Bad News.

Simply very bad news. Precisely what Project 2025/Agenda 47/Republican National Platform said they want to do. I’m sorry; I don’t like to bring bad news. But people need to prepare. This is written in editorial/opinion style, but facts are within and there are citations. For people like us who need time to prepare for austerity, it’s news we ought to read.

Also, there are Senator names included for who we should write to regarding this bill. That’s our last chance. Shutdown is on Republicans, not Democrats, no matter how they try to deflect. We need to tell the Dem senators to speak what’s in this bill, every chance they get, and to refuse to vote in favor, pointing at Republicans the entire time.

There are parts in the article complaining about Democrats and their choices, etc., et. m. Read it if you want (you’ll have to click through for it,) but it won’t help anyone to read more complaining about Democrats. We the people need to energize Dem. Senators to speak out, and to vote no. Especially the speak out portion; Sen. Mark Kelly does that especially well, and is among those the author of this piece feels is wavering. I intend to start first thing in the morning, and I hope all of us will devote some time to this. It’s vital.

Senate Democrats’ Choice: Block the Republican Spending Bill or Dissolve Congress

The House’s continuing resolution would effectively hand over spending decisions to Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

by David Dayen March 11, 2025

Snippets:

Without the luxury of Republicans falling apart, Democrats in the Senate need to decide whether to prevent a dangerous and harmful budget that shrinks the power of Congress in the government. Since operating on principle goes against their “adults in the room” mindset, they are wavering on what to do. But it should be an open-and-shut case.

A normal continuing resolution funds the government at the same level as the previous budget. This bill does not. It cuts non-defense discretionary spending by $13 billion below last year’s level, while increasing military spending by $6 billion. It zeroes out funding for programs that fund homeless shelters and prevent child abuse. It cuts health care funding for clinics and hospitals, emergency preparedness for communities, clean water projects and tribal assistance. Meanwhile, it adds money for mass deportations, just as Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has illegally detained a green card holder for his political beliefs.

Most of the budget cuts are achieved by removing earmarks, which members of Congress put in to direct projects. But usually when earmarks are removed, the money goes back to the agency to decide how to distribute it. This maneuver cuts the earmarks and the money.

The House Republican bill also fails to fix a carryover of a $20 billion rescission to IRS money from the Inflation Reduction Act, effectively doubling that cut. This was kind of pre-ordained when Democrats punted on this in a prior continuing resolution last December, but it still means that practically all of the IRA’s funding for greater enforcement of tax collection is now gone.

The bill not only adds $6 billion to the Department of Defense’s enormous budget, but adds $8 billion in “transfer authority” that allows the agency to shift spending where they deem important, a flexibility no other agency gets.

While Republicans tout a $6 billion increase in veterans health care in the bill, they neglect to mention the removal of a $23 billion appropriation to the Toxic Exposure Fund to implement the PACT Act, which cares for veterans exposed to burn pits and other cancer-causing chemicals. While there’s an extra $2.2 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund, there’s no additional money to support the rebuilding in southern California after the January wildfires.

But most important, the bill grants an open invitation to Trump and Elon Musk to continue to ignore Congress and toss out disfavored spending. Vice President JD Vance, while selling the deal to House Republicans, stated outright that “Trump would continue cutting federal funding with his Department of Government Efficiency initiative and pursue impoundment — that is, holding back money appropriated by Congress.” This has been reiterated by others in the Trump administration.

In fact, the House Republican bill gives the president more leeway to move money around. It appropriates money for things that Musk has eliminated, meaning that money can operate as a floating slush fund for Trump’s priorities, as long as the courts don’t roll back the illegal impoundments.

… The Trump administration is saying that they will sign a bill appropriating specific funding, and then go about cutting funding anyway. If you’re a member of Congress, you’re being told that your work product doesn’t matter, that the constitutional power of the purse doesn’t matter, and that there’s no guarantee that anything you pass will actually reach the people you serve.

I can see why Republicans would take this deal: they want budget cuts but know they don’t have the votes for them, so they’re plenty happy to outsource that to the president, even if it turns Congress into a separate and unequal branch of government. But why would Democrats willingly submit to a fake budget on paper that can be so easily circumvented? As Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on X, “The Republican spending plan will supercharge Musk’s theft from working people to pay for billionaire tax cuts. Senate Democrats must stop it.”

…

So far, only Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has committed to voting yes. But as Josh Marshall has documented at Talking Points Memo, a number of Senate Democrats have stated no position on the bill, leaving their options open. In general, senators have been hedging their bets until forced to make a decision. That time has come.

Credible sources indicate that the most likely Democrats to offer up the remaining seven votes to avoid a shutdown are Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Mark Warner (D-VA).

My computer issues last week

Peace & Justice History for 3/11

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistorymarch.htm#march11

Peace & Justice History for 3/5

I wonder how Ukraine feels about today’s anniversary. sigh

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistorymarch.htm#march5

I am down to one computer.

As most who follow my blog might remember I have two computer systems two monitors, and two speaker set ups … you get the idea. I use one for watching videos / movies which I call the video computer and the other I use to blog, look up stuff, and I call that one the blogging computer. The system works for me.

A month or more ago I was having trouble restarting the XPS blogging computer that I bought in 2016. I found a workaround by using the reset / testing button on the power supply and using the start button. However that is no longer working. Why knowing this did you shut the computer down in the first place I hear people asking? I had an important program that just refused suddenly to work. It let me move the keyboard and mouse between computers with complete easy by simply going to the edge of one monitor to move it to the other. The problem was the program suddenly claimed that it couldn’t see another computer on the network. I tried everything I could think of including reinstalling the program, restarting the router, uninstalling the either net connections, unplugging and plugging the cables. I tried the restart 3 times with each computer. The only thing I could think of is I had a radical handshake that the only way to cure was to turn off the computers, then restart them. I figured I could use the workaround with the power supply to start that computer. It failed. The power supply won’t stay on long enough for the bios to hand the start up to the hard drive.

Why is this an issue. I was able to move all the open tabs from one computer to the other computer via Vivaldi, a browser that Barry told me about and I strongly recommend. The program allows you to set up a session memory for however many days you wish. I have mine set for three days. So after the blogging computer wouldn’t start I could go into the synced cloud of my devices and move all the windows with all the tabs into the video computer. Unfortunately it is stressing it out badly.

However what I couldn’t move is the video files I had just done this morning. I finally figured out two different programs to record the videos that look and sound great. I did two this morning to go with posts I set up two days ago. I can’t get to those videos files. I could if I take the C drive out of that computer and plug it into a very inexpensive device I bought that allows me to plug all the different kinds of drive into it up to three at a time and read them all. But I won’t do that because I found a replacement power supply that will be here tomorrow. But I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, and Wednesday Ron and I were going to go shopping, and again Friday I have another doctor’s appointment. Told everyone I have some real health issues.

I had made and was uploading what I think were really great videos. I finally got the programs to work. They were uploading to go with the four posts I had ready to go. They were short, sweet, and looked / sound good. I can still post the posts without the videos. Which I will now do. But I am frustrated. But these computers are 9 years old. Ron and I talked about it. To get me the computers I need to do the work I do would take at least $1,800.00 times two. But if it comes to that we will do it. But my next computers will be at least an Intel 8 chip, the highest ram architecture possible I can afford, and as I learned that in the modern age higher ram makes a huge difference now in how a computer operates. In my days when first learning about computers ram and memory were much less important than the processor speed. I have found out with my own computers the one with a slower processor works far better / faster with a huge memory boost than the one with the bigger processor but locked into a far smaller memory.

So we put the computer on the counter and opened it up. Then we copied all the power supply specs and plugged that into Dell the manufacturer. They no longer have that part available which I already suspected when I went to my Dell page with my products and when I clicked on parts it offered me only three cables. Useless. But Amazon had the power supply I needed. It was not that expensive, fit the chassis and had the same power in / out rating. Plus it could be here tomorrow. So I won’t lose the computer, and will still be able to upload the new videos somewhat late. Ron chided me for know the power supply was failing and not ordering the replacement. I was trying to save money. It will be all good. Thanks for reading. Hugs

Well Written&Drawn, Georgia Dunn!

Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn for March 02, 2025

Breaking Cat News Comic Strip for March 02, 2025

(I put a new theme on the phone for March; it’s called “Four Leaf Spring.” I thought it would be seasonable. I noticed on the thumbnail that the four leaved clover had 5 leaves, so kept looking, then decided to go back and just take it because other than the extra leaf, I like it, and it’s free. It did strike me that that theme artist used AI. Or is AI? dun dun DuN…)

Christopher Titus Armageddon clips

Another Piece I Lifted Off Ten Bears:

‘Clever Girl’ Explains Why Dinosaurs are Queer and Feminist — and Jurassic Park is a Toolkit for the Apocalypse

A Few Things I’ve Run Across Today-

This one is expanding today’s Free The Ocean Trivia Question Answer, which I actually got correct!

Acidic Oceans Are Causing Oysters To Become Female

January 28, 2025 Written by Matthew Russell

Ocean acidification now looms as a direct challenge to oysters. Experts warn that more acidic conditions can alter the sex balance in these shellfish. Some oysters start life as male, then switch to female later. Shifts in pH threaten to speed that switch.

These shifts could upend aquaculture and coastal ecosystems everywhere.

Researchers note that an oyster population with too many females might see future reproduction problems, since a balanced sex ratio helps keep populations stable.

Photo: Pexels

Oysters rely on environmental cues to decide their sex. (snip-MORE)

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UnitedHealth Group resists shareholder proposal on delayed and denied care

Proposal calls on company to prepare reports on ‘macroeconomic costs’ of health insurer’s practices

UnitedHealth Group is attempting to swat down a non-binding shareholder proposal that asked the company to prepare reports on the costs of delayed and denied healthcare.

The proposal, filed by members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), represents a new frontier in seeking to hold insurance companies accountable for the “macroeconomic costs” of denied care – arguing they eventually hurt the bottom line of large investors.

The proposal asks UnitedHealth Group to prepare reports on the “public health-related costs and macroeconomic risks created by the company’s practices that limit or delay access to healthcare”.

“The investors we work with are interested in long-term value creation,” said Meg Jones-Monteiro, senior director of health equity at ICCR. The coalition represents primarily institutional investors, such as pensions and foundations.

“When you think about the investment portfolios our members have, they are very diverse,” Jones-Monteiro. “What happens in one sector impacts another.”

The proposal is non-binding, but UnitedHealth Group is nevertheless fighting to stop it. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in January, UnitedHealth Group attempted to exclude the proposal from proxy statements on technical grounds, arguing in part that the terms “public-health related costs” and “macroeconomic risks” are vague and subject to interpretation. (snip-MORE)

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An update on searching for trans-friendly employers who sponsor visas

Last month I asked to hear from trans-friendly employers who sponsor visas, and provided a simple form for interested employers to reach out. In the process, I heard from many individuals: people who were hoping to find new employment in another country, and people who worked for companies that were aligned, who were encouraging their bosses to fill in the form.

A quick reminder before we dive in: I’m not providing formal legal or financial advice. I’m just trying to point people in the right direction and provide some ideas for relocation for people who want it.

The bad news

Here’s the bad news: today, that form sits empty. While the post was shared far and wide, not a single person has filled it in.

I think there are a few reasons for this. First and foremost, in the current environment, being listed in such a database presents a significant risk, particularly if you’re doing business with US entities. In an environment where the administration is firing employees and cutting contracts for even the barest mention of support for trans people, there’s every reason to believe that the current administration will penalize people and organizations who work with trans people.

So, that’s not great. I’m very sorry to everyone who got their hopes up that I would be able to make direct connections.

The good news

The good news: some countries actively sponsor visas, welcome trans people, and are hiring.

In my personal conversations with people, what jumped out again and again was that emigrating to the Netherlands was a viable route for many people — and particularly those with tech skills (engineering, IT, product management, design, research, and so on).

Reasons include:

Dutch tech companies tend to sponsor visas. (Look for job vacancies written in English and/or on boards like Tech Me Abroad and Relocate.me.)
You can relocate with a self-employment visa if you have a skilled background, can demonstrate at least one Dutch-based contract or that you’ll start a tech-based business, and can show that you’ll independently make €1,613 (~$1,700) per month.
The DAFT visa lowers the barrier to entry for US entrepreneurs who can commit to invest €4,500 (~$4,700).
The Netherlands is a progressive country, even given its current right-wing government.
90-93% of Dutch people speak English fluently.

The Netherlands is also kind of just a neat country: excellent social safety net, great support for culture and the arts, good connectivity to other European countries, and a strong grant support network for mission-driven tech. Amsterdam is a first-class cosmopolitan city, but other centers in the Netherlands are not to be sniffed at, and the country is so small that you can easily take public transit from one to another in less time than it might take you to commute to work by car in the US.

It is not, however, perfect. Much like the US, the Netherlands has had its own racial reckoning; unlike the US, the discourse has often centered on the idea that racism doesn’t happen there. That’s a rich claim from a society where racist tropes like Zwarte Piet are still commonplace, and where women of color are often marginalized. There’s work to be done — although it’s worth asking if this is truly any worse than the US.

Not everybody can relocate, and not everybody has these skills. I’m aware that this is a privileged route that not everybody can take advantage of. It would be better if there was a defined route for everybody who needed to find a safer place to live; it would be better still if a safe place to live was the place they already call home. This situation is sick and sad, and I truly wish that everything was different.

It also comes with an attendant cost. It’s estimated that moving to the Netherlands will set you back between $6-10K. That’s a lot less than one might expect, but it’s obviously a significant barrier for many people. Unfortunately, very little financial support exists for these moves. If you know of grants, mutual aid funds, or community resources that help trans people relocate, please share them. Funding and guidance from those who’ve navigated the process could make all the difference.

Please reach out

In the meantime, I’ll keep looking. If you are a company in a country that is safe for trans people, and you’re looking to hire people from the US who need visa sponsorship, please fill out this form or reach out to me via email. I’m not giving up.

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I once had a wonderful experience with tens of thousands of pansies. by Worriedman

Pansies! Read on Substack (Because we need a brain cleanser.)

Plant the green side up and give it a good drink of water a couple of times a week…

Pansies are Viola hybrids, Viola x wittrockiana. (“wittrockiana” sounds like a mountainous region in the south of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick) The common names, pansy, viola and violet are used interchangeably. “Pansies” are usually larger and taller than true violas, with large showy blooms. Violas are usually smaller plants, with smaller blooms, more plentiful than find on pansies. If you want to be a real nerd you can look at the petals. Both kinds of blooms have five petals . On the pansy, four petals point up, one points down. On the viola, two petals point up and three point down.

(snip-MORE)

A bit tired out today.

I was up all night fixing a modem then router problem. The modem kept cycling and negotiating channels. Normally restarting it would solve that issue. It did not. So I factory reset it. Then that was where me being tired after being up all day and now about 2:30 am, I missed an important piece of the puzzle. Ron got up at three to use his iPad and it wouldn’t connect because I had the modem out of the system. I had it hooked directly to my main computer.

Then trying to reboot the router I forgot to change the Ethernet cables back around and was getting frustrated I couldn’t access the router controls. I was factory resetting and rebooting the router, I was using my phone to try to access the system, nothing was working. I was super frustrated when Ron popped his head in the door and asked what I was doing. I explained it, then he told me his pad did not connect saying the Wi-Fi was not there. I sat there trying to explain it to him when the light bulb over my head came on. I told him to give me five minutes and he would have internet.

In trying to explain what I was doing to him after nearly 20 hours awake it dawned on me, I had failed to move the cables back to the router so I was trying to access a piece of equipment not in the loop, not connected. I quickly redid the correct cable configuration of modem to router to computers and then I accessed the now factory cleared router. I restored my security settings, all the passwords, and in about 7 minutes had the system up. I went to bed around 4 am. Tired but happy. I noticed that everything I did stopped the modem from cycling also. I got back up at 7:30 am. I am doing laundry now and will start on comments. It is going to be a long day. I still have to go into the router and bind the devices so they can’t be spoofed but I am too tired to work on it now. At least I don’t have Ron’s job of cutting out flooring around metal support beams and plumbing lines for water and sewer. Hugs.