Wednesday Open Thread
Welcome to your Wednesday open thread. I hope you’re having a good humpday. What’s on your mind? Share it below in our open thread.
I expect the media is going to make a big deal out of the latest health care ruling? In case you can’t tell, I’m joking – the media is only interested in what the Tea Party is interested in.
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler has become the third federal judge to rule that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional, and that Congress was within its constitutional authority to regulate health insurance under the Commerce Caluse.
“It is pure semantics to argue that an individual who makes a choice to forgo health insurance is not ‘acting,’ especially given the serious economic and health-related consequences to every individual of that choice,” Kessler writes. “Making a choice is an affirmative action, whether one decides to do something or not do something. They are two sides of the same coin. To pretend otherwise is to ignore reality.”
Kessler, however, rejected the argument that Congress had the authority to enact the Affordable Care Act under the General Welfare Clause because Congress “did not intend [the law] to operate as a tax.”
Like the previous rulings, I’m ignoring it. This will ultimately be decided by how Anthony Kennedy’s feeling.
Remember when Bush became president and they told us not to worry about his inexperience because he was advised by very experienced, serious adults? Matt Yglesias highlights this 2003 memo from Donald Rumsfeld, calling it the greatest memo of all time:
Perhaps the week after they’ve solved Syria, Libya and Korea they could tackle world hunger, too.
Tags: Open Thread
Some pictures from the rally today
I attended the AFL-Rally this afternoon. ABout 100 -150 people in attendance. It was nice to see people coming out to support Wisconsin, but I believe there would have been hundreds more if this rally had taken place on a Saturday. At least our union leaders did something, so I applaud them for that.
Listening to the liar Jenson today? If you listen to Rick you would believe the (Foreign) Chamber of Commerce, or Freedom Works, or Crossroads (Roves group) or the other fake grassroots organizations were out financed by unions. Rick Jenson, yes I am going to say it is a liar, spreading right wing teabagger distortions every day. As Rachel Maddow has pointed out there are only 3 viable unions left in this country and their contributions were far smaller than corporate, multi national corporations who hid their donors from the public.
Right on, Anon, but thats what the wee little jerk does daily.
How many things can you find wrong with this sentence? (latest from David A.) And I don’t mean grammar:
It makes me dizzy.
joe, nice pics. I wish there was a demonstration on a saturday when we all dont have to work 🙂
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you and me
Says I, ‘But Joe, you’re ten years dead’
‘I never died’, says he
‘I never died’, says he.
In Salt Lake, Joe, says I
Him standing by my side
‘They framed you on a murder charge’
Says Joe, ‘I never died’
Says Joe, ‘I never died.’
The copper bosses they shot you, Joe,
They filled you full of lead
‘Takes more than guns to kill a man’
Says Joe, ‘And I ain’t dead’
Says Joe, ‘And I ain’t dead.’
And standing there as big as life
And smiling with his eyes
Says Joe, ‘What they forgot to kill’
‘Went on to organize’
‘Went on to organize.’
Joe Hill ain’t dead, he says to me
Joe Hill ain’t never died
Where working man are out on strike
Joe Hill is at their side
Joe Hill is at their side.
In San Diego up to Maine
In every mine and mill
Where working men defend their rights
It’s there you’ll find Joe Hill
It’s there you’ll find Joe Hill.
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you and me
Says I, But Joe, you’re ten years dead
I never died, says he
I never died, says he.
so earlier someone called me stupid, or a fool, or something.. because i said the teabag conservative world is comming to an end. that despite all the things conservatives have ever stood for in this history of this country failing, that i was unintellegant and a i didnt spel good. 🙂
well
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/23/obama-doma-unconstitutional_n_827134.html
just one more right the Teabag wing will promise to take away from Americans if elected.
There is a bit of video on WDEL of the Wilmington rally:
http://wdel.com/story.php?id=32635
Also a very carefully worded statement from Markell.
Oh – Markell wrote a column on unions and Wisconsin:
Lets play Name That Party:
D.C. Council Chair Finds Two Cars Are Too Many
WSJ
After getting elected chairman of the D.C. City Council in November, Kwame Brown asked for a black Lincoln Navigator L, with a DVD player for the back seat, a power moonroof, polished aluminum wheels and an all-black interior. When the Public Works Department delivered a black Navigator with a gray interior, Mr. Brown’s office told the city to send it back. “He was just very clear he wanted black on black,” said Brown spokeswoman Traci Hughes. “It doesn’t show as much dirt and wear and tear.” Public Works’ employees found a second Navigator in Coldwater, Mich. But Mr. Brown was disappointed to learn on delivery that the SUV had a tan-and-black interior. He decided to keep the car anyway and return the first one to the city.
Hey UI,
Sam Latham apologized to me today at the rally.
“Oh – Markell wrote a column on unions and Wisconsin:”
If I didn’t already know Markell’s party affiliation, he came across in that column as someone who was slightly embarrassed to be a Republican.
DP has a new conserva-hottie.