text:
I created this duplicate blog so I could post a few stories on Facebook, which had blocked Democurmudgeon due to a corrupt widget way back when. Since that ban has lifted, I no longer need to copy everything here. See you back at the home site.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Strict Constructionist activist Justice Scalia points to imagined "Constitutional traditions?"
Feeling free now to be as activist as he wants, Justice Antonin Scalia stepped out into Constitutional fantasy land again, this time imagining its implied religious "tradition." And not one peep out of tea party pocket constitutional Republicans?
Republicans have always pushed the theme that "tradition" is the essence of our founding document, a kind of see what you want to see flexibility built in to push their agenda.
Except now, we're talking about a Supreme Court Justice strolling around in crazy land. A strict constitutionalist, really? Remember this:
In December he came under fire for comments he made during an affirmative action case, questioning whether some black students would benefit from going to a "slower-track school" instead of Texas' flagship campus in Austin.
Big surprise he voted against the Voting Rights Act.
Scalia now sees religion, specifically God, as an American "tradition" that gives the Constitution its true meaning:
AP: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was speaking at a Catholic high school said Saturday the idea of religious neutrality is not grounded in the country's constitutional traditions and that God has been good to the U.S. exactly because Americans honor him ... that there is "no place" in the country's constitutional traditions for the idea that the state must be neutral between religion and its absence.
"To tell you the truth there is no place for that in our constitutional tradition. Where did that come from? To be sure, you can't favor one denomination over another but can't favor religion over non-religion? God has been very good to us. That we won the revolution was extraordinary. The Battle of Midway was extraordinary. I think one of the reasons God has been good to us is that we have done him honor. Unlike the other countries of the world that do not even invoke his name we do him honor. In presidential addresses, in Thanksgiving proclamations and in many other ways. There is nothing wrong with that and do not let anybody tell you that there is anything wrong with that."
Friday, January 1, 2016
Gun Sanity fights back!
Isn't it about time Democrats counter the Republican agenda with laws that make life incredibly uncomfortable for them.
So, let's talk GUNS!!!
So, let's talk GUNS!!!
The GOP roadblock agenda has been overwhelming; voter regulatory hoops, abortion restrictions, testing for food stamps and tighter unemployment qualifications. It's time Democratic answer that challenge with their own set of roadblocks. Virginia has stepped up to the plate, and it's genius:
Virginia last week. Attorney General Mark Herring announced that he would unilaterally repeal agreements with 25 other states for reciprocal recognition of carry permits by February 1st, claiming that he found their standards for issuing carry permits too low. Herring argued that Virginia residents could apply for and receive carry permits in other states when they couldn't qualify within their own state and therefore evade the restrictions imposed by Virginia law.Yes, yes, yes. And that includes Wisconsin of course, where almost anything goes now.
And yet, one of the oddest reactions to Virginia's effort was this editorial response in the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
But stopping reciprocity agreements with 25 states will do nothing to deter crime here in Virginia. The question that should be asked of Herring is this: Why target CHP holders if they aren't committing the majority of crimes?Oh, so CC owners aren't "committing the majority of crimes," just a few of them?
Elections Matter, except when they don't: CC advocates are also making the argument that the Democrats lost in the recent elections...except when they won:
Since Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Herring, and Democrats lost big-time in electoral contests last month — despite millions of dollars from their billionaire benefactor Michael Bloomberg — they are now using tyrannical means to impose more gun control as retribution for their losses.
What's the takeaway from all of this? Elections can have very deleterious consequences. Virginians knew very well that McAuliffe, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, and Herring were going to enact gun control by any means possible, but they chose to elect them over good men like former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and state Sen. Mark Obenshain.
Why are they needed in the first place? Article IV, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution states, "Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State." The inclusion of that clause clearly intended to prevent these kind of legal traps for law-abiding citizens by forcing other states to recognize the licenses and permits of other states, and its placement in the original articles shows that this takes precedence over the 10th Amendment recognition of state sovereignty.Yes, earlier parts of the Constitution are more constitutional than the latter parts. Love the concept, since that included the 2nd Amendment.
The Fox News Debate: The Accountability Project's Nomiki Konst is the best I've seen arguing against irresponsible gun laws. Townhall's Guy Benson on the other hand, doesn't like it when a "Democrat" AG does what he legally can do...by supposed "fiat:"
Guy Benson: "They failed to regain the state senate...Now that they've lost, now that they've had a failed attempt to convince voters, what are they doing, they're having the state's attorney general - a Democrat - impose this agenda by fiat. Now apparently its within his legal right and authority to do so..."
(Side Note: I'm fascinated by the right wings campaign to make Democratic lawmaking an unthinkable act of villainous conduct. It's a 5 year theme that has taken hold and radicalized the right, making one party authoritarian rule now, the winner by default.)
Not Safer - CC Raising Violent Crime: Forcing through lenient gun laws for the minority of gun toting Wisconsinites who don't represent the majority of us who feel less secure with armed strangers prancing around now have the numbers to back up what we've been saying all along:
Political Heat: In fact, according to FBI statistics that have studied active-shooter situations (PDF), a person without a gun is more likely to stop a shooter than someone with a gun. Thirteen percent of active-shooter situations studied by the FBI ended with someone using means besides a gun to end the situation. Conversely, in only three percent of all active-shooter situations did a "good guy with a gun" actually stop a "bad guy" with a gun.
According to FBI crime stats since concealed carry was implemented in the state, violent crime has gone up in Wisconsin by 22 percent. That's not to say that concealed carry was responsible for that rise in crime -- but it has failed to make us safer, as proponents like Gov. Scott Walker promised it would in 2011.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Most Immature GOP Manly Man craze....
Walker's Crumbling Wisconsin.
After 5 years, the Republicans wheels are starting to come off in a big way, exemplified in a number of recent jaw dropping stories that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, a purely ideological agenda minus common sense or compromise doesn't work.
Thanks to bloggers and a few near fearless reporters, it's clear we're closing out the year on a frightening note. Included are a few of my predictions for 2016 as well.
Goodbye to Gun Free Zones: While it never occurred to Wisconsinites to do away with all gun free zones, especially at schools and colleges, Republicans will eventually ram through unrestricted concealed carry everywhere in 2016:
Thanks to bloggers and a few near fearless reporters, it's clear we're closing out the year on a frightening note. Included are a few of my predictions for 2016 as well.
Goodbye to Gun Free Zones: While it never occurred to Wisconsinites to do away with all gun free zones, especially at schools and colleges, Republicans will eventually ram through unrestricted concealed carry everywhere in 2016:
WSJ: A bill that would allow concealed carry permit holders to bring guns into college and university buildings probably won't come up for a vote during this session of the state Legislature, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said … co-author State Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum said that he "absolutely" plans to reintroduce the bill if voters re-elect him … began circulating the bill in October, days after a gunman killed nine people at a community college in Oregon.Scary and Dangerous Prius driving, latte drinking, anti-gun liberals: Republicans fear peaceful middle class families the most. That's why Scott Walker spent $577,000 on overtime for his security team, who he tried to stiff, until ordered by the federal government to pay up. Worse still, that money came out of our almost non-existent transportation fund, which is now mostly borrowed:
Fox6: Federal labor regulators say the state Department of Transportation has paid Gov. Scott Walker's bodyguards more than half-a-million dollars in overdue overtime. $577,189 in overtime earned between May 2013 and May 2015. The Department of Labor ordered the DOT to award the overtime pay in August.Minimum Wage Wasteland: It doesn't occur to our "purple state" Republicans that we're now further right than most every other red state. Consumer demand is 70% of our economy. But not to true supply-siders. As one twitter troll put it, "(liberals are) conspiring to make everything in Wisconsin more expensive:"
Urban Milwaukee: Wisconsin is one of the 21 states where the minimum wage is just $7.25 per hour ... The seven-year freeze in Wisconsin's minimum wage has contributed to the widening income inequality in our state ... Wisconsin had a faster decline than any other state in the percentage of households in the middle class during the period 2000 to 2013.Walker, the Courageous Underachiever: As county executive, Walker not only saw jobs disappear in Milwaukee, but he nearly bankrupted the county, even suggesting breaking it up and selling off the parts. I suppose we should be happy we're not at the bottom of the bottom half of job creating states:
|Political Heat
"Gov. Scott Walker can't avoid the latest bad news on jobs in Wisconsin. A new government report shows that our state ranked 32nd in private-sector job growth among the 50 states in the five-year period that ended in June. That's the entire recovery period since the last recession."After Punishing WEDC for Mismanagement & Failed Audits, Republicans to return some Funding Cuts: Imagine the GOP putting more money into the GAB after their bad audit, instead of killing it. Did you ever get the idea that nothing the Republicans ever do is a failure, no matter how much taxpayer money is wasted?
JS: Speaker Robin Vos backed off from his idea of rebranding the state's economic development office, but said he is still considering injecting more money into the agency … after talking with officials at the agency and at the local level. "They don't want rebranding because they think WEDC's brand is OK," Vos said.'Try Christianity' Christmas Greetings from Republican Legislator Scott Allen: Using taxpayer money to push and endorse a religion is okay this time, according to Speaker Robin Vos. Yes, it's our "fly-by-the-Constitutional-seat-of-our-pants" Republicans again, who think crossing that legal line is no big deal. "...consider the hope offered by the Prince of Peace." Along with a few taxpayer supported Bible passages, what's the harm?
Troubled businesses have gotten taxpayer-funded incentives, and top officials at WEDC have steadily left the agency. Faced with those problems, GOP lawmakers in July cut $46 million from WEDC over two years, slashing its budget by 41.5%, Top lawmakers last month said they may restore some of that funding.
Twin Cities: Vos told The Associated Press that Allen made the video in the Legislature's television studio in the state Capitol's basement using state equipment. He said he felt Allen's message was "entirely appropriate. People are really making a mountain out of a molehill," Vos said.Walker's digging a Deeper Debt Hole! Supply-side is back to its old tricks, but that just fine, you'll see:
|"Follow me down...?"
Cap Times: According to the state's Comprehensive Annual Fiscal Report, Wisconsin's general fund GAAP deficit grew in fiscal year 2015 by about 28 percent, from $1.4 billion to $1.8 billion.I can't help feeling a little anxious about the coming year, and the lack of criticism from conservative voters who can't all be in the tank for this career incompetent.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Kleefisch takes Scattershot aim at everything, including what it is to be a responsible gun owner.
Well, well, well, another "responsible" gun owner is caught not being responsible?
Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) said he's been cited for killing two turkeys with one shot.
Yup, that's Lt. Governors Rebecca Kleefisch's hubby Joel, our very own Duck Dynasty gun totin' Republican representative. Nothing more admirable than a responsible gun owner taking responsibility for not being responsible. Hey, he didn't mean to shoot two:
Kleefisch said … he killed the tom as well as a nearby jake with pellets from the same shot … he didn't mean to shoot the jake. He was told he would be cited since he was warned several years ago about being sure of his target when he dropped three geese with one shot.
Yea, he was warned a few times already, and still broke the law.
There's irony in Kleefisch's actions. He's the one who keep making irresponsible gun behavior responsible with laws that boggle the mind. Remember Rep. Joel Kleefisch says Parents will love having strangers with guns in their kids schools. It will be safer...., Rep. Joel Kleefisch intentionally wants cross bow hunting near schools and hospitals. He's got a bill to prove it, Kleefisch Bow Hunting near Schools bill renamed Deer Collision Reduction Act. Stop Laughing...., and my favorite
Panicky GOP Hunters want to give kids guns to keep tradition alive; here's Joel's reasoning:
Under the measure children under 10 years old would be able to hunt next year … (which he) said studies show lifting the current age requirement for mentored hunting won't lead to more hunting accidents … it's needed to keep the state's hunting tradition alive. The number of new hunters taking up the sport has been declining in recent years.
Kids with guns, is just another dumb law to make irresponsible gun behavior completely legal. Why do you think Republicans want to allow firearms in and around schools? They want to make forgetful irresponsible gun owners responsible law abiding citizens again, the easy way.
My "responsible" conservative friend in Milwaukee continues to unintentionally carry his concealed gun into "No Gun" zones, dismissing it as no big deal, he just wasn't paying attention to the signs.
The comments following the article get it....
-These are the same republican legislators the promote concealed carry permit holders having gun battles in crowded shopping malls. I am sure Kleefisch has his hunter safety permit which is all you need in WI to get a CC permit. One of the things they teach in hunter safety is to make sure of your target and what is behind and around it. His hunting privileges should be taken away for three years for this infraction.
-He is at best nothing more than a reckless dope that is carrying a gun. This guy should not be in the legislature making laws, when he is consistently breaking them himself. Time to throw this embarrassment of a legislator out in the next election.
-Kleefizch = the idiot who thought hunting in a Milwaukee county park was OK.
-Now we know why Republicans support lax and ineffective gun laws. They can't even follow basic safety rules. This behavior makes all lawful Hunter's look bad. He's spoiling the sport for the rest of us.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
"BernieCare" single payer vs Republican Rube Goldberg free market based health care model.
It's interesting to note that the government already "pays about half of the nation's health care bills." That said, Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to go all the way, with an all inclusive government run system.
Real Freedom and liberty: It's easy to sell this too, which begs the question why Democrats don't run with this; No more surprise bills in the mail, no more paperwork, every doctor is your doctor, every hospital is your hospital, and dental is finally included. Say goodbye to outrageously high long term care insurance policies. A yearly premium for someone making $40,000 equals about one monthly premium in our current system.
Bernie's Plan - Breaking it down to the basics:
Real Freedom and liberty: It's easy to sell this too, which begs the question why Democrats don't run with this; No more surprise bills in the mail, no more paperwork, every doctor is your doctor, every hospital is your hospital, and dental is finally included. Say goodbye to outrageously high long term care insurance policies. A yearly premium for someone making $40,000 equals about one monthly premium in our current system.
Bernie's Plan - Breaking it down to the basics:
(It puts) the $3.2 trillion-a-year U.S. health care system in the hands of the federal government, with states acting as administrative subcontractors.
1. Eliminate such things as insurance premiums, deductibles and copays. In their place would be taxes ... a new 2.2 percent "health care income tax," with higher rates for upper-income earners.WHAT ABOUT INSURERS? Economic changes, new technologies, and globalization have disrupted many industries. People in the United States have learned to live with fast-paced change, even if they don't like it. Under Sanders' plan insurers would be relegated to selling supplemental coverage for services not covered under the single-payer plan. States could hire them to help administer coverage. But hundreds of thousands of jobs would disappear. Billions of dollars in shareholder equity would evaporate. Sanders has proposed a transition plan for workers displaced by the conversion to single-payer. That plan, too, would have to be paid for with taxes.
2. Sanders would incorporate Medicare and Medicaid into the new system, promising that patients would have no gaps in coverage.
3. You could go to the doctor or spend two weeks in the hospital and not worry about getting a bill.
4. No insurance premiums, deductibles, cost-sharing or copays, even for brand-name medications. Gone would be worries about being penalized for seeing an out-of-network doctor.
5. Long-term care would be covered, whether in a nursing facility or one's own home.
6. Most dental care would be covered, too.
7. For drugmakers, the single-payer system means government-set prices, a reality they must endure in other countries.
1. Administrative savings would come from doing away with layers of insurance company bureaucracy. Those would be offset somewhat because the government bureaucracy would grow.
2. As with Medicaid, states would be expected to cover part of the cost of new system. How much remains to be determined.
Medicare itself would be restructured, providing beneficiaries with a fixed payment for a private insurance plan of their choice. His proposal relies largely on tax-sheltered personal accounts, 'Health Empowerment Accounts," opened for every citizen at birth, to promote patient choice, and foster competition among private insurers ... The tax-sheltered accounts would be paired with high-deductible major medical insurance. Routine costs could be covered from the accounts, which would build up balances with time. Carson would also gradually increase the Medicare eligibility age to 70 from the current age of 65.I included Carson's Medicare plan because it's similar to the "free market" GOP vision for health care in general, and the "market oriented" systems in Singapore and Switzerland, which is god awful. Singapore takes a whopping 20% out of your paycheck to pay for in patient health care, but not outpatient, which you pay for on your own. Ouch!
Remember, Bernie Sanders' plan takes only 2.2% out of your paycheck.
You'll notice "cost-efficiency" touted below, but that applies to the government, not to us. We get soaked, leaving our economic security up for grabs. It's a convoluted nightmare. The Atlantic:
Socialized medicine saves money, relative to the American system. Switzerland and Singapore provide powerful examples of how market-oriented health care systems are more cost-efficient than socialized ones.No, it's actually called self rationing, which is never a good idea:
In Switzerland, there are no government-run insurance plans, no "public options" ... the Swiss get subsidies, much like "premium support" proposals for Medicare reform or the ACA exchanges, from which Swiss citizens buy health care from private insurers. The subsidies are scaled up or down based on income. Switzerland is high on the league tables in terms of government health spending ... combining high-deductible insurance with health savings accounts for routine expenditures.
THE SINGAPORE MIRACLE?: Singapore has the most market-oriented system in the world. Singapore's comparable (if not higher) health outcomes, and spends an absurdly low amount on health care relative to the West. The key to the Singapore system is mandatory health savings accounts ... like our Social Security system, Singapore takes mandatory deductions from workers' paychecks--around 20 percent of wages--and deposits them into health savings accounts called Medisave. Medisave accounts are used mostly for inpatient expenses, but ... Singaporeans are expected to pay most of their outpatient expenses with non-Medisave cash.
On top of Medisave, Singapore has a government-run catastrophic insurance program called Medishield. Singaporeans can opt out of that plan and buy private catastrophic insurance. Premiums for Medishield can be paid for using the Medisave health savings accounts.
Then there is Medifund, a safety-net program for the bottom 10 percent of income earners, and Eldershield, a private insurance program for long-term care for those with old age-related disabilities. On top of these government-sponsored programs, Singaporeans can buy supplemental insurance for things like outpatient expenses.
It incorporates the central idea behind free-market health care: that health-care spending is most efficient when that spending is executed by individual patients, rather than third parties. It's easy to waste other people's money. But if that money is your own, you are going to try your best to spend it wisely.
Singapore, of course, isn't a democracy--which allows the government to install sweeping changes that wouldn't be realistic here.Check out this ridiculously biased Cato Institute report on universal care vs market based: 2008 paper by Michael Tanner.) The report points to 4 arguments against single payer, and two of them are the same; long lines and rationing. Really, we don't have waiting periods here to see a specialist, and people that can't pay or are dropped for preexisting conditions isn't rationing?
The Swiss and Singaporean models wouldn't be perfect models for America...
Texas Republicans Tantrum over ObamaCare raises premiums and subsidies.
Republicans made their point, by increasing the cost of ObamaCare (ACA).
Blame their never-ending tantrum over ObamaCare. Specifically, Republicans hate the risk sharing program (risk corridors, where the program collects insurer profits above a certain threshold and pays out to carriers with excessive losses). Republicans don't want ObamaCare to step in to supposedly "bailout" insurers. Those risk corridors expire after 2016.
So you might be surprised to learn Texas insurers are getting the biggest reimbursements (bailouts). Follow me on this, as we compare Texas to California. Dallas News:
Blame their never-ending tantrum over ObamaCare. Specifically, Republicans hate the risk sharing program (risk corridors, where the program collects insurer profits above a certain threshold and pays out to carriers with excessive losses). Republicans don't want ObamaCare to step in to supposedly "bailout" insurers. Those risk corridors expire after 2016.
So you might be surprised to learn Texas insurers are getting the biggest reimbursements (bailouts). Follow me on this, as we compare Texas to California. Dallas News:
In Texas, insurers lost a combined $377 million in the first year of HealthCare.gov, according to claims in a federal risk-sharing program. In California, insurers contributed over $180 million in profit to the same program.
ObamaCare works in California:
Covered California ... opted to become an "active purchaser," negotiating with carriers, standardizing benefits and picking plans for the exchange. California also required policyholders to move into the new marketplace even though many resisted.Texas did just the opposite, choosing instead to have a tantrum over Obama's broken promise that people could keep their existing plans. So Obama gave in and let people keep their plans and "that affected insurers, because it didn't force everyone — healthy and sick — into the same pool."
California rejected Obama's proposal and took some heat. But that "short-term political sacrifice" produced long-term market stability ... That decision helped create a more diverse mix of customers. And "California had the healthiest risk pool of all 50 states."And because Texas stayed with the old system:
In Texas, insurers are raising premiums, restricting prescriptions, narrowing provider networks and eliminating most out-of-network benefits.Raising the price of ObamaCare: Those higher premiums mean higher subsidies, draining ObamaCare:
For 2016, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, the state's largest insurer ... premiums rising an average of 19 percent. Scott & White increased exchange premiums by over 32 percent. Humana's up 21 percent, and Cigna and UnitedHealth, over 16 percent.
Higher rates affect about 1 million Texans who buy coverage on HealthCare.gov and also increase federal subsidies that offset the costs.
In California, exchange premiums are increasing by ... 4 percent next year.
Texas politicians didn't help the situation. They put up hurdles for federal navigators who helped customers select plans, and they've never encouraged enrollment. Not surprisingly, fewer Texans get coverage on the exchange: just 31 percent of those eligible compared with 47 percent in California, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
If Texas matched the participation rate in California, over half a million more residents would buy insurance.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Can we finally call Trump's "crazy talk," crazy talk.
I finally found someone that clearly stated what I've been trying to say for years; crazy talk is not, and should never be, any part of a serious debate. And yet, that's what we're now doing.
Saying it much better than I just did, here's New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas, responding to a video clip showing Trump joking about not killing journalists like Putin:
Saying it much better than I just did, here's New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas, responding to a video clip showing Trump joking about not killing journalists like Putin:
"Just hold on...just think about what we just saw. Insanity, it's just insanity. And everyday it becomes a little more normal to all of us, and so we're just kind of...we keep meeting it half way, and we're...it's insanity we just saw...and everybody is now on the internet quoting this poem 'First they came,' right, first it's the Mexicans, now it's the Muslims, now it's just journalists. And he's kind of a presidential front runner joking about executing journalists. Um, but think the question is what is it about our system that provides no checks on the rise of someone like this. And what's it about everybody else, that's not allowing them to tap into the same anger in a constructive way?"And on the absurd idea that as Americans, we're being asked to seriously give up some of our rights:
"You watch the Democratic debate, the number of questions that were essentially versions of "but which freedoms to we have to give up, which freedoms to we need to give up? Trump set that agenda and now the debate moderators...it's in this weird kind of psycho-drama where we all end up negotiating with Trump. And so the Democratic debate moderators are saying, 'okay, we're accepting the premise that freedom must be curtailed'...when did we accept that premise?...'and now it's a question of which ones.'"
Republican wants Gun owners to clean up society of Scum Bags, boycott businesses that deny 2nd Amendment remedies.
One Republican let it all hang out, telling the public just what the Republican mindset is behind the lax, almost nonexistent guns laws in Wisconsin. And it's scary!
Quick story: I remember my conservative gun toting friend in Milwaukee telling me how he often
mistakenly goes into gun free zones with his firearm. It doesn't occure to him that that makes him an irresponsible gun owner. He even carried a gun before it was legal to do so, which made him not just irresponsible, but a criminal. Ask you're responsible gun toting friend if they did the same thing. I'll bet they did.
The Democratic response came from Rep. Chris Taylor:
Quick story: I remember my conservative gun toting friend in Milwaukee telling me how he often
mistakenly goes into gun free zones with his firearm. It doesn't occure to him that that makes him an irresponsible gun owner. He even carried a gun before it was legal to do so, which made him not just irresponsible, but a criminal. Ask you're responsible gun toting friend if they did the same thing. I'll bet they did.
Reacting to a recent East Towne Mall shooting in Madison between a couple of disputing "responsible" gun owners (until they're not), Rep. Bob Gannon, R-Slinger, made it clear yet again that if you didn't carry a gun, you're asking for it, especially in a gun free zone. It's Bizarro World, opposite day is everyday thinking.
This should be a national story. It blows the lid off the gun lunacy sweeping the nation. WISC:
"The universal symbol that is now referred to as a 'target rich environment.' Wisconsin does not have a death penalty law, but with significant practice and careful aim, law abiding citizens can help clean our society of these scum bags. A gang banger in the mall with a gun is going to think twice if there could be a law abiding CCW holder standing behind them fully prepared to shoot center mass, as this is how you're trained to eliminate the threat these creeps pose to you, your family, and all law abiding citizens unwillingly dragged into their public crime spree."
"Criminals no longer have any fear of our courts or our prisons, so it's time that the citizens of this fine state stand up and fight back … I refuse to spend my money at any business that believes my Second Amendment rights have to be left in my car."WPR came up with this audio quote:
Gannon: "If one in twenty at that mall had the ability to drop the creep, it would sure bring it to a close in a hurry. I refer to that as self defense. If it happens to terminate the bad guy, too bad, so sad-dy."
The Democratic response came from Rep. Chris Taylor:
"The incident at East Towne Mall was scary, but the answer is not to add more people with guns to the mix, and certainly not to call for private citizens to 'shoot center mass. Representative Gannon is living in a James Bond dream world. If more guns made us safer, we would be the safest country in the world."
Taylor cites a Stanford University study that links conceal carry laws to an increase in violent crime.
Monday, December 21, 2015
Tea Party Republicans take aim at Paul Ryan.
As much as I hated big parts of the omnibus budget plan, the fact that it got a lot of things out of the way during an election year is a good thing; it's pissing off conservatives nationwide. Yup, Tea Party Republicans might end up doing what Democratic challengers in Wisconsin haven't been able to do; defeat Ryan.
|Like this...
All patriot's should contact your groups leaders and begin organizing nationwide to put down this RINO in order that he is not re-elected to his seat in Wisconsin. The Badger State patriots need to begin soliciting your State Senators, high-profile business leaders or the State Legislators who reside within the 1st District of Wisconsin.Here's hoping this catches fire:
Apparently nobody in the 1st District has announced any intention of forcing Ryan into a primary, but it is time to locate someone willing to do this who might actually have a chance (with enough grassroots support) at defeating our newest RINO-Speaker. America doesn't need another John Boehner but that is apparently what we now have as Speaker of the House.
A facebook page was set up to primary Paul Ryan from Congress.
The page already has 4,335 likes.
There is also a Fire Paul Ryan webpage set up online.
And now this…On Friday the Wisconsin Tea Party declared war on Ryan.
Abandoned Rural Voters waiting for Democrats!
Blue Jean Nation's Mike McCabe should be the first stop for every wayward Democrat who still can't answer a question yes or no; who still muddies up and stumbles around the easiest solutions; and still can't find it in their hearts to outright oppose any part of the Republicans agenda. I personally flame on when I hear them beg to be included, promising to give up every value they hold dear just to be a part of the process. Weakened, bruised and battered...how has that worked out?
McCabe's focus is on disenfranchised rural voters, farm communities I've written about ad-nauseam. My growing list of stories, ignored by the party, can be found here. Republicans have all but abandoned them, instituting hard line policies that are killing local control, their schools, roads, and polluting their wells.
The thing is, Democrats have been on the farmers side for years. And McCabe's advice and consultation is free, so take it. Audio from WPR's Central Time.
1. Restore home rule. Republicans used to be for local control, now they are controlling the locals. If local communities want to put rules in place to protect their air and water and landscape from sand mining or put limits on high-capacity wells or manure spreading by large-scale animal feedlots, let 'em. Give 'em back control over their schools, their local zoning, their taxation. Let 'em manage their affairs.
2. Keep rural schools open. A local school is a rural community's bedrock, even to a greater degree than in urban or suburban areas. The rural school is a hub of community activity. Everyone goes to the school play or the high school football game. School district consolidation and school closings have hit many rural communities with the force of a bomb. Anyone who cares about the vitality of rural communities knows that extreme measures need to be taken to keep rural districts viable and their community schools operating.
3. Rethink bypass-happy highway planning. Most every major highway project done any time in recent or distant memory that reaches out into rural areas has featured bypasses of small towns. Think about the impact this has on those communities. Their family-owned cafes and coffee shops and restaurants close. Their main streets die. Shaving a few minutes off your or my travel time can be a death sentence for a small town.
4. Universal access to high-speed Internet and mobile phone service. Look at a map showing which parts of the U.S. have access to broadband. The urban centers do and the rural areas don't. The telecommunications industry and its apologists in public office often are heard saying that programs are in place to address this disparity. But the fact remains that in 2015 over half of all rural Americans lack access to high-speed Internet. How can you start a business and compete in today's economy without access to these services? High-speed Internet and mobile voice are to the 21st Century what telephones were in the 20th, namely essential communications technologies. Essential technologies that remain out of the reach of most rural people.
The last point has more to do with offering free college tuition to all, without regards to income:
5. Stop means testing. Many rural voters oppose programs to help what they regard as the "undeserving" poor is an incredibly important point for Democrats to ponder. For decades now the Democrats have ignored the political law of universality: That the most widely supported and successful government programs are ones where everyone pays and everyone benefits … the party had a big hand in creating things that tangibly benefited everyone … like Social Security and Medicare, rural electrification, the GI Bill and the interstate highway system. Today's Democrats seem to want to means test everything and target assistance to particular constituencies, which makes their programs highly vulnerable to the divide-and-conquer tactics of the Republicans.
Doing these five things would be enormously helpful to rural areas. But today's GOP won't do any of them. They won't do the first four because today's breed of Republican is philosophically at odds with the measures required to accomplish those aims. In fact, they are moving in the exact opposite direction. And they won't do the fifth because it is politically advantageous for them to be able to pit the poor against the nearly-poor. If these five steps are to be taken, it'll be the Democrats taking them. If enough of them wake up to the need . . . and the opportunity.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Republicans love it: Dark Money now controls Government!
There's a chance Republicans might be securing themselves a permanent majority party, both statewide and national.
Despite having no unified plan to solve societal problems, Republicans are focused like a laser on being in power forever. They're so sure of themselves that they're not even worried that someday those the same laws could be used against them by Democrats.
The Dark Money Party: It's hard to believe anyone would support secret donors pushing completely secret agendas (with the eventual elimination of open records laws), but that's what's happening. Scott Walker just signed into law coordination between campaigns and special interest groups running supposed "issue ads." Any grownup know those ads are meant to influence elections, but for some reason we can't honestly and legally say so. AP.
New laws are removing limits on the use and reporting of "dark money" from secret sources. The laws enable coordination between political campaigns and advocacy organizations, something almost all other states forbid.Common sense tells you something is wrong here.
Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin, was among those who lobbied against loosening the rules.Paul Ryan just Greased the skids to a Corrupt Dark Money free-for-all: It's funny how Walker's latest move fits in with the following jaw dropping addition to the just passed federal omnibus budget deal. Playing off the phony IRS attack on what was an avalanche of tea party groups seeking tax exempt status to influence elections, Ryan slipped this one in. Huffington Post:
"If you legalize the coordination, why would you give $20,000 to Walker when you could give $20,000 to an issue ad group and not have your name disclosed — or you could give an unlimited amount to that same group? It would be stupid to have your name out there if you could do it secretly."
A provision buried on page 472 (prevents) the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from taking any action to reign in the political activity of 501(c)4 organizations. These organizations weren't originally supposed to engage in political activity at all. In recent years, however, they've become a favorite of anyone who wants to buy political influence without attracting attention. Since there's no legal requirement that 501(c)4 organizations disclose their donors, anyone can use them as a vehicle to pour unlimited money into our political system.This has Paul Ryan's finger prints all over it. He's got a proven track record of radical bills that would scare the living crap out of voters. Take a look at the list HERE. Add to the proliferation of dark money groups this gem...
As former Republican Federal Election Commissioner Trevor Potter has pointed out, even foreign nationals and governments could use 501(c)4s to quietly influence U.S. policy.
Let that sink in folks: Rather than allow the IRS to prevent the abuse of tax-exempt nonprofit status for purely political purposes by both parties, Congress has specifically banned the agency from taking any kind of action -- even at the risk of allowing secret foreign money to poison our elections.
On a similar note, another provision tucked away on page 1,982 prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from requiring corporations to disclose their political spending.
This is especially outrageous because disclosure is one of the least controversial and most basic steps toward reform the government can take. As noted by the LA Times' Michael Hiltzik, even the Supreme Court made a point of emphasizing the need for disclosure in its widely reviled Citizens United ruling:
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority:"With the advent of the Internet ... prompt disclosure of expenditures can provide shareholders and citizens with the information needed to hold corporations and elected officials accountable for their positions and supporters ... determine whether their corporation's political speech advances the corporation's interest in making profits, and citizens can see whether elected officials are 'in the pocket' of so-called moneyed interests."
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Walker writes another JS opinion fairy tale.
I guess it's all in how you look at criticism.
Scott Walker and every Republican in the legislature represents the uber-conservative wing of the party, the activists who will go to any length to pass their agenda. The voters are sadly starting to catch up.
Framing the Criticism: Criticism, to Walker and like-minded conservatives, is always coming from their "opponents." Claiming the mantle of infallibility is never a good starting point in a multi-party system of government.
So here's how Walker started off his recent JS commentary:
Many of our political opponents seem to be frustrated with the positive progress being made in our state (see Rep. Daniel Riemer's Dec. 10 column ). Thankfully, the facts point to a true comeback story.
A true comeback? Only if you believe the middle-class is doing just fine.
Middle-class taxpayers are better off in Wisconsin today than we were five years ago.
Nope, but if he's says it enough, people will believe it. from March, 2015:
WSJ: Despite a new report showing Wisconsin has the fastest-shrinking middle class in the U.S., the Gov. Scott Walker administration says the state is headed in the right direction.Same script, same lie. And because Wisconsin has always been near the middle or back end of job creation, it's reasonable to assume the low unemployment rate would have happened anyway, thanks to an improving economy. But Walker will take full credit anyway.
Walker: "Property taxes are lower on a median-valued home than they were five years ago — Income taxes are also lower..."And what did we give up for that? We defunded our parks, dramatically defunded the UW, made some of the biggest cuts to K-12 in the nation, defunded the DNR, and won't fund transportation for road building/repair. The fact that the state didn't collapse right away means its working. High bar, huh?
Voucher Disaster Alert: Achievement Gap worst in nation: After 25 years of vouchers, promoted as a way to help minorities escape their failing schools, our achievement gap is now the worst in the nation. But vouchers are set to expand anyway. Forget the achievement gap, just focus on the overall state scores, which are still impressive:
Walker: "Schools are doing better. High school graduation rates are up again — now ranking third in the nation. Reading scores are up in fourth and eighth grades. ACT scores are second best in the nation."Well, sure, that's because the state is still using Common Core, which is about to come to an end, and vouchers hasn't completely defunded our public schools yet...but that's coming too.
Frozen Tuition's won't be for long: Set to expire in 2017, Walker's artificially frozen tuition gimmick will result in huge future increases. I mean really, get serious:
Walker: "For the first time in University of Wisconsin history, in-state tuition is frozen at all UW campuses for four years in a row. That makes college more affordable for our students and working families."And don't get me started on Walker's costly mistake not taking Medicaid expansion, and his liberal use of taxpayer money to pay off the hospitals treating the uninsured who now can't afford health insurance due to co-pays and deductibles:
Walker: "During my time as governor, we eliminated the waiting list for Medicaid access to health care for people living in poverty and helped those above poverty transition into the workplace."
Friday, December 18, 2015
Walker Republicans working up to Secret Government, attempt after attempt after attempt....
Republicans talk big about "integrity" and "public confidence" in government, a joke to be sure, but closing that government to the public isn't one way they'll ever get that done.
And pretending communications between lobbying and elected officials is unimportant and off limits for public scrutiny is doubly insulting. They got caught, and are now backtracking:
The same day he made these comments, two former administration officials admitted they were told to keep important communications secret. No, really, it was that quick:
Because open government and open records is so important to the Walker authority?
And pretending communications between lobbying and elected officials is unimportant and off limits for public scrutiny is doubly insulting. They got caught, and are now backtracking:
State officials are backing away from their effort to ease the requirements for maintaining public records following a backlash among open government advocates.If you think state officials will make this go away, you're mistaken, they're still going to make texts messaging exempt:
The board that oversees state public records will instead revisit its August vote on so-called transitory records, such as texts and other messages deemed to have only temporary value, its chairman Matthew Blessing said Thursday. The August action by the Public Records Board could limit the access of citizens and media outlets to information from texts, emails, Facebook messages and other electronic methods that public employees might use to communicate about official actions.
...the board "will place those items on a detailed agenda for an upcoming meeting."And just like before, when Walker threatened to do away with our open records laws, he took a few steps back hoping to deflect blame, for now anyway. Too late...
A spokeswoman for Gov. Scott Walker distanced the governor's office from the issue. "The Public Records Board has been in place long before the governor took office and has received no directive from our office," Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said.Still, Walker tried to make it seem like his governorship is open to the public:
"Occasionally, when I get emails or texts on my own personal phone, I forward those to my state account so it's easy for us to do a search on those," Walker said. "So they're actually in the state system" ... he tries to document texts or other communication he receives on his personal cellphone."Of course he does, since they're really part of the public record. But in reality, Walker would make those emails and texts "transitory," off limits.
The same day he made these comments, two former administration officials admitted they were told to keep important communications secret. No, really, it was that quick:
But on Friday, a new report found former members of Walker's cabinet say the administration has had a policy of communicating official business through private channels. Peter Bildsten, former secretary of the Department of Financial Institutions, and Paul Jadin, former head of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., told the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism that they were instructed in Walker's first term by then-Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch not to use official email or state telephones to relay important information or documents. Huebsch said, "Don't send me an email of anything important on my state computer, and don't call me on anything of importance on my state phone. If you have anything of consequence or importance, call me on your personal phones or walk it over."
jsonline: "And that is how most communications were handled going forward," Bilsten told Dee J. Hall of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.Huebsch went as far as to throw both important members of Walker's cabinet under the bus, in an incredible juvenile moment of lying:
Jadin said he remembers Huebsch "bragged" about not using email and "making a big deal about what emails were discoverable."
Huebsch, who now serves on the Public Service Commission, denied he told cabinet members "to avoid making public records" and said the allegation that he told them not to use state telephones is "ludicrous. In this era of 'gotcha' politics, where opponents and some journalists use anything available not just to embarrass but destroy, extra caution is essential."
Walker's Wisconsin 37th in Private Sector Job Growth. June to June Slowest since Great Recession ended.
Ask a "Stand with Walker" supporter about how well the governor is doing, and you'll get rave reviews. Sadly, the reason has less to do with Walker's jobs and business success than it has to do with their satisfaction level of just being in power.
The latest bad news about job growth will again get the Walker treatment; distract supporters by talking about the low unemployment rate, which by itself, is another manipulated area of failure; Walker made it more difficult to get and/or stay on unemployment, and the exodus of labor leaving the state for higher wage jobs elsewhere.
And yet the consequences of simply keeping Republican politicians in power, no matter how bad it gets, continues to mount; slow job growth, increased utility rates, a eventual dramatic hike in tuition, declining wages, and local referendums to increase taxes for schools and road funding.
Many of us knew we were in trouble when conservative voters we're high fiving Walker's $1 cut in property taxes. Pathetic?
Wisconsin is slipping nationally again…but so what, right:
WPR: The latest "gold standard" job numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that Wisconsin ranked 37th in the nation in private-sector job growth from June 2014 to June 2015.
Wisconsin also ranked eighth out of 10 Midwest states. Among states that share a border with Wisconsin, only Iowa added jobs at a slower rate.
And while Walker bashes Obama for the nations higher unemployed non-participation rate, it's just another distraction:
Overall, Wisconsin added 30,759 private-sector jobs, a growth rate of nearly 1.3 percent. By comparison, the national economy added jobs at a rate of 2.3 percent.
This June-to-June period was one of the slowest for Wisconsin since the Great Recession ended.
Here are the numbers from a June report:
During the four years of Walker's first term, Wisconsin ranked last among its peer states in the Midwest, a region that shares a common economy of factory cities and farm towns. Wisconsin's 35th job-creation ranking trailed Michigan (10th), Indiana (18th), Minnesota (23rd), Ohio (25th), Iowa (31st) and Illinois (33rd).It should also be noted how big money from big business, especially during Walker's presidential fund raising, had the attention of Republican politicians, when they should have been focusing in on smaller business startups:
Research Finds Wisconsin Is Home To Fewest Startups In The Nation: Ask WMC Leader Jim Morgan why Wisconsin comes in dead last in the race to attract new entrepreneurs, and he'll tell you it all comes down to perception.The Walker war on Milwaukee has had an especially negative impact on startup businesses, the real source of job creation:
Wisconsin looks like a lagging state in technology entrepreneurship, said Greg Meier, managing director of WERCBench Labs, an accelerator for Milwaukee-area tech start-ups. The issue is particularly acute in and around Milwaukee, which is in a "deficit situation" in terms of technology innovators, Meier said. "The rest of the world isn't waiting for us to catch up," Meier said.
Start-ups create more jobs than established entities, he said. "We reap the seeds we sow at the end of the day," Meier said, "but we sow very few seeds in terms of entrepreneurship."
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Ryan's Omnibus bill abandons American workers for cheap imported labor and waters down prevailing wages.
Rep. Paul Ryan has done so little to help labor and business in Wisconsin, it's almost stunning. As House speaker, Ryan is taking that attitude nationwide.
Even my conservative friend in Milwaukee alerted me to this story via his most reliable news source, Breitbart. It wasn't as badly written as almost everything else is there, but still, I'm ready to go with The Hill's story first:
The $1.1 trillion omnibus bill includes language that would dramatically increase the number of visas available for foreign workers … The provision could more than triple the number of H-2B visas for foreign workers seeking jobs at hotels, theme parks, ski resorts, golf courses, landscaping businesses, restaurants and bars … intended to boost the supply of non-agricultural seasonal workers.
I can see a need for agricultural labor, that's always been an issue, but this is ridiculous. The changes were spread out and almost unnoticeable in the 2,000-page budget (see pictures).
And after getting caught undermining American labor, surprise, it wasn't exactly Paul Ryan's fault. Hey, he never did promise to protect American workers specifically. He just promised not to provide a path to citizenship. Come on, you knew that right?
A House GOP aide said the visa provision was written by the Judiciary Committee, and that the Speaker was not involved. The aide added that Ryan did not pledge that he wouldn't touch any programs related to immigration.
Ryan's a true leader. But the bills threat to labor is real, no matter how fast Ryan backs away from taking responsibility. Oh, and he's not exactly promising to immediately change the provisions either.
Even Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions blasted the attack on labor. Pinch me I must be dreaming:
"These foreign workers are brought in exclusively to fill blue collar non-farm jobs in hotels, restaurants, construction, truck driving, and many other occupations sought by millions of Americans. The GOP-led Congress is about to deliver Obama a four-fold increase to one of the most controversial foreign worker programs. The result? Higher unemployment and lower wages for Americans." Sessions estimates the number of H-2B visas will soar from 66,000 to 250,000 because of the language in the omnibus.Ryan is also going after prevailing wages, like his old friend Scott Walker did in Wisconsin, leaving that decision up for corporate abuse. Here's that section of the bill:
NumbersUSA, a group that advocates for reduced legal immigration levels, criticized Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) for allowing the provision into the omnibus after pledging to look out for American workers. "H-2B visas are for low-skilled foreign workers who typically compete with people who have a high school diploma or less and these are the people who are struggling the most. These are the people that Ryan seemed to be referencing in his speech and yet he sneaks in a provision in the omnibus that's going to quadruple the number of low-skilled foreign worker visas."
So much for "Ryan calling on Congress to look after working-class families."
The AFL-CIO and the International Labor Working Group also took aim at the visa provision, warning it would lead to exploitation of foreign workers and Americans losing jobs. "The language basically rolls back protections for low-wage workers and guest workers and American workers in this industry while lowering the protections for workers" … it would also water down workers' protections in dangerous industries such as forestry and seafood harvesting.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
New Republican low: Kill the innocent families of terrorists!
The party of sociopaths? That would explain how Republicans could so easily ignore the horror of the Newtown massacre, and every other mass shooting since. Their callous indifference should have been a major tip-off.
The GOP presidential debate solidified that point in the most brutal way when the blood thirsty crowd supported of the idea expressed in the headline story pictured to the right by Sam Stein.
Make no mistake, this really is the path Republicans want to take us down, as a nation.
Here's a string of tweets during the debate:
The GOP presidential debate solidified that point in the most brutal way when the blood thirsty crowd supported of the idea expressed in the headline story pictured to the right by Sam Stein.
Make no mistake, this really is the path Republicans want to take us down, as a nation.
Donald Trump: "We have to be much tougher, we have to be much stronger than we've been. We have people that know what is going on … I would be very, very firm with families. And frankly, that will make people think, because they may not care much about their lives. But they do care, believe it or not, about their families' lives."How long will it be before Republicans rationalize going after other perceived enemies, like the Democrats? Isn't it time they took their country back? Like Jeb said:
Dr. Ben Carson: "You have to be able to look at the big picture and understand that it's actually merciful if you go ahead and finish the job rather than death by a thousand pricks."
When co-moderator Hugh Hewitt, no shrinking violet when it comes to conservatism, asked Carson if he was "OK with the deaths of thousands of innocents children and civilians," the crowd mercilessly booed.
"The idea that that is a solution to this, is just...is just crazy!"
Here's a string of tweets during the debate:
Jeb Bush's Trickle Down Plan Forces Cuts to Safety Net Programs.
Republicans are back at it again, proposing massive tax cuts that will only result in massive revenue shortfalls.
Now it's Jeb Bush's turn to offer up another crisis creating trickle down budget.
That means cutting social safety net programs like Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, food stamps, education, etc.. This is getting so old.
Economist Jared Bernstein wrote this about the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center analysis of Jeb Bush's proposed tax cuts. The TPC's findings:
Creating a Budget Crisis to Cut our Safety Nets: As the TPC pointed out:
Now it's Jeb Bush's turn to offer up another crisis creating trickle down budget.
That means cutting social safety net programs like Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, food stamps, education, etc.. This is getting so old.
Economist Jared Bernstein wrote this about the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center analysis of Jeb Bush's proposed tax cuts. The TPC's findings:
First, the Bush plan lowers tax rates on both individuals and businesses, on both earnings and investment income. It repeals the estate tax, and shifts to a territorial system for multi-national corporations (meaning they don't have to pay U.S. taxes on foreign earnings).And because this is another iteration of trickle down economics, the trillion dollar budget losses will be offset magically with cuts to discretionary spending, which really isn't discretionary at all.
TPC estimates that the plan would lose $6.8 trillion in the first decade relative to the current tax code, and $8.6 trillion in the next decade; that's 2.6 and 2.3 percent of expected GDP over these years.
Creating a Budget Crisis to Cut our Safety Nets: As the TPC pointed out:
If the deficit effect is as large as we estimate, government borrowing would push up interest rates and crowd out private investment, possibly offsetting some or all of the positive incentive effects. The campaign has said it intends to cut spending to offset any revenue loss from its tax cuts. Offsetting a deficit this large would require very large cuts in entitlement and discretionary spending.Take a look at who benefits again in the chart. Big surprise? Still, conservative voters don't mind getting the tax cuts scraps. Behold the results of supply side economics:
Ryan's big gift to Big Oil will cost consumers at the pump.
It's not unexpected to see the Republican Party, foot servants to Big Oil, hand their favorite deep pocketed lobbyists another big win, all at the expense of the American driving public:
AP: Congressional leaders and the White House have reached agreement on a massive year-end tax and spending package ... An end to the ban on U.S. crude oil exports ... Lifting the decades-old export ban has been a top energy priority for Republicans for more than a year ... the liberalisation of exports will help companies producing in the US by enabling them to find the most profitable markets for their oil.
But that's going to raise the price of gasoline. The "abundant" supply of U.S. oil will disappear, costing consumers more in the long run:
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) is throwing another proposal into the mix with his idea that certain oil refiners — who are likely to see reduced profits if oil exports are allowed and domestic prices increase as a result — should get tax credits in the deal.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Search the Community
2 results for tags: right cheek
Found 2 results
Cheek Acne Cure.
jakeeeee posted a topic in General acne discussionAlright people, im an 18 year old male and over the last few years ive been dealing with moderate acne, i get the odd one in different places but i always seem to have a ton, on my CHEEKS. Primarily THE RIGHT cheek. I believe i have found the cure and it is so simple im dumbfounded. They say the cheeks ( on your face of course lol) primarily the right one, is correlated to your lungs. Ive noticed that im always breathing through the mouth, which is NOT healthy for lungs. Breathing throuh the n
Acne On One Side Of Face!
Amy Johnson posted a topic in General acne discussionI'm a 19 year old female and I suffer from acne predominantly on my right cheek. I'll get occasional white heads on my chin or forehead, but the "severe" acne ONLY occurs on the right side of my face. Whiteheads even seem to be concentrated on my right temple. I've tried EVERYTHING to get rid of this. I don't sleeo on that side, don't hold the phone on that side, and never touch my face. Anyone have ANY idea why this could be happening? I'm suffering from MAJOR scarring on my right chee

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Just having a bit of a problem with a particular permutation question.
Q - Four girls (Anne, Pela, Jeanette and Philippa) and three boys (Tony , Jason, and Bill) arrange themselves in a line at the checkout. If the arrangements are random, find the probability that Anne and Pela will be served before tony
My attempt.
5 possible situations, two girls always on the right side of the line, tony always on the left side of the line.
x x x x x | x x permutations 5P5 * 2!
x x x x | x x x permutations 5P4 * 3!
x x x | x x x x permutations 5P3 * 4!
x x | x x x x x permutations 5P2 * 5!
x | x x x x x x permutations 5P1 * 6!
add them up and put it over 7! and it comes out as 5/3 obviously wrong lol :S.


text:
Plan for your Christmas purchases early by opening a Christmas Club account. Simply deposit a little money each month (you choose the amount), and Southern Bank will automatically cut a check for the balance just in time for holiday shopping. This is a convenient, non-interest bearing account. The minimum deposit to open a Christmas Club account is $25.
Contact your local branch to open a Christmas Club account today!
Account opening is subject to approval.
Online Banking Center
Are you interested in Personal Checking or Business Checking?Personal Checking Business Checking ×
Are you interested in Personal Savings or Business Savings?Personal Savings Business Savings ×
Are you interested in Personal Loans or Business Loans?Personal Loans Business Loans ×


text:
Jason Derulo has debuted his new song.
The singer has teamed up with Coca-Cola to release 'Undefeated', which is his first new track since he injured his neck earlier this year.
"The fans got to help me write the song," Derulo told Ryan Seacrest. "I started writing the song, but I left a bunch of lines blank and the fans have been helping me fill in the lines.
"The song is now completed, so it's a collaboration between Coca-Cola, American Idol, the fans and myself."
He added: "There were lots of great, great lines. It made the process a little difficult. Thankfully, I had a lot of help to whittle it down to a number that I could actually look at.
"There were tons and tons of great stuff, but we got it down and I believe we came up with the best product!"
'Undefeated' is available to download now in the US.
Listen to Jason Derulo's 'Undefeated' below:


text:
1999 Renault Laguna RT Alize 1.6 16v from UK and Ireland
Great good looking car, with a superb engine that runs rings round the old 8 valve versions
Brakes - Rear wheel cylinder now leaking.
Exhaust manifold gasket leaking slightly, and the rest of the exhaust is not much better. The catalytic converter still original and intact (8 years on).
Heater blower only works on Number 4 (a common fault on Mondeos as well).
Bonnet release catches, left and right side, have both seized, resulting in the bonnet not locking down - this is a very common fault - WD40 frees them, and then spray grease them, unless you want your bonnet opening and smashing the windscreen on the motorway!
General Comments:
It's a very good car for 8 years old, and the above points could relate to any make or model of this age. It's really comfy and good looking - why did Renault spoil these lovely lines to produce the new Megane?
It's a superb engine for its size - the best in its class at 110 BHP for a 1.6, and although it's no Ferrari, it will still reach 118 MPH (on the test track that is!!).
Mine has slightly noisy tappets now, so try Slick 50 to prolong yours, as this car will go on for ages, as the bodywork is still corrosion free (apart from the obvious bits in the underside).
Air-con is great, and all the electrics apart from the blower fan still work OK.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 21st June, 2007
25th Mar 2008, 18:27
I have a Renault Laguna and I love it, but this weekend I was driving up to Inverness and the bonnet flew open smashing the windscreen and giving me a big old fright!! I was doing 70mph and I was lucky enough to stop without causing an accident. I would suggest to anyone out there with any bonnet catch troubles, to go to your local garage and get it sorted. This wasn't a nice thing to go through!


text:
Coronation Street spoilers: Ben Price on the fresh tensions between Nick and Peter
"Nick would rather Peter had gone away for a very long time," says the actor
It all seemed to be going so well for Nick Tilsley – Leanne's agreed to marry him, they have a trip to America planned with a wedding in Las Vegas thrown in. And then – just as he, Leanne and young Simon are about to depart in a taxi for the airport – two very familiar faces return to Weatherfield.
Yes, Peter and Carla are back in town, bringing trouble in their wake. Suddenly wedding locations are changing and holiday plans are being stymied – so how does all this leave Nick feeling?
"Initially, it's just a thorn in his side, but then he doesn't expect to see Leanne react the way she does to seeing Peter," says Ben Price, who plays Nick. "He thought they'd moved on from Peter and Carla, and while them being back is annoying, he didn't expect Leanne to be as bothered. It's when she says she can't get in the taxi with him that he realises there's still more to it."
So despite Nick now being with Leanne and offering her and Simon the stability that her ex could never provide, does he still perceive Peter as a massive threat?
"I think that has always confused Nick: what does Leanne see in Peter? In any other walk of life, Peter would be irrelevant to him, but where Leanne is concerned, he gets to him. Nick loves Leanne, but he also doesn't want Peter to be with Leanne. He couldn't stand him having her. Between them, it's a bit of 'I've got her, no I've got her, no I've got her and you can't have her!'"
Peter, of course, is keen to re-establish his relationship with his son Simon, having been apart from him for a number of months. A happy by-product for Peter is that he also gets to antagonise Nick by messing with the family dynamic that's been evolving in his absence:
"The fact that Peter is Simon's dad, and that Leanne is so involved in Simon's life, means Peter will always have that draw," says Price. "So Peter plays that card and they go off ice-skating, while Nick has to work, which gets to him. He thinks Peter isn't a good father – he takes his son out of school and tries to buy his affection, and he's upset that Leanne seems to be taking in by this.
"Nick wants to look after Simon but, at the end of the day, he's not his son. Plus Simon's ecstatic that his dad's back. He has a good relationship with Nick, but he's happy to see his dad, although he is a waste of space!
"Alex Bain, who plays Simon, does very well. He works harder than a lot of adult actors. It's a lot of pressure being a child in an adult world and he does really well. It's intense for him."
Simon's thrill at seeing his dad ends up causing the main complication when Leanne decides that she and Nick will have to stick around and reschedule their wedding. "Nick starts to think that this isn't going to end well. He can see Peter's got his claws in and he can't understand why Leanne is even entertaining this bloke. Peter left for four months with another woman, he abandoned his own kid, left her to run his business, then he comes back and she's torn. Nick realises there's something else going on here."
So how confident is Nick about Leanne's feelings for him? "I don't think he's very confident at all and that's where Eva and Kylie come in and play their little mind games."
Ah yes, the scheming Eva, who'd do anything to derail Nick and Leanne's relationship. This time around, she and Kylie plant the seed in Nick's head that Leanne would love the grand romantic gesture of a Christmas Day wedding. So off he goes to book the nuptials – without consulting Leanne first:
"I think he's trying to kid himself and, also, it's emotional blackmail. He books a huge place, he sorts it for Christmas Day and he makes it all work, which is what Nick does, he makes things work. Nick facilitates what Nick wants.
"I don't think Leanne's very happy when she finds out. I think she feels caught on the hop and maybe a bit emotionally blackmailed by Nick. But Peter's paying dirty tricks and maybe Nick thinks that if Leanne loves him, then she shouldn't be that bothered about him booking the wedding. I think Nick's testing her."
Then there's the prospect of Peter deciding to stay on the Street. Surely the possibility of Leanne and her ex running the bookies together is going to rub Nick up the wrong way?
"Nick doesn't want to cause too much too much of a ripple, so he says to Leanne, 'if you're happy with it, then I'm happy'. But he knows that while Barlow is hanging around, things are never going to run smoothly. They've got businesses bookending the Street. Every time Nick walks out of the Bistro, he sees the Bookies. He would rather Peter had gone away for a very long time."
But that long-standing animosity rears its head once more after a big restaurant booking comes in at the Bistro that prevents Nick from going to Simon's nativity play. When no-one arrives for the booking, he thinks that Peter (rather than Eva, who is the actual prankster) is trying to keep him away from the school show, so he hares over to Bessie Street to sort the situation out. What reaction does he get from Leanne when he causes a scene?
"A very cold one, which amazes me the number of times that Peter has done it," exclaims Price. "In the end, though, Nick has to apologise and he admits that he made a huge mistake. But Nick's had enough of being pushed around."
All this while, of course, Eva has been circling, just waiting to get her claws into Nick again. Is there any possibility that he could be tempted back to her?
"Yeah, of course. Why not? Nick likes to know he's got somewhere else to go! I think he likes Eva. They had a good laugh together, she's feisty and he likes a strong woman."
And does Nick realise that Peter is, in actuality, trying to win Leanne back? "No, not at all. He thinks he's messing with her head and him. Nick and Peter are almost motivated by their hatred of each other more than wanting to be with Leanne and Carla."
All of which bodes rather ill for the wedding of Nick and Leanne on the 25th. Is it something that Price is looking forward to? "Yeah, I think it will be fun. It's great to have such a big storyline on Christmas Day. It's amazing. It's safe to say it's not going to run smoothly – it's going to be much more of a rocky road than even a rocky road is! It's not just about Leanne and Nick. There are so many other factors involved."


text:
Apr 28 2007
Draft Day
I pretty much gave up on football, which is one of my true loves, once Denver went through a really disappointing loss for the final game of the year to miss the playoffs. They controlled their destiny and couldn't pull it off. I even missed a lot of the playoff games although the Super Bowl is still http://snow-blind.net/?p=49 at our house.
Recently I had started getting back into it and getting excited. I was sick when I had heard the news of Darrent Williams' death. Both from the pure incident itself and also for the spot it left Denver in. Denver did recover from that picking up Dre Bly. I have no doubt that this gives the Broncos the best corner combo in the league right now and could arguably be the one of the best combos of all time. Two All-Pro corners is a nice situation to be in.
Denver definitely has not sat back and been content with where they are. They have made just as many significant moves as most any other team in the league. Probably a bit unusual for a team on the brink of making the playoffs last year and finished at 9-7. But as Shannahan said when he benched Plummer for Cutler last year, they are playing for Championships and last years team was not a Championship contender.
So what changes have been made? On the offensive side, they have officially passed the torch to Cutler by trading Plummer. It sounds as though he has decided to retire from football. There is a new RB as they brought in Travis Henry and I hope his injuries are behind him. If he is healthy, he could definitely fill in the hole left from Tatum Bell's departure. I'm anxious to see if Denver tries to go back to relying on a single back or if time will be shared between Henry and Mike Bell. Rod Smith has been the man in Denver for a long time but he is getting older and it is clear that the #1 receiver is now last year's big pickup for them with Jevon Walker. They still need help in the WR position though and made moves to try and put them into a spot where they would have some depth there. Again, I think they can put a check mark in the success column. Denver picked up Brondon Stokely who had a slow year being injured much of last year and David Terrell who has had brief stints of success in the nfl, but has never really had a break out. Likewise, Quincy Morgan has been added to the roster and it will be quite possible for Smith to drop to the #3 receiver this year and they should be fun to see how it all shakes out. Additions to the tight end position were also made and they are deep in that position, but I still anticipate Alexander to stay the starter.
On the defensive side of the ball, despite the addition of Bly, I think is Denver's short coming. They have lost lots of players including Courtney Brown and, the spot that will hurt the most, Al Wilson. I fully expect the needs on the defensive side to be where Denver tries to fill holes in the draft. They have lots of need spots including filling that gaping hole that Al Wilson leaves at LB and depth on the defensive line. I've also seen a lot of speculation that a Safety may be a need that Denver addresses as John Lynch gets older.
Today is draft day and I will be tracking it a bit to see just how well Denver comes out at the end of the weekend. I'm actually looking forward to the season and I'm even hoping it will work out that I will be able to make it down to Denver to see another game.


text:
2 males Heliogomphus scorpio on May 15, 2014, at Xuân Son
I spotted this elegant Gomphid for the first time in May 2014, resting on leaves or rocks along forested streams.
During 2 years, I misidentified it with another Heliogomphus, apparently undescribed, found at Tam Dao, until I bumped into the true scorpio (at Xuân Son).
Some characteristics : almost entirely dark abdomen with a pale ring at the base of the 7th segment, S7-10 broadened, face largely black with a whitish stripe on frons, synthorax with a dorsal stripe connected to the collar stripe to form a 7-shaped mark, superior antehumeral spot and.... terrifically gruesome appendages!
Heliogomphus scorpio male on May 23, 2014 at Tam Dao (alt. ca 300m)
Male in hand, from Tam Dao
Abdomen tip, dorsal view : superiors lyrate in shape, convergent, curled strongly,
with a long, strong basolateral spine
Compare with the appendages of a Heliogomphus sp. (yet to be described?) found at Tam Dao and Ba Vi :
Abdomen tip of Heliogomphus sp. (left) and H. scorpio
Heliogomphus scorpio (left) and Heliogomphus sp. caught at the same stream at Tây Thiên (Tam Dao). Very similar pattern but apparently Heliogomphus sp. more yellow
The very pale female Heliogomphus below is likely to be scorpio, but without absolute certainty. Photographed at Tây Thiên (Tam Dao) where the 2 species share the same habitat.
I took these pictures at the lower slopes of Tam Dao and at Xuân Son National Parks, along forested streams. I spotted Heliogomphus scorpio and Heliogomphus sp. sharing the same portion of stream at Tây Thiên (Tam Dao) on May 2014.
Heliogomphus scorpio is known from southern and southeastern China, Laos and northern Vietnam, and found at forest streams in both lowland and montane areas.
Other Heliogomphus species known in Vietnam (that I am aware of): H. retroflexus (in the North), H. chaoi (South, type locality is Lam Dong Province) and H. selysi.


text:
02 mars 2004
Fight Club - Chapter 1
Chapter 1 TYLER GETS ME a job as a waiter, after that Tyler's pushing a gun in my mouth and saying, the first step to eternal life is you have to die. For a long time though, Tyler and I were best friends. People are always asking, did I know about Tyler Durden. The barrel of the gun pressed against the back of my throat, Tyler says "We really won't die." With my tongue I can feel the silencer holes we drilled into the barrel of the gun. Most of the noise a gunshot makes is expanding gases, and there's the tiny sonic boom a bullet... [Lire la suite]
02 mars 2004
Fight Club - Chapter 2
Chapter 2 BOB'S BIG ARMS were closed around to hold me inside, and I was squeezed in the dark between Bob's new sweating tits that hang enormous, the way we think of God's as big. Going around the church basement full of men, each night we met: this is Art, this is Paul, this is Bob; Bob's big shoulders made me think of the horizon. Bob's thick blond hair was what you get when hair cream calls itself sculpting mousse, so thick and blond and the part is so straight. His arms wrapped around me, Bob's hand palms my head against the... [Lire la suite]
02 mars 2004
Fight Club - Chapter 3
Chapter 3 YOU WAKE UP at Air Harbor International.Every takeoff and landing, when the plane banked too much to one side, I prayed for a crash. That moment cures my insomnia with narcolepsy when we might die helpless and packed human tobacco in the fuselage.This is how I met Tyler Durden.You wake up at O'Hare.You wake up at LaGuardia.You wake up at Logan.Tyler worked part-time as a movie projectionist. Because of his nature, Tyler could only work night jobs. If a projectionist called in sick, the union called Tyler.Some people are... [Lire la suite]
02 mars 2004
Fight Club - Chapter 4
Chapter 4 THE SECURITY TASK force guy explained everything to me. Baggage handlers can ignore a ticking suitcase. The security task force guy, he called baggage handlers Throwers. Modern bombs don't tick. But a suitcase that vibrates, the baggage handlers, the Throwers, have to call the police. How I came to live with Tyler is because most airlines have this policy about vibrating baggage. My flight back from Dulles, I had everything in that one bag. When you travel a lot, you learn to pack the same for every trip. Six white shirts.... [Lire la suite]
02 mars 2004
Fight Club - Chapter 5
Chapter 5 TWO SCREENS INTO my demo to Microsoft, I taste blood and have to start swallowing. My boss doesn't know the material, but he won't let me run the demo with a black eye and half my face swollen from the stitches inside my cheek. The stitches have come loose, and I can feel them with my tongue against the inside of my cheek. Picture snarled fishing line on the beach. I can picture them as the black stitches on a dog after it's been fixed, and I keep swallowing blood. My boss is making the presentation from my script, and... [Lire la suite]
02 mars 2004
Fight Club - Chapter 6
Chapter 6 ONE MORNING, THERE'S the dead jellyfish of a used condom floating in the toilet.This is how Tyler meets Marla.I get up to take a leak, and there against the sort of cave paintings of dirt in the toilet bowl is this. You have to wonder, what do sperm think.This? This is the vaginal vault? What's happening here? All night long, I dreamed I was humping Marla Singer. Marla Singer smoking her cigarette. Marla Singer rolling her eyes. I wake up alone in my own bed, and the door to Tyler's room is closed. The door to Tyler's... [Lire la suite]
02 mars 2004
Fight Club - Chapter 7
Chapter 7 TYLER'S SALIVA DID two jobs. The wet kiss on the back of my hand held the flakes of lye while they burned. That was the first job. The second was lye only burns when you combine it with water. Or saliva."This is a chemical burn," Tyler said, "and it will hurt more than you've ever been burned."You can use lye to open clogged drains.Close your eyes.A paste of lye and water can burn through an aluminum pan.A solution of lye and water will dissolve a wooden spoon.Combined with water, lye heats to over two hundred degrees,... [Lire la suite]
02 mars 2004
Fight Club - Chapter 8
Chapter 8 IN SOUTH AMERICA, Land of Enchantment, we could be wading in a river where tiny fish will swim up Tyler's urethra. The fish have barbed spines that flare out and back so once they're up Tyler, the fish set up housekeeping and get ready to lay their eggs. In so many ways, how we spent Saturday night could be worse. "It could've been worse," Tyler says, "what we did with Marla's mother." I say, shut up. Tyler says, the French government could've taken us to an underground complex outside of Paris where not even surgeons but... [Lire la suite]
02 mars 2004
Fight Club - Chapter 9
Chapter 9 MY BOSS STANDS too close to my desk with his little smile, his lips together and stretched thin, his crotch at my elbow. I look up from writing the cover letter for a recall campaign. These letters always begin the same way: "This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Motor Vehicle Safety Act. We have determined that a defect exists . . ." This week I ran the liability formula, and for once A times B times C equaled more than the cost of a recall. This week, it's the little plastic clip... [Lire la suite]
02 mars 2004
Fight Club - Chapter 10
Chapter 10 WHEN I GET to the Regent Hotel, Marla's in the lobby wearing a bathrobe. Marla called me at work and asked, would I skip the gym and the library or the laundry or whatever I had planned after work and come see her, instead. This is why Marla called, because she hates me. She doesn't say a thing about her collagen trust fund. What Marla says is, would I do her a favor? Marla was lying in bed this afternoon. Marla lives on the meals that Meals on Wheels delivers for her neighbors who are dead; Marla accepts the meals and... [Lire la suite]


text:
The Delaware Public Service Commission announced Gov. John Carney's declaration of March 19-25 as Fix a Leak Week in Delaware.
The Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense partnership program Fix a Leak Week provides information and tips on how to conserve water and detect water leaks both inside and outside of the home. Fix a Leak Week encourages Americans to become leak detectives and help minimize the more than 1 trillion gallons of water lost each year at homes throughout the country due to leaks.
In three simple steps, Delawareans can detect and prevent leaks in their homes:
First, check the water meter at the beginning and end of a two-hour period when no water is being used in or out of the home. If the amount on the meter changes, there may be a leak. Also, check toilets by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank and waiting 10 minutes to see if coloring appears in the toilet bowl. If it does, there may be a leak.
Second, twist any faucet valves, pipe connections or hoses to prevent or stop leaks.
Finally, replace old and leaky plumbing with more efficient fixtures to stop leaks and save water without losing pressure. Irrigation timers can also be replaced with efficient models that tell sprinklers when and how much water is needed depending on the weather conditions.
For more, visit epa.gov/watersense.


text:
The Clinton County Historical Association (CCHA) has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership. The funds are expected to support the creation of an interactive digital exhibit highlighting the history of the Catholic Summer School in Cliff Haven, NY. Read more
A Tompkins County Civil War Love StoryNew Exhibition Opens At The NYS Museum
An exhibition featuring a Civil War love story, I Shall Think of You Often: The Civil War Story of Doctor and Mary Tarbell, opened Saturday, March 30, 2013 at the New York State Museum.
The exhibit focuses on the life and marriage of Doctor and Mary Tarbell of Tompkins County, New York, during the Civil War. The exhibition is presented in conjunction with An Irrepressible Conflict: The Empire State in the Civil War, a 7,000-square foot exhibition commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. Both exhibitions are open through September 22, 2013. Read more
Women's Day Exhibit Features Saint Marianne Cope
Women's Rights National Historical Park announces the opening of an exhibit about the work of Saint Marianne Cope, entitled "Saint Marianne: Blessed Mother of the Afflicted." The exhibit will open on Friday, March 8th in celebration of International Women's Day.
The exhibit will explore Saint Marianne's life work with the Sisters of Saint Francis, which began in Syracuse, New York and culminated in Hawaii with patients afflicted with Leprosy, now known as Hansen's disease. Read more
Remembering Gordon Parks In 100 Moments
As a multifaceted creative artist, Parks stacked up firsts again and again in a long career that has been seeing numerous tributes over the past year. 2012 was the 100th anniversary of his birth, and exhibits are still underway. Read more
New York City: What Is Your World War Two Story?
Exhibit: Rarely Seen American and European Quilts
Only one of these rare quilts has been on public display in the past thirty years. "Workt by Hand": Hidden Labor and Historical Quilts will be on view in the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art from March 15 through September 15, 2013. Read more
Fine Lines: Brooklyn Museums American Drawings
New Exhibit: Photography of the Landmarks of New York City
The exhibition's 90 photographs of landmarks are critical documents that chronicle the city's journey from a small colonized village to a city at the center of the world from the 17th through the 20th centuries and includes the newly acquired set of 30 photographs by Christine Osinski, Steven Tucker, Reuben Cox, Julio Bofill, Michael Stewart, Michael Stewart, Andrew Garn, Richard Cappelluti, Adam S. Wahler, Eric C. Chung and others. Read more
Landmark John Singer Sargent Exhibition Planned
Discovering Columbus From Atop Columbus Circle
The enormous thirteen-foot tall explorer is steering the Santa Maria right over Central Park. Tatzu Nishi's "Discovering Columbus" allows visitors to climb 75 feet up the column in Columbus Circle to see the famous statue up close. Nishi has surrounded it with a living room stage set, furnished with modern accoutrements from Bloomingdale's, that gives a truly odd twist to the experience of seeing the pock-marked monument set atop a coffee table.
Read more


text:
The Ski Industry Goes to Washington
Government shutdown be damned, an all-star team of ski and snowboard bigwigs converged in D.C. this week to support Obama's climate plan.
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski wants to see more oil and gas drilling on public lands—and that includes opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for exploration. She opposes levying new regulations on coal mining and power plants in order to curb carbon emissions. But she also loves to ski.
Turns out, her nephew is part of the crew that makes those arty Sweetgrass Productions ski movies. That's the kind of thing you'd have to sit in Murkowski's D.C office, along with a gaggle of the world's best skiers, snowboarders and snowsports industry executives, to find out. That's how Chris Steinkamp, executive director of Protect Our Winters, and Auden Schendler, vice president of sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company, learned about that odd 6 degrees of separation. It's also the kind of common ground that might help them get their message across to the Congressional leaders. That message is this: We represent an important part of the U.S. economy and we support President Obama's plan to use the Clean Air Act as a vehicle for curbing carbon emissions from power plants.
Tuesday was not the first time that Steinkamp and Schendler have traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby for policies that address climate change. They've been joined by athletes in past years, as well, such as Gretchen Bleiler and Jeremy Jones. But this time it was different: a powerful posse of nearly 20 ski and snowboard luminaries.
"We had two-time gold medalist snowboarder Seth Wescott, we had Chris Davenport, we had Forest Shearer, we had Danny Davis, we had legendary mountaineer Conrad Anker. And then, aside from all these athletes, we had executives from Black Diamond, from Patagonia, K2. Donna Carpenter, who founded Burton, the largest snowboard company in the world. It was a remarkable group," said Schendler. David Ingemie, president of Snowsports Industries America, came along for the meet-and-greets, too.
On Monday night, with the government shut-down looming, Steinkamp was afraid the trip might be a bust. But by Tuesday evening, as they walked to a D.C. restaurant for dinner, it was clear that Steinkamp and Schendler were proud and pleased with the "wall-to-wall" meetings they had crammed into the day and by how their all-star group of cohorts had bolstered their call for climate protections.
Combined, the individuals and companies represented in the group reach 6 million people through social media, said Schendler. "I looked around the table, I saw these legendary athletes, and I realized what our mission is, which is that we're going to use the power of this group to create the policies we need to fix climate. It was a real epiphany." Indeed, by Tuesday afternoon, these folks' Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages were all abuzz with quips and pics about their trip to Washington.
However, the government shutdown did mean that representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality were unavailable, and these were key meetings for the group.
Beat Down, Open and Honest
Aside from Murkowski, the snowsports crew met with "the full gamut" of Congressmen and women from all along the political spectrum, said Steinkamp, who added his opinion that the drama of the preceding days, as the House and Senate played chicken over Obamacare, had left some of the Senators and Representatives "beaten down and open and honest with us, which was refreshing."
The day's agenda included stops in the offices of "extreme allies" like Mike Bennett from Colorado, said Schendler. The group also met with Democratic Senators John Tester and Max Baucus from Montana, who Steinkamp said were open and supportive, despite having to serve constituencies that have strongly differing interests when it comes to climate and policy.
While Murkowski said she disagreed with the group's support of increasing government regulation over energy companies, Steinkamp is taking the long view. "We met with her two years ago and [she made] no admission of climate change. Now, she admits that climate change is real, but says how we're approaching it is not how she would approach it."
Baby steps? Perhaps, but the clock is ticking. The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released last week said there is better than 95 percent chance that we are the cause of climate change, and that the climate will continue warming for centuries. To be exact, the report says, "A large fraction of anthropogenic climate change resulting from CO2 emissions is irreversible on a multi-century to millennial time scale, except in the case of a large net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere over a sustained period."
The rather nascent state of carbon sequestration technologies leaves the snowsports industry little choice but to push for major changes in the national carbon diet. While the kind of "operational greening" that many ski resorts are doing on a case-by-case basis is important, Steinkamp said the call for tough climate policies is far more crucial.
Protect Our Winters has been critical in the past about what it saw as the National Ski Area Association's lack of political activism to fight climate change. I asked NSAA's director of public policy, Geraldine Link, how the NSAA is reacting to the latest IPCC report and she said it "confirms for ski areas that we are on the right track when it comes to climate change action and advocacy." She also listed some of the green building and energy efficiency projects the association supports and noted that NSAA's advocacy of climate change legislation dates back to 2002.
Whether the ski industry is doing enough to speak out for Obama's Climate Plan appears to be up for debate. But Steinkamp has seen a definite shift among the willingness of top skiers and snowboarders to speak up – even if that means traveling to Washington, D.C. to do it. "Four years ago, [some of these athletes] might have said they're not entirely sure, but I think people are really taking climate change seriously now," said Steinkamp.
"I asked Forest Shearer, 'why are you here?'" said Schender. "He said, 'it's my duty.' There was a broad sense of that among this group today. They felt this obligation."


text:
What Constitutes Medical Negligence And What You Can Do About It
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, negligence is the failure to take the actions that a reasonable person would be expected to take in any given situation. This means any time a medical practitioner fails to provide the care that is expected in a certain case, and as a result injury or death of the patient occurs, it is grounds for medical negligence. Below is just some information about what constitutes negligence by a medical professional offered by the experienced personal injury lawyers at Maloney-Lyons.
Because you entrust medical professionals with your life when you submit to their care, they are held to a high standard. In addition to doctors, nurses, physical therapists, medical technicians, anesthesiologists, pharmacists, and any other medical staff member whose care you are under can commit medical negligence. Some medical malpractice cases involve the following:
- Birth injuries
- Failure to make a diagnosis/misdiagnosis
- Medical and surgical errors
- Anesthesia mistakes
- Nursing home abuse/neglect
- Hospital neglect/negligence
There are many more cases that fall under medical malpractice or negligence, and if you think you may have a case, the best way to find out is to call a malpractice attorney. In a medical negligence case there are four things that you need to be able to demonstrate to a judge or jury in order to prove your case.
- What was the duty owed by the medical practitioner to the patient?
- Was there a breach of duty?
- Did the breach of duty result in patient injury or death?
- Did the injury cause lasting damage?
If you can answer these four questions affirmatively then you may have a case for medical negligence and it is time to give your local law firm a call. Remember, you as a patient and a victim have rights, and a malpractice attorney can help you understand and act upon those rights. Call (800) 809-3669 today for a FREE consultation regarding your potential medical negligence case with an experienced, aggressive medical malpractice attorney at Maloney-Lyons.