tagged w/ GOP Idiocy
-
-
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) is still a very popular politician in Arizona despite his false claim that abortions make up 90% of Planned Parenthood's services. Actually, that's not intended to be a factual statement.
In reality, Kyl's approval rating has gotten markedly worse since January, according to a PPP poll released on Friday, perhaps not coincidentally because of the false claim he made on the Senate floor last month, and the negative press attention it generated.
In the same PPP poll that showed Kyl's approval rating slipping, a majority of Arizonans said they opposed cutting funding for Planned Parenthood. Further, while Republicans' opinion of Kyl hasn't changed much since January, large numbers of Democrats and independents -- who both strongly opposed cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, according to the survey -- have soured on Kyl over the same period.
Back in January, 47% of voters approved of Kyl's job performance, while 40% disapproved. Now, those numbers have practically flipped, with 42% of voters giving Kyl a thumbs up, and 46% giving him a thumbs down.
That quick downturn was caused almost entirely by defections from Democrats and independents. In January, Democrats disapproved by Kyl's job performance by a 24% to 63% split, while independents said the same, 35% to 50%. Those splits have since grown worse for Kyl, as Democrats now disapprove of him 16% to 70%, and independents dislike him by a 24% to 63% margin.
=========================
But here is the kicker - "Kyl has since had his statement scrubbed from the official congressional record." We still remember you saying it, jerk. That is intended to be a factual statement.Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) is still a very popular politician in Arizona despite his false... more
-
-
Thinking that reporters were out of the room, President Obama opened up Thursday night about the recent budget talks with Republicans and what he called their efforts to sneak in attacks on Planned Parenthood and his health care bill.
"I said (to Republicans), 'You want to repeal health care? Go at it,' " Obama told backers in a private meeting with an open microphone.
" 'We'll have that debate. You're not going to be able to do that by nickel-and-diming me in the budget.' "
He said he added: "You think we're stupid?"
Obama took questions from political donors after a press pool had been dismissed. But a microphone remained on, and Mark Knoller of CBS News took notes.
In what amounted to his most extended remarks on talks with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and others, Obama said he protested GOP efforts to add items to the budget bill under discussion.
That included efforts to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
"Put it in a separate bill," Obama said he told Boehner and his staff. "We'll call it up. And if you think you can overturn my veto, try it. But don't try to sneak this through."
Obama also had some choice words for Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who chairs the House Budget Committee:
"When Paul Ryan says his priority is to make sure, he's just being America's accountant ... This is the same guy that voted for two wars that were unpaid for, voted for the Bush tax cuts that were unpaid for, voted for the prescription drug bill that cost as much as my health care bill -- but wasn't paid for ... So it's not on the level."
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/04/obama-unplugged-blasts-gop-on-health-care-planned-parenthood/1Thinking that reporters were out of the room, President Obama opened up Thursday night... more
-
-
No exaggeration here: On Tuesday, the GOP will officially propose eliminating the current Medicare system by 2021, replacing it with a system of subsidized private insurance in which Medicare beneficiaries would get the equivalent of vouchers to cover a portion of their premiums.
At least on paper, the proposal would save money, but only because it increases voucher funding more slowly than the cost of health care, guaranteeing that at some point, seniors wouldn't be able to afford to get insurance—assuming that they could even find an insurer interested in covering the elderly.
Republicans say that the plan won't impact the cost or quality of medical care, nor will it leave any seniors with inadequate coverage. But they are also careful to say that their plan would not take effect until 2021, so it would only impact people who are 55 and under.
But if they really believe their plan would be so great for seniors, why wait until 2021? Why not just do it now? I could see needing two or three years for implementation, but 10 years? C'mon, guys. It's obvious that the only reason you're exempting people who are 55 and older from your proposal is because you know that anybody who actually spends any time thinking about it (like, for example, people who are close to Medicare eligibility) will quickly understand that this proposal is a complete joke.
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/548393/gop_will_propose_eliminating_medicare%2C_replacing_it_with_voucher-like_%22subsidies%22/No exaggeration here: On Tuesday, the GOP will officially propose eliminating the... more
-
-
Under a GOP-backed bill expected to sail through the House of Representatives, the Internal Revenue Service would be forced to police how Americans have paid for their abortions. To ensure that taxpayers complied with the law, IRS agents would have to investigate whether certain terminated pregnancies were the result of rape or incest. And one tax expert says that the measure could even lead to questions on tax forms: Have you had an abortion? Did you keep your receipt?
In testimony to a House taxation subcommittee on Wednesday, Thomas Barthold, the chief of staff of the nonpartisan Joint Tax Committee, confirmed that one consequence of the Republicans' "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" would be to turn IRS agents into abortion cops—that is, during an audit, they'd have to detemine, from evidence provided by the taxpayer, whether any tax benefit had been inappropriately used to pay for an abortion.
The proposed law, also known as H.R. 3, extends the reach of the Hyde Amendment—which bans federal funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake—into many parts of the federal tax code. In some cases, the law would forbid using tax benefits—like credits or deductions—to pay for abortions or health insurance that covers abortion. If an American who used such a benefit were to be audited, Barthold said, the burden of proof would lie with the taxpayer to provide documentation, for example, that her abortion fell under the rape/incest/life-of-the-mother exception, or that the health insurance she had purchased did not cover abortions.
"Were this to become law, people could end up in an audit, the subject of which could be abortion, rape, and incest," says Christopher Bergin, the head of Tax Analysts, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit tax policy group. "If you pass the law like this, the IRS would be required to enforce it."
(...)
"The Internal Revenue Service has no business interfering with a woman's right to a safe, legal, constitutionally-protected medical procedure," Thompson tells Mother Jones. "Private health care decisions belong to a woman, her family, and her doctor—not a government auditor."
Most IRS agents would likely agree, Owens says: "I don't think [IRS agents] enjoy prying around into those sorts of private matters." Another IRS veteran tells Mother Jones he doesn't believe his ex-colleagues would want to enforce such a law. "You can't ask people to go out and ask some woman about what the circumstances are surrounding her abortion. They just won't do it."
UPDATE: NARAL Pro-Choice America, one of the major groups supporting abortion rights, has issued a statement responding to this story:
"This bill gets more outrageous and insulting by the day. Not only would a woman have to describe her sexual assault to the police, but she could then be forced to relive that horrifying experience with an agent from the IRS," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "The 221 members of Congress who signed their names to this egregious bill must explain to their constituents why they want to give the IRS authority to audit rape survivors."Under a GOP-backed bill expected to sail through the House of Representatives, the... more
-
-
With the Republican’s move to slash every social, education and health program that benefits the poor and working class of America, it really is a world turned upside down for most of us, but for the GOP, it’s a wonderful world built for the privileged and greedy.
With that in mind, here is our latest Veracity Video, paying tribute to the wonderful world the conservatives have made for themselves where the rest of us get royally f**ked.
http://veracitystew.com/2011/03/20/wonderful-world-a-tribute-to-fked-up-gop-priorities-video/With the Republican’s move to slash every social, education and health program... more
-
-
Under a GOP-backed bill expected to sail through the House of Representatives, the Internal Revenue Service would be forced to police how Americans have paid for their abortions. To ensure that taxpayers complied with the law, IRS agents would have to investigate whether certain terminated pregnancies were the result of rape or incest. And one tax expert says that the measure could even lead to questions on tax forms: Have you had an abortion? Did you keep your receipt?
In testimony to a House taxation subcommittee on Wednesday, Thomas Barthold, the chief of staff of the nonpartisan Joint Tax Committee, confirmed that one consequence of the Republicans' "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" would be to turn IRS agents into abortion cops—that is, during an audit, they'd have to detemine, from evidence provided by the taxpayer, whether any tax benefit had been inappropriately used to pay for an abortion.
The proposed law, also known as H.R. 3, extends the reach of the Hyde Amendment—which bans federal funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake—into many parts of the federal tax code. In some cases, the law would forbid using tax benefits—like credits or deductions—to pay for abortions or health insurance that covers abortion. If an American who used such a benefit were to be audited, Barthold said, the burden of proof would lie with the taxpayer to provide documentation, for example, that her abortion fell under the rape/incest/life-of-the-mother exception, or that the health insurance she had purchased did not cover abortions.
"Were this to become law, people could end up in an audit, the subject of which could be abortion, rape, and incest," says Christopher Bergin, the head of Tax Analysts, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit tax policy group. "If you pass the law like this, the IRS would be required to enforce it."
The proposal, which House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has declared a top priority of the new Republican Congress, has 221 cosponsors and is expected to pass the House easily. The bill caused controversy and sparked a national protest campaign in January after Mother Jones reported that it would limit the Hyde Amendment's rape exception to cases of "forcible rape." Experts told Mother Jones that move could prevent Medicaid from paying for abortions in many rape cases, including statutory rapes. Despite the presence of many other controversial provisions, the bill regained momentum after its sponsors promised to strip the "forcible rape" language. But during Wednesday's hearing, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) highlighted the IRS enforcement issue, which has until now flown under the radar. He asked:
Would a woman have to certify that the Health Savings Account funds she spent on birth control pills or for a doctor's visit weren't used to pay for an abortion? If a woman were audited, would IRS agents be at her house demanding court documents or affidavits proving that her pregnancy was the result of rape or incest?
Barthold replied that the taxpayer would have to prove that she had complied with all applicable abortion laws. Under standard audit procedure, a woman would have to provide evidence to corroborate facts about abortions, rapes, and cases of incest, says Marcus Owens, an accountant and former longtime IRS official. If a taxpayer received a deduction or tax credit for abortion costs related to a case of rape or incest, or because her life was endangered, then "on audit [she] would have to demonstrate or prove, ideally by contemporaneous written documentation, that it was incest, or rape, or [her] life was in danger," Owens says. "It would be fairly intrusive for the woman."
Not everyone has "contemporaneous written documentation" that a pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. And, as Owens notes, adults sometimes pay for abortions for their children. If H.R. 3 becomes law, parents could face IRS questions about whether they spent pre-tax money from health savings accounts on abortions for their kids. "It would seem there would have to be a question about that [in an audit] and maybe even a question on the tax return," Owens says.
The bill contains no instructions for how the IRS should enforce it. The wording of the legislation is so vague that the Joint Tax Committee offered several different interpretations of which parts of the tax code it might actually affect. But the law will unquestionably affect some portion of the tax code—an entire section of the bill is titled "Prohibition on Tax Benefits Relating to Abortion." (A spokesman for New Jersey GOP Rep. Chris Smith, the main author of the bill, did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for the IRS said the agency does not comment on pending legislation.)
"The Internal Revenue Service has no business interfering with a woman's right to a safe, legal, constitutionally-protected medical procedure," Thompson tells Mother Jones. "Private health care decisions belong to a woman, her family, and her doctor—not a government auditor."
Most IRS agents would likely agree, Owens says: "I don't think [IRS agents] enjoy prying around into those sorts of private matters." Another IRS veteran tells Mother Jones he doesn't believe his ex-colleagues would want to enforce such a law. "You can't ask people to go out and ask some woman about what the circumstances are surrounding her abortion. They just won't do it."
UPDATE: NARAL Pro-Choice America, one of the major groups supporting abortion rights, has issued a statement responding to this story:
"This bill gets more outrageous and insulting by the day. Not only would a woman have to describe her sexual assault to the police, but she could then be forced to relive that horrifying experience with an agent from the IRS," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "The 221 members of Congress who signed their names to this egregious bill must explain to their constituents why they want to give the IRS authority to audit rape survivors."
It's hard to know exactly what form "describ[ing] her sexual assault to the... IRS" would take, since this bill hasn't become law. But as I note in the story, "contemporaneous written documentation" is a general standard for the agency, so it's likely that, barring a change to the law, a woman would need to provide such documentation to the IRS during an audit. But what would meet the standard? A police report? Trial records? A doctor's note? Again, it's hard to predict.
UPDATE 2: In comments, HyperTyler asks whether this means the GOP is abandoning HIPAA, the law that protects privacy of health records. Answer: not really. The law allows law enforcement agents to obtain such records by submitting a written request. IRS agents conducting an audit almost certainly qualify as law enforcement agents in this context.
UPDATE 3: Kevin Drum has more on this.
Nick Baumann covers national politics and civil liberties issues for Mother Jones' DC Bureau. For more of his stories, click here. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Email tips and insights to nbaumann [at] motherjones [dot] com. Get Nick Baumann's RSS feed.
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/gop-bill-irs-abortion-auditsUnder a GOP-backed bill expected to sail through the House of Representatives, the... more
-
-
One more outrageous assault on women and children by old white haired stupid controlling men.
http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2011/02/16/gop-head-start-marry/
"Many women in the county were outraged by the commissioners’ statements. “It’s shocking in this day and age when life is difficult and challenging for so many families,” said Sue Oehmig, executive director of Hope Alive, a shelter that serves homeless women and children. “I would like them to say that to the hundreds of single women that call us every year asking for help.
I’m embarrassed for Frederick County. We’ve just been set back 20 years.” “The reality is that people are struggling to make ends meet with two incomes,” added former City of Frederick Mayor Jennifer Dougherty (D) “What does family and marriage have to do with the economy or creating jobs, which is what they ran on?”One more outrageous assault on women and children by old white haired stupid... more
-
-
Two House Republicans have cast votes as members of the 112th Congress, but were not sworn in on Wednesday, a violation of the Constitution on the same day that the GOP had the document read from the podium.Two House Republicans have cast votes as members of the 112th Congress, but were not... more
-
-
Companies that have run ads on the Glen Beck show are pulling them. (It's about time)Companies that have run ads on the Glen Beck show are pulling them. (It's about... more
-
-
GOP politics are being reduced to a terrifying absurdity. Obama tags, right wing terrorists and a great white hope fill the Republican imagination. Republicans are praising right wing terrorists. Republicans are joking about Obama Tags and political assassination while longing for a great white hope. The sky is turning grey and Republicans are losing their collective mind.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are the Republicans really going crazy, or is this just politics as usual?GOP politics are being reduced to a terrifying absurdity. Obama tags, right wing... more
-
-
One Marine said, "I see the way propaganda and information war is waged on America's sons and daughters, and how patients are treated when they have a vaccine reactions," adding, "That should trouble all Americans." (emphasis added)
One soldier that Wagner interviewed said that the military flu vaccine issue "is the worse cover-up in the history of the military. When the issue, I believe, of the use of the vaccine comes out, I believe it will make the Walter Reed scandal pale in comparison."
CDC targeting pregnant women for an H1N1 vaccine contradicts its own advice.
In New ACIP Guidelines: Guidance for Vaccine Recommendations in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women updated version (May 5, 2008), CDC refers to the live attenuated influenza vaccine LAIV), commonly called “live vaccine,” reporting:
1. “If a live-virus vaccine is inadvertently given to a pregnant woman, or if a woman becomes pregnant within 4 weeks after vaccination, she should be counseled about the potential effects on the fetus.”
2. “Live vaccines pose a theoretical risk to the fetus.”
3. A chart in this CDC report specifically designates "pregnant women" as persons who “should not be vaccinated with LAIV.”One Marine said, "I see the way propaganda and information war is waged on... more
-
-
As the title notes more advertisers are pulling their ads from the Glenn Beck program. Earlier this week, it was reported that 36 advertisers were pulling their spots, but now, that number has increased to 46. Some of the more notable companies that dropped their support are
Applebee’s, Bank of America, Bell & Howell, DirecTV, General Mills,Kraft, Regions Financial Corporation, Vonage, Geico, LexisNexis', Lawyers.com, Progressive Insurance and SC Johnson.As the title notes more advertisers are pulling their ads from the Glenn Beck program.... more
-
-
Conservative media figures are blasting Democrats for trying to draw political gain from the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. But on Thursday, it was one of their own -- former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee -- who went there.
The 2008 Republican presidential candidate suggested during his radio show, "The Huckabee Report," on Thursday that, under President Obama's health care plan, Kennedy would have been told to "go home to take pain pills and die" during his last year of life.
"[I]t was President Obama himself who suggested that seniors who don't have as long to live might want to consider just taking a pain pill instead of getting an expensive operation to cure them," said Huckabee. "Yet when Sen. Kennedy was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer at 77, did he give up on life and go home to take pain pills and die? Of course not. He freely did what most of us would do. He choose an expensive operation and painful follow up treatments. He saw his work as vitally important and so he fought for every minute he could stay on this earth doing it. He would be a very fortunate man if his heroic last few months were what future generations remember him most for."Conservative media figures are blasting Democrats for trying to draw political gain... more
-
-
It's no longer the end of the beginning but the beginning of the end for the haters out there. The thin veil of decency and decorum as come clean off because the lack the intellectual prowess to maintain the facade. Now that they can no longer hide it will be easy to call them out and expose them for what they truly are. The man declaring himself a proud terrorist is well within his rights to do so. The elected official enthusiastically agreeing with him is in serious violation and needs to be removed from office.It's no longer the end of the beginning but the beginning of the end for the... more
-
-
PLAYING THE HEALTH CARE GAME...
We have all watched in amazement as the defaced photos of President Obama as Hitler held by wild eye'd crazy people screaming loudly with no more of a purpose than to disrupt and to stop the Democratic process. These loud mouth antagonists following their seemingly well distrubuted scripts of Anarchy 101. These people who now claim, to be Blue Dog Democrats or, independents etc.. All also claim to be only wanting a different type of health-care reform? When the truth is self evident by any person that would quickly choose a sign of Hitler and swastikas' to taunt as if these evil signs and symbols had something remotely to do with health care. By their own professed actions they show more to be the apostles of the extremist far right locked in "goose-step" with others like them across the country... following the lead of organizations like: NEWSMAX and Christopher Ruddy, Rush Limbaugh's along with the other hate screaming Neocons and Fascists. It seems rather amazing as after eight years at the helm with Bush, leaving the country on it's knees ruined. Now these over-caffeinated and angry losers, who only want democracy- Only if "they win", are at it again!
We need not forget ~ That some of our goose-stepping colleagues have been assigned to be here.
You can hear some of their voices here among us everyday. They are on a mission... Their own mission to instigate hatred, conflict, discord to disrupt the process and ultimately to destroy Democratic process.
You might ask... Why would they do that? Because, A Democracy is not a "Republic".
You hear their voices twisting the honest need by real people for Obama's Health Care Reform as an "Evil Socialist Plot" to take over the country and the government. These people are deliberately trying to push everyones buttons to cause, a riot and revolt between each other. They want that!!! The truth is, they are nothing more than a group of people with their own agenda that has less to do with Health Care.... and more about their own twisted political beliefs. = > To them.... IT IS ONLY ABOUT THEM!
They want to disrupt this political process by yelling "FIRE" in a crowded movie theatre!
SO NOW.... LETS TALK ABOUT THE REAL ISSUES HERE...
"HEALTH CARE and THE MILKING OF THE CASH COW! "
FIRST.... IT IS NOT ABOUT HEALTH CARE: It is all it about MONEY!
The Huge Money that flows into all these MEGA BUSINESSES. Business like; BlueCross, Blue Sheild and all of the other major health care insurance companies. This is all about keeping that money coming into their pockets! This is huge money!!!! BILLIONS!!!! That these industries are making EVERYDAY, EVERY HOUR, EVERY SECOND. All coming from the wallets and the backs of the hard working people across America.
"ALL THEIR DISCUSSION ABOUT HEALTH CARE THIS IS ONLY ABOUT KEEPING THAT MONEY FLOWING INTO THEIR POCKETS!!!! "
The Obama Health Care Reform Plan, when passed will stop that cash flow and their Milking of the "Cash Cow" and that damages their bottom Line! >> THAT IS WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!
(2) IT IS NOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF HEALTH CARE:
Every one of these Paid Government elected Politicians are lying through their teeth about how bad Government run Healthcare is . Because All of them have "Government Run Healthcare" themselves. (AND THEY ALL LOVE IT !)
(3) WAKEUP!!!
Health Insurance Companies have been bleeding all of us with as much money as they can get from our pockets !
(4) THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRIES ARE ADDICTED THAT MONEY:
They are addicted to that cash flow like a drug. Like any addict or Junky... they will: LIE, CHEAT and, STEAL in order to continue that cash flow and keep that (MONEY/DRUG) coming in.
What we are all witnessing on all media everyday are these Addicts doing everything and anything to continue to protect their overcharging of population by Billions and Trillions of Dollars !!!
THAT IS WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT !PLAYING THE HEALTH CARE GAME...
We have all watched in amazement as the defaced... more
-
-
Rep. Darrell Issa, Republican of California has sent a letter to White House Counsel Gregory B. Craig, asking for more information into their effort to collect information about the opponents of Obama's health care reform by gathering what they were saying or writing.
It brings to mind the image of the "enemies list" that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.Rep. Darrell Issa, Republican of California has sent a letter to White House Counsel... more
-
-
Voight asks, "Is President Obama creating a civil war?"
Actor Jon Voight is on his way to Cincinnati, and Atlanta, in order to participate in Fox News host Sean Hannity's latest "Freedom Concerts." But first, he paused long enough to share some extra nuttiness with the Washington Times.
"There's a real question at stake now. Is President Obama creating a civil war in our own country?" Voight said in an interview with the paper.
He continued:
We are witnessing a slow, steady takeover of our true freedoms. We are becoming a socialist nation, and whoever can't see this is probably hoping it isn't true ...
Do not let the Obama administration fool you with all their cunning Alinsky methods. And if you don't know what that method is, I implore you to get the book "Rules for Radicals," by Saul Alinsky. Mr. Obama is very well trained in these methods.
The real truth is that the Obama administration is professional at bullying, as we have witnessed with ACORN at work during the presidential campaign. It seems to me they are sending down their bullies to create fist fights among average American citizens who don't want a government-run health care plan forced upon them. So I ask again: Is President Obama creating a civil war in our own country?Voight asks, "Is President Obama creating a civil war?"
Actor Jon Voight... more
-
-
The amazing thing is that it never passed through the lips of Sarah Palin or George W. Bush.The amazing thing is that it never passed through the lips of Sarah Palin or George W.... more
-
-
Things aren't looking too good if you're a Republican these days.
By all accounts, John McCain needs a miracle to win the presidency this Tuesday, the Democrats are poised to win a veto-proof majority in the Senate for the first time since 1979 and in the House of Representatives, the GOP could lose as many as 30 seats.
Rare Congressional seats which were once considered safe for Republicans as late as August are now tightening up significantly, or even flipping over to likely Democratic pick-ups.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Republicans are pulling out all the stops.
The problem with these last ditch efforts by the GOP is that, in politics, there's always another day and another election. And the scorched-earth tactics of the Republican Party in these final weeks of election season could come back to haunt them in the near future.
While there are plenty of examples of Republican filth and scandals that will hurt the party this year and in years to come, in the past few days these vicious and vile attacks all seem to have a similar theme - religion.
So without further ado, here is the GOP's Holy Trinity of Idiocy over the past few days:
Read the rest at: http://stonecipher.typepad.com/the_stonecipher_report/2008/10/the-gops-holy-trinity-of-idiocy.htmlThings aren't looking too good if you're a Republican these days.
By... more
-
