I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Monday, October 19, 2015

Linkee-poo finds me someone to love

Today is election day in Canada. You only had a 75 day campaign (lucky you). Here's John Oliver on the election and why it's important for you to go out and vote. Don't be like the US, Canada, go and vote.

A lot of NPR stories. Kinda turned out that way, it wasn't planned.

A pastor in NC get tired of burying his congregation members with preventable diseases. So he starts a community garden program and educates the kids how to grow their own food and eat nutriciously. Then he helps all of his community lower their food bills, eat better, and he has to preside over fewer funerals. That is service. (Grokked from Janiece)

Lot os good information regarding 401ks and their fees. Here I'll note that the 401k program was never meant for most of us. It was mostly designed for the top 10% of wage earners. It's only because companies got tired of being on the hook (and getting bad publicity) for their shitty pension programs, and this was a way of making you responsible for your own shitty retirement program. But if you have a program that has high fees, it's even shittier.

"Texas can — for now — continue to deny issuing birth certificates to the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, a federal judge decided on Friday." In fairness, the judge also says this is a gross injustice, but hey, what is he going to do? I don't know, you're a fucking federal judge, maybe enforce the Constitution and specifically the 14th Amendment? All of this is over the parents being able to provide "secure" proof of who they are. Let's call BS on this. Is there a legal issue here? Yes, parents of citizens can get green cards and immigration status easier than others. But what is really happening here is an attempt to deny those born here to people "who just aren't our sort, old fellow" from getting documentation.

"But what could a tax-the-rich plan actually achieve? As it turns out, quite a lot, experts say. Given the gains that have flowed to those at the tip of the income pyramid in recent decades, several economists have been making the case that the government could raise large amounts of revenue exclusively from this small group, while still allowing them to take home a majority of their income."

NY State begins actions concerning "surprise medical billing", or what happens when you go to an out-of-network provider believing them to be in-network. Again, we don't have single-payor why?

Even college professors can be stupid. Especially when it comes to something outside their experience. Like socialism. Also pointed to in case you're still suffering form the delusion (and hype) that colleges are liberal strongholds. I'm sure this asshole has a "Make Liberals Mad - Work Hard and Succeed" bumpersticker. (Grokked from Chia Evers)

"The 22 states that didn't expand Medicaid eligibility as part of Obamacare last year saw their costs to provide health care to the poor rise twice as fast as states that extended benefits to more low-income residents." Say, which states were the ones who declined to expand Medicaid? Oh right, those who are "fiscally responsible" and "want to limit big-government."

"Using data from 63 emergency rooms, he and his colleagues calculated that 23,005 emergency room visits occur each year because of dietary supplements. Among those cases, 2,154 patients are hospitalized to receive further treatment." The war against non-prescription drugs continues. For this study "dietary supplements" includes homeopathic and herbal remedies.

On Donald Trump's history. "Bloomberg puts Trump’s current net worth at $2.9 billion, Forbes at $4.1 billion. The National Journal has worked out that if Trump had just put his father’s money in a mutual fund that tracked the S&P 500 and spent his career finger-painting, he’d have $8 billion." But yea, he's great because he says he's great. Basically, the Trumpster's greatest accomplishment is promoting himself. HE hasn't actually accomplished much on his own. (Grokked from Rae Carson)

Jeb! Bush wants to know, "'Does anybody actually blame my brother for the attacks on 9/11? If they do they're totally marginalizing our society.'" I'm not exactly sure what that "marginalizing out society" comment is about. Bu then, "CNN host Jake Tapper pressed Bush on how he could blame President Obama and… Hillary Clinton for the attack on the Benghazi compound if he believed his brother was not at all responsible for 9/11." To which Jeb! then said they were different, because.

Which then, prompted a discussion wondering if George W Bush was president on 9/11. (Grokked from Joe Hill)

It sucks when actual history interferes with your narrative and an actual history professor sets you right. But then, as Conservatives are wont to do, they say, "well, the real fight was even longer ago, and you're a dummy for not knowing that." Yea, sure pal.

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