skinny21

I'm not sure I really get the discriminatory claim. Is it discriminatory to say a blind person can't drive a car?

Think this article was posted somewhere, but the compensation part of this excerpt struck me as pretty ridiculous, especially from a Tea Partier. Maybe I'm looking at it wrong... Scott said Sunday that he used the lunch to press for principles he has pushed publicly, such as financial compensation for states that did not expand Medicaid under the ACA and the importance of providing competition and cutting required benefits to allow people to “buy insurance that fits them.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-divided-white-house-still-offers-little-guidance-on-replacing-obamacare/2017/02/26/3981bb8c-fb8c-11e6-be05-1a3817ac21a5_story.html?utm_term=.2f4de7271713 I hate to say it, but I'm glad Trump listened to Kasich, though he still seems brazenly clueless about the subject.

So, I've been thinking that a there needs to be a change in the narrative to some degree. Given the fairly wide swath of moderate Republicans/Democrats and undecideds and nonvoters, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me to frame some of these issues (particularly the ones involved in this thread - Russian interference/connections, Nationalism, etc.) as Republican vs Democratic. You won't move as many moderate Republicans if you are on the offensive/defensive vs all things Republican. The undecideds (while they may be concerned over Trump's 'missteps') will too easily see things as they often have in the past - a fight between the two parties. The nonvoters are more likely to stay home if they see this mess as purely political. While yes, it's come up, I think these issues need to be more frequently and forcefully pushed as American vs unAmerican, and we (and the media) need to step back and discuss these things as such from a broader perspective. It's easy to get bogged down in the weeds, but it's dangerous to do so. Immigrants play a huge huge role in the country's wellbeing, but fighting reform every step of the way can make some lose sight of that bigger picture. Russia wants the US, EU, NATO destabilized. That's obviously a problem - we don't want to slide back to a Cold War type scenario. Global trade keeps us far safer. Nationalism, protectionism and "deconstructionism" are all dangerous for our future. Anyway, gotta go, so I'm going to forego a more coherent conclusion. One last thing I'll add though, is perhaps "a portion of the government" should substitute for "Republicans/GOP". Not that I think there isn't a great deal of blame to go around, but using the latter term focuses on party lines and (presumably) loses some people.

2018/2020 Election Thread - Congress down to councilpersons (screw the President)?

The ACA map in the tweet about Arkansawyers is for 2014. Here's a bit of an update that shows the change in uninsured from year to year. Pretty cool. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/10/31/upshot/up-uninsured-2016.html

I wonder how much of that is offset by the gov't aid the group receives. I'd assume it's still a big kick in the nuts for both the business community and country. I also wonder what this will mean in terms of schools - population/funding/etc.

They had a couple doozies on (I believe it was) Rachel Maddow - At McConnell's TH - one lady talking about about coal miners and (the threat of) stripping away their healthcare and promising them jobs that weren't going to come back (that created their health problems in the first place). She finished with (paraphrasing) "answer that and I'll sit the hell down like you made Senator Warren sit down". Another TH, guy starts his question with (paraphrasing) "I'm sorry for my forcefulness in trying to be heard" One GOPer says (paraphrasing) "If you all keep applauding every question I won't have time to answer as man questions". To which someone shouts out "They're trying to show their support for the questions". Which draws a big applause. Have to wonder how much of these TH's are actually just pure shouting matches vs the media showing the more volatile moments of the crowd. Sad that some seem to think these these people are paid to be there. Like, really? You can't think of any reason for people to be pissed off right now? A wapo reporter attended several THs and the few conservatives (well, Republicans anyway) he spoke to were convinced people were driving down from the city to protest. Reporter pointed out that they were in Iowa, where the have the county on the license plate, so it was pretty easy to see that wasn't the case.

@twaCurious what you think about the idea that cracking down on immigration will lead to (illegal) immigrant's unwillingness to aid law enforcement - reporting crimes, bearing witness, testifying, or giving themselves up if they commit crimes.

To me, the biggest implications involve (as others have mentioned) a further emboldened Russia that 1) destabizes Europe (our allies) 2) enriches itself (and allows it to upgrade its military might 3) continues to undermine our democracy and other "legitimate" democracies 4) erodes US ability to continue as a superpower (economically and militarily) 5) enables ascendancy of more authoritarian regimes 6) decreases the worldwide focus on climate change and humanitarian policies. It might not look too extreme in the short term, but these are things that can lead to a rapid decline in our (America's) civilization. Historically, we're already starting to push the bounds of a civilization superpower - I believe Rome (the longest lasting) lasted around 350 yrs and we're around 250. I doubt the most Romans saw the fall coming until it was upon them. Not trying to be all doom and gloom, but it's easy for us (or any people living in a strong nation/civilization) to not realize how quickly things can snowball.

@twaYeah, as I was responding to you I considered mentioning the fact that it could be one of those cases of pushing the boundaries of the executive/judiciary. Doesn't change the fact that he shoulders the blame if something happens though.

Can? Sure. Likely to? I don't know, but the odds look iffy at the moment. Philosophically though, you could argue he still loses because he claims the judges are making our country less safe and they are to blame if something happens. Yet the blame falls on him if instead of a (relatively) quick rewrite/redo, he spends time in court. I mean, the judges gave him a roadmap on how to go about it, right? So, in that sense, he's putting his ego ahead of national security (if the threat is as dire as he seems to think).

It's fascinating to me that regarding the EO, Trump seems stuck between losing (I mean, it's possible that changes) or admitting he was wrong. Should be an easy choice - just redraft the EO, but that ego....

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/08/politics/donald-trump-travel-ban-defense/index.html Trump - EO couldn't have been written more precisely. What a joke. The fact that they didn't even (seemingly) try to find out how our vetting works before deciding they needed the 'temp' ban... just completely degrades the argument. The fact that they didn't (seemingly) question how the EO would affect public opinion abroad (especially in the same 'terrorist' states they are so concerned about), would be laughable if it weren't so (likely to be) detrimental to our safety. Stoke fear by empowering our enemies - check Attempt to cripple the media - check Attempt to erode any checks and balances to the Executive branch - check Create news to push potential corruption to the back burner - check Well on their way...

It makes me laugh that my (elementary age) kids refer to any kids that disrupt the classroom as "bad kids", but I'm also painfully aware that this is likely to change as they get older. Now, I'm careful to point out that it could be that these kids aren't getting the attention they need at home, etc. because I don't want mine to look down on them or anything. I'm also thrilled that so far bullying/fighting/etc. isn't a factor at their school, and this is a very diverse school (tons of Latino immigrants, etc.). We're looking to move to a different neighborhood, but I've heard some pretty bad stories about the predominantly white school they'd be attending. Anyway, wish more schools would utilize the IB method of education. As others have said though, I think the parents and peers have a huge hand in education, with the latter having even more of an impact as they get older. Don't know how in the world you fix parents or the culture holding kids back.

Lol, all good. Weird, (and a bit random) but... I have a buddy who grew up in a rough neighborhood in the Houston area, his family is a bunch of rednecks. He taught himself how to write code and turned it into a lucrative job in Austin. Fast forward a couple of years and he hated his job and has now quit to start up a T-shirt printing business.

Having the unique perspective that you do, what are your thoughts as to why the US is struggling with this?

Regarding the current vetting, some interesting things I heard: Syrians are among the best documented (surprising) Vetters go through the social media of prospects (among many, many other things) If an interviewer (after extensive interviews) has any concerns or even questions about the interviewee, even if there's nothing concrete, will deny them entry They do biometric scans The department that handles the vetting had no contact from the WH about the vetting process prior to the EO.

This American Life put together an nice podcast regarding the travel ban with some interesting info on our current vetting process. https://m.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/609/it’s-working-out-very-nicely

Yeah, pretty strange to discover that someone can be imperfect. Your comment, on the other hand... well it would have been more surprising if you hadn't laughed it off. Good for you for attempting to use humor to lift spirits in a time of despair. Gotta at least give semblance to staying sane!

Can't recall if it's been mentioned, but I really enjoyed Sherlock. Wasn't sure I'd like it set in present day, but they did a great job. Off the beaten path, but I liked the Last Kingdom. Pretty fascinating look at Britain during the raiding and settlement of the Danes and the struggle for the Saxons to hold power. Focuses on a dude that gets captured by the Danes as a boy, raised by them, and then torn between loyalties to both groups. Netflix took over production from BBC for the second season - hopefully releasing sometime soon.

Dan Rather suggested constructing a monument with the names of prominent climate change deniers... at the water line in Miami. Said essentially he didn't think they'd want to be remembered that way and would likely step back a bit.

You know Jumbo, this administration has certainly been playing to (and making up) the fears of a significant swath of the population - their base- but I just realized* that they may be intentionally building up the fears of all those who oppose them as well - ie. creating terror by distorting reality, needling (or threatening) other nations, abandoning our allies, mass deporting citizens, appointing anathema cabinet picks, etc., etc. It's more than a bit scary that this might actually be their plan - terrify people enough to make them react... and then silence them. * I'm a bit slow sometimes Sidenote 1: I feel like every day that passes I find a tin foil hat on my head and I'm like "wait, what? How the hell did that get there?" Sidenote 2: I sort of have a running list in my head of bat**** crazy stuff that has happened regarding the administration and Congress, but I'm starting to think that a lot of it is overflowing - a compendium would be a brave (and welcome) undertaking for some intrepid soul. Edit: I'm also seriously concerned by the (potential?) interconnectedness of different things. For example - Immigrant Ban + Relaxed gun laws for mentally ill + No denouncement of Quebec shooter + Moving resources to Islamic Terrorism exclusively

Came across this as I was following my curiosity. Info on international students studying in the US. https://www.google.com/amp/www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-study-abroad-students-20161124-story,amp.html?client=safari I was actually trying to find out how many Iranian students were in the US. Answer's over 12,000 as of a few months ago.

If you truly do "wish you could get upset", then I would suggest starting with the difference between immigrants and refugees, then take a gander at the statistics, personal stories, the outcry of world leaders, etc. Or you could look into how potentially devastating this is regarding our security and the war on terror.

Someone forgot to get Hannity an Occam's Razor for Xmas. Occam's Razor - It'll save you time, money and make you look sharp.