A Republi-CON Promise By Any Other Name is Still a Lie

In another dog bites man type story, a Republi-con politician lies to get elected.

First he "claimed time and time again [during the campaign] that he wouldn't cut school spending," then after he was elected he "unveiled a budget that proposed more than $3 billion worth of cuts to Florida schools."

Read the St. Petersburg Times, Gov. Rick Scott revises rhetoric on education funding and the Orlando Sentinel, If you overlook the lies, Scott's budget is interesting, which notes that "not everyone views the truth as that big of a deal."

Special Edition of NoBullU on WEBY

Usually on Thursdays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

And today I'll co-host with Manager Mike to discuss the health care lawsuit.

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth and some ass kickin' discussion of politics and current events.

Health Care Lawsuit Score: US 2 - VA 1 and FL 1

UPDATE VIII: A leading constitutional law scholar states that "[g]iven the clear case for the health care law’s constitutionality, it’s distressing that many assume its fate will be decided by a partisan, closely divided Supreme Court." Read The New York Times, On Health Care, Justice Will Prevail, which concludes:

"There is every reason to believe that a strong, nonpartisan majority of justices will do their constitutional duty, set aside how they might have voted had they been members of Congress and treat this constitutional challenge for what it is — a political objection in legal garb."

As I said before, the new health care law is a political issue and the courts should have dismissed the challenges.


UPDATE VII: "[C]onservatives are fighting [because] they don't like the Affordable Care Act. And having failed to win that fight in Congress, they've moved it to the courts in the hopes that their allies on the bench will accomplish what their members in the Senate couldn't." Read the Washington Post, The fight over the individual mandate is not about liberty, which quotes Charles Fried, Ronald Reagan's former solicitor general, at Wednesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing:

"As I recall,the great debate was between this device and the government option. And the government option was described as being akin to socialism, and there was a point to that. But what’s striking is that nobody in the world could’ve argued that the government option or single-payer could’ve been unconstitutional. It could’ve been deplorable. It could’ve been regrettable. It could’ve been Eastern rather than Western European. But it would’ve been constitutional."

The article also quotes Daniel Foster, a conservative at the National Review:

"All conservatives, I'd imagine, think single-payer is unwise, but I’m sure plenty of them think it’s also constitutional (I’m probably one of them, as well)."

As I said before, the new health care law is a political issue and the courts should have dismissed the challenges.


UPDATE VI: "Among those who have joined in rejecting the century-old, long-defunct decisions on which Judge Roger Vinson's decision rests, are Justices Scalia, Kennedy, and Chief Justice Roberts. They will have to twist their prior decisions and statements into pretzels in order to rule the individual mandate or other ACA provisions unconstitutional." Read American Constitution Society, In Today’s Health Care Ruling, a Whiff of Bush v. Gore.


UPDATE V: From the Washington Post:




UPDATE IV: Is "Vinson’s opinion is such an outlier that it will not be taken seriously by higher courts?" Review the Center for American Progress' Interactive Assessment: Judge Vinson’s Affordable Care Act Decision.

And for a further review of the decision, read HealthAffairs.org, Analyzing Judge Vinson’s Opinion Invalidating The ACA.


UPDATE III: How will the Supreme Court decide? That presumes that the Supreme Court ever hears the case, which is no certainty. And if it does, the Supreme Court has shown that it is in no hurry to constrain Congress. It recently turned down a constitutional challenge to a federal law which made it a crime for a felon to have body armor or a bulletproof vest. The defendant, Cedrick Alderman, argued that the possession of a bulletproof vest had nothing to do with interstate commerce and, therefore, was beyond Congress' power. Only Scalia and Thomas disagreed.


UPDATE II: "The nation needs health care reform. Repeal is not an option." Read the Clarion Ledger, Let's see the GOP health policy.

Funny thing is, 'Obamacare' looks a lot like the 1993 GOP Health Care proposal that included an individual mandate. Read Kaiser Health News, Summary Of A 1993 Republican Health Reform Plan.

Further, the individual mandate was 'at the heart of a strategy to limit "governmental rules and incentives to the extent necessary to achieve the objectives . . . [and] which would go on to be promoted by congressional Republicans, the Heritage Foundation, and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney before being adopted by Democrats and becoming a bete noire of conservatives." Read the Washington Post, An interview with Mark Pauly, father of the individual mandate.

"[T]there is no such thing as “inactivity” or non-participation in the health care market."

Furthermore, although Republi-cons refused to listen and were 'shocked' to hear, "Charles Fried, a Harvard law professor who served as Ronald Reagan's solicitor general, [finds] the mandate easily constitutional."

Unfortunately, "[w]e've got the Democratic Party, whose top priority is to try and solve our health-care problems and who've shown their commitment to that by moving steadily rightward over the last century in a bid to pick up Republican support for some sort of solution, and the Republican Party, whose top priority is that we shouldn't do whatever the Democrats are proposing and have proven their commitment to that by abandoning previously favored policy proposals as soon as the Democrats demonstrated any interest in adopting them."


UPDATE: Read "a tightly reasoned paper dissecting the flawed argument that the so-called 'individual mandate' is an unconstitutional regulation of 'inactivity'":

UP Law Review, Commerce Clause Challenges to Health Care Reform

The opinion in the Fl lawsuit:
Florida Court Order, Health Care Law Unconstitutional

But as others have noted, "the rulings have been surprisingly political." Read The New Republic, Shocker: A Court Decision Tinged with Politics, like a "a Tea Party Manifesto."

And the judge's order "ignores precedent." Read The Volokh Conspiracy, The Weak Link in Judge Vinson’s Opinion Striking Down the Mandate and ACS, In Today’s Health Care Ruling, a Whiff of Bush v. Gore and Fla. Health Care Decision Reads Crucial Clause out of Constitution.

To read some of the other recent court documents, click here.

BTW, this is not the Judge's first health care lawsuit decision. Read Veterans Today, U.S. Dist Judge Roger Vinson Ruled Against 1,000s of Veterans in Infamous Med Bene Case and Forbes, America’s Military Vets Know Judge Roger Vinson-And They Don’t Like Him.

Mission Impossible, Squirrel Edition

Your mission, Mr. Squirrel, get the nuts:


MISSION IMPOSSIBLE SQUIRREL - Watch more Funny Videos

BTW, this appears to be a ripoff of Squirrel on an Impossible Reggae Mission.

Just in Time for Super Bowl XLV

What every home should have:

Time to Call the Republi-CON Bluff on Health Care

UPDATE: An alternative to a comprehensive federal plan, let the states experiment. Read the Washington Post, Have Scott Brown and Ron Wyden figured out the way forward on health care?

"Fine. I'm willing to repeal Obamacare. On one condition.

Republicans need to pass a law that the Congressional Budget Office certifies will cover the same number of uninsured as the Democratic health reform does - 30 million. And it has to do it at lower cost."

Read the Washington Post, Yes, repeal health-care reform -- on one condition.

Didn't I suggest something like this last year?

Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

UPDATE: Tammy recommends: Ron Paul and Ralph Nader on corporatism.

Listen to the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- No political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- Just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

NoBullU will broadcast today from 4:05 to 6:00 p.m. at 1330 AM WEBY and on line.

Topics:

The NoBullU New Year's Resolution;


Follow-up to fact-free fantasies, response to the pimps of fear anger and hatred, don't be duped: more birther delusions, even the Congressional Research Service would agree that Obama is a "natural born citizen," (the Congressional Research Service is a part of the Library of Congress, providing professional, objective and non-partisan public policy research to members of Congress and their staffers. The writer of the memorandum is a qualified constitutional attorney who has summarized the historical and legal material with references, showing, by contrast, how shoddy the birther arguments are) (this memorandum explains why even Republi-CON Congressmen/women refuse to join the Birthers)

and slander by innuendo, one example -- Michelle Obama did not surrender her license to practice law, another example -- denying the theory of evolution;


Local and regional: More winin and dinin the fat cats, this time elected officials and county department heads, this time at a hunting camp in Santa Rosa County, maritime park lawsuit filed, what a mess, who did the due diligence check, where is a good investigative news report, remember days gone-by, watch this 1964 Pensacola tourism film;


National and international: I'm waiting, where's the balanced budget, time to call the Republi-CON bluff, first day, first broken promise -- no $100 billion budget cut, who controls end-of-life decisions?, Economic Mess for Non-Dummies, the government report, which confirms we were suckers by GS, the reason -- health care industry bottomline, time to call the Republi-CON bluff on health care, individual mandates, health care lawsuit score: US 2 - VA 1 and FL 1, a Facebook revolution?


Fun stuff: first Pluto, now Ophiuchus, why are they messin with the heavans, my what bright teeth you have!, Escapa

and

Donate to a good cause: help the friends of a former instructor at the Naval EOD school at Eglin Air Force Base, Gunnery Sgt. John Hayes, who was detachment company gunnery sergeant from June 2007 to June 2010 and taught several courses and was recently wounded in Afghanistan.

I'll discuss anything, but expect a no mercy take down if you are a party hack pandering to fear, anger and hatred, because the truth sure makes it hard out there for the party pimps.

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth and some ass kickin' discussion of politics and current events.

Escapa

The object of the game is to move the red block around without getting hit by the blue blocks or touching the black walls. Click and hold the red square. Now, move it so that you neither touch the walls nor get hit by any of the blue blocks.

If you make it to 18 seconds, you are doing brilliantly!

Give it a try but be careful...it is addictive

Up, Up and Away

Police Misconduct, False Confessions and Unethical Prosecutions

UPDATE II: Another fabricated confessions. Read CNN, Mentally challenged man freed 14 years after false confession.


UPDATE: Another case where "the prosecution had essentially framed [two men] for murder by knowingly procuring false testimony." Read Sports Illustrated, Terry Harrington spent 25 years in jail for crime he didn't commit.

Another great expose' of the criminal justice system, by PBS Frontline. Watch The Confessions, about the Norfolk Four.

Real Dogsledding

When it snows, go sledding:

SOTU

Politics today, this pretty much says it all:



Needs no additional comments.

Sub Today at NoBullU on WEBY

Usually on Thursdays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today, Morning Mike will sub. I'll be back next week to deprogram you.

Until then, watch the hilarious photo booth, guaranteed to make you laugh, especially the last one:

Hilarious Photo-Booth!
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

How to Find Mr./Ms. Happily Ever After

"[H]ow many dates do you have to go on to find 'the one'? And how do you know for sure that once you do meet Mr. or Ms. Right, a more attractive, more compatible prospect won’t pop up right around the corner?" Science can help. Read CNN, Dating with science on your side.

Who Controls End-of-Life Decisions?

The State or you? Read The New York Times, Unflinching End-of-Life Moments, which reviews an HBO documentary about assisted suicide, "How to Die in Oregon."

Myth of the Hero Gunslinger

UPDATE: What do others studies show? What other studies? "Researchers who study guns and violence say the influence of the group has all but choked off funds." Read The New York Times, N.R.A. Stymies Firearms Research, Scientists Say.

Your ignorance is the NRA's bliss.

"New studies, and perhaps the example of the Tucson shootings, suggest that a better-armed population actually makes us less safe." Read The New York Times, Myth of the Hero Gunslinger.

Health Care Lawsuit Score: US 2 - VA 1

UPDATE V: Trivia: The first U.S. law that included an individual mandate was the Militia Acts of 1792. What was the second?

Read Forbes, Congress Passes Socialized Medicine and Mandates Health Insurance -In 1798.


UPDATE IV: Add Iowa, Ohio, Kansas, Wyoming, Wisconsin and Maine to the lawsuit.


UPDATE III: Today it is US v. FL, SC, NE, TX, UT, LA, AL, MI, CO, PA, WA, ID, SD, IN, ND, MS, AZ, NV, GA, and AL. Read the Washington Post, Florida judge to rule on health-care challenge by states.


UPDATE II: "Twenty-four lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordability Act are working their way through federal courts around the country. The cases contest many aspects of the law beyond the one that has drawn the greatest attention: the requirement that most Americans carry health insurance starting in 2014. Most of the suits still are before district court judges, but a few already have been ruled on and are being appealed to federal circuit courts. Legal experts predict that one or more of these cases eventually will be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court." Track some of the cases at the Washington Post, Status of legal challenges to Obama health care overhaul.


UPDATE: It's all about the individual mandate. Read the Washington Post, Is the Hudson ruling good news for health reform?, Cutting off your policies to spite your opponents, and A world without an individual mandate.

And what U.S. law required the first individual mandate. Read the Militia Acts of 1792.

A federal judge in Virgina, with a long history in Republi-con politics, has ruled that "Congress went too far by requiring most Americans to obtain insurance, a key provision of the health care overhaul that passed muster in two prior court challenges." Read The New York Times, Health Care Law Ruled Unconstitutional.

To read the opinion, click here. To read some of the other recent court documents, click here.

A Guy Fairy Tale

From an email:

Once upon a time, a Prince asked a beautiful Princess... "Will you marry me?"

The Princess said "NO!"

And the Prince lived happily ever after and rode motorcycles, and went fishing and hunting and played golf, and dated women half his age and drank beer and scotch, and had tons of money in the bank and left the toilet seat up.

The End

My What Bright Teeth You Have!

"Teens could soon be wandering around with a new fashion accessory that adds glowing LED lights to their teeth." Read The New York Times, New Japanese Fashion: LED Lights for Your Teeth.

How is Your Technology?