OK...What's Next?

[Padma]

4 hours ago, OrigamiNightmare said:

I feel like democracy has died ... I'm on SSI, Medicare/Medicaid, and live in HUD housing ... These people are gonna tear my life apart.

Will I be able to pay for my medications ... Dr. visits, future surgeries (I've had eight already), treatment, therapy, and various services under my CADI wavier ... will I have to move back into my parent's house ... what happens when they're no longer living ... I have no assets, no savings, nothing ... 

Everyone keeps telling me it'll be ok, none of these things are going to happen (getting rid of various services, among so many other terrible things). That there are checks and balances in place ... (Really! There are?! Then why have things gotten to this point). This or that can't happen it'll be fine .... Except none of this is normal, should never be normal, under any circumstances!

I'm so tired of all of this, I feel so powerless, and really scared ...

I'm so sorry. Many are in that situation and many of us are at risk in some of those ways or others. My hope--from hearing people like Lawrence Tribe speak--is that lawyers have been planning for this and will use everything they can in the courts to fight -- and to stall -- any changes, hopefully, at least until the mid-terms when Democrats may come back. The positive thing is that we are on notice and people are preparing for the worst.  In blue states like Minnesota, "states rights" may finally be used to protect people rather than to hurt them. I don't think the majority of Trump voters actually thought they were voting to take away housing, financial assistance and health care from people who need them (even though that's Ryan's agenda).

I think PR will be on our side--as is the law, and some very determined and knowledgeable lawyers (and Democratic politicians).

[BookWoman56]

1 hour ago, Duke Silver said:

Gingrich, I wish [very bad thoughts] and [more very bad thoughts].

Today I am embarrassed to be a U.S. citizen. In my lifetime, we’ve gone from having enough bipartisan outrage over Watergate to be ready to impeach Nixon, to letting Reagan slide by on Iran-Contra, to this insanity Gingrich is suggesting, which is essentially: Trump can have whichever advisers he wants, and they can do whatever the fuck they want to, because Trump can pardon them if they happen to do anything illegal.

Not only that, but there’s the issue of conflict of interest. In a sane world, Congress would be saying, “Either Trump can have a business empire which is heavily funded by foreign investors, or he can be POTUS, but not both because that would be unethical.” No, per Gingrich, we now have the Trump special snowflake exception: Trump is so wealthy that we need to change the ethics laws. So if POTUS were a regular business owner or politician, he or she would have to follow the normal ethics laws.  But because Trump is seriously wealthy (or has conned people into believing he is wealthy), we should not give him extra scrutiny but instead just throw out those pesky ethics laws because it wouldn’t be fair to inconvenience him by having to put his business into a blind trust like anyone else would need to do. WTFF? The one minor point that Gingrich conceded is that yes, there could be a problem if Trump’s businesses have dealings with foreign governments. Ya think?

On a different note, I appreciate the appeal not to demonize everyone who voted for a particular candidate. However, it’s easier for me to forgive strangers because I can tell myself that maybe they didn’t understand the issues involved, maybe they were so naïve they believed everything that Fox News and the alt-right blogs were telling them, and maybe they truly believed Hillary had managed to murder dozens of people, etc. and get away with it despite 30 years of witch hunts that turned up nothing. But I am struggling with what to say to someone I previously considered a good friend, who is an educated professional, normally politically moderate, yet voted for Trump because she wants Obamacare repealed, and is firmly convinced that all the terrible things Trump said were things he “really didn’t mean.” And who immediately after the election was posting to me and the rest of our mutual friends about how good “inclusivity” is. And I am so close to just saying: You voted for POTUS someone who is the antithesis of inclusivity, who made it abundantly clear during his campaign that he is a racist and sexist idiot who cares about nobody but himself. You voted for a VPOTUS who believes someone like me should have to go through conversion therapy to pray the pansexual out of me. How the fuck is that “inclusive”? What kind of hypocrisy are you practicing here?

This isn’t about a routine political disagreement. This is about having voted for someone who consistently espouses dangerous, vile hatred for any group or any person who doesn’t worship at his altar. This is about having voted for someone who is a walking textbook case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder to be the person who can now start a nuclear war if he feels someone dissed him.

Back when I was in grad school, one of my professors who taught German literature had come to the U.S. from Germany after WW2. She talked to me a bit about having been a member of the girls’ version of Hitler Youth briefly. I can look past that because she was barely 12 or 13 when she was in it, and obviously not ready to make adult decisions. But she spoke at length about having attended a few of his speeches and rallies, and how easy it was to get swept up into the emotions of the crowd wildly supporting him and agree with everything he said. But there came a point when she went home after a rally and tried to think about exactly what he had said, and realized that the meaning behind all those catchy slogans was in fact horrific. I suspect there will be many people in this country who will someday also look back at Trump’s campaign and ask themselves how they got so caught up in his sound bites that they failed to understand the implications of his words. They won’t even have the excuse of having only been 12 years old.

[jhlipton]

12 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Thanks for the reminder!  President Obama doesn't need to shoot off his mouth whenever he accomplishes something (unlike He Whose Name Will Not Be Uttered Today Cause It's Almost Christmas).

Or "W" every time there was an arrest of some minor al QAuida player.

10 hours ago, random chance said:

I believe it's January 6. Not today anyway.

They've released the votes.  2 less votes for Drumpf and 4 less for Hillary, but none of those went to the other person.

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

Also, just in case anyone asks: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/17/no-minority-workers-are-not-taking-jobs-away-from-white-people

Pardon me, but this is bullshit.  H1Bs have flooded tech.  Where I work, the bullpen is almost exclusively from India. 
Not taking blue collar jobs maybe, but white collar? whole 'nother story.

[Lantern7]

Speaking of "Game Recognize Game" . . . . look who's sold what passes for a soul to You-Know-Who! Republicans will stick up for each other no matter what, as long as those on the left get it in the A.

ETA: Found the article on Facebook. I liked the accompanying quote: "Will this evil old fucker EVER die???"

[random chance]

I got the January 6th date from a news site; apparently it was wrong. Quelle surprise.

[Bastet]

9 minutes ago, random chance said:

I got the January 6th date from a news site; apparently it was wrong. Quelle surprise.

January 6th is when Congress meets in a joint session to officially count the electoral votes and definitively announce the winner.

[callmebetty]

I think all politicians should take a look at what happened to the Russian Ambassador.  Nice looking man in a nice suit, you don't see it coming but if someone gets pushed far enough. It should scare all of them especially if you are employing your own security. 

[DollEyes]

16 hours ago, OrigamiNightmare said:

I feel like democracy has died ... I'm on SSI, Medicare/Medicaid, and live in HUD housing ... These people are gonna tear my life apart.

Will I be able to pay for my medications ... Dr. visits, future surgeries (I've had eight already), treatment, therapy, and various services under my CADI wavier ... will I have to move back into my parent's house ... what happens when they're no longer living ... I have no assets, no savings, nothing ... 

Everyone keeps telling me it'll be ok, none of these things are going to happen (getting rid of various services, among so many other terrible things). That there are checks and balances in place ... (Really! There are?! Then why have things gotten to this point). This or that can't happen it'll be fine .... Except none of this is normal, should never be normal, under any circumstances!

I'm so tired of all of this, I feel so powerless, and really scared ...

First of all, hugs and love to you, OG.  Stories like yours are one of the main reasons why I'll never give the Orange-Tinted Turd and his minions the satisfaction of giving up on this country, because I love it way too much to let them destroy it, nor will I give Trump "a chance" because IMO he has done nothing to earn it. The way I see it, Trump not only deserves all the demonizing he gets, he brought it on himself. I would willingly accept defeat if Trump and many of his supporters had shown any semblance of humility in victory, but not only have they refused to do so, there have been numerous attacks committed in his name since then, one of the latest of which was perpetrated against Newsweek reporter Kurt Eichenwald by a Trump troll who not only mocked Eichenwald's epilepsy on Twitter, he deliberately endangered him-which, instead of scaring Eichenwald, pissed him off enough to make him threaten to sue.  Like I said on November 9th, "My heart may be broken, but I'm not." As far as I'm concerned, normalizing Trump has not now, never has been and never will be an option. 

Edited December 20, 2016 by DollEyes

[random chance]

20 minutes ago, DollEyes said:

I would willingly accept defeat if Trump and many of his supporters had shown any semblance of humility in victory, but not only have they refused to do so, there have been numerous attacks committed in his name since then,

It is really odd how many of them are acting like they were the losers. They continue to fight and harass and troll like the election isn't over yet and there's still something at stake. Even the politicians are doing it, like Cruz yapping about how the Dems will obstruct them. (Too lazy to look up the direct quote.)  They won, but their angle seems to be that they're the losers who will fight us in the streets if they have to. It's weird and kind of laughable. Like on the Sandy Hook anniversary, Twitter was full of them warning people how it was a hoax to "take away our guns." When in reality, since they're in power now, if anybody's going to be interested in taking away guns it's them. They aren't "the resistance" anymore, we are.

[Hanahope]

So its my understanding that the Electoral College was designed to have appointed persons actually cast the votes for President, and while in general they would follow the voters, it was also intended for them to protect the country when the voters selected a clearly unqualified person and/or there are other suspected problems with vote.  Considering that this year, we had both, an unqualified candidate and significant questions over the voting process and hacking by a foreign government, yet the EC just accepted what they were told were the votes.  So why even bother?  If the EC isn't going to be the final 'check' on the voting system, if its just going to do whatever the state by state popular vote says, regardless of lingering issues and questions, is there any real point to the EC at all?  That is, except disenfranchising millions of voters in states like California and New York.

[fishcakes]

17 hours ago, OrigamiNightmare said:

I feel like democracy has died ... I'm on SSI, Medicare/Medicaid, and live in HUD housing ... These people are gonna tear my life apart.

Will I be able to pay for my medications ... Dr. visits, future surgeries (I've had eight already), treatment, therapy, and various services under my CADI wavier ... will I have to move back into my parent's house ... what happens when they're no longer living ... I have no assets, no savings, nothing ... 

Everyone keeps telling me it'll be ok, none of these things are going to happen (getting rid of various services, among so many other terrible things). That there are checks and balances in place ... (Really! There are?! Then why have things gotten to this point). This or that can't happen it'll be fine .... Except none of this is normal, should never be normal, under any circumstances!

I'm so tired of all of this, I feel so powerless, and really scared ...

OrigamiNightmare, I'm so sorry. I can't tell you it's going to be okay because I don't know what's going to happen, but I don't think anything bad is going to happen right away. As much as the GOP wants to dismantle all the things that you and so many others need to live, they can't do it overnight. They may start the process now, but cowards that they are, they're going to hold off on the major destruction until after the 2018 midterms. The majority of voters in this country are NOT with Trump or the GOP agenda, and the upcoming two years of Trump corruption and the GOP looking the other way is only going to increase that majority. It's up to those of who can to mobilize voters in 2018 and 2020 so that we can minimize the damage that's coming our way. Many days, I feel afraid and powerless too. And then I get angry, which is probably going to be the more useful emotion for all of us to have if we can channel it in a productive way. If you can, that's great, but if you can't and feel like it's all you can do to get through the day, that's okay too. Take care of yourself first. Don't lose hope. We're not defeated yet.

Edited December 20, 2016 by fishcakes

[AntiBeeSpray]

A pretty good article about not normalizing Drumpf, via the Huffington Post.

Source: huffingtonpost.com

[Broderbits]

Here's why I don't think we who are already on SocialSecurity and Medicare will see many changes: logistics. The sheer number of people whose  nursing homes and assisted living fees are paid by these 2 programs, and who would be tossed out if the programs are discontinued, would wreak havoc in the old folks business. Many, if not most, of these places are owned by giant corporations run by the same rich white guys who are buddy-buddy with trump. They would not look kindly on losing that income. The average family can't pay those fees without that help, nor can they afford to quit their jobs and stay home to look after grammy & gramps. Plus, with climate change there are fewer ice sheets to set us old folks on.

But you young people are well and truly fucked. I can picture Ryan & McConnell gleefully cutting the programs for anyone under 50, or pushing retirement age to 80. I just don't understand that level of hatred.

[stillshimpy]

Quote

They would not look kindly on losing that income. The average family can't pay those fees without that help, nor can they afford to quit their jobs and stay home to look after grammy & gramps. Plus, with climate change there are fewer ice sheets to set us old folks on.

 

 

Well, there's simply no diplomatic way to say this, but the GOP for all that they act as fluffers to alleged family values doesn't truly have any interest in people without means after they have served their usefulness.  Far from being more likely that they'll want to nurse senior citizens who don't have many means along for long period, the most obvious "we're trying to limit healthcare available to people who are anything other than upper-middle class and above" is that they want to wring the life's blood out of people while they are still working and then have them politely shuffle off the mortal coil rather promptly after that.    That's part of the point of gutting regulatory agencies so that there are tons of ways to make obscene amounts of money.  

Social Security is a relatively recent addition to our society and the GOP really only has interest in rich old people.  Again, the whole "fake news" "oh please, that isn't even happening" propaganda blitz is that people won't believe what is happening to others.  

The whole, "the average family" is also what forms the proletariat.  Historically, oligarchies just want the proles to die swiftly after they've broken their backs for the rich. 

The term "the death of democracy" gets thrown around a lot in these last weeks but it isn't an inaccurate description.  It does not bode well for anyone.  

Edited December 20, 2016 by stillshimpy

[Ocean Chick]

Oh yeah.  I totally agree with stillshimpy.  Think of the GOP as Scrooge before his conversion.  To the 1%, we're all Bob Crachett, doomed to toil for them for long hours and low pay.  And once we can't even do that, then according to their thoughts, we'd best die quickly and quietly, with no fuss or muss.  Remember "Soylent Green"?  If they can find a way to make money off our dead bodies, then they won't even have to  spend money on digging grave sites for us.

[Broderbits]

I have no illusions that the GOP gives a fart for any of us, I just don't think the rich who own the nursing home franchises are going to give up that income. Old age is a big business and god knows the workers aren't reaping the benefits, but the elite who are want to keep on collecting. They're very skilled at self-preservation.

[Duke Silver]

Think it was last week I posted an article, along w/ a tweet-commentary from Evan McMullin about the linkage between anti-democracy forces & increased global white nationalism:

[stillshimpy]

I have no illusions that the GOP gives a fart for any of us, I just don't think the rich who own the nursing home franchises are going to give up that income. Old age is a big business and god knows the workers aren't reaping the benefits, but the elite who are want to keep on collecting. They're very skilled at self-preservation.

Honest to god, I hope you're right.  

[MulletorHater]

5 hours ago, random chance said:

It is really odd how many of them are acting like they were the losers. They continue to fight and harass and troll like the election isn't over yet and there's still something at stake. Even the politicians are doing it, like Cruz yapping about how the Dems will obstruct them. (Too lazy to look up the direct quote.)  They won, but their angle seems to be that they're the losers who will fight us in the streets if they have to. It's weird and kind of laughable. Like on the Sandy Hook anniversary, Twitter was full of them warning people how it was a hoax to "take away our guns." When in reality, since they're in power now, if anybody's going to be interested in taking away guns it's them. They aren't "the resistance" anymore, we are.

I know, right?  But, I figure that they know they've been acting a fool for the last 8 years and now that they have to actually govern, the gig is up.  It's also called projecting their own bullshit onto the people they've beaten into submission; now they're afraid they're going to get the same treatment in return.  I won't even touch on the hypocrisy of the Dominionist Who Would be President accusing someone else of obstruction.  He, who stood on the floor of the Senate for hours reciting Green Eggs and Ham needs to sit his ass down somewhere.  His antics directly led to the shutdown of the government to the tune of an estimated $24 billion--something which that smarmy fucker is proud of.  And, why?  All because he had a directive from his constituents to de-fund the ACA.  He equated the fight against the ACA to the fight against the Nazis.   How ironic is it that he finally clicked his heels and figuratively raised his hand in the "Heil!" salute to support an emotional black hole who is traveling the country holding Nuremberg rallies? 

I also suspect that deep down inside some of these people know that the Persimmon Pervert's "win" is tainted.  It's tainted because he didn't win the popular vote.  He's officially the least popular person to ever win the presidency and was roundly rejected by nearly 3 million people.  It's tainted because they knowingly voted for someone who said and did some really vile things on the campaign trail and now they have to pretend that he didn't mean the things he said.  Yet, they willfully ignore the things he did such as inciting his followers to intimidate those pesky "urban" voters.  They also have had to reconcile themselves to the fact that they voted for someone whom they admitted lied to them--and they knew it.  "But, Hillary's emails!"  It's tainted because they know even on the surface that a lot of their fellow citizens would rather die resisting the horror to come rather than to be lulled into silence by the self-serving calls for "unity for the sake of the country."  It's tainted because of the specter of treason and folks won't shut up about it.  And, in that same vein, a lot of their party leaders, including their president, have been riding Putin's jock for years and have had their bitch card pulled and exposed.  It's tainted because they have to wait with baited breath every time the Persimmon Pervert Tweets something because he'll only embarrass himself.  

Some of them watch his cabinet appointments with growing unease and silently wonder if they made the right choice.  After all, the Persimmon Pervert was on their side.  He promised to build that wall!  He promised to get rid of them dang Muslims!  He vowed to round up all the "illegals" and toss them and their "anchor babies" out of the country!  He was going to restore America to her former greatness and they would get "their" country back!  And, yet, the curtain keeps getting pulled back more and more everyday and this is before the coronation.  "Wait a minute...Aunt Betty and Uncle Flip are on Social Security...he said he wasn't going to touch that!"  "It was supposed to be them other people who were going to finally get taken off the guv'ment dole!"  "He said he was the opposite of all those politicians in Washington...what the fuck?!"  "I voted for you...don't make me regret it!"

As one Trumpgretter admitted, she went "against everything [she] believed" to vote for that clown because of his promise to bring jobs back to America.  Now, she's getting the mother of all wake-up calls.   I suspect she's not alone.  

So, now some of them have to lash out with outlandish conspiracy theories because they want to keep their guns, are being denied their religious freedom to deny the rights of others, and are desperate to get back what was lost over the course of several decades.

Edited December 20, 2016 by MulletorHater
Changed "yearly" to "nearly"

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 hour ago, Broderbits said:

Here's why I don't think we who are already on SocialSecurity and Medicare will see many changes: logistics. The sheer number of people whose  nursing homes and assisted living fees are paid by these 2 programs, and who would be tossed out if the programs are discontinued, would wreak havoc in the old folks business. Many, if not most, of these places are owned by giant corporations run by the same rich white guys who are buddy-buddy with trump. They would not look kindly on losing that income. The average family can't pay those fees without that help, nor can they afford to quit their jobs and stay home to look after grammy & gramps. Plus, with climate change there are fewer ice sheets to set us old folks on.

But you young people are well and truly fucked. I can picture Ryan & McConnell gleefully cutting the programs for anyone under 50, or pushing retirement age to 80. I just don't understand that level of hatred.

Maybe. Just hoping the Dems and any Moderates stand up against anything sent their way in this regard. Especially for the younger generation.

Comes down to money and greed, in my opinion and don't forget the old 'Welfare Queen' excuse that they used during the Reagan era. They want people to get up by their bootstraps and get a job. Well that's harder to do with less jobs out there and having to hold down more than one, and even then it's not even enough to pay the bills, let alone have any kind of a living. They think that a lot of people misuse the system, when in fact it's only a small percentage that does. So it's just a farce.

[Broderbits]

19 minutes ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Comes down to money and greed, in my opinion and don't forget the old 'Welfare Queen' excuse that they used during the Reagan era. They want people to get up by their bootstraps and get a job. Well that's harder to do with less jobs out there and having to hold down more than one, and even then it's not even enough to pay the bills, let alone have any kind of a living. They think that a lot of people misuse the system, when in fact it's only a small percentage that does.

That excuse worked for retooling the welfare system, but it doesn't make sense that people thrown out of nursing homes are going to be able to work. It WOULD work as an excuse to overhaul SocialSecurity Disability, which, as any watcher of Peoples Court could tell you, does have problems with misusers. And if they want to have at Welfare again, fine. But gutting regular SS, that we've paid into all our working lives, and Medicare, payment for which comes out of one's SS check, is going to be a harder sell. As I said before, I don't think the corporate greed monster is going to want to take it's hand out of that particular cookie jar. 

And I don't see the point of giving in to hysteria either. We all need our wits about us, now more than ever.

[possibilities]

Believe me, the nursing home lobby will get an exemption from any cuts to institutions, or will reduce quality of care to residents if they do get cut. But those of us who are living outside institutions, we're the ones who will be considered expendable. The Supreme Court said that's unconstitutional, but the Supreme Court is not a reliable check on anything, when for one thing it takes YEARS to get a case to their docket, and for another, they will be receiving a new justice appointed by the administration of doom.

I don't think hysteria is helpful, but it's not unreasonable to be pessimistic and it's necessary for those whose lives are not at stake to be willing to take in the reality on the ground for those whose are. For some of us, it's the principle. For others, it's survival. Those for whom it's survival don't need a lecture on how they should feel or what they should do to cope, or or about the nature of reality, from those for whom the stakes are not as high. If anything, reality checks and wisdom about coping strategies should travel from the bottom up, not lecture from the top down.

[izabella]

10 minutes ago, Broderbits said:

That excuse worked for retooling the welfare system, but it doesn't make sense that people thrown out of nursing homes are going to be able to work. It WOULD work as an excuse to overhaul SocialSecurity Disability, which, as any watcher of Peoples Court could tell you, does have problems with misusers. And if they want to have at Welfare again, fine. But gutting regular SS, that we've paid into all our working lives, and Medicare, payment for which comes out of one's SS check, is going to be a harder sell. As I said before, I don't think the corporate greed monster is going to want to take it's hand out of that particular cookie jar. 

And I don't see the point of giving in to hysteria either. We all need our wits about us, now more than ever.

I think you are misplacing your hopes if you think corporate greed will save us.  The Republicans want to privatize Medicare, SS, Disability, the ACA, the whole ball of wax. 

That means, instead of the government paying providers (nursing homes) from our tax money, each of us would "get" vouchers instead.  Those vouchers go to the nursing home.  The catch is, they won't be enough to cover costs, deductibles will be HIGH, coverage will be LOW, and the providers (nursing homes) won't have regulations preventing them from raising rates or kicking you out for non-payment or whatever they damned well please. 

The nursing home providers will be just fine and will not prevent privatization - they will lobby for it.

Edited December 20, 2016 by izabella

[AntiBeeSpray]

32 minutes ago, Broderbits said:

That excuse worked for retooling the welfare system, but it doesn't make sense that people thrown out of nursing homes are going to be able to work. It WOULD work as an excuse to overhaul SocialSecurity Disability, which, as any watcher of Peoples Court could tell you, does have problems with misusers. And if they want to have at Welfare again, fine. But gutting regular SS, that we've paid into all our working lives, and Medicare, payment for which comes out of one's SS check, is going to be a harder sell. As I said before, I don't think the corporate greed monster is going to want to take it's hand out of that particular cookie jar. 

And I don't see the point of giving in to hysteria either. We all need our wits about us, now more than ever.

Yea I was just mentioning it as their usual excuse. Alongside the get a job theme. They don't want people to have access to anything remotely resembling a social safety net.

I agree on that.

 

22 minutes ago, izabella said:

I think you are misplacing your hopes if you think corporate greed will save us.  The Republicans want to privatize Medicare, SS, Disability, the ACA, the whole ball of wax. 

That means, instead of the government paying providers (nursing homes) from our tax money, each of us would "get" vouchers instead.  Those vouchers go to the nursing home.  The catch is, they won't be enough to cover costs, deductibles will be HIGH, coverage will be LOW, and the providers (nursing homes) won't have regulations preventing them from raising rates or kicking you out for non-payment or whatever they damned well please. 

The nursing home providers will be just fine and will not prevent privatization - they will lobby for it.

Exactly. You've hit the nail on the head.

[Duke Silver]

Walsh is so irrelevant & feels so left out.

[izabella]

Ok, here is some Russian hacker fraud that some might care about enough to do something about it - the kind of hacking that takes money out of corporate pockets:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/20/technology/forgers-use-fake-web-users-to-steal-real-ad-revenue.html?_r=0

[stillshimpy]

Quote

I think you are misplacing your hopes if you think corporate greed will save us.  The Republicans want to privatize Medicare, SS, Disability, the ACA, the whole ball of wax. 

That means, instead of the government paying providers (nursing homes) from our tax money, each of us would "get" vouchers instead.  Those vouchers go to the nursing home.  The catch is, they won't be enough to cover costs, deductibles will be HIGH, coverage will be LOW, and the providers (nursing homes) won't have regulations preventing them from raising rates or kicking you out for non-payment or whatever they damned well please. 

The nursing home providers will be just fine and will not prevent privatization - they will lobby for it.  -- end quote.  Most quit coding. 

Beginning of response:  That's the thing.  Paul Ryan and his cronies are just giddy at the thought of "privatizing" and so no profits are in danger.  Standards of care?  Oversight to make sure that abuse is limited?  Accountability when they do many of the same things that the privatized prison system has done?   They will do essentially anything to make more money and we've just disabled investigative reporting and faith in journalism.  This is fairly dire shit. 

I actively opted out of saying this earlier but unfortunately, all this all means is that older people will be stuck in squalid conditions, there will be little recourse for the abuses they will suffer and as soon as a family can't meet the deductible, it won't matter to them if they heave those people out into the streets to actually die.  It was never the Dems who were likely to pull the plug on your Nana.  That's more likely to fall to the corporate entities who do not regard them as people, but as things from which to profit.   

Elder abuse is essentially the only thing that will come out of this push to privatize and the GOP has an active interest in people dying before all the money they paid into a system can be collected.    Since it will impact those without many means the most, no one is likely to heed the cries of outrage.  I mean, fuck, nursing home abuses are already rampant and that's with regulatory oversight.  

Please don't mistake me, I hope to hell I am so incredibly wrong because we are talking about human beings and their suffering matters to me.  It just doesn't to corporations.  Again, cast thine eyes to the privatized prison system to check out how bad this can get.  Save for retirement separately and don't count on social security.  

 

2

1

Edited December 20, 2016 by stillshimpy

[PatsyandEddie]

1 hour ago, Duke Silver said:

Walsh is so irrelevant & feels so left out.

The comments are pretty funny with this one. 

[Duke Silver]

[EyewatchTV211]

This was discussed even prior to the election, but maybe now we citizens need to be pushing for our states to go this route http://secondnexus.com/politics-and-economics/nyt-thinks-can-end-electoral-college/?utm_content=inf_10_1164_1&tse_id=INF_d5950400c6d711e686924f044efee13a

[annzeepark914]

5 hours ago, MulletorHater said:

So, now some of them have to lash out with outlandish conspiracy theories because they want to keep their guns, are being denied their religious freedom to deny the rights of others, and are desperate to get back what was lost over the course of several decades.

Yeah...so wake up, suckers.  The Donald hoodwinked ya into voting for him.  I used to have empathy for these people but not now.  There was plenty of info' about DT on all the networks except for Faux News so if these suffering folks really wanted to check out Trump as a potential president, they had only to avail themselves of this news...the dumb u-know-whats.

I heard from a neighbor that there was a tape of the Donald using racist comments and actually calling his own little boy a "retard"...and that the Dems tried to get this info' released but whoever had it was afraid to.  Tom Arnold's name was mentioned.  Was this fake news or for real?

[Pixel]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

Yeah...so wake up, suckers.  The Donald hoodwinked ya into voting for him.  I used to have empathy for these people but not now.  There was plenty of info' about DT on all the networks except for Faux News so if these suffering folks really wanted to check out Trump as a potential president, they had only to avail themselves of this news...the dumb u-know-whats.

I heard from a neighbor that there was a tape of the Donald using racist comments and actually calling his own little boy a "retard"...and that the Dems tried to get this info' released but whoever had it was afraid to.  Tom Arnold's name was mentioned.  Was this fake news or for real?

Real. I don't know if Tom Arnold really has such a tape, but the story that he claims to have one is true.  However, the story says he calls his son a retard, not his "little boy". I don't think it's Barron. It's probably Don Jr., because I believe he's the one who appeared on the Apprentice most often. It's still not ok, but slightly less heinous if it's an adult son he's talking about.

Edited December 21, 2016 by Pixel

[EyewatchTV211]

Some good points, and what we need to remind the democratic politicians of https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/07/liberalism-austria-clinton-us-populist?CMP=share_btn_tw

[Duke Silver]

"But, but massive voter fraud!!!"

73.6 million voted against Trump.  Most Americans oppose him.  #RESIST

[Lantern7]

I mentioned Sparky the Penguin a few weeks ago. He pops up here at the end of This Modern World.

[OrigamiNightmare]

21 hours ago, Broderbits said:

Here's why I don't think we who are already on SocialSecurity and Medicare will see many changes: logistics. The sheer number of people whose  nursing homes and assisted living fees are paid by these 2 programs, and who would be tossed out if the programs are discontinued, would wreak havoc in the old folks business. Many, if not most, of these places are owned by giant corporations run by the same rich white guys who are buddy-buddy with trump. They would not look kindly on losing that income. The average family can't pay those fees without that help, nor can they afford to quit their jobs and stay home to look after grammy & gramps. Plus, with climate change there are fewer ice sheets to set us old folks on.

But you young people are well and truly fucked. I can picture Ryan & McConnell gleefully cutting the programs for anyone under 50, or pushing retirement age to 80. I just don't understand that level of hatred.

Alas I'm thirty-five so it may still be possible for them to cut me off, but perhaps I can find a nice ice sheet to stowaway on : )

[Duke Silver]

Uh, yeah....what Yglesias said; dude is speaking my language:

[Lantern7]

From Change.org: Support the TRUMP Act. Notice that I spelled out the name, so you know it's an acronym I don't mind typing. Not nearly as scathing as the "PENCE" plan combatting "conversions," but still a nice touch.

[izabella]

So Turkey is keeping up the pressure on the US to extradite Gulen by blaming him for the Russian ambassador's assassination.  Trump's business associates had already been jailed in an attempt to pressure Trump (presumably) to extradite Gulen.  Gulen better get himself to Canada or Trump will no doubt send him to Turkey as soon as he gets a chance because he won't want his businesses in Turkey to suffer.

http://www.voanews.com/a/erdogan-says-no-doubt-russian-ambassadors-killer-linked-gulen/3645340.html

Quote

Gulen condemned the attack earlier this week, and the United States has rejected what it called "absolutely ridiculous" suggestions that it was involved in or supported the assassination because of Gulen's presence in the U.S.

[MulletorHater]

3 hours ago, Duke Silver said:

Uh, yeah....what Yglesias said; dude is speaking my language:

So, it seems like the cowards in congress will be too chickenshit to call Drumpf out and put his rotund tangerine ass in check when needed.  Well, they have no one to blame for themselves for the position they are in now.  Had they not rolled over every time Drumpf or his rabid supporters threw their tantrums, they wouldn't be cowering in fear now.

So, now they have to worry about the brownshirts and trolls who will protect their fuhrer the way Damien's protectors watched over him by any means necessary in The Omen.

[Padma]

No more "Draining the Swamp" for Donald!  https://www.yahoo.com/news/gingrich-says-trump-is-done-with-drain-the-swamp-slogan-173426892.html

That didn't take long, did it?

Or this:

Schumer Reaching Out For Common Ground With Trump:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/schumer-trumps-trillion-dollar-infrastructure-plan-sounds-good/story?id=44311598

[PatsyandEddie]

6 minutes ago, Padma said:

No more "Draining the Swamp" for Donald!  https://www.yahoo.com/news/gingrich-says-trump-is-done-with-drain-the-swamp-slogan-173426892.html

That didn't take long, did it?

Nope! So it was "cute" to say  but he didn't really mean it? I am so shocked. Good grief! 

I really can't stand pompous, arrogant windbags who just won't go away. It doesn't matter what party they belong to. They are unbearable to listen to. 

[Duke Silver]

[EyewatchTV211]

ETA: Click to see this short thread (3 posts). Important info. But this was why my mother and I had honorary danishes after we visited the Holocaust museum - they seemed to be the only country that did not give in in some way or actively do wrong. Too bad they now have a bad record on immigration and diversity issues.

Hopefully this message continues to get spread. It is what many here have been saying http://time.com/4608547/donald-trump-republicans-no-mandate/

Edited December 22, 2016 by VMepicgrl

[Padma]

So, Democrats in North Carolina, you got played, big time.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/north-carolina-lawmakers-meeting-consider-hb2-repeal-083001982.html

Have you learned anything from this?  (Hint: Don't give Republicans ANYTHING until they are COMPLETELY COMMITTED to their part of the deal first. They. Lie! And will deceive you to get what they want again and again. Senator Schumer--pay attention!)

[fastiller]

6 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

From Change.org: Support the TRUMP Act. <snip>

Signed it.

[Duke Silver]

Hmmm, o.k. so maybe my cynicism about Congress' ultimate response to #RussianHack will wind up be incorrect.  Maybe numbers like this will prod those wastes of life to actually do something for the good of the Republic & impanel a special, independent committee to investigate....and dig deep.

Nahhh....too much stuff going on in backrooms; too much $$$ in play.

[Padma]

He should stop having rallies and going on twitter, and get to work filling appointments. Per Washington Post, he's got a long way to go: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-administration-appointee-tracker/database/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_trumpaesthetic-745pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

[Hanahope]

Forgive me, but i'm starting to have second thoughts on Trump's muslim ban.  I really really want to support peaceful people who worship however they want (although frankly, I'm fundamentally against any religion that treats women as second class citizens - and yes, that applies to more than just muslims, some jewish and christian religions act similarly), but with almost every attack going on in the world being caused by the radical islamists or wannabees, it gets harder and harder to not take a hard stance against all of them because of the few rotten apples spoiling the whole barrel.  government/security can't prevent all of the bad apples from slipping through the cracks of vetting, whether its because of insufficient funding/people to do the vetting, or the bad apples have learned how to lie well, more and more I'm starting to agree with those that say just no to everyone.  

I feel bad about these feelings, but I also am tired of having concerns every time I leave my house.  And I know that's not going to completely stop all attacks, but a reduction is preferable to an escalation.

[sistermagpie]

28 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

I feel bad about these feelings, but I also am tired of having concerns every time I leave my house.  And I know that's not going to completely stop all attacks, but a reduction is preferable to an escalation.

But look at it this way, giving aid the normal Muslims (who far outnumber the violent crazies) supports healthy relations between Muslims and everyone else, which in the long run is worse for terrorists. Always remember that terrorists *want* the west to react that way because it feeds their narrative of Islam against everyone else. Also living in the west often is going to be better for the women who are oppressed.

Meanwhile they can radicalize people who are born in the West via the internet so it's not like they have to send people in as refugees.