I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange
Comments
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Chicky, what happened to that man was horrible! And being only mildly retarded he was certainly astute enough to sense the very real danger out there. Scary, scary times for the vulnerable. -
In pouting op-ed, Eric Cantor complains the mean black man is not giving Republicans enough respect
The new confederates
Shorter Rep. Eric Cantor op-ed: The black man in the large house is not showing proper deference to our southern white gentlemen. There, I just saved you from having to read his embarrassing little public pout-fest.
President Obama has led us here by continually thwarting the will of Congress and dismissing its role in our constitutional republic. This must end. The president not only has refused to negotiate on issues of debt and spending but also has mocked the very idea of engaging with Congress. President Obama has repeatedly made clear that he feels it is beneath the office of the presidency to work in a bipartisan way with the legislative branch.
Whereas Paul Ryan's foray into the op-ed market was notable for completely omitting the purported reason the Republicans had shut down the government—to defeat Obamacare—and instead replacing it with a litany of other demands, Eric Cantor's rhetorical device is to pretend the United States Senate does not exist. At all. Cantor is quite convinced that the problem is entirely about the president not sufficiently bending to the will of the legislative branch, absentmindedly forgetting that the legislative branch itself is not bending to the will of the legislative branch, and that in fact there is nothing for the cruel and uncompromising president to even sign until the legislative branch Mr. Cantor helps lead comes to some agreement with the legislative body that Mr. Cantor refuses to acknowledge as actual entity. There is more than a hint of sociopathy in statements like:
As James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 48, “It is equally evident, that none of [the branches of the federal government] ought to possess, directly or indirectly, an overruling influence over the others, in the administration of their respective powers.”
I have it on good authority that James Madison is crawling out of his grave right now, looking to give you a good throttling for invoking his name in this mess. Much, much more below the fold:
Let us all agree with Mr. Cantor and Mr. Madison here: It is indeed the case that one half of one half of one of the three branches of government should not be able to dismantle the very functions of that government over the objections of all the others. We could chalk the Federalist quote up as a case of the devil citing scripture, but that would imply a level of ironic self-awareness that Eric Cantor does not apparently have. And the president is in fact doing nothing to prevent the House from exercising their powers; the House is choosing to abandon its powers unilaterally, and in a huff.
Seven years later, and after the nation’s debt had doubled, President Obama refuses to even sit at the same table as Republicans and work to solve the “debt problem” he correctly identified as a senator. That is a much larger failure of leadership.
Note that the nation's bills have both doubled and been cut in half during Obama's tenure, thus demonstrating just how tedious the bonds of reality are considered to be in the nation's capitol. Note that under the banner of leadership, Barack Obama has in fact sat down with House Republicans more than a little during his tenure—the last time resulted in an agreement to implement a shit-laden doomsday device known as a sequester, intentionally designed as to be so farcical in implementation that even the United States House of Representatives would muster themselves as to not push the button on the thing, the most famous example of a nation underestimating their own legislators' abject stupidity since Steve Stockman was given a second chance. Note that these now-cited "debt problems" have shit-all to do with Obamacare, the legislatively defined House rationale for taking a lit match to all other government responsibilities. Cantor indeed continues the theme of not being able to quite pin down why Republicans have shut down the government at all, instead filling his op-ed with various pufferies that do not at all sound like a reason to crush all of government:
Courts have held that President Obama violated the Constitution with certain “recess” appointments, ignoring the required consent of Congress.
The consent that was explicitly withheld, typically for reasons that explicitly had nothing to do with the candidates being considered? That would seem a poor example of presidential stubbornness.
He has abused executive-branch “rule making” rather than working with Congress to pass laws. He has ignored the letter of the law when it comes to religious liberty and work requirements for welfare.
I swear to God, Mr. Cantor, if you were only made aware of presidential "rule making" abilities the moment Barack Obama set foot in the Oval Office, you may be a considerably duller individual than you made yourself out to be. The last president made show of attaching something called "signing statements" to any law passed by the House and Senate that the executive branch did not personally like, statements that specifically outlined the parts of the law the executive branch objected to and stating that the executive branch would simply not comply with those portions. Perhaps all of that happened before you had made your escape from the turnip truck, Mr. Cantor, but still—there are books on these things. Or videotapes, if that is more your style.
President Obama has used executive orders to unilaterally change U.S. immigration laws. His administration has used waivers to change laws such as No Child Left Behind to compel states to adopt new policies.
If this is meant to be a rationale for why the majority party of the House has deemed it necessary to shutter the whole federal government, it does not come across as a very compelling one. We—and I am using we here as general denotation of all historical adults who were not, say, Confederates—generally do not shutter the federal government every time one branch of government does something that gives another branch of government a bad case of the sads. As someone on the liberal side of things, I could give you stories of things that happened during the last few administrations that would seem far more compelling indications of an executive abuse of power than "he hath given waivers to an education law that we doth not liketh very much" would seem to be. I believe you personally stood in support of a good number of them.
My only interpretation is that Cantor is no longer sure himself what he is trying at:
Just two years ago, President Obama and House Republicans came to an agreement to raise the debt ceiling and implement much-needed reductions in spending.
… which would seem to further dissuade from the Obama-as-tyrant theory, a true shame after holding up such convincing examples of tyranny as executive "rule making" and allowing "waivers" on things. (Republicans are generally keen fans of states receiving waivers to exempt themselves from federal laws, but anyone looking for Republican ideological consistency during this particular decade has likely shot themselves by now.)
No, it seems the impetus here was that the House majority leader was expected to write an op-ed because Paul Ryan had done one too, or perhaps merely has hastily constructed shield against public opinion polls that now have approval of House Republicans hovering somewhere between chewing broken glass and infecting yourself with the Black Plague. His message is that House Republicans are being disrespected, the Senate is non-entity not even worth considering in a purely rhetorical context, and Barack Obama is a tyrant so brutal as to require Republican rebellion against his rule. None of it suggests any specific demand on the part of Republicans other than the general demand that Obama give a generic something as token of House superiority. None of it suggests that the majority leader of the House gives the slightest damn about the sweeping hardships they have inflicted on the nation, so obsessed is he with demanding that abstract something from the president. The party of white southern men has got a monumental bug up their ass about how they are not being respected by the first non-white president ever given the ability to make executive nominations and waivers and rules and by their God, they are not going to reopen this government until he learns his place.
Hope this is not too bad after I submit. -
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Sorry about the above. I forgot just how to put in a link.
Jackie
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This is what we see reflected in the arguments we see advanced on regressive websites or comments sections of news articles. No independent analysis or discussion, only rote repetition of Rush Limbaugh's barking points of the day. It is why any attempt at rational discussion is met with, "Benghazi! IRS! Obamacare! Socialis! Birth certificate! Death panels!" They can't even tell you why the ACA is bad.Conservative Media's Tribal Loyalty Weakens the GOP
Instead of rewarding smart political strategy or policy substance, right-wing outlets celebrate those who are merely in a state of conflict with Democrats or liberals.
CONOR FRIEDERSDORFThe strategy that House Republicans have imprudently embraced in recent weeks has many causes. Dysfunction at conservative media outlets is one of them.
"Republicans can pretty much say whatever they want, no matter what the bizarre logic and no matter what connection it has to what they were saying five minutes ago, and Fox News will totally accept it and blast it for hours or days," Jonathan Bernstein observes. "The result? Republicans have become incredibly lazy. After all, why bother constructing a coherent argument if you don’t need one."
It's true. In order to get good press from the conservative media, Republican politicians need not craft a brilliant political strategy or impress with policy substance or excel at persuading the public that conservative ideas are the way forward. They need only find themselves in conflict with President Obama and Democrats.
Consider the shutdown. Under any reasonable standard, Republicans have positioned themselves poorly. Public-opinion polls suggest that they are losing support. It's easy to imagine outcomes that do serious harm to their future prospects. And it's hard to see any outcome that significantly advances the GOP agenda.
Yet here's Rush Limbaugh's take: "Republicans are Winning the Shutdown Despite the GOP Establishment Attempts to Snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory." If those responsible for getting Republicans into this tenuous predicament are praised by the most popular entertainer in the conservative movement—if their high-risk, low-reward strategy is extolled as having positioned the GOP "in the jaws of victory," even as the party risks stinging defeat—they can safely conclude that conservative media will praise them no matter what. Going forward, their incentive will be to stay in conflict with liberals, not to advance conservative ideas or to achieve incremental policy victories.
Shameless hackery is part of what's driving this.
In many corners of conservative media, the rewards accrue to those who are "loyal" (which is to say, willing to engage in spin for the right), not to purveyors of frank, honest analysis (few of whom are willing to call out hucksters for being hucksters).
But there are other factors at play too. The conservative movement encompasses a lot of extremely smart political observers who've thought carefully about their ideological project and offered important insights about how to advance it most effectively in coming years. But this medium-to-long-term thinking is virtually absent from Fox and talk radio. Watch Sean Hannity. Listen to Rush Limbaugh. With few exceptions, the focus is winning whatever fight happens to be dominating the current news cycle. Each one is treated as if it is as maximally significant as any other, and that is no coincidence. If you're driven by partisan tribalism more than ideology, if getting in rhetorical digs at liberals thrills you more than persuading adversaries or achieving policy victories, it makes sense that you would fight substantively inconsequential battles with no more or less vigor than any other.
Unfortunately for movement conservatives, approaching politics one news cycle at a time and never looking any farther forward than the next election all but guarantees an inability to strategize or lay groundwork. Little wonder that Limbaugh and his fans pined after a future where Republicans would run all three branches of government, achieved just that for a time under George W. Bush, and utterly failed to advance the long-term prospects of movement conservatism. Bush was in constant conflict with liberals, and so he retained the support of movement conservatives year after year with little thought of the implications. Even conservatives agree now that Bush got a pass, but that hasn't affected the trust they put in the entertainers who created the conditions for it.
The amount of conservative hackery broadcast and published every day remains staggering. In private, that fact is widely acknowledged even among movement conservative pundits, who can hardly deny something so glaringly obvious. But I have long been in a tiny minority of observers who regard conservative media as something that must be reformed if the right is to recover. How can an ideological movement succeed if its leaders and its rank and file daily rely on bad information from sources that constantly peddle fiction as fact?
Notice that conservative media became ascendant after the apex of conservative successes during the Reagan Revolution. And ever since, as conservative media has grown more popular and lucrative, conservatism itself has suffered. Coincidence? Think it over, conservatives. You have nothing to lose but your hucksters. -
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Sending along more MOJOs and SORTs for everyone.
BREN---SPECIAL PEACEFUL nights-------LOVE to you all----kad2kar -
Like button on bright, Yorkie.
Jackie -
Thanks Kad2kar! Sometimes I get a little nervous about going to sleep and wonder if I'm going to have a bad night. It's so kind of you to keep me in your thoughts.
hugs,
Bren -
I love this one! -
Happy almost Columbus Day weekend, honoring the "event" of one person arriving in an inhabited land and saying he "discovered" it and getting credit for the "discovery" for generations....alas...
wonder who "discovered" bubble gum - now THAT'S a feat..
happy sunny day to all -
Columbus Day is a federal holiday. I wonder if furloughed employees will get double pay that day?
Sunny - Love the bubble gum analogy - perfect!!
Had lunch with my furloughed group of women yesterday. Beautiful day (60 miles south). We dubbed one of the woman "furlough Barbie" as she appears to have shed her jeans for finer wear, bought a BMW, hair was blown dried for the first time I can remember and now she is getting a divorce. Maybe she had time to think about her marriage during the furlough?
Debating whether to drive back down to same town to 24 hour emergency vet with my kitty. Still not eating and I know this is dangerous. She atleast has had Sub-Q, a few quibble and a few licks of wet food each day. This morning some tuna water. I feel like I need "big city" advice now, especially with the coming weekend. I just convinced myself. Oh the $$.
Hope all of you had a good restful sleep last night. I've lost track of what Congress is doing, though I did catch a bit of Sheldon Whitehouse v. Carnival Cruz on Crossfire last night. Cruz really showed no logic at all when challenged with facts. -
and in Canada it's Thanksgiving long weekend. Our harvests are earlier than yours. So is winter in many parts. Not here its glorious. Blue skies, gorgeous red, yellow, and orange foliage. -
Kam....kitties can go surprisingly long w/o eating and will without ill effects, though with one already compromised, I'd likely seek answers that would satisfy me to the nth. degree. I do know, sometimes, when the rt. treatment kicks in ( if they can be helped ) it usually comes quite fast and in very solid form.
I left one of my kits at the vet's office and he warned me so it would not be a shock......that she might not be alive in the morning. They had been giving antibiotic and not seeing much for results......overnight, the antibiotic kicked in and my sweet little kit ( well on here way to allowing her body to shut down ) was perky and eating and drinking as though nothing had been wrong. To be fair, she was very, very young at the time, but only illustrating that the right medication, given at the right time will often do what if needed when it is needed.
I sure hope you can at least get answers that would help you determine where you and kitty are with all of this.
Jackie -
From my scam busters this morning."Obamacare" Changes Spark Spate of Scams
Whether you're for it or against it, the machinery of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often referred to as "Obamacare," is now in action -- and so are a number of scams that have followed in its wake.
We don't do politics here at Scambusters. There are other forums for that. We also can't explain how the Act works, provide advice or answer questions about it -- for info on that you need to visit www.healthcare.gov.
But what we can say is that the changes to the healthcare system introduced by the new law, notably the arrival this month of the new insurance exchanges or marketplaces, have led to some confusion.
And where there's confusion, there are scams. Here are the main ones:
Fake Insurance Exchanges
Even before the medical insurance marketplaces were launched at the start of this month, bogus sites were all over the Internet.
Many were trawling for information but some were also trying to get people to sign up and make payments.
Action: Each state is supposed to have a marketplace. There are no others, or private versions of them.
Most states are using the official healthcare.gov site for their marketplace but 17, plus the District of Columbia, have their own unique sites.
Either way, get your state's information and links where relevant.
Don't sign up without checking this and making sure you have the correct links.Bogus Medicare Card Renewal
You get a call or email saying you need a new Medicare card because of the changes brought about by the Act.
The caller may even say something like "Obamacare is replacing Medicare."
Victims are asked for financial and other personal information including their Medicare number, which contains their Social Security number.
The information is used for identity theft.
Action: You don't need a new Medicare card and you shouldn't provide this sort of information over the phone or by email to someone you don't know.
If you're not sure what to do, hang up or ignore the email and contact Medicare directly with your questions."You Need a New National Insurance Card"
As a variation on the Medicare card trick, crooks have been phoning people at random saying they need a new federal health insurance card.
They pose as government officials and, in some cases, they refer to these as "Obamacare cards."
Action: Hang up. There's no such card. It's just another phishing attempt to get hold of personal information.
Also, government agencies don't make this type of call. This kind of change, if it were even happening (which it is not), would be notified by mail.Phony Young Adult Policies
One of the real provisions of the Act allows for young adults up to the age of 26 to remain on their parents' health insurance plan.
Seizing on this, scammers claim this still requires a separate policy, which victims are told they must pay for.
Action: This doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The whole point of the provision is to keep young adults on their parents' policy, so don't be taken in by this.Fake "Navigators"
Anticipating confusion, the government has given grants to a number of organizations to train so-called "navigators" and "certified application counselors" to explain the new system and help people get insured.
From our research, there's some confusion about whether these navigators may be allowed to ask for confidential information. But certainly they're supposed to be able to help complete eligibility and enrollment forms.
So it's hardly surprising that this may be seized upon by scammers as an opportunity to present themselves as navigators, offering help for a fee -- or gathering personal information for ID theft.
It's also possible, though we've no evidence for this yet, that bogus recruiters may offer jobs as navigators, with an upfront fee for training.
Action: Don't pay for support. If you're asked to pay upfront for help or to get a job, it's likely a scam.
At the time of this writing, expected formal guidance on how to identify genuine navigators has not been published.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said it was awaiting details of certification standards from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services before issuing guidance.
By now, you should be able to visit www.ftc.gov and do a search on "navigators" for more information.
Otherwise, you can see a list of all the grant-aided organizations on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services site.
Independently check with these organizations for help -- don't accept incoming phone solicitations.
You may get doorstep solicitations too. They could be genuine but don't part with any confidential information at that point.
Alternatively, speak to your trusted, state-certified insurance broker for no-cost help.Jail Threats
Because there are legal requirements and penalties associated with non-compliance with the new law, crooks use this to try to intimidate people into paying into their schemes or giving up information.
In some cases, they've actually threatened victims with jail if they don't comply.
Action: The Act does provide for fines for non-compliance but that won't take effect until next year, and there's no provision for a jail sentence in the Act.
So if someone's threatening you, the call is not genuine. Hang up.
All in all, we expect to see a big increase in the number of scams linked to the Affordable Care Act in the coming months.
There's a risk that even savvy consumers could be fooled into parting with money or information.
Once again, if you want to know more about the Act and how it affects you, see www.healthcare.govwww.healthcare.gov or phone 1-800-318-2596.
We're not advancing any view of whether or not Obamacare is a good thing, but we are saying you should be on the alert for related scams that, most definitely, would be bad for your health!
That's all for today -- we'll see you next week
Jackie -
Some things ( thoughts of others ) are just amazing....is the worst way. Story in my in-box this morning on Add. Org. If is a piece from Fox News that says if your on welfare you shouldn't use an air conditioner. Of course, you should just politely die of heat stroke. No wonder their credibility for thinking people is non-existent. They are those "morans". Word taken from a hand-help poster.
Running late for some morning work. Catch you all later.
Jackie -
Good Morning Friends,
I am so happy today ... tomorrow morning I leave to see my grandsons! And no night terrors last night! I'm busy cleaning the house for my mom as she is going to dog sit for me while I'm gone. Also packing ... checked the weather in San Diego and it's the same as here. I might not be around for the next week as I don't have an iPad, iPhone or laptop.
Kam .. I sure hope your kitty is okay. It might be worth the drive south to get an expert opinion. I know this is so stressful for you and you're worried sick about her.
Kay .. Happy Thanksgiving ... hope the day is wonderful for you and your family. Our colors are just now beginning to change ... leaves are falling like crazy.
Jackie .. Have a great day at work!
Sunnyflowers .. I didn't realize until yesterday that Monday was a holiday. When you work from home you lose track of the days. I knew something had to be happening as the day is in red letters on my calendar .. just didn't know what holiday it was! ha!
hugs,
Bren -
Safe travels Bren! -
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BLUE - both yours? gorgeous one on right, looks familiar...
BREN - "Happy trails to you, until we meet again" tra, la, la - everybody remember Roy Rogers Dale Evans sign off song on their saturday am tv program?
Happy Bubble Gum weekend to all. -
Thanks gals! I'm almost packed. And I finally got everything straightened out about when my mom needs to come down here to watch the dogs. It all depended on Tim's schedule, and as a truck driver, his schedule sucks. I never know until the very last minute what's going on. It's been a real lesson in patience for me.
Blue .. Happy Thanksgiving. It's amazing how much the girls in that picture look like your two.
Sunnyflowers .. Speaking of bubble gum .. it's my favorite! Chomping away on Hubba Bubba has helped me keep my weight under control!
hugs,
Bren -
When I grow up I want to look like the one on the right.
Happy travels, Bren!
The remnants of Hurricane Karen are blowing through and I'm loving the rain! It means twice as much horse-related work but that's a joy anyway.
I don't think I'll be on this clinical trial much longer. Looking into a Boston trial that promises NO side effects other than hot flashes. I can deal with that.
Happy day, all!
E -
Bren, have a wonderful trip! I know how special those little grandsons are! -
I looked like the one on the right when I was in my 20's (the deep set eyes). Those days are long gone and Arimidex has turned me into a dried out old lady! -
Here's a c & p from a Scopes piece on Mr. Carney Cruz.
We are still reviewing the 21-hour, overnight talk-a-thon by Sen. Ted Cruz, and we found some more claims about Obamacare that are false:- Cruz said unions, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, want to “repeal” the health care law “because it is a nightmare.” Three unions used the word “nightmare” in a letter to Democratic leaders in Congress. But they asked that the law be fixed, not repealed.
- Sen. Rand Paul incorrectly claimed “you will go to jail” if you don’t buy health insurance and refuse to pay the tax penalty. The law specifically states that those who do not pay the penalty “shall not be subject to any criminal prosecution.” Shortly after the law passed, the IRS commissioner at the time said the law precludes jail, but violators will likely face offsets against future tax refunds.
The lengthy speech by Cruz — which started Sept. 24, ended Sept. 25 and was occasionally supplemented by some of his Senate colleagues — was dominated mainly by generalities and opinions. But we found plenty of misleading claims in our first review of the record. Upon closer inspection, we’ve found a few more.
Unions Want to ‘Repeal’ Obamacare?
Cruz said unions, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, want to “repeal” the health care law “because it is a nightmare.” Three unions used the word “nightmare” in a letter to Democratic leaders in Congress. But they asked that the law be fixed, not repealed. James P. Hoffa, the Teamsters president, has asked Cruz to stop “misusing” the unions’ words.
Cruz, Sept. 24: There is a reason why labor unions want out. There is a reason the Teamsters, who describe that they have been knocking on doors as loyal foot soldiers for the Democratic Party, are saying: This is a nightmare. Repeal Obamacare. Repeal it because it is a nightmare.
Presidents of three labor unions criticized parts of the health care law in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The union leaders said the law had “unintended consequences” that will lead to several “nightmare scenarios.” They complained the law will “destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week” by creating incentives for employers to schedule workers for less than 30 hours a week. And they said the law taxes union workers with nonprofit health insurance plans to help pay for government subsidies those workers will not be eligible to receive.
But the letter didn’t say lawmakers should “repeal” the law. Hoffa, Joseph Hansen of the United Food and Commercial Workers, and D. Taylor of UNITE HERE said they “continue to stand behind real health care reform, but the law as it stands will hurt millions of Americans including the members of our respective unions.” In conclusion, they wrote: “We are looking to you to make sure these changes are made.”
On the same day that Cruz concluded his floor speech, Hoffa issued a statement telling the senator to stop misrepresenting what he and the other union presidents had said.
Hoffa, Sept. 25: Though we may have concerns with specific provisions of the ACA, we share the president’s goal of ensuring that every American has affordable access to top-quality health care. It is on this main point that we disagree wholeheartedly with the efforts of extreme right-wing Republicans to gut the ACA. Any suggestion otherwise is simply political posturing.
I call on Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. David Vitter and others to cease and desist from misusing our constructive comments in their destructive campaign to hobble the president and the nation.
Cruz didn’t listen. He was back to using the words of Hoffa and company in a speech on the Senate floor on Sept. 27.
Buy Insurance/ Pay Penalty/ or Jail?
For his part, Paul incorrectly claimed that people who do not buy health insurance next year and refuse to pay the tax penalty “will go to jail.” The law specifically states that those who do not pay the tax penalty “shall not be subject to any criminal prosecution.” In 2010, then-IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman said the law precludes jail, and that enforcement will amount to offsets against future tax refunds.
But, according to Paul, jail is exactly what awaits those who refuse to buy insurance or pay the tax penalty.
Paul, Sept. 25: That is what I think the senator from Texas has started, hopefully a rebellion against coercion, rebellion against mandates, a rebellion against everything that says that big government wants to shove something down your throat, they say take it or we will put people in jail. People say we aren’t going to put anybody in jail. The heck they won’t. You will get fined first. If you don’t pay your fines, you will go to jail.
As we have written before, the law specifically precludes jail as a penalty for those who do not pay the fine for failing to buy insurance. It is spelled out in a section called “Waiver of Criminal Penalties.” (See page 131)
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: In the case of any failure by a taxpayer to timely pay any penalty imposed by this section, such taxpayer shall not be subject to any criminal prosecution or penalty with respect to such failure.
The law also spells out that the IRS can’t use liens or levies as enforcement tools.
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: The Secretary [of Health and Human Services] shall not file notice of lien with respect to any property of a taxpayer by reason of any failure to pay the penalty imposed by this section … or levy on any such property with respect to such failure.
So what exactly can the IRS do if people refuse to pay the tax penalty for non-compliance? Nasty letters, for starters, but ultimately the IRS says it would deduct the penalty amount from a person’s future refunds, if the individual has any.
The IRS commissioner at the time was asked about enforcement options at a National Press Club event on April 5, 2010 (at the 35:50 mark).
Shulman, April 5, 2010: I think there’s a couple important points that I would make, though, about our role in health reform. One is that these are not the kinds of things — check the box whether you’re here or not [whether you have bought insurance] — that we send agents out about. These are things where you get a letter from us. Second is Congress was very careful to make sure that there was nothing too punitive in this bill. … First of all, there’s no criminal sanctions for not paying this, and there’s no ability to levy a bank account or do seizures, some of the other tools.
Later in the same event, Shulman was asked, “If you can’t use sanctions to collect health care fees, what will keep people from getting away with not signing up for insurance coverage?” Shulman said the IRS may dock future tax refunds.
Shulman, April 5, 2010: My belief is while some people may play with the kind of question that was asked, the vast majority of American people have a healthy respect for the law and want to be compliant with their tax obligations and whatever else the law holds. People will get letters from us. We can actually do collection if need be. People can get offsets of their tax returns in future years, so there’s a variety of ways for us to focus on things like fraud, things like abuse, and we’re gonna run a balanced program.
In short, Paul’s warning about health insurance scofflaws going to jail is simply incorrect.
– Robert Farley and D’Angelo Gore
Glad to read the part about the unions. When it first came up ( via T. Party ) I did not get around to checking the veracity.....seemed pretty far-fetched and someone here likely cleared it up......so much of being here is to see the lies revealed and claims debunked. I must have missed it though. Nice to have definite word on how it REALLY is after a FACT CHECK.
I think I may have screwed up on the W. Buffet piece, but it is an excellent idea. Justice for sure for those convinced it is either my way or the highway. Forget the honor of service.....just show me the money and the power.
Jackie
P.S. Safe, happy, trip to San Diego. -
Hi Gals,
Wanted to let you all know that I submitted a bunch of photos to Melissa for BCO's Rock the Ribbon Benefit this month. She asked me to identify the ladies in the pictures, so what I did was write down the first name only and the state where you're from. Hope that's okay. I had so many wonderful pictures of friends over the last 6 /12 years. It brought back great memories to be looking at the photos again. Our favorite horse, Sampson, is even in one of the pics!
Enjoyful ... sure hope the trial in Boston is a good fit for you. I know you can handle the hot flashes, but that chronic, unrelenting pain was just too much.
hugs,
Bren -
http://prospect.org/article/john-boehner-adrift# This is all about the plan that Boehner never had.
He is such a miserable excuse for SOH.
Jackie -
I was having a bad hair day...hahahahahaha!
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Blue....love the picture. You could easy pass for the first girl in white.
Jackie
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- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team