199 replies to this topic

[Mike]

American politics. New thread.

[al-x]

Hello:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Minority leader Nancy Pelosi says House Democrats are happy to debate dismantling Obamacare, but repeal is unrealistic.

In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" slated to air Sunday, Pelosi says Republicans from Mitt Romney to members of Congress are "being the mouthpiece of the health care industry" when they talk about reversing the Affordable Care Act.

Pelosi says the act puts people "in charge of how they receive coverage and health care."

She said Republicans "will ask for repeal, repeal of all the things ... that help children, help young adults, help seniors, help men or women who may have prostate cancer, breast cancer, whatever it is, any precondition. And everybody will have lower rates, better quality care and better access."

"So that's what they want to repeal," she said. "we're happy to have that debate."

The Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's health care overhaul in a highly anticipated decision issued on Thursday.

The House is scheduled to vote to overturn the law on July 9. The vote will largely be symbolic since the Democrats control the Senate. But it will put lawmakers on record for the upcoming political campaign.

Al...

[Miqque Loveland]

What happened to "Geoff"?

[The Lorcan Nagle]

That was the last thread.

[al-x]

Hello:

I was watching those Sunday morning political
commentary shows here in the States and Boehner
was being asked some tough questions about how
Romney had a somewhat similar healthcare plan so
why be totally opposed to Obamacare.

He was saying how it would damage job creation with
big costs for small businesses etc. and the lady
interviewer was correcting him at times with some facts.
Then the lady asked him if he was prepared to tell the
American public that they wouldn't get as many services
if the Republicans get their way with spending cuts across
the board. It was a tough interview to say the least.


Al...

[Will]

Can someone give an update on the Great Parking Riots in NYC?

The mainstream media has blocked out any information.

[garjones]

Yeah but Twitter's going mad with it, they can't keep the truth at bay.

[Rory Abel]

It's madness in the streets here. I saw a 90 year old woman suplex a meter maid. There are bloody boots and flames everywhere. This is truly hell on earth.

[Will]

I've heard reports of a bald man in the Bronx yelling "FOLLOW ME TO FREEDOM!"

[Miqque Loveland]

Yeah. Heard 3 million out of power on a very very hot weekend - Maryland, mostly? It's the Big Play-Down.

Looks like the public sector is in trouble, but the private sector's being fried.

(Which is more like what Obama really said.)


Heard Romney was so upset he went home, climbed on top of the car and kicked the dog.

[Adam Wednesdays]

Can someone give an update on the Great Parking Riots in NYC?

The mainstream media has blocked out any information.

TYPICAL. First they boot our TIRES, NOW they boot THE TRUTH!

[Rory Abel]

I've heard reports of a bald man in the Bronx yelling "FOLLOW ME TO FREEDOM!"

No one goes to the bronx to be free.

[Will]

No one goes to the bronx to be free.

You don't know what you're talking about.

Where is Jeffy to set you straight?

[The Lorcan Nagle]

Schbluh, he's busy rioting.

[Paul F]

I haven't read it yet, but Jon Ronson has a big article up at GQ about income inequality in America:

Amber Waves of Green

Guess what, compatriots? The gap between the richest and the poorest among us is now wider than it has been since we all nose-dived into the Great Depression. So GQ sent Jon Ronson on a journey into the secret financial lives of six different people on the ladder, from a guy washing dishes for 200 bucks a week in Miami to a self-storage gazillionaire. What he found are some surprising truths about class, money, and making it in America

Read More http://www.gq.com/ne...2#ixzz1zTHW0GGB

[Ogul]

It's awful on both sides, neither is any better.

The polarization has gone to far, at least as I see it.

That's demonstrably false. While it's true that both sides are trending towards being more polarized, the data tends to show that Republicans are veering away MORE.


Basically, this shows that while Democrats, both the moderates and more fringe ones, are staying fairly close to the center and have been more or less stabl;e for decades, the Republicans have been taking off for lala land.

This is how most partisan issues tend to work out, that while both sides are "doing it", the Republicans tend to "do it" to a much higher degree, so while people can say "well Fox isn't so bad because MSNBC does the same thing," this is inaccurate, because while you can fairly argue that each network has "greater than zero" spin to them, you can't fairly argue that they have the same degree of spin, it'd be like comparing a child's top to a machine-shop press drill. Yes, both Republicans and Democrats tend to be partisan, that's to be expected, but that doesn't give the Republicans a pass from being way MORE partisan than the Democrats, and way more partisan than they used to be.

[garjones]

It's fascinating (the GQ article). The guy earning $1800 every two weeks pays $375 in health insurance. That's 20.8% of his income which is higher than the entire basic income tax rate in the UK (and with allowances and rebates that would be more like 15%).

[Miqque Loveland]

Oh, great.

Now Ogul thinks he's H. Ross Perot.

It's fascinating (the GQ article). The guy earning $1800 every two weeks pays $375 in health insurance. That's 20.8% of his income which is higher than the entire basic income tax rate in the UK (and with allowances and rebates that would be more like 15%).

My tax rate at one point neared 30% - single, renter, no dependents, etc. I had to claim many dependents to bring it down to about 12% withholdings so it was close to the actual adjusted rate after deductions. I usually got about a hundred bucks back even after all the fiddling about.

That seems a high rate for medical insurance. I'm sure many, particularly males, could get a much lower rate. (Drop pregnancy, OB/GYN coverage and there goes about 20%). The requirement is for health insurance, not necessarily complete health coverage. It's like auto insurance; some people have different needs; but there remain basic requirements.

[The Lorcan Nagle]

What the fuck. What the actual fuck, America? (or at least Texas)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/27/texas-republican-party-2012-platform-education_n_1632097.html

Early this month, Texas Republican delegates met in Fort Worth to approve their 2012 platform, notable parts of which take aim at the state's education system.

In the section titled "Educating Our Children," the document states that "corporal punishment is effective" and recommends teachers be given "more authority" to deal with disciplinary problems.

Additionally, the document states the party opposes mandatory pre-school and kindergarten, saying parents are "best suited to train their children in their early development."

The position causing the most controversy, however, is the statement that they oppose the teaching of "higher order thinking skills" -- a curriculum which strives to encourage critical thinking -- arguing that it might challenge "student's fixed beliefs" and undermine "parental authority."

More at the link, including a scan of the document in question.

[Ogul]

They also have programs in which children can face adult criminal misdemeanor penalties for things like truancy and other common disciplinary problems in school, which means that many Texas-born children enter adulthood with a criminal record for things that in any rational state would have earned them some detention time. Texas is just fucked.