Weekend Open Thread
How disastrous is the GOP Kill Medicare strategy? This disastrous (pdf):
Disapproval of the Republicans in the House of Representatives has surged from 46 percent in February to 55 percent in April to a striking 59 percent now. Disapproval outnumbers approval two-to-one; intense disapproval by three-to-one. For the first time in more than a year, the Democrats are clearly even in the named Congressional ballot – an 8-point swing from the election – and Obama has made a marked gain in his job approval and vote against Mitt Romney—with the President now leading by 4 points. This period captured the introduction of the Republican budget plan and vote by the House—and voters do not like what they see.
Perhaps most notably, this survey flags a major retreat from the Republican approach to deficits and spending, the economy, and jobs. As the Republicans have unveiled their plans and approach during this four-month debate on the deficit, priorities and the economy, they have pushed many voters away.
Not that the GOP has actually *had* a damn thing to say about job creation, mind you. Their entire economic strategy is to transfer as much of your money into the hands of their wealthy friends as possible. Full Stop. Apparently this is a pre-long weekend tease of a much bigger report coming on Wednesday from these folks. That should be interesting.
Also from the GOP brain trust, I present you, Lou Barletta, (R-PA) who is having a major snit about the EPA (an agency he has voted to specifically defund, because, you know, business needs *less* regulation) not doing MORE in his own district:
On Wednesday, Barletta sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson asking the agency to perform additional testing in the Carroll/Mill Street neighborhood.[…]“Frankly, this is unacceptable. The EPA’s own Web site indicates that one of the agency’s primary reasons for existence is to ensure that ‘all Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment where they live, learn and work.’”[…]
“I was surprised to hear an EPA official basically tell the residents of the Carroll/Mill neighborhood that they would not conduct soil and water testing to find answers. It is absolutely the EPA’s job, and I’m going to make sure that job is done. The residents are scared, and they deserve answers and peace of mind.”
So we have Mr. Barletta asking for the EPA to do more in this District, at this Superfund site, while he is voting to defund this agency and criticizing it for doing its job in other areas. Nice. Make sure to read the Think Progress article — there is polling that shows that 70% of the folks in Barletta’s district want the EPA to do more, not less.
One of the things missing in Democratic messaging for some time is a reminder to folks that even as many folks find their government large and exasperating, they sure want it and they have specific reasons why they do want all of that government.
The CDC provides helpful information on how to survive the Zombie Apocalypse. After providing a history of zombies they tell you how to get prepared for the coming apocalypse.
2. Pick a meeting place for your family to regroup in case zombies invade your home…or your town evacuates because of a hurricane. Pick one place right outside your home for sudden emergencies and one place outside of your neighborhood in case you are unable to return home right away.
The thing is, that this same planning is just as useful for being able to survive a natural disaster too. Go read the whole thing — this is a really clever use of social media to give real advice for planning to survive a natural disaster.
Yes, it is a lazy long weekend, but there are still things going on out there that interest you — so tell us what’s going on!
How Newtie got his interest-free Tiffany’s charge.
So, I just watched some clips of T-Paw over at Talking Points Memo. He actually sounded sane. Right-wing, yeah, but not totally goofy, out-of-his-mind. It was refreshing. I can see him appealing to the right of center independent voters. Trouble is, he’s got to get past the totally goofy, out-of-their-minds Republican primary voters. It will be interesting to watch.
One small battle in the Republican War on Women is won — the NJ Senate votes to restore funding to family planning centers. Voted with one vote shy of a veto-proof majority, but still a good push back.
Your work is worth … Nothing.
Last week, I was invited to write a regular column for a for-profit website (not DL, obviously). For free.
It took a few days of thinking, but I said no, and I suggest that all of you say no if you receive a similar invitation.
Writing well is a skill. It takes not just time, but it also requires education, experience and training. For these reasons, we should never write for free. Unless it is a non-profit like DL.
If a friend is a mechanic, people wouldn’t expect him or her to work for free, but it’s common for people trained in the liberal arts to be asked to work for free. Writers, photographers, musicians, and all the rest are always being asked to work for free.
Every time we agree to write, paint or play for free, it de-values our skills and our profession.
My rant is over. What do you all think?
-Jim
With the following codicil, Jim…
If the service you will provide is desperately needed and will help people in need
and if your motives for providing the service are pure and you dont expect anything in return.
Sometimes people will write (or do other work)for free as a way to get exposure, build a resume or portfolio in hopes of being able to parlay that into paying work or at least a higher profile. The whole internship thing is based on this. Then again, the Huffington Post is in a dispute with some of its unpaid contributors after Arianna hit her big payday. I could understand a model where everyone gets paid after a certain level of profitability or value, but to build a juggernaut like HuffPo and still count on not paying for content seems unfair.
Hmm … wonder just which website Jim is talking about? It couldn’t be the big elephant in the room (of the town hall), now could it?
Jim, you’re absolutely right. No arguments here.
So it turns out it wasn’t Anthony’s weiner.
“If a friend is a mechanic, people wouldn’t expect him or her to work for free”
If your friends are charging you for such work, you need to make better friends.
On a more serious level, those who work in the media have always done so for rather low wages (most media people can only dream of the salaries teachers receive) because there’s a tacit understanding that some people would like to have your job so much they’d do it for free. The internet basically proved it, which is why journalistic businesses are contracting.
“If your friends are charging you for such work, you need to make better friends.”- the Geezer
How about my buddy, the neurosurgeon?
You know me, I could probably use a pre-frontal lobotomy, shall I ask him to come over and do that for me on the kitchen table?
He’s a long time buddy and OWES me.
If you have a buddy who’s a neurosurgeon, he’s probably just observing you for research purposes. 😉
Thanks for the comments everyone.
For those trying to build a resume, or trying to increase exposure, writing for free is acceptable. Been there. Done that.
The mechanic scenario was not very accurate for this situation, I’m afraid. But if someone is building a business that features the services of many mechanics, would it be reasonable to ask those mechanics to work for free?
Jim
Ass,gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.
@joe – got it all babe….which one you going for??
//
I have gas….but if we ride with the windows down we should be alright, Joe.
I guess I don’t see the big deal with HuffPo writers. They were working for free to get exposure. That is nothing new. It sounds like they wanted money after HuffPo was sold. I agree if you are going to write for free, choose your medium wisely.
As far as Weiner’s weiner is concerned this story is too complicated for me to understand. it sounds like some more RWNJ bamboozlement though. I’m glad I can ignore it.