Denied: How some Tennessee doctors earn big money denying disability claims
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/01/06/tennessee-doctors-disability-claims/1077220002/ TENNESSEE DOCTORS ARE PAID TO REVIEW APPLICATIONS TO THE FEDERAL DISABILITY PROGRAM. HOW MUCH THEY EARN DEPENDS ON HOW FAST THEY WORK. SOME DOCTORS WORK VERY FAST. By the time Alan Chrisman was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer, he was too sick to work. The cancer had spread to his lungs. His doctors said he may never get better. Chrisman, 59, applied for disability, the federal safety net program he contributed to with every paycheck during his 30 years working as a stonemason. But a doctor hired by Tennessee’s Disability Determination Services to review applications quickly concluded Chrisman wasn’t sick enough to get the $804 monthly benefit. That physician, Dr. Thomas Thrush, is one of about 50 doctors contracted to review applications for Tennesseans seeking disability. That's not right, as Minsc would say.
Marco Rubio goes off after Ted Nugent calls him "the devil"
Trump walks out of shutdown talks with a 'bye-bye'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46818218?SThisFB&fbclid=IwAR1x0gMcvNC9nEa4WwprLudGoXyC2dnj39egkFW-4SG1MsowfwkkFaIuIWU Mr Schumer told reporters the president had abruptly left when Mrs Pelosi said she would not approve any wall funding. The Senate Democratic leader said: "He [Mr Trump] asked Speaker Pelosi, 'Will you agree to my wall?' She said no. "And he just got up and said, 'Then we have nothing to discuss,' and he just walked out. "Again, we saw a temper tantrum because he couldn't get his way."
And, a sad note;
William Morgan Sheppard death: Star Trek and Doctor Who actor dies aged 86
I'd say do it. How many other households in the DC area aren't going to be able to pay off their water bill due to the Shutdown? I'd even make the excuse of "since the bill is such a high amount, the regular 30 day notice will not apply and the water will be shut off in seven (7) business days if a payment is not met."
And that picture of Trump attempting to drink from a water bottle as he holds it with his two tiny hands is just adorable.
This is the kind of stupidity a government shutdown has reduced us to. I may be wrong, but do any other Western democracies even HAVE government shutdowns as a possibility??
Essentially no - this type of situation is pretty much unique to the US .
This article gives a bit of information about the structural differences in the US that make a shutdown more likely. For instance in a parliamentary democracy on the UK model you only need a majority of votes to pass a funding bill. A government without such a majority would have to resign and call a general election.
This article briefly covers the law governing shutdowns in the US. An interesting point about that is that the law was passed in 1884, but it was only in 1980 that the law was reinterpreted as requiring a shutdown (rather than assuming that existing operations should broadly continue).
There's no reason at all why the 1980 reinterpretation could not be reinterpreted again back the other way, even in the absence of any change in legislation. In fact I would say there is every reason that should happen. I mentioned before that it blows my mind that the US system can require essential workers to continue in their jobs without pay (or even a promise of later payment - though that is the expectation). I can see it's reasonable to require essential workers to continue working (most countries have a no-strike policy for their armed forces for instance), as long as they're paid. However, there's a word for forcing people to work without pay and that practice should really be consigned to history.
Though structural differences in the government system are important - in particular the 60% vote in the Senate that can mean bipartisan support is needed to pass a funding bill (though there are ways round that) - it seems to me the reason for the US shutdowns is more related to a philosophical position. In most countries most people would think of the government as working for them in doing many necessary tasks, irrespective of which party is in power. It therefore makes no sense to say that rubbish should not be collected, or potholes left unfixed, just because politicians can't agree between themselves. In the US there seems to be a far stronger streak of people who see the natural role of government as working against them rather than for them. It therefore seems much more sensible to say that all government tasks have to be specifically and regularly approved rather than assuming they will continue unless specifically disapproved.
I'd say do it. How many other households in the DC area aren't going to be able to pay off their water bill due to the Shutdown? I'd even make the excuse of "since the bill is such a high amount, the regular 30 day notice will not apply and the water will be shut off in seven (7) business days if a payment is not met."
And that picture of Trump attempting to drink from a water bottle as he holds it with his two tiny hands is just adorable.
This is the kind of stupidity a government shutdown has reduced us to. I may be wrong, but do any other Western democracies even HAVE government shutdowns as a possibility??
Essentially no - this type of situation is pretty much unique to the US .
This article gives a bit of information about the structural differences in the US that make a shutdown more likely. For instance in a parliamentary democracy on the UK model you only need a majority of votes to pass a funding bill. A government without such a majority would have to resign and call a general election.
This article briefly covers the law governing shutdowns in the US. An interesting point about that is that the law was passed in 1884, but it was only in 1980 that the law was reinterpreted as requiring a shutdown (rather than assuming that existing operations should broadly continue).
There's no reason at all why the 1980 reinterpretation could not be reinterpreted again back the other way, even in the absence of any change in legislation. In fact I would say there is every reason that should happen. I mentioned before that it blows my mind that the US system can require essential workers to continue in their jobs without pay (or even a promise of later payment - though that is the expectation). I can see it's reasonable to require essential workers to continue working (most countries have a no-strike policy for their armed forces for instance), as long as they're paid. However, there's a word for forcing people to work without pay and that practice should really be consigned to history.
Though structural differences in the government system are important - in particular the 60% vote in the Senate that means bipartisan support is normally needed to pass a budget - it seems to me the reason for the US shutdowns is more related to a philosophical position. In most countries most people would think of the government as working for them and doing necessary tasks, irrespective of which party is in power. It therefore makes no sense to say that rubbish should not be collected, or potholes left unfixed, just because politicians can't agree between themselves. In the US there seems to be a far stronger streak of people who see the natural role of government as working against them rather than for them. It therefore seems much more sensible to say that all government tasks have to be specifically and regularly approved rather than assuming they will continue unless specifically disapproved.
Even 1980 isn't the real starting point though. The first real government shutdown was in the mid-90s as a result of the showdown between Clinton and Newt Gingrich. It's important to recognize this because there is hardly anyone as responsible for the current state of the GOP as Newt Gingrich. He designed a specific set of tactics and language used to describe liberals and the left that was basically taken straight from right-wing radio and started the complete radicalization of the party that culminated in Trump 20 years later.
Moreover, as I have mentioned time and again, Republicans are ALWAYS blamed for these fights and always lose them in the end, because they are without question viewed as the anti-government party. Even though Gingrich shutdown is the longest (set to be overtaken by this one over the weekend), it was under Obama it became something akin to a hostage-taking tactic in regards to the debt ceiling. Under Trump, it has been nothing but a combination of nihilism, hubris, and the wounded pride of one individual. An Economist poll yesterday shows that 55% of voters blame Trump or the Republican Congess, and 32% blame Democrats. That 32% is basically every die-hard Trump supporter in the country. Literally everyone else blames the same side that usually gets blamed. They are losing the argument and losing it badly, and it will only get worse the longer this drags on.
Republicans can do one of 3 things:
1.) They can put DACA back on the table in exchange for wall funding. This agreement was ALREADY made once in the previous two years in exchange for $25 billion in wall funding, as Democrats were willing the save the Dreamers. This time, it would be for $20 billion less than they could have gotten then. The problem is, the White House already torpedoed this deal once when EVERYONE thought it was a done deal (for the same reasons this shutdown is taking place, FOX News and right-wing media throwing a fit) so there is zero reason to think they wouldn't back out of their end of the bargain again.
2.) Mitch McConnell can allow a vote on the EXACT same bill that passed the Senate 100-0 just a few weeks ago before Trump's temper tantrum started. Only a handful of vulnerable 2020 Senators need to cross the aisle to override a veto. Pelosi is already close to have enough Republican votes to do so in the House. McConnell is refusing to do so as of now, which leaves.......
3.) Allow Trump to declare a national emergency and HOPE it gets tied up in the courts. This is the most cynical and dangerous political calculation they have ever made, but the one that seems the most likely. Rather than actually govern and stand up to this oaf in the Oval Office, they would rather let him declare himself an autocrat ruling by decree, and let the courts try to stop him. It doesn't matter if the courts stop him, once the President declares himself able to circumvent Congress by national emergency, there is no turning back. The last thing remotely like it that was tried was when Truman tried to takeover the steel mills during the Korean War. He had a far, far better reason for doing so, and even he was rebuked by the courts. However, this is the most likely scenario. The Republican Party would rather set the precedent of autocratic rule rather than give in to liberals.
Lindsey Graham has now unequivocally called for Trump to invoke emergency powers to start construction on the wall. I want to make sure what I am about to say here sinks in: This so-called "moderate, reasonable voice" is calling on the President to bypass Congress and invoke a made-up national emergency to begin work on a military construction project on American soil that has NO Congressional approval. This is the party of limited government. They are totally embracing autocracy and despotism. The Republican Party has been completely consumed into a personality cult of a malignant narcissist. They are no longer even remotely distinguishable. And they can never be allowed to live this down. This is nothing less than the advocacy of declaring the nullification of the newly elected Democratic House. They had two years to fund and build this with total GOP control, and instead the MOMENT the Democrats gain a semblance of power, they throw the entire basis of the Constitution they so claim to admire into a raging fire. This is nothing less than them saying to every liberal voter in America that our votes do not matter. We have no agency. If this happens, all bets are off. They can never be forgiven for what they are allowing to take place. The modern GOP should be relegated to the ash heap of history.
Edit: Apparently the White House has directed the Army Corp of Engineers to look into diverting money from disaster relief in California, Texas and Puerto Rico to the border wall. Madness.
It seems that the Trump administration quietly loosened sanctions on a Russian oligarch tied to Putin, Oleg Deripaska, around last Christmas. Nancy Pelosi today summoned Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin to ask why this was done, and apparently Mnuchin failed to offer any explanation during the briefing. Pelosi said he spent most of the meeting reading an unclassified document.
Good god, if you don't watch FOX News, this is where the channel has arrived. I don't know how to respond to statements like this emanating for a national news platform, but it's not a sign of anything good:
It seems that the Trump administration quietly loosened sanctions on a Russian oligarch tied to Putin, Oleg Deripaska, around last Christmas. Nancy Pelosi today summoned Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin to ask why this was done, and apparently Mnuchin failed to offer any explanation during the briefing. Pelosi said he spent most of the meeting reading an unclassified document.
It's only a very short matter of time before Administration officials and those in the orbit of the President just flat-out start refusing to answer Congressional subpoenas. The White House has hired 17 new lawyers and appears to be gearing up to claim Executive Privilege in nearly every instance.
I never meant Mexico is 'going to write out a check!' Trump claims he did NOT say Mexico would literally pay for his barrier - despite his campaign rally's most popular chant
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6577921/Trump-claims-did-NOT-say-Mexico-literally-pay-wall.html?ito=social-facebook Trump said he never meant Mexico would write the U.S. a check for the wall 'When I said Mexico will pay for the wall in front of thousands and thousands of people they are paying for the wall indirectly,' he said But he said multiple times on the campaign trail that Mexico would pay Trump heads to McAllen, Texas for a border security briefing and roundtable Photo-op is something he is loath to do, and told TV network executives on Tuesday won't help him make his public case for a border wall White House is still demanding $5.7 billion for new construction Congressional Democrats are refusing Trump walked out of Wednesday meeting with Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer Partial government shutdown is now in its 20th day
Roger Waters considers performing Pink Floyd’s The Wall on US-Mexico border
I'm pretty sure it was in the run up to the elections - remember the sudden overriding requirement to deploy large numbers of soldiers to the border during the campaign .
Someone should show the President the video of the tunnel. Someone should show his supporters the video and say, "This is why walls won't work." The minute they build is, someone will be busy digging his/her way underneath it. And in such a way that border patrol won't suspect. Get shut down in one place, move somewhere else. Eventually, they will find a way under and through, and you've spent all that money for no benefit.
Someone should show the President the video of the tunnel. Someone should show his supporters the video and say, "This is why walls won't work." The minute they build is, someone will be busy digging his/her way underneath it. And in such a way that border patrol won't suspect. Get shut down in one place, move somewhere else. Eventually, they will find a way under and through, and you've spent all that money for no benefit.
I don't like this argument, though I oppose both Trump and the wall. The problem is that it reduced the problem to a binary question of whether there is a way around it or not. It is the exact response every pro-gun person is using to any (no matter how reasonable, I don't want to go into the general pro/contra gun discussion here) gun legislation: a criminal will just buy a gun on the black market.
But it is not binary. Digging through takes longer than walking over the border. Some people will be caught while digging. Every time you find a tunnel and close it, it will take some time to dig new ones.
Tunnels make a wall less than perfect. They do not make it completely useless, if you want to keep people out. Same way with gun control, some of those criminals would get caught trying to buy guns.
Good reasons against the wall would be that it is not very effective for it's cost and that it creates an illusion of how the rest of the world is against the US. Walls divide on more than a geographical level.
The bigger questions are: How many other tunnels haven't they found? How many tunnels like this exist in other cities which straddle the border? How many are being built? If there was a reason to build such a tunnel, there will be reasons to keep on doing that. It's playing "Whak-a-mole" with 1000 miles of border. You might have found this one, but how may other ones exist?
Plus, we've caught more people on the terror watch list coming in from Canada than from Mexico (41 vs 6). It's just one of many reasons the border wall is a waste of time and money. But I have a feeling this particular one would resonate with Trump and his base. If they really wanted to do away with the wall, Build tunnels, fill them with explosives the Shrapnel and set them off, using it as a distraction strategy to get around the wall a different way.
They used to do the same thing in wartime in medieval sieges. Dig a tunnel Partway under the wall, brace it with wood, throw in lots of wood and debris (and maybe a dead pig or two for the grease) set it on fire and let the tunnel collapse, with the wall on top of it.
And I agree that the wall is not effective for its cost, and this is one of the ways to point that out. Like I said, human ingenuity is vast.
Multiple news outlets yesterday demonstrated that the "steel slats" that he has been talking about can be cut through with an average hand saw you can buy at the Home Depot. But again, this is NOT the point. Trump yesterday claimed he NEVER said Mexico was going to pay for the wall. This is not only the most easily disprovable lie in the entire history of humanity, but it was quickly pointed out (before they deleted it when it started getting circulated) that the official campaign website said EXPLICITLY that Mexico would be making a one-time payment of 10-15 billion dollars. So anyone who is making the argument that he was implying Mexico was going to be paying for it "indirectly" is either being 1.) hideously disingenuous or is 2.) lying their ass off. Or, as someone put it on Twitter yesterday, it is basically like saying this:
When I signed the lease for our apartment, I never promised the landlord I was going to literally pay the rent. What I meant was that an improving economy and boom in the housing market would increase the value of the building and he would get the rent that way.
Both Congressional branches had a deal to fund the government. The night before it was set to pass, FOX News, Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh turned on him, and he then shut the government down. Need I remind everyone him saying directly to Chuck Schumer's face that "I will be the one to shut it down, I won't blame you". That has now turned into his quote from yesterday, when someone asked if the buck stops with him (the famous Truman quote). Trump said "the buck stops with everyone". Truly a profile in courage this one.
So no, don't argue about tunnels or saws or even meet the argument of this wall on it's own terms. We are now at the point where the government is either going to be shut down indefinitely, or Trump is going to declare a national emergency, which barring a court order to stop it (which would probably happen, but you never know) would allow the military to start diverting BILLIONS of dollars in already appropriated disaster relief funds for wildfire and hurricane relief and would also ostensibly allow the military to start seizing land on the southern border by eminent domain, which in and of itself will probably get tied up for years in the courts. The entire thing is a goddamn scam, because Donald Trump is nothing but a two-bit snake oil salesman who somehow became President of the United States. About a million people have now officially missed a paycheck. We are now talking about BILLIONS of dollars being directly removed from the economy every day going forward. We are doing this because of one man and a party that has become completely subservient to his whims because they are deathly afraid of him turning his cult-like followers in their direction. Any remotely reasonable observer of politics knows whose fault this is and what is causing it. The American public, not generally the smartest collective group of people in most situations, seems to realize it too. Turns out even some Trump supporters don't see the magic in not being paid.
So I am tired of hearing police getting a bad rap for crap like this:
Police will always come if called.
Police will always trespass a person on behest of the owner of an establishment.
If this happened in Canada, the kids would have a nice civil suit on their hands as if they are stopped and the business can’t prove they stole something they were detained against thier will. They’ll still be trespassed though.
So I am tired of hearing police getting a bad rap for crap like this:
Police will always come if called.
Police will always trespass a person on behest of the owner of an establishment.
If this happened in Canada, the kids would have a nice civil suit on their hands as if they are stopped and the business can’t prove they stole something they were detained against thier will. They’ll still be trespassed though.
The cops and the business are both enforcing the same societal power structure, which is that black people have no real right to even engage in everyday activities if a white person feels uncomfortable and wants to call the police on them. We have seen this over and over and over again all throughout the last year. They get the cops called on them for moving into a new apartment. They get the cops called on them in less than 5 minutes waiting for a friend for a meeting at a Starbucks. They get reported for having a BBQ at a public park. They get reported for doing their job checking on a house as a real estate agent. They get reported for walking a white baby in a stroller. On and on and on and on it goes. These are just the ones that make news. Completely mundane activities no one would even blink an eye at if a white person were engaged in them are seen as potential criminal acts when engaged in by African-Americans, because the default assumption is that their skin color itself makes them inherently more criminal. There is no other explanation for it. I can't even imagine what it must be like to go through day to day with this kind of piano hanging over your head. Where you know you are simply one paranoid person's phone call away from having to explain to law enforcement why you are simply existing and going about daily activities in society. Who then might shoot you if your hands are anywhere near the vicinity of your waist.
Oh, boy, oh boy! I have some excellent news. Donald Trump said, on Camera, that, if he didn't get a deal, he will declare a national emergency over the wall. But the fact that he said something like this on Camera and in full view of goodness knows how many people...?
Means it is NOT a real state of emergency. So when he declares one, and the Democrats take him to court? His "state of Emergency" will get thrown out and he will NOT be allowed to seize money for his wall on the pretext of "A State of Emergency".
Well, that is an entire other line of thought. It's either an emergency or it isn't. If it's an emergency now, it was an emergency two weeks ago or a month ago. No dynamics have changed on the ground. The only thing that has changed is who is in charge of the House of Representatives. A national state of emergency is not based on Donald Trump's political problems. If it was what he he saying it is, he wouldn't be wielding it as a threat, he'd just do it. The very fact that he is using an emergency declaration as a threat and negotiating tactic is exactly why it is so dangerous he is thinking of taking this course of action. A real emergency wouldn't need to be used as a threat. It would be self-evident, he would act, then explain why it was necessary. But that isn't what is happening. A national emergency would be if Canada decided to start annexing Michigan with military force. A national emergency would be if a comet hit Nebraska and wiped out part of the midwest. It's not when a bunch of migrants cross a line on a map. We are not at war, we are not dealing with multiple catastrophic natural disasters at once, aliens have not landed from Mars and started vaporizing cities.
So I am tired of hearing police getting a bad rap for crap like this:
Police will always come if called.
Police will always trespass a person on behest of the owner of an establishment.
If this happened in Canada, the kids would have a nice civil suit on their hands as if they are stopped and the business can’t prove they stole something they were detained against thier will. They’ll still be trespassed though.
The cops and the business are both enforcing the same societal power structure, which is that black people have no real right to even engage in everyday activities if a white person feels uncomfortable and wants to call the police on them. We have seen this over and over and over again all throughout the last year. They get the cops called on them for moving into a new apartment. They get the cops called on them in less than 5 minutes waiting for a friend for a meeting at a Starbucks. They get reported for having a BBQ at a public park. They get reported for doing their job checking on a house as a real estate agent. They get reported for walking a white baby in a stroller. On and on and on and on it goes. These are just the ones that make news. Completely mundane activities no one would even blink an eye at if a white person were engaged in them are seen as potential criminal acts when engaged in by African-Americans, because the default assumption is that their skin color itself makes them inherently more criminal. There is no other explanation for it. I can't even imagine what it must be like to go through day to day with this kind of piano hanging over your head. Where you know you are simply one paranoid person's phone call away from having to explain to law enforcement why you are simply existing and going about daily activities in society. Who then might shoot you if your hands are anywhere near the vicinity of your waist.
Police do not have the luxury to determine if the phone call is frivolous or not.
You can take the example of the kid dying in the car after getting stuck between the backseat and the trunk and getting a call through 911 via OnStar into what happens when officers don’t take all calls seriously.
Stores are not public property so if an owner wants to issue a trespass notice, the police are obliged to do so.
If society is the problem, it’s time to fix the problem and stop pointing fingers.
That manager should be fired immediately.
Wrongful arrest/detention laws should start being legislated.
There is a lot of crap that cops do wrong in America, but this isn’t one of them but if they are kept being the scapegoat to sensualize a story it’s not going to change until every racist is publicly shamed in this way. That, sadly, would take far too long.
So I am tired of hearing police getting a bad rap for crap like this:
Police will always come if called.
Police will always trespass a person on behest of the owner of an establishment.
If this happened in Canada, the kids would have a nice civil suit on their hands as if they are stopped and the business can’t prove they stole something they were detained against thier will. They’ll still be trespassed though.
The cops and the business are both enforcing the same societal power structure, which is that black people have no real right to even engage in everyday activities if a white person feels uncomfortable and wants to call the police on them. We have seen this over and over and over again all throughout the last year. They get the cops called on them for moving into a new apartment. They get the cops called on them in less than 5 minutes waiting for a friend for a meeting at a Starbucks. They get reported for having a BBQ at a public park. They get reported for doing their job checking on a house as a real estate agent. They get reported for walking a white baby in a stroller. On and on and on and on it goes. These are just the ones that make news. Completely mundane activities no one would even blink an eye at if a white person were engaged in them are seen as potential criminal acts when engaged in by African-Americans, because the default assumption is that their skin color itself makes them inherently more criminal. There is no other explanation for it. I can't even imagine what it must be like to go through day to day with this kind of piano hanging over your head. Where you know you are simply one paranoid person's phone call away from having to explain to law enforcement why you are simply existing and going about daily activities in society. Who then might shoot you if your hands are anywhere near the vicinity of your waist.
Police do not have the luxury to determine if the phone call is frivolous or not.
You can take the example of the kid dying in the car after getting stuck between the backseat and the trunk and getting a call through 911 via OnStar into what happens when officers don’t take all calls seriously.
Stores are not public property so if an owner wants to issue a trespass notice, the police are obliged to do so.
If society is the problem, it’s time to fix the problem and stop pointing fingers.
That manager should be fired immediately.
Wrongful arrest/detention laws should start being legislated.
There is a lot of crap that cops do wrong in America, but this isn’t one of them but if they are kept being the scapegoat to sensualize a story it’s not going to change until every racist is publicly shamed in this way. That, sadly, would take far too long.
Maybe they should start charging people for wasting policemen/women's time. They charge you for an ambulance ride, why not for frivolous police calls?
Comments
EXCLUSIVE: Crown mistakenly exposed police informant, killing massive B.C. money laundering probe
https://globalnews.ca/news/4816822/exclusive-epirate-crown-exposing-police-informant-killed-b-c-money-laundering-probe/?utm_source=notification/TV Ratings: Trump Speech, Democratic Response Draws 40 Million-Plus Viewers
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/trump-primetime-speech-tv-ratings-tuesday-jan-8-2019-1174810?fbclid=IwAR2XoRyyBRNKdRU89hAp10g2gL-7vW3yStWOXyl1tMPhNe3jPsFUVcvxRgoThe amusing part is the Democratic response got more viewers than Trump did.
"In preliminary numbers, the quarter hour (9-9:15 p.m. ET) containing the president's speech drew a combined 28.1 household rating in metered markets on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CNN, Fox News and NBC. The following 15 minutes, including analysis and the Pelosi-Schumer rebuttal, averaged a 29.3 across those same networks, a bump of about 4 percent."
Pelosi, Schumer response tops Trump speech in preliminary ratings
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/424560-pelosi-schumer-response-tops-trump-speech-in-preliminary-ratings?fbclid=IwAR0D26MGI1ZmyE_AXF6mF27x0Nsxobqv_Re9CJ5v8k4txv8HL1iv6DDanLcIVANKA TRUMP’S BUSINESS WINS APPROVAL FOR 16 NEW CHINESE TRADEMARKS DESPITE SHUTTING DOWN
https://www.citizensforethics.org/ivanka-trump-trademarks/?fbclid=IwAR2D0Zpb2W65_j2R9lqjiDmry-qt7O20DVAnE2sqp6IRXi-I7GKEplnvshUNo, Mexico isn't paying for border wall through USMCA trade deal, despite Donald Trump's claims
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/jan/04/donald-trump/no-usmca-trade-deal-wont-pay-border-wall-despite-d/?fbclid=IwAR1E74FIrIN90J0kXxuXeaedy4EQy6j4t8WsUMV04J8sksNm5QPsbvB19LwGOP senators challenge Trump on shutdown strategy
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/424577-gop-senators-challenge-trump-on-shutdown-strategy?userid=322266&fbclid=IwAR1JXiZb09pr_uMUDaFham69rMMSAp8Jr665B1IgFzJqpbKPYKNd6aYzto4Denied: How some Tennessee doctors earn big money denying disability claims
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2019/01/06/tennessee-doctors-disability-claims/1077220002/TENNESSEE DOCTORS ARE PAID TO REVIEW APPLICATIONS TO THE FEDERAL DISABILITY PROGRAM. HOW MUCH THEY EARN DEPENDS ON HOW FAST THEY WORK. SOME DOCTORS WORK VERY FAST.
By the time Alan Chrisman was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer, he was too sick to work. The cancer had spread to his lungs. His doctors said he may never get better.
Chrisman, 59, applied for disability, the federal safety net program he contributed to with every paycheck during his 30 years working as a stonemason.
But a doctor hired by Tennessee’s Disability Determination Services to review applications quickly concluded Chrisman wasn’t sick enough to get the $804 monthly benefit.
That physician, Dr. Thomas Thrush, is one of about 50 doctors contracted to review applications for Tennesseans seeking disability.
That's not right, as Minsc would say.
Marco Rubio goes off after Ted Nugent calls him "the devil"
https://www.salon.com/2019/01/09/marco-rubio-goes-off-after-ted-nugent-calls-him-the-devil/?fbclid=IwAR2GaOnhBTLokufMprj7NwIDxHiRE-kezCLgH_LNqncIhY0CHrZsx1klyiABecause Rubio wants to prevent more Parkland shootings by taking away guns from people with problems.
Rush Limbaugh complains Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is too "uppity"
https://www.salon.com/2019/01/08/rush-limbaugh-complains-rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-is-too-uppity/Ah, yes, "uppity", usually used to slur black people who refuse to be shamed by their being black. The full term being "Uppity N****r"
Trump Has Lost Ground In The Shutdown Blame Game
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trump-has-lost-ground-in-the-shutdown-blame-game/?fbclid=IwAR1LzkFm1c6bUwPuXjtlU_fAkxGNPbF0SO_Z-ba_1-pLH1vdsFUCNx72YGA4% more people, across 3 different polls Blame Trump more as the Shutdown goes on.
Trump walks out of shutdown talks with a 'bye-bye'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46818218?SThisFB&fbclid=IwAR1x0gMcvNC9nEa4WwprLudGoXyC2dnj39egkFW-4SG1MsowfwkkFaIuIWUMr Schumer told reporters the president had abruptly left when Mrs Pelosi said she would not approve any wall funding.
The Senate Democratic leader said: "He [Mr Trump] asked Speaker Pelosi, 'Will you agree to my wall?' She said no.
"And he just got up and said, 'Then we have nothing to discuss,' and he just walked out.
"Again, we saw a temper tantrum because he couldn't get his way."
And, a sad note;
William Morgan Sheppard death: Star Trek and Doctor Who actor dies aged 86
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/celebrity/william-morgan-sheppard-death-star-trek-and-doctor-who-actor-dies-aged-86/ar-BBRUMvh?srcref=rss&fbclid=IwAR0R2W_fMPHBUtGKN4w2JAbmc0odN0_s1AcD-s7vMn9ZO698ylqw4t48wO0This article gives a bit of information about the structural differences in the US that make a shutdown more likely. For instance in a parliamentary democracy on the UK model you only need a majority of votes to pass a funding bill. A government without such a majority would have to resign and call a general election.
This article briefly covers the law governing shutdowns in the US. An interesting point about that is that the law was passed in 1884, but it was only in 1980 that the law was reinterpreted as requiring a shutdown (rather than assuming that existing operations should broadly continue).
There's no reason at all why the 1980 reinterpretation could not be reinterpreted again back the other way, even in the absence of any change in legislation. In fact I would say there is every reason that should happen. I mentioned before that it blows my mind that the US system can require essential workers to continue in their jobs without pay (or even a promise of later payment - though that is the expectation). I can see it's reasonable to require essential workers to continue working (most countries have a no-strike policy for their armed forces for instance), as long as they're paid. However, there's a word for forcing people to work without pay and that practice should really be consigned to history.
Though structural differences in the government system are important - in particular the 60% vote in the Senate that can mean bipartisan support is needed to pass a funding bill (though there are ways round that) - it seems to me the reason for the US shutdowns is more related to a philosophical position. In most countries most people would think of the government as working for them in doing many necessary tasks, irrespective of which party is in power. It therefore makes no sense to say that rubbish should not be collected, or potholes left unfixed, just because politicians can't agree between themselves. In the US there seems to be a far stronger streak of people who see the natural role of government as working against them rather than for them. It therefore seems much more sensible to say that all government tasks have to be specifically and regularly approved rather than assuming they will continue unless specifically disapproved.
Even 1980 isn't the real starting point though. The first real government shutdown was in the mid-90s as a result of the showdown between Clinton and Newt Gingrich. It's important to recognize this because there is hardly anyone as responsible for the current state of the GOP as Newt Gingrich. He designed a specific set of tactics and language used to describe liberals and the left that was basically taken straight from right-wing radio and started the complete radicalization of the party that culminated in Trump 20 years later.
Moreover, as I have mentioned time and again, Republicans are ALWAYS blamed for these fights and always lose them in the end, because they are without question viewed as the anti-government party. Even though Gingrich shutdown is the longest (set to be overtaken by this one over the weekend), it was under Obama it became something akin to a hostage-taking tactic in regards to the debt ceiling. Under Trump, it has been nothing but a combination of nihilism, hubris, and the wounded pride of one individual. An Economist poll yesterday shows that 55% of voters blame Trump or the Republican Congess, and 32% blame Democrats. That 32% is basically every die-hard Trump supporter in the country. Literally everyone else blames the same side that usually gets blamed. They are losing the argument and losing it badly, and it will only get worse the longer this drags on.
Republicans can do one of 3 things:
1.) They can put DACA back on the table in exchange for wall funding. This agreement was ALREADY made once in the previous two years in exchange for $25 billion in wall funding, as Democrats were willing the save the Dreamers. This time, it would be for $20 billion less than they could have gotten then. The problem is, the White House already torpedoed this deal once when EVERYONE thought it was a done deal (for the same reasons this shutdown is taking place, FOX News and right-wing media throwing a fit) so there is zero reason to think they wouldn't back out of their end of the bargain again.
2.) Mitch McConnell can allow a vote on the EXACT same bill that passed the Senate 100-0 just a few weeks ago before Trump's temper tantrum started. Only a handful of vulnerable 2020 Senators need to cross the aisle to override a veto. Pelosi is already close to have enough Republican votes to do so in the House. McConnell is refusing to do so as of now, which leaves.......
3.) Allow Trump to declare a national emergency and HOPE it gets tied up in the courts. This is the most cynical and dangerous political calculation they have ever made, but the one that seems the most likely. Rather than actually govern and stand up to this oaf in the Oval Office, they would rather let him declare himself an autocrat ruling by decree, and let the courts try to stop him. It doesn't matter if the courts stop him, once the President declares himself able to circumvent Congress by national emergency, there is no turning back. The last thing remotely like it that was tried was when Truman tried to takeover the steel mills during the Korean War. He had a far, far better reason for doing so, and even he was rebuked by the courts. However, this is the most likely scenario. The Republican Party would rather set the precedent of autocratic rule rather than give in to liberals.
Hillary Clinton Responded To Trump's Border Speech By Urging People To Help Migrant Kids
https://www.bustle.com/p/hillary-clinton-responded-to-trumps-border-speech-by-urging-people-to-help-migrant-kids-15732006?fbclid=IwAR2sul7ZScZZ23SPOrIo82n9qYT5DxSE5dFIxun6TNfEOp60hL9v6rkTjmIEx-felons in Florida enjoy new freedom: Registering to vote
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/florida-s-amendment-4-advocates-finally-get-register-vote-n956211?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_blk&fbclid=IwAR0Oi6USI5AF5lvESEe470d9RuuPB_ifCyDbX7NLcsAc2Nszo4j8C1Fw8UUTrump’s Border Crisis Is A Myth
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-border-crisis-myth-shutdown_us_5c353669e4b0f5aba7d92f1b?fbclid=IwAR0M7FnWfyeGavsvZy9-euAHPyxqzIRgRJkaPSbcHwuOOU0LWHu4alouqk0How Is The Shutdown Affecting America? Let Us Count The Ways
https://www.npr.org/2019/01/09/683642605/how-is-the-shutdown-affecting-america-let-us-count-the-ways?fbclid=IwAR1F-bpgyzOTBAHi4s6eEO3Uy800SnQC6Wism0rbv0j9jZwLIyoLDXTUkJ0Test of steel prototype for border wall showed it could be sawed through
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/test-steel-prototype-border-wall-showed-it-could-be-sawed-n956856?fbclid=IwAR3J1hvmtpmVqyKbItd3beDgxp54iXsD3uQgejK2pdBWjEOFgSGhO1W1ds0Evangelicals are lobbying against anti-lynching law because it includes LGBTQ people
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/01/evangelicals-lobbying-anti-lynching-law-includes-lgbtq-people/?fbclid=IwAR03z05mMvbMhiOTQegJ_EIWI1Fm-L6Z4r5ffgcHkmv4BneRgW_n9qv2AA0Go for the juggler? Someone doesn't know how to spell 'jugular'...
Scientists discovered a moth with golden hair & a small penis so they named it after Trump
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/01/scientists-discovered-moth-golden-hair-small-genitals-named-trump/
And now, for your delectation, some satire.
Americans Would Feel Safer If a Huge Caravan of Angry White Men Left the Country
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/americans-would-feel-safer-if-a-huge-caravan-of-angry-white-men-left-the-country?fbclid=IwAR078x7bNGZdWpNJxK0selPAmJmjYzzi7mwtVbFEIAY0ZlExXJL-vf3b59gIn an indication of just how much support the proposal has, many Americans said that they would personally contribute gas money to help get the caravan on its way.
Ba-dum-tish!
Edit: Apparently the White House has directed the Army Corp of Engineers to look into diverting money from disaster relief in California, Texas and Puerto Rico to the border wall. Madness.
I never meant Mexico is 'going to write out a check!' Trump claims he did NOT say Mexico would literally pay for his barrier - despite his campaign rally's most popular chant
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6577921/Trump-claims-did-NOT-say-Mexico-literally-pay-wall.html?ito=social-facebookTrump said he never meant Mexico would write the U.S. a check for the wall
'When I said Mexico will pay for the wall in front of thousands and thousands of people they are paying for the wall indirectly,' he said
But he said multiple times on the campaign trail that Mexico would pay
Trump heads to McAllen, Texas for a border security briefing and roundtable
Photo-op is something he is loath to do, and told TV network executives on Tuesday won't help him make his public case for a border wall
White House is still demanding $5.7 billion for new construction
Congressional Democrats are refusing
Trump walked out of Wednesday meeting with Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer
Partial government shutdown is now in its 20th day
Roger Waters considers performing Pink Floyd’s The Wall on US-Mexico border
https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/02/roger-waters-considers-performing-pink-floyds-the-wall-on-us-mexico-border/?fbclid=IwAR2A97qqDeWsE_3PPZbo3c5IxvOfkn503D0vLQevWBuFU9-RNB-zOTmLMSEMissing 13-year-old Jayme Closs found alive after she was kidnapped, parents murdered
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/missing-13-old-jayme-closs-found-alive-she-022515215--abc-news-topstories.html?.tsrc=notification-brknewsGovernment Shutdown Brings FDA Food Safety Inspections to a Halt. But Enjoy the Burrito.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/01/shutdown-fda-food-safety-inspections.html?fbclid=IwAR38kSQ9tWgQUdmeB1ZeJ8VAIg9u07Cyf4Oj26Q3WpfsbnHpw3cGmxW2RrgMake mine a Purrito, if you don't mind!
Mitch McConnell blocks Senate Democrats' move to reopen government
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/10/politics/senate-blocks-vote-congress-shutdown/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0NpMiuJd33OjmFTkvBcljKSrmReqJkI09N4rSjeUcSH3tbSHaRp8VwvHUCNN hosts ridicule Trump for unearthed 2004 speech saying walls can’t stop anything or anyone
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/cnn-hosts-ridicule-trump-unearthed-2004-speech-saying-walls-cant-stop-anything-anyone/?fbclid=IwAR3cCTOfN3QktWsWdLfPHJG4OAAMn9Fy47OyTbKJhFcVGSCB49J5TmztVPsFox News’ Shep Smith and Andrew Napolitano agree: The Trump campaign colluded with Russia
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/shep-smith-and-andrew-napolitano-agree-the-trump-campaign-colluded-with-russia/?fbclid=IwAR1ReEBqceb5VBZtVdnnpFCsCiOvWDSAi1FUXsRrWrHtEO0pso2KQuVxS54As Trump visits border, Texas landowners prepare wall fight
https://www.chron.com/news/texas/amp/Texas-landowners-dig-in-to-fight-Trump-s-border-13521599.php?fbclid=IwAR3FjirPBtDNF6aWyWe4rZUZ-bBc7Nz05SDevZZKqijBotndhKJc9B-WEkQMichael Cohen to testify in public before House panel
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/michael-cohen-to-testify-in-public-before-house-panel?fbclid=IwAR0gayHN7Ev3i60nuaNtj4NQB5cCCCMbrOrDnsU91F0EnDC9XAqPgYrWoQsHouse passes bills to fund several agencies, including the FDA, with Republican support
https://twitter.com/i/events/1083484970302136320?fbclid=IwAR2OaTcg_wVX-I8LSBM57sIRmWlZa2zYE8aplBpA_lElXl1rNd7rd_f1tfASenate Democrats pushed a vote to reopen the government. Mitch McConnell shot them down.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/10/18176932/senate-democrats-mitch-mcconnell-government-shutdownShocking video shows Mexican police discovering 33ft tunnel 'used to smuggle drugs and migrants' into the United States
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6576979/Mexican-police-33ft-tunnel-used-smuggle-drugs-migrants-United-States.html?fbclid=IwAR2KsPBQv4zrmVsCcdyGjmw6mPTmzy_mdD-LDTUikIw3_slpYABPoC7AH4cMexican police have discovered what they believed to be a tunnel used to traffic drugs under the border with the U.S.
Video footage shows federal police officers climbing down into the 33ft tunnel in Nogales - a city divided by the US-Mexico border.
The Mexican side of Nogales is located in the north-western state of Sonora, and its northern side is in Arizona.
Trump supporters have a large deficiency when it comes to compassion: study
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/study-finds-trump-supporters-large-deficiency-comes-compassion/amp/?__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR3iz0oiyzPkRz_gixXLSYeXalxJvUF5f9dkdCQwKOw7BFMkj7wJZD6UdKYMeth, cocaine, heroin: Most gets smuggled through ports of entry. A wall won't stop it.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2019/01/08/most-hard-drugs-get-smuggled-into-u-s-through-ports-entry/2517586002/?fbclid=IwAR0JyoGk62FIDWo4Yi7SZEmt-4n9NHHS6LniXAgH59EUuXnTC9A4CSYvNRUIsraeli Culture Minister:I'm proud to be “fascist” and consider fascism as part of the Israeli culture
https://telegra.ph/Israeli-Culture-MinisterIm-proud-to-be-fascist-and-consider-fascism-as-part-of-the-Israeli-culture-12-12?fbclid=IwAR2kvonWEUNFpMAOtukZ8eDx4zUwUWVP_pRf891J6juLa7OET6ei2RNjn_oPastor who called gays ‘scum of the earth’ fired for sleeping with prostitutes
https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/01/06/anti-gay-pastor-fired-prostitutes/?fbclid=IwAR0vjnkVddi8aGCoTSKjAYnWVJFZcRATGinRMsfAfuxTNYusCnKct-NpBYIPeople who love and sleep with others of the same sex are scum of the earth, but men who sleep with prostitutes are just fine!
In a follow up video posted on YouTube by Anderson, he said that the major sin involved was “being with prostitutes,” and said that he had also used marijuana and gambled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1076&v=h1D2ynASqe4
But it is not binary. Digging through takes longer than walking over the border. Some people will be caught while digging. Every time you find a tunnel and close it, it will take some time to dig new ones.
Tunnels make a wall less than perfect. They do not make it completely useless, if you want to keep people out. Same way with gun control, some of those criminals would get caught trying to buy guns.
Good reasons against the wall would be that it is not very effective for it's cost and that it creates an illusion of how the rest of the world is against the US. Walls divide on more than a geographical level.
Plus, we've caught more people on the terror watch list coming in from Canada than from Mexico (41 vs 6). It's just one of many reasons the border wall is a waste of time and money. But I have a feeling this particular one would resonate with Trump and his base. If they really wanted to do away with the wall, Build tunnels, fill them with explosives the Shrapnel and set them off, using it as a distraction strategy to get around the wall a different way.
They used to do the same thing in wartime in medieval sieges. Dig a tunnel Partway under the wall, brace it with wood, throw in lots of wood and debris (and maybe a dead pig or two for the grease) set it on fire and let the tunnel collapse, with the wall on top of it.
And I agree that the wall is not effective for its cost, and this is one of the ways to point that out. Like I said, human ingenuity is vast.
Black Teens Accused of Shoplifting at Kroger Had Receipts. Police Still Gave Them a Trespass Warning
https://www.theroot.com/black-teens-accused-of-shoplifting-at-kroger-had-receip-1831644237?utm_medium=socialflow&utm_source=theroot_facebook&fbclid=IwAR1483HUksVwLmFWlLZTIq6pKLGS2ZyErOOcpYx0-G9dmgVs42qSQrcRtmo&fbclid=IwAR2asrDd7O34iDHROL_MaKqJj49vikvkt4yWqHmxFdKMn97B9CuI_RY97g4A Trespass Warning means that if they go back before a year has passed, they can/will be arrested.
The Rape of an Arizona Woman in a Coma Is Not an Isolated Incident
https://rewire.news/article/2019/01/10/the-rape-of-arizona-woman-in-coma-is-not-an-isolated-incident/?fbclid=IwAR0Q3QSTehnl2RLw0GtCtQHseW-34PP0YlvbiAQAybIarOwh-oe_UIyj3mc83% of disabled women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. And the woman was Native American, who get sexually assaulted at the highest rate (Native American women, that is).
When I signed the lease for our apartment, I never promised the landlord I was going to literally pay the rent. What I meant was that an improving economy and boom in the housing market would increase the value of the building and he would get the rent that way.
Both Congressional branches had a deal to fund the government. The night before it was set to pass, FOX News, Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh turned on him, and he then shut the government down. Need I remind everyone him saying directly to Chuck Schumer's face that "I will be the one to shut it down, I won't blame you". That has now turned into his quote from yesterday, when someone asked if the buck stops with him (the famous Truman quote). Trump said "the buck stops with everyone". Truly a profile in courage this one.
So no, don't argue about tunnels or saws or even meet the argument of this wall on it's own terms. We are now at the point where the government is either going to be shut down indefinitely, or Trump is going to declare a national emergency, which barring a court order to stop it (which would probably happen, but you never know) would allow the military to start diverting BILLIONS of dollars in already appropriated disaster relief funds for wildfire and hurricane relief and would also ostensibly allow the military to start seizing land on the southern border by eminent domain, which in and of itself will probably get tied up for years in the courts. The entire thing is a goddamn scam, because Donald Trump is nothing but a two-bit snake oil salesman who somehow became President of the United States. About a million people have now officially missed a paycheck. We are now talking about BILLIONS of dollars being directly removed from the economy every day going forward. We are doing this because of one man and a party that has become completely subservient to his whims because they are deathly afraid of him turning his cult-like followers in their direction. Any remotely reasonable observer of politics knows whose fault this is and what is causing it. The American public, not generally the smartest collective group of people in most situations, seems to realize it too. Turns out even some Trump supporters don't see the magic in not being paid.
Police will always come if called.
Police will always trespass a person on behest of the owner of an establishment.
If this happened in Canada, the kids would have a nice civil suit on their hands as if they are stopped and the business can’t prove they stole something they were detained against thier will. They’ll still be trespassed though.
The cops and the business are both enforcing the same societal power structure, which is that black people have no real right to even engage in everyday activities if a white person feels uncomfortable and wants to call the police on them. We have seen this over and over and over again all throughout the last year. They get the cops called on them for moving into a new apartment. They get the cops called on them in less than 5 minutes waiting for a friend for a meeting at a Starbucks. They get reported for having a BBQ at a public park. They get reported for doing their job checking on a house as a real estate agent. They get reported for walking a white baby in a stroller. On and on and on and on it goes. These are just the ones that make news. Completely mundane activities no one would even blink an eye at if a white person were engaged in them are seen as potential criminal acts when engaged in by African-Americans, because the default assumption is that their skin color itself makes them inherently more criminal. There is no other explanation for it. I can't even imagine what it must be like to go through day to day with this kind of piano hanging over your head. Where you know you are simply one paranoid person's phone call away from having to explain to law enforcement why you are simply existing and going about daily activities in society. Who then might shoot you if your hands are anywhere near the vicinity of your waist.
Means it is NOT a real state of emergency. So when he declares one, and the Democrats take him to court? His "state of Emergency" will get thrown out and he will NOT be allowed to seize money for his wall on the pretext of "A State of Emergency".
And here it is:
You can take the example of the kid dying in the car after getting stuck between the backseat and the trunk and getting a call through 911 via OnStar into what happens when officers don’t take all calls seriously.
Stores are not public property so if an owner wants to issue a trespass notice, the police are obliged to do so.
If society is the problem, it’s time to fix the problem and stop pointing fingers.
That manager should be fired immediately.
Wrongful arrest/detention laws should start being legislated.
There is a lot of crap that cops do wrong in America, but this isn’t one of them but if they are kept being the scapegoat to sensualize a story it’s not going to change until every racist is publicly shamed in this way. That, sadly, would take far too long.