Monday, September 30, 2013

The Health Insurance Marketplace is Open!

www.healthcare.gov/
The new Health Insurance Marketplace helps uninsured people find health coverage.

GOP Came To Power Seeking Government Shutdown

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Radical House GOP Made Safe By Gerrymandering

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

GOP Abandons Democracy Over Obamacare

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama Calls For 11th Hour Shutdown Solution

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Is The 1995 Shutdown Doomed To Repeat Itself?

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

GOP’s fatal leadership failure: The real story behind the shutdown

GOP’s fatal leadership failure: The real story behind the shutdown
"But still, a shutdown might happen. If it does, it will represent an admission by House Speaker John Boehner that the right wing of the Republican party is too unruly for a person of his temperament to lead, and too powerful for a person of his character to ignore. He will be giving them the shutdown they demand, either to call their bluff, or to guard against being ousted from his Speakership, or maybe a bit of both."

As Planet Warms, US Watersheds Go Thirsty | Common Dreams

As Planet Warms, US Watersheds Go Thirsty | Common Dreams
"A shocking one in ten U.S. watersheds is in a state of "stress" as the nation-wide demand for water outstrips nature's ability to provide, with this trend expected to worsen as the climate continues to warm, an alarming new study from the University of Colorado at Boulder finds."

Dr. Helen Caldicott Talks Bluntly About Fukushima

Dr. Helen Caldicott Talks Bluntly About Fukushima
"Nicole Sandler interviewed Dr. Helen Caldicott this morning about what's going on at Fukushima. She tells Sandler Units 1, 2 and 3 have indeed melted down, possibly through the steel core and into the earth, and that reactor No. 4 is "on a knife edge." She says the nuclear power industry is reluctant to help because they don't want people to know just how bad it is.
We don't have a transcript, but it's well worth a listen."

In Their Own Words: Federal Workers Reveal How The Shutdown Will Impact Their Lives

In Their Own Words: Federal Workers Reveal How The Shutdown Will Impact Their Lives:
"Come midnight on Tuesday, if Congress doesn’t pass a continuing resolution that would fund the government, it will shut down until one can be passed. For federal workers, this means either facing a furlough or being forced to go to work without pay until the government is funded again. Close to a million federal workers who are deemed to be nonessential could be furloughed, and while they were paid back wages the last time the government shut down and reopened, there is no guarantee."

Billionaire Republican Funder Loses Bogus Defamation Suit, Ordered To Pay Court Fees

Billionaire Republican Funder Loses Bogus Defamation Suit, Ordered To Pay Court Fees:
"Adelson and his wife spent a reported $150 million to help elect Republican candidates in 2012. Last month, he reportedly agreed to pay $47.4 million in fines to settle a federal money laundering investigation, but is still facing separate inquiries into alleged foreign corrupt practices."

The Farm Bill Will Expire Tomorrow, Leaving Farmers In The Lurch

The Farm Bill Will Expire Tomorrow, Leaving Farmers In The Lurch: Congress is hours away from a government shutdown, but it's also neglecting another looming deadline: the expiration of the Farm Bill.

Thank the GOP for the Shutdown and Holding the Economy Hostage | Common Dreams

Thank the GOP for the Shutdown and Holding the Economy Hostage | Common Dreams
"So we know the sequester will give us deteriorating government services, higher unemployment, and slower economic growth. That's the track record which prompts the Wall Street Journal's boasts – and the GOP's misguided actions – in favor of even more austerity."

CNN Host Asks GOP Representatives Whether They’d Give Up Their Salary During A Shutdown, Hilarity Ensues

CNN Host Asks GOP Representatives Whether They’d Give Up Their Salary During A Shutdown, Hilarity Ensues:
"On Monday, CNN host Ashleigh Banfield confronted two Republican representatives — Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) — to see whether they themselves would be willing to forgo a paycheck in the event of a government shutdown, something nearly every other federal employee would be forced to do."

Rand Paul Gets Schooled By Bob Schieffer On Defunding Obamacare

Rand Paul Gets Schooled By Bob Schieffer On Defunding Obamacare
"Once again for the tea party: There is nothing to negotiate on Obamacare. The House and the Senate already did go through a conference committee and the ACA was the final result. The country went through this for years already. And even when the Republican presidential challenger said it would be the first thing on his agenda to repeal Obamacare, they actually voted for Obama again. The tea party position failed to sway the country. Get a clue, guys."

Low-Income Moms And Infants Will See Support Disappear In A Shutdown

Low-Income Moms And Infants Will See Support Disappear In A Shutdown: A key nutrition assistance program for new moms would run out of money if the government shuts down.

21 Things Republicans Have Demanded In Exchange For Not Shutting Down The Government Or Tanking The Global Economy

21 Things Republicans Have Demanded In Exchange For Not Shutting Down The Government Or Tanking The Global Economy:
"Since the Republicans took over the House of Representatives in 2011, they have repeatedly attempted to use the prospect of a government shutdown or a debt default as leverage. A shutdown would furlough close to a million federal workers and cut off essential services for millions more Americans, while a default on U.S. debt, even according to Speaker John Boehner, could devastate the global economy. While the recent debate has focused on Obamacare, that is just the latest in a series of demands made by Republicans. The following is a list of things that have been, at various times, demanded by Republicans under threat of a government shutdown or default"

PERRspectives: Better Dead and Red: How the GOP Blocked Health Care for Red State Americans

PERRspectives: Better Dead and Red: How the GOP Blocked Health Care for Red State Americans
"Study after study has long shown that health care is worst in precisely those states where Republicans poll best. But in their zeal to discredit a president they loathe, GOP leaders across the nation passed up an historic opportunity to bring health insurance, greater financial security and higher standards of living to millions of their own constituents. When they didn't outright deny coverage to red state residents, Republicans did their damnedest to prevent their voters from even learning about their options under the ACA. And what "information" about Obamacare the GOP's best and brightest regurgitated simply wasn't true."

POLL: Voters Are ‘Unmoved’ By Government Shutdown Drama, Still Don’t Want To Delay Obamacare

POLL: Voters Are ‘Unmoved’ By Government Shutdown Drama, Still Don’t Want To Delay Obamacare: The results from a new poll find that voters have been "unmoved by three months of the defund argument" and don't want Congress to shut down the government over Obamacare.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Bill Clinton: Republicans are 'Begging for America to Fail'

Bill Clinton: Republicans are 'Begging for America to Fail'
"Bill Clinton is no stranger to crazy-eyed Republican campaigns to destroy a Democratic president. But even he thinks that the single-minded extremism with which today's Republican Party operates has gotten to the point where they no longer care if the entire country is a casualty to their battle."

Dear Congress – Stop This Manufactured Crisis | Common Dreams

Dear Congress – Stop This Manufactured Crisis | Common Dreams
"Forty-one organizations, representing millions of Americans, have signed this letter to Congress, asking them to stand against those who would “hold our economy hostage in order to dictate the terms of the debate"."

House Republicans Throw in Birth Control Access in Government Funding Bill

House Republicans Throw in Birth Control Access in Government Funding Bill
"Typical of the privileged, entitled spoiled brats that they collectively are, the House Republicans threw everything but the kitchen sink into their government funding bill. The bill, which purportedly was to stave off a government shutdown, was instead a big, fat sloppy kiss to all of the special interests that want to curtail average Americans' lives while enriching the top one percent even further."

College Student Attacks Ted Cruz For Lying About Him In Faux Filibuster Obamacare Speech

College Student Attacks Ted Cruz For Lying About Him In Faux Filibuster Obamacare Speech
"Ted Cruz gets caught lying about a young person's story in order to attack Obamacare and the student he cited is not happy about it."

The National Memo » Republicans Are Terrified That Obamacare Will Succeed

The National Memo » Republicans Are Terrified That Obamacare Will Succeed
"the Koch brothers, like most conservatives, want Obamacare to fail. They are not concerned that the new health care law, which would extend insurance to the vast majority for the first time in history, is a “government takeover” of medicine or a “jobs-killer” or a ruinous new entitlement. None of that is true. (See factcheck.org or PolitiFact.com for actual facts about Obamacare.) Nope, the real concern of most conservatives is that Obamacare will work, proving popular over the long run."

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Idiots Rule as House Republicans Vote to Shut Down the Government Over Obamacare

www.politicususa.com/2013/09/29/idiots-rule-house-republicans-vote-shut-government-obamacare.html
"Whether House Republicans want to admit it or not, there is a sizable contingent among their ranks who have been chasing after this moment since the day that they arrived in Washington. The idiot ideologues completed their takeover of the House Republicans tonight. They are firmly in charge now. John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and the rest of the House leadership were nowhere to be found as their party went down in flames.
It was as if the Republican leadership thought that if they stay away, they will avoid the blame for this entire situation. Out of sight, out of mind won’t work on this one. Boehner’s caving to the extremists is what caused this series of events to play out the way that they have."

Dean Of Congressional Press Corps Finds Root Of Government Shutdown In Paul Ryan Budget

www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/28/david-rogers_n_4010379.html
"David Rogers, the unofficial dean of the congressional press corps, has been reporting on Capitol Hill since Charlie Wilson was figuring out ways to fund the mujahedeen in Afghanistan (and, in fact, he broke that story). When it comes to budget issues, nobody is more respected on Capitol Hill.
And the root of the impending government shutdown, he is reporting, goes back to the House Republican budget, authored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), that promised unrealistic cuts that finally have collided with reality"

Will Lawmakers Push Us Over The Brink?

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

VIDEO: Conservative Conference Cheers At Suggestion That Obama Is Going To Hell

VIDEO: Conservative Conference Cheers At Suggestion That Obama Is Going To Hell:
"Inopportune audience interjections at conservative events aren’t limited to CPAC. GOP debate crowds yelled out during a 2012 election debate to let uninsured people in the emergency room die rather than cover their expenses. They also cheered when it was announced that Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has overseen 234 executions during his time in office. What Republican audiences have found fit to boo, however, was a gay soldier who wanted to know why he shouldn’t be allowed to serve his country and love his partner."

Debunking The 'Vast Obamacare Conspiracy'

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

PERRspectives: 10 Things John Boehner Doesn't Want You to Know about the Debt

PERRspectives: 10 Things John Boehner Doesn't Want You to Know about the Debt
"So it's come down to this. Once again kowtowing to the most extreme members of his Republican Party, House Speaker John Boehner is willing to shut down the federal government and trigger a global economic meltdown, all in the GOP's quixotic quest to defund, delay or otherwise damage Obamacare."

The Complete Guide To The GOP’s Three-Year Campaign To Shut Down The Government

The Complete Guide To The GOP’s Three-Year Campaign To Shut Down The Government: Though the deficit has fallen to the lowest level since 2008, Republicans continue to hold the government hostage to more cuts.

Tea Party Lawmaker Letter on Med Device Tax Repeal Authored by Lobby Group | The Nation

Tea Party Lawmaker Letter on Med Device Tax Repeal Authored by Lobby Group | The Nation
"In fact, medical device lobbyists have been close to Congress all week leading up to the vote today."

First Cargo Ship To Use The Northwest Passage

First Cargo Ship To Use The Northwest Passage
"How very ironic. Due to global warming, enough of the Arctic ice has melted that cargo ships can navigate the fabled Northwest Passage -- and the first vessel is carrying coal"

Brian Williams' Iran Propaganda | Common Dreams

Brian Williams' Iran Propaganda | Common Dreams
"Many NBC News viewers have likely never heard before that Iran has emphatically claimed not to want nuclear weapons and have even formally banned them, and thus are easily misled into believing Williams when he tells them that these current claims represent some "sudden", inexplicable, and bizarre reversal that are not to be trusted."

Scott Walker’s Fiscal Irresponsibility Will Now Cost Wisconsin Billions As Bridges Start Failing (VIDEO)

www.addictinginfo.org/2013/09/28/wisconsin-republicans-engineer-bridge-failure/
"This is yet again evidence of how putting off maintenance costs more than any money saved, as the economic impact ripples outward. The governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, delayed critical maintenance of the bridge, even ignoring when cracks were discovered in 2012, and used money for bridge maintenance to instead pay back mutual funds and bankers."

Debunking the Propaganda Campaign to Kill Obamacare | Alternet

Debunking the Propaganda Campaign to Kill Obamacare | Alternet
"You can bet the figure that will stay in recipients’ minds is the prospect of $2,672 in savings, compared to current costs. Most people will ignore the anti-Obamacare noise and see just what they can get for $222 less a month."

House GOP Marked By Lack Of Empathy

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sanctions Set Stage For Progress With Iran

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Nation Agape At House GOP Chaos

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Friday, September 27, 2013

34 Years InThe Making, The Presidents Speak

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

34 Years InThe Making, The Presidents Speak

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Fox And Friends Do Not Understand Obamacare

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama To Congress: 'Do Not Shut Down The Government'

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sanders' Epic Senate Rant Shames 'Right-Wing Extremists' for Shutdown Threat

Sanders' Epic Senate Rant Shames 'Right-Wing Extremists' for Shutdown Threat
"Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Friday tore into what he called "extreme right-wing Republicans" for threatening to shut down the government and default on the nation's debts if President Barack Obama's health care reform law was not defunded."

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Announces Plan For Women’s Economic Success

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Announces Plan For Women’s Economic Success: Gillibrand's "American Opportunity Plan" charts a route to improved economic outcomes for women.

Obama Holds Historic Call With Iranian President

Obama Holds Historic Call With Iranian President: For the first time since 1979, leaders from the two country have spoken directly.

Correcting Five Myths About Medicaid — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Correcting Five Myths About Medicaid — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
"Some claim that Medicaid is an inefficient program whose costs are growing out of control.  That’s a myth.  Medicaid’s per-beneficiary costs are lower than for private insurance, and its costs have been growing more slowly than employer coverage."

Krugman: Plutocrats Have Become Sociopaths with Their Persecution Complexes | Alternet

Krugman: Plutocrats Have Become Sociopaths with Their Persecution Complexes | Alternet
"Insurance giant AIG's CEO is latest to compare criticism of his bonuses to 'lynchings.' Is he nuts?"

GOP Fears American Appreciation Of Obamacare

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

House Republicans Reckless With US Credit

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Lacking Leadership, GOP Takes US To Brink

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Breakthroughs At UN On Syria Deal, Iran

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

15 Things You Should Know About The New IPCC Report On Climate Science

15 Things You Should Know About The New IPCC Report On Climate Science: Scientists have a 95-100 percent certainty that the planet is warming, and humans are the main cause.

Global Warming: Why is IPCC Report So Certain About the Influence of Humans? | Common Dreams

Global Warming: Why is IPCC Report So Certain About the Influence of Humans? | Common Dreams
"This is why there's a 97 percent consensus amongst climate experts and in the climate science literature that humans are causing global warming. The scientific evidence on this question is overwhelming."

House GOP Debt-Ceiling Plan: Paul Ryan’s Losing Ideas From 2012 | Common Dreams

House GOP Debt-Ceiling Plan: Paul Ryan’s Losing Ideas From 2012 | Common Dreams
"Now, they seek to use those positions to make debt-ceiling threats, with the purpose of implementing an agenda that was rejected by the American people. Which brings us to the final question: What was the point of the 2012 election if the will of the people can be thwarted by the politicians whose “big ideas” failed at the polls?"

Republican Debt-Ceiling Demand: Nullify Democracy | Common Dreams

Republican Debt-Ceiling Demand: Nullify Democracy | Common Dreams
"So with the shutdown fight underway, Republicans are planning out what they will demand in exchange for not destroying the country by defaulting on the debt. It looks like they are going to demand a wish list of plutocratic crap."

Missouri GOP Senator Breaks From His Party, Encourages People To Sign Up For Obamacare Next Week

Missouri GOP Senator Breaks From His Party, Encourages People To Sign Up For Obamacare Next Week: Unlike the the rest of the Republicans in his state, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) is telling his constituents to enroll in the law's new plans.

Ted Cruz Is a Big Phony and A Giant Narcissist | Alternet

Ted Cruz Is a Big Phony and A Giant Narcissist | Alternet
"Ted Cruz, the Tea Party darling, fake-filibustered his way into headlines recently with a 21-hour anti-Obamacare verbal rampage that simultaneously made his party look stupid and accomplished nothing. It did, however, spread images of his smarmy mug across televisions and newspapers around the country, which is the outcome Cruz most ardently hoped for.
Cruz wants to come across as a populist who is fighting for regular Americans. But there’s only one thing this guy is interested in: Ted Cruz."

Thursday, September 26, 2013

President Obama Defends Obamacare

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Most Ridiculous Job In Washington

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Leader Of The GOP

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Pinheads And White House Correspondents

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Republican Righteousness: Taking Food From Hungry

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama Calls Out GOP Healthcare Lies

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Food Stamps vs. Farm Stamps: Subsidizing GOP Hypocrisy | Heroes and Villains

The GOP has now declared Ayn Rand Akbar on America!

How America’s 401(k) Revolution Rewarded the Rich and Turned the Rest of Us Into Big Losers | Alternet

How America’s 401(k) Revolution Rewarded the Rich and Turned the Rest of Us Into Big Losers | Alternet
"It was a bad idea from the get-go, but new research shows that America’s 401(k) revolution has left us even worse off than we thought."

Detroit Emergency Manager Floats Surprise Plan To Freeze City Pensions

Detroit Emergency Manager Floats Surprise Plan To Freeze City Pensions:
"The man appointed to oversee Detroit’s finances would like to freeze future pension benefits for those still on the job for the city."

NRA Lobbyist Stirs Outrage After Shooting And Killing Elephant For Sport On Television (VIDEO)

www.addictinginfo.org/2013/09/26/nra-lobbyist-stirs-outrage-after-shooting-and-killing-elephant-for-sport-on-television-video/
"Makris shot the animal twice in the face and then chased it down and shot it again, finally killing it. Makris and his fellow hunters then posed for pictures with the carcass and drank champagne in celebration of the killing. And the whole thing was recorded on camera and aired by NBC Sports on this week’s episode of Under Wild Skies."

Jon Stewart Uses Dr. Seuss to Mock Ted Cruz' Ridiculous 'Fauxlibuster'

Jon Stewart Uses Dr. Seuss to Mock Ted Cruz' Ridiculous 'Fauxlibuster'
"The Daily Show's Jon Stewart took Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and his ridiculous Hitler-invoking, Dr. Seuss-reading, fake filibuster to task this Wednesday."

Nearly Four In Ten American Workers Are Living Paycheck To Paycheck Each Week

Nearly Four In Ten American Workers Are Living Paycheck To Paycheck Each Week: A huge proportion of the working population is under constant, acute, and psychologically damaging financial stress.

California Governor Signs Law Raising Minimum Wage To $10 Per Hour

California Governor Signs Law Raising Minimum Wage To $10 Per Hour:
"California’s minimum hourly wage will rise to $9 by next July and $10 by the beginning of 2016 after Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed the wage hike into law Wednesday."

The Radicalism of Today’s Austerity in One Chart | Economic Policy Institute

The Radicalism of Today’s Austerity in One Chart | Economic Policy Institute
"So there have been radicals in fiscal policy debates in U.S. politics over the past 5 years, and they’ve won. And the country is much worse off for it."

Crisis at Fukushima Continues to Spiral With Hole in Radiation Barrier | Common Dreams

Crisis at Fukushima Continues to Spiral With Hole in Radiation Barrier | Common Dreams
"In the latest in a series of mishaps to hit the crisis-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant, a radiation-stopping "fence" around the reactors has developed a hole, plant operator TEPCO admitted on Thursday."

Republicans Will Raise The Debt Ceiling For One Year Only If Obama Becomes A Republican

Republicans Will Raise The Debt Ceiling For One Year Only If Obama Becomes A Republican: Republicans are threatening to push the nation into default unless President Obama and the Democrats in the Senate agree to enact a wish list of Republican priorities.

Tea Party Supporter Has Set A Date For The Armed Overthrow Of The Government

www.addictinginfo.org/2013/09/26/tea-party-supporter-has-set-a-date-for-the-armed-overthrow-of-the-government/
"Other Tea Party supporters have put out the call for armed assaults several times before. They do this whenever a decision does not match their narrow world view. The call is getting louder as time goes on.
And it’s only a matter of time before they snap, and then try and force their flawed and broken view of the world upon us all."

Conservative radio host jokes Hillary Clinton should be shot

Conservative radio host jokes Hillary Clinton should be shot
"The host, who goes by the name “Georgia,” has a history of inflammatory remarks. According to Brad Kava at Santa Cruz Patch, Georgia’s show “comes from a Tea Party perspective and has all the wit and intelligence of a Ku Klux Klan meeting.” As an example, Kava writes that Georgia has previously argued that American slavery wasn’t as bad as is commonly believed."

Exposed: Enron billionaire’s diabolical plot to loot worker pensions

Exposed: Enron billionaire’s diabolical plot to loot worker pensions
"The goals of the plot against pensions are both straightforward and deceptive. On the surface, the primary objective is to convert traditional defined-benefit pension funds that guarantee retirement income into riskier, costlier schemes that reduce benefits and income guarantees, and subject taxpayers and millions of workers’ retirement funds to Enron’s casino-style economics.
At the same time, waging a high-profile fight for such an objective also simultaneously helps achieve the conservative movement’s larger goal of protecting profligate corporate subsidies."

Poll: 80% Say Government Shutdown Threats 'Unacceptable'

Poll: 80% Say Government Shutdown Threats 'Unacceptable'
"Americans are united across party lines in thinking that threatening a government shutdown as a negotiating ploy is unacceptable. In a new CBS News/New York Times poll, 80 percent of people said no, it's not okay to do that."

GOP Returns To Government Shutdown Agenda

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

EPA Chief On Obama's Promised Carbon Curbs

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Cuccinelli Plumbs Right Amid Listing Polls

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Ted Cruz's Money Motives

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

How Obamacare Has Already Saved Lives

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Clearing Out The Message On Obamacare

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A Story Of Triumph Under Obamacare

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Why You're a Lot Better Off with Obamacare Than You Might Think | Alternet

Why You're a Lot Better Off with Obamacare Than You Might Think | Alternet
"Consider the following two examples from the Health Insurance Marketplace Premiums for 2014 issue brief released Wednesday by the White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 36 mostly red states, HHS will be enrolling people via online applications at healthcare.gov because local Republicans have refused to set up state-run exchanges. For these states and their largest cities, HHS listed premiums and subsidies called a tax credit. The credits go directly to insurers monthly; they are not refunded in a lump sum after filing one’s yearly taxes."

NRA Lobbyist Shoots Elephant in the Face and then Celebrates With Champagne

NRA Lobbyist Shoots Elephant in the Face and then Celebrates With Champagne
"The NBC Sports network came under fire this week after it aired an NRA-sponsored program that included gun lobbyist Tony Makris shooting an elephant in the face and then drinking champagne."

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Anti-GMO Campaigners Claim Victory as 'Monsanto Protection Act' Stripped From Senate Bill | Common Dreams

Anti-GMO Campaigners Claim Victory as 'Monsanto Protection Act' Stripped From Senate Bill | Common Dreams
"An amendment dubbed the "Monsanto Protection Act," which currently allows large agriculture and biotech corporations to ignore court orders involving the safety of genetically modified seeds, has been stripped from Senate's spending bill that could be voted on as early as Wednesday afternoon."

Final Word On Obamacare Coverage: Cheaper Than Expected

www.talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/final-word-on-obamacare-coverage-cheaper-than-expected
"On average, people will have a choice of 56 different insurance plans -- depending on which state you live in, though, that figure could range from seven (in Alabama) to 106 (in Arizona). The average number of insurers in a state is eight, though that again ranges from one to 13 in different states.
As for premiums, before tax credits kick in, they will average 16 percent below the Congressional Budget Office's original estimates for a silver-level plan (which covers 70 percent of costs). The number of insurers in a state is directly tied to how low premiums will be, Lambrew noted. Arizona, with an average of 106 plans to choose from, had the second-lowest average premiums for a 27-year-old adult: $166 a month. Wyoming, with an average of 16 plans, had the highest average premium at $342 a month.
But then the tax credits take effect. Those knock the premium for that 27-year-old, projected to earn $25,000, down to $145 in most states. For a family of four making $50,000, the credits take the premium price down from more than $1,000 in some states to $282.
The numbers before and after tax credits drop even further for bronze-level plans (which cover 60 percent of costs), often below $100 on average when tax credits are accounted for."