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Although I agree the president shouldn't entertain any debt reduction talks in connection to raising the debt ceiling, this is a good time for the Democratic Congress to call the republicans bluff by saying they are open and eager for talks that include raising taxes on the very wealth, including capital gains taxes and inheritance taxes. Democrats seem so scared to raise this, even though the Trump tax cuts are unpopular and widely known to be a central cause of the rapid rise in the deficit. Republicans may be successful in spinning this blackmail as Democrats unwillingness to face fiscal responsibility. If Jefferies and Schumer make it clear that Democrats want to reign in the deficit, and outline a reasonable strategy of higher taxes along with measured cuts, then the republican's bluff will crumble, and their suicide mission will be all on them.
| no | 2,436 |
It makes absolutely no sense to tie the pursuit of a true "life of the mind" liberal education to financial investment. The very reason that students wind up with the careerism mentality is that they know they will have to pay for their college debt. I love the idea of returning to a real liberal arts education, but that's not compatible with student debt.
| no | 3,341 |
Perhaps not surprisingly, the Italian press universally praised Ratzinger for his brilliance as a theologian and his work to consolidate the core traditions of the church.But then there is everything else. Ratzinger was John Paul II's attack dog, creating spirited acts of misdirection as he exponentially increased the number of exorcisms while burying open adjudication into charges of pedophilia. As a Catholic who has long ago given up on organized religion of any kind, I cannot fathom what the devil Francis is doing from day to day. He called Ratzinger a saint. One can only hope this does not turn into another "santo subito" as it did with John Paul II, although why I care is beyond me. I had great hopes for Francis; sadly, he seems a Pope of half-measures. As for Douthat, he remains clueless. Ratzinger never understood the core to faith, is faith. Reason and faith are simply two separate and distinct paths. One may choose to walk both, but that does not make them any less different.
| yes | 8,668 |
Pharma doesn’t set their prices on a cost basis. They set their prices based on cost savings. The $2.6Million represents a cost savings over the lifetime costs of supporting someone with this disorder.Also, they spend more money on advertising than they do on research so you can’t argue they’re recovering their research costs.
| no | 2,494 |
RamS Microsoft Windows made computing accessible to most people, which is what made the whole internet thing, and social media, possible. Yes Linux/Unix is superior as an OS, but it's not accessible for most people.
| no | 2,812 |
Krugman seems a bit unclear (unusual for him). He relates how the Chinese investment has focused on real estate leading in other reporting on an excess supply of housing on the ring of large cities. As he says - this is a stark case of diminishing returns. My question is: what other kinds of investment does he suggest? Maye not in bricks and mortar, but an improved safety net?
| yes | 9,143 |
It's easy to pick on Oprah's neighbors for building and remaining in a danger zone. This tiny handful of rich people have choices, many in the rest of the country do not. Nature's fury is hardly confined to Montecito. As climate change intensifies, large swaths of the gulf and east coasts will be subject to stronger hurricanes, the flooding the accompanies them as well as sea level rise. Over a quarter off the US population, around 100 million people, live near the coast, with sixty percent of them in the gulf and Atlantic states. Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida last year, is estimated to have caused $50 billion in damage. The rebuilding in Ft. Meyers is underway, just as the rebuilding took place in many other localities struck by huge storms. There is no way to know when the next hurricane or tornado will come to these places, all we know is that out will. I don't claim to have any solution for this, but it deserves more attention.
| yes | 9,493 |
$13-$20 million isn’t even a rounding error in the city budget. The budget for libraries will not be reduced. My sexagenarian NY native eyes have seen this many, many times. Only rarely, e.g., the mid-70s, will the libraries lose out. Kabuki.
| yes | 9,278 |
Was releasing over $5Trillion into the economy a good idea?
| yes | 7,363 |
Journalists struggle to make sense of the goings on in the Republican Party, but in the end, it's simply the tired old story of Fascism: leveraging greed and hate for power. It's not reallly even a crude form of leadership, as Mr. Blow outlines in this article. It's a malicious predatory free for all. This is a fascinating time in our country's history, as well as the world. The pace of social change spurred on by massive increases in electronic communications has opened up avenues of progress that have never been seen before. The pervasiveness of communications also enables a darker, more nefarious pathway of control, albeit with extremely short lived windows to get in and out quickly before laws catch up with the criminal perpetrator.In the long haul, intellectual capital gravitates toward the light, not the dark. The dark is unsustainable. It's useful to keep this in mind as observe the contortions of Fascism to exploit the less educated, the insecure, or those where, for whatever reason, suffer from a paucity of common sense.
| no | 4,473 |
Jeff - so in your mind, if the prices were raised in other countries, they would lower prices here. You don’t seem to understand the meaning of “agreed”. They don’t spend millions influencing government regulations here to lower the prices, it is to increase their profits. They would do the same overseas if they could.The problem is not the prices beyond our shores, but right here at home. Big investors demand their “cut”, and the CEOs respond.
| no | 2,052 |
Schadenfreude is fun... but. If Congress persons cannot behave responsibly -- time for a wooden spoon brigade... grab your pots and pans and wooden spoons... and stand outside the Capitol and bang away.. And time that police do NOT arrest protestors or innocent bystanders. Why was the liar Goerge Santos seated??? Why isn't it illegal to lie on your resume when running for political office? If Elon Musk ends up in court for a comment, why not Santos for his lies? And where is Universal single payer healthcare not Medicare Advantage plans which feed $$ to the investors in health insurance companies?? Where are our gun control laws? Where is the law protecting a woman's right to have an abortion in the first few months of a pregnancy and thereafter if medically necessary? And when will the IRS rules change so real estate magnates and billionaires pay their fair share of taxes?? Being bakc the luxury tax - 10% Federal on that wonderful piece of art you bought at auction?
| yes | 8,916 |
John so there's only 25.001% of Bitcoin investors who invested? The other 74.999% must feel pretty left out. Or maybe it's a millennial version of the old myth about swiping rounding error.Now that is pretty fraudulent. I'm selling if you're buying
| no | 1,094 |
I did not watch. I did not need to. But for the same reason the mother of Emmet Till decided to have an open coffin, I know it was important.Now we need to make this stop. That can only happen by changing the way we hire police, how they are trained, paid and their work details.
| yes | 8,725 |
Saying that insurance is picking up the cost of Humira, leaving total cost to patients at $5/per refill ($60/yr) is very misleading. Private insurance will only drop the price to around $7000/month, the balance is covered by the Abvie Humira Complete Savings Card. This program supplements the payments made by private insurance, bringing the cost to the patient down to the quoted $5.Having just lost my COBRA I contacted Abvie and was told that the savings card will not be honored if I had any government sponsored program, and being on Medicare there is NO non-government drug plan available.I elected to not have drug coverage in the hope that my savings card will still be honored. Bottom line, there are a lot more shenanigans going on here with Abvie and the government.
| no | 2,528 |
Stephen - And will the taxpayers have to pay to house the Secret Service protectors at nearby hotels for $ 600-800 a night? (Mar A Lago, Bedminster)
| no | 3,012 |
Martha I think you are right. McCarthy WANTS representatives like Santos because he controls them completely. If Santos steps out of line, he loses his seat & his $175K paycheck. Which leads me to another point: No district should elect a congressman who is running because the pay is attractive, which also describes Lauren Boebert.
| no | 3,403 |
John The lower tax rates don't necessarily create industry. Countries like Ireland were great for companies like Apple to open offices to take advantage of this massive loophole.
| yes | 6,123 |
All that Putin’s “Russian world” brings is death, destruction and lies.No wonder nobody wants to join it.It’s a nihilistic nightmare incarnate.If Russia had allocated even 1/10th of the money they’re spending to destroy Ukraine currently, into peaceful cross-border initiatives, think about how much soft power and goodwill they could have purchased among their neighbors! Not through bribery and corruption like always; but through actually investing in those they’re now seeking to conquer and kill….Its one of the greatest missed opportunities in Russian history!If Russia actually cared about the Ukrainian people like their propagandists claim, then for pennies on dollar of all the bloodshed they’re expending, they could have befriended their neighbors for generations… by cultivating investments and peaceful positive-sum bonds.But now Ukrainians will hate them for generations.Putin fell into the dictator trap. Of thinking blind Force and domination is the only way to exalt and display a country’s greatness….Little does he know that he’s single-handedly destroying Russia’s reputation for the next hundred years!Almost as tragic as Putin’s wanton destruction of the Ukrainian people; is how willfully and self-sabotagingly he’s destroying the Russian people’s future, too.
| yes | 9,769 |
linda5 Yes it seems that Putin’s assets negotiated with McCarthy to put them on committees where they will have access to confidential intelligence
| yes | 8,498 |
Novak and his wife through their foundation gave $1 million euros to hospitals in Serbia in 2020 to help in the fight against Covid but no mention of that in all of these comments. Comments?
| yes | 5,957 |
sanderling1 I do remember that. I am sitting here with a copy of "The Acting Person" & "Introduction to Christianity." I cut my teeth on these in my 20s & 30s. They held such promise of a way forward. But that way forwad has not lived up to its promise. And while I still cling to the possibility of that way forward, I cannot follow the way backward that was & is the actual reaction to all of it. Add to all this the work of Umberto Eco and his commentaries on the contemporary understanding of the medieval. And what you get is a contemporary Catholic Church that is more like the restaurant, Medieval Times, where diners pretend to be at jousting tournaments and eat food with their hands than the height of expression of what a Person can & should be in the midst of a reality believed to be created & loved by God. Everybody talks about a fight of objectivity vs the relativity & dismantling of traditional belief by relativity. And yet, the "Person" as a echo of the Persons of the Trinity are absolutely relative. And it is Relationality...ie, LOVE...that anchors all of this. And it is the category of relationality that is opened in a nuanced way with legitimate contemporary thought & not the Hallmark thought always put up as thr boogeyman.
| yes | 8,019 |
Barbara - we have the same house! Ours was also built in 1963. We bought ours in 2017 when my daughter had a young pregnancy, so that she and her boyfriend could live with us, but separate from us, and we could provide the child care support we knew they would need. We converted the large laundry room downstairs into a second kitchen, plus they have two bedrooms, a full bath, and a large family room. Upstairs we have 3 br, open kitchen/dining room, full bath, and a living room. I never liked split levels before, but this basic, boxy house has proven highly adaptable and, with 1500 sq ft on each level, lends itself incredibly well to multigenerational living.
| no | 581 |
Oh lighten up!!! David Chang famously embraces instant ramen with an egg and - wait for it - a slice of American cheese - and sells it! Try it at home, it's good! Jacques Pepin thickens soups with instant potato flakes. Embracing the culture - whether ethnic or family based - behind recipes is ageless and is so for a reason. It's fun. It's nostalgic. And these folks are being incredibly honest and open about it. If you don't prefer it - that's fine. But don't shame. I'd rather see someone cooking with heavy reliance on convenience ingredients than someone who is afraid to cook "from scratch" and resort to store bought/take out every time.
| no | 677 |
Really? Did you look at the efficiency of centralised use versus a stove? Is the transmission loss of electricity major? Renewable energy is growing fast and will increase faster still with the new investment. We have an induction hob and electric oven fuelled by renewable electricity. Works fine, easy to clean. Wouldn't go back to gas
| no | 1,055 |
The 10 other states without expanded Medicaid (mandated by the ACA but blocked by the GOP Supreme Court) are TX, GA, AL, MS, SC, NC, TN, KS, WY, and WI.
| no | 4,716 |
Kim Trump should get the $3 bill
| yes | 7,855 |
Steve Thank you for your post and "we find out that the best way to approach disease is treatment rather than vaccine." I would like to speak further on this: De'Santis's top doner's company was investing millions in Regeneron, the drug that De Santis was promoting over vaccines. (My source: an AP internet article published on 8/18/21 by Brendan Farrington titled "DeSantis top donor invests in Covid drug Governor promotes."
| yes | 5,423 |
at least desantis recognizes that we have a serious illegal immigration problem and he's willing to ship people back to where they came from or somewhere else. he's not welcoming them with open arms and giving them places to live food etc. at least he's doing something not ignoring it like the Biden administration who's allowing these immigrants to come in and eat us and our country from the inside out.
| no | 4,910 |
Perhaps Buckingham Palace can open its doors so the commoners can come in and warm up. I’m sure there are plenty of heated rooms going completely unused.
| yes | 4,965 |
OpenAI have set up a legal fiction where one part of the organization is a research non-profit and the other is a for-profit business. They've perpetuated this fiction to avoid paying the intellectual property costs for scraping basically everything ever made to make up the new chatbot's training set.AI could be amazing, but even Stephen Hawking warned that doing it incorrectly poses an existential risk to humanity. Of course this wouldn't be the first time that a for-profit corporation plowed heedlessly ahead on a path that put humanity in existential peril for personal gain.We clearly aren't taking AI regulation seriously enough, and need to VERY strictly regulate the development of AI and fast.
| no | 3,830 |
Daniel Welch. Well-stated. From what I hear and read, many of the older generations blame the younger generations for not working hard enough. Many younger generational workers work 2 or 3 jobs, even one job at a low salary which barely can pull them ahead financially because of the costs of goods and services, the costs of healthcare and doctor appointments, the cost of gas and oil, the cost of operating a car or truck, the costs of insurance(s), etc. There is no wonder the older generations reaped what they built for themselves but didn't share their wealth with the rest. Many CEOs, CFOs, COOs and the like are older white males (a few older white females) who continue to raise prices on goods and services. Have we checked our own bank statements of the price increases on fees and services for banking, or increased prices on iPhones and Smartphones, increase on Propane gas, increase gas prices by Exxon, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, etc.? There is no room to save enough money to invest in the stock market or mutual funds because it cost too much to purchase stocks and mutual funds. The traditional manner of microeconomics and macroeconomics is still strong among the older generations but not for younger generations. It's sad to see so many young people commit suicide because of financial failure. They feel like they are constantly swimming upstream.
| yes | 5,169 |
$ $ $ Follow the $who owns this faker? How did they really think they could get away with buying a Congressman? Because they almost did.The end is near Mr. Santos.Be smart :resign and get a made for TV movie deal- your best bet. But you are arrogant and not smart. It will end badly for the Rs and him.very badly
| yes | 9,882 |
I does depend on the the movie is portraying or adapting. If it’s an adaptation I would prefer it stay as close to the original source material as possible. If it’s an original screenplay then the writers should have the ability to make things more inclusive as long as it commercially viable. That’s the key as movies are in the business of making money. For example Tár was a great movie and I enjoyed. I did pay to see it but would not have if it started someone other than Cate Blanchett Unfortunately with an estimated budget of $35MM and only $7MM in revenue it’s an abysmal box office failure.
| yes | 8,271 |
Joe In Co You assume that the only way to handle this is the crash the economy. There are other ways to handle this - the best one is a slow measured approach to paying down the debt over an extended period of time coupled with a Congress that actually is willing to put the best interest of the country in front of its petty partisanship. Spending can be controlled without creating undue hardship IF all sides cooperate. Part of this cooperation involves taxpayers. As was pointed out elsewhere, economic stimulation or turning the US back toward a producer rather than just a consumer goes along way toward providing a more smoothed economic climate. But this means that US consumers need to stop shopping at COSTCO where they buy primarily foreign made goods by the boat load in favor of buying US made goods that cost more but generate jobs. In addition, its time to admit that we can all live with a lot less STUFF in our houses and lives so buying one nice TV made in the US rather than 3 cheap TV's made in China is better in the long run for the economy and the nation as a whole.
| no | 3,193 |
It’s time for regulators to take back the healthcare business from insurance companies. Pediatrics is “not profitable” so it is relegated to the refuse bin. My ophthalmologist will no longer perform cataract surgery because it’s a money loser. I thought patient care came first! But doctors, nurses, and other professionals have to be able to put food on the table at home, too. In the meantime, insurance companies have become banks and the patients can rot.Speaking of which, why did the FDA and patent office extend the exclusive on a drug like Eliquis when there are two generics already approved? I just paid the $522 my insurance won’t cover since rat poison - warfarin/Coumadin - is less expensive. My doctor wants me to take Eliquis, not rat poison because of safety issues. Does that make sense? Medicare won’t let me use a $10 coupon because it undercuts the objective of Medicare. In other words, it’s a bribe. That doesn’t make much sense to me either.
| yes | 7,912 |
The chief problem with ESG is that it's utter nonsense. Can you think of a company that causes more unnecessary damage to the environment than Coca Cola whose primary, if not sole, business is to truck liquids across vast distances to places that already have local water infrastructure in place? Yes the coward CEO of Coca Cola, James Quincey, is ever so deeply concerned with the Jim Crow 2.0 expanded voter access here in Atlanta; much less so in other parts of the US or his home country of Britain - and yes, that scores him and Coke ESG points - but really the whole concept of Coke is about the most anti environment business proposition out there. So I ask you very seriously if ESG index funds reward a company like Coke - can't you not see idiocy, duplicity, and outright fraud that ESG funds are?
| no | 807 |
Nicholas Kristof Local school finances in SC are in trouble, mostly because Republicans want to offer private school vouchers paid for with taxpayer money instead of using public money to improve public schools. They installed a state superintendent of education who had a special master's of education program developed for her by a private university that could be finished in 6 months, starting after her nomination. She has no experience and I would add, a poor quality degree, but she will cooperate in turning taxpayer money over to private schools. The state also returned up to $800 to each taxpayer who paid that much in income taxes, at an estimated cost of $750,000 in processing costs this year. Those who paid no taxes, usually the poorest folks, got nothing. That money plus the processing costs could have been used to improve education in the poorest communities, mostly found along I-95. As long as politicians play such games, education will suffer and so will the long-term prospects of our students.
| no | 4,747 |
You’d be astounded by the amount of food thrown out every night by NYC restaurants alone. Add to that hot bars at grocery stores and delis and the hundreds of events happening on any given day. The only event I ever worked at in NYC that had a responsible waste program was the World Maker Faire— which diverted over 90% from landfills. It took five things 1. A sustainability plan 2. Top down leadership 3. Bottom up accountability 4. Assessment 5. Commitment to improve. It is important to have beginner models like in Ohio and some outliers. However, we have invested in an economic model that is, simply, stupid when it comes to ecology. You can be real good at cutting down old growth trees, accessing millions of years of oil reservoirs, making miraculous disposable gadgets and packaging food to send around the world while still being completely ignorant of basic regenerative ecology— on which the future truly depends. Let’s grown up!
| no | 3,930 |
So here in Australia, an unsubsidised epipen is A$79 (usd50) or A$29 usd20 if it is subsidised by our government. US$50 is clearly the cost of the Epipen. Why do you guys pay so much. It is ridiculous how dysfunctional the US healthcare system is...
| no | 1,286 |
Did a tiny bit of research, company had a tax lose of 4.5 billion , overseas profit was 7.9 billion gain.Avoiding paying US taxes.2020 just two years ago.Was involved with the oxy opioid scam payed a few billion in fines.
| yes | 6,021 |
Lesley Gordon-Mountian You raised a basic issue: affordability. I have severe psoriasis and the biologic I take is a godsend. My skin is totally clear. Since I turned 65 and have Medicare, I found 2 years of copay support from a foundation. That ended the beginning of 2023. Now I will have to find a way to manage the $3000+ copay every other month. It's maddening to watch the MANY ads for these important drugs. Do less advertising and spend that money on patient access. Why increase demand if patients can't afford it?
| yes | 8,056 |
Kevin Isn't it great that most all of the over $100 billion the US is committing to the Ukraine war is going right back into the pockets of Raytheon, Northrup Grumman, etc and their shareholders. One might wonder, is this the real reason the US provoked Russia to invade by expanding NATO east to Ukraine after warnings from our highest level diplomats and foreign policy advisors (George Kennan, Jack Matlock, William Burns) that Russia would have to react?
| no | 998 |
One of their first orders of business is abolish the IRS, a branch of "We the people..." government, defund and rescind its $80 billion funding. But Southwest, a private, for-profit corporation that recently failed its customers, gets to keep its billions in pandemic bailouts? Hmmm...makes you wonder, who are these "republicans" working for? Taxation, btw, IS Constitutional. It is literally mandated in our Constitution that the federal government has that responsibility. One more time, the extremist right-wing is attempting to re-write our governing documents.
| yes | 9,051 |
69 here. When I read the opening line about how the next election was the most important ever, how democracy itself was at stake, I thought it would be a parody piece. Sadly, apparently not the case
| no | 4,724 |
Even after I win the upcoming Powerball, I will not spend $125 on an omelet, truffled or otherwise, on principle. But I do like bistro/brasserie classics done perfectly and this place sounds really good. I am done with the seagrass infused foam over dots of chili oil and microgreens "cuisine" that has been so common lately.
| no | 1,209 |
Alcohol, where one or both in a couple drink too much, can play a big role in mental illness, marital discord and dysfunction. And not just for Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.For example, a woman who was a friend of my wife had a husband who drank too much chilled beer, a common problem in Oz. His excessive drinking was causing problems and costing them a small fortune. So his wife started making home brew for him. Then she gradually watered it down. Eventually, he was on the wagon. No more alcohol – at all.All went well until one birthday when two old mates he hadn't seen since he'd stopped drinking came round and insisted on taking him to the pub for a few beers. He came back late that night completely wrecked. All the wife's good work undone within a few hours. He began drinking again. His mood and behaviour worsened.There's no affordable provision for couple therapy in Oz if you're poor. On the advice of a friend, the wife kicked her husband out the family home. He booked himself into a motel. A week later he killed himself, apparently in part so his wife and kids could cash in his life insurance for about $70 K.The eldest child blamed the mother for her father's death. Moved in with her boyfriend's family. Got pregnant. Became a mother at fifteen. Dropped out of school.
| no | 1,047 |
AS Yeah future generations are going to look back at this probably after some violent congressional incident and wonder what was wrong with us. They also removed the metal detectors and you can bet they are armed. Just a matter of time till someone get shot. See the tricky part is if they start shooting and dissolve our laws then that is a green light to literally the rest of us that it's open season on THEM. You can't break down and ignore our laws and commit violence and still expect the same law to protect you. Most intelligent beings have some understanding of this but MAGA is not smart. Of course this would not be good to get to this point and that's an understatement.
| yes | 7,103 |
Peter The point is that, the system is not running such a huge deficit. It is, for the moment about 10 billion, which may appear like a lot of money but, in fact, it is almost nothing compared to the global budget of the government and the rest of the healthcare system deficit. Moreover, the COR (Conseil d'Orientation des Retraites - retirement guidance council) mandated by the government, actually planned a rather low increase in the deficit. There would be a lot of different ways to fill the gap but the actual governement need to strenghthen its position by reforming according to its ideology, even if most french people are opposed to such an action.
| no | 2,503 |
Trevor B, compensation may not be the most relevant factor here so I disagree. In this case, an individual may be using his employee position, as well as access to data, to steer patients to a different practice, thus diminishing the investments and value of the current practice.
| yes | 9,719 |
Susan So there is nothing wrong with spraying $20M to Arizona "political leaders" in Washington? Early in McCain's political career, he got involved in the nation's 1980s S&L crisis directly. Charles Keating was able to buy influence which included McCain (he was part of the Keating 5) with much less than $20M. Being accused of corruption did not stop him from responding to Resolution Copper.
| no | 720 |
OK. So gas ranges can emit toxic fumes. I get it. But they also emit explosive gasses, open flames, and, in my opinion, don't heat things as rapidly and at as high a temperature as electric ranges. How many times has your gas range failed to initially ignite itself properly - requiring you to light it manually? Has its flame ever somehow mysteriously gone out during cooking and filled the house with that terrifying and noxious smell designed to alert you to a potentially devastating explosion? Has anyone successfully killed themselves by sticking their head in an electric oven?After having used both electric and gas stoves, I personally would not choose a natural gas version. Give me an electric stove with a combination induction/radiant cooktop and electric oven any time.
| yes | 9,405 |
Maybe Biden should follow the lead of Jacinda Ardern. One should know when "one is the right person to lead and when one is not." Biden has done his job well, but it is time to exit. He may be able to do the job against Trump, but not against younger fresh blood in the Republican party. Why are Democrats not scouting for new blood? These new candidates can celebrate Biden, and Obama, as precedents, and keep some of their policies and open new paths (or follow the same one but with a new face). And all this scandal with the classified papers just shows that Democrats too need to choose their battles in trying to bring Trump down.
| yes | 9,373 |
avrds This is hyperbole. It's whataboutism in the extreme. Come on. Please. Name a candidates who's made up this much. Santos lied about everything from his "Jew-ish" heritage to working for Goldman Sachs, having an income of $750,000 (even though he was evicted twice for not paying rent) and having assets worth millions in Rio, including an apartment. Santos is such a pathological liar he makes Trump look like St. Augustine after he converted from his playboy years.
| no | 3,901 |
LaurenceB., I don't see how anyone can still see Democrats as being no different than Republicans on economic issues. Democrats just passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which raises corporate taxes and allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices. During the first two years of Biden's term, they passed a reformed child tax credit, reducing child poverty by half, subsidies for those purchasing health care on the exchanges, the country's largest infrastructure bill since Eisenhower, and the first bill to address climate change.What many Americans really oppose is the Senate filibuster, which prevented the extension of both the reformed child tax credit and health exchange subsidies, as well as the expansion of Medicare to cover dental, vision and hearing. Progress is slow because we don't have overwhelming Democratic majorities in the Senate.The parties are not both equally beholden to billionaires. Unless we recognize their differences, we really will be stuck in the same place.
| no | 4,222 |
EL Better would be raising the cap on how much of earnings can be taxed for Social Security by a five or ten thousand dollars. By the way the life expectancy of Americans has dropped a few years due to covid and there is no sign that it and other diseases won't continue to claim us codgers. Of the million Americans who died from covid 750,000 were over 65. If each of those people were collecting 10k a year that would be a savings of 3/4 of a billion dollars per year so cut out the nonsense of about 80 years olds being so healthy they can work a deep fryer at the local grease shop and spread the wealth.
| no | 4,828 |
A column with much to teach. Thank you, Mr. Foner. Kevin McCarthy has not only opened the gate to fools he gave them the key. It is time for Democrats, sane Republicans (few in number as they may be) and a decent President, to take it back and put their leaders in the place they belong, namely at a back bench where they can watch adults in the room debate and pass laws. Follow the constitution Mr. President and remove the gun from the hands of fools in regard to the debt ceiling. As for the serious members of the House, find a coalition of Democrats and Republicans to form a majority that would take the Speaker's gavel from McCarthy and give it to a true patriot. Surely there is a person of reason with a national reputation of honesty and eagerness who can achieve a compromise on the nation's critical issues that currently are collecting dust in a back room of Congress. Seize the moment, that the fools have given us. Do not let them run the House and the Country into the ground.
| yes | 8,031 |
And this is the opening salvo in their 22 months audition to the American People for the 24 election. Surely this House GOP caucus will provide material weekly for Dem's campaign ads. This has been a Clown Car Production.
| no | 261 |
We're new to EV ownership, having recently bought a Nissan LEAF. We still own an ICE AWD vehicle for longer trips and mountain driving. We have been very surprised by how versatile our EV is. I am now convinced that within the next 10 years, we will be an only-EV family. Some surprises for us:- The convenience of charging at home vs. needing to go to gas stations. In the past 6 months, we have used fast chargers only 3 times. All of the remaining charging has been done in our garage. Super convenient and inexpensive.- Cold weather: There is a dramatic drop in range at cold temps, but this has not been a problem for us. Vehicle started right up at -18 F recently. Climate control timer means it was already warm before we drove it.- Fun to drive!! We bought the least expensive EV model on the market ($19k after tax incentives), and it is by far the fanciest vehicle we have owned. It's great fun to drive. Almost silent, super smooth, and accelerates fast.My Colorado-centric wishlist to look forward to before replacing our ICE and becoming an only-EV family:- More affordable AWD EV SUVs. - Longer range to take away range anxiety for cold-weather backcountry mountain adventures (400 miles would be great).- More fast-charging infrastructure, particularly in the mountains and rural west.- More level-2 charging infrastructure in places people park for longer periods of time like apartment complexes, the airport, ski areas, trailheads.
| no | 3,570 |
I love the sheer audacity of the trillion $ platinum coins. Will be fun to watch the GQP terrorists foam at the mouth and come unglued.Be sure to mint a big batch of at least 5-10 coins and get yourself a really good piggy bank while you are at it, Janet!
| no | 2,799 |
I'm waiting for the situation when "open carry" laws run headlong into "stand your ground" laws. In that, I fear the same thing that the American Right probably yearns for--a society where the person with the fastest draw, the highest caliber, the largest ammo magazine, and the best aim wins both the argument and the court case.
| no | 634 |
BayArea101 Yes, every American deserves a decent home as a human right (so each wage earner should hand over 10% of their wages to the indigent). Require only small efficient housing with none of the fancy do-dads. Houses 1200 sf or smaller with small bedrooms and shared bathrooms. And incentivize apartment living by making the maximum 1450 sf. and some decent amenities. Require millionaires to pay a wealth tax of 3% every year on top of their current tax bill. Oh, and let people have as many children as they want and increase the number of immigrants to the country each year and give each immigrant family a house free as a human right.
| yes | 8,189 |
Parents used to teach children how to become adults. Now we teach adults to become childlike, tantrums and all. We were 12 babysitting three toddlers for a mom and dad who needed a hand on the gap hours. We had paper routes and dreamed of the day we could wash dishes or wait tables to have “pin money”. We paid 1/2 for cars.Now our kids can barely afford anything after we abdicated the American Dream to the 1%.
| yes | 6,247 |
True Observer Not quite. The leadership PAC Rev Up (affiliated with Senator Warnock) raised $150M over five years but spent only $126M. Warnock is not under investigation either, as it was done legally, without lying. Only 34 Senators are up for election each cycle, while all 435 Representatives must run again. This makes Senatorial campaigns much more important and thus more expensive.And who knows what strings are attached to Santos. <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/raphael-warnock/summary?cid=N00046489" target="_blank">https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/raphael-warnock/summary?cid=N00046489</a>
| yes | 7,348 |
Margo - Across the millennia, group goals and interests have caused as much cruelty as good for society. Group ceremony has fallen, yet ceremony flourishes in the daily lives of individuals and their extended families who celebrate life together with the small rituals and traditions uniquely precious to each of us.
| no | 1,124 |
This certainly is an opinion piece as Mr Blow didn’t let the facts get in the way. Two examples of how Cantrell governs. First, a young black car hijacker appears in court. Cantrell sits behind the defendant, never says a word to the victim. Second, just before Irwin Mayfield, an award winning New Orleans musician is sentenced for embezzling over $1 million in library funds, Cantrell at a public function calls Mayfield a true “son of the city.” Look at the New Orleans police department and the understaffing and lack of morale. Look at the lack of economic development. Look at the infrastructure of the city. Look at the crime rate and the per capita murder rate. How in the world can anyone defend this woman’s record or lack thereof? Not possible unless you equate criticism and facts with racism.
| yes | 5,527 |
V, Um, the dollar is very strong against other currencies like the Euro and the Canadian and Australian dollars -- not "devalued."The latter is worth only USD $0.67 and so on a recent trip there I bought a hat for AUS $265 that cost me "only" $177 USD.My my relatives who live there, were envious of my US dollars. :)
| no | 1,884 |
Despite their 1990s assessment deregulation is not saving money for homeowners and businesses---no matter what the reason. A minimum of $40 extra paid to electric companies every month by over 100 million users over 20 years has to be the biggest robbery in the U.S.
| no | 238 |
John Smithson The trans-Atlantic economy is the largest in the world. It's about $1.5 trillion in annual trade.The financial well being of folks in the US is directly tied to a stable, secure Europe.It’s self interest, my friend - it’s not about seeking moral high ground.
| no | 869 |
Nicholas writes “…. If Gobanga can raise the money, she would like to expand the safe house and open a similar home for abused boys.” If a link where donations can be sent we’re provided I think that those of us who read, with horror, of this tragedy would be moved to donate.
| yes | 7,525 |
When I review my Crypto accounts, I remember, I don't have any. Since this is Bitcoin V.2, is anyone surprised that $15 or $30 Billion goes up in smoke, over night? It went somewhere...
| no | 1,433 |
Ms Walker Most places in US, (s)he wouldn't. The only one making a profit in eggs are the middle men (but then a lot of the middlemen are just disguised divisions of the larger corporations). Walmart (for example) owns the facilities, the chickens, the truck company, control their feed prices thru contracts, created a separate division for engineering/HVAC etc etc. Aside from price gouging, fuel the over riding factor is consolidation of the food production industry.
| yes | 9,575 |
Cathykent Well, first, to be in the top 10%, you only have to have a yearly income of about $170k. Pretty sure that no one at the 30 % level feels particularly "rich." Probably because they aren't. In 2021, the top 1% earned almost $600,000, (only $250k to crack the top 5%). Depending on where they live, many of those below the top 1 or 5 % don't feel "rich" - and all of them - including the top 1% will have the sads if these bozos blow up the US/world economy. And these clowns are perfectly ready to tear it all down and watch it burn. Even the Kochs and Mercers, Bezos and Musk, need a functioning government. If they want to stay rich, and if they don't want the pitchforks coming for them.
| yes | 7,093 |
When you work for a company that has 100,000 employees and serves billions of consumers, it's easy to fall for the illusion that the workers and the customers actually matter. The reality: the only people who matter are the shareholders. The board of directors who run your company answer to them, not to the employees or even to the CEO.These days, self-styled "activist investors" are making this even more extreme by forcing even well-intentioned companies to prioritise short-term share-price increases of long-term viability and employee retention. They they take their money and run. The sad thing is, it doesn't have to be this way. We let it be this way because the people who make our laws (in the US, in Europe, in Asia) tend to be from the share-owner class, rather than from the 99.9% of people who are just workers and customers. So they like the current system where it's perfectly fine for a company still making huge profits to fire 10% of its workers just to add a few cents to the share-price.
| yes | 5,590 |
One notices differences when Democrats and their familiars are targeted for investigations in that not once does anyone ever mention the words " Witch Hunt." Also, that nary a peep was uttered by the GOP, when the former guy's daughter and son-in-law who were technically members of the administration, made off with $2 Billion from the Saudi's allegedly to be used in an investment firm. The level of hypocrisy is just mind numbing.
| no | 2,145 |
I hope the Trump Organization knows that they can't write the $1.6 million dollar fine off their business taxes for 2023.
| yes | 9,228 |
You are so hilarious! Have you considered a career in comedy? The reality is once you free yourself from diet mentality, your body won’t ask for a whole pint of ice cream. I started eating intuitively in 2019. At first I ate all the things I denied myself regularly, bagels with cream cheese, chicken salad with Mayo, pecans and dried cranberries, blue cheese dressing on salads and my favorite crackers. Initially I gained about 10 lbs between 2019-2021 ( no doubt the pandemic played a part in that) and have lost all but 3 pound as things have leveled out. My mental health has improved, my mind is free to explore other interesting topics beyond being consumed by dieting and exercise. I hike, walk, weight lift for pleasure and bone health, not the scale. It’s been eye opening and I’m better for it. It’s not about ice cream and perhaps with an open mind, you could experience the same.
| no | 4,112 |
Some good news for a change. Now about that $7 billion handout to Midtown developers for NOT upgrading Penn Station service.
| no | 4,153 |
Wolfgang Roberts So because a few of them can now make some $$$ from their work and likeness, though nowhere near as much as their coaches, athletic directors, school presidents, administrators, and executive secretaries, you are done watching?Interesting.
| yes | 8,407 |
The press needs to publish pictures of the splayed, bloodied, murdered bodies of children, women, and men who are the victims of gun violence in the US.It took courage for Mamie Till to insist on an open casket for her son, Emmitt Till - she wanted the world to see what they did to "her baby".The sight of Till's body shocked the conscience of the nation - advancing the cause of civil rights and opposition to lynching and racist violence.During the Viet Nam war, scenes of bloodshed and the results of bombing were routinely broadcast on TV and in photos - contributing to the opposition to that war.But when a madman killed 20 young children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook, we were "spared" seeing the horror he caused. And Alex Jones raised millions denying it ever happened.It's time we see exactly what these weapons do - daily - all over America.We need to be shocked, sickened, repulsed, and driven to action to end the disease plaguing our benighted nation.We have grown immune to the daily carnage - just numbers and places unless it's near and dear to us. We need to know - intimately - through pictures - of the human devastation the cost of our addiction to uncontrolled gun violence.Otherwise, it remains a headline - and someone else's tragedy.
| yes | 8,810 |
Try voicing your ideas and opinions to Wisconsin's Ron Johnson, Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, MTG or even Ted Cruz. Maybe then you will see why Social Security solvency will not be visited until right before it become perilous. Both parties are terrible....Democrats spend like drunken sailors, Republicans are the party of "NO!" except when it comes to aiding the uber affluent. The real losers will be our sons and daughters being forced into contributing into SS only to have the goal post (increase in age entitlement, higher contributions, etc) moved to their detriment. I personally doubt the Republicans will allow the max allowed income limit to be increase a single cent over the current $160k/year ..... just my gut feel. Right now I've got bones to pick with Bill Clinton for ever allowing SS income to be taxed because we already got taxed prior to our 6.2% buy-in!
| no | 1,948 |
When Ukraine beat Russia, which they will, we, the US, our allies and partners must admit Ukraine to NATO. The EU must admit Ukraine to the EU.We are in the fight to save human rights or democracy, not just here at home, but around the world. Who the Anti Democracy line-up is should be clear to every American. It is the former president, his party, Putin, Bolsonaro, Orban, Meloni, MBS and XI.Ukraine is literally on the front lines of the battle and are paying the highest price there is, with their lives. Their fight is our fight and with the brilliant leadership of President Biden we have turned the tide in our favor.No one should think that this battle will end in a year or two, The battle for human right or light vs darkness has been going on since the the beginning of the human race.This century's battle is just beginning and it will not be decided until the last couple decades of it. JFK in his inaugural address to the world said that he welcome the challenge that his generation had to face, first in WW2 but then in the cold war. He said "In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger"In this century, Generation Z is being granted that role. By the time some of them turn 75 years old, history will have been made. Their challenge as with all battles is, will just enough them show up on the side of freedom, here and around the world.
| no | 2,227 |
David Insulin costs less than $35. to produce. Way less.The people who are "confiscating the fruits of other people's labor" are the executives of the drug companies, who are pocketing huge bonusses.Nobody is against drug companies earing a profit but these companies have cornered the market and are using their market position to hold people hostage.
| yes | 6,888 |
Thank you for this article. I agree completely. For all the $$$ we pour into education (in Ontario, Canada at least), we are not seeing the gains. It's complicated I guess.
| yes | 7,386 |
Eric B Wordle 561 3/6* Skill Luck W/L⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 79 96 3 "Decent, distinctive"⬜🟨🟩🟩🟩 99 33 1 "Excellent"🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 99 "Well done"Skill 99 Luck 66My first word was not only "decent" and "distinctive"---chosen by less than 1% of wordlers---it was also very lucky. I had a thought that this word would be an especially appropriate way to begin the new year, and it was certainly more appropriate than the solution. The second choice is the same word the Bot would have used, hence the 99 skill score. It left just one possible word for the 3-solve, and beat the Bot by one step. Yesterday's Wordle 560 3/6*Yesterday, I was could not post my game and did not save a copy of the grid. I did play and solved in three steps: Learn Final ManlyLearn is one of my stand-by openers, and it was a lucky choice yesterday.. With 3 letters, none in the right places, I decided to check for an "al" ending and chose "final" because it also tested for an "I." With that guess, I knew that the L" had to go in the fourth place. That made an "ly" ending certain and led me to the solution. Best Wishes for Good Health and Good Fortune in the New Year!
| no | 2,046 |
from MSFT site: "Amid this dynamic environment, we delivered record results in fiscal year 2022: We reported $198 billion in revenue and $83 billion in operating income.". but yes, layoff your employees, no big deal. unbelievable.
| no | 555 |
In my Massachusetts district it was a unanimous vote by the elected school committee, the superintendent and the mayor to offer fully remote learning in September of 2020. The decision to gradually reopen the schools starting February of 2021 was made by the same folks. The teacher’s union had nothing to do with the decision.
| no | 2,155 |
Wow, this one hits home on so many levels.I spent an extended period of time in big firm consulting, billable hours, 70-80% travel, etc., and worked so hard with that partnership gold ring held out multiple times, then vanishing as things changed. One Friday night, flying home from somewhere, I almost broke down, wondering "why?"I changed firms to something with a lot less travel, but a change in leadership changed that place. No control over it. I was assigned to sell to companies that had previously fired us (the epitome of the Glengarry Glen Ross "bad lead" cards), couldn't reach my goals and laid off. I have been in great roles but again, changes in leadership and next thing you know, you're disposed of even with outstanding reviews.I became a late in life father and now it seems retirement is very far off. I wake up most mornings going back to asking "why" and it's all financial: college education. I wish we lived in a country where it's not such a burden (which would be just about every other developed country). I fear I will be a burned out hulk of humanity by the time I can retire.I do try to find meaning elsewhere: my kids, 2 hobbies I really enjoy, reading. But work remains my #1 source of stress and worry, and it feels so American and so wrong to feel that way
| yes | 9,247 |
Very informative article. I'd argue there are already established cougars east of the Mississippi. In many of the areas already highlighted as potential spots for relocations.One pet peeve of mine is the random South Dakota stat that "...reduced costs of deer-vehicle collisions by an estimated $1.1 million annually." I hate when people use large numbers for impact, but it leaves a whole gray area as to what it means. If you assume the average car crash costs $5,000, that means it reduced car crashes in South Dakota by approximately a count of 220 accidents. Not shabby and every little bit counts, but when you consider there are 18,000 annual vehicle crashes in South Dakota each year, your talking about ~1% of crashes, less if average car crash costs is >$5,000. I'm not saying its wrong for the author to do, I get the need for impactful statements, and I'm probably in the minority but I hate when people have exact information (~220 accident decrease) but instead use "wow" statements that obfuscate the underlying data. Off my soapbox now. :-)
| yes | 8,930 |
"Colinford Mattis’s trajectory from a working-class upbringing in East New York to the Ivy League and corporate law abruptly ended at about 1 a.m. on May 30, 2020, when a Molotov cocktail ignited the center console of an empty police car during a Black Lives Matter protest."This opening paragraph suggests the Molotov cocktail acted on its own initiative.Colinford Mattis threw it. Try this: ". . . when he tossed a Molotov cocktail into a police vehicle, which then exploded into flame."Lots of people lift themselves up from working-class childhoods. Most don't engage in domestic terrorism.
| yes | 5,868 |
check haveibeenpwned.com - if your password is the same as any of the 12.3 billion accounts that have been breached, then your accounts are sitting ducks waiting to be compromised. Even text-based MFA has been circumvented many, many times. Anyone with a good enough sob story and a bit of publicly-available personal info can convince a cell provider to switch service to a new SIM card.
| yes | 7,496 |
Dave Walker >The payoff for investments in education, STEM, and high-tech manufacturing is measured in decades, not election cycles.<Well said. And maybe part of the problem is that a lot of American high school students (particularly boys, who develop more slowly) are simply not mature enough to make sensible education and career decisions. Seems to me that scholarships in engineering (and other professions in which there's a shortage of relevant expertise) ought to be offered not just to 18-year-olds, but to adults aged 25-45 who ended up in lousy dead-end service jobs because, as teenagers, they lacked the self-confidence and vision to choose a challenging discipline, and/or they thought they'd somehow make it big in sports or on TikTok.Surely there must be some angry young-ish voters of all stripes out there who would be willing to go back to school if it were made economically feasible for them.
| yes | 5,576 |
Alex Jones left an open niche to be filled. As we know, nature abhors a vacuum. Apparently the same is true of the American unnatural known as MAGA.
| yes | 7,761 |
Loves Mountains His father owned a company that raked in millions from Medicare for hospice coverage, then sold it for $400M before the company was charged with fraud. As much as these crooks criticize the government, they sure know how to get money from the very programs they want to cut.
| yes | 5,675 |
That is so over the top I lose my appetite. It is like the luxury of having enough homegrown black currants to make a few jars of jam and enjoy it with the seeds left in even though the French will charge $50 or more for small glass where the seeds were plucked out with a goose quill prior to cooking. The few jars I was able to put up are consumed with love and respect to the amount of work that goes into just an "ordinary" food.Tonight we are having "spezi" - ground lamb fried up with onions and garlic, mixed with brown gravy mix from ALDI - an old family favorite dating back to when the lamb was from the herd we kept in the back yard.I'll be 80 this month - take pleasure in cooking, filling the freezer, and eating out for special occasions where the food is well prepared and tasty and the staff reasonably well off.
| no | 930 |
I wonder when the "Proxy War" between Russia and NATO becomes a hot and open war.I think that is the same thing that everyone is thinking about. Dare we deploy our latest non-nuclear weapons systems to Ukraine to win the proxy war, or do we keep them in reserve because we anticipate an open hot war between Russia (and her allies) and NATO (and their allies).The calculus isn't simple. We've been on the path towards a war for global realignment for a long time. The collapse of the Soviet Union did not realign the planet.These issues could be resolved in dialogue but we humans have a preference for warfare. NATO isn't ready to deploy the latest weapons because they fear they will need them in a head-to-head war with Russia.Sadly, those who have never been in hot combat are making the decisions. Many of them have heads filled with movies about warfare that portray it as noble.
| no | 1,992 |
During the holidays I found myself in need of eggs. My husband went to the grocery to find only pasture-raised, organic eggs for $9.99/dozen. For good reason, he came home cradling them like treasure. That's crazy expensive! Since then, I've adapted to baking with flax eggs (2 TBSP ground flax mixed with 1/4 cup water and allowed to sit until a gel forms), which work well for many recipes. One flax egg recipe is the equivalent of two large eggs.
| no | 2,748 |
Charlie Wealthiest nation ?By whose yardstick ?That wealth resides within the top10% of the US population. They are the wealthiest - and keep telling the rest of us that WE should be overjoyed to live in the wealthiest nation.If we were the wealthiest nation - we wouldn't have a national debt of $30 trillion - for which we paid interest of $352 billion in 2021, and $475 billion in 2022.I'm 84. That's what we are doing/have done to my 5 grandchildren. Our politicians charged the ever increasing national debt on my grandchildren's credit cards.The GOP tout the greatest president - Ronald Reagan. He increased the debt by 189% - and another GOP president - Dubya - sent the debt into outer space by invading Afghanistan and Iraq - while cutting taxes for his GOP buddies.I take 9 prescription medications daily - but NO.It's too damn late in my life to even begin crying on your shoulder about drug/medical costs....
| no | 3,882 |
Pat The movie was reported to cost $350 million to make, plus whatever costs are involved in promotion and distribution. Cameron suggested the film needed to gross $2 billion globally to become financially successful. It's unfortunate for filmmakers that these aren't Titanic times when movies stayed in the theater making money for months and months with multiple viewings, not weeks with a singular viewing. Mr. Cameron had better warm up to the idea of raking in a little once the movie leaves the theater and stop bad-mouthing streaming as a secondary and inferior choice to view his digital chef-d'œuvre.
| no | 2,680 |
At the beginning of the Reagan presidency the debt was around one trillion. Eight years later the debt was four trillion. And it has been rising ever since under both parties. You can reform the tax code and cut spending but that will not do it the long term. Americans want everything but they do not want to pay for it. And they will elect politicians who will make sure they will not have to pay for it. Taxes have to be raised. Reality needs to be faced by everyone. But regrettably that will not happen until our carefully constructed pile of debt finally collapses. Warning to everyone. You'd better start buying less and saving more. There will come a time when if you ain't got the cash you ain't got nuthin.
| no | 3,041 |
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