U.S. Politics: Self Medicating

[DMC]

37 minutes ago, Gaston de Foix said:

But other countries (such as the UK) manage just fine without any supermajority requirements for legislative action.  Sure they don't have the same degree of polarization as the US but the polarization acts as often as a restraint to sensible action as it does a justification for outrageous acts.

They also don't have a chief executive with nearly as much inherent unilateral policymaking abilities to start with.  Institutionally, Congress is meant to be a check on the president.  The prime minister's party is not so much supposed to be upon the prime minister.  Even then, most parliaments have mechanisms to block egregious action.  All we have at this point is the legislative filibuster.

31 minutes ago, Gaston de Foix said:

And if Biden only gets 1 thing done by reconciliation?

That's how presidencies work these days.  Honestly it usually hasn't been much better throughout history even without polarization.

19 minutes ago, Kalbear said:

Obama spent way too long attempting to build some kind of consensus and reach across the aisle and get anyone on board, and by the time he realized how much of a failure this was as a strategy he had wasted about 4 years.

I think it's silly to think that was his strategy.  He had to negotiate with the rightwing of his party on any major reform.  Could he have done better?  Yeah.  But this Monday Morning Quarterbacking was tiresome a decade ago.  You try dealing with all the countervailing forces - economy, first black president, a media ready and eager to destroy what they created like that South Park episode with Britney Spears.  He was exactly the right president at the time.  Look how much Bill fucked up his first two years.  Imagine mapping that on to Obama's first two years during the GFC.  Neither Carter nor Truman nor JFK were as prepared as Obama was out the gate.  I think he did have a significant malaise though in his second term - so did I.  Maybe a combination of malaise, apathy and complacency.

[Kalbear]

1 minute ago, Zorral said:

How can you even think that when doctors, nurses, other health care professionals and not-for-profit hospitals don't even have PPE? 

This has nothing to do with the ACA or anything else. This more accurately has to do with a regulation that was created in 2011 by Obama officials that was scheduled to go into effect in 2017 and was cut by Trump. 

1 minute ago, Zorral said:

How can you say this when costs in both places are out of reckoning? 

That does have to do with the ACA, but nothing to do with the current health crisis. And the ACA has improved costs.

1 minute ago, Zorral said:

How can you say this when people can't afford the costs of Tests? 

Not sure why you needed to capitalize this, but testing has been so far almost entirely covered by states and has nothing to do with the ACA. 

1 minute ago, Zorral said:

When states and localities can't afford to even plan much less execute testing, track and trace? 

This has nothing to do with the ACA. 

1 minute ago, Zorral said:

How can you say any of this, when deathcultchief is determined to set the costs of any medication that might help with this disease -- and take the largest share of the profits? 

This has nothing to do with the ACA. 

1 minute ago, Zorral said:

Look at any aspect of health care RIGHT NOW, and people are either not getting it because they can't afford it, because they are terrified to even try to get necessary surgeries -- and doctors and medical practices everywhere are going out of business and closing down because they have no patients due to nothing going on but this? 

This has nothing to do with the ACA. 

1 minute ago, Zorral said:

And since supposedly it is the elderly who are responsible for the biggest share of medical budgets -- and they are being left to die of either the virus or starvation because of lack of funds for transportation or even to buy food -- why even worry about ACA? 

Because in other times the ACA was a net good. 

 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, The Great Unwashed said:

Dammit, that just reminded me that I'm missing out on seeing RATM in St. Louis and Weezer in OKC.

I really wanted to get tickets for their tour. I saw they weren't coming here, which seemed odd, just as odd as their price for tickets. But I would have paid to go to Chicago anyways. I've never seen them live, and they are one of my favs. 

ETA: Now Led Zeppelin, because Prince and Freddie are dead, that's what I'd really splurge for. Just take my fucking money. 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I really wanted to get tickets for their tour. I saw they weren't coming here, which seemed odd, just as odd as their price for tickets. But I would have paid to go to Chicago anyways. I've never seen them live, and they are one of my favs. 

Yeah, same. I think they're tentatively rescheduled in St. Louis for July, but even if it remains on, I doubt I'll feel at all comfortable going.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

57 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Hum, somehow I feel like if you want to describe current US with a 1990s song, this would be more fitting.

 

90's SoCal is so hit or miss. I prefer this:

 

[Week]

6 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

ETA: Now Led Zeppelin, because Prince and Freddie are dead, that's what I'd really splurge for. Just take my fucking money. 

We were going to go see Lez Zeppelin before the lockdowns. So it goes.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

7 minutes ago, The Great Unwashed said:

Yeah, same. I think they're tentatively rescheduled in St. Louis for July, but even if it remains on, I doubt I'll feel at all comfortable going.

I wouldn't go. I know it's not the same, but artists should just charge like $5 for them to give digital concerts. If you have a good speaker system, it could work, all things considered. And the cost of entry is so low that many people would pay it. 

[A Horse Named Stranger]

1 minute ago, Tywin et al. said:

90's SoCal is so hit or miss. I prefer this:

 

Sublime is sorta an ex thing. Altho, it doesn't reduce me to tears, still kinda unpleasent for me.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

3 minutes ago, Week said:

We were going to go see Lez Zeppelin before the lockdowns. So it goes.

Oh man I'm sorry. That really fucking sucks. What were the cost of the tickets, out of curiosity? 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 minute ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Sublime is sorta an ex thing. Altho, it doesn't reduce me to tears, still kinda unpleasent for me.

If we're talking ex's, my first great love was an aspiring actress. And when she tried to rationalize her pathological lying, she just claimed she was working on her craft. We more or less mutually agreed to break up, though we'd hook up a bunch after. This was the first song on the radio driving home and it was the first time I had ever heard it. Seemed fitting.
 

 

[Freshwater Spartan]

If we're talking 1990's songs that describe our current moment I prefer this one. 

Uncle Tupelo- We've been had.

[Martell Spy]

Really weird. It looks like FISA has lost support from Republicans that would usually back it due to right-wing conspiracy theories.

 

FISA renewal in jeopardy amid resistance from Republicans and progressives
President Trump on Tuesday night also urged Republicans to oppose bill

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/27/fisa-renewal-limbo-284025

Quote

 

Troubles with the bill emerged late Tuesday, with the threat of a veto from President Donald Trump that prompted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to personally ask House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to pull the bill.

Then there was a revolt from within the Democratic Party itself, with a key senator forcefully coming out against the legislation. The opposition of Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon — a fierce supporter of privacy rights on the internet — quickly fueled angst among the party’s liberal wing, which was already uneasy about the legislation.

And on Wednesday morning the Department of Justice formally came out against the legislation, a striking reversal given that Attorney General William Barr helped negotiate key privacy provisions in the bill, which passed the Senate earlier this month.

 

 

[DanteGabriel]

It's not 1990s, but Everybody Knows is more devastating than ever.

[Guest]

Sorry, but you're all wrong. The one 90s song that most captures the zeitgeist of the present day is Butthole Surfers' "Pepper".

Seriously, listen to the lyrics. It's uncanny.

[Week]

39 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Oh man I'm sorry. That really fucking sucks. What were the cost of the tickets, out of curiosity? 

About 20 bucks.