Scrooge McDuck is going to hell

Pro-life House members take thickheaded stand on abortion

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:48:00 -0500

Rep. Stupak (D-MI) has successfully lobbied for a floor vote on his sweeping pro-life amendment that would substantially rewrite the federal government’s stance on abortion funding. The main objection of Stupak and other pro-life House members is the concern that tax subsidies provided through the health insurance exchange (so-called “affordability credits”) will pay for private or public plans that provide for coverage of abortion services.

Ironically, one of the things these members fail to realize is that the American taxpayer already pays for private health insurance coverage for Americans that includes abortion procedures. There is already an employer tax exemption for money spent on health insurance for employees, and many of these plans include abortion coverage.

Because any money the federal government does not collect through tax exemptions costs taxpayers, from a budgetary perspective the fact that the money is not collected rather than spent makes no difference. It is still a cost that needs to be offset somewhere else, either in the form of new revenue or cuts in spending. There can be no question that the meandering reasoning these House members put forward—that affordability credits fund abortion—is just as consistent with the one that links tax exemptions for medical benefits to abortion funding.

But the Stupak amendment doesn’t even address this issue, and the argument has never been prominently vocalized by any House members. One thing the pro-life House members pushing the Stupak amendment are unwilling to or will not admit is that the American taxpayer has already in practice held a financial stance on the funding of abortion coverage in health insurance plans. Indirect taxpayer spending on abortion coverage has been a consequence of the funding mechanism for our healthcare system for decades.

and the runner up is:

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:11:33 -0500

continuum:

inthefade:

In which video games are blamed for a gang rape

37.

Essentially, the current generation of violent video games are military-grade training/conditioning systems. They train players to commit the most obscene acts and even crimes without consequence. What many people fail to remember is that play, especially among children, is a rehearsal for real-life. As people play, so will they act in the real-world. If a young man is inclined to violence anyways – and most are – and has played Grand Theft Auto for several years, he will be more likely to accept real auto theft as an acceptable act. It’s not a certainty, very few things involving humans are, but it raises the likelyhood considerably.

Emphasis mine. Though I could emphasize the whole thing for sheer ignorance.

Much like other entertainment mediums cherished by past generations, video games cause their users to lose all sense of conscience and gamers only grow to the mimic the worlds the experience in video games. If only we could return to our crime free past when we didn’t have books, movies, TV, or even story-telling. Then we would be able to live again and not have to worry.

The frequency between jaunts out into our Capitol city has been slowly trending upward—as...

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:45:59 -0500

The frequency between jaunts out into our Capitol city has been slowly trending upward—as today marks my third jog in 8 days. While a terrible record for most, for me it is reassuring. It was the longest yet!

bnaro: I set up Skype for an interview Ken Burns is doing right now for kids. Adorable....

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:09:09 -0400

bnaro:

I set up Skype for an interview Ken Burns is doing right now for kids. Adorable. http://twitpic.com/n1adp

Truly, America’s best idea.

"When you’re a child you’re the center of everything. Everything happens for you. Other..."

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:41:23 -0400

“When you’re a child you’re the center of everything. Everything happens for you. Other people? They’re only ghosts furnished for you to talk to. But when you grow up you take your place and you’re your own size and shape. Things go out of you to others and come in from other people. It’s worse, but it’s much better too.””

- John Steinbeck, East of Eden.

McCain introduces bill to block Net neutrality.

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:05:54 -0400

McCain introduces bill to block Net neutrality.:

mikehudack:

soupsoup:

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) introduced a bill in the Senate on Thursday that would effectively allow Internet service providers to slow down or block Internet content or applications of their choosing.

Another great move by the tech-savvy John McCain.

I had another lousy day at work and then my day took a total U-turn because I remembered Frontline...

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:02:00 -0400

I had another lousy day at work and then my day took a total U-turn because I remembered Frontline is on tonight. But on the other hand, does this make me a huge nerd?

Went to the White House yesterday in the pouring rain. It was...

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:26:08 -0400

Went to the White House yesterday in the pouring rain. It was incredible.

Just a thought

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:37:50 -0400

fleurinc:

Ok so last night post wine I thought of an amazing tv show to pitch to the Food Network…it would have Paula Deen & Sandra “Semi-Homemade” Lee as hosts and would be called ‘Drinkin’ and Bakin’ and would run around the holidays only. Sandra could make stiff drinks (her specialty), Paula could concoct new recipes to kill us all and both ladies could dish out advice on how to ‘cope’ with family/holiday stress. I mean they’d probably just talk about how to hide liquor in coffee cups and new ways to cook bacon but who couldn’t learn something from their combined life experiences?

Best idea/post in the history of mankind

Tax Day Looms for Americans With Offshore Bank Accounts

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:32:15 -0400

Tax Day Looms for Americans With Offshore Bank Accounts :

On Oct. 15, people with money in overseas banks must confess to the Internal Revenue Service and pay penalties or hope they will not be caught.

"…People can express themselves a little better at the state level.” And, with respect to..."

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:43:21 -0400

“…People can express themselves a little better at the state level.” And, with respect to some liberalization of the drug-possession laws at the state level, “I regard these developments as a distinctive statement by people that the present system is not working very well and they want to change it.””

- Former Reagan Sec. of State George Schultz.

Went to gay rights march today. As you can see, there were 2...

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:08:00 -0400

Went to gay rights march today. As you can see, there were 2 million people there. Lady Gaga was on stage.

From the first briefing I attended in DC. See if you can tell...

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:50:00 -0400

From the first briefing I attended in DC. See if you can tell what left me completely outraged for the rest of it after I saw this slide.

Please add “tort reform” to the list of phrases that need to burn in hell. On my first...

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:25:00 -0400

Please add “tort reform” to the list of phrases that need to burn in hell.

On my first day in DC, I saw someone working out across from the Capitol while simultaneously talking on a Blackberry. If I had to come up with a better way to convey my experience here, I don’t think I could.

Got to hand it to Florida, there’s nothing like a bunch of...

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:04:00 -0400

Got to hand it to Florida, there’s nothing like a bunch of neckbearded, backwoods, freaks running a pain pill parlor in Grime Central, USA.

"Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said today that the Obama administration may not meet its own..."

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:43:00 -0400

“Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said today that the Obama administration may not meet its own Jan. 22 deadline for closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and that the fate of more than 220 foreign terrorism suspects being held there likely will remain up in the air well past January.”

- Guantanamo closing unlikely in January (via southpol)

Another point for the Washington establishment. With each passing day it becomes harder and harder to say “This is all because of George Bush.”

joe.wilson@mail.house.gov

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:36:39 -0400

joe.wilson@mail.house.gov:

theotherniraj:

Remember: Proper grammar and lay off the death threats.

(via mundy)

I am pretty sure that is not his email address.

hotties: insomniapit: kittyforeman: babywolf: sade: all...

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:16:00 -0400

hotties:

insomniapit:

kittyforeman:

babywolf:

sade:

allpointsnorth:

carlawa:

work that headress! I’m really inspired by Native American culture lately. :]

(via dirtylittlestylewhore)

From a Native Canadian perspective, this is one of the most retarded and ridiculous things I’ve ever, ever seen.

Stupid. Fucking. Bitches. STUPID FUCKING BITCHES!

I hate this. I hate fashion. I want to slap that headdress off your upper-middle class Irish American head. Just because you saw it in Vogue doesn’t mean you can pull it off. Nobody can pull off a Native headdress for the sake of fashion. BECAUSE THAT’S NOT WHAT IT’S FOR YOU DUMB FUCK. Ugh. Bitch I’ll bite your nose off don’t you come NOwhere near me.

sade reads my mind.

i like this post x infinity

Umm really? Because last time I checked many tribes sell these headresses. If they don’t find it disrespectful to sell it to other people then I don’t find it disrespectful to see anyone wearing it. It’s not like blackface where it is meant to mock and mimic the culture. And really, culture should be shared with others because when people hold on to there culture and don’t share aspects of it with other people that is where misunderstanding and bigotry occur. Many of the Plains tribes that wore the headress wore it to show they were warriors but many wore it as a fashion and to show pride for their heritage. If fashion wasn’t able to pull inspiration from other cultural fashions, inspiration would be so limited. Also, you don’t see people getting mad when someone wears a komono. I just find this a little ridiculous. Oh yeah, I’m part Native American and I have no problem with this unless it is meant in disrespect or with degradation

who cares

mikehudack: peterwknox: PhilaLawyer.net | If You Want Something...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:22:36 -0400

mikehudack:

peterwknox:

PhilaLawyer.net | If You Want Something to Tax, Tax Lies.

This is wrong. The biggest obstacle to pot legalization is the international treaties created at the urging of the US that prohibit us from legalizing it.

bnaro: Somehow made it from Providence to Keene last night thanks to Venom drinks. Today: helping...

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:04:30 -0400

bnaro:

Somehow made it from Providence to Keene last night thanks to Venom drinks. Today: helping set up for the screening of 10th Inning. Excited!

Venom = worst energy drink ever