I’m feeling tired after a long day yesterday. The Urologist told me my pee is grade A-1, and sent me for a blood test to make sure I don’t have prostate cancer. With only three legs, it’s harder to shred his toilet paper.
Today is the the first day my helper friend takes over as shower-aide. She’s due at noon, and I so hope she shows up. Also on tap is meal-prep.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 2:17 (average 4:57). To do it, click here. Hoe did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: Sen. Mitch McConnell, in 2005, defending the absolute right of a sitting president to nominate judges.
"The Constitution of the United States is at stake. Article II, Section 2 clearly provides that the President, and the President alone, nominates judges. The Senate is empowered to give advice and consent. But my Democratic colleagues want to change the rules. They want to reinterpret the Constitution to require a supermajority for confirmation. In effect, they would take away the power to nominate from the President and grant it to a minority of 41 Senators."
"[T]he Republican conference intends to restore the principle that, regardless of party, any President’s judicial nominees, after full debate, deserve a simple up-or-down vote. I know that some of our colleagues wish that restoration of this principle were not required. But it is a measured step that my friends on the other side of the aisle have unfortunately made necessary. For the first time in 214 years, they have changed the Senate’s ‘advise and consent’ responsibilities to ‘advise and obstruct.’"
I partially agree with Bought Bitch Mitch?!!? ARGH!!!! I think I’m going to throw up!!
From The New Yorker: In a television appearance on Sunday, the leading Senate Republican warned President Obama “in no uncertain terms” against doing anything in his remaining three hundred and forty days in office.
“The President should be aware that, for all intents and purposes, his term in office is already over,” Mitch McConnell said on Fox News. “It’s not the time to start doing things when you have a mere eight thousand one hundred and sixty hours left.”
While acknowledging that the President has eleven months remaining in the White House, McConnell said that he and the President “have an honest disagreement about how long eleven months is.”
“The President believes it is almost one year,” he said. “I believe it is almost zero years. I’m not a mathematician, but I believe I am right.”
Andy, I’m so relieved! Now that’s the Bought Bitch Mitch I know and despise!!
From NY Times: States are finally backing away from the draconian sentencing policies that swept the country at the end of the last century, driving up prison costs and sending too many people to jail for too long, often for nonviolent offenses. Many are now trying to turn around the prison juggernaut by steering drug addicts into treatment instead of jail and retooling parole systems that once sent people back to prison for technical violations.
But the most effective way to keep people out of prison once they leave is to give them jobs skills that make them marketable employees. That, in turn, means restarting prison education programs that were shuttered beginning in the 1990s, when federal and state legislators cut funding to show how tough they were on crime.
President Obama pointed the country in the right direction last year by creating a pilot program that will allow a limited number of inmates to receive federal Pell Grants to take college courses behind bars. The program will include colleges that either run prison education programs or want to start them. So far, more than 200 schools in 47 states have expressed interest.
From my volunteer work I know this. National average recidivism is 67%. Recidivism for prisoners that completed an Associates Degree in prison < 10%. Recidivism for prisoners that completed an Bachelors Degree in prison < 5%. Since the average cost to incarcerate a prisoner is around $80 per day, can America afford to NOT educate prisoners?
Cartoon:
20 Responses to “Open Thread–2/16/2016”
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4:21 Another solo butterfly. Hmmm. (Not sure how you get "Brown Clipper" out of "Philippine Forest Virgin" either.)
DKos – Don't worry, TC, even BB Mitch doesn't agree with BB Mitch. I'm sure he can't keep track of what he believes at any given moment. Does anyone besides me think this puts him so far in the realm of crazy that "bought" is a misnomer? Even the Kochs aren't THAT crazy.
New Yorker – Andy left one thing out. All of Mitch's quotes should have the words "The President" in internal quotes. Mitch (and other Republicans) do not believe he is a "real" President.
NY Times – Excellent as far as it goes. Not helpful unless states also "Ban the Box." No amount of job skills will get a felon hired by an employer who won't hire felons.
Cartoon – Is that a bottle of "cooking sherry" in the corner? Isn't that a no-no?
TX's Windham School study found the perpetual transfer of prisoners along with short duration of many sentences served (i.e., when so much is served during trial or pre-trial before it is the prison's custody) was primary reason for noncompletion of educational courses (including for GED and other programs like substance abuse, too). In the 1990's FL tried to address this by requiring all prisons to offer the same courses/programs so if someone was transferred they would continue at the point they left off upon arrival.
That would work with GED, but not college.
DK: Mitch running his mouth A.gain!! The ID's go against anything our President does/says. ugh!!
NYer: I can see Mitch actually saying this. LOL, Andy!
NYT: Great article. They are entitled to higher (college) education, and learning acquired vocational skills, as the next person. ''So far, more than 200 schools in 47 states have expressed interest.''Good news!
Cartoon: Yep. I'd get cold feet though! 😉
What an adorable picture! Hope that you get caught up on your catnapping. Enjoy your day, btw…yesterday I mowed the lawn. In February. ugh!! Global warming pit stop here, for sure! Take care, and Thanks, Tom.
Sorry about that lawn!
Your pee is good and after your blood test comes negative you're done with your urologist for another year, I suppose. Did he give you a toilet roll to practice as part of your PT, TomCat?
Daily Kos: Don't worry, TomCat, you're agreeing with O'Connell's statement in 2005 when the status quo was different and of course opinions on BOTH sides were different, i.e. the opposite of what they are now. We call someone like Mitch a "turning butt", someone who turns his ass in one direction and then in another. It's a prerequisite for any politician, but quite a feat for an old turtle like Mitch. But then he had eons of practice.
The New Yorker: LOL, Andy. Right on the mark. "“If the President has trouble doing nothing, we will be more than happy to show him how it is done.” You wish, O'Connell. I hope Obama is going to show the GOP how many executive signatures he can sign in "zero" years.
NY Times: America has one of (if not THE) worst record of putting people in prison in the world, and it's recidivism is just as bad. Numbers also show that the less educated people are, the greater the chance they end up in jail, so it stands to reason that educating inmates as much as possible as part of preparing their way back into society is very beneficial for both prisoner and society. Thanks for adding the numbers to this article, TomCat. They speak for themselves.
Cartoon: Too true.
Blood test is negative. Done for 6 months.
WOW! Bought Bitch Mitch REALLY had something right to say??? I can't believe it! Oh, I see it now! That comment was made when the president was Shrub!!! Now it makes sense! Ugh!!!
I thought that Andy was quoting McTurtle!!! Too funny!!!
Too bad your helpers are running out of time on their term to be helping you!!! Surely, they can leave you some kind of helper to come in every day! You are lucky they got to stay that long with you with the way the Department of Human Services have cut back on all of EVERYTHING! Good luck, TomCat!
All I need is a shower aide a couple days a week and occasional help with cleaning.
I always said you were tough.
Educating prisoners is good for the prisoners, and society…so, of course, that is something the GOPigs will resist, as they do not have any interest in society's good. I am, however, amazed to read about Fl.'s response.
BBMitch: In 2005, he was protecting a GOPig president, now the siuation is the opposite. That he can be said to be contradicting himself will not impress him, he cares not a whit!
3:06 Don't choke on the antennae when you chow down on this butterfly! I hear butterfly legs are also good for flossing after you eat!
BURP!!
I am glad you still have your helper friend, I know you don't want to smell mangy!
Daily Kos: Isn't amazing how someone can do a total 360 in his opinion? I shared this on FB tonight so my Red friends can read it in of course disbelief.
The New Yorker: Andy seems to be doing more straight reporting every day!
NY Times: It has never made sense to me for them to quit offering classes and emotional help to those who are in prison. That is the only way they can get their lives back on track. I hope the program expands. Your percentage show how helpful this is.
Cartoon: Yes indeed. Have you heard about the bill a female Kentucky legislator introduced last week/ It would require men to see a doctor twice, have a full physical exam, bring in proof of marriage and a consent slip signed by their wives before they can get Viagra. Oh, the moans and groans coming from this one. She said she wanted men to see how it felt to have someone interfere between them and their doctor for their medical decisions. I love her.
She's priceless!!
Puzzle — 3:06 Don't choke on the antennae when you chow down on this butterfly! I hear butterfly legs are also good for flossing after you eat!
Daily Kos — "…changed the Senate’s ‘advise and consent’ responsibilities to ‘advise and obstruct.'"
Do you think that McTurtle was trying out his abilities at prescient obstruction . . . you know, in preparation for 2009?
The New Yorker — I think McTurtle needs a lesson in mathematics and the concept of rounding. He is correct . . . he is no mathematician!
NY Times — Too often the prison system is a place of retribution rather than a place for education (in the broad sense) and redemption. There is no doubt in my mind that if one does the crime, then one must do the time. But time can also be seen as an investment for a better society.
Cartoon — Yup!
Sorry Tom, a day late. Am still battling severe back pain. Am having Site problems, either my comments do not post or they do post and then disappear. I do not get dredits for taking the daily action, reveive only 2 credits for a comment.. This morning got 20 credits for a comment in Healthy Living which has not arrived in my Inbox.I anyone else having problems?
Hope you feel better, Dotti!
The Care2 Glitch Monster doesn't live here.
Dotti, I have been having problems on C2 for weeks.
Thanks all! Hugs!!