A change in the Dose today - for a few months now I've been putting out DDD with an average of 12 items, 8-9 of which are links to print stories. According to feedback I have received [and intuitively] this is too many and very time consuming to read, so starting today I am going to do no more than four print stories, a mixture of politics, the economy and useful or fun information. We will also have 3-4 non-print items like videos, music videos, movie links and humour. And of course the jokes.....
Continue to enjoy DDD.....and any comments are much appreciated.
1/ An intelligent discussion of President Obama's options, and how we got to the present state of disarray in the White House by Frank Rich. I know right after the election there were wall to wall stories of what happened, how it happened etc etc....instant analysis. I prefer to wait a few days for the facts and feelings to percolate a bit, and then you get articles like this one.....gloomy reading to be sure for Democrats, but if Obama gets a spine he can salvage something from the wreckage of these elections. When you read this article, and digest it, you will definitely appreciate the last paragraph.......
Blame Bush was also a part of the G.O.P. message this year. When Republican candidates weren’t trashing Obama, they routinely deplored the spending excesses of their own Bush-era Congress and ripped into the villainous Bush- Paulson TARP as if their leaders hadn’t all signed on to it. The rest of the G.O.P. message — typified by the “Pledge to America” peddled by John Boehner — was as incoherent as the Democrats’. Traditional Republican boilerplate — lower taxes, less spending, smaller government — was chanted louder and louder, to pander to the Tea Party rebels, but with zero specifics of how it might be carried out. The midterm strategy was appropriately labeled “80-20” by the House majority leader in-waiting Eric Cantor — 80 percent attacks on Democrats, 20 percent proposing a G.O.P. plan.
But there was no plan. Even in victory, most Republicans can’t explain exactly what they want to do besides cut taxes and repeal health care (a quixotic goal, given the president’s veto pen and the law’s more popular provisions). A riotous dissection of this empty agenda could be found on election night on MSNBC, where a Republican stalwart, Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee,called for “across the board” spending cuts. Under relentless questioning from Chris Matthews, she exempted defense and entitlements from the ax, therebyeliminating some 85 percent of the federal budget from her fiscal diligence.
2/ Welcome to the world of Republican control of state budgets - Texas is seriously looking of opting out of Medicaid, which is a program that helps the poor and disabled get medical coverage. By accepting federal guidelines for who gets Medicaid, states get matching federal funds to pay for the program.
Texas is facing a budget shortfall, so the extreme right wingnuts want to get rid of Medicaid which will save the state billions.....and cut loose hundreds of thousands of needy people from the medical system.
When Alan Grayson described the Republicans health care plan as "Die Quickly" he was exoricated for it.....but boy does the wheel turn.....those ole boys in stetsons are ready to implement it, a Texas "die quickly" program.....
Some Republican lawmakers — still reveling in Tuesday’s statewide election sweep — are proposing an unprecedented solution to the state’s estimated $25 billion budget shortfall: dropping out of the federal Medicaid program.
Far-right conservatives are offering that possibility in impassioned news conferences. Moderate Republicans are studying it behind closed doors. And the party’s advisers on health care policy say it is being discussed more seriously than ever, though they admit it may be as much a huge in-your-face to Washington as anything else.
3/ The always excellent Carl Hiaasen and his take on our new Governor of Florida - Rick Scott. Our Rick made a lot of promises, but as the article says it will be business as usual very soon once the boys in the Legislature chew him up a bit.... insightful article and it gives you a glimpse of how our state is really run......
Great story, and a "must read" if you are a Floridian.......
``Today is the end of politics as usual in Tallahassee.''
So said Gov.-elect Rick Scott in his victory speech, confirming a severe disconnection from reality.
He won't change Tallahassee, but Tallahassee will change him.
Nobody who knows Florida believes that last Tuesday's vote marks the end of politics as usual. It's just another chapter of politics as always.
The Republicans have controlled the state Senate for 18 years, the state House for 14 years and the governor's mansion for over a decade. The election changes absolutely nothing.
After his hairbreadth victory, Scott sunnily declared: ``Florida is open for business.''
Is he kidding? Florida has always been open for business. Ask any lobbyist.
Developers, insurance companies, utilities, Big Sugar - for special interests with gobs of money to spread around, we're the most accommodating state in the union.
4/ Occasionally, just occasionally the scumbags that prey on the middle class of this country like leeches get their just deserts.....like David Stern, the foreclosure king of South Florida whose sleazy business practices were exposed by Mother Jones a couple of months ago. Nice to see an evil bastard like this pay the ultimate penalty.....he might have to give some of his toys back......
As stated this kind of justice is rare in Florida....sometimes the most unscrupulous crooks get elected Governor......
After years of high-flying success and millions of dollars in profits, the future suddenly looks grim for the Law Offices of David J. Stern. The firm, which was the subject of a long MoJo investigation published in August, used to be one of the nation's most powerful "foreclosure mills," those assembly line-like operations that handle hundreds of thousands of foreclosure cases for the nation's largest mortgage companies.
This is the article from Mother Jones.....Stern was a real scumbag.......
5/ This video is like a kick in the stomach. It's a video made by the Australian Government of Victoria that was shown on Aussie TV to try to educate people about the carnage caused by drunk driving. It's powerful, real, shockingly violent but also incredibly moving.....should be mandatory for every teenage driver before they get their license.....
Highly, highly recommended.....5 minutes......
6/ Wow - Jennifer Aniston has adopted a 33 year old African man.....news to me, but hope it works out. From Onion News Morning Show.....2 minutes.....
7/ Rachael Maddow defending Keith Olbermann and contrasting MSNBC with Fox News......as you may know Keith was suspended for contributing to Democratic candidates, but as he will be back Tuesday night it will be a very short suspension. But as Rachael points out Fox hosts actually fundraise on the air and Fox News Corporation made million dollar donations to the Republican party.....so who are we trying to kid here....
Love her logic and clarity......7 minutes......
8/ Music Video - Beyonce and "Why Don't You Love Me".....made in the style of the 40's.....the theme lets Beyonce prance around in cool [and revealing!] outfits.....5 minutes.....good song too....
Bud Lite commercial......30 seconds.....
Todays amazing facts
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Todays Scottish joke
A man in Scotland calls his son in London the day before Christmas
Eve and says, "I hate to ruin your day but I have to tell you that your
mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough."
"Dad, what are you talking about?" the son screams.
"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the father
says. "We're sick of each other and I'm sick of talking
about this, so you call your sister in Leeds and tell her."
Frantically, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.
" Like hell they're getting divorced!" she shouts, "I'll take
care of this!"
She calls Scotland immediately, and screams at her father "You
are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get
there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there
tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" and
hangs up.
The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Sorted!
They're coming for Christmas - and they're paying their own way."
Eve and says, "I hate to ruin your day but I have to tell you that your
mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough."
"Dad, what are you talking about?" the son screams.
"We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the father
says. "We're sick of each other and I'm sick of talking
about this, so you call your sister in Leeds and tell her."
Frantically, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone.
" Like hell they're getting divorced!" she shouts, "I'll take
care of this!"
She calls Scotland immediately, and screams at her father "You
are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get
there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there
tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" and
hangs up.
The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Sorted!
They're coming for Christmas - and they're paying their own way."
Todays Australian joke
ACTUAL AUSTRALIAN COURT DOCKET 12659 ---
A lady about 8 months pregnant got on a bus.
She noticed the man opposite her was smiling at her.
She immediately moved to another seat.
This time the smile turned into a grin, so she moved again.
The man seemed more amused.
When on the fourth move, the man burst out laughing,
She complained to the driver and he had the man arrested.
The case came up in court..
The judge asked the man (about 20 years old)
What he had to say for himself.
The man replied,
'Well your Honor, it was like this:
When the lady got on the bus,
I couldn't help but notice her condition.
She sat down under a sign that said,
'The Double Mint Twins are coming' and I grinned.
Then she moved and sat under a sign that said,
'Logan's Liniment will reduce the swelling,' and I had to smile.
Then she placed herself under a deodorant sign that said,
'William's Big Stick Did the Trick,' and I could hardly contain myself.
But, Your Honor, when she moved the fourth time
And sat under a sign that said,
'Goodyear Rubber could have prevented this Accident!'
... I just lost it.'
'CASE DISMISSED!!'
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