How does one of the most powerful politicians in America, who has been so powerful for so long, abide miserable poverty, rising drug addiction and falling mortality rates in his own state, do nothing about it, and yet come forth with so-called health care legislation that makes it all worse?
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate Majority Leader, has produced a bill that would devastate rural areas, especially in his home state.
Among these are deep cuts in Medicaid spending and an end to Medicaid expansion. About 45 percent of rural children use Medicaid. The bill would reduce funding for treatment of opioid addiction, another issue for rural America. McConnell’s bill does nothing to improve insurance market places for rural areas and could make them worse by cutting tax credits for insurance purchases.
Rural hospitals and nursing homes dependent on Medicaid will continue to be at risk of closure or downsizing under McConnell’s legislation. (Read More at DailyYonder.com)
Sarah Kliff of VOX.com on CNN (Sunday): “I have spent a decent amount of time over the past few months in an area of Southeastern Kentucky that voted for Trump, but also has very heavy Obamacare enrollment. There are a lot of people in that area who are expecting that this health care bill will make their health insurance better. But everything we know about it is, those people will be really disadvantaged by this health care plan. I think they really listened to Donald Trump on the campaign trail. And he said repeatedly again and again in debates: I’m different from the other Republican candidates. I don’t want to cut health care programs. He promised: I won’t cut Medicaid. … These bills don’t deliver on those campaign promises. They cut Medicaid very significantly. They would scale back the federal subsidies that the people in Kentucky and the people in other states really rely on. But the voters, they understood. They had watched the news. They had seen the promises that their candidate made. And they took those promises at face value.
How Does McConnell Live With Himself?
craig, even more mysterious, how does Elaine…. mt. Holyoke grad, Harvard mba and according to wiki
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Chao was the first Asian American woman and the first Taiwanese American in U.S. history to be appointed to a President’s Cabinet. She served as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, and as Deputy Secretary of Transportation and Director of the Peace Corps under President George H. W. Bush. She spent four years as the president of the United Way of America.
On November 29, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Chao to serve as the Secretary of Transportation.
[…]
In 1993, Chao married Mitch McConnell, the senior U.S. Senator from Kentucky and the eventual Senate Majority Leader. They were introduced by Stuart Bloch, an early friend of McConnell’s, and his wife Julia Chang Bloch, a Chinese American and a future U.S. Ambassador to Nepal, the first Asian American to serve as US Ambassador, who mentored Chao. Bloch described Chao as a “tiger wife,” a reference to Amy Chua’s 2011 book about her disciplinarian parenting style. Previously, she had dated C. Boyden Gray, the White House Counsel to President George H. W. Bush
not a “bimbo” as defined online informally as:
an attractive but empty-headed young woman, especially one perceived as a willing sex object.
here’s our weekly john oliver, not exactly on thread topic today, but it is about one aspect of the health careless aka trumpDONTcare
https://youtu.be/7VG_s2PCH_c
Published on Jun 25, 2017
The benefits of vaccines far outweigh the minuscule risks, but some parents still question their safety. John Oliver discusses why some people may still feel uncertainty about childhood vaccinations
good cnn story on an unforeseen (or maybe the real goal of the anti-contraceptive crowd) consequence of trumpDONTcare bill:
‘Trumpcare’ would send her to Mexico for birth control
I’m not fair in judging Sen McConnell. I find his physical appearance so distracting that I can’t concentrate on the illogic of his words. To wit: His lips show but a trace of movement as do his eyes; are there strings? electronic control? By whom is the message controlled? Is it true that he and Scty McConnell have been granted ownership of Quemoy? Can we count on them for a strait answer? Does he store bile in his chin-sack?
McConnell and his rich wife are soulless gits
curious about “tiger wife” reference… is that another way of saying dominatrix ?
kgc, soulless and heartless perhaps, but they have brains and street smarts. another frank and Claire underwood?
This whole thing is sad and soulless! We’ve got one political party whose only purpose in life is to undue the black President. We’ve got another party that’s afraid of it’s shadow and gutless. We’ve got no political party interested in doing what’s best for the country and people.
The polarization of the media has left a cleve so deep into our society that I think only the new generation of kids is going to be able to fix – that is if we can get their damned smart phone out of their hands and teach them how to think.
For a while I had thought we hit rock bottom after W left office, but folks like Paul and Mitch and the Koch brothers have changed all of that.
God – I’m going to go work outside – can’t take any more of this.
How does McConnell live with himself…. easily… Kentuckians vote for him. Isn’t that the only thing that really matters to most politicians…
they have money
This is the Republican Hell you wanted.
haven’t heard any of the media apologizing for focusing more (like 24/7) on evil hillary e-mail and salacious donald stories rather than the oct 7th (full month before election…that’s 31 days of otherwise drivel) wh intel announcement that Russia was rigging the election. nope, instead of mea culpas, they are giving the twit more license to bash Obama for choking.
what about their responsibility to report an officially issued warning to the electorate about a cyber attack on the election by a foreign gov’t?
When you are going through hell…keep going
W.Churchill
“I find his physical appearance so distracting that I can’t concentrate on the illogic of his words. To wit: His lips show but a trace of movement as do his eyes; are there strings? electronic control? By whom is the message controlled?”
flatus, same here. be interesting what an expert on body language and facial expressions would say. also, what is it about him that the goper gang find so leadership-wise? does he have a black book full of tasty transgressions on them? does his charisma only show up off-camera in small groups? what is the secret of his success.
there have been other considered physically unattractive but successful characters in history… Disraeli comes to mind.
reuters at msn: U.S. warship stayed on deadly collision course despite warning-container ship captain
A U.S. warship struck by a container vessel in Japanese waters failed to respond to warning signals or take evasive action before a collision that killed seven of its crew, according to a report of the incident by the Philippine cargo ship’s captain.
Multiple U.S. and Japanese investigations are under way into how the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald and the much larger ACX Crystal container ship collided in clear weather south of Tokyo Bay in the early hours of June 17.
In the first detailed account from one of those directly involved, the cargo ship’s captain said the ACX Crystal had signalled with flashing lights after the Fitzgerald “suddenly” steamed on to a course to cross its path.
The container ship steered hard to starboard (right) to avoid the warship, but hit the Fitzgerald 10 minutes later at 1:30 a.m., according to a copy of Captain Ronald Advincula’s report to Japanese ship owner Dainichi Investment Corporation that was seen by Reuters
(story continues)
wapo:
The court ruled 7-2 that religious institutions may not be excluded from state programs with a secular intent — in this case, making playgrounds safer.
[….]
The two dissenting votes came from Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor.
and in another
Supreme Court allows limited version of Trump’s travel ban to take effect, will consider case in fall
PER CURIAM.
The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to allow a limited version of President Trump’s ban on travelers from six mostly Muslim countries to take effect, and will consider in the fall the president’s broad powers in immigration matters in a case that raised fundamental issues of national security and religious discrimination.
The court made an important exception: it said the ban “may not be enforced against foreign nationals who have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”
The court also said in the ruling that it would consider whether the case will be moot by the time it hears it; the ban is supposed to be a temporary one while the government reviews its vetting procedures.
Congrats on our Treasury Secretary Mnuchin’s 3rd trophy wife. Our federal government has become one big play-date. The swamp still has gators, they’re just diamond-studded and gilded, now.
also in wapo:
The Supreme Court will not intervene in a lower court’s decision that the Second Amendment does not protect the right to carry a concealed weapon in public.
[….]
The Supreme Court has also upheld laws in Maryland and New Jersey that impose such restrictions on concealed-carry permits.
Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, said the court should have accepted the case.
Did they take the leftover cake to the soup kitchen?
A billionaire (Sec’y Mnuchin) married an immigrant (all good cuz she’s white and attractive) before an audience of billionaires, in a Federal building on Federal property. What was the cost to taxpayers for this orgy of excess, I wonder?
Nation of rubes.
bink, here’s business insiders take on it with pics and this correction Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as a billionaire. Recent estimates put his net worth at about $300 million. :
Inside the extravagant wedding of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and 36-year-old actress Louise Linton
DV,
I finished our yard about 45-min ago. It was a beautiful morning for working outside–partly cloudy, nice breeze, etc. As soon as I started the tractor, the sound of mowers popped-up all over the neighborhood; I’m amazed so many people are tuned-in to Craig’s thread today!
bink, in case you want to rent out the venue for your next wedding, here’s rental fees for Andrew w mellon auditorium
and more on such rentals with forms, date inquiry and application directions
Where’s XR? Congrats to him and his Twins in their stomping of the Indians in their three-game series in Cleveland over the weekend. I’m convinced there’s a jinx on “Progressive” Field. Resurrect its original name and start winning again. Take me out to the Jake!
Germany says Turkish bodyguards involved in D.C. skirmish ‘won’t set foot on German soil’
BERLIN — Turkish bodyguards served with criminal charges for allegedly attacking protesters outside the ambassador’s residence in D.C. “won’t set foot on German soil in the foreseeable future, so also during the G-20 summit,” a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said Monday.
Germany is preparing for mass protests when Hamburg, a northern port city, hosts leaders of the world’s major economies next month. The annual conference is a favored target of demonstrations, and officials have been rehearsing security scenarios for more than half a year, said Wolfgang Schmidt, state councilor at the Hamburg senate chancellery.
Flatus, had to pack up and hook up the RV to take in for it’s annual service (wheel bearings, etc.). It’s quite miserable here, 85 degrees with 77% humidity. Afternoon thunderstorms rolling in in a couple of hours. eeeek!
Our first Crape Myrtle blossom of the season just popped out. Always a happy day.
As did those outside my office window.
Yertle and the other critters are under the impression that they are immortal. They are hoarding all of the cookies for themselves so they can pretend they will have the infinite supply they will surely need, anyone else be damned.
There is very little Christianity amongst the so-called Christians in Congress.
Good thing religious tests are unconstitutional. Most would flunk.
bid, speaking of immortals, someone who wants to become immortal (or so she said last night on 60 minutes) is the robot Sophia. here’s some background on her from her creator
and here she is with Charlie rose
https://youtu.be/SAX4hqYoW2E
What is the big tax cut attached to the health CUT bill for Friends of Yertle? Every time they mentioned it on the Sunday shows, it suddenly became all about the Obamacare mandate/tax penalty.
Really, the media is dropping the ball on this one. ~Surprise~
bid, this money piece answers some of your question:
If Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare are successful, one of the biggest winners would be the wealthy.
The Senate’s bill — released this week — differs in key ways from the House-passed version. But proposals eliminate the taxes imposed on high-income Americans to help pay for an expansion of health benefits under the Affordable Care Act. The legislation also would let people contribute more to certain tax-advantaged accounts.
At the same time, both bills are expected to disproportionately hurt lower income households by reducing funding for Medicaid and offering less generous subsidies to buy health insurance.
Here are the key provisions under the Senate and House health bills that would benefit the highest-income households.
Eliminate Medicare surtax on wages
High-income earners currently pay the 1.45% Medicare payroll tax on wages up to $200,000 ($250,000 if married). But then they pay an additional 0.9 percentage points — or 2.35% — on wages above those levels. Under both the Senate and House bills, that surcharge goes away in 2023.
Get rid of Medicare tax on investments
In addition to the surtax on wages, high-income earners making more than $200,000 ($250,000 if married filing jointly) are subject to a 3.8% Medicare tax on a portion of their investment income, which is determined by formula. Investment income includes money from capital gains, dividends, interest, rental income and annuities.
The Senate and House bills would eliminate this so-called net investment income tax and make the repeal retroactive to Jan. 1, 2017. In other words, if you sell — or have already sold — any stocks this year that have big long-term gains, you would not be subject to the surtax when you fill out your 2017 federal tax return next spring. You would pay a 20% tax rate on all of your gains instead of 23.8% on some of them. Effectively, making it retroactive simply rewards people who happened to have sold their stock already. “You’re not affecting behavior at all. It’s just a tax cut for high-income people,” said Mark Mazur, director of the Tax Policy Center.
so even congress critters (who make 174,000) may see a tax cut if their spouse earns enough to put them over the $250,000 on their jointly filed tax return. ditto perhaps the prez whose salary is $400,000. they and their other mill- to billionaire friends on the backs of the pregnant, old, sick and dying.
PatD – these folks don’t need their spouses. Just about every one of them is already a millionaire – lots of big bucks – even more in the Senate. Everyone there is going to benefit by this.
To answer the question at the top of the thread with a question … Because he’s a heartless, soulless politician sonofabutch? He obviously doesn’t mid screwing his voters, Kentucky dwelling in the next to top tier for medicaid/CHIP recipients at 22% of the population.
something familiar about the smile
look closely and compare smile with the one above…. both strike me as false and disingenuous
CBO: 22 million lose insurance under Senate bill. Way to go Mitch, how many in Kentucky?
https://a.msn.com/r/2/BBDitJu?m=en-us
Yertle’s “smile” looks like a pre-existing condition…or gas.
Silent, but deadly.
KGC – they went over and took the soup for themselves.
Sad that Congress Critters can’t answer a yes or no question about how they intend to vote.
Tell the truth.
Just say, “I have no balls & I’m afraid to say it out loud.”
No balls. Another pre-existing condition.
The spin will be that it puts 1 million on the insurance rolls that the house bill did not and that it reduces spending by some $200 million in the process. You’ll never hear the number 22 million coming from repugnican lips except to say that the CBO is wrong.
And now is the time to turn off the evening “news.” Airing feel-good, viral videos are seldom newsworthy to anyone not closely connected to them.
Also, just because a passenger took a video of a horrifyingly, shaky flight doesn’t mean it should last through three news cycles. It was a mechanical malfunction. Nobody was injured, thank goodness. Unless there is something to add about someone doing something to cause this intentionally or through neglect, it’s no longer news.
And quit pushing stories that promote your corporate overlords, like Merck.
Do your jobs. Be journalists.
Why do I find this ironic? *(BTW, it’s from Wapo.)
Yes, give the states resources and let them apply them as they need – but DON”T give them time to figure out whether it will work in their states. Pricks.
And for something different. . .
What a day. The sun was shining. The stench from the Dome was blown a different direction. The stench of the Supremes will never be washed away.
The Washington Post had an article about ex-pats living in Mexico. Possibilities. My Spanish is not very good.
BB we go to Mexico with some regularity. Go coastal and Spanish is optional. I’ll never understand how college graduates in the us whobtook three years of college Spanish can’t speak a damn bit of it but a sixth grade dropout in Mexico can speak English fluently.
Thanks for the congratulations, Mr Flatus,
Those Twins play like the ’62 Mets at home, and like the ’27 Yankees away. Weird.
Sweetie and I are wishing your Indians well, as we must with her Indians-fanatic grandmother looking down on us. Will be adding good vibes to every clash between CLE and the black sox.
Back to the topic : midge is not concerned about the well-being of Kentuckians. Their only reason for existing is to be milked and sheared. He doesn’t share Kentuckians’ values, interests, cuisine, or manner of dress. midge is a Big Star in Washington – a big city slicker & the representative elected by Big Insurance and those Merchants of Death, the nra. And, among all the other big city slickers, only the deadbeat himself is more corrupt than midge mcconnell.
“He doesn’t share Kentuckians’ values”
xr, midge born and raised ’til 8 in ‘bama, moved to ga and didn’t come to ky ’til his teens. you’re right most of his adulthood in d.c……. values? what values?
wapo: Poll shows U.S. tumbling in world’s regard under Trump
The international survey by the Pew Research Center found that favorable ratings of the United States have decreased from 64 percent of people across all countries surveyed at the end of Barack Obama’s presidency to 49 percent this spring. The new figures are similar to those toward the end of the George W. Bush administration.
The president himself has fared even worse: A median 22 percent are confident that Trump will do the right thing in global affairs, down from 64 percent who had confidence in Obama.
[….]
The depths of disapproval registered abroad suggest that Trump has undone the progress Obama made in burnishing the American brand. It took Bush eight years, and the quagmire in Iraq, to notch such dismal ratings overseas, according to Pew. It has taken Trump six months.
sad
Back to the topic : midge is not concerned about the well-being of Kentuckians.
Yet they vote him into office… over and over again. Votes have consequences… and if this bill becomes law, they are going to feel it. But… I bet they vote him into office again.
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