Trumped Up Wars

"You just don't in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pre-text," Kerry told the CBS program "Face the Nation."

Iraq was in the 21st century. Sen. John Kerry voted for it.
Nice moral authority you have there, John.

Palin and Russia

As tensions between Russia and Ukraine continued to heighten, former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) took to Facebook to remark how she saw this coming.

Back in October 2008, Palin criticized then-presidential-candidate Barack Obama at a Reno, Nev. campaign rally, for his reaction to Russia's invasion of Georgia.

Paralyzed GOP Representative Opposes Medicaid Expansion

More than a decade ago, Arkansas Rep. Josh Miller (R) was in a catastrophic car accident that broke his neck and left him paralyzed. Medicare and Medicaid paid the $1 million bill for his hospitalization and rehabilitation.

But this week, as the Arkansas legislature has debated continuing its privatized Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, Miller has remained steadfast in his opposition.

The Arkansas Times highlighted the contrast in a Thursday report. The alternative newspaper reported that Miller receives ongoing coverage through the government programs, including Medicaid-covered personal care assistance.

The Times asked Miller, 33, about this apparent contradiction: Shouldn't someone who has experienced the benefits of health insurance, including insurance paid for by the government, understand the importance of expanding those benefits to others?

The difference, he said, is that some of the 100,000 people who have gained coverage through Arkansas's Medicaid expansion don't work hard enough or just want access to the program so they can purchase and abuse prescription drugs.

"My problem is two things," Miller said. "One, we are giving it to able-bodied folks who can work ... and two, how do we pay for it?"

The accident that paralyzed Miller occurred about 11 years ago, the Times reported. He was driving with a friend, alcohol was involved, but Miller said he couldn't remember who was driving. When he arrived at the hospital with his life-changing injuries, he was uninsured.

Miller, who manages a rental property office, took office as a state legislator in 2013.

Real Benghazi Scandal

There's so much wrong with that it's hard to even argue against it: It's just mountains of bull piled on mountains of bull. It's the kind of story you'd expect from the lawyer of a guy trying to get out of a pinch for auto-theft. But if there's one thing we know about Darrell Issa, it's that he thinks he's the kind of guy who get away with exactly that.

Koch Roach Brothers Influence

Very long and detailed article on how Koch brothers money make it into many issues in elections.

snip:

Plucked from obscurity by libertarian billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, Noble was tasked with distributing a torrent of political money raised by the Koch network, a complex web of nonprofits nicknamed the Kochtopus, into conservative causes in the 2010 and 2012 elections.

Noble handed out almost $137 million in 2012 alone -- all of it so-called dark money from unnamed donors -- from his perch atop the Center to Protect Patient Rights, a group run out of an Arizona post office box.

Much of it was channeled to obvious destinations: Groups supporting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, for example.

ACA Subsidies as disincentive to work???

It seems like the "liberal media" keeps reporting on how the ACA subsidies are turning people into lazy lay abouts. More accurate is freedom from job lock.

Funny how you never hear about how CEO golden parachutes, distributed to these pirates after wrecking their companies, are never reported as disincentives to work.

Thanks to the anonymous person for the donated heart.

I live square in the middle of a red state so my DU community means means much to me.

Thanks again.

Proposed Documentary Title for Sochi Games

Given the abundant yellow water conditions these winter games should be titled "Triumph of the Swill."

A question for the Community

As the endless Benghazi "scandal" drags on, it made me wonder what the chances were that, if 9-11 happened on his watch, President Obama would have been impeached. I suppose it would matter greatly what the composition of Congress was.

I think there is a very real chance it would have happened. What do you think?

Ding! Ding! The One Percent Defense at Trial and It's a Winner.

More than half a century ago, “West Side Story” satirized the idea that what was then known as juvenile delinquency was a product of poverty and the psychological maladjustments it produced, and that therefore “this boy don’t need a judge, he needs an analyst’s care.

Since then, America has been busy transforming itself into an unabashed plutocracy: while median household income has barely budged since the mid-1960s, the annual income of the top 1 percent has increased by an average of approximately 200 percent in real terms.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that the belief that economic deprivation leads to psychological hardship, which in turn inspires youthful crimes, has not merely been discarded but, in some cases, actually inverted.