Politics Plus

Yesterday there seemed to be an unwritten law: TC will get no sleep.  My plan was to catch up on sleep, but every time I fell asleep, I was awakened by a UPS delivery, an unexpected visit from a volunteer, a telephone call from my podiatrist to remind me of my appointment Monday, a phone call from my O₂ provider to schedule an oxygen saturation test, and the list goes on.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

today’s took me 3:13 (average 4:19).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: Republicans are doing their best to persuade Americans that the Affordable Care Act will drive health insurance premiums so high that consumers will experience “rate shock.” That fear-provoking tale seems much less credible now that the rates proposed by health insurers for individual coverage on the new health care exchanges have been made public in several states. For the most part, the premiums will increase only slightly or even decrease for individuals and family coverage on the exchanges, electronic marketplaces in which consumers choose among a variety of plans with differing benefits and costs.

The reported rates are in states that have elected to run their own exchanges, which are set to start enrolling people in October for coverage that begins in January 2014. Many states with Republican governors have refused to set up exchanges and have left that task to the Obama administration. In 19 states where the exchanges will be entirely run by the federal government, more health insurance companies are entering the markets and injecting competition that should help hold down costs, the administration said on Thursday. Premiums are subject to many competing pressures, but, in several states, competition appears to be offsetting factors that might push rates up.

In California, officials announced last week that 13 insurers were awarded contracts to sell policies on the state’s health care exchanges next year. The companies submitted bids, which came in much lower than virtually all experts and actuaries had forecast…

When Republicans first started making this claim, before ObamaCare had even become the law, largely because of two things. First companies have to submit bids and be accepted to even offer their products on an exchange, replacing collusion with competition. And second companies are required to spend 80% of premiums collected on benefits. These pluses for US customers make Republicans all the more frantic to spread lies about ObamaCare.

From The New Yorker: In the latest scandal to rock the Obama Administration, a leading Republican congressman accused the President today of using his position to obtain free government housing for himself and his family.

According to Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), Mr. Obama “has arrogantly exploited the office of President to gain access to a fifty-five-thousand-square-foot residence that could double as a museum.”

“While the average American is struggling to pay his bills, President Obama is living in a luxury home, adorned with priceless paintings and antiques as far as the eye can see,” Rep. Ryan alleged.

Additionally, the Wisconsin congressman said, the President has availed himself of “sumptuous free meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—all on the taxpayer’s nickel.”…

Dang! I’m sure no white Republican President would even dream of committing such a vile act! 😉

From YouTube: Bill Maher – New Rules – 5/31/2013

Despite the obvious irreverent hilarity, he made an excellent point about the failure of Democrats to embrace a natural issue for us. After over 30 years, I have no desire to start using it again, but I see it as a nonviolent activity that could become a valuable source of tax revenue instead of a harmful distraction to law enforcement and a far too expensive contributor to the shameful condition that the US incarcerates the highest percentage of our citizens in the world.

Cartoon:

Yesterday afternoon and last night, one of my neighbors repeatedly overloaded the electrical system, tripping the circuit breaker.  This kept me from sleeping, because every time the power goes out, it sets off an alarm in my O₂ converter, so this Open Thread is all I have for today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:23 (average 5;10).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Boston Globe: Independent Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (CHAY’-fee) is joining the Democratic Party ahead of his bid for a second term.

The former Republican U.S. senator left the GOP in 2007 and was elected as the nation’s only independent governor in 2010.

Two Democratic sources say Chafee plans to change his party registration to join the party.

Chafee has been saying for months that he was thinking about the switch, noting that he shares many positions with Democrats and that joining the party will help with fundraising.

He is a supporter of President Barack Obama and spoke at last year’s Democratic National Convention…

That is the only reasonable course for any Republican, who has not given up on common decency and rational thought.

From Think Progress: Thousands of people signed up to attend an armed march on Washington over the course of the last month. But now, the leader of the march is setting his sights much higher than a single demonstration — he wants his armed followers to help overthrow the American government.

About a month ago, a gun activist named Adam Kokesh called for thousands of people to join him in an armed march on Washington, D.C. to “put the government on notice that we will not be intimidated & cower in submission to tyranny.” As of this writing, nearly 5,200 people have RSVPed for Kokesh’s armed march.

Late last week, however, Kokesh decided to abandon this march in favor of a much larger effort to bring down the entire federal government. In a statement written from a jail cell in Philadelphia (Kokesh faced charges for allegedly resisting arrest during a pro-marijuana rally. He now says he’s been released), the gun activist called for his supporters to form a secessionist “army”…

It goes without saying that Kokesh is a Republican. He founded Veterans for Ron Paul. He also ran for the Republican nomination for Congress in New Mexico’s 3rd congressional district. He received endorsements from Ron Paul and the Republican Liberty Caucus. He should be charged with sedition.

From Raw Story: Fox Business personalities had a collective freak out on Wednesday night after learning that mothers were now the primary source of income in 40 percent of U.S. households.

Fox Business host Lou Dobbs asserted women earning more than their husbands was an indication of the dissolution of American society. Fox News political analyst Juan Williams agreed, describing it as a sign of the disintegration of marriage that would have negative consequences for generations to come.

Fox News contributor Erick Erickson went one step further, saying nature itself commanded that women be subservient to men.

“I’m so used to liberals telling conservatives that they’re anti-science,” Erickson explained. “But liberals who defend this and say it is not a bad thing are very anti-science. When you look at biology, when you look at the natural world, the roles of a male and a female in society and in other animals, the male typically is the dominant role. The female, it’s not antithesis, or it’s not competing, it’s a complimentary role.”

I’m not surprised to see that the Republican Ministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, is carrying out the Republican Party’s plan to make themselves more appealing to women.  LOL!

Cartoon:

This prompted the immediate invention of the match by 19th century feminists. 😉