I have many (many, many) students whose children are dependent on CHIP, including one whose premature infant needed open-heart surgery, and still needs constant medical care, and another whose son is a brittle diabetic.
As far as I can tell, they're all in denial about what their support of the GOP in general and Trump in particular means for their children.
I read something about it every week. But, yes, "we can't afford it".
There's going to be quite a bot of this, I think. The question is whether limited media bandwidth is going to be spent on other things.
https://twitter.com/Sen_JoeManchin/status/938153031115341830
Because they truly DGAF (and can DIAF), they've already started pivoting to "the debt is so enormous thanks to you moochers and parasites with your Social Security and Medicaid".
The only rationale I can think of for Hatch's comments- I mean, no one is that evil, right?- is that he's trying to make Romney look moderate by comparison for when Mitt takes the senate seat.
It's possibly even more vile with CHIP because with the tax bill, they were open about wanting plutocracy, but here their strategy seems to be to keep saying "Oops, butterfingers! We're really going to renew it, honest!" and media is still acting like they can be trusted on this specifically, because they say so and because it's kids.
They may end up actually renewing as they say, but they're at a minimum deliberately straining the program to the breaking point and normalizing the idea of abolishing it.
At least congressional Democrats may be finally taking this lesson to heart. Lowrey, Atlantic:
The earth is scorched and salted, the idealists are dead, bipartisanship is a myth, the technocrats are gone, unicorns are real, they're also terrible.
The Slate political podcast this week featured a rant from David Plotz which was such a balm to my soul that I turned it up. But that's all the positive feeling I've had in weeks.
Every time I see Keith, I say "Be true to yourself, remember your roots." But I feel like now I should be calling his office every day and screaming "WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF RUINS" until he uses every possible parliamentary procedure and public relations opportunity to stop all of this dead in its tracks. But I probably won't. The utter irony of the situation right now, of course, is that I can't really involve myself in electoral politics without a huge bureacratic hassle, and even then, I'm pretty constrained by the MSRB. So the anarchist stock market clerk is undone by capitalism once again. Curses!
Incidentally, but I would argue relatedly, I'm getting a little sick of all the soul-searching about powerful men in sexual assault/harassment scandals. I mean, that's why most of them sought power in the first place, innit? And most of them would sell their grandmother to the Devil for an extra 5% of whatever pie they've got their fingers in. Fuck 'em. The only way this representative democracy stuff EVER works is when the crats are scared of the demos.
I'm also worried what the end of CHIP funding is going to mean for medical care at the places we go to, largely funded by CHIP and Medicaid and entry-level ACA plans.
Ending CHIP seems particularly awful in all of this mess.
I guess they haven't actually done it yet, unlike some of the other things.
On the plus side, if Israel gets in another war with its neighbors and needs American aid and the Republicans aren't in office, I won't feel bad if the American response is "Sucks to be you."
As I said to Apo a few years back when he made a similar comment, if Israel gets involved in a(another) war with its neighbors, finds itself needing help from the US and doesn't get it, Israel won't hesitate for more than a second or two to dip into its nuclear arsenal, almost certainly leaving more than a million people dead or disabled in the first strikes and perhaps millions more dead or disabled in the ensuing regional (let's hope it's just that) conflict. What you're saying is like calling for California secession, except that it's more realistic and thus more horrifying.
I mean, I really and truly love you, and I share your frustration with American foreign policy, especially with respect to the Middle East, but hoping for a war involving a genuinely desperate Israel is crazy nonsense.
Never try to look in the bright side with you.
Anyway, I'm not so much hoping for a war as glad to not have to take seriously people who say things about Israel being our best ally or that antisemitism drives all of those who work against Israel.
18: Speaking of which, this is a great takedown of Ben Shapiro.
There's no way I'm going to read something that takes 15,000 words to point out somebody who wrote for Breitbart is a piece of shit.
Speaking of which, this is a great takedown of Ben Shapiro.
There's no way I'm going to read something that takes 15,000 words to point out somebody who wrote for Breitbart is a piece of shit.
I've been aware of Shapiro since Kevin Drum linked to something related to him about a year ago. He reminds me of everything that simultaneously attracted and repelled me about HS/College debate -- that there's a surface reaction that it would be really interesting to argue with him, and then the realization that it wouldn't accomplish anything.
But I will say I watched the first part of his debate with Cenk Uyger at politi-con and it was interesting. He's not a deep thinker but he is a good debater/arguer.
I remember thinking that if I had a couple of hours to spare it would be somewhat tempting to take his opening statement and first answer and try to annotate them. Because I realized that I have to spend way more time and way more words trying to construct the opposing argument than he had taken.
He's really good at making a bunch of statements which are each partially true (or at least colorable arguments) and are logically connected so quickly that you can't argue with all of them.
It's a bit like a cheap debate trick but he's able to deliver it in such a way that it sounds like reasonable punditry and not speed debate.
If he gets his nuts bitten off by a ferret half way through the article, just let me know and I'll read it.
I admit, I stopped about halfway through myself, but I'd guess that it doesn't include a ferret.
Ferret legging is the only true conservative sport.
9 million children currently receive health insurance under CHIP. I suppose it's their own fault, though, if their coverage is not renewed, since these children should have had the self-made self-reliance to have been born to investor-class parents, rather than to parents who spend all their money on booze or women or movies, or something like that. (Note to Charles E. Grassley: People don't really big-time spend on movies anymore. It's called Netflix).
Fun fact! Charles E. Grassley has an estimated net worth of about 3.7 million dollars. And people like Chuck "can't afford" to fund programs which only encourage children to be born to parents who are not filthy-rich like Charles E. Grassley.
FFS, Ben Shapiro was a Young Republican Wingnut Welfare since forever. He was a douchebag at 17, and he's still a douchebag.
I admit, I stopped about halfway through myself, but I'd guess that it doesn't include a ferret.
No ferrets, but the conclusion is essentially the same as yours in 23 so you didn't miss much anyway.
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I would say NMM to Johnny but hopefully none of you reprobates ever sank that low.
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French Elvis is dead? Why the "sink low"? Scandal or just "French Elvis?"
This was not the right month for to dive back into Octavia Butler's novels.
Also, police found the body of my cousin-in-law in Nebraska. Feeling gutted for their family. For a lot of people, these days.
I'm so sorry J, Robot, that's awful.
I'm so so sorry, J, Robot. Wishing for strength to you and your husband's family.
I was so sorry to hear about your cousin.
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I mean have you ever really thought about sand.
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Caption: Glacier National Park after Trump gets done.
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At a black tie red carpet opening gala for the big film festival here.
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Just try to keep the bile down until you're inside.
Be sure to see every Adam Sandler movie on offer.
43 Chani actually can't stand the red carpet bs and her bile is rising.
You should compromise and go to the bar.
No bar this year or I would. On the plus side I got accredited as press so I get to go to press screenings in the morning and other perks.
Did you have to buy your own Homburg or did someone sponsor?
49 It would be keffiyeh or ghutra and agal here.
Patrick Stewart is on the red carpet.
Tell him from me he's the best captain.
J, I'm so sorry to hear that. How awful.
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I'm evesdropping on my colleagues complain about ungrateful students - how dare they have the nerve to complain about extra credit?
The grievance in question was an in-class competition where you got extra credit points for being the first to answer questions, and the student raised his hand and complained that the extra credit would go to the students who need it least. The teacher chewed him out because life's not fair, gift horses, etc.
I'm totally on the student's side. That's a terrible method of delivering extra credit.
I personally give extra credit solely for activities that show you're studying early and not procrastinating on homework assignments, which is also not fair because there seems to be a wild gender imbalance, but no one has ever called me out on it.
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Maybe that should have gone in the fractions thread.
Lots of tuxedos many with lingering smell of mothballs.
I don't have any mothballs and my tuxedo hasn't moved from it's hanger in close to a decade. Should I check it for holes?
Sympathies on your horrible news, Madam Robot.
That's just awful, J, Robot.
Have we heard anything from the L.A. folks about the fires? I don't know how close any of them are.
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This morning, the Dean called an unscheduled faculty meeting to make "an important announcement that effects the faculty as a whole".
I was temporarily worried that she would announce that the school is closing as a result of the GOP tax bill.
It turns out that wasn't the case, so that's one bullet dodged. I wonder if we'll make to the end of the Trump administration?
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AFAIK none of us live anywhere near the fires. One former commenters former house in Ventura, now rented out, was close to a fire but is OK. There is an impressive/terrifying smoke plume visible from our office high-rise and the visibility looks like an August day here in 1978.
Sympathies, J Robot -- you've had a remarkably rough couple of years.
And, my God Jenny, what can you even say. Peace to you and our thoughts are with you.
My house growing up is also far from the fires, but that shot of the Sepulveda Pass is really something. I totally get why people want to be in an urban-wild interface when there are not fires, but right now, it'd be scary as fuck.
Why people always want to not be on fire is a mystery.
Sepulveda Pass sounds like a sugar substitute.
63: How do you make yourself drive toward that?!
The link in 63 really does look like the gates of Hell. Astonishing clip.
In more cheerful news, Rupert Mursoch's $30M estate is burning down.
73 is the best thing I've heard this year, I think on careful consideration. EDIT. No the best thing is that John Alllison has uncancelled his Tackleford comics/EDIT. WTF is happening in this world?
There's a creepy prurience to looking at disaster photos but these are amazing to see. (The best ones start at #8.)
OK, I jumped the gun as usual. Turns out that "burned areas appear in dark gray, vegetation is displayed in red." Still very interesting photos, though.
73 isn't true, at least according to the LA Times. Part of Rupert Murdoch's vineyard on his 14-acre property in some of the most valuable land in the world burned, but not any structure.
So you're saying that if Murdoch's house just happened to catch fire we wouldn't have to worry about it spreading?
Feel like if Murdoch's house went that would orobably mean the fire was big enough and out of control enough to take out other houses, but sadly I am not particularly knowledgeable about either fires or Rupert Murdoch's house.
Anyhow about 200,000 people are subject to mandatory evacuation overnight, and no sign of wind dying down, so probably what happens to Rupert Murdoch's house shouldn't be the focus.
It also burned a hyena refuge, so if you don't care about mass evacuations of humans you could care about the currently evacuated hyenas.
What are hyaenas in California refugees from?
Probably the earlier fires up in the Bay Area.
Hyena breeders? It is a little unclear. Perhaps no one truly knows.
Nothing worse than a hyena with a dodgy title and no registration.
Thanks, all. This was not a branch of husband's family that I've spent a lot of time with, so it's not so much my tragedy as it is theirs. I do know that it's bringing up a lot of terrible memories for the family members who had already been through the same thing years ago.
It's got to be different, I don't know better or worse, in a town that small where everybody will know what you are going through.
Where are they putting 200,000 evacuees?
No idea. The people I know of are staying with friends or relatives or in one case going to the Sunset Tower hotel and drinking heavily. Maybe it helps that most of the city is not being evacuated so its not hard to find a friend to put you up for the night.
My cousin in Ventura says folks in her neighborhood have been chasing away looters.
My parents are ok, their house is ok, except for some damage outside, every single house around theirs burned: uphill, downhill, across the street. There are aerial photos in the LA Times where you can see their neighborhood before and after.
[presidential because even though I don't live there, it's a little too location revealing]
No power in the neighborhood for weeks. Parents plan to stay in a hotel, go home during the day. Still need inspection, etc. Also, the cat never left and is apparently ok.
Insurance has told neighbors who lost homes to plan to rent for two years (while working out rebuild or sale, I guess).
I so sorry. That sounds rough even if they kept their house.
Oh god, that does sound rough. My sister-in-law's parents' are in a nearly identical situation up in Sonoma from last month.
It was firefighters from Ventura who held the line at Dry Creek Road, less than a mile from my mum's and sister's house, during the worst night of the fire, I hope there are No. Cal. firefighters hard at work down in LA. It looks like maybe the winds are taking the smoke out to sea? But don't discount the impact of crappy air and wear a mask people, my mum's cardiac issues are scary and its been weeks.
I think at this point there are firefighters from all over CA and even neighboring states down there. My parents talked to some from Santa Rosa on Tuesday when firefighters were starting to arrive at the evacuation center from all over.
