Politics Plus

Yesterday I got lots of sleep, and I needed it.  I’m current with replies.  Tomorrow should be routine.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:44 (average 5:41).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: The Funniest Anti-Gay Marriage Ad We’ve Seen In At Least Two Weeks

This obvious satire makes an excellent point. Republicans act as though who other people love threatens their ability to love. It does not. If threatens only the popularity of their hate.

From NY Times: Four years ago, as a newly elected president began his efforts to rescue the economy and strengthen the social safety net, conservative economic pundits — people who claimed to understand markets and know how to satisfy them — warned of imminent financial disaster. Stocks, they declared, would plunge, while interest rates would soar…

…Sure enough, this week the Dow Jones industrial average has been hitting all-time highs, while the current yield on 10-year U.S. government bonds is roughly half what it was when The Journal published that screed…

…the important point about these particular bad predictions is that they came from people who constantly invoke the potential wrath of the markets as a reason we must follow their policy advice. Don’t try to cover America’s uninsured, they told us; if you do, you will undermine business confidence and the stock market will tank. Don’t try to reform Wall Street, or even criticize its abuses; you’ll hurt the plutocrats’ feelings, and that will lead to plunging markets. Don’t try to fight unemployment with higher government spending; if you do, interest rates will skyrocket.

And, of course, do slash Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid right away, or the markets will punish you for your presumption.

Click through for the rest of Krugman’s excellent editorial that explains why Republican policies are no better than their predictions.

From ABC: Standing firm on new firearm restrictions, Colorado Democrats are on the cusp of advancing aggressive gun-control proposals Friday in a state balancing a history of heartbreaking shootings with a Western heritage where gun ownership is treasured by many.

There is really no conflict between the two. Sensible regulation poses no threat to responsible gun use, just like licensing and registration poses no threat to responsible driving.

Cartoon:

Baggers are still stuck on just fingers.

Yesterday I had to walk another 1 1/2 miles, so I’m quite tired, but not so much that I cannot blog. I’m current with replies, however briefly.  Tomorrow appears routine.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:41 (average 5:09).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From USA Today: States with more gun laws have fewer gun-related deaths, according to a new study released Wednesday by Boston Children’s Hospital.

This is NOT rocket science!

From CNN: Overriding a veto by Arkansas’ Democratic governor, the state’s Republican-controlled House and Senate approved a bill to ban abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, the most restrictive such law in the country.

Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, vetoed the bill Monday, saying it "blatantly contradicts the United States Constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court."

And the Republican War on Women goose-steps on.

From The Oregonian:

In case you were wondering how much U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley disdains the automatic "sequestration"-driven cuts to education, here is a rundown of what he called them Wednesday:

• "Completely unacceptable"
• "Very draconian"
• "Unwise"
• "Dumb and dumber"

During a conference call with reporters, Merkley showcased not only his views but those of Oregon educators who agree with him.

Jamie Zartler, a teacher at Grant High in Portland, put it this way: "Congress is mugging our kids."

Merkley was swift to lay out the negative numbers facing Oregon schools — a $10 million hit to funds for high poverty schools, a $6.4 million cut for special education and a $3.5 million drop in money for Head Start.

Dumber kids for America! It’s the Republican way!

Cartoon:

On the plus side, yesterday’s medical appointments went well.  My urologist said to come back and fill another cup in a year, and the pain from my podiatrist cutting the growth for my foot is almost gone.  On the minus side, the day wiped me out.  My first bus did not come, because the driver made wrong turn and skipped my stop.  I had to wait for the next bus.  That kept me late all day, so I had to push myself much too hard, just to stay close enough to avoid being charged for missed appointments.  (Medicare does not cover missed appointments.) Two miles walking stretches my limits, as it is, but two miles speed walking exhausted me and left my legs too sore and cramping to sleep, so this article will have to be it for today.  I’m current with replies.  I have an early morning appointment, related to my volunteer work, that may last most of the day, so tomorrow I shall have an Open Thread, at most.  I should be all the way back on Thursday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:09 (average 5:07).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: Oberlin College [Oberlin Ohio], known as much for ardent liberalism as for academic excellence, canceled classes on Monday and convened a “day of solidarity” after the latest in a monthlong [sic] string of what it called hate-related incidents and vandalism…

…In the last month, racist, anti-Semitic and antigay messages have been left around campus, a jarring incongruity in a place with the liberal political leanings and traditions of Oberlin, a school of 2,800 students in Ohio, about 30 miles southwest of Cleveland. Guides to colleges routinely list it as among the most progressive, activist and gay-friendly schools in the country.

The incidents included slurs written on Black History Month posters, drawings of swastikas and the message “Whites Only” scrawled above a water fountain. After midnight on Sunday, someone reported seeing a person dressed in a white robe and hood near the Afrikan Heritage House.

Evidently, liberal thought is too great a challenge for Ohio Republicans to tolerate.

From Reuters: Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on Monday cautioned airline passengers to get to the airport extra early because U.S. spending cuts have already led to long lines at some security checkpoints, and said the coming furloughs will only make the situation worse.

This is one of the few areas where pain from the Republican sequester will move beyond hurting the poor.

From WHEC: Republicans controlling the House are moving to take the roughest edges off across-the-board spending cuts that are just starting to take effect.

Even as the military would bear a $43 billion cut over just seven months, the new GOP measure released Monday would give the Pentagon much-needed money for readiness. It also would ease the pain felt by critical agencies like the FBI and the Border Patrol.

I said they would do this. I’m all for easing the pain of the sequester, across the board, but Republicans are trying to shove more of the burden onto domestic spending to free up more money for military industrial complex profits. There is no combination of cuts that will work, without revenue.

Cartoon:

What a Republican idea!