GOP’s attack on Americans’ retirement savings just went to the next disgusting level, Opinion, Alternet. “To protect older Americans’ life savings, President Biden pledged in October to crack down on financial advisers who recommend investments just because they pay higher commissions. Then the insurance industry got to work.” Explained: The Controversy Over Tim Walz’s Military Service, Snopes. The claim that Walz “abandoned” his...
Read More »Five Questions with David Hogg
by Joyce Vance Civil Discourse David Hogg survived the tragic 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He went on to become one of a generation of student activists who had enough and decided to fight for gun reform instead of just waiting for the next shooting. Hogg was one of the main organizers of the March for Our Lives, the largest single day of protest against gun violence in our country. He has...
Read More »An Upcoming White House Decision May Jeopardize Americans’ Access to Life-Saving Drugs
I have been picking up more healthcare commentary which depicts the difficulty in providing healthcare at a sustainable cost. This brief commentary depicts one of the problematic issues for people. I believe this sentence makes the issue very clear. Copay accumulators are programs health plans use to prevent copay assistance from counting toward patients’ deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums. They do not count towards a deductible which the patient...
Read More »Biden Administration Proposes Rule To Ban Medical Debt From Credit Reporting 2
by Sheela Ranganathan, Maanasa Kona Health Affairs There is a growing interest among policymakers to protect patients from medical debt and its negative downstream effects, in April 2023. Three of the three credit reporting agencies (CRAs)—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion voluntarily agreed to stop reporting any medical debt under $500. In April of this year the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that, despite these changes,...
Read More »August 20, 1986, there was a mass shooting in the Edmond, Oklahoma
by Joyce Vance Civil Discourse Today, these crimes occur with frightening regularity. In 1986, it was still shocking. This shooting and several others around the time led to the use of the phrase “going postal.” After last term at the Supreme Court, we have to worry about whether the next Patrick Sherrill will have a gun equipped with a bump stock, which permits a firearm to function like a fully automatic weapon, a machine gun, even though...
Read More »Helping Witnesses in Trials by Providing Financial Benefits
Digsby led me to this article (below) in her recent piece, “More Corruption” Digby’s Hullabaloo. Trump is blatantly tampering with witnesses. Nobody cares. Until now, no presidential candidate could get away with this. But, as we know, Trump is special. He does what he wants. “Trump Witnesses Have Received Financial Benefits From Trump Businesses, Campaign.” ProPublica. Nine witnesses in the criminal cases against former President Donald...
Read More »Lying to Juveniles to Extract Confessions
ABA Asks Cops to Pretty Please Stop Lying to Juveniles to Extract Bogus Confessions by Joe Patrice Above the Law The ABA House of Delegates just passed a resolution urging state and local governments to adopt laws and policies to prohibit police from lying to juveniles — about either facts or pledges of leniency — to extract confessions. The Resolution, sponsored by the Criminal Justice Section and basic common sense, draws upon research...
Read More »Democrats and Maybe some Republicans in Congress Act to Rein in SCOTUS
Finally, some or most of Congress may do something to Rein in SCOTUS and the rogue Justices. The question here being can they nullify Congress’s act in some fashion. No Kings Act WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced legislation Thursday reaffirming that presidents do not have immunity for criminal actions, an attempt to reverse the Supreme Court’s landmark decision last month. Schumer’s No Kings Act would...
Read More »SCOTUS Term Limits, Immunity, and Ethical Behavior
I subscribe to Prof. Heather’s “Letters” site. Sometimes I will comment there in my usual style of discussion and providing information. Yesterday’s commentary is about SCOTUS and its drift away from neutrality in making its ever-lasting decisions. This is not about whether SCOTUS is a conservative or liberal court. Many of the previous courts have been conservative in their decisions. This SCOTUS has taken a stance of declaring some are immune to...
Read More »When Does Boneless Not Mean Without Bones?
When you are in the land of Ohio and the OSC decides. About a year and a half ago, in a ruling striking down the Ohio state version of Chevron deference, the conservative majority on the state supreme court noted that “text should be given its contemporaneous and customary meaning.” Yesterday, in a 4-3 opinion, the conservative justices decided that “boneless wings” can have bones in them. Welcome to Buffalo Wildly Deadly Wings! Michael...
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