zhounder

What we’re currently witnessing between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un is what happens when two unhinged, delusional, and mentally unstable crazy people face off with one another. Their “leadership abilities” are built around massive egos and unprecedented insecurities, fueled by “yes men” who are constantly pandering to their obsessive need to be told they’re the most intelligent, powerful leader who’s ever existed — and that nothing they say or do is ever wrong.

$7.25 x 40 hour full time work week: $290

$290 x 4 weeks per month: $1,160

That weekly check comes to, according to you, 290. Most places DO NOT pay for your half hour lunch that is required by law. So your beginning number was wrong. $7.25 x 7.5 hours a day x 5 days a week only gets you $271.88.  Most people in America get paid bi-weekly, so let’s double it to get the budget. $543.75. That’s GROSS, not NET. Out of that comes anywhere between 10% and 15% taxes depending on state so we’ll low ball it at 10%. Automatically down to $489.38 a pay check. Now health insurance. Usually anywhere from 70-100 a pay check for the cheapest plans. Again, we’ll low ball and go $70. So now we have $419.39 a paycheck. x 2  = $839. 

Eight hundred thirty nine dollars. A MONTH.

But again, you seem to think that’s fair. So let’s proceed. You say rent is $500? Okay. This person now has $339 left to buy groceries for the whole month, pay utilities, car payment, car insurance, and gas money to get to work. 

Those are the bare needs. You have to eat. You have to pay for heat, water, garbage removal, gas and or electricity because apartments do not always include things and rarely all of the above. Most cities in America do not have public transportation. Mine doesn’t despite the fact that our population is over 15,000 people, not counting a taxi. If you have a car, you have to pay that. If you have a car, legally you have to have car insurance. You have to pay that. You have to have gas in that car to get to work to make that money.

Now if you can tell me you can get all of that out of $339 you’re lying.

You are so focused on rent that you aren’t thinking about everything else people have to pay for. Rent was an example. This is a breakdown of the budget you gave me and it’s not possible to live off that in 2017 America. 

And BECAUSE this person makes over $800 a month, they probably won’t qualify for financial aid or food stamps. $800 is the line in my state where they won’t help you. No food stamps, financial aid, or government housing if you make more than $800 a month. 

He was only 27.

Edward Crawford, the man featured in the iconic Ferguson protest photograph throwing a tear gas canister, was found dead overnight, his father said. Police say it appears the death was from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

If you would rather call, here’s a potential script. It is maybe not the best? I’m pretty angry.

Hi. I’m calling to register my anger and disappointment at Rep. ____’s Yes vote on the AHCA. [I/my loved ones] am now at risk of losing my insurance, and I am appalled that social programs that personally affect me and my loved ones will be stripped in order to provide tax breaks to the wealthy. Rep. ____ should be ashamed of himself. I and my community will not forget this vote. Will you please take down my information and send me confirmation that the Congressman is listening to constituents? Thanks.

1. The bill has to pass through the Senate before it becomes law.

2. The reason this is so rushed is largely in part to get it done before the budget reconciliation deadline (which this technically falls under). There are a lot of weird, confusing, conflicting rules for this and TBH I don’t totally understand them (because they’re arcane and extremely complicated), but the point is that our primary goal should be stalling until they run out of time.

3. The Senate cannot vote on the bill until the CBO scores it, which likely won’t be until June. 

4. Congress goes into recess this week and they will be back among their constituents. Give them HELL.

Other Notes:

1. Here is the Congress.gov page showing who voted how (at the time of posting not yet updated but check back).

1. The Senate votes on ACHA as is and as it was passed by the House; the bill becomes law of the land. This is the scariest possibility, but also, imo, the least likely. That doesn’t mean we should get complacent - there’s a real chance of this happening, but we should have a good amount of time to stop it.

2. The Senate votes down the bill. It’s dead and the processes has to start all over again or be abandoned entirely.

3. The Senate amends the bill before voting on it, which means that even if they vote yes it has to go back to the House for another vote on the new version of it. At this point, House members are free to say “Well, I voted for the original version, but this new version is unacceptable.” This could be code for “My constituents are mad at me for my original vote but I don’t want to admit I made a mistake” or even “I never really wanted this bill to pass; I wanted the Senate to kill it for me.” I read an article today with a representative PREEMPTIVELY saying he might not vote yes on the bill again if the senate altered it.

From the link: “Suggesting that the sick are guilty of some sort of moral turpitude is essential right-wing dogma, but it has no place in the making of sane healthcare policy.”

It has no place in government or in a decent society, yet here we are.

This statement sounds like the direct result of internalized both-siderism. You don’t get to pick and choose which parts of the ruling party’s dogma you think is appropriate. They believe it, wholly, and if we (and especially our media) avoid pointing out the extreme and offensive nature of right-wing politicians’ beliefs, these are the laws we have to expect.

The parties may not be exactly what anyone wants, but they aren’t close together on issues, they are radically different. As such, political coverage shouldn’t consist entirely of court intrigue, it should tell us the impacts of candidates’ proposals instead.