Hispanic Federation Fund for Puerto Rico Relief Link
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From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
You Have One Job
This week the party that’s viewed favorably by three in ten Americans, led by a senate majority leader viewed favorably by two in ten Americans, is going to try and ram through a tax bill that is viewed favorably by three in ten Americans.
Of, by, and for the people, my ass.
Remember that Occupy Wall Street chant that galvanized the country not so long ago? “We…Are…the 99 percent! We…Are…the 99 percent!” It was a primal scream against income inequality that has decimated the lower and middle class. It was a fed-up grassroots reminder that We The People bailed out the banksters when they fucked everything up, and they thanked us by going back to doing the very same thing, as if the Great Recession of 2008 had never happened. It was a sea of citizen testimonials serving as living proof that “trickle-down economics” is, and always has been, one of the greatest frauds ever perpetrated on this country.
And here we are again. Republicans are teeing up the same damn thing. Massive tax cuts for the rich. Massive (and permanent!) tax cuts for corporations. Temporary scraps for the rest of us. And because Republicans can’t do anything anymore without cranking the cruelty knob up to 11, this bill takes health insurance away from 13 million of us, while setting the stage to crush Medicare and Social Security.
And the president (fresh off his 87th round of golf) who promised the nation that this bill is all about middle-class tax relief and that rich people like him will not benefit sits, crayon in hand, ready to sign into law one of the biggest bait-and-switches in our history.
So, yeah, you have one job today. Call your senators. Democratic, Republican, independent, doesn’t matter. Let ‘em know that you know this is a crap sandwich that can’t be allowed to pass. We own this joint, not the Kochs or the Adelsons or the Waltons or the Mercers or the fucking banksters.
Call. (202) 224-3121 is the Senate switchboard. Or google your senator for the direct number. To paraphrase Red Sox legend David “Big Papi” Ortiz: this is our fucking country.
Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold...
Cheers and Jeers for Monday, November 27, 2017
Note: We hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. If, instead, you had a terrible one, you'll be pleased to know that the C&J Memory Eraser 5000 is back in service. Just insert $5,000 in quarters and push the red button. We’d tell you what happens next, but our legal team says that’s proprietary information. (But you will want to wear a blast helmet and disable your smoke detectors for a few minutes.) ---Mgt.
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til the special senate election in Alabama: 15
Days 'til Silver Falls State Park's 40th annual Christmas Festival in Oregon: 12
Minimum number of Americans who have signed up for 2018 ACA enrollment so far: 2.5 million
Increase in farmers aged 25-34 between 2007 and 2012, according to the USDA: 2.2%
Minimum increase in under-35 beginning farmers in CA, SD and NE: 20%
Number of the three new upstate New York casinos that have come even close to meeting their rosy projections, leaving local governments in the lurch: 0
Percent of Americans who say they fall asleep without meaning to at least once a month, according to NIH: 40%
Totally Random NFL Score
New England Patriots 35 Miami Dolphins 17
(Only team since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger with 17 consecutive winning seasons.)
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Puppy Pic of the Day: Dr. Teddy will see you now…
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CHEERS to throwing down the gauntlet. Oh, we hate to brag…but we will. Maine has the highest total number of signups for bronze, silver and gold plans on the ACA (healthcare.gov) exchange. Look at this number:
Sign-ups in Maine through the first 18 days of open enrollment, Nov. 1-18, totaled 19,880, or 72.4 percent higher than the same period last year. The next closest state was Wyoming, with a 60.7 percent increase in enrollment. Most states have experienced enrollment surges of 40 to 50 percent over last year.
In total, 80,000 Mainers signed up for a 2017 ACA insurance plan through the individual marketplace. The ACA marketplace is where those who don’t have access to health insurance through an employer---often part-time workers or the self-employed, can purchase subsidized insurance.
Nationally, 2.[5] million people have signed up so far for ACA insurance for 2018.
Time is running out, though. The enrollment period ends December 15th in most states, and that’s only 18 days away. Now here’s my challenge: if your state does better than mine after the final tally, I’ll agree to move there and take a job as a brain surgeon at the hospital of your choice, for only half of my usual $500,000 salary. (Disclaimer: I have my own set of Craftsman tools but I’ll need to borrow a real surgeon’s medical license for my wall. That won’t be a problem, will it?)
JEERS to www.slowasmolasses.com. The FCC will be voting next month to take away net neutrality protections from the American people, paving the way for fast lanes and slow lanes (and blockage of sites altogether) on the internet depending on your ability to cough up extra extortion money for the ISPs. But Devin Coldewey at Techcrunch points out that the courts---yeah, them again---may overrule the FCC’s scheme to turn the internet into one big right-wing playground because of how they’ve chosen to define what ISPs do:
While it’s certainly true that ISPs do in some ways store and generate data on behalf of the user, usually as part of managing their networks, it’s equally certain that their primary purpose is to transmit data between the user and points of his or her choosing. Consequently, broadband should be classified as a telecommunications service. […]
The [FCC’s] definition of broadband as enabling users to generate, store, transform, and process their data is absurd. It is, as the Internet Engineers comment points out, like saying your phone is a pizzeria because you can use it to order a pizza. It is like saying that because you build a road, you are also building all the businesses along that road. […]
This may be their downfall. Because the entire proposal is predicated on this spurious and outdated definition, to remove it causes the rest to crumble.Without reclassification there is no rollback of net neutrality. There is hope here: the FCC’s argument (which is to say, the broadband industry’s argument) already failed in court and may do so again. Here’s hoping.
Meanwhile, one of the good FCC commissioners, Jessica Rosenwood, penned an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times last week in which she calls both the plan and the botched public comment process (which NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is now raising holy hell about) “a mess.” But of course it is. The Republicans are in charge.
CHEERS to reaching a boiling point. You never know what it’ll take to spark a revolution that becomes a signpost of progress in our country’s history. Earlier this month we saw an uprising by women who’d had enough of male pigs in power and ran for office---many for the first time---and won a shit-ton of elections. In the aftermath, The Guardian went to Pennsylvania to ask female candidates there to contribute some post-election analysis. Great read, and here’s a snip:
Democratic and progressive women in Northampton County have been motivated by frustration with Trump, but their feelings of disenfranchisement go beyond the president, they said.
“I really describe it as a kind of quiet rage,” said Vanessa Williams, 35, a local activist and organizer. “And you see it explode every once in a while. It’s really come out a lot again with all the sexual assault allegations that are coming out.
“Women are just pissed, frankly. They’ve had it. I think up to now it’s been a lot of talk of, ‘There, there, we’ll take care of it, we’ll take care of you.’ And it’s not happening. And women are realizing, I’ve got to step up, I’ve got to take care of myself, I’ve got to take care of my kids.”
If you’re thinking of running for office and want some advice on how to get the ball rolling, remember the folks at Run For Something, who scored so many victories on November 7th that they kept the corks popping all night long. As I always say: better corks than heads.
JEERS to a brand that could lead you to not drink. Lord Dampnut’s eldest spawn, Dotard, Jr., hopped on twitter Friday to hawk cases of Trump brand wine. (This is the outfit in Charlottesville that Mr. Sensitivity felt compelled to promote in August as he was responding to the death of Heather Heyer by a “very fine” Nazi.) Notice how Don Jr. misspelled Friday and---gasp!---used the word “holiday” instead of Christmas:
Yes. Trump Wine. Because if there’s one gift that’ll appeal to all those out-of-work coal miners who make up your base, it’s a silky pinot noir with oakey notes, a strawberry nose, hints of toffee and a soft, creamy finish.
CHEERS to John Paul George Ringo Stevens. By his record you'd think he was nominated by a bleeding-heart liberal. But he was appointed to the Supreme Court 42 years ago today by the Republican who pardoned Richard Freaking Nixon: Gerald Ford. Six years after his retirement, John Paul Stevens is still active at 97. His favorite thing these days is getting together every week in front of the TV with Souter and O'Connor to spend some quality time overruling Judge Judy. (Now you know why she always looks so crabby on Wednesdays.)
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Ten years ago in C&J: November 27, 2007
JEERS to more fun in the sun! The Iraqi government is asking us for a deal to stay longer in their country. Because our current plans to stay there for 30 to 50 years was cuttin' it a little close. Forever is much better. Anyway, free rugs for everyone! Empire rocks!
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And just one more...
CHEERS to this lady. She wins the Thanksgiving Smackdown Cup in a walk. Caution: NSFW.
Three words: run for Congress!
Have a tolerable Monday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
Cheers and Jeers goes back to the middle ages for its kiddie pool design
---engadget.com
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