madness of the GOP is the central issue of our time

[boutons_deux]

Chaffetz Uses House Chairmanship to Shield His Big Pharma Backers

House Democrats seeking answers from pharmaceutical companies accused of jacking up prices on vital medications have run into a stone wall in the form of Republican Oversight Committee chair Jason Chaffetz, who counts the drug industry as one of his biggest backers.

Democrats, led by Elijah mings in the House and Bernie Sanders in the Senate, have taken aim at both companies, using them to symbolize rising anxiety over the cost of health treatments. For nearly a year, mings hassought internal do ents and called for hearings through the Oversight Committee, where he’s the ranking member. Valeant and Turing have thus far resisted the do ent requests.

The Senate launched a bipartisan investigation of Valeant, Turing and other drugmakers this week. But although the House Oversight Committee agreed unanimously to investigate prescription drug prices at the beginning of the year, Chaffetz has refused every request to compel do ents, issue subpoenas or schedule hearings.

On Wednesday, mings and his Democratic colleagues demanded that Chaffetz reconsider, claiming that he hadn’t even replied to their earlier requests. “Your silence on this … creates the appearance that you do not take seriously a request from nearly half of the members of this committee,” the Democrats wrote.

Given the Republican majority, without Chaffetz’s support, no investigation will be authorized. On Tuesday, Chaffetz said he planned to hold hearings on drug costs at some point, but his spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that no hearings were scheduled.

Chaffetz has received substantial support from the drug industry over the years. Pharmaceutical companies were the top contributor to his campaign in the 2014 election cycle, and No. 2 so far this cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Overall, pharmaceutical interests have donated over $198,000 to Chaffetz during his career, more than any other industry.

He has consistently voted against access to affordable prescription drugs throughout his career, according to the organization Progressive Punch.

The Republican from Utah has carried water for the industry in legislation as well. This January he introduced a bill to extend market exclusivity for “combination drugs” with ingredients already approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This could enable drugmakers to slightly tweak their formulas and extend their monopoly, preventing generic drugs from compe ion.

https://theintercept.com/2015/11/05/...harma-backers/

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Greed-Over-People free-for-all over reconciliation

Maine Sen. Susan Collins wants to use it for a tax overhaul. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, for en lement reform and a massive “pro-growth” agenda

And Rep. Bill Flores of Texas, who chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee, insists it should be used only to gut President Barack Obama’s signature health law.

The fast-track reconciliation process — a rare budget procedure that would allow Republicans to jam sweeping legislation through the Senate with a simple majority — is quickly turning into a free-for-all.

Dozens of members have different ideas for how to take advantage of the powerful tool, but the two chambers’ leaders will have to settle on a single set of priorities if they want to deploy it.

But even they seem divided.

Senate GOP leaders, who just took the majority a few months ago, want to take advantage of the 51-vote threshold and focus on repealing Obamacare.

On the other side of the Capitol, House Republican leadership, which has orchestrated a nearly endless stream of repeal votes over the past five years, thinks that strategy is short-sighted.

As Republicans try to finalize a budget deal in the coming days and align their fiscal visions for the next decade, it’s apparent that there’s no partywide agreement on reconciliation.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/0...liation-117024

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Like you asshole conservatives everywhere running Orwellian governments, Canadian conservatives up everything

Muzzled Canadian scientists now free to speak with media

The muzzles are coming off for federal scientists.

For years, scientists who worked for the federal government were silenced by strict rules that made them seek departmental approval before speaking to the press. On Friday, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains said that scientists are free to speak to the media about their work.

“Our government values science and will treat scientists with respect. That is why government scientists and experts will be able to speak freely about their work to the media and the public,” he said in a statement provided by his staff.

“We are working to make government science fully available to the public and will ensure that scientific analyses are considered in decision making.”

The change in policy is being communicated across departments and ministries in the government. On Thursday, scientists at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans were told they were now free to talk to the media, said David Prince, director at the Canadian Hydrographic Service.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/11/06/muzzles-removed-for-federal-scientists-at-department-of-fisheries-and-oceans.html

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News from the Repug War on Women

220 Sexual Assault Victims' Groups Warn Against Safe Campus Act

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), would

restrict colleges from investigating sexual assault cases unless police are involved.

It would allow schools to use higher standards of proof in determining guilt,

making it more difficult to remove a student accused of sexual violence on campus.

No other student misconduct would be held to the same standards.

Colleges are required under the gender equity law le IX to respond to all reports of sexual harassment and assault, regardless of police involvement.

Both higher education officials and advocacy groups often say requiring that all cases be routed to police would make victims less likely to report their rape to anyone.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...ushpmg00000003

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campaign pic time!

Idiot Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore Will Represent Boobs And Guns In Congress!












http://wonkette.com/595586/idiot-nev...ns-in-congress

==================

Nevada Wingnut Michele Fiore Will End Sex Trafficking By Cutting Off Pimps’ Giggleberries

If you really want to get serious about stopping the pimps and stopping this horrific activity with sex trafficking our children, come to us, the legislators, with a bill for chemical castration or straight-up castration.
[When] we have these heinous crimes of rape and murder and sex trafficking of children, I have zero tolerance for it and I think the solution would be castration

http://wonkette.com/581596/nevada-wi...-giggleberries

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Minnesota Woman Smashes Muslim in Face With Beer Mug for Speaking Swahili at Applebee’s


The 43-year-old assailant ran away after the attack and was later charged with third-degree assault.



Jama suffered deep cuts across her nose, eyebrow and lower lip.

“Emotionally that has destroyed me,” Jama said. “I’ve lived in Minnesota for 15 years, never had anyone even look at me weird for not speaking English and wearing a Hijab. I’ve seen hate crimes on TV, but for it to happen to me — I’m really a different person, I don’t like it.”

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-pol...hili-applebees

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Repug klowns here, recommended by this asshole

This Anti-Gay Rant From Colorado Pastor Kevin Swanson Is Sort of Incredible, Actually

When discussing his fear of attending the hypothetical gay wedding of his child, Swanson screams:

...At the entrance of the church...I’d sit in cow manure and I’d spread it all over my body. That’s what I would do. And I’m not kidding. I’m not laughing. I’m grieving! I’m mourning! I’m pointing out the problem! It’s not a gay time! These are the people with the sores! The gaping sores!
[...]
That is not a nice thing to do! Don’t you dare carve happy faces on open, pussy sores! Don’t you ever do that! Don’t you ever do that! I tell you don’t do it!

http://roygbiv.jezebel.com/this-anti...n-i-1741437014

the video of this Christian Taliban/Sharia asshole is amazing.

inciting his hateful followers to execute LGBT, isn't that some kind of crime?

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Republicans divided on whether to make 2016 about punishing seniors

Paul Ryan's ascendancy to the speaker's chair and the presidential nomination fight have brought Social Security and Medicare to the forefront for 2016. Now, Republicans are "openly feuding," according to Robert Costa and Ed O'Keefe, two of the best watchers of the GOP. That, they say, risks "a potentially damaging intra-party battle ahead of the 2016 elections."

The rift was exemplified this week by the GOP stars of the moment. Newly installed House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) said he plans to pursue a "bold alternative agenda" that would include major revisions in en lements. At the same time, leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump railed against proposals to end or significantly change Medicare.The dispute is part of a larger GOP argument over which policies Republicans will present to voters next year and how far the party should go in pushing for changes. Three years ago, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Ryan, his running mate, faced withering Democratic attacks after endorsing dramatic overhauls of Medicare and Social Security that proved unpopular. […]

"This is the biggest fault line in the party: whether Republicans should be talking about reducing benefits," conservative economist Stephen Moore said in an interview. "Republicans have fallen on their sword for 30 years trying to reform Social Security and Medicare, but the dream lives on—and it makes everyone nervous. Some see a political trap; others see it as necessary."

"how many times do Democrats have to run ads of Granny getting pushed off of a cliff in order for Republicans to see that making this their main issue isn’t politically practical?"

There's no chance that the rest of the GOP—including Ryan—backs down from this crusade in 2016 or anytime after.



http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/11/5/1445064/-Republicans-divided-on-whether-to-make-2016-about-punishing-seniors

[rmt]

Increase SS age 1 year every 5 years. For me, I qualify at age 67 now - push it to age 70 in 15 years time. This doesn't affect any seniors now and if something isn't done, there won't be much left in 15 years time when the tail end of the baby boomers qualify.

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"Increase SS age 1 year"

"some have shown"

1) raising the SS retirement age doesn't solve anything (as in, senior can't find jobs any way) and

2) there is no SS problem. It's easily solvable but 1%/VWRC/BigFinance don't want SS solved, they want it privatized into their filthy hands so they can steal $100Bs PER YEAR in fees.

[rmt]

"Increase SS age 1 year"

"some have shown"

1) raising the SS retirement age doesn't solve anything (as in, senior can't find jobs any way) and

2) there is no SS problem. It's easily solvable but 1%/VWRC/BigFinance don't want SS solved, they want it privatized into their filthy hands so they can steal $100Bs PER YEAR in fees.

Why would raising the SS retirement age not solve anything? People will not get SS until a later age - that's less money paid out - people are living longer now. A lot of seniors already have jobs - they just work longer.

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always good for ridicule, a good laugh

Sarah Palin: Bristol keeps getting pregnant because God is giving her ‘3rd, 4th and 5th chances’

Former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin explained that her daughter had gotten pregnant out of wedlock for the second time because God gave people second, third and fourth chances not to sin.



“Bristol is pregnant again,” CBS correspondent Tracy Smith pointed out to Palin during a recent trip to Wasilla. “That can’t be how you saw this playing out, unmarried and pregnant again.”
“Heck, no!” the former Alaska governor insisted. “Because being a single mom is — oh, my goodness. My heart goes out to the single parents. But my enormous admiration for what they’re able to accomplish doing double duty. And I watch Bristol do double duty all the time with her little boy, Tripp.”

=== Word salad alert:

“Well it takes a team to win, so it takes a team to lose. I was part of a team that came in second… out of two,” she opined.

“So yeah, semantics!

Okay, words matter.

You either win or you lose. We lost. That makes you not a winner — at that time.”

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/sara...d-5th-chances/

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Iowa to Hand Over Medicaid to Private Companies

As America’s heartland prepares for another frigid winter, low-income families in Iowa are also bracing for a significant change. That’s because private companies are scheduled to take over management of the state’s Medicaid program the first of the New Year, a shift Iowa’s governor is calling “modernization.”

Governor Terry Branstad says that concerned Iowans “should not be afraid of change,” but private management could make it harder for almost 600,000 people—about 22 percent of the state’s population—to get the health care they need.

The Des Moines Register says the current state-run program “spends less per person than the majority of other states, while still providing comprehensive coverage.” Why jeopardize that?

A chaotic transition, diminished services or reduced coverage could threaten low-income families and people with disabilities.

But Iowans still have a say. The federal government has to sign off on the transition, and a top federal official just said he has “serious concerns” about the end-of-the-year deadline.

A number of (red, slave) states have privatized Medicaid with the alleged values of efficiency and cost savings, but the results have been mixed at best.

Less than a year into Florida’s experiment with statewide privatization, the companies hired to manage the program are already asking for hundreds of millions of dollars more from the state.

In Tennessee, some patients have experienced inadequate physician networks, long waits for care and denial of treatments using the state’s privatized program.

Adding private profit to the only source of health care available to our most fragile citizens is a recipe for problems, and Iowa is learning that lesson already.

The Des Moines Register has investigated nepotism, unfair bidding practices and hundreds of millions of dollars in past fines or settlements involving the four companies that will manage the state’s program if the federal government approves it.

But Governor Branstad is shrugging off those issues: “I guess I challenge you to find any Medicaid provider of any magnitude that hasn’t had some issues in the past. That’s just kind of the nature of it.”

Iowans should contact the federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and tell it not to grant Iowa permission to privatize. A fifth of the state’s population and over $4 billion in public money are nothing to shrug about.

http://capitalandmain.com/latest-new...ompanies-1116/

Repugs their citizens and enrich BigCorp at every opportunity.

[rmt]

Some of you forget that regardless of our political bent, we are all Americans. I don't agree with some, but I respect their right to voice those opinions. One thing I admire about the Democrats is that they are united. You can see it in the last Democratic debate. None of the candidates would use the term "radical islam." It's like the decree came down from Obama and even Hillary, who has used the term before - refused to. Similar to their response to "Black lives matter" in the first debate - no dem dares to say, "All lives matter."

Republicans, on the other hand, have all different kinds of ideas - more like how I remember America was - individualistic - where the individual and creative thought reigned - not this central, hive mentality. Unfortunately, that variety of opinion leads the republicans to be scattered (lacking in the single-mindedness that drives the dems) and therefore, ineffective because they are not united - the establishment repubs are against the conservative base - sometimes I think they'd rather Hillary get the presidency over Cruz, Paul, Huckabee, Trump or Carson.

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None of the candidates would use the term "radical islam."

Even your ignorant asshole dubya said America wasn't at war with Islam, and America still isn't.

America created 100Ks of RADICALS lying that they are Islamists, just like Repugs lie about EVERYTHING (gotta close PP clinics to protect women's health)

Obama and the Dems are warring agains the Repug-created RADICALS, not warring with Muslims.

The Repugs, having created the RADICALS, are warring against ALL Muslims

[rmt]

Even your ignorant asshole dubya said America wasn't at war with Islam, and America still isn't.

America created 100Ks of RADICALS lying that they are Islamists, just like Repugs lie about EVERYTHING (gotta close PP clinics to protect women's health)

Obama and the Dems are warring agains the Repug-created RADICALS, not warring with Muslims.

The Repugs, having created the RADICALS, are warring against ALL Muslims.

Do you really believe sweeping statements like, "Repugs lie about EVERYTHING" and are you naive enough to believe that the Democrats are without dirty hands too? Anyway, nice to see a post of yours that's not copied from some link.

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Do you really believe sweeping statements like, "Repugs lie about EVERYTHING"

show me some major issues, policies, programs, etc by the Repugs that weren't based on TOTAL LIES and bull .

[rmt]

show me some major issues, policies, programs, etc by the Repugs that weren't based on TOTAL LIES and bull .

Most of the current repub presidential candidates think that education should be at the state/local level (they want to get rid of Department of Education) while the dems stress the Department of Education and their handouts. And yes, I know about NCLB in 2001 - I'm talking about NOW. I agree that education is best served at the local level - let each state decide its education.

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education IS, HAS BEEN, at the local level forever.

the Repugs want to destroy public education.

slave/red states having laid off !00Ks of K12 teachers, starved state college of funds (-$300M in WI), and want to distribute taxpayers education $Ts to for-profit chartera, Christian Taliban madrasas, without concern of the crap, corrupt job for-profit charters do.

[rmt]

education IS, HAS BEEN, at the local level forever.

the Repugs want to destroy public education.

slave/red states having laid off !00Ks of K12 teachers, starved state college of funds (-$300M in WI), and want to distribute taxpayers education $Ts to for-profit chartera, Christian Taliban madrasas, without concern of the crap, corrupt job for-profit charters do.

I disagree that "education IS, HAS BEEN, at the local level forever." The federal government holds the purse-strings to funds that they (like so many other things) dole out if you do this or that.

The federal government requires states to test students 17 times before graduation: annually in math and reading in grades 3 through 8, once in those subjects during high school, and then once in science during elementary, middle and high school.

The No Child Left Behind Act, the current version of the federal K-12 law, is largely blamed for ushering in an era of high-stakes testing in the public education system. The accountability at the heart of the law required states to ensure a specific percentage of students was proficient in reading and math each year, and each year that percent had to increase.

If states didn’t reach annual proficiency goals, they could be subject to a series of sanctions. And that type of accountability system resulted in states and school districts piling on their own tests to ensure students were on track to hit those proficiency marks.

“It’s important that we’re all honest with ourselves,” Duncan noted. “At the federal, state and local level, we have all supported policies that have contributed to the problem in implementation. We can and will work with states, districts, and educators to help solve it.”

The issue of testing has gained traction in the last year as Congress has been trying to rewrite NCLB. As lawmakers try to deliver a bill to the president’s desk before the end of the year, the separate reauthorization proposals passed earlier this year by the House and Senate both include language that would incentivize states to evaluate their tests and eliminate any found to be duplicative or ineffective.

However, both proposal would keep in place the federal requirement that states test students annually.


My local public school's counselor told me that the charter schools are drawing students from the public school. I've already told you my experience and my friend's very POSITIVE experience with charter schools. The ones here in Miami-Dade/Broward are superior to the public schools and that is why there are long waiting lists to get in. Regardless of what you think, that FREEDOM that the charter schools have allows them to react quicker and do things that public schools can't - like get rid of bad teachers (no powerful teachers' unions to deal with). In general, the charter schools have better teachers (who have the full support of the charters) and that desire of the students/parents to be there leads to better discipline, more effort in studying, better academics, etc. Now, imagine, if instead of tenured, hard to get rid of teachers, we had more charter schools able to fire bad teachers and compete for students. Imagine the innovative programs that would result. I think that the above, combined with awarding high-achieving students with 3 to 1 community service hours for (free) peer tutoring would greatly improve schools.

[boutons_deux]

[CosmicCowboy]

that's just stupid.

like Boutons.,

[boutons_deux]

that's just stupid.

like Boutons.,

it portrays the right wing hate media and Repug Klown Kar perfectly

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Red State Stupidity Confirmed: 9 Of The 10 Least Educated States Voted Republican

According to data compiled in a new study, 9 of the 10 least educated states in America also voted Republican in the last presidential election.24/7 Wall St used educational attainment data from the U.S. Census Bureau to rank all 50 states in terms of higher education level. The results were not surprising to those who pay attention to our national discourse. All ten of the most educated states in the United States voted for President Obama in 2012.

The ten most educated states were Minnesota, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Colorado, Massachusetts. Only one of the ten least educated states (Nevada) voted for President Obama in 2012.The ten least educated states were:

10). Idaho
9). Indiana
8). Oklahoma
7). Alabama
6). Nevada
5). Louisiana
4). Kentucky
3). Arkansas
2). Mississippi
1). West Virginia

Cuts to public education are usually one of the first orders of business undertaken by newly elected Republican governors.

In a broader context, the Republican Party has transitioned into the party of belief. Republicans have stopped relying on facts to support their policies. There is a definite distrust of the public education system. Republicans run their states based on a belief in conservative ideology, so it isn’t surprising that states that support a political party that has decided to create its own reality, have lower education rates.

http://www.politicususa.com/2015/11/17/red-state-stupidity-confirmed-9-10-education-states-america-vote-republican.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=f eed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+politicususa%2FfJAl+%28Po liticus+USA+%29

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Repugs and Repug voters are mofo bas s

With Paris conference looming, Republicans officially diss Obama's key climate-change initiative\

Neither the Senate resolutions passed Tuesday to kill the administration’s Clean Power Plan regulating carbon dioxide at new and existing power plants, nor the House combination of those resolutions being discussed, will survive President Obama’s veto. But Republicans (and a few Democrats) are determined to let every American know that they will do all they can to undermine government policy designing to ameliorate and adapt to climate change.

Under the Clean Power Plan, the Environmental Protection Agency aims to cut U.S. CO2 emissions 32 percent by 2030 over 2005 by requiring states to generate plans that for reducing power-plant emissions. That means even more coal-fired power plants will be shut down than have been in the past five years.

Among the supporters of the Senate resolution—introduced under the Congressional Review Act—were three conservative Democrats, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, who has argued that the EPA must find a “path forward for coal.” Attorneys general for those three states and 23 others are also suing in federal court over the Clean Power Plan, lawsuits that are as likely to fail as the seven previous ones have done.

The veto-doomed congressional resolutions would permanently prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating CO2 as a pollutant, something the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the agency is required to do under the Clean Air Act.

No matter whether their motives are based on malignance or ignorance, the lawmakers who passed these resolutions of denial—and who seek to do the same in the House—have one big problem. All their bogus posturing and boot-licking of the fossil-fuel industry can do nothing to stop climate change itself nor weaken the impacts of the changes that are becoming ever more evident to rank-and-file Americans.

?http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/11/18/1451583/-With-Paris-conference-looming-Republicans-officially-diss-Obama-s-key-climate-change-initiative?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&u tm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos% 29