Joe Miller, a tea party-backed candidate running in the Republican primary against Lisa Murkowski is has some interesting things to say about Constitutional law. Not only does he not support extending unemployment benefits for those still unemployed after their benefits run out, he doesn’t think doing so is constitutional: Tea Party-backed Senate candidate Joe Miller today added his voice to those who are critical of Democrats’ efforts to expand unemployment insurance, and went even further than most candidates in saying that federally backed compensation to the unemployed isn’t “constitutionally authorized.” “The unemployment compensation benefits have gotten —...
Continue reading...July 2010
Doctor Who, "The Lodger" and "The Pandorica Opens"
Craig: “Has anyone ever told you you’re a bit weird?” Doctor: “They never really stop.” So. I’m a little behind on these Doctor Who posts, and I apologize. It’s been a bit of a week for the Viola household. The season is finishing on a strong note, however, as we’ve had three great episodes in a row if we include “Vincent and the Doctor” from a few weeks ago. Let’s start with “The Lodger,” shall we? I adored this episode — it’s probably my favorite of the season so far. The episode that airs in this slot...
Continue reading...High Risk Insurance Pools, or Yet Another Way to Screw Over Women
Oh, what’s that you say? You say health care reform might actually still allow some women who need it to access a legal medical procedure AND have it covered in their health insurance? Lordy, no, we Democrats won’t stand for THAT. So we come to another battle over abortion in health care, only this time, the Obama administration caved even before anti-choicers brought out the pitchforks. Here’s the background: the federally-funded Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plans (or PCIPs) were set up to provide coverage for people whose pre-existing conditions prevent them from obtaining insurance through private carriers. This...
Continue reading...Time for another Gathering of the Juggalos already? Sweet!
Calling all Juggalos! It’s just about time for another Gathering of the Juggalos! The eleventh one!? Can you believe it’s been that many years? Neither can I. Feels like just yesterday we discovered chugging Faygo and hating conformists. Well, time get ready; it’s coming right up: This is what you have been waiting for, Juggalos! Here is the super huge mega commercial that will fill you in on what you can expect from the 2010 Gathering of the Juggalos going down at The Hatchet Landings in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois August 12th — 15th! CHECK IT OUT! I hope everybody brings...
Continue reading...Monday Gripe
Story time! I live in a basement apartment. It can be kind of cave-like, but mostly it’s fine, and stays cool in the summer, which has been a big plus given the recent heat. I thought the big downside was the lack of windows, but then last week the apartment flooded, and that was maybe worse. Luckily, I got home in time to unclog the drain outside the back door, and although there was an inch or so of water in the hallway by that time, my roommate and I got it cleaned up and there was...
Continue reading...New York Times Columnist Line of the Day
If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas “Friedman’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left to Lose” Friedman, Gail “The Colander” Collins, Nicholas “The Dark Crystal” Kristof, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Today\’s is from Ross \”Do That Thing\” Douthat, who in his...
Continue reading...Morning Constitional – Monday, 19 July 2010
Good morning, everybody. Mel Gibson might be moving back to Australia. Now, your morning constitutional: In a report called \”Top Secret America,\” the Washington Post reveals the results of a two-year investigation into the security buildup after 9/11, finding that intelligence gathering has grown so much that nobody knows is exact costs, how many programs exist, or how many people are involved. The U.S will allow BP to continue its pressure test of the containment dome over the busted oil well in the Gulf, despite possible seepage problems. President Obama finds an unlikely ally on immigration reform:...
Continue reading...Lead-up to Kagan's Confirmation Vote
Within the next few weeks, if things go as scheduled, Elena Kagan’s SC nomination will be up for a vote in the full Senate. Who cares, right? Her whole confirmation process has been a snoozefest, and it’s basically a given that she’ll be confirmed. So how to make it more interesting? Put money on it, clearly. Poplicola and I were chatting the other day, and he opined quite forcefully that while Kagan will indeed be confirmed, it will be with exactly 60 votes, predicting all the Dems and only a single Republican will vote for her. I...
Continue reading...New York Times Columnist Line of the Day
If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas “Friedman’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left to Lose” Friedman, Gail “The Colander” Collins, Nicholas “The Dark Crystal” Kristof, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Today\’s is from Paul \”The Little Professor\” Krugman, who in his...
Continue reading...How long until we're employed again?
The economy seems to be leveling out, but how long will it take to get employment back to where it was before the Great Recession? Brookings has this frightening chart with some explanation: In recent months, on this blog, we described the job gap — the number of jobs it would take to return to employment levels from before the Great Recession, while also accounting for the 125,000 people who enter the labor force in a typical month. After today’s employment numbers, the job gap stands at almost 11.3 million jobs. How long will it take to...
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