{"id":9679,"date":"2012-12-04T07:35:35","date_gmt":"2012-12-04T15:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=9679"},"modified":"2012-12-04T07:35:35","modified_gmt":"2012-12-04T15:35:35","slug":"open-thread1242012-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2012\/12\/04\/open-thread1242012-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–12\/4\/2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, my router gave up the ghost, so I had to rush out and buy another.  After I returned, my COPD flared up for the rest of the day and night, keeping me from sleeping, so this is today\u2019s only article.  I\u2019m current with replies, albeit excessively briefly so.  Tomorrow appears routine.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 4:51 (average 5:24).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Fantasy Football Report<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the latest from our fantasy football league, Lefty Blog Friends.<\/font><\/p>\n

Scores:<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

                     TomCat Teabag Trashers<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

                     hugos renegades<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n
\n

156.18<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n

\n
\n

88.04<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n
\n

Playing without a helmet<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n

\n
\n

MittsMagicJock<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n
\n

101.54<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n

\n
\n

88.10<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n
\n

Progressive Underdogs<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n

\n
\n

Texans Will Rise Again<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n
\n

105.72<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n

\n
\n

60.72<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Standings:<\/font><\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Points<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Rank<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Team Name<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

W-L-T<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Pct<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Streak<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Waiver<\/strong><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

For<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Against<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

1 (1)<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

TomCat Teabag Trashers<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

11-2-0<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

.846<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

W2<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

6<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1550.44<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1293.58<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

2 (2)<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

hugos renegades<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

8-5-0<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

.615<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

L2<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

5<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1435.88<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1313.24<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

3 (3)<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Progressive Underdogs<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

6-7-0<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

.462<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

W3<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

4<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1350.10<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1312.16<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

4 (4)<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Playing without a helmet<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

5-8-0<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

.385<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

W1<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

3<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1230.06<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1381.94<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

5 (5)<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

MittsMagicJock<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

5-8-0<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

.385<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

L1<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1280.64<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1332.42<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

6 (6)<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Texans Will Rise Again<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

4-9-0<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

.308<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

L2<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1240.78<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1454.56<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This week will be the last of our regular season, and we move into our playoffs next week.  Jerry and I have already clinched the top two seeds and will have first round byes.<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From MoveOn<\/a>: <\/font>A Big Box Store Proves You Can Take Care Of Your Staff And Still Make A Profit<\/p>\n

\"4Wal-fart\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There is, however, one area in which Wal-fart beats Costco hands down: greed.<\/font><\/p>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: <\/font>\u201cWhat we are putting forth is a credible plan that deserves serious consideration from the White House,\u201d Mr. Boehner said. <\/p>\n

The White House was critical of the proposal. \u201cThe Republican letter released today does not meet the test of balance,\u201d said Dan Pfeiffer, the communications director. \u201cIn fact, it actually promises to lower rates for the wealthy and sticks the middle class with the bill<\/strong>. Their plan includes nothing new and provides no details on which deductions they would eliminate, which loopholes they will close or which Medicare savings they would achieve.\u201d <\/p>\n

Republicans did produce proposals that could create a political backlash. Of the plan\u2019s savings, $200 billion over 10 years would come from changing the way the government calculates inflation, which would slow benefit increases in programs from Medicare to Social Security<\/strong> and raise taxes by slowing the annual rise in tax brackets. Republican aides said that it would be unpopular, but that it was the right response to deficits still topping $1 trillion. <\/p>\n

The Republican plan also called for $600 billion in cuts to federal health care programs, including an increase in the eligibility age for Medicare<\/strong> and increased means testing to shrink health benefits for more affluent elderly Americans\u2026 [emphasis added<\/em>]<\/p>\n

Did I predict this, or did I predict this? Also, <\/font>see this<\/a><\/font>.<\/font><\/p>\n

From Think Progress<\/a>: <\/font>A constant conservative charge against President Obama is that he is inherently anti-business. However, businesses keep defying the storyline by making larger and larger profits, rebounding nicely out of the Great Recession.<\/p>\n

In the third quarter of this year, \u201ccorporate earnings were $1.75 trillion<\/a>, up 18.6% from a year ago.\u201d Corporations are currently making more as a percentage of the economy than they ever have since such records were kept. But at the same time, wages as a percentage of the economy are at an all-time low, as this chart shows. (The red line is corporate profits; the blue line is private sector wages.):<\/p>\n

\"4corporateprofitsvswages\"<\/p>\n

Corporate Criminals hate Obama, not because the business climate under his administration is bad, but because they want full latitude to prey on consumers, and that’s what Republicans are offering.<\/font><\/p>\n

Cartoon<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

\"4Cartoon\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, my router gave up the ghost, so I had to rush out and buy another.  After I returned, my COPD flared up for the rest of the day and night, keeping me from sleeping, so this is today\u2019s only article.  I\u2019m current with replies, albeit excessively briefly so.  Tomorrow appears routine. Jig Zone Puzzle: […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-open-thread","category-personal","category-politics","category-35-id","category-3-id","category-5-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9679\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}