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You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Monday Morning Open Thread

Monday Morning Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  October 12, 20157:48 am| 79 Comments

This post is in: Domestic Politics, Open Threads

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Tin Robot

Feeling as rusty as an inadequately maintained tin robot as I return to the workforce after vacation. What’s on your mind today?

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Previous Post: « Open Thread: Empire of Malign Idiots
Next Post: More on the utterly brain dead Nazi analogies »

Reader Interactions

79Comments

  1. 1.

    MattF

    October 12, 2015 at 7:52 am

    You mean, besides getting to ‘fully awake’? Augghhh.

    E. J. Dionne has a good column in the WaPo. In which he points out that the right-wing lunatic fringe makes a valid point about the Republican establishment.

    ETA: Added two more ‘h’s to ‘Augghhh’.

  2. 2.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 12, 2015 at 7:54 am

    Busy weekend here. Took a drive with the British Car Club of Miami down to Islamorada in the Keys for lunch on Saturday. They’re not picky; the Pontiac was not the only non-British car in the parade. Then on Sunday I bit the bullet and submitted a play for consideration to the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference next summer; I’ll know by April if I’m a finalist. Nothing ventured, nothing sprained.

    This coming weekend is the Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival in Lakeland, Florida. I’ll be there with the Pontiac, so Betty, if you and the family want to venture inland, let me know and we’ll meet up.

  3. 3.

    Baud

    October 12, 2015 at 7:57 am

    Looking forward to seeing the reaction in the crowd at tomorrow night’s debate when they realize that there are more than two people running for the nomination.

  4. 4.

    Emma

    October 12, 2015 at 8:05 am

    I’m posting this again (I guess Sunday isn’t the best day to reach people with pets). My sister and her husband have adopted a feral (well, semi-feral, as she lived in their yard and they fed her) cat. She seems quite happy to be indoors but will not use her litter box. She will use the dog’s “oh-my-gawd-is-raining” box to pee but will only defecate behind couches and under tables. The vet thinks it’s a matter of finding a litter she like. Any advice?

  5. 5.

    Central Planning

    October 12, 2015 at 8:07 am

    For my fellow tech geeks/nerds, Dell is acquiring EMC. I suspect confusion and a downward spiral after the acquisition closes next year. I don’t think the company cultures match, nor do I think the profit margins of EMC will mesh will with those of Dell.

  6. 6.

    PurpleGirl

    October 12, 2015 at 8:12 am

    @Mustang Bobby: Hope you get picked for the O’Neill Conference.

    Islamorado comes before Key Largo when driving into the Keys from Miami, right? I spent a weekend helping a friend when he took his test for teaching handicapped diving. We stayed at a motel in Key Largo. I’ve always wanted to go back to the Keys and see more, maybe even go all the way to Key West.

  7. 7.

    MomSense

    October 12, 2015 at 8:13 am

    @Emma:

    I had a feral cat I loved dearly. The only reason it worked is because I had a small farm and she could go outside. I left her inside overnight once and had to throw away all my big house plants in the morning.

  8. 8.

    MomSense

    October 12, 2015 at 8:14 am

    @Mustang Bobby:

    Fingers crossed for your play.

  9. 9.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 12, 2015 at 8:15 am

    @PurpleGirl: Thanks.

    Islamorada comes after Key Largo on the drive from Miami. Key Largo is the first island in the chain heading south, then Tavernier, then Islamorada. It’s a great drive, especially when the traffic is light. Going all the way to KW takes about three hours from Key Largo if you don’t stop along the way. But you will. :)

  10. 10.

    Schlemazel

    October 12, 2015 at 8:18 am

    Ah, Clod dumbest day. Thank pasta for FDRs pandering for Italian votes! I have the day off.

    Spent yesterday on the road, we had dinner with our younger son to celebrate his birthday and a very nice visit. Took the long way home and stopped by Fort Ridgley. It was attacked and sacked during the Sioux uprising of 1862. It was an act of supreme hubris to build a non-walled fort on the prairie leaving it open to attack from 3 sides. It was an act of supreme desperation for 400 warriors starving and at the end of their ropes to think that killing a few settlers and burning the fort would not be severely dealt with. After the shooting stopped 38 were hanged, just down river in Mankato in the largest mass execution in US history. It would have been more but Lincoln took pity on them because he understood they were being starved out. Gov. Sibley objected strenuously toe Lincolns attempt to pardon them all telling Lincoln that if he was not allowed to hang a bunch of them they would have a second rebellion to fight as the settlers would not settle for less.

  11. 11.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    October 12, 2015 at 8:20 am

    @Baud: There’s more than Hillz and the Bern? Oh that’s right Baud!2016!!!

    Excuse my absence from this morning’s discussion, I’ve been internetless for the past 2 hours. THE HOROR, THE HOROR.

  12. 12.

    Iowa Old Lady

    October 12, 2015 at 8:21 am

    Having trouble convincing myself it’s worth getting up today. Ah well. After the gym, everything will look better.

    @Mustang Bobby: Good luck with the play. Don’t ask, don’t get.

  13. 13.

    Schlemazel

    October 12, 2015 at 8:21 am

    @Mustang Bobby:
    Break a leg (I dunno, does the old superstition about the other phrase hole for playwrights?)

    We never made it to the keys when we lived in FLA but are going to have to next September. How long does it take to drive from Miami to KW?

  14. 14.

    EZSmirkzz

    October 12, 2015 at 8:24 am

    Benghazi!

    Because there’s just not enough masturbation in America.

  15. 15.

    bemused

    October 12, 2015 at 8:25 am

    Robot! Our 2 year old granddaughter loves R2D2 and robots in general. I was just searching for (free) sewing patterns, R2D2 theme cuddle toys, backpacks, etc to sew Christmas gifts for her. Her talented sewing mom found some colorful robot fabric and sewed the most adorable ruffly dress with it.

  16. 16.

    WereBear

    October 12, 2015 at 8:29 am

    @Emma: The vet could be right; she needs to bury her feces and the stuff often sold as dog litter would not woke for her. Sandier the better.

    Perhaps she also needs access to smaller spaces so she can feel at home in them. Sudden access to a large unfamiliar place can trigger territory behavior, like marking.

  17. 17.

    magurakurin

    October 12, 2015 at 8:30 am

    @Schlemazel:

    In a 1972 VW Bus prone to vapor lock and the occupants stoned the gills on acid…a long fucking time. The sunrise was amazing though…

  18. 18.

    Tommy

    October 12, 2015 at 8:30 am

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Oh the horror.

  19. 19.

    Schlemazel

    October 12, 2015 at 8:33 am

    @magurakurin:
    I doubt I can convince the wife to drop and I know my son won’t let me dose the grandkids and where would I find a 72 microbus these days?

  20. 20.

    PurpleGirl

    October 12, 2015 at 8:34 am

    @Mustang Bobby: Ah, thanks. I don’t drive myself but we had time after my friend’s diving class and he drove us around a few of the Keys. Luckily, the traffic was light and we could stop at a few places and see the different areas. Although we cooked most of our meals, we did go to restaurants on two nights as part of our sightseeing.

    ETA: I guess I could fly into Key West and spend a few days there.

  21. 21.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 12, 2015 at 8:35 am

    @Schlemazel: It’s 150 miles from my place (17 miles south of downtown Miami) to KW. That would translate to about five hours driving time at the speed limit, but with traffic and the view, allow for a lot more.

  22. 22.

    Josie

    October 12, 2015 at 8:40 am

    @Emma: Sounds like she is looking for a hidden place – maybe an enclosed litter box? Possibly real dirt to begin with, similar to what she used outside.

  23. 23.

    Tommy

    October 12, 2015 at 8:40 am

    @Mustang Bobby: I thought it was a lot farther, but then my knowledge of FL is somewhat lacking.

  24. 24.

    Schlemazel

    October 12, 2015 at 8:42 am

    @Mustang Bobby:
    All I knew was 150 miles so was assuming 3-4 hours. You’re saying “plan a day” I think. That was sort of what I was afraid of & why I asked. THANKS!

  25. 25.

    magurakurin

    October 12, 2015 at 8:49 am

    @Schlemazel: If God loves you, you will never find a 1972 microbus…what a piece shit that car was. I loved it though. Its name was Stoney. the bad old days.

  26. 26.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 12, 2015 at 8:56 am

    @magurakurin: I had a chat with some friends over the weekend about VW busses. A vintage one — 23 windows, split windshield, pre-1969 — in good condition will go for $25K. Seriously. They are really collectible now that all the hippies are geriatric and longing for the old days.

  27. 27.

    magurakurin

    October 12, 2015 at 9:01 am

    @Mustang Bobby:

    My bus was no vintage car to be sure, but it was really really fun to drive. When it ran. At one point the starter motor was shot so I was popping the clutch to start it. Then the reverse gear went out so I had to drive around looking for a place to park pointing downhill head first. Would have helped to have had money to fix it. I finally came across a junked one in a scrap yard looking for an engine door. It had been in a front end collision. From the damage it was pretty clear the driver had probably lost their legs. I drove it to Arizona and abandoned in in Bisbee about 8 months after that. Sold it to a local for 200 dollars or something like that.

  28. 28.

    Steeplejack

    October 12, 2015 at 9:06 am

    I’ve got a computer security question for the big brains. Last night I got an e-mail from my Internet provider (Cox), as well as a pop-up notice on my cell phone, saying that “one or more of the computers behind your cable modem are likely infected with the Zeus Trojan/bot, also known as Zbot.”

    I stay current with Microsoft Security Essentials (or Defender, or whatever they’re calling it now), maintain good browser hygiene, etc., so I don’t think I’m at risk. But I ran the scanner from Microsoft that Cox recommended and also ran Malwarebytes. Neither of them found anything.

    The only possible point of infection I can think of is that a friend asked me last week to look at her résumé, which she sent in an old Microsoft Works format that I had to convert to Microsoft Word. But I opened it in read-only mode.

    So the question is should I be concerned, or is it likely that I got a a false alarm from Cox? Anyone have any experience with this?

    Note: There’s only one computer that could be infected—this one, running Windows 10 and always using Firefox as the browser.

  29. 29.

    Steeplejack

    October 12, 2015 at 9:09 am

    @Schlemazel:

    [. . .] where would I find a 72 microbus these days?

    A Honda Element is an acceptable substitute, I believe.

  30. 30.

    boatboy_srq

    October 12, 2015 at 9:09 am

    Feeling as rusty as an inadequately maintained tin robot as I return to the workforce after vacation.

    Oh, good, I’m not the only one having trouble ramping up. Day One after two weeks off. Meh.

  31. 31.

    MattF

    October 12, 2015 at 9:12 am

    @Steeplejack: Are you sure the email came from Cox? Did you call them?

  32. 32.

    Steeplejack

    October 12, 2015 at 9:19 am

    @MattF:

    I’m almost certain it did come from Cox. The e-mail return address could be spoofed, I guess, but the customer service number given is a valid Cox number (I didn’t call it), and the links to the Microsoft virus scanner and one from Symantec are valid URLs. (I didn’t click on either one; I typed the Microsoft one manually.)

    ETA: I might run the Symantec scanner just as a belt-and-suspenders double-check.

  33. 33.

    Betty Cracker

    October 12, 2015 at 9:21 am

    @Mustang Bobby: We had a neighbor who used to restore old VWs as a hobby, including micro-buses. Loved to hear those little sewing machine-sounding engines as he test-drove his projects around the ‘hood. Back then, I drove a New Beetle, and when Hurricane Charley seemed to be bearing down on us, this neighbor came over to inquire after my Beetle, to make sure we had plans to evacuate it safely. He just loved VWs of all types! It was sorta sweet!

  34. 34.

    Elizabelle

    October 12, 2015 at 9:26 am

    @Steeplejack:
    @boatboy_srq:

    IMPROMPTU DC MEETUP TOMORROW NIGHT
    — Bernie debate watch party at a NoVA Persian restaurant

    Any interest? I’ve RSVP’d. Will find out if they are serving up wireless or red wine (essentials, but …) and inform you.

    Neighbor’s Restaurant (Vienna, VA)
    262 Cedar Ln SE
    Vienna, VA 22180

    8:00 to 11:00, although I’ll get there closer to 7 p to snag a table and eat.

    Please make sure you and everyone who is coming with you has RSVPed. The restaurant will be providing a buffet. If you would like to eat, it will be $15 per person. There will be vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Kids are welcome!

    Neighbor’s is 1.6 miles from the Dunn Loring Merrifield Metro. There is lots of free parking.

    https://secure.berniesanders.com/page/event/detail/debatewatchpartiesoctober13/4v8ky

    FWIW for BJ: If you’re Metroing over, I can pick you up.

    You guys interested? You don’t have to be a Bernie supporter; can be an agnostic. If you’re a Chafee supporter, show up in your Linc swag!

    Go ahead and RSVP to the Bernie link, so they have their numbers, but let me know in the comments and we’ll have Anne or Betty throw up a DC debate party link if there’s enough interest.

    PS: I am supporting the Democrat in 2016; period. Hillary supporters welcome as well. Saw “debate” and “Persian food” that does very well in Yelp reviews, and I am there!

  35. 35.

    EZSmirkzz

    October 12, 2015 at 9:29 am

    @Steeplejack: Without sitting in your chair hard to tell what is going on, here’s a r removal tool. from Symantec. Also too you can try a system restore, and download CCleaner.

    You may want to inform your friend as well. Of course this could start a cascade of worry warting if the the COX email is a phish, so you may want to give their customer service a call before doing anything.

    Security on any OS is always evolving. With Firefox you may want to cut into John;s revenue by using NoScript, and EFF’s https everywhere.

  36. 36.

    Steeplejack

    October 12, 2015 at 9:34 am

    @Elizabelle:

    Sorry, can’t do it. Already committed to watch with some other godless commie libtards.

  37. 37.

    rikyrah

    October 12, 2015 at 9:35 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

  38. 38.

    Elizabelle

    October 12, 2015 at 9:36 am

    @Steeplejack: Always assume you’re a “No.” Remain a man of mystery.

    ETA: Enjoy!

  39. 39.

    Steeplejack

    October 12, 2015 at 9:40 am

    @EZSmirkzz:

    The Symantec removal tool you reference is the exact same one recommended in the e-mail. I just downloaded it and am getting ready to run it. And I haven’t run CCleaner in a long time, so I’ll run that, too.

    I did tell my friend, but with lots of “It’s probably nothing” assurances. She is without a computer right now and used her parents’ old computer to do her résumé (hence the outmoded Microsoft Works). I asked her whether her parents (late 60s or early 70s) do on-line banking, etc., and she said, “Them? Oh, God, no!,” so I think there’s not much danger.

  40. 40.

    MazeDancer

    October 12, 2015 at 9:41 am

    @Emma:

    Give kitty what she knows: genuine dirt. Bags of cheapest potting soil. With no additives, just dirt. Big litter box, behind something so it’s private. She’s indicated she likes more hidden. Two boxes in two likely locations may be better. Big ones, not with covers, as cats like to sit up straight.

    Put droppings from one of her “mistakes” in dirt. Keep her in a smaller area at first she can make hers. (But don’t put food/water and box next to each other.) She’ll smell it and get the picture. Eventually, mix dirt with litter, consider corn based, then taper off dirt.

    Cats want to bury their droppings. But they are sometimes picky about in what. They like dirt. Yes, it can be pricey at first, but cheaper in long run.

  41. 41.

    Steeplejack

    October 12, 2015 at 9:42 am

    @Elizabelle:

    More of a cipher than a mystery, LOL. It’s all about the timing on these things. My schedule is usually so empty it’s ridiculous, but Balloon Juice stuff invariably conflicts with something else. Weird.

  42. 42.

    satby

    October 12, 2015 at 9:44 am

    @Baud: You gonna be there? I think the crowd needs to hear your platform.

    Baud 2016

  43. 43.

    satby

    October 12, 2015 at 9:46 am

    @Emma: I wasn’t able to be much help, but Werebear’s blog is WayofCats

  44. 44.

    rikyrah

    October 12, 2015 at 9:46 am

    water is wet news

    How Hillary Clinton panders

    By Stephen Stromberg October 11 at 2:41 PM

    Another week, another cave from Hillary Clinton. The Democratic front-runner came out against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal last week, a pact she pushed for when she was secretary of state. The question is not whether she’s pandering but how negative the real-world consequences of her pandering will be.

    Clinton seems keenly sensitive to that question. She has been carefully calibrating her pandering, keeping her options open and the stakes as low as possible — and often without granting that activists’ ideas even make sense. Because they often don’t, and she almost certainly knows that.

    The TPP is only the latest example. Though Clinton talked up the treaty when she ran the State Department, she announced last week that the agreement doesn’t meet the “high bar I have set” for trade deals. Yet the TPP may well be off the docket by January 2017, when she would be inaugurated if elected president. Even if it’s not, she hasn’t adopted the anti-trade hyperbole of others in the race. This leaves her rhetorical space to favor a “modified” TPP or other future trade deals that, she can argue, do meet her standards. Moreover, she put off announcing her opposition until after Congress voted to give President Obama fast-track trade authority, reducing the likelihood that what she says will make any difference to the treaty’s final outcome.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/10/11/how-hillary-clinton-panders/?tid=pm_opinions_pop_b

  45. 45.

    Schlemazel

    October 12, 2015 at 9:46 am

    @Steeplejack:
    I believe this is a scam. You might try copying any links in the email (DON”T CLICK THEM) right-click and copy then paste into a notepad. If it is not obvious that the link is genuine (look close for misspellings or almost correct names) then you know for sure.

    Call COX and ask but I bet this is fake.

  46. 46.

    Steeplejack

    October 12, 2015 at 9:53 am

    @Schlemazel:

    All safety procedures are being followed.

  47. 47.

    satby

    October 12, 2015 at 9:59 am

    For today, I’ve been updating and working on SEO for my shop. I really need to improve sales there, but with the input of the juicers, I have gone to a no shipping charges (with bottom purchase threshold). I like creating product, but the marketing aspects are not at all my strong suit. So it will be a day on the puter indoors on what will probably be the last mild weather day we have for many months.

    The fall colors are coming into peak, and they’re pretty good this year. The girls are really enjoying them! Maybe to celebrate we’ll go leaf peeping this afternoon.

  48. 48.

    rikyrah

    October 12, 2015 at 10:00 am

    Prairie View councilman tased, arrested by police

    A Prairie View city council member was arrested Thursday night after a confrontation with police that ended with him being tazed. Councilman Jonathan Miller had friends in town for homecoming weekend and they were hanging out outside his home.

    October 10, 2015

    PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — A Prairie View city council member was arrested and tased outside his house Thursday night. He spent the night in jail and later had to be checked out at the hospital.

    KHOU11 News spoke to Councilman Jonathan Miller when he got out of the hospital. He’s still processing all that happened.

    “Do you think at any point you did anything that could be seen as resisting arrest?” KHOU 11 News reporter Alice Barr asked Miller.

    “I don’t feel so,” Miller said. “Of course, everybody has a side to this story but I don’t feel so.”

    Miller says he was hanging out with fraternity brothers at home, when three of them went outside to practice a step routine for homecoming. They say they were changing their shoes near one of their cars when police pulled up.

    “She’s like, ‘What are you guys doing?’” said Miller’s friend Alaric Jones. “We’re like, ‘Nothing. Gonna practice some steps.’ And she said, ‘No it looks like you guys are doing some drug-related stuff because this is a high-drug area, high crime area also.’”

    A Prairie View city council member was arrested and tazed outside his house Thursday night. He spent the night in jail and later had to be checked out at the hospital. (Photo: KHOU 11 NEWS)

    Miller came out to check on his friends and police say he started interfering with their investigation. They said he wouldn’t back away or stop asking questions.

    “The officers have a reasonable expectation to ask someone to step away from the scene, to give them a reasonable safety zone to conduct the investigation, and when they’re done, then they can address their concerns,” said Prairie View Police Chief Larry Johnson.

    “It went from me asking questions, to me basically being put face down on the ground,” Miller said. I’m curious to have a conversation with those officers.”

    Once Miller was on the ground, police say he wrestled with the male officer.

    “That’s not true. That’s not true,” said Miller’s friend Brandon Wilson. “The only wrestling was when he [the officer] slammed him on the ground. He got him on the ground so easily, he’s only 130 pounds.

    http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2015/10/09/prairie-view-councilman-tazed-arrested-by-police/73666742/

  49. 49.

    Elizabelle

    October 12, 2015 at 10:06 am

    @satby: Hope you do get out, if it’s a mild day. Got to enjoy them while they last.

  50. 50.

    EZSmirkzz

    October 12, 2015 at 10:07 am

    @Steeplejack: You may want to put the tool on a thumb/floppy(?) / CD for your friend to take over to her parents then. I don’t know what to say other than a little overkill is better than a little under kill. In any case your friend may want to at least discuss contacting the bank(s) they use and having them keep an extra eye on things for them.

    Again, without being at hand, it’s hard to recommend a best practice, especially with geezers, ( like myself, I might add,). In the end it would be cheaper for the parents to either invest in a new computer, and failing that installing one of the Linux distros aimed at older machines. My experience is that it is easier to get the olds to spring for a new box. On the other hand it is less aggravating to give them a new one for Christmas too. Lots of options! Making them feel inadequate only increases their obstinacy, as they are more than likely still intimidated by computers. Old people really don’t like changes in their routines, and aren’t that enamored at learning new software, so YMMV.

  51. 51.

    Schlemazel

    October 12, 2015 at 10:15 am

    @rikyrah:
    I was wondering what color the councilman was, hoping he would be a white guy. Then When he mentioned “stepping” I knew, aw shit, stepping while black, thats a tazin’

  52. 52.

    satby

    October 12, 2015 at 10:19 am

    @Elizabelle: Indeed! The older I get the more inclined to play hookey, I’ve noticed. And I’m not able to collect SS yet, so I still have to earn income, but it gets harder to ignore the siren call of beautiful weather :)

  53. 53.

    Steeplejack

    October 12, 2015 at 10:23 am

    @EZSmirkzz:

    I ran the Symantec scanner; it didn’t find anything either. I think I am out of the woods. I might call Cox this afternoon to see if this notice is because of some recent event, but I doubt I’ll get much useful information from a low-level tech-support person.

    My friend (who lives in a different city from me) is getting a new computer of her own this week, so I think the problem will go away. I did tell her to reënter her résumé manually and not use the Works document. I don’t even know if her parents use their computer at all, or how much. It was apparently just the one that was most convenient for my friend.

  54. 54.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 12, 2015 at 10:24 am

    New Robert Redford film coming out: “Truth” about the CBS and Dan Rather and the Bush AWOL story.

    CBS is pissed off about the movie; Karl Rove is pissed off about the movie.

  55. 55.

    EZSmirkzz

    October 12, 2015 at 10:49 am

    @Steeplejack: Cool. Good luck to all.

  56. 56.

    Paul in KY

    October 12, 2015 at 10:50 am

    @Mustang Bobby: Do they still have the 2 lanes going South portions every so often? When you hit one of those, it was rev it up to 95 to pass as many of the old people as possible.

  57. 57.

    Brachiator

    October 12, 2015 at 10:51 am

    Congratulations to the latest Nobel Economics Prize winner. His research is very timely.

    Angus Deaton wins Nobel prize in economics

    Scottish economist is best known for his work on health, wellbeing, and economic development

    His book, The Great Escape: Health, Wealth and the Origins of Inequality, argues that a more sophisticated analysis of economic data shows that while most people in the world have gained in terms of health and wellbeing from GDP growth, there are many groups that have missed out.

    This global view is reflected in his latest research, which he says “focuses on the determinants of health in rich and poor countries, as well as on the measurement of poverty in India and around the world”.

    http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/12/angus-deaton-wins-nobel-prize-in-economics

  58. 58.

    rikyrah

    October 12, 2015 at 10:53 am

    they voted for the GOP

    ……………

    UPDATE x4: GOP Sabotage Claims Scalp: Kentucky CO-OP goes under due to Risk Corridor shortfall, 51K kicked off their plans
    Posted on Fri, 10/09/2015 – 5:04pm
    Thanks to Zachary Tracer for the heads up.

    The other day I wrote a general overview of the ACA “Risk Corridor” debacle.

    The short version is that there were 3 funding programs put in place under the Affordable Care Act designed specifically to help smooth the waters and keep insurance carriers afloat for the first few years until they got past the bumpy transition period. One of these was called the “Risk Corridor” program. Basically, the carriers who lose their shirts the first 3 years were supposed to have at least a portion of their losses covered to tide them over; call it “training wheels” for the insurance industry. The funding was supposed to come partially from the other insurance companies which did better than expected…but any shortfall was supposed to be covered by the federal government, with the caveat that any surplus paid to the government stayed there as a type of profit.

    Unfortunately, as noted by the Milliman actuarial firm:

    Several causes underlie the 2014 funding shortfall, and these factors will continue to have implications for 2015 and 2016 receivables.

    The risk corridor program was designed as a two-sided program requiring insurers with better-than-expected financial results to pay the federal government a portion of their earnings, while at the same time requiring the federal government to reimburse a portion of losses to insurers with worse-than-expected financial results. The program was not originally required to be budget neutral. In other words, payments out of the program could be greater than payments in.

    That started to change in 2014, well after premium rates were set, when federal regulators began to talk about budget neutrality. This concept became official with the Cromnibus bill passed by Congress in late 2014. That bill required that 2014 risk corridor receivables paid in 2015 be funded through payables into the program from other insurers. Even before the 2014 funding shortfall was officially announced on October 1, 2015, many industry analysts foresaw that program receivables would far outstrip payables.

    Yes, that’s right: The “CRomnibus Bill” of December 2014, which, among other items, included this tidbit:

    The government funding bill colloquially called the CRomnibus that the House passed on Thursday night included a GOP-proposed change to an Obamacare program long loathed by Republicans.

    A House aide confirmed to TPM that Republican staffers requested the change to the so-called risk corridor program, which is designed to keep premiums stable by making payments to insurers if they lose more money than expected in the law’s first few years.

    http://acasignups.net/15/10/09/update-x4-gop-sabotage-claims-scalp-kentucky-co-op-goes-under-due-risk-corridor-shortfall

  59. 59.

    WereBear

    October 12, 2015 at 10:55 am

    @Germy Shoemangler: Sounds good, then.

  60. 60.

    MomSense

    October 12, 2015 at 10:56 am

    @rikyrah:

    When I first saw this story the “reporting” was that this councilman took it upon himself to rush to the scene of a crime in progress and interfere with law enforcement. It’s such BS.

  61. 61.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 12, 2015 at 10:56 am

    @WereBear: trailer:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cogsXjU8VNg

    Redford does a nice turn as Dan Rather.

  62. 62.

    Brachiator

    October 12, 2015 at 11:04 am

    @Steeplejack: You might call Cox. But most think this may be a false alarm.

    Conversations about this popped up in various forums in June.

    [VA] False Alarm email about Zeus?

    https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r30116553-VA-False-Alarm-email-about-Zeus

    Example:

    So my grandparents also got this email, my grandfather reported it to cox and they told him it was a scam email…..but it was sent from [email protected] so I’m not entirely sure how this is false? My grandma downloaded the tool and I’m trying to figure out if it’s a virus or not.

    Some people called Cox, were told the email was a scam, but did not believe Cox because they got an email that looked legit.

  63. 63.

    burnspbesq

    October 12, 2015 at 11:08 am

    Le sigh. Damn ammosexuals.

    http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/gun-nuts-freak-out-over-texas-students-cocksnotglocks-open-carry-protest-and-its-awesome/

  64. 64.

    burnspbesq

    October 12, 2015 at 11:11 am

    @Schlemazel:

    Prairie View is also a tell. That’s a HBCU.

  65. 65.

    Betty Cracker

    October 12, 2015 at 11:13 am

    @Germy Shoemangler: Quote from that trailer:

    “The story was about whether or not the president fulfilled his military service, but they don’t want to talk about that. They want to talk about fonts and forgeries and hope the truth gets lost in the scrum.”

    They got what they hoped for. The old hate mob at LGF certainly rejoiced over that development.

  66. 66.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 12, 2015 at 11:17 am

    @Betty Cracker: I hope it breaks all box office records.

    Of course it won’t… probably zero publicity

  67. 67.

    Brachiator

    October 12, 2015 at 11:19 am

    @rikyrah:

    How Hillary Clinton panders

    Other politicians “pivot” to the left, right, or center. Hillary Clinton panders.

    It is no wonder. It’s a perfect pander.

    Because Clintons are shifty and untrustworthy, don’t you know.

    What a load of BS.

  68. 68.

    Germy Shoemangler

    October 12, 2015 at 11:22 am

    @Brachiator: Hillary panders, Jeb pivots. Whites open-carry guns, Blacks brandish guns.

    Karl Rove was right about the use of language.

  69. 69.

    MomSense

    October 12, 2015 at 11:30 am

    @burnspbesq:

    The comments the organizers got on their facebook page from the ammosexuals are disgusting. The ammosexuals are deranged.

  70. 70.

    FlipYrWhig

    October 12, 2015 at 11:34 am

    @Brachiator: I AM OUTRAGED HILLARY DID WHAT I WANT

  71. 71.

    Brachiator

    October 12, 2015 at 11:37 am

    @Germy Shoemangler:

    New Robert Redford film coming out: “Truth” about the CBS and Dan Rather and the Bush AWOL story.

    CBS is pissed off about the movie; Karl Rove is pissed off about the movie.

    I guess this is a good sign. If the film gets rave reviews, I might go see it.

    I’m not sure how much real drama is here, though. A movie like “All The President’s Men” was about a story about discovering the truth that ultimately led to Nixon’s resignation.

    The story behind “Truth” kinda went nowhere and did not have much impact outside of CBS news. Not nearly as momentous.

  72. 72.

    Elizabelle

    October 12, 2015 at 11:42 am

    @Brachiator: Yeah. That was a good Nobel choice. Congrats, Prof. Deaton.

    Princeton gains another Econ nobelist, after they lost Prof. K-Thug Krugman to CUNY.

  73. 73.

    Betty Cracker

    October 12, 2015 at 11:49 am

    @Brachiator: Clean coal, anyone?

    @Brachiator:

    The story behind “Truth” kinda went nowhere and did not have much impact outside of CBS news. Not nearly as momentous.

    It would be hard to top a story that led to the resignation of a sitting president for drama, but I’d argue the story behind “Truth” is momentous all the same. It scared the shit out of the media herd and made them that much easier for wingnuts to bully and bend to their will. The effects of that have arguably been pretty far-reaching.

  74. 74.

    WereBear

    October 12, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Agreed. And got rid of one of the few actual journalists still let on TV.

  75. 75.

    Brachiator

    October 12, 2015 at 12:14 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    It scared the shit out of the media herd and made them that much easier for wingnuts to bully and bend to their will. The effects of that have arguably been pretty far-reaching.

    If the media can be cowed because of blowback related to a shitty little story that was poorly documented, then they deserve to be kicked to the curb.

  76. 76.

    Steeplejack

    October 12, 2015 at 1:33 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Thanks for that link. It does look like a big nothingburger, but it’s nice to get confirmation from other sources.

  77. 77.

    Betty Cracker

    October 12, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    @Brachiator: I agree they’re a cowardly bunch of nitwits, but we need a fearless, independent press to have a functional democracy. It sounds like the film is pointing out that we don’t have that, which is a really important story, one that doesn’t get nearly enough attention.

  78. 78.

    CapedJA

    October 12, 2015 at 5:28 pm

    If the tin man from Wizard of Oz was the witch, it would look like this.

  79. 79.

    Mustang Bobby

    October 12, 2015 at 8:08 pm

    @Paul in KY: Yes, and the old folks still do 55 in the left lane of the passing zone.

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