Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

’Where will you hide, Roberts, the laws all being flat?’

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Lunchtime Open Thread: C.R.E.A.M.

Lunchtime Open Thread: C.R.E.A.M.

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And since I couldn’t resist…

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48Comments

  2. 2.

    Chief Oshkosh

    Raising taxes on incomes over a million? That’s unpossible! Both the NYT and WaPo told me SEVERAL TIMES IN MULTIPLE ARTICLES that BBB would cut taxes on millionaires and billionaires because both sides do it!!!

    Wankers.

  3. 3.

    Jay C

    I don’t know where in Texas “Lauren” found regular gas for $2.73.9; but I’m really sorry it’s probably more than a full tank’s distance from where I am (NYC)…

    I made a rare car trip on Wednesday, so I got to see where pump prices were: at least in NY, CT and MA: regular was nowhere less than about $3.40, premium and Diesel usually hovering about the $4/gallon mark. I topped off my tank in MA ($3.90 for 13.4g, half) and it was $52.50. Not cheap by a long shot, but I have often seen it worse.

  4. 4.

    Another Scott

    Relatedly, … GovExec:

    Agriculture Department employees are least likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19 of employees in any major federal agency, according to data the White House released Wednesday, while the Interior Department must begin the disciplinary process for the highest rate of workers.

    Two days after President Biden’s vaccination deadline, about 92% of the 3.5 million federal civil servants and active-duty military personnel governmentwide have been inoculated, according to data from the Office of Management and Budget. An additional 4.5% have requested medical or religious exemptions, leaving more than 122,000 employees out of compliance with the mandate. Those employees are now entering the progressive disciplinary process, starting with counseling efforts that seek to convince them to get inoculated and potentially ending with their firing.

    “This next stage of the process will not result in disruptions to government services and operations and will result in more employees becoming vaccinated,” OMB said on Wednesday.

    At least one agency, the Justice Department, is moving swiftly with additional punishments. Unvaccinated and unexempted Justice employees will face suspensions before Christmas and removals in January. More than 97% of the department’s workforce is in compliance with Biden’s orders, though only 90% is vaccinated. Government Executive has spoken to many employees across government who have vowed to retire or accept a firing before getting vaccinated, but most of those individuals have requested exemptions.

    […]

    Mandates work. Ultimately, tiny noisy minorities will refuse (and get over-sized attention) and the work will go on. Many of those refusing were going to leave anyway (retirement, other employment) and want to get attention before they do.

    FedSmith:

    The first year of the Trump administration saw 468,000 employees leave the Federal government resulting in a turnover rate of 16.7%, up from 16.4% in 2016, according to data obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Of that number, 189,000 workers quit the government in 2017, up from 162,000 in 2016. The Federal government’s quit rate reached 6.7% in 2017 compared to 5.8% in 2016 and 5.4% in 2015.

    So, an average turnover of 5-6% in the past was normal. 5-6% refusing to get vaccinated is probably to be expected.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  6. 6.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The Biden administration on Monday announced $1.5 billion in funding to help eliminate the shortage of doctors and nurses in underserved communities by providing scholarships and repaying the student loans of providers who work in medically needy areas.

    I wonder how or if this will work for specialists. My local hospital brings specialists out here once a week which saves all who live here a ton of time and expenses that some residents could never afford. They can’t make a practice out here as their just aren’t enough people with renal problems or torn cartilages, or severe depression.

  9. 9.

    West of the Rockies

    I wonder if Fox News will now pointedly celebrate the rise in taxes on well-off people… after all, they certainly made note when they thought their taxes would be lower.

  10. 10.

    trollhattan

    JCT = Joint Committee on Taxation. I had to look it up. [was leaning towards “Jesus Christ, Texas!”]

    The more you know ?

  11. 11.

    NotMax

    Fairly sure the fines (which have been delayed and in any case would not be imposed until nine days of no container movement by truck or six days if scheduled to be moved by rail) were imposed by the ports, not by the administration.

    See:

    “We must expedite the movement of cargo through the ports to work down the number of ships at anchor,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “Approximately 40% of the containers on our terminals today fall into the two categories. If we can clear this idling cargo, we’ll have much more space on our terminals to accept empties, handle exports, and improve fluidity for the wide range of cargo owners who utilize our ports.”

    “With the escalating backlog of ships off the coast, we must take immediate action to prompt the rapid removal of containers from our marine terminals,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “The terminals are running out of space, and this will make room for the containers sitting on those ships at anchor.”

    “I support the actions taken by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach today to charge ocean carriers for lingering containers on marine terminals. These actions aim to expedite the movement of goods and reduce congestion in our ports,” said John D. Porcari, Port Envoy to the Biden-Harris Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force.&#8230 Source

    and also

    Although the fines were supposed to start being levied Nov. 1, the two ports have delayed the fees a few times because of continuing progress to move the containers off marine terminals. In Nov. 22 statement, officials with the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports said that both locations have seen a decline of 33 percent combined in aging cargo on the docks.

    “The executive directors of both ports are satisfied with the progress thus far and will reassess fee implementation after another week of monitoring data,” the statement reads. The start date of fees has been moved to Nov. 29, after two of the biggest shopping days of the year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Source

  13. 13.

    OGLiberal

    Y’all see that video of the dude in Lubbock, Texas murdering somebody and then acting like it ain’t no thing.  And he’s not arrested.  And probably won’t be.  Fuck this country.  I just read that there are 120 guns in this country for every 100 Americans.  2nd is the Falkland Islands at 62. (of course, about 3,000 people live there)  3rd is Yemen at 53, a place where you’d be nuts not to own a gun.  This nation is just insane.

    O, and Happy belated Thanksgiving!

  15. 15.

    Brachiator

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I wonder how or if this will work for specialists. My local hospital brings specialists out here once a week which saves all who live here a ton of time and expenses that some residents could never afford. They can’t make a practice out here as their just aren’t enough people with renal problems or torn cartilages, or severe depression.

    Good question. We need to look at how we deliver medical care. Specialist care is one issue. But there are also too many communities, urban and rural, where people have problems getting primary care, even if they have insurance.

    Another problem. Human nature is sometimes perverse. Some years ago in the lower income areas of Los Angeles county, there was a big problem with dishonest doctors ripping off community health organizations and mistreating patients. The doctors hated poor people, especially nonwhite poor people. They fundamentally did not believe that these people deserved to be treated with dignity and respect.

    Officials are still having a hard time rebuilding trust in the community.

  17. 17.

    different-church-lady

    Thanks to government action a near complete collapse of the economy did not ruin me financially. If I gotta pay another five bucks per fill-up for a bit as a side effect, then so be it.

  19. 19.

    NotMax

    Also too, regarding the cargo ships off the coast of California.

    They’re not exactly benign while bobbing in the ocean.

    As 100 ships idle offshore, California communities see rise in toxic pollutants Source

    Related, from earlier this month.

    A new queuing system will soon require cargo vessels that arrive early to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to anchor and wait 150 miles off the California coast — rather than hugging the coastline in a large group packed within a 40-mile perimeter — in an effort to reduce ship congestion and the pollution idling ships produce. Source

  21. 21.

    evinfuilt

    Since it’s an Open Thread, I feel like doing the most American thing. Asking for help with medical bills. My wife had a stroke last year, now she’s doing better so she’s going to do an intensive speech therapy program in January.

    gofund.me/650c2c09

  24. 24.

    oatler

    So now there’s a storm warning, due to hit the UK called Arwen. If they’re driven to use Tolkienian names why not use a baddie like Morgoth?

  25. 25.

    NotMax

    @oatler

    If they forecast Shelob, hightail it for the hills. Double quick.

    )

    @Ken

    “The sheep lies!”

    A solid entrant for placement in the pantheon of punch lines.

    ;)

  27. 27.

    FelonyGovt

    @NotMax: Yes, the fines were imposed by the ports. The LA Port Executive Director said he hoped the fines would be “spectacularly unsuccessful”, in the sense that the intent was not to collect money, but to get the containers moving. Seems to be working.

  30. 30.

    Ruckus

    @Jay C:

    The Unocal station around the corner from me, in SoCal urban area is $4.68 for cash and $4.73 for credit. Regular. The Chevron down the street is higher, $4.80 cash, regular.

    There is a station, Mobil, about 3 miles away that is $5.05 cash, regular.

    I don’t notice any decline in driving or in driving behavior. IOW it seems few care here.

  31. 31.

    Ruckus

    @Another Scott:

    Diesel is cheaper here in SoCal at some places. Not by much for sure but there are places. But I also don’t notice a lot of diesel users either. But the prices are more consistent overall than gas.

  32. 32.

    Ruckus

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Hate is such a kind word here, they don’t just hate the qualities, those are extremely toxic to conservatives.

    If they get infected with compassion and competence they will die within seconds.

  33. 33.

    Miss Bianca

    @Another Scott: I’ve never seen diesel be cheaper than regular gas until this year. It’s now  10 cents/gallon cheaper in my county than regular. But that’s not the case everywhere, even in Colorado.

  34. 34.

    John Revolta

    Gas is cheap in Texas? Mercy me, stop the presses.

    In other news, plenty of cranberry juice in Massachusetts, and I heard they got a blues band in Chicago.

  35. 35.

    brantl

    @OGLiberal: I bet any amount of money that is going to turn into a stand-your-ground and castle-defense case, and that asshole is going to walk. The moral of this story? People with no more emotional control than 6-year-old children, should not have guns.

  36. 36.

    Sister Golden Bear

    Apparently part of the port back-up problems are a shortage of carriers needed to transport the cargo containers from the dock to waiting area for trucks. Carriers are usually owned by the shipping lines, who’ve been hoarding them for their own cargo — a report from Port Hueneme (a secondary port north of LA) said there were 200 sitting on the lot. One would think the shipping lines would figure out a way to bring in some extra cash by renting them when they’re not in use, but….

    OTOH, Amazon and other big retailers have gotten creative, working out deals with shippers who deal in fruits and vegetables, or bulk cargo, to piggyback their cargo containers of retails goods when there’s available space (and using their carriers in port), as well as using secondary ports. E.g. normally Port Hueneme primarily handles bananas and other produce, vehicles, and bulk cargo. Obviously, it only works for selected routes, but apparently it’s helped.

  38. 38.

    Primer Gray (formerly Yet Another Jeff)

    @Another Scott: It’s the end of the year, not sure this will even be a noticeable blip on retirements from at least the one agency IT I’m familiar with…

  39. 39.

    OGLiberal

    @brantl: Well, he had to shoot him…he wouldn’t leave!  I mean, the case couldn’t be clearer.  He wouldn’t leave, therefore, he needs to be killed.  The first rule of Fight Club is “leave”….the second rule of Fight Club is “leave”.

  40. 40.

    narya

    @OzarkHillbilly: @Brachiator: Sorta-kinda. Basically, the funds are for the National Health Service Corps (remember “Northern Exposure”? NHSC, I believe.) Sites have to apply to be allowed to host/place an NHSC provider, and part of the site application process is demonstrating unmet need in the community you’re proposing to serve, typically based on HPSA (Health Professional Shortage Area) score. They distribute funding in part based on that HPSA score; in years when there isn’t a lot of funding for the program, sites need higher need scores. I haven’t dug further into the specifics yet, but my guess is that they’ll fund areas with lower need scores. That’s how it works for my end of it (FQHCs), anyway, but I suspect there’s also a rural version of it, because most of the health-related efforts I deal with have extra points or other accommodations for rural areas.
    The Bureau of Primary Health Care does recognize that needs look somewhat different in urban and rural areas. Since I have access to all of the info from the site end, I can dig into it more if you’d like?

    edited for clarity

  42. 42.

    J R in WV

    @evinfuilt: ​
     

    Thanks for the opportunity to help out — best of luck, those programs have done a world of good for people we know who have had major stroke injuries.

  43. 43.

    J R in WV

    @Ruckus:

    I don’t notice any decline in driving or in driving behavior. IOW it seems few care here.

    Me neither People at the big stores still sit in their cars with the engines running for warmth while someone else does the work of getting groceries for the lazy slobs waiting in in the car.

    If gas was too high, those folks would be strolling around in the store to keep warm, not sitting out in the car. My last tank full of hi-test was $3.06 after a small discount on my Kroger’s card.

  45. 45.

    sab

    @J R in WV: My stepson in his machine shop told off a co-worker Wednesday: If you were so worried about prices why did you get a 70k pickup truck that gets 12 mpg. Co-worker stomped off. Stepson drives a used Honda civic.

  47. 47.

    Ruckus

    @sab:

    If he’s got a late model $70K pickup it gets better than 12. Likely 15 to 20ish. Not very good but the modern pickups are better than 12. Of course the driver can lower that a lot and 12 isn’t that much lower than 15-18. A lot of the full sized pickups I see around here are rather newish and often driven like there is no tomorrow. IOW gas mileage is not a concern for the owners, even with fuel over/well over $4/gal.

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