Category: Economics / Economy / Income / Financial
GOP candidates falsely suggest Biden’s win wasn’t legitimate
Smerconish: There’s a limit to my sympathy for the unvaccinated
Daily cartoon / meme roundup: For many their wallets run dry long before the needs do
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Scottie’s world today
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The roundup is short and late today because my blood sugar went uncontrolled and I was in bed in bad shape most of the day. Ron started talking at 2:30 PM of either calling my doctor or taking me to the E.R. I nixed both options for having something to eat. Story below.
I have been having trouble with my blood sugar coming down in the morning when I get up. It has been around 190 to 225 when I get up this last week. No idea why, my diet has not changed. It has been climbing for a month from my normal morning reading of 120 to 130 to the 160’s and 180’s. This morning it was 244. All week I would take my medications and every hour check my blood sugar again. Until this morning with in two hours it would be back to normal. This morning it did not come down but instead went up.
One hour after getting up it was 258. The next hour it started to come down. It went to 181 and then at 8 AM it hit 133. I figured everything was fine and back to normal. I was wrong. I had breakfast while Ron was shopping at Walmart because I don’t go there. He was going to come home and I was going out with him to the local two grocery stores. Only when he got home I was in trouble. I was diaphoretic, dizzy, confused, tired. Ron did a blood sugar and I was near 300. He gave me some medications, as much water as I would take and I went to bed. He kept checking me. I woke up around noon, checked the blood sugar and it was still in the low 200’s. It was coming down but too slowly. I went back to bed.
At 2:30 it was back to about 150. Ron still wanted to call my doctor but I said let me eat first and then I will. He fixed me a salad and steak, no carbs to speak of, and none of the ones I wanted. After I ate I again got diaphoretic, shaking, dizzy, nausea. We checked my blood sugar and I was down to 80. I was crashing, my blood sugar was going down too fast too far. Ron was looking for the glucose tablets when I grabbed a MT Dew in the fridge and downed it. Then I followed it up with a few cookies. Not smart. Yes it brought my sugar back up and I started to feel great, then my sugar went to high and I got real tired. So I went back to bed. I just got up at 5:30 PM and I am still tried. I wanted to post what I had gotten done on the roundup, then I am going back to bed I think.
Don’t worry Ron will be perched over my shoulder for the next three days watching everything I put in my mouth. He will want blood sugars if I even look slightly wrong. He has already read me the riot act and told me repeatedly everything I did wrong, repeatedly. And then did it again to make one of us feel better. So that was my day, how was yours? Hugs
Where at least three people are known / charged with voting multiple times for tRump. Hugs
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Misleading right wing media cartoons / memes
Oh dear me, the cartoonist giggling so hard at Biden’s approval numbers, claiming they are so bad fail to remember their cult leaders approval numbers on the same day in his presidency were worse than Biden’s. The approval numbers for tRump were 36.4 and for Biden were 43.8 on day 330 of their terms. In case you can not count, that means Biden is more popular than tRump was. So if it is bad for Biden then it was worse for tRump. Hugs https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/
When is some other country going to come over here and solve our problems? I didn’t see anyone stepping in to stop trump or the republican terrorist attacks. Where is the UN? Where has the idea of the US as the world police gotten us? A huge bloated military budget and our own problems at home not addressed. It is time to realize the rest of the world are entitled to make their own choices and they don’t have to do what we tell them nor follow our doctrines. The US is the busybody of the world. Time for us to stop and mind our own business. Hugs
The Build Back Better bill was paid for and the original CBO score based on the bill showed that. No debt. Manchin had said he wouldn’t vote for it if it added to the debt. The Republicans couldn’t use this real score to sink the bill as it was showing the bill paid for. So they demanded the CBO do another score, one that they set the parameters, the rules for. For the new score they added a bunch of things not in the bill to what they wanted scored. That added a bunch of debt. So dishonest. It is like you going to the store with a budget and staying to the budget but at the check out I add a bunch more stuff in your cart you did not plan to buy and then I use that to claim you were over budget. I busted your budget and then use that to claim you shouldn’t get any of the stuff you planned for in the first place. Hugs
A trillion dollar millstone around the necks of young adults. Civilized nations make it possible for everyone to access affordable higher education, because it is considered a right and beneficial to society as a whole, not an opportunity to make big bucks on the backs of struggling students. Hugs
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And now some for fun
Why does the US turn a blind eye to Israel’s expansion of Squatter-Settlements on Palestinian Land?
https://www.juancole.com/2021/12/expansion-settlements-palestinian.html
Israeli media have been pointing out that the Biden administration in Washington is not too bothered about the occupation state’s illegal settlement expansion. There is little reason to doubt the veracity of the claim. So far, US President Joe Biden has managed to maintain a fine balance between his agenda in favour of the two-state compromise, and his predecessor’s legacy which promotes Israel’s annexation of more Palestinian land.
As long as Biden adheres to the international consensus about the two-state compromise, all he has to do is issue periodic condemnations and look the other way, turning the proverbial blind eye to Israeli settlement expansion. After all, that is what the UN has been doing ever since it recognised Israel’s colonial existence.
“We strongly oppose the expansion of settlements, which is completely inconsistent with efforts to lower tensions and to ensure calm, and damages the prospects for a two-state solution,” said US State Department spokesman Ned Price in October.
This perpetual “concern” can be seen from this statement as saving and perpetuating the rhetoric of two-state diplomacy. Settlements are not opposed because of the dispossession of the Palestinians from their land; that consequence has already been cloistered within the humanitarian agenda. The international community bases its relevance to the issue upon two-state politics, as does the US. Hence the tactic of opposing just one fragment of the entire series of repercussions as a result of settlement expansion and de-facto annexation. Whenever the two-state compromise is mentioned, the Palestinian people rarely feature. It is safe, therefore, to state that the paradigm does not exist to grant Palestinians their rights, but to maintain international interference so that the Palestinians are forever unable to claim their legitimate rights to their land.
Last week, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz reiterated the Biden administration’s rigmarole. Speaking to reporters in Washington, Gantz said that US officials do not criticise settlement expansion with the same fervour that they speak about the two-state compromise. The US, Gantz said, is concerned mostly with “maintaining a political horizon between us and the Palestinians open, and about not creating a reality that blocks such a horizon from developing.”
Even more telling was Gantz’s statement that that there are “lots of differences between what the US and Israel view as a two-state solution.” Taking into account that the two-state compromise has been declared obsolete and remains relevant only within international diplomacy, any purported differences about which Gantz speaks are purely hypothetical.
If the US does not care about settlement expansion, why would it be concerned about how the two-state paradigm is applied, considering that it is no longer viable and Israel is well on its path to de-facto annexation in any case? If the US and Israel are on the same page when it comes to preserving the Palestinian Authority and its compromised politics (and “sacred” security coordination with the occupation state), there is little difference in terms of the ultimate aim that Israel is aiming for, which is complete control over all Palestinian territory. The US certainly doesn’t seek an alternative reality, not when it is so heavily invested in Israel. It is only that Biden has publicly aligned himself with international consensus, while Israel has been publicly rejecting any political negotiation for a solution, which gives Gantz any reason to claim political divergence with Washington.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment.
Thanks to Homeless on the High Desert at https://homelessonthehighdesert.com/2021/12/15/tilting-windmills/ for the link. There are other good links in the post at the link. Hugs
Paul Gosar becomes latest GOP hypocrite to take credit for Covid relief he opposed
https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/paul-gosar-hypocrite-covid-relief-rcna8587
The Republican congressman accepted praise for the benefits of the American Rescue Plan, which he had denounced months earlier as “funding for Democrats’ pet projects.”
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona became the latest shameless Republican lawmaker to take credit for a federal Covid-19 relief package he vehemently opposed.
Gosar —who recently made headlines for sharing an animated video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. — is a hater in the truest sense of the word. He’s effectively declared war on progressive politics of any kind — except when he can use their benefits to earn kudos.
In a press release Monday, Gosar took credit for airport improvements his district received as a result of the American Rescue Plan, a bill he whined about all the way through its enactment in March.
Gosar is just a two-faced politician whose self-serving hypocrisy explains, in part, why his own siblings revile him.
“I am pleased to announce that the City of Kingman will receive this critical funding for economic relief related to operational costs for cleaning and sanitizing the Kingman Airport to combat the spread of COVID-19,” Gosar said in his press release. “This funding is essential to maintaining safe and reliable air service to the community.”
But Gosar voted against the relief plan — twice. And in February, as the proposed legislation worked its way through Congress, the far-right lawmaker condemned the package as “funding for Democrats’ pet projects.”
“The American people should be furious,” he had tweeted.
So should they be “furious” or “pleased,” Congressman? It’s clear Gosar is just a two-faced politician whose self-serving hypocrisy explains, in part, why his own siblings revile him.
Arizona Hospitals Warn They May Have To Triage Care
https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-arizona-c1b3db28b716c388035ac1e344243717
Banner Health warns Arizona hospitals stretched to limit
Phoenix-based Banner Health is at its most overwhelmed since the pandemic began, leading the company’s officials to issue a warning Tuesday that its hospital system may have to eventually choose who can receive care.
Some of Banner’s hospitals in one of Arizona’s largest health care systems are operating above 100% capacity, said Dr. Marjorie Bessel, the company’s chief clinical officer.
COVID-19 hospitalizations make up one-third of Banner’s hospital patients but there is also an extremely high volume of patients who delayed preventative care or are in the late stages of an illness, she said.
The company has 18 hospitals in Arizona. As of Tuesday, 10 of them were running above 100% of their ICU staffed bed capacity. Five of them were operating 100% above staffed in-patient bed capacity, according to spokesman Corey Schubert.
“We are more stretched now than we have been since the start of the pandemic,” Bessel told reporters. “ICUs are where we are experiencing the most significant strain on our resources.”
Banner has had to postpone medical procedures, new patient visits and non-urgent appointments because of the intensive care unit needs.
Hospital professionals are prioritizing medically necessary surgeries like mastectomies and gall bladder removals. The hospital system — with assistance from over 2,600 travel nurses who travel around the country filling staffing needs — is trying to counter a hemorrhaging of Banner staff nurses who retired, left the field or took non-bedside jobs .
Banner’s modeling predicts that its number of Arizona hospital bed occupancies will escalate and peak in mid-January, Bessel added.
Nearly 90% of Banner patients undergoing treatment for COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Some days, the percentage of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients in intensive care has been 100%. Bessel reiterated that vaccinations were the key to reducing the burden on health care workers.
“My top ask of the community at this time is for all who are eligible to get vaccinated and your booster if you have not yet done so,” Bessel said. “This is the best way to prevent serious COVID illness that requires hospital-level care.”
Banner’s situation echoes other hospitals in the region. Dr. Michael White, of Phoenix-based Valleywise Health, said staff are reporting the same number of COVID-19 infected patients as a year ago. White had hoped that vaccinations would have translated into fewer hospitalizations.
Hospitalizations across the state for COVID-19 overall inched up Tuesday from a day earlier to 2,764 patients as of Monday, according to the Arizona state health department’s coronavirus dashboard.
The dashboard also reported 2,168 additional cases and 203 deaths. Most of the fatalities stemmed from inspection of death certificates going back several weeks.
Since the pandemic started, the state has reported 1,320,748 confirmed coronavirus infection cases and 23,243 COVID-19 deaths.
The delta variant continues to make up the majority of infections. However, Maricopa County Department of Public Health officials said Monday that they identified the newer omicron variant in six people in metro Phoenix.
Tuesday marked a year since COVID-19 vaccines first arrived in Arizona, according to the Department of Health Services.
So far, more than 4.5 million people in Arizona — or 63.8% of the state’s population — have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Over 3.9 million have been fully vaccinated. Of the state’s vaccine-eligible population, 67.8% have received at least one dose.
Public health officials have said that unvaccinated people are 15.2 times more likely to die than those who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
Fox News Doctor Calls for U.S. to Move On From Mandates: ‘Time to Move Forward and Allow’ Omicron to ‘Circulate’
Pelosi Rejects Banning Congress From Trading Stocks
Daily cartoon / meme roundup: It is not free stuff, it is using government to serve the people, help the public. The people today have a lower standard of living since the New Deal.
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Scottie’s world today
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https://twitter.com/imillhiser/status/1470882713888788480?s=20
https://truth-has-a-liberal-bias.tumblr.com/post/670587423673237504
But, but, but …it was antifa. The entire operation was Trump, the Republican Party, and FOX. They all knew. They all lied afterwards.
Republicans want a Civil War, based on lies and conspiracies, based on promises they will never deliver, just to retain power and destroy elections/democracy. Their violence is premeditated. Their base is incapable of independent thought. The losers have united. Instead of owning their growing defeats, they invent excuses. They blame others.
They knew they were guilty. Then they invented an enemy to blame it on. Republican/FOX fascism, writ large.
They knew. They lied. The Right want their ‘lone wolves’ to attack progressives using FOX propaganda.
Hannity, Ingraham, and Kilmeade think their viewers are worthless. They lie to their faces.
https://twitter.com/GBBranstetter/status/1470377979175968768?s=20
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Misleading right wing media cartoons / memes
The funny thing about the right attack Biden on crime is that the left attacks Biden for being to strict on crime and punishment. Have all the right forgotten the 1994 crime bill sponsored by Biden that led to a jump in mass incarceration. Biden is historically pro-police, pro-prison, pro-hammer down law and order. However turning the US into a police state wont solve the crime problem. Crime may be rising now but is still less than it has been even in the last decade. Crime has been falling steadily. But there are some who stand to gain by turning the US into a police state. Resist their fear mongering. We can do better, again look at other countries, they solve crime problems with out locking up large segments of the population in prisons designed to be punitive and in inhumane. Hugs
The right likes to call any coverage of the Coronavirus hysterical because they work for the profit of big money. A virus that has killed over 800,000 people in less than 2 years and 1% of people over 65 in the country. Think of that. Why would anyone want to ignore that, because it cuts into profit. If you have take precautions it costs profits. So the right wing makes it seem the virus is no problem at all and any one who wants to fight the virus is wrong. Hugs
Maybe if police were not busy oppressing minorities with the Republicans endless war on drugs they would have time to focus on petty theft. Crime rates in GOP cities are the same as those in Democrat led cities. Crime rates in cities that increased police funding showed increases in crime. By pushing this false Fox News inspired narrative, you ignore the true roots and causes of crime. Typical GOP-posturing. Hugs
I’m not sure of the point. Kentucky officials and citizens have been highly complimentary about the federal response to the disaster. And the Biden admin has been begging people to get booster shots. What is Mr. Lester’s beef? Sen. McConnell went as far to praise the speed and effort the President has made in response to the disaster. No mention was made or Covid-19 vaccinations. Hugs
Again the right wing projects. Blame Biden they shout for taking away something Biden worked hard to give you and the Republicans fought every attempt to keep you having. It is extended in the build back better plan that Manchin, Sinema, and the Republicans are fighting to keep from ever becoming law. This is misdirection in hopes of making the people angry at someone trying to help them by the person trying to hurt them. Hugs
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And now some for fun
No Zuckerberg is the ET. This reminds me of the twilight zone episode where everyone on a bus stopped at a diner in a snow storm. They were scared a escaped prisoner was mixed in with them. After they all got back on the bus and the bus crashed killing everyone one guy returned to the diner where he announced he was from Mars and they were going to invade, but the cook in the diner laughed and told him too late as he was from Venus and they were already to invade. Hugs
Scottie's Playtime 