Friday Open Thread [9.7.12]
Friday! It was the longest short week in memory. But it is the first day of the last weekend before the Primary, so your mailboxes will be overflowing, your message machines will max out from the robocalls and I hope that many of you are working with your favorite candidates for the final work of GOTV.
I love these empty chair graphics:
Fox Noise has apparently been going on about the lack of the word “God” in the Democrats platform. (Seriously, is this the best criticism they have of the platform?) So when they talk about it, they preview that with a snip of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion”. Michael Stipe and the group are having none of it and smacking them down:
“R.E.M.’s ‘Losing My Religion’ was used in the Fox News coverage of the Democratic National Convention last night,” a statement on the R.E.M. HQ website said. “R.E.M. today, through its music publisher, Warner-Tamerlane Music, demanded that Fox News cease and desist from continuing its unlicensed and unauthorized use of the song.”
“We have little or no respect for their puff adder brand of reportage,” lead singer Michael Stipe said. “Our music does not belong there.”
Puff adder reportage — Nice!
And if it is Friday, There Must Be Bacon, so how about The Tower of Bacon:
What interests you today?
Got a nice handwritten note in the mail from Wilmington Councilman at-large candidate Matlusky. Turned out he may have recycled his handwritten notes from a prior election for state auditor. I didn’t notice this–only that the part of the note that said “City of Wilmington” had been written over whiteout–till I got to work today and mentioned it. My co-workers set me straight. Kinda torn here. I was actually considering voting for him just because of the note, and feel a little betrayed. On the other hand, if you’ve got a pile of handwritten notes in a shoebox in your closet, why not put ’em to use? Reduce, reuse, recycle, right?
Matlusky sent re-cycled white-out-ed letters….hee hee.
FYI – John Young has posted about the most recent DeLuca insult
http://transparentchristina.wordpress.com/
Just heard Gordon’s baseball-themed attack ad working over Clark for his battles with the ethics commission. Rather boldly, the “strike three” in the ad chastises Clark for using county employees for campaign work. A little bit of the pot calling the kettle black here?
One thing about Gordon — those balls are solid brass (and polished daily in hopes of removing any tarnish!)
DeLuca is running scared as proven by that pathetic flyer.
Love that bacon website – it’s awesome! I made the bacon bourbon brownies.
Michael Stipe is a smart man. He’s a member of Mensa. Seriously.
John Young needs to learn the purpose of Caps Lock. Jesus.
help me out.
Surprised that nobody mentioned this week how DuPont pulled its latest screw job on the retirees? I guess it’s the new normal, “Move on, Nothing to see hear”.
They’re no longer providing group medical insurance for the 20% of expenses that Medicare does not cover: now you get a flat annual stipend of $1400 and get to shop on your own for a plan that will cover those costs.
Led me to go to the News Journal web site and submit the following letter to the editor:
Sirs;
From 2008-2010 DuPont made 2.1 BILLION dollars profit and received 72 million dollars in Federal tax refunds, but they still want more. They show their respect for their retired employees by changing their medical coverage for the percent of costs that Medicare does not cover to a fixed cost voucher program and assure them that it will be sufficient to cover those costs-SURE!
Heads up retirees, you’re getting a preview of the Romney-Ryan Republican budget plan for the rest of your Medicare.
When you get into the ballot box in November, think twice before you pull the lever for anyone with an “R” beside their name.
I then emailed the writers of the article and told them I knew this LTE would never see the light of day.
Sure enough I haven’t even got the usual phone call asking me if that really was my letter!
Ba****ds!
You’ll be hearing more about that Dupont type of thievery from their retirees when “Proud Capitalist” Markell proposes the same “cost-saving” initiative be imposed on state workers and teachers. Forewarned is forearmed if you’re paying attention. Easier for a popular pretend “D” than an unlikely interloping “R”
I wasn’t affected by this. Although I worked at the Ex. Station for thirty years, I was one of the “lucky??” one who finished with BMS and retired from BMS when they left town. Their pension system is fantastic. They allowed me to pull the whole thing out in bulk and put it into my own 401k. I also got retiree health care for the last ten years at a reasonable cost until the last two years, now that cost has grown to 3 thousand bucks this year.
I was planning on writing about this, Jim, but have run out of time today. My parents are affected by this and they are not happy.
They live in Sussex and attending the meeting in Georgetown. I will be chatting with them this weekend and get the exact info.
What they’ve told me so far was that the entire room of duPont retirees was extremely upset and that everyone kept referring to the stipend as vouchers – which then led to questions about how/if the Affordable Care Act would help them. The spokesperson told the group that the ACA does nothing for Medicare recipients, which is a lie my mother quickly pointed out – doughnut hole closed, eliminates deductibles and co-pays for most preventive and screening services, and pays for an annual “well” physicals. Go Mom!
At the end of the conversation my mother said, “I guess they want Obama to win since vouchers just hit home to a group of people (seniors) who weren’t supposed to be affected. She also said that it was remarkable how fast a room full of mostly Republicans were suddenly turning to “Obamacare” to save them.
Far out! We’ve got to get the message out to the seniors that the R’s couldn’t give a crap about their needs–“you ain’t working for me, you’re dragging me down”
Alan Grayson said it best, “…the republican health plan is, if you get sick, just die quickly”
Jim, if you have any additional info email me at pandora@delawareliberal.net I am hoping to post on this by Monday.
MW, Because Clark and Shawn Tucker’s PAC are dropping big glossies of the Gordon charges into constituent mailboxes daily, I rather think that the point of Gordon’s campaign speaking to the ethics charge and affirmative finding that Paul Clark knowingly allowed his aide to do his campaign work on county time is about leveling the playing field. Or haven’t you received the Clark mailers?
You have to admit that the radio spot is clever.
Nancy, I’ve gotten way too many mailers from two candidates who fall far short of the ethical standards I expect from a county executive.
That I criticize Gordon for attacking Clark for doing essentially did when he was exec in no way suggests that I have any sympathy for Clark or the slightest inclination to vote for him. It should be pretty clear by now that I wouldn’t vote for either of them.
And, by the way, one more gripe I’ve got about county government is the proliferation of retired county cops double-dipping by holding management positions in other county departments. OK, there’s nothing illegal about it, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and gives some the impression that the NCCo gov’t. could become sort of a “police state.” That’s another reason why we don’t need a retired cop as head of county council.
And, no, I didn’t think Gordon’s radio ad was clever. Anyone could see “strike three” coming as soon as the first pitch was thrown.