church service at Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, Jan. 16, 2011
President Obama paints a quotation attributed to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr during a day of service in King’s honor at the Browne Education Campus school in Washington, January 16, 2012
First Lady Michelle Obama stands with her daughter Malia as President Obama delivers remarks during a day of service to honor Martin Luther King, Jr, at the Browne Education Campus school in Washington, January 16, 2012
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the Let Freedom Ring Celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., January 16, 2012
President Obama works on his inaugural address with Jon Favreau, Director of Speechwriting, not pictured, in the Oval Office, Jan. 16, 2013 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama signs a series of executive orders on gun control surrounded by children who wrote letters to the White House about gun violence. They are, from left, Hinna Zeejah, Taejah Goode, Julia Stokes and Grant Fritz. Jan. 16, 2013
Letter-writer Grant:
Julia and Taejah’s letters:
The Obama Diary 
Good Morning Everybody!
Watch Live Now: Vice President Joe Biden speaks at Detroit auto show –
http://www.clickondetroit.com/money/automotive/auto-show/watch-live-vice-president-joe-biden-speaks-at-detroit-auto-show/-/5515062/23957728/-/tne8viz/-/index.html
Great R/S!! TY
Thank you very much.
Totally first!!!!
UT …. you’re a bunch of awesome, what a gem of an R&S, so much goodness to read – thank you LEGEND!!!!
Anytime, my cheating friend. Anytime. 😀
On a serious note: Thanks so much, Chiparoo.
😯 Thank **YOU** legend!!!
Good Morning JER. Thanks for the link. I am listening to VP Biden’s speech.
Good morning Chips and a virtual ruffle of the ears for sweet Danny.
🙂 I passed on the ruffle Ladyhawke, Danny says a wuffy thanks!
Water is safe, but DON’T DRINK IT!, pregnant women! The rest of you——-ignore this warning to pregnant women and gulp down a tall glass of that thick yellow muck. It’s safe for you!
This is a disgrace…and a disaster that should be getting more attention…because it effects not just the West Va but all of us…because this is what happens when the notion that regulations are useless and cumbersome…permeates the airways and popular culture…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback compared past “Summer of Mercy” anti-abortion protests in Wichita to the abolitionist movement that helped end slavery in a major speech Wednesday night.
The Republican governor, who opposes abortion, included the reference to the 1991 and 2001 protests outside the clinic of Dr. George Tiller — the late-term abortion provider who was gunned down in 2009 — in his State of the State address.
Brownback said that in the past, Kansas has been called “to blaze the trail for America out of the wilderness” on moral issues. He also said Kansas “marked the bloody trail out of slavery” when the nation was undecided on the issue.
“The chains of bondage of our brothers rubbed our skin and our hearts raw until we could stand it no more and erupted into ‘Bleeding Kansas,'” Brownback said. “The Summer of Mercy sprung forth in Kansas as we could no longer tolerate the death of innocent children.”
The address is often a governor’s biggest speech of the year in which he or she lays out a legislative agenda. Wednesday’s address was broadcast live statewide on public television and radio.
But Cheryl Sullenger, senior policy director for Operation Rescue, which organized the protests, was pleased by the reference. She said they inspired people to enter politics or take other steps, such as opening crisis pregnancy centers.
She said if Brownback had failed to mention abortion Wednesday, it would have been “kind of a slap.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/15/sam-brownback-abortion_n_4606791.html
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sick…sick…sick…
Mornin’ y’all!
Oh brother…..
what a way to end the day.
fucking assholes.
Interesting that at the same time they are doing this, they are cutting funding for the very agencies that are supposed to do the follow-up “audits’. These financially responsible Republicans are developing programs that cost more money than they would save by stopping the abortions in question.
But that is true so many places, including those state refusing Medicaid expansion. In order to screw the poor and disadvantaged, women, LGBT, minorities, they do things that actually cost their own base more in taxes, etc.
But because they cloak it in “moral” langauge, they get away with it.
An illogical logic that’ll be swallowed by its stupid base.
Really like this story—a reminder that some people are really good and nice…..
LL’s pseudo
nymtwitter handle?Ha, we found his sock puppet!!! Morning Mister!
Morning petal/leaf/stem/branch/trunk/root
I’m barking back.
egg.sack.lee me
So somebody remembers their elementary biology, 🙄 no need to brag!
Peduncle
Receptacle
Sepal .
Petal
Stamen
Anther
Pistil
Stigma
No seeds?
Not part of a flower.
gunnite vc.
Nite tulip.
And trunk, branch and root are?
Good Night, Amk. Sweet dreams, with visions of vc dancing in your head. 😈 😀
I can’t comment one way or the other.
Rape kits found untested at Hollywood PD dating back to at least 2005.
http://www.wsvn.com/story/24449324/rape-kits-hollywood-untested
Unfortunately, reports of lost or backlogged rape kits is nothing new. In Robbins, Illinois, a sheriff’s aide discovered 176 rape kits dating back to 1986 in a jumbled pile of evidence in a basement. More than 1,000 forgotten rape kits were found in Detroit Police storage last year, just several years after approximately 11,303 untested rape kits were uncovered in the same city during an inventory.
In Texas, Carol Bart’s rape kit sat untested for nearly two decades before it was finally processed, identifying her attacker through DNA analysis. But the statute of limitations on her case was up.
“Women go to the hospital and their bodies are a crime scene and treated as such,” Bart told the Associated Press last year. “For these kits then to just to sit in a laboratory or in police vaults or wherever they sit, denies victims of sexual assault any opportunity for justice. I just wonder how many more there are?”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/15/untested-rape-kits-florida_n_4602541.html
shows the judgement of C’s that they hired this dick.
I just love the video of Magic talking about healthcare.
Surgeons in Oxford have used a gene therapy technique to improve the vision of six patients who would otherwise have gone blind.
The operation involved inserting a gene into the eye, a treatment that revived light-detecting cells.
The doctors involved believe that the treatment could in time be used to treat common forms of blindness.
Prof Robert MacLaren, the surgeon who led the research, said he was “absolutely delighted” at the outcome.
“We really couldn’t have asked for a better result,” he said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25718064
This is great news!! Hat tip to Prof. MacLaren!
It’s BFD.
It just amazes me that Billionaire Brothers(Koch) who was born with every kind of advantage in the world is trying to keep everyday average people from getting health insurance. They don’t have to worry, if one of them gets ill, they will get the best of care that money can buy. Why is it that we don’t deserve to have that piece of mind, cause we weren’t born with a silver spoon in our mouth and one stuck up our lilly white “A”.
Clarence Seedorf to save ac milan.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25733133
While turning the tv I came across TeaNN and MSNBC talking about this President is already a lame duck president.
The media pimping of Christie makes me sick.
According to them…….there is nothing to see here….just move along.
My goodness UT. You’ve outdone yourself with this R & S it’s pure awesomeness!!
TOD Family, As promised I attempted to contact Dudette but as of this morning I have received no response so let’s keep her in our thoughts that everything is okay and that she is just taking a break.
Thanks Donna, I tried too but nothing back yet. Thinking of her.
Thanks, donna. I have a very, very bad feeling about this and even more since you haven’t gotten a reply. 😦
Hope all is well with Dudette.
Donna, would you know Dudette’s real name?
I sent you a DM
Thanks Donna.
Thanks Donna for trying to contact Dudette. And thanks Chipsticks for doing what you can.
I’m not having a good feeling now about her silence…
Thank you, Donna.
I was crossing my fingers in hopes that you’d get a response from Dudette. Sending good thoughts her way.
Please add my voice to the many here who are concerned about Dudette. She’s such a vibrant and integral part of TOD, her absence is notable and her presence is sorely missed. I hope she is simply on vacation somewhere without access or that she’s OK and just very busy.
http://act.freepress.net/sign/internet_FCC_court_decision2/?source=conf
Nice hit piece.
I hate these beltway fools. I really can’t stand them.
Did Dana listen?
This is one I meant to post
I’ve always felt that the Democrats should had made unemployment an ongoing theme. They lost any argument when they agreed to that stupid budget without making provisions for the unemployed a required concession. They should have made the argument, even if they lost it. But to come back after a deal has been cut and then seek cooperation from a group who are willing to starve people is ridiculous to me. Democrats need to learn a little hostage taking of their own.
One of many reasons I protested it at the time. Pelosi tried to push for it, but was talked out of it by other Dems.
They didn’t lose the entire argument but they seriously weakened their position. And they look naive, as usual, thinking that this would get fixed after the fact. Patty Murray should have exacted something just as painful from Paul Ryan if we had to let it go. Instead, Dem’s settled for “we won’t shut down the government until October” as a good enough trade-off.
To be expected. They’re in LOVE with Christie. He’s colorful, exhibits humor, creates good media moments. He’s not “boring” like those serious, sophisticated, honest leaders who speak with nuance and complexity. You know… people of substance and impeccable character like Barack Obama, John Kerry.
For the media, politics is just a SHOW, and Christie is a good showman. The media has become entertainment, so they’re craving for the “entertaining” candidates. It’s simple as that. And, of course, the majority of them are probably republicans by now, since they don’t want to pay higher taxes on their multimillion dollar salaries.
Their attitude with Christie will change if investigators find some proof that he was the one ordering the shutdown. Then they’ll turn on Christie very quick. Because the “entertainment” factor will come with the destruction of Christie. Destroying the guy will make for a good show.
Sorry, posted in the wrong place. This is obviously in response to the comment that the media seems to want to move on re: Bridgegate.
I adore the president, and loved his speech yesterday. He makes so much sense, and cares so much about american workers.
However, I have to say that it’s one of the very rare occasions where I agree with the criticism. Winning the battle on UI necessitates coordinated, non-stop messaging. There is an urgency here.And for once, Mr. Milbank doesn’t descend into character assassination. He recognizes the president’s goal in yesterday’s speech; he simply states that the president needs to coordinate his message with Congress.
I hope the president will get back at UI this week. I hope he has something big in mind. I’m concerned this political battle could be lost. Maybe it requires some original trick. I don’t know… asking people to tweet how they would pay for the extension and give them choices: oil subsidies, scrapping of a tax loophole, etc… Put republicans on the defensive, in an imaginative way.
Remember how they won the battle on the payroll tax cuts ? They asked people what they would do with a little bit more money …
That campaign was a success…
Mr. President, I think you need some new blood in the communications shop. You and your team are working so hard in such a difficult political environment, it can siphon your energy, even if you and your team are THE BEST. Don’t hesitate; ask for help. It will reinvigorate the whole team.
Thinking of new blood, has John Podesda joined the team or he hasn’t arrived yet ?
I hope the president will get back at UI this week
When has he ever gotten off UI…he speaks on it every day….not going to fall for this false meme being set by some PUNDITS..
He is surely talking about it, prettyfoot58. I watch him EVERY SINGLE DAY. What I’m saying is there may be the need for bigger emphasis. Like the campaign they did on the payroll taxes some time ago. It could work, couldn’t it ?
Every chance I get, I pose the following questions on articles about Benghazi:
What is it you “really” want to know about the Benghazi attack? If Ambassador Steven’s own mother can accept that he was killed in the line of duty, why is it so difficult for you? Since Benghazi was a CIA outpost, why was Ambassador Stevens there anyway and how on earth did more than two dozen CIA agents get caught with their drawers down? And why did Petraeus really retire? Finally, how many Americans died in Iraq that day?
Most sites don’t print my comments. 🙂
You mean Issa should include these questions in one of his inquires – what a novel idea FayPax – someone should be looking for the truth instead of looking to do political harm to the President. My mind is aghast at the thought
Indeed! As I like to say: Privatization is the Holy Grail of Greed.
The great con of capitalism is the ability of corporations to fleece the federal coffers and taxpayers for their own private gain. Through a well-orchestrated campaign, they managed to convince taxpayers that “government is too big” and “federal workers are too lazy and too well compensated”. It is the con of a lifetime, for somehow taxpayers seem to forget that whether the government paves the road or a private entity does so, in the end we still have to pay the tab.
There’s a common belief that private companies can help governments save or make money by doing jobs faster and cheaper, or managing public assets more efficiently. In some instances, state and local governments have identified savings by hiring outside contractors to handle tasks like trash collection, pothole repair and water treatment. But on a larger, federal scale, privatization is nothing more than a scam.
In fact, the privatization of public services can drive governments deeper into debt because the contractor has an incentive to spend the least amount for quality in order to maximize profits. It is nothing more than a way to skirt federal regulations, to legally discriminate and to rob the revenue coffers. The scam is promoted for everything from prisons to schools to sports stadiums.
http://thepoliticalpragmatic.blogspot.de/2013/03/privatization-is-holy-grail-of.html
Good morning everyone at TOD,
I do hope that you will all have a wonderful and blessed day.
If anyone has Dudette’s real name, and knows what state she resides in; maybe, and this is difficult, you can do an obituary search. It’s not what we hope for or desire to do but you never know. I remember a young lady by the name of Susan (I think it was Susan), I wasn’t posting then but I would always check in; she was no longer posting and it was later learned that she had passed away from an illness.
I will say a special prayer for Dudette, and ask God to give the TOD family comfort as we all pray that she is well.
Blessings,
I think everyone needs to give dudette her privacy. There could be a million reasons why she hasn’t been able to post—–a personal of family crisis, health or otherwise etc. etc. etc. People come and go and deserve that choice and to remain anonymous. I understand everyone’s concerns, but I think dudette enjoyed posting here and would be here if she could.
I understand completely what you’re saying Dotster, I mentioned the other day that I was uneasy about asking for information on Dudette because it felt like an invasion of privacy, but it’s the fact that she so suddenly stopped appearing on Twitter that is a concern – lots of people take well-earned breaks from TOD, but Dudette was a regular on Twitter and hadn’t mentioned going away. She also hasn’t been replying to emails. We all just want to know she’s okay, after that we’ll 100% respect her privacy.
I just looked at her TL and she hasn’t tweeted since January 1, so this does feel alarming.
Our concern is an expression of love and I know we have her privacy at the forefront of our thoughts as well.
Thanks to you and DD for your efforts to check in on her.
In the meantime, I’m sending Dudette our love and hope that she is OK.
Hiya Meta, it’s completely natural for us to worry under these circumstance, while at the same time respecting Dudette’s privacy. I’m still certain she’ll arrive back with a bang, wondering what all the fuss was about! Until then, we’ll keep working on it, promise. Thanks Meta.
A TOD ‘buddy system’ was suggested yesterday (was it vc?) – where there’s at least one TOD member who can find another if necessary. If, God forbid, something happened to me there is no way Mr. 57 could get online and tell my TOD family.
It’s something to explore.
A great idea 57. As I’ve said, I really, really don’t want to disrespect people’s privacy, but in situations like this it would be good if we could gently inquire with a family member that everything is okay.
I’m almost positive it was vc who suggested it. I’d be more than happy to ‘share’ my info with someone here so that TOD could know what’s going on. Hey, from this recent experience with Dudette, it’s clear that no one here is going to panic if someone’s been gone for a few days. Hey, we all have to disappear periodically. But there is a point when someone’s absence is noticeable and we just want to make sure everything’s okay.
To me it shows that the people asking about her care, not trying to invade Dudette’s privacy.
No one is trying to invade her privacy.
Good morning dotster3,
Your statement is valid; however, as an outsider, I can truly understand why there is great concern regarding Dudette. I’ve observed the regulars who are here each day, and even going back to the beginning, so it’s natural for worry to set in when a member of the family is no longer present.
For me, I pray that she is well and just needed a break but I also pray that someone hears from her soon, even if she pops in just to say; hey TOD family, I am great so don’t worry. : )
The camie boy and his gang are totally fucking up NHS.
The original
HEADS UP.
FLOTUS just spoke, did a wonderful job as usual, now POTUS is speaking. And what a story from that kid Troy.
Could not read till he was 14 years old.
I know I say it often, but I am so proud of our President and First Lady.
This is what I’ve been waiting for. As far as I’m concerned, this is the most important legislation of all. I don’t expect it to go anywhere, but the battle simply must be waged.
Sensenbrenner?!?!?!?!
From WI. He was part of the original author in the renewing of the VRights bill in 2006 and before.
Oh I know who he is. He’s a serious son of a b**** and I was surprised to see him working on this.
I will withhold judgement until I see what is in it. I agree, he is a SOB of the first order, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t do something right.
We can always hope…….
Cuteness alert!!!
Your god babies 🙂
Awwwwww…they are just adorable.
Simply gorgeous!!
They are so beautiful! How do you keep your heart in your chest – if these were my grandbabies, my heart would be overflowing constantly.
What an absolute joy.
I have to temper myself 57 because I could talk about them morning, noon and night. I must remember to be considerate of others. So far my friends and family have accepted my gushing with joy. 🙂
Gush away, girlfriend. You have every right to do so and share your joy.
Keep gushing – only one of mine – she’s growing so quickly & I’m likely to be gushing until forever. They are an absolute delight Donna.
Sweet to the Highest scale.
OMG, they are ADORABLE!! And Tamara’s hair is beautiful! Wow, Donna, you must be bursting with pride. Beauties.
Very sweet and loverly, donna!
Go on President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. You’ve deserved all the goodness coming your way.
The scum is filled with Envy.
Maybe Mr. Ed haven’t gotten his invitation yet.
Maybe the low down dirty Fox haven’t gotten his invitation yet.
Hey Ed…
Do you go through the trash also ?
Geesh…Get a life you loser.
Holy bleeeeeeeeeep.
O.M.G. I am going to have NIGHTMARES!!!!
Ok, I was wondering why my eastern sky was full of smoke. Man.
Just to be clear, forest fires in SoCal in January NEVER HAPPEN. Hot Santa Ana winds in SoCal in January almost never occur. But, no, there’s no such thing as climate change.
Check this out!
LIVE NOW: Wildfires in Glendora, CA – http://www.cbsnews.com/liveFeed/widget.shtml
This is where I use to live and where my family lives now. Have a text to them. This is bad.
Good Day TODable TODbots 😉
Happy Thursday All.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rothenberg-christie-scandal
Stuart Rothenberg, the editor and publisher of The Rothenberg Political Report, wrote in a blog post published Wednesday that the investigation of the bridge scandal linked to Gov. Chris Christie (R) had become a “political lynching.”
LYNCHING? Excuse me Stuart Rotten Rothenberg?
Then there is Rusty DC Town Crier, John Boehner.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/boehner-time-to-move-on-christie-scandal
“It’s time to move on,” he said during a Thursday press conference. “I think the governor made clear that mistakes were made.”
////
This is once again the WAY the right control the MSM.
I wonder why he didn’t say the same when President Obama took ownership of the ACA “computer glitches.”
They don’t want anyone to focus on their Christie cream lies.
Keep digging “Detective Dr. R.Maddow” and investigative team, the gems are buried deep but will come to the surface soon-keep digging.
Great R&S, UT!!! Thanks for bringing attention to Spandan’s ACA report.
I wonder why he didn’t say the same when President Obama took ownership of the ACA “computer glitch.”
They want us to forget about their Christie cream lies.
Keep digging Detective Dr. R.Maddow and investigative team. The gem is buried deep but will come to the surface soon-keep digging.
I am sorry, don’t know what happened, it posted twice : (
Probably over the weekend, I’m going to write a post on my experiences signing up under ACA. (short answer: I’m enrolled, as soon as my accountant tells me which bank account I should use to pay the premiums). Some frustrations, lots of good experiences. Some musings and observations on the whole process. I’ll bore you all to tears, I’m sure.
I’m so pleased you got enrolled and look forward to the story
Good happy almost Friday, Thursday 57andfemale, Nickelby and Miss Pearl : )
Please do, the more real life stories the better. I plan on doing the same.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rockefeller-port-authority-evidence
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) issued a statement on Thursday announcing that he had received a response from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to his questions about the George Washington Bridge lane closures. According to Rockefeller, that response contained “zero evidence” that the lanes were closed as a result of a legitimate traffic study.
“The letter explains the careful planning and communication that should happen before interstate bridge lanes are closed for a traffic study or any other non-emergency purpose,” Rockefeller said. “The Port Authority officials who ordered the September 9-13 George Washington Bridge lane closures did not follow their agency’s own procedures. The Port Authority’s response provides zero evidence that the purpose of these closures was to conduct a legitimate traffic study.”
Thank you Doc Bobfr 😉
New post!
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/01/16/what-about-me/
My adult son is in a MBA program where he just participated in a ten day trip to Dubai. Upon returning he posted an article written in a publication in London that dug beneath the surface of the glamour and glitz of the wealth in Dubai. It talks of the dictatorship, the slavery issue, imprisonment for debts, lack of environmental rules, and rich vs poor issues. When he told me about what the class observed I thought it seemed like what would happen under a Republican ideology achieved. I will look for the article name and post the name of it as I do not understand linking them. I think it was in something called Independence and it had Dubai in the title.