On Politics
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) proclaims to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and then, instead of replacing it, just return to the way it was. Meanwhile, besides calling for the repeal, Gov. Romney continues say as little as possible what would replace ACA.
Let me get this straight. Gov. Romney says he agrees with the minority court opinion that says the penalty is a penalty, thus not a tax, but says that since the majority opinion declared it a tax, it must be a tax. In the words of Artie Johnson, “Very interesting.” Meanwhile, this editorial from the conservative Wall Street Journal takes Gov. Romney to task on his handling of the tax/penalty issue. There, I couldn’t resist this clip.
With the flow of big dollars going into the campaigns, how much insurance would that buy for the uninsured? Hmmm … my guess is enough to minimize government involvement!
Some pundits are using the current heat wave across much of the U.S. to promote global warming. Meanwhile, I shake my head, and will post soon to explain.
On Headlines from The Onion
- Congress Raises Livestock Minimum Wage
- Man Being Dragged from Bus Leaves Hilarious Phone Message
- Burger King Unveils New Trudge-Through Window
- Local Man Shot with Girly Pistol
- New Study Shows 85% of Americans Don’t Know All the Dance Moves to National Anthem
- String of Poorly Received Performances Force Sock Puppet to Return to Foot
Here’s a special treat from The Onion – click to hear a (short, about a minute) radio news report on Extra, “Extra Large Man Finds a T-Shirt”
Interesting Reads
A conservative columnist explains the Roberts decision
Columnist David Brooks about the Republicans health care plan
In pursuit of the presidential pantheon
A timely column about marches (the musical kind that I love)
An infographic regarding scientists, the public, and religion
Summer cocktails
The Medication Generation
DNA and a parrot’s ability to parrot
On Potpourri
Hope you had a chance to enjoy the weekday holiday. We went to the annual neighborhood gathering, a 20+ year tradition that actually comes with the house when it is sold. Yep, whenever new owner arrive, when I meet them I inform them that this is the Fourth of July house. I’m thinking that 4 of the 5 new owners have bought in what the original owners started.
The World Choir Games have started with Cincinnati being the first American city to host the event. About 15,000 singers from 64 countries will be in town over the next two weeks, and we hope to take in some of the events.
Just as doubt was creeping in, this week I roared at golf league.
A reminder to everyone: Check your Spam folder on your dashboard to see if comments by regular visitors are unexpectedly going there.
Sorry to say, no classic cartoon post this weekend.
Given the holiday, I’m in the mood for a good march. Have a safe weekend everyone. In the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.
A Frank Angle 
Onion winner is – “String of Poorly Received Performances Force Sock Puppet to Return to Foot”.
But I thought your first video was stupid – but interesting! 🙂
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Agreed – I just hope the sock puppet doesn’t turn to drink.
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Ginger,
Drunken sock puppet could be suicidal. Thanks for sharing your concern.
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Fasab,
Another cheer for the sock puppet! Meanwhile, you deserve this … http://tinyurl.com/2lmyu3 … thanks for visiting.
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If anyone in the Northern Hemisphere is thinking the planet is warming up, they only need to look at us where we had no summer to speak of (coldest on record) and that followed our coldest winter on record. We’re now having another unbelievably cold winter and we’d all like some global warming – it just doesn’t exist! xx
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Spiced,
I’ve always said, if somewhere is getting too much rain, somewhere else is getting too little. If one place is hotter than normal, another is colder than normal … and global warming is another matter all to itself. Thanks for stopping by.
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Well, I’m so happy for Ted. I wouldn’t like to see him without a T-shirt. 😉 I always check my spam folder, and there’s usually at least one friend hiding in there. That 4th of July house sounds like a great idea. Glad the new owners are good sports and play along. Happy weekend to you and yours. 😉
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Paradise,
Yep … I usually ask new owners if that factoid was in the closing paper. 😉 Ha ha … you listened to Onion Radio. 😉 🙂 … thanks for stopping by.
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I can’t resist a good infographic… I find it extremely interesting that the new generation of scientists are significantly more religious than their predecessors. This thought will remain in my pondering for a while to come.
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Twixt,
That is an interesting infographic. Interestingly, (but not on the infographic), I recall a study (actually the same study) done 40 or so year apart that should that scientist’s view of religion as relatively unchanged. But I admit, I can’t recall the source. Meanwhile, much also come from the perspective much of the public has about the two. Glad you found something interesting to ponder. Thanks for commenting.
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Frank,
I always recoil a bit in presentiment of any oncoming hot weather. I’m not so much recoiling from the heat as much as the silly global warming chatter that inevitably follows.
I, too, noticed Romney’s attitude toward the court ruling. I’ve not heard anyone talking about it (not that they haven’t been talking… I just haven’t been listening), but Romney’s words right after the ruling caused me to say to myself in the dialect of Professor Clouseau, “Veldry eeenteldresting”.
I arrived at this conclusion: Your words were spot on. Romney *agreed* with the minority. He then accepted the outcome. I don’t think that he changed positions (not that you came right out and accused him of doing so) on the issue at all; instead, he understood the finality of the court’s ruling, the position in which the ruling placed him, and what a whiny little b*%$h he would appear to be if he continued arguing about whether or not the penalty is a tax. Who cares what he thinks at this point… or what any of us think for that matter. The god’s have spoken; it’s a tax; Romney had to move on, and display a good attitude toward the court.
Of course, I’m guessing that Romney will repeatedly remind voters, in the upcoming months, that Obama swore that the penalty was not a tax.
And that’s fine for Romney to do so. He will look less dangerous accepting the court’s decision and pulling the rug from under Obama than he would if he questioned the court.
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Dink,
Not only do I recoil at global warming chatter during heat waves, I do the same when it is mocked during extreme cold. Regarding Romney and the tax/penalty thing, I think he’ playing the dangerous game of both sides of the fence. Oh well .. thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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I would love to see some of the World Choir Game performances…also, thanks for the heads up about checking my spam box!!
What would we do without you? 🙂
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Squishy,
We fought the heat and went to our first World Choir Games event yesterday. Fun … also talked to a person who attended an event last night (which he raved about). We will do a few more in the next week+. Stay tuned. Thanks for commenting.
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Dude, careful about those “girly” gun stories. Two Discovery Channel shows, “Sons Of Guns” and “American Guns”, both designed “girly guns” the former an AK-47, the latter a Colt 1911 (45-cal semi-auto) pistol. More than enough to ruin ANYBODY’s day! 😀
I’ll post this quick, before the hamsters tire in their wheel, and thus deprive my ISP of power to their wi-fi tower. Sigh. If they need never-fail power, they could’ve asked me. I have a pedal generator built to power a WW2 switchboard, which still works great! (Both, actually.) I’d be glad to find them a fit teen to pedal power their tower. (Not like MY lame old butt’s gonna do it! 😉 )
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John,
Great hearing from you and good to know the torrid weather hasn’t ruined your warped nature. Thanks for the girl gun info and for visiting. Feed those hamsters!
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A little late to the party (as I often am). Have to go wtih Trudge Through window. Yeah, that’s been me.
And I see you problem in the first paragraph, Frank. You were listening to the words they said.
You have to give the spin masters time to massage it into what they think you think they think it should mean. Dems do this too.
Some great articles, though i still think Krauthammer is a putz.
Have a great weekend
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Guapo,
Speaking of political spin, I know that’s the way politics on all sides work, then again, it’s amazing what one can notice by listening to the words. In terms of Krauthammer, I normally don’t read him – but for whatever reason, I read this one and it passed enough for me to list here. Hope you are having a good weekend. Stay cool and thanks for sharing.
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Those supporting the theory that global warming is occurring and is caused by man, point to the types of temperature extremes (hot and cold) described by your readers. I look forward to your upcoming post on the issue, especially concerning whether the U.S. should take a leadership role in finding an International solution.
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Tim,
I can say that my post is about what global warming isn’t …. and predictably, a bite out of many on each side. Thanks for commenting.
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Thanks for another excellent opinions.
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Otto,
🙂 … and thanks for stopping by.
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I have already seen articles linking this heat wave to global warming. I do not believe them. We just had a scorcher week here in Wisconsin that put us in the top 3, not the top spot. No the top spots go to 1936 and 1882 where appartently it even was hotter, creating dust bowls. Looks to me about every 70 years mother nature throws a curve for summer and bakes us, to keep us tough. I believe that God loves tough cookies, and one day I will tell Him the delight of soft oatmeal or molasses cookies. On climate change we should do all prudent things and leave as small a footprint as possible, but even our actions in the next ten years cannot undo 100 years. I have seen very little research about how to adapt. Nor have I seen any governments implementing policies to move people away from the coasts. Here in the US, Long Island, Florida, Louisiana like New Orleans, and parts of Texas are sunk. But in other places near India whole nations go under water if the sea rises 3 feet. I pray that it is either wrong, or some group of scientists comes up with a way for us to cope and adapt.
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Randel,
In my mind, there is a difference between climate and weather – therefore, one shouldn’t no use one to make the case for the other. Then again, a story in itself. Thanks for sharing the good thoughts.
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Running a bit late, Frank, but I had to get my Onion “fix” and articles to read. And I do love the old Artie Johnson Laugh-In takes! Here’s my winner: ”
Burger King Unveils New Trudge-Through Window”–perfect! Debra
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Debra,
The Artie Johnson clip seemed perfect for this case. Meanwhile, glad this post was able to deliver your fix. Thanks for commenting.
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Excellent question regarding the money being spent on the campaigns. The sock puppet headline from The Onion made me laugh out loud (which scared the cats who were napping).
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Love the Onion headline:
“New Study Shows 85% of Americans Don’t Know All the Dance Moves to National Anthem”
re the World Choir Games: are folks supposed to hear all of the 15,000 singers from 64 countries?
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Rosie,
Regarding the World Choir Games. I do know that choirs are not here for the entire competition, and that different categories exist. There can be an awards ceremony in the evening, then the champion choirs perform at a champions concert (paid ticket at a good venue). On a side note, at the awards ceremony the winning country’s anthem plays – but unlike the athletic Olympics – these competitors know the words.
Meanwhile, thanks for sharing your Onion fav and for commenting.
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girly pistol. also, i’m afraid that obamacare, being now declared a tax, was intentional in order to allow the senate to repeal it. it was the supreme court’s way of “wussing out.” but i’d be glad to be wrong. and i’m tired of romney’s constant arbitrary act of opposing whatever obama says but without an actual stance. if obama says he wants everyone to wear red on wednesdays, romney will oppose it. and if you ask him what he would do instead, he’ll say, “well i’ll look into that after i’m elected.”
why are we so stupid as to accept that?
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Rich,
You are not alone with your appreciation of the girly pistol.
Ah ha … I haven’t heard of this conspiracy theory regarding Obamacare and the Senate – although I do know that Senate Rules create an interesting twist.
In terms of Gov. Romney, his approach is interesting – never say anything, thus relying on the voters who don’t want the opposition. After all, “I can do better” seems to be his economic platform. Thanks for sharing.
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Some classic Onions there. I agree – governments spend so much money advertising they could almost solve the problems they’re persuading us we have.
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…or rather, persuading us they don’t need to fix.
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