kpete
kpete's JournalFolks are signing up for Obamacare at the same rate they signed up for Romneycare
Folks are signing up for Obamacare at the same rate they signed up for Romneycare, about 0.3 percent of the eligible population after the first month:
The 106,000 total sign ups would be 1.5% of the Congressional Budget Office's projected seven-million figure.
The 27,000 signed up through the federal exchange at HealthCare.gov represent 0.3% of seven million. It is lower than expectations and is a drag on the overall total, especially considering the majority of states did not set up their own exchanges, but the administration is arguing the overall figure is ahead of the Massachusetts pace.
The Washington Post also noted (with a month-to-month chart from the New England Journal of Medicine added in): "Massachusetts eventually saw a really big spike in enrollment right before the individual mandate kicked in."
http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/13/21442151-massachusetts-signs-ups-vs-affordable-care-act
The Gospel of Selfishness in American Christianity
The Gospel of Selfishness in American ChristianityHow the philosophers of selfishness came to use Christianity as their cover story.
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Without Christianity, the underlying mean-spiritedness of conservative policies is simply easier to spot. Without religion, you’re stuck making libertarian-style arguments that sound like things cackling movie villains would say, like Ayn Rand saying civilization should reject “the morality of altruism.” Since Christianity teaches altruism and generosity, it provides excellent cover for people who want to be selfish, a sheep’s clothing made of Jesus to cover up the child-starving wolf beneath. Since Christians are “supposed” to be good people, people who really aren’t good are lining up to borrow that reputation to advance their agenda.
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People want to believe that the rich are better than everyone else and the poor don’t deserve squat, so they find a way to blame God for it rather than own their own greed and selfishness.
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Increasingly, the only thing religion has left to justify itself is that it provides cover for people who want to have bigoted, selfish beliefs but want to believe they are good people anyway.
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MORE:
http://www.alternet.org/belief/gospel-selfishness-american-christianity
The MOMENT Obama Endorses-Keeping Your Plan-Every Conservative SUDDENLY Decides Its Unworkable
Jonathan Chait: “Is it me or did every conservative suddenly decide letting people keep their plan is unworkable the moment Obama endorsed it?” Specifically, Republicans seem to have temporarily forgotten, but now remembered, that improving the functioning of Obamacare is as bad (among tea partyers and other radicals) as supporting it the first place.
https://twitter.com/jonathanchait/status/401083584020086784
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/11/14/happy-hour-roundup-233/
In Other News-Medicaid Expansion Works Beautifully-Proves Public Insurance Component Of ACA Superior
In Other News, Medicaid Expansion Works Beautifully
By Big Tent Democrat,
While the wonk created Rube Goldberg contraptions known as the exchanges goes through their problems, one aspect of ObamaCare has gone off without a hitch - Medicaid Expansion:
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The Obama administration plans to release October enrollment statistics this week, but publicly available figures already provide a contrast between a robust start for Medicaid expansion and lukewarm early signups for new, government-subsidized private plans offered separately under the law. "Medicaid is exceeding expectations in most places," said Dan Mendelson, Avalere's president. "It is definitely a bright picture in states that have chosen to expand."
The wonky proponents of the exchanges aren't particularly interested, but it does prove that the public insurance component of ACA is the superior part of the program.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57611885/medicaid-signups-an-early-obamacare-bright-spot/
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2013/11/14/11531/672/obamaadmin/In-Other-News-Medicaid-Expansion-Works-Beautifully
Coyote Joins 5K at Arizona State XC Championships
http://www.runnersworld.com/high-school-racing/coyote-joins-5k-at-arizona-state-xc-championships?page=single
Warren: It's Democrats' duty to change the filibuster rules
Republicans now hold the dubious distinction of having filibustered all three women that President Obama nominated to D.C. Circuit. Now, collectively, these three women have diverse experiences in private practice, in government, and in public interest law. Between them, they have argued an amazing 45 cases before the Supreme Court, and have participated in many more. All three have the support of a majority of Senators. So why have they been filibustered?
The reason is simple. They are caught in a fight over the future of our courts—fight over whether the courts will be a neutral forum that decides every dispute fairly, or whether the courts will be stacked in favor of the wealthy and the powerful. [...] The D.C. Circuit is a particular target because that court has the power to overturn agency regulations. If a business doesn’t like it when the agencies implement the will of Congress, they try to undermine those agencies through the D.C. Circuit. [...]
We need to call out these filibusters for what they are: naked attempts to nullify the results of the last Presidential election—to force us to govern as though President Obama hadn’t won the 2012 election. [...]
If Republicans continue to filibuster these highly qualified nominees for no reason other than to nullify the President’s Constitutional authority, then senators not only have a right to change the filibuster rules—senators have a duty to change the filibuster rules.
MORE:
http://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/20131113%20Judicial%20Nominees%20Speech.pdf
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/14/1255663/-Warren-It-s-Democrats-duty-to-change-the-filibuster-nbsp-rules
WOW, Pope & Patti Smith
She is Benediction
John Fugelsang ✔ @JohnFugelsang
Pope Francis and Patti Smith.
11:27 AM - 14 Nov 2013
https://twitter.com/JohnFugelsang/statuses/401068877855346688
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2013/11/14/she-is-benediction/
only one of my favorite, singer-song writers, poet, awesomeness
Patti that is...
Janet Yellen Shames Congress For Austerity, Being Terrible
Source: Huffington Post
It looks like Janet Yellen will have no problem tackling one of Ben Bernanke's most important jobs: shaming Congress for ruining the economy.
Yellen reminded lawmakers of their sheer terribleness during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Thursday about her nomination to replace Bernanke as chair of the Federal Reserve when his term ends in January. Republican senators moaned and groaned, as usual, about the Fed's extreme easy-money policies. Yellen reminded everybody that Congress has forced the Fed to act by constantly imposing harsh austerity measures on an economy still recovering from a financial crisis and deep recession.
"Fiscal policy has been working at cross purposes to monetary policy," Yellen said. "Some of the near-term reductions in spending that we have seen have certainly detracted from the momentum of the economy and from demand, making it harder for the Fed to get the economy moving, making our task more difficult.
"We are worried about a fragile recovery, and a more supportive fiscal policy, or one that at least had less drag, that did no harm, would make life easier," she added later.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/14/janet-yellen-congress_n_4275572.html
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