Thursday, June 18, 2015

Those elected to office in South Carolina value jobs created by business? Yes?

It seems to me the good people of the USA need to boycott South Carolina tourism until that flag comes down!

What is the state of South Carolina going to do fly the confederate flag half mast over the state house in respect of the death of State Senator Clamenta Pinckney. 

Is that what is going to happen? Amazing.

The Confedeater flag is about victimization. There is no meaning of family anywhere near the confederate flag.

Great, great, great, great Uncle Cyrus flew the confederate flag over his plantation because he wanted slaves to increase his wealth. It has absolutely no other definition besides the enforcement of slavery for wealth.

June 18, 2015
By Adam Liptak

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court(click here) ruled on Thursday that Texas did not violate the First Amendment when it refused to allow specialty license plates bearing the Confederate battle flag. Such plates, Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote for the majority, are the government’s speech and are thus immune from First Amendment attacks.

The vote was 5 to 4. The court’s other three liberal members joined Justice Breyer’s majority opinion, as did Justice Clarence Thomas.

“As a general matter,” Justice Breyer wrote, “when the government speaks it is entitled to promote a program, to espouse a policy or to take a position.” Were this not so, he said, the government would be powerless to encourage vaccinations or promote recycling.

People use specialty license plates to suggest that the government endorses the messages they bear, he wrote. Otherwise, he said, people “could simply display the message in question in larger letters on a bumper sticker right next to the plate.”...

The idea South Carolina indulges the racists within it's borders with the LIE it honors certain family members that died in the Civil War, is all political. It is extremist and hostile and should not be tolerated. Those that defend the confederate flag over the state's capital, including the Governor and Rep. Sanford has vested interests in that flag, called votes.

The "proper" language surrounding that flag in political discourse has to stop. The flag is about hate and it is about traitors to the United States of America. The flag is about greed and the rejection of freedom for all races in the USA. The confederate flag is about hatred. Stop the justification, it is based in racism.

"...days on the phone with CEOs to create jobs in this state. I can honestly say, I have not had one conversation about the confederate flag....

That is not ever an accurate point of view. It is a political point of view so she doesn't estrange the bigoted racists in her state. 

Why would a CEO even think to discuss the confederate flag? I can't help but wonder if the CEOs knew there was a confederate flag over the South Carolina state house; how they would decide their involvement in South Carolina. I think Governor Haley was very coy in not disclosing that fact. 

Regardless, that flag hurts people. It needs to come down.

He defined his masculinity through dysfunction including hate. Was this some kind of gang initiation or something?

They always run. They know it is wrong and they actually believe they will get away with it.

June 18, 2015

...“He used drugs (click here) heavily a lot,” Mullins said. “It was obviously harder than marijuana. He was like a pill popper, from what I understood. Like Xanax, and stuff like that.”

White Knoll High School had a mix of black and white students. Mullins says they occasionally mixed, and the school had “a lot of preps, a little bit of gang members, and a lot of outcasts.” But Roof wasn’t one of the outcasts, Mullins said....

His definition of himself was wrapped up in overt expressions of hate. He doesn't seem to have tattoos, although he'll definitely have them once he finds his final destination. But, he makes me think of 211 Crew. Was he self inspired to such hate? His masculinity is all screwed up. But, 211 Crew carries all sorts of strange deaths, like who was that???? Oh, yeah, Tom Clemente. He was a warden of a prison or something like that. 

I have never heard of such violence in contemplation over an hour's time. He also is stated to have reloaded his gun. Was it their age that didn't allow them to get away?  

Governor Haley is absolutely heart broken. Doesn't that mean something? This soup of hate and guns has to end. 

Here again is a young man throwing his life away on the identity of hate. The badges on his jacket, the Confederate flag. Those are all symbols of hate. When does the hate linked with these symbols end? Never? One generation passes to the next? 

The guy was creepy. Even the descriptions of him by those that knew of him relates a really strange person. What is the USA's claim to national identity with a young man like this, it's okay to be creepy?
 

It is rather disheartening to actually realize there is a quesition of the value of grandparents as important to grandchildern, which also includes their health.

There are dozens of organizations, "Attached Parent" is only one. This is an article entitled, "The Vital Importance of the Grandparent - Grandchild Bond." (click here)

There should just be no question about the value of our citizens in any way they are labeled throughout their lives. Grandparent is simply one label a person receives as a badge they have earned over decades of devoted love of family.

From the Huffington Post, "Celebrating Grandparents and the Value of Generational Love." (click here)

From Grandparents.com, "Why Kids Need Grandparents." (click here) 

It is a matter of instinct to know how children are valued by Grandparents. The two generations exchange competencies on a regular basis and validate how love exceeds any other reality of life. There is simply no substitution. Does the USA have to put our Seniors in the spotlight of government dysfunction when there should be none?

IPAB repeal is an incomplete Congressional effort.

MH: How are practices better off, or how are physicians better off, now that they don't have those pay cuts hanging over them?

Fischer-Wright: It's a mixed bag. (click here) The good news is, for a lot of people who have been holding off on technological investment, they feel comfortable enough to move forward. However, there is still that question of where our value-based payment is going in the future. Practices are still a little leery of adding people, both staff and physicians, until these value-based payment models are more sophisticated and better explained. Practices are concerned about all the regulation that does not add quality to clinical outcomes.


According to a large medical administrators states the repeal of IPAB is good for them, however, it only places the future of their practices in ambivalence. There is no reassurance any improvements they make in their practices will be met with income enough to justify them.

IPAB also impacts what is known as SGR (Sustainable Growth Rate). An SGR in relation to Medicare is appropriate. Medicare is a government program and it is irresponsible to simply repeal any mechanism of determining the impact on cost. The Congress should have first investigated a different mechanism to conduct these reviews and controls. Mechanisms to examine in the costs of Medicare and report to Congress is irresponsible to those that count on Medicare for their health insurance.

President Obama already signed the law repealing SGR as it was passed in both houses of the legislature. The real world of medical practice is still waiting for a replacement to SGR. They are uncertain what to do within their own practices. 

Physicians and their organizations would like to see a value-based payment models by 2018.

March 25, 2015

The Affordable Care Act (click here) established an ambitious new framework to move our health care system away from rewarding health providers for the quantity of care they provide and toward rewarding quality. These new models have been put to work in Medicare, and have contributed to 50,000 fewer patient deaths in hospitals due to avoidable harms, such as infections or medication errors, and 150,000 fewer preventable hospital readmissions since 2010, when the Affordable Care Act became law....

The ACA was inclusive in all aspects of addressing health care. It provided for a federally recognized Patient Bill of Rights and it also demanded excellence in practice otherwise doctors and hospitals would be pulled off the Medicare reimbursement system. The ACA isn't just about Medicare, but, it took it's responsibility seriously in improving the quality of life to all citizens, including those receiving Medicare. It was successful. It is still successful. The hostility toward the ACA is nothing more than politics. The more the bill is undermined the more Americans need to be concerned about why and how that is being IMPROVED and not abandoned.

The ACA is not a blight in the USA, it has enhanced the health of the country and over time will provide for lower death rates caused by disease through early detection in free annual exams and preventives. 

Are the costs worth it to see children grow and hold a grandchild on your lap? That is value. The value of the ACA exceeds whatever costs the Republicans are currently complaining about. Are all Americans allowed to see their children grow and hold a grandchild on their laps; or only those that are lucky without health care and the income class that can afford it?

A proclaimed historic agreement is truely more of the same.

TPP (TAA/TPA) the next "Repeal Obamacare." 

We are witnessing the Federal House giving rebirth of a defeated bill. Are they not able to comprehend a failed bill?

Eventually, the American public will be witnessing the 35th vote on TAA. There hasn't been an election between these votes.

Ah, there we go, Ryan said there are all sort of strange myths about the legislation.

See, the Republicans don't believe they will be consulted on the trade agreements. They are correct. There is no debate over any negotiated Fast Track. There is only an up or down vote. So, from the perspective of many Republicans that is not sufficient for them. They want the ability to bring issues to the House floor once the agreements are settled. 

These agreements are not credibility issues. Wow, global reputation relies on exploitation of the American people. Retreat. Oh, is that what this is? The US House never retreats. Well, I have to agree with Ryan on that one.

Representative Levin has gotten to the heart of opposition to the agreements. Intimidation to pass laws adverse to the issues we face today in the USA. Well, said. A simply yes or no vote is not about deciding the benevolent nature of international trade. 

Rep. Levin points to the history of these agreements. Millions of job losses and inhibition of the economic growth of the USA. There are no reliable labor standards within these agreements. Environmental issues cannot be guaranteed even to the American people. 

Congressman Levin states the legislature has a responsibility to the people and these agreements does not provide for that responsibility.

Rep. Becerra states the countries involved in the agreements are cheating by manipulating their currency. Congress is asked to accept that and enforce the rules in the agreements. The agreements enforce cheating. Is cheating fraud? 

I don't think cheating is fraud. I think it is a blatant assault against the economy of the USA. This is exposed cheating. It is known. Part of fraud is that it is unknown and then revealed. 

Oh, dear, according to a Republican House member the vote has to be expedited so the entire Congress can return home following the horrible shootings last night. That is an excuse and not a valid reason. The Congresspersons whom's district(s) are involved in such community trauma can leave without effecting debate. Honestly. Any excuse is a good excuse. 

Rep. Pascrell submits this current agreement is not the same one that was voted on Friday. He states to vote, "No." He has submitted a good bill that benefits the American people that would allow pensions be paid without tax penalties from age of retirement. He states the USA is taking a backseat in relation to trade. He states there won't be any American cars in these countries. He states the bill with South Korea has replaced any American cars in the region. 

Rep. David Scott states there is significant offshoring of large incomes to the companies that would involved in this bill.  

Rep. Barbara Lee is stating Congress is attaching the TAA to legislation regarding "African Growth and Opportunity Act" to intimidate House members to vote for TAA. 

Rep. Shurman states TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance) creates a net loss to the USA Treasury of $100 billion. The bill also excludes NAFTA. All regulations in NAFTA will still stand.  

I think this is the bill Rep. Pascrell is referring to:

SEC. 2. CREDIT FOR INSOURCING EXPENSES. (click here)

(a) In General- Subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

I did not read this yet. But, it is the one bill he has that involves changes in IRS statues.

Rep. Tiberi states the USA has a trade surplus with NAFTA. ?????????????? It sounds right in that a trade surplus in the USA means companies are losing profits through surplus manufacturing. I don't get it. It has to be looked into. It does not make sense. 

Introduction (click here)

Twenty years after its implementation, the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, has helped boost intraregional trade between Canada, Mexico, and the United States, but has fallen short of generating the jobs and the deeper regional economic integration its advocates promised decades ago. Trade relations have broadened substantially, and U.S. manufacturers created supply chains across North America that have made companies more globally competitive. These factors may have stimulated economic growth; Canada has expanded at the fastest average rate and Mexico at the slowest. But economists still debate NAFTA's direct impact, given the many other economic forces at play and the possibility that trade liberalization might have happened even without the agreement. Both advocates and critics of the treaty have lobbied for changes to NAFTA, but momentum has stalled and is likely to be overtaken by larger trade agreements under negotiation such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership....

Trade Surplus is a fluid issue. Trade Surplus states there is more export than import. Trade Surplus happens in many dimensions and does not necessarily make an agreement a benevolent legislation. After 20 years NAFTA may have created a trade surplus in the meaning of Import-Export Ratio, but, it was established at the cost of American labor and jobs.

It is a known fact the USA imports far more than it exports. The American people have lost good paying jobs due to NAFTA. No magical definition of Trade Surplus within NAFTA is going to mask the truth as to how that occurred. The fact of the matter is NAFTA created a hostile environment for American manufacturing.  

April 2015 Trade Gap is $40.9 billion (click here)

The U.S monthly international trade deficit decreased in April 2015 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit decreased from $50.6 billion in March (revised) to $40.9 billion in April, as exports increased and imports decreased. The previously published March deficit was $51.4 billion. The goods deficit decreased $9.3 billion from March to $60.7 billion in April. The services surplus increased $0.4 billion from March to $19.8 billion in April....

This is the bill that passed the House today in response to Senate amendment. It gives preference to federal law enforcement officers, firefighters, and air traffic controllers to allow penalty free withdrawals from government pension plans at the age of 50. It removes any income to the US Treasury in this instance.

H.R.2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act (click here)

I do not see where this is paid for by the US House. The House also removed excise tax on medical devices within the Affordable Care Act. The revenues to the USA Treasury is not paid for either.

Both measures may increase circulating currency in the USA, but, with minimal impact in relation to the damage it does to the USA Debt.

The Highway Bill is in limbo because Ryan won't allow gas tax to increase. The President proposed a Highway Bill in March 2015. The Senate approved a two month extension in May 2015.

Grover Norquist arrives to prevent funding for the Highway Bill.

May 23, 2015
By Bernie Becker and Jordain Carney

...But to pay for it, (click here) Republicans say there’s no chance that an increase of the gas tax – the major cog in the Highway Trust Fund – can make it through Congress. The gas tax covers only about $34 billion of the $50 billion the federal government spends each year on roads.
And while some GOP leaders have floated the idea of pairing tax reform and a highway bill, Republican tax writers in both chambers are far from sure that sort of plan is feasible. 
“We’re not even near doing tax reform at this point,” Hatch told reporters this week....

Now on the House floor HR 1190 

To repeal (click here) the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act providing for the Independent Payment Advisory Board. 

Supposedly this part of the ACA rations health care. 

The Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) (click here).

...IPAB is specifically prohibited by law from recommending any policies that ration care, raise taxes, increase premiums or cost-sharing, restrict benefits or modify who is eligible for Medicare....

There was a controversy  about these provisions when the health care bill was first voted on. This is the "Death Panel" thing. The Board is an advisory board no different than any other advisory board. It does not have power greater than any legislative body.

This is politics again. The advisory board does not even exist yet and may never exist if the need for their purpose never manifests. It is all politics and scare tactics.

Congress then has the power to accept or reject these recommendations. If Congress rejects the recommendations, and Medicare spending exceeds specific targets, Congress must either enact policies that achieve equivalent savings or let the Secretary of Health and Human Services follow IPAB’s recommendations.

 

Senator Markey spoke from the Senate floor regarding Climate Change.

“More than fifty years ago, (click here) with the world teetering on the brink of nuclear crisis, Pope Saint John XXIII wrote an Encyclical which not only rejected war but offered a proposal for peace. He addressed his message Pacem in Terris to the entire ‘Catholic world’ and indeed ‘to all men and women of good will.’ Now, faced as we are with global environmental deterioration, I wish to address every person living on this planet.”

Murderer idenitifed as Dylann Storm Roof.

June 18, 2015

South Carolina police (click here) have released the identity of the suspect in the church shooting Wednesday night as Dylann Storm Roof, 21. A manhunt for the shooter is under way.
Charleston police are searching for a gunman who attacked the parishioners of the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, killing 9 people.
Police are describing the shooting as a hate crime.
A Facebook photo shows Roof wearing a jacket with two flag patches: one of Apartheid-era South Africa, and the other of Rhodesia, before it became majority-ruled Zimbabwe.
Roof's uncle told law enforcement officials he recognized his nephew from the released photos, and confirmed he received a gun as a birthday present in April, according to Reuters....

So let me see if I got this right.

When Pope Francis brings an official document regarding the Climate Crisis, he is out of line and should realize it is best left to the politicians to deal with it. But, when it comes to contraception and abortion the Pope knows his business. He be the man when it comes to a woman's uterus. 

And of course being vigilant of a planet that currently kills adults and children alike due to greenhouse gas emissions by human beings is not making a better person. Ludicrous.  

Jeb Bush is a convenient Catholic. He is Catholic when it suits his dialogue.

CHERRY PICKING !