Thursday Open Thread | Even Though the Fight Over Trumpcare Is Over (for now), the Sabotage of Obamacare CONTINUES

Posted on September 28, 2017 by rikyrah

They didn’t get Trumpcare, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t trying to destroy Obamacare. Stay alert folks and spread the word.

https://twitter.com/TopherSpiro/status/903749542868287488

https://twitter.com/TopherSpiro/status/913109921524326407

https://twitter.com/TopherSpiro/status/913040951257559040

Take all of these and put them together. This is a DELIBERATE attempt to sabotage Obamacare. Left to it’s own devices, Obamacare has been proven to be a success. But, there have always been the GOP Sociopaths – from the Governors who refused to expand Medicaid, which would have helped the working poor of their states, to not setting up exchanges, to harassing those who were trying to help those learn about Obamacare….it’s been an endless cycle. There are problems with Obamacare – that, if the GOP had decent intentions, instead of just wanting to take away healthcare from Americans – they could have helped implement.

Make no mistake, and I hope this is as clear as day.
Any problem that you have with Obamacare – look for a Republican to be at the bottom of it.
This is who they are.
Now that we’ve saved Obamacare until next year, it’s time to light them up about getting to the table with the Democrats to find solutions.

We have a HHS Secretary, thieving around this country like he’s some sort of king, all the while, trying to figure out how he can HURT Obamacare, instead of helping it.

A White House, who won’t do right by the insurance subsidies, thus, adding instability to a marketplace that doesn’t need to be there.

Keep your eyes on their sabotage.

This entry was posted in Affordable Care Act, Healthcare, Open Thread, Politics and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

77 Responses to Thursday Open Thread | Even Though the Fight Over Trumpcare Is Over (for now), the Sabotage of Obamacare CONTINUES

  3. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 7:47 pm

    Noam Scheiber‏ @noamscheiber

    Morning: Supreme Crt agrees to hear case that wld cripple public unions

    Lunchtime: Gorsuch talks to group funded by same ppl funding case

    Reply
  4. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 7:46 pm

    Democrats just keep winning Republican seats they shouldn’t be winning
    CNN

    By Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large

    Updated 12:13 PM ET, Thu September 28, 2017

    Roy Moore’s victory in Alabama dominated the news on Wednesday. But, it was two far less high-profile races on Tuesday night — one in Florida, one in New Hampshire — that may well give us the best indication of where we are headed in the 2018 midterm elections.
    In Florida, Democrat Annette Tadeo won a Republican-held state Senate district 51% to 47%. In New Hampshire, Democrat Kari Lerner beat a former Republican state representative to fill a state House district that Donald Trump won by 23 points last November.
    Those twin wins make it eight Republican-controlled state legislative seats that Democrats have flipped in 2017 alone. (Republicans flipped a Democratic state House seat in Louisiana earlier this year although Democrats didn’t even field a candidate in that race.)

    That means that of the 27 Republican-held state legislative seats that have come open in 2017 to date, Democrats have now flipped almost 30% of them — a remarkable number in any circumstance but especially so when you consider the average Trump margin in these seats in 2016 was 19 points.

    Reply
  14. Ametia says:
    September 28, 2017 at 6:44 pm

    Jane Fonda’s Death Stare to Megyn Kelly Soothed My Soul

    Y’all. Y’ALL. In these times of dumpster fire, joy must come wherever we can find it and I have found glee today!
    Megyn Kelly, white privilege Barbie, has a new morning show on NBC. Those fools over there chose her over Tamron Hall, so you know I already wasn’t wishing the show well. Add to the fact that Megyn ain’t got the good sense God gave a goat and what you have is a “get busy, karma” holiday party.
    Jane Fonda got a new movie she’s starring with Robert Redford, called Our Souls at Night so she decided to grace Megyn with her presence. Sometimes, you gotta do lessers massive favors like this.

    https://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2017/09/jane-fonda-death-stare-megyn-kelly.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Luvvie+%28Awesomely+Luvvie%29

    Reply
  15. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 6:13 pm

    Little kids have no chill 😄😄

    https://youtu.be/1z3cp_Mh8bA

    Reply
  17. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 3:30 pm

    Up to 23,000 voters in 2 counties alone were deterred from voting. Trump won WI by 22,000 votes. This is calculated. https://t.co/Krzw6PQKBM
    — Tom Perez (@TomPerez) September 28, 2017

    Reply
  18. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 2:52 pm

    UH HUH
    UH HUH

    Lips Pursed.

    ……………………………………………………………………

    GOP rep says deficit talk was just an Obama-era ‘talking point’
    09/28/17 02:48 PM
    By Steve Benen

    The debate over the budget deficit and “fiscal responsibility” runs like clockwork: when there’s a Democratic president, Republicans pretend to care about balancing the budget; and when there’s a Republican president, the GOP drops the pretense.

    Indeed, it’s one of the few constants in American politics. When George W. Bush was president, Republicans put two wars, two tax cuts, Medicare expansion, and a Wall Street bailout on the national credit card – and made no effort to pay for any of it. Dick Cheney declared that “deficits don’t matter” and Orrin Hatch said it was “standard practice not to pay for things” in the Bush era.

    Then Barack Obama was elected and many of those same Republicans decided the fate of Western civilization was dependent on balancing the budget.

    There have been some good pieces published lately highlighting the cynicism of the GOP’s shift in posture, and the Republicans’ indifference to the deficit as their tax plan comes together, but today’s New York Times article included a quote of particular interest

    Fast forward to President Trump’s Washington, where the budget deficit for this fiscal year is expected to near $700 billion and the federal debt has topped $20 trillion.

    A new tax cut is emerging to rival those of the Bush years, and the deficit hawks have hardly peeped.

    “It’s a great talking point when you have an administration that’s Democrat-led,” said Representative Mark Walker, Republican of North Carolina and the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of about 150 conservative House members. “It’s a little different now that Republicans have both houses and the administration.”

    Reply
  20. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 1:36 pm

    Trump administration’s ACA sabotage campaign intensifies
    09/28/17 12:41 PM
    By Steve Benen

    In Mississippi, the federal Department of Health and Human Services has spent the last few years partnering with local advocacy groups to help lay the groundwork ahead of the open-enrollment period. Organizations and health care stakeholders could count on HHS officials to show up and make sure communities were well served.

    Vox reported yesterday that things are different now that Donald Trump is in power.

    Up until Monday, Roy Mitchell, executive director of the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program, thought these events were going forward in the coming weeks as planned. He had even asked HHS just last week for biographies of the officials they’d be sending.

    But then two days ago, he received a short message from an agency official, which Mitchell shared with Vox: HHS wouldn’t be doing any Obamacare marketplace events in the South this year. No further explanation was provided.

    Mitchell said this is “clearly sabotage,” and it’s hard to imagine anyone seriously arguing otherwise.

    What’s more, Mississippi isn’t alone. BuzzFeed reported yesterday that HHS has 10 regional directors, and each of them “were told to not to participate in state-based events promoting open enrollment – a significant change from years past.”

    It’s almost as if some in the Trump administration don’t want to help Americans receive the health care benefits they’re entitled to under the law.

    Reply
  31. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 11:10 am

    THE EVER LOVING PHUCK!!!!

    Trump forcing Puerto Rico evacuees to sign promissory notes ensuring full repayment for transportation https://t.co/g1BwV61qX3 pic.twitter.com/XpKtJQ5Chl
    — meta (@metaquest) September 28, 2017

    Reply
  33. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 10:44 am

    White House tax debate has started with two outright—no other word for it—lies: wealthy don’t get a tax cut and cuts will pay for themselves
    — Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) September 28, 2017

    Reply
  35. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 10:39 am

    THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/27/17
    Weak leadership leaves Puerto Rico aid at port, undistributed
    Gadi Schwartz, NBC News reporter, talks with Rachel Maddow about the desperate effort by Puerto Ricans to restore livability to the island, and the maddening administrative gridlock that is keeping ready help from the people who need it.

    Reply
  36. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 10:37 am

    THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/27/17
    Inept storm response leaves Americans suffering in Puerto Rico
    Rachel Maddow reports on the life-threatening shortages in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and how supplies and human resources are ready to help but an apparent lack of leadership of the operation has left storm victims suffering.

    Reply
  37. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 10:36 am

    THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/27/17
    Right-wing, anti-refugee fake news terrorizes American town
    Caitlin Dickerson, national immigration reporter for The New York Times, talks with Rachel Maddow about how right-wing media, aided by Russian accounts, whipped a local story into an anti-immigrant, anti-Islam fake news crisis that terrorized residents of an Idaho town

    Reply
  38. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 10:35 am

    THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 9/27/17
    Expansionist Russia promotes division everywhere else
    Rachel Maddow reports on the latest revelations about how Russia used social media to disrupt the 2016 U.S. election and in actively encouraging secessionist movements around the world to promote division as it tries to grow itself.

    Reply
  39. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 10:11 am

    Republicans can’t run from Roy Moore’s record forever
    09/28/17 10:42 AM—UPDATED 09/28/17 10:54 AM
    By Steve Benen

    I don’t generally see eye to eye with Karl Rove, but about a week ago, the Republican operative reflected on Alabama’s U.S. Senate special election, and he raised a perfectly legitimate point.

    “Roy Moore would be the Todd Akin of 2017 and 2018 for every Republican on the ballot,” said Karl Rove, the Republican strategist, who is aligned with the Senate Leadership Fund. “Republicans will be asked, ‘Do you agree homosexuality should be punished by death, do you believe 9/11 was a result of God’s anger?’ He’ll say outrageous things, the media will play it up, and every Republican will be asked, ‘Do you agree with that?’”

    Well, yeah, of course they’ll be asked, “Do you agree with that?” Their party is poised to welcome to the Senate a theocrat who believes his radical religious beliefs supersede American laws. If Republicans are going to support Roy Moore’s candidacy, it necessarily means they’re at least comfortable with his brand of Christian nationalism.

    Reply
  40. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 9:50 am

    They are mad because he sees Black humanity. And understands that it has nothing to do with ‘ respecting the troops’. He understands the real meaning.

    ‘ Too affluent’ to speak out?
    Whatever.
    They are telling him what they tell the athletes – you make too much money to have the ‘ right to complain’. – as if your bank account discounts your right to free speech and protect.
    Funny how this only seems to apply to NON-White people.

    Uh huh
    Uh huh

    People Are Claiming This Asian-American Doctor Who Took A Knee Is …. he is too privileged in this country to speak out about racial injustices.

    https://www.buzzfeed.com/tanyachen/asian-american-doctor-taking-the-knee

    Reply
  41. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 9:39 am

    Brendan Cox: ‘I told Obama that Jo had admired him greatly’

    Four days after the murder of Jo Cox, her husband, Brendan, received a call from the US president inviting him and his children to the White House. In this extract from his new book, he talks about the warmth and sympathy of Obama, and the delicate negotiations as his children choose which of their drawings to give the president

    20 June 2016
    I felt strong enough to turn on my phone again and be able to talk to people. One of the friends I spoke to was Gordon Brown, my former boss at 10 Downing Street.

    Gordon was kind and compassionate, and he said all the right things. Just as we were saying goodbye, he told me that Barack Obama had called him and asked for my contact details.

    “Would that be OK,” Gordon asked. “May I pass them on?”

    I couldn’t really imagine the president of the United States wanting to get in touch, so I offered a casual response: “Yes, that would be fine.”

    We all focused on getting through the day as best we could, and looking after the kids. Hour after hour we tried hard to keep them occupied and in good spirits.

    Early that evening, sitting downstairs with everyone, my phone rang again. It was a withheld number. I almost didn’t answer but, because dinner was nearly over and there was a lull before we gave the kids a treat for dessert, I picked it up.

    “Hello, Mr Cox. This is the White House Situation Room,” a very deep and very American voice boomed. “We would like to transfer you to Air Force One.”

    I nearly said: “Yeah, right, which one of you is taking the piss?” I was convinced it was one of my friends winding me up. But no one I cared about would be in the mood to play a prank on me. I also remembered what Gordon had said.

    “That’s fine,” I said, rising like a zombie, heading upstairs like one of The Walking Dead. It felt so extraordinary I didn’t really know what I was doing.

    I had reached the top of the stairs when a new voice echoed. “Hello. This is the control room of Air Force One. We would like to connect you with the president of the United States.”

    I wanted to say: “Really?” But, instead, I just muttered: “OK.”
    …………………………………………………………

    “Come and see me,” Obama said. “Bring the kids and come out to DC …” “OK,” I said, as if one of my mates from the band had just invited the kids and me over to an impromptu gig at Simon or Rob’s house. “We’ll do that.” “Who was on the phone,” my dad asked. “Barack Obama,” I said. “He’s asked me and the kids to go see him in the White House.” My parents and my sister looked at me as if I’d gone mad. And then, for the first time since Jo died, we laughed. Barack Obama was warmer and even more approachable than I had hoped.

    He set us at ease – so much so that Cuillin asked if it was true that British people had burned down the White House. Obama grinned. “Yes, you did burn it down,” he said cheerfully, “but it’s much nicer now. Do you like it?” “Yeah,” both kids replied in unison. We now have a lovely photograph of Lejla reaching up with her left arm to embrace President Obama while her right foot arches behind her. Barack Obama holds her drawing of the blue sea, full of colourful fish, in his left hand. His right arm encircles her. Cuillin, Jessie and I are beaming in the background. It was Cuillin’s turn next and he fell happily into an Obama hug. My gaze drifted from that happy scene to the prized picture we would be keeping. I couldn’t stop smiling, making a mental note to present this very drawing in a frame to Cuillin on his 18th birthday.

    Reply
  42. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 9:33 am

    Paul Ryan sees Trump ‘giving us the leadership we need’
    09/28/17 10:02 AM
    By Steve Benen

    Regular readers may recall a “Saturday Night Live” sketch from may in which “Donald Trump” sat down for an interview with NBC News’ “Lester Holt” – actors, of course, portrayed the real people – only to be interrupted by an overeager young man who wanted to give the president some ice cream.

    The young man was an actor playing House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

    The sketch came to mind watching the Republican leader on Fox News last night, boasting about “great relationship” he has with Trump; When Sean Hannity asked if he’s pleased with Trump’s presidency, Ryan replied, “I’m very happy.” It led to this exchange:

    RYAN: I think the president is giving us the leadership we need to get the country back on the right track. […]

    HANNITY: Any big disagreement you have with him?

    RYAN: No.

    Reply
    • yahtzeebutterfly says:
      September 28, 2017 at 11:24 am

      That White mother needs to grow up, learn about her White priviledge, and stop trying to make her daughter all White. Where is this mother’s love (I mean real caring love) and understanding for her daughter???

      Reply
  46. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:56 am

    Sheila Jackson Lee #TakeAKnee on The Senate Floor in Solidarity With The NFL Players #MorningJoe pic.twitter.com/MVsiVlCHLZ
    — #LaquanMcDonald (@ifuaskmee) September 28, 2017

    Reply
  47. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:56 am

    Yes Sister! Queen Latifah said it! Wanda says it! SALUTE 👊🏾👊🏾👊🏾#BlackLivesMatter #UNITY #TakeAKnee #TakeTheKnee pic.twitter.com/zNQw6Lr4lc
    — StandUpComedyLegends (@SUCLs) September 28, 2017

    Reply
  48. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:56 am

    Man kneels with folded U.S. flag as Trump motorcade passes after event in Indianapolis. ✊🏿✊🏿#TakeAKnee pic.twitter.com/9wwQ01PanZ
    — Kanisha Jackson (@Kanisha1Jackson) September 28, 2017

    Reply
  49. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:55 am

    “Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream,” we #TakeAKnee. pic.twitter.com/O1x7AGPVIq
    — SPLC (@splcenter) September 25, 2017

    Reply
  50. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:54 am

    Lips pursed:

    CNN’s Chris Cuomo: Trump is telling NFL owners “control your dog” https://t.co/QNtTaJO8vN pic.twitter.com/Eydus8TQUg
    — The Hill (@thehill) September 28, 2017

    Reply
  51. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:53 am

    I have the Les Miserable 10th Anniversary Concert that I downloaded from youtube…been playing it all week.

    Damn, I love this musical.

    Reply
  52. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:52 am

    Trump tries, fails to explain the basics of his latest travel ban
    09/28/17 09:20 AM
    By Steve Benen

    Donald Trump’s proposed Muslim ban has gone through a few iterations, and this week, the president unveiled the latest version of his controversial policy – which now includes non-Muslim countries.

    In a move so obvious I have no idea why the White House didn’t think of it sooner, Team Trump added to the list of Muslim nations with banned or restricted travel visas, this time including North Korea and Venezuela to the mix. This will make it at least marginally easier for the administration’s attorneys to say it isn’t a Muslim ban, Trump’s campaign promises notwithstanding.

    But the new policy still raises plenty of questions, and the issue came up briefly yesterday when the president spoke to reporters on the White House South Lawn. From the official transcript:

    REPORTER: First of all, can you explain to us why Sudan was removed [from the travel ban list]? And second of all, how does the travel ban work in North Korea that doesn’t allow their people out of the country?

    TRUMP: Well, the people – yeah, the people allowed – certain countries – but we can add countries very easily and we can take countries away.

    REPORTER: What did Sudan do right?

    TRUMP: And as far as the travel ban is concerned, whatever it is, I want the toughest travel ban you can have. So I’ll see you in Indiana.

    Oh. So, in other words, Trump unveiled an important international policy this week, and he hasn’t the foggiest idea what it is. The questions that came up yesterday weren’t obscure policy details; they were the kind of questions a competent president should’ve been able to field about his own policy two days after its unveiling.

    Reply
  53. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:49 am

    Trump, GOP tax plan omits details on who pays
    The trick is to provide enough detail to satisfy lawmakers whose votes they’ll need but not so much that they get eaten alive by lobbyists.
    By BRIAN FALER and RACHAEL BADE
    09/27/2017 10:44 AM EDT Updated 09/27/2017 05:59 PM EDT

    ¦The long-awaited proposal released Wednesday morning by the so-called Big Six is heavy on the GOP’s tax cut desires and light when it comes to explaining whose taxes will have to go up to help control costs.

    ………………………………..

    But Republican leaders don’t plan to simply cut taxes and leave it at that. They want to at least partially defray the cost with offsetting tax increases. But their plans for doing that, for the most part, are still a secret.

    That didn’t stand in the way of a crucial endorsement from the hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus, even though some of its leaders had warned they wanted to see plenty of details. House Republicans presented a unified front for the plan at a retreat aimed at rallying their often-divided conference behind the new tax push.

    It’s not that Republicans don’t necessarily know who they want to foot the bill for their plans. They just don’t want to identify all the losers quite yet. Their game plan is to delay spelling out who would have to pay more under their plan in order to give opponents as little opportunity as possible to mount a counteroffensive.

    There’s a fear that K Street lobbyists will launch massive campaigns to protect their favorite provisions, killing the entire initiative. Speaker Paul Ryan urged lawmakers to stand firm against lobbyists during the GOP retreat.

    Reply
  54. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:45 am

    What Trump doesn’t understand about the politics of taxes
    09/28/17 08:40 AM—UPDATED 09/28/17 09:19 AM
    By Steve Benen
    Donald Trump put on his political-strategist hat this morning and offered Democrats some advice. “Democrats don’t want massive tax cuts – how does that win elections?” the president tweeted.

    For now, let’s put aside the oddity of thinking Donald Trump wants to help Democrats “win elections” – as if the nation’s top GOP official is sincerely interested in the opposing party’s electoral well-being – and focus instead on the president’s confusion about public attitudes.

    Consider, for example, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, which included an interesting question: “In order to fund the government and work to make certain the economy is healthy, would you increase, decrease, or keep taxes about the same as they are now for each of the following?”

    The wealthy
    Increase taxes: 62%
    Decrease taxes: 12%

    Corporations
    Increase taxes: 55%
    Decrease taxes: 16%

    ……………………………………

    In other words, the American mainstream doesn’t want tax breaks for corporations or the wealthy. Trump and congressional Republicans are pushing tax breaks for corporations or the wealthy. To borrow a phrase, “How does that win elections?”

    In Indianapolis yesterday, the president tried selling his plan by lying about it. “Our framework includes our explicit commitment that tax reform will protect low-income and middle-income households, not the wealthy and well-connected,” Trump said, reading from his trusted teleprompter. “They can call me all they want. It’s not going to help. I’m doing the right thing, and it’s not good for me. Believe me.”

    Actually, no, don’t believe him. The Washington Post, among others, published a piece setting the record straight.

    There are certain components that will obviously benefit the Trump family (at least two of whom work directly for Trump). Repealing the estate tax, for example, would save the Trump estate half a billion dollars by Bloomberg’s estimate — money that would then go to his heirs.

    What’s more, as Wonkblog reports, Trump’s vague articulation that he’s protecting the non-rich but not the rich is not borne out by the details. “The wealthy get a tax cut,” our Heather Long writes. “They will pay only 35 percent on their income taxes (down from 39.6 percent). At the moment, this rate applies to any income above about $418,000.” If you make $500,000, in other words, you’ll save about $25,000 a year in taxes. What’s more, business gets a significant cut, which obviously benefits Trump through the Trump Organization (which still puts money in his pocket).

    Reply
  55. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:42 am

    Trump invents hospitalized senator to explain latest failure
    09/28/17 08:00 AM—UPDATED 09/28/17 08:08 AM
    By Steve Benen

    Yesterday morning, Donald Trump was so eager to explain away the demise of his party’s health care gambit, he unveiled a new excuse: one of the Senate Republicans prepared to vote for the repeal measure was in the hospital.

    A few hours later on the White House South Lawn, the president elaborated on this point:

    TRUMP: I just wanted to say though on health care, we have the votes for health care. We have one senator that’s in the hospital. He can’t vote because he’s in the hospital.

    REPORTER: Are you talking about [Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi]?

    TRUMP: [Nods] He can’t vote because he’s in the hospital.

    ………………….

    Not to put too fine a point on this, but four “no” votes plus one “yes” is still … four “no” votes.

    Reply
  56. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:39 am

    Obama’s alma mater launches scholarship program in his name https://t.co/SxF3WEkz3h pic.twitter.com/wJXJlyT5EN
    — The Hill (@thehill) September 28, 2017

    Reply
  57. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:38 am

    .@Acosta: Trump says his tax plan doesn’t help him; We don’t know that because he hasn’t released his tax returns https://t.co/HvKqSB3Css
    — CNN (@CNN) September 27, 2017

    Reply
  58. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:35 am

    No one can figure out why Trump included Chad in Muslim Ban 3.0. https://t.co/c26Ko28pup via @thinkprogress
    — Jim Roberts (@nycjim) September 27, 2017

    State Department and Pentagon officials all opposed Trump’s travel ban on Chad. Stephen Miller said do it anyway https://t.co/RoKEuSZZa7
    — Dionne Searcey (@dionnesearcey) September 27, 2017

    Reply
  59. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:34 am

    Pence is a stone cold liar! 💯lied about Russia!
    Just ask Steve Schmidt. https://t.co/RjQDIQkTAb
    — KSK(africa) (@lawalazu) September 28, 2017

    Reply
  60. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:33 am

    Making somebody salute the flag with your boot on their throat is NOT patriotism. It’s fascism.
    Repeat this until you understand it.
    — Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) September 25, 2017

    Reply
  61. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:32 am

    The Los Angeles Times obituary for Hugh Hefner is really good. https://t.co/NIwkFBz6oG pic.twitter.com/hJUAolw6fF
    — Javier Panzar (@jpanzar) September 28, 2017

    Reply
  62. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:31 am

    Senate bill could trigger mass slaughter of wild mustang https://t.co/qSZwGT3197 via @cbsnews. These magnificent animals are American icons
    — Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) September 28, 2017

    Reply
  63. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:27 am

    In case anyone is still tracking this thread & in remembrance of Hefner (and Dick Gregory), here’s a piece on the Freedom Summer 3. Hefner put up the reward money Gregory used to get the tip where they were buried:

    https://stillcrew.com/how-dick-gregory-forced-the-fbi-to-find-the-bodies-of-goodman-chaney-and-schwerner-fa9790c49ad4

    Reply
  64. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:26 am

    How the Bankruptcy System Is Failing Black Americans
    Black people struggling with debts are far less likely than their white peers to gain lasting relief from bankruptcy. Primarily to blame is a style of bankruptcy practiced by lawyers in the South.
    PAUL KIEL AND HANNAH FRESQUES
    SEP. 28, 2017 6:00 AM

    Novasha Miller pushed through the revolving doors of the black glass tower on Jefferson Avenue last December and felt a rush of déjà vu. The building, conspicuous in Memphis’ modest skyline along the Mississippi River, looms over its neighbors. Then she remembered: Years ago, as a teenager, she’d accompanied her mother inside.

    Now she was 32, herself the mother of a teenager , and she was entering the same door, taking the same elevator. Like her mother before her, Miller was filing for bankruptcy.

    She’d cried when she made the decision, but with three boys and one uneven paycheck, every month was a narrow escape. A debt collector had recently won a court judgment against her and, along with that, the ability to seize a chunk of her pay. Soon, she would be forced to decide between groceries or electricity.

    Bankruptcy, she figured, despite its stink of shame and failure, would stop all that. She could begin anew: older, wiser, and with a job at a catering company that paid $10.50 an hour, a good bump from her last one. She could keep dreaming of a life where she had money left over at the end of each month, a chance of one day owning a home.

    What Miller didn’t know when she swallowed her pride and called a local bankruptcy attorney is that she would probably end up right back where she started, with the same debts, in the same crisis. For the black debtors who, for generations, have made Memphis the bankruptcy capital of the U.S., the system delivers neither forgiveness nor renewal.

    Up on the sixth floor of that tower where I met Miller last February, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee appeared to be a well-functioning machine. Debtors, nearly all black like her, crowded the wedge-shaped waiting area as lawyers, paralegals and court staff, almost all white, milled about in front. Hundreds of cases are filed here every week, and those who oversee and administer the process all proudly note the court’s marvelous efficiency. Millions of dollars flow smoothly to creditors, to the court, to bankruptcy attorneys.

    But the machine hides a harsh reality. When ProPublica analyzed consumer bankruptcy filings nationwide, the district stood out, both for the stunning number of cases in which debtors were unable to get relief, and for the reasons why. In Memphis, an entrenched legal culture has made bankruptcy a boon for attorneys while miring clients like Miller in a cycle of futility.

    Under federal bankruptcy law, people overwhelmed by debt have a choice: They can either file under Chapter 7, which wipes out debts and, since most filers lack significant assets, allows them to keep what little they have. Or they can choose Chapter 13, which usually requires five years of payments to creditors before any debts are eliminated, but blocks foreclosures and car repossessions as long as debtors can keep up. In most of the country, Chapter 7 is the overwhelming choice. Only in the South, in a band of states stretching from North Carolina to Texas, is Chapter 13 predominant.

    The responsibility of knowing which path to pick falls to those seeking relief. In Memphis, about three-quarters of filings are under Chapter 13. That’s how Miller filed. She thought the two chapters were “the same,” she told me.

    Reply
  65. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:24 am

    Why the Republican tax plan is effectively ‘Cheez Doodle reform’
    09/27/17 04:46 PM
    By Steve Benen

    In the spring, Donald Trump’s White House unveiled a one-page outline that he described as a bold tax-reform “plan.” The president gave it far too much credit: the piece of paper was basically a table of contents without the content.

    In the months that followed, the administration struggled to get its act together. Trump World intended to pass a tax-reform plan by August. Then it said the plan would by “locked in place” by September. Eventually, the White House assured everyone the president would spend August selling the policy, before unveiling the “full blown” presidential blueprint around Labor Day.

    Now, it’s nearly October, and Republicans have only managed to put together something resembling a tax plan.

    After months of work, a tax plan released Wednesday by the White House and House Republicans would provide large tax cuts to both corporations and individuals. The highly-anticipated proposal still has a long ways to go before it can be voted on but Republicans outlined their objectives in a nine page document this morning.

    The plan includes long-held Republican goals of reducing the corporate tax rate and simplifying the tax code. It lowers the corporate tax rate to 20 percent and eliminates four income tax brackets. It doubles the standard deduction and increase the child tax credit. It also repeals the estate tax but keeps the deductions for mortgage interest and charitable giving, all tax breaks that tend to impact high-income tax payers. But it is expected to cost trillions of dollars and Republicans haven’t yet presented a clear way to pay for it.

    Reply
  66. Ametia says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:03 am

    After much controversy, President Trump on Thursday morning finally authorized that a century-old shipping law be waived in order to expedite the delivery of critical supplies to Puerto Rico. The Jones Act requires that all goods shipped between U.S. ports must be carried on ships built, owned, and operated by Americans. Trump initially expressed hesitance to waive the rule, “We have a lot of shippers and a lot of people that work in the shipping industry that don’t want the Jones Act lifted.” On Thursday morning, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Twitter: “At [Puerto Rican governor] @ricardorossello request, @POTUS has authorized the Jones Act be waived for Puerto Rico. It will go into effect immediately.”

    http://elink.thedailybeast.com/click/10781297.446298/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9QcmVzc1NlYy9zdGF0dXMvOTEzMzczMjkyODMyMTUzNjAwP3ZpYT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnNvdXJjZT1DU0FNZWRpdGlvbg/4e555ee3e018bee76c345820B51a6dadb

    Reply
  67. Ametia says:
    September 28, 2017 at 8:01 am

    The GOP CABAL has had decades to come to the table and work out a VIABLE healthcare bill.

    They have no intentions of ever doing this.

    It’s ALL TAX CUTS FOR THE 1%

    Reply
  68. rikyrah says:
    September 28, 2017 at 1:22 am

    Good Morning,Everyone 😐😐😐

    Reply

Leave a Reply to rikyrahCancel reply