Looking forward

Rss@dailykos.com (mark Sumner) · Friday, February 26, 2016, 10:41 pm

You know what? I’m looking forward to improvements in the healthcare system that include a form of public option and reduction of the power of private insurance companies.

I’m looking forward to the appointment of a Supreme Court justice who will not just safeguard Roe v. Wade, but help to roll back the hundreds of restrictions and complications which have reduced a woman’s right to choose.

I’m looking forward to a broad, national effort to address climate change and at the same time boost the economy by focusing on new, clean energy technology.

I’m looking forward to a vast reduction in the mandatory sentences and unreasonably severe punishments applied for nonviolent offenses in the name of getting tough on crime.

I’m looking forward to more funding for early childhood education, for a massive expansion of affordable public colleges, and to a renewed focus on creativity in the classroom.

I’m looking forward to a thoughtful humane plan on immigration that will recognize the contribution of the many immigrants already in our nation who need a path to officially become American citizens.

I’m looking forward to some restrictions on the hidden carry, open carry, stand your ground, shoot to kill legislation that has driven up both violence and unease.

I’m looking forward to seeing our crumbling infrastructure replaced by modern, safe replacements that include smart alternatives in public and private transportation.

I’m looking forward to changes in the tax system that will rein in the out of control disparity between rich and poor and restore to our nation a healthy middle class with opportunity to achieve.

I’m looking forward to greater justice. Across races. Across sexes. Across genders. Across religions. Across social classes. I’m looking forward to all these things.

And you know who I think will give them to me?

http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/8cXCyqNcrzg/-Looking-forward

In One Month We Will Begin Intentionally Starving Poor People

Hamilton Nolan

Today 5:35pmFiled to: THE POORS

At the end of March, 22 states will begin imposing work requirements on people who want food stamps. Hundreds of thousands of people will likely lose their food aid.

The Wall Street Journal reports that starting on April 1, all of those states plan to reinstate a rule that had been set aside after the financial crisis led to mass unemployment: that adults with no dependents or disabilities are limited to “three months of food stamps in any three-year period—unless they work at least 80 hours a month, or meet education and training or volunteer benchmarks.”

Food stamps, by the way, are a government program that works extremely well.

If people are unable to find a job, it is cruel to force them to starve, and it is foolish to make a poor, unemployed, hungry person sit through classes that will not directly lead to a job, or spend their time volunteering, for no income, simply so they can have food to eat, but no money or free time to obtain it. The likely outcome of reinstating these rules: “The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that 500,000 to one million people will lose access to food stamps this year, citing the experience in states where work requirements already returned.”

This is the human cost of all of those years of right-wing rhetoric about fairy tale “welfare queens” ripping off the system. That rhetoric was used only for momentary political gain. But it engendered a deep belief in certain parts of the public that even food is too gracious of a gift for our poorest citizens. So now, hundreds of thousands of people will go hungry, so that some other, smaller number of better-off people can believe that they are not being ripped off by people they do not know and will never see.

Congratulations.

http://gawker.com/in-one-month-we-will-begin-intentionally-starving-poor-1761588216

The secretly-elected Heritage crew creates new headaches for House Speaker Paul Ryan

By Joan McCarter
Wednesday Feb 24, 2016 · 2:53 PM EST

For a former budget committee chairman—and GOP golden boy—House Speaker Paul Ryan is proving astoundingly inept at leading his conference in coming up with a budget. He began the Congressional session in January promising that once the House failed one more time to repeal Obamacare, they'd get the 2017 budget and spending bills done first thing. “First thing” has turned into March, and March is clearly going to turn into maybe sometime before November. Because the House Republican conference can't be led, except by the Heritage Foundation, with all the money its attached Heritage Action group has to spend.

Further complicating Speaker Paul Ryan's effort, the Heritage Foundation—the right's most influential think-tank—unveiled a budget blueprint that goes far, far beyond anything Ryan is proposing when it comes to slashing government spending.

The aggressive conservative wish list, provided to POLITICO, is likely to increase unrest in the Republican conference and boost hardliners’ resistance to leadership’s pitch of sticking to a spending deal made with President Barack Obama.

“The point of the blueprint is both to educate the public but also to influence Congress and the presidential candidates,” said Paul Winfree, director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation.

The public would be horrified by reading what Heritage has in store for them in their wish list. Of course there's the obligatory defunding of Planned Parenthood, and cutting off of funds for clean air and water enforcement. But they go all the way down to things like eliminating grants under the Violence Against Women Act (make those domestic violence shelters have bake sales!), disaster assistance for small businesses, and healthy food for school children. This is what the House maniacs are going to line up behind.

Meanwhile, the current budget chairman and Ryan are working within the realm of budgeting and spending that they inherited from the agreement outgoing speaker John Boehner worked out, the one that could actually pass in both the House and Senate and be signed by the president. But they have been working with the Freedom-y types toward something those guys might not totally oppose, "a compromise in which discretionary spending would remain at the higher level, but the House would pursue significant cuts to mandatory and entitlement spending through the appropriations process or in a reconciliation bill." That might lose them some fed-up Republicans and all Democrats—and thus would make it impossible to pass. And now that Heritage has released its marching orders, a compromise probably isn't going to be good enough for all the Freedomy folks.

So Ryan is in the thickets, where any Republican "leader" is going to end up. Meanwhile, John Boehner must be kicking his feet up with a bourbon and a cigarette, having a great time not having to deal with this particular set of clowns.

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/24/1490470/-The-secretly-elected-Heritage-crew-creates-new-headaches-for-House-Speaker-Paul-Ryan

Re-post of a favorite: Willful, destructive ignorance...

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Five OBG posts - remembering the George W Bush years

Religiously speaking

In truth, the reason for the Burka 

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Just a piece of the crazy behind every facet of religion.

Living with America's gun culture

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13newsnow.com Two men recovering after double shooting on I-64 in Newport News 13newsnow.com (WVEC) -- Two men are in the hospital after a shooting on Interstate 64 Thursday morning. State police say it happened at 2 a.m. on I-64 near the 259 ... BREAKING: Shooting closes part of I-64 in Newport News - WAVY-TV

KARE 2 Plymouth officers identified in fatal shooting KARE PLYMOUTH, Minn. - Two officers involved in Friday's fatal shooting of a man accused of shooting a woman, before running her over with a vehicle, ...

WYFF Greenville One dead, police searching for gunmen after shooting at bowling alley WYFF Greenville EASLEY, S.C. —One person is dead after a shooting at Tri-City Lanes ... for three men who were seen leaving the parking lot after the shooting. 4 charged in fatal shooting at Easley bowling alley - Greenville News

KHOU Son charged with murder after shooting mom's attacker KHOU Son charged with murder after shooting mom's attacker. Police say Treveon Jones fired nearly 20 shots from an assault rifle and killed 40-year-old ...

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The Coloradoan DA: Larimer SWAT suspect slit own throat before shooting The Coloradoan Larimer County District Attorney Cliff Riedel deemed deputy Chris Melvin justified inshooting the man as he lunged toward deputies while clutching a ...

New York Daily News East Flatbush, Brooklyn shooting victim may have been targeted New York Daily News The 33-year-old man fatally shot in the driveway of a Brooklyn home may have been targeted, the Daily News has learned. Witnesses told police that ...

NBCNews.com Latest: College President Says School Saddened Over Shooting ABC News The president of Wabash College says everyone on the campus is deeply saddened by the shooting deaths of a woman and her young son that police ...

KRON4.com Shooting victim's body found in Santa Rosa roadway Santa Rosa Press Democrat Santa Rosa police found the body of a shooting victim lying in an east Santa Rosa road Wednesday night and detectives were called out to investigate ...

NECN 1 person arrested after deadly shooting outside Randolph bar My Fox Boston The shooting happened around 1 a.m. Wednesday morning. Officers were at the scene in a matter of seconds because they had just pulled someone ... Man pleads not guilty in fatal Randolph bar shooting - WHDH-TV

WLS-TV 2 women injured, 1 critically, in Harvey shooting WLS-TV A brief manhunt was launched when Harvey police arrived at the scene of theshooting, but did not find the shooter, who remains at large. Police say ...

CBS News 2 Dead, 1 Injured in Las Vegas Shooting ABC News Las Vegas police say two people are dead and another is injured after an early morningshooting near the Strip. Lt. Dan McGrath told Las Vegas TV ... Las Vegas Strip shooting leaves 2 women dead, 1 man hospitalized - KABC-TV Two dead, 1 injured in Las Vegas shooting - KTRK-TV Two women killed, one man injured in shooting on Las Vegas Strip - New York Daily News

WCNC 911 calls reveal scary, chaotic scene during Northlake Mallshooting WCNC 911 calls reveal scary, chaotic scene during Northlake Mall shooting. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Just after 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve a scary, chaotic shooting ...

KABC-TV 2 suspects killed in officer-involved shooting in Santa Ana KABC-TV Two suspects were killed in an officer-involved shooting in Santa Ana on ... East 4th Street was shut down as detectives investigated the shooting ... Two Suspects Die in Santa Ana Officer-Involved Shooting - NBC Southern California An alarming trend: two killed in another officer-involved shooting in Santa Ana - FOX 11 Los Angeles Two people are killed in police shooting in Santa Ana - Los Angeles Times

GunFail

Man doing OK after accidentally shooting himself Norwalk Reflector Dispatchers with the Huron County Sheriff's Office received a call from a Park Avenue man who reported heaccidentally shot himself after cleaning his ...

IBNLive Telangana lawmaker's driver dies in accidental shooting New Kerala Hyderabad, Feb 16 : The driver of a Telangana legislator died when a gun went off under suspicious circumstances here on Tuesday, police said.

WLWT Cincinnati Suspect says Westwood homicide was an accident WLWT Cincinnati Police said Williams shot and killed Derrick Johnson, 23, on Saturday ... In court Monday, Williams' attorney said the shooting was an accident, and ...

ABC15 Arizona Avondale police say shooting of man may have beenaccidental SFGate AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Avondale police say a 19-year-old man was seriously wounded in a shooting that may have been accidental. Police say the ...

WCTV Family Grieves 13-Year-Old Killed in Accidental Shooting WCTV Authorities in Florida say an 18-year-old lost his balance on a hoverboard andaccidentally shot his 13-year-old cousin in the back of the head.

The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines Emma Redlinger shooting: Three adults, three teens charged inaccidental shooting death of 14 ... The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines Three adults and three teens have been charged in federal and Benton County courts in connection with the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Emma ... Five Charged in Accidental Shooting Death of 14-Year-Old Girl - KCRG Five Charged in Connection with Accidental Shooting of Iowa Girl - KAALtv.com 5 people have been charged in connection with the fatal accidental shooting of a 14-year-old girl in ... - Daily Journal

LubbockOnline.com Family in mourning after accidental shooting death of 5-year-old boy KCBD-TV A 5-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed on Tuesday evening. It happened at 71st and Canton, near Trinity Christian High School. 5 Year-Old Dead Following Accidental Shooting - News/Talk 790 KFYO 5-Year-Old Killed in Shooting Incident - EverythingLubbock.com

WBTW - Myrtle Beach and Florence SC NC mom killed just weeks after her toddler son dies inaccidental shooting WBTW - Myrtle Beach and Florence SC MAXTON, N.C. – A man has been charged with the weekend killing of a North Carolina mom whose toddler son died in an accidental shooting just last ...

LubbockOnline.com 5-year-old dies after reported accidental shooting in South Lubbock LubbockOnline.com A 5-year-old boy is dead after what was reported as an accidental shooting Tuesdayevening in South Lubbock. The shooting was reported just after 6 ...

My Fox Boston Girl, 9, dies after being accidentally shot by 3-year-old brother My Fox Boston A 9-year-old girl died after she was accidentally shot by her younger brother, police said. The siblings were at their great-grandparents' house in ...

WWMT-TV 911 call from fatal shooting in Battle Creek released WWMT-TV 911 call from fatal shooting in Battle Creek released ... now hearing the 911 call after what investigators are calling an apparent accidental shooting.

Odessa American Pre-K special education teacher accused of shooting husband Odessa American ... Sheriff's Department were called out to 10637 W. 20th St., after receiving a call about an “accidental shooting,” a probable cause affidavit reported.