A.M. Links: Obama's Farewell Speech Tonight, Confirmation Hearings Today for Jeff Sessions and John Kelly

• 

  White House / Flickr.com

  President Barack Obama will deliver his farewell address tonight in Chicago.

• Confirmation hearings begin today for Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general.
• Confirmation hearings begin today for John Kelly, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of Homeland Security.
• President-elect Donald Trump has picked his son-in-law Jared Kushner to be a senior White House advisor.
• "The Senate is poised to vote on a budget resolution later this week, the first in a two-step process of rolling back major parts of the Affordable Care Act. At the same time, GOP lawmakers are speaking out with force, concerned about the political backlash if the GOP is perceived as being reckless given that 20 million Americans have health coverage through Obamacare and there's no clear vision or firm timeline for an alternative."
• Clemson beat Alabama last night to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

President Barack Obama will deliver his farewell address tonight in Chicago.

And then shrink into silence?

[Juvenile Bluster]

If only we were that lucky.

FUCK (ALA)/(O) BAMA

[Crusty Juggler]

Boom. Boom.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Dave is way better at fist bumping than BHO.

[Libertarian]

+1 Out go the lights.

[Libertarian]

For the kids out there........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4XbV3gCm2Y

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

For the whipper snappers out there who don't want to be misled by fake news........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XagQ3owbBEM

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

It's been a while since we've seen him in the Mom Jeans. Once he "retires", maybe we'll get a lot more opportunities to critique his fashion choices.

[Crusty Juggler]

He will get to do more biking. More dork dad!

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Mom Jeans!

[Pope Jimbo]

I would almost have forgiven him for his other faults if he had just gone biking without wearing a helmet. Let the safety fucks freak out.

[RBS]

"Hey, Malia." "What Daddy?" "What's green and has wheels?" "Huh?" "Grass, I lied about the wheels."

[Drake]

Could he just fuck-off already?

[Crusty Juggler]

Boom.

[Swiss Servator]

Shriek will fap himself to death....I got $5 that says that will happen.

[Elspeth Flashman]

But not, actually, you know, to death.

[juris imprudent]

+1 petite morte

[Zero Sum Game]

It's possible. How fat do we suppose he might be? Too much excitement might induce a coronary.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Confirmation hearings begin today for Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general.

BLOODBATH!

[straffinrun]

Roll Tide.

[Swiss Servator]

Roll Red Tide?

[juris imprudent]

Tide rolled.

[Zero Sum Game]

I can't ever hear that phrase without thinking of the events of Die Welle (and the actual events which inspired the film).

[Mickey Rat]

Around the bowl and down the hole...

[Just a thought not a sermon]

274) I thought New Yorkers were cool around famous people? Like, when you can see DeNiro or Woody Allen or Jerry Seinfeld or whoever in the drycleaners or just walking down the street, who cares? So why all this adulation for some b-list loser ex-politician?

"There's a lot of really awesome famous and notable people here today," actress Patrice Covington said to the audience as part of the show's goodbye message.

If I attended a Broadway show and some actor on stage saw fit to break character to address somebody in the audience for some political bullshit, I would be at the box office demanding a refund.

[Ted S.]

It's fucking virtue signalling.

[WTF]

I would have just loudly booed Clinton when the idiots started cheering.

[thrakkorzog]

I was saying boo-urns.

[Tyler.C]

" BOOO! BOOO! Bow to her, the queen of filth, of putrescence, bow to her! BOOO!

[Swiss Servator]

As you wish.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Confirmation hearings begin today for John Kelly, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of Homeland Security.

ZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz huh what?

[Ted S.]

He should call for shutting down the whole department.

[Lord Humungus]

Farewell to a Decade of Media Drooling Over Barack Obama

As a candidate, the Associated Press celebrated Obama as "something special," while as President-elect, the Washington Post drooled over his "chiseled pectorals," on display during a vacation in Hawaii. As President, reporters touted his "prodigious talents," his "amazing legislative agenda," and his "huge achievements." And as an individual, journalists fawned over Obama, calling him "one of our brightest presidents," a "huge visionary," "the perfect American," "our national poet," and "the most noble man who has ever lived in the White House."

With the Democratic Party defeated, ObamaCare set for repeal, and incoming President Donald Trump poised to revoke a host of his executive orders, Obama's actual legacy will likely fall far short of what his media fan club once imagined. But one aspect of his place in history seems secure: Barack Obama has been the lucky recipient of more biased, positive "news" media coverage than any other President in history.

Here are some examples from the past decade, starting with a video montage of the audio and video quotes detailed below:

[Just a thought not a sermon]

"the Washington Post drooled over his "chiseled pectorals," on display during a vacation in Hawaii. "

Literally delusional.

[Rich]

To be fair, "his" means "Michelle's".

[WTF]

Not sure about her pecs, but she has traps like an NFL linebacker.

[Rhywun]

Those help with tearing off limbs.

[Zero Sum Game]

Wookiees are not subtle, but this joke about them was.

[Lee Genes]

"the most noble man who has ever lived in the White House."

You must be joking.

[WTF]

Washington, Jefferson, etc. all pikers compared the Lightbringer.

[WTF]

Not that they lived in the White House, but still.

[Ted S.]

Jefferson did. It was being built during the first Adams administration; Abigail hung laundry to dry in the East Room if memory serves.

[Monty Crisco]

You remember?!?! How old are you?!?!?

[WTF]

He was born in the Highlands of Scotland....

[Dick N. Bimbose (n?e Cooper)]

SLAVES.

Disqualified!

[Not a True MJG]

Well, slavers...

[DJF]

Just think, in a few days the Media will discover the homeless, budget deficits and multiple wars the US is fighting around the world

[WTF]

And the "anti-war" left will re-emerge with their giant papier mache heads.

[Suthenboy]

What a creepy little cult of personality. Jeebus, this pinko POS and his sycophants cant be gone fast enough.

[WTF]

They will never go away, he will break tradition and will constantly snipe and criticize and bloviate at the Trump administration, with the connivance of the media.

[Mantis Toboggan, Jr.]

Clemson beat Alabama last night to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The entire SEC hardest hit.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Best part, outside of the crowd shots panning on sad Alabama fans, were the Clemson fans chanting ACC! ACC! ACC!

[Domestic Dissident]

Was so awesome too that they won it with the illegal Brady-Belichick-Patriots pick play, the staple of the New England offense for the last eight years or so.

For the life of me I don't know why every team doesn't run this shit all the time if the refs aren't going to call it.

[Pope Jimbo]

Twice. They ran that play twice. The TD before was the same thing. The last TD was way more blatant though.

And you are absolutely right. If the refs don't call that, the defense has no chance.

[Crusty Juggler]

It's a timing play, too, so it takes more skill than to just set a pick.

[juris imprudent]

Hey the refs didn't call either early headshot that should've resulted in two Bama defenders being ejected.

[Pope Jimbo]

*sigh*

I root for Bama when they play Auburn, but other than that I really don't give a shit.

Sure, there were bad calls in that game. It just bugs me that they got away with the same play twice. First time, sure you might miss it.

I guess my dog in this fight is if you are going to let the offense get away with shit like this, you had better let the D get a lot more physical too.

Actually, I'd love it if they let things get way more physical all the time. Stop with the ticky-tacky holding/interference calls. Let the defender have some contact with receivers the entire time. I want to see more corners allowed to play like Lester Hayes back in the day.

[Cyto]

I thought there were a ton of no-calls for Bama's defense, all night. The way they called targeting the rest of the season, they could have ejected a half-dozen players. There were players ejected for hitting receivers in the shoulderpads with their shoulder all season. But in the final game they were really reticent to make that call. They were also very hesitant to call pass interference.

But the pick play that Clemson ran wasn't an illegal pick in either case. In both instances the outside receiver drove right into his man, taking him to the level of the other defender. The slot receiver ran a simple crossing out route underneath. In both cases the inside defender didn't get contacted by the offensive player, and failed to fight under the pick. He kinda stood there for a long beat before running behind the screening action. That was long enough to give up a completion.

The correct defense against this is either to go zone or play a banjo technique, passing off the receiver like a switch in basketball.

This play gets run all the time, and I'm usually railing at the officials because the receiver runs out and simply blocks the other DB in an obviously illegal pick. But this case was the rare bird, a legal screen play that worked to perfection.... twice.

[John]

You cannot have a dominant defense in college without going old school and having a run oriented time of possession eating offense. The clock stops in college every time there is a first down. This significantly lengthens the game. Clemson was able to run 99 plays last night. No defense, not even one of the quality of Alabama's is going to stand up to defending 99 plays. The Alabama defense and particularly the Alabama pass rush got tired and that allowed Clemson's skill players to go to work.

[Cyto]

Yeah, I couldn't believe that stat. 99 plays is a crazy number. They weren't even running tempo. I've seen other tempo offenses hurry up the whole game and still only get in 80 plays or so. That was an amazing football game, for a variety of reasons.

[Bubba Jones]

Play Zone.

[Emmerson Biggins]

I thought the first one was way worse. The last one was the CB holding the receiver just as much as it was the receiver blocking down field.

[R C Dean]

Honestly, if its run well, and Clemson ran it well (at least the first time), the player setting the "pick" is in position to catch the ball at the critical moment. I don't see how you call it when its done right.

[Bubba Jones]

I think I have also seen this defensed by simply flattening the receivers near the line.

[Lord Humungus]

Flaming load of muffins closes South Shore highway

A truckload of muffins may have damaged an overpass on Montreal's South Shore.

The fire began around 3 a.m. Monday when a truck hit a guardrail near the intersection of Highway 30 and route 930.

The driver came to a stop, unharmed, and the truck was somehow detached from the trailer.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and put out the flames, but the heat may have damaged some of the concrete or steel supporting the Route 930 overpass.

Engineers from Transport Quebec will have to inspect the structure to ensure its safety.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

Are muffins flammable or inflammable?

[Swiss Servator]

Onfireable

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Top of the Muffin to You!

[BearOdinson]

No, it's not Top of the Muffin to YOU!!

[Necron 99]

Just don't try to pawn your muffin stumps off on the homeless.

[Slammer]

Flaming Load of Muffins- Live '17

Smoke on the South Shore, Fire in the Sky

[The Fusionist]

I saw the Flaming Load of Muffins during their last tour, they were great.

[EDG reppin LBC]

Formed in the Fall of 1985 in Muncie, Indiana the Flaming Load of Muffins quickly became a crowd favorite at local underground (literally) bar The Un-Bar. Formed in a Ball State University dorm room by roommates Eric DeShannon (bass) and LambChop (drums), the rhythm duo recruited guitarist/vocalist Chris Osgood to complete the lineup. Osgood had an albums worth of songs already written, and the trio quickly began to play locally in Muncie, and regionally in the Midwest developing a small but enthusiastic following. The jangly guitars and scruffy vocals drew comparisons to other Midwest icons The Replacements. The Muffins recorded a six song Ep with Paul Mahern (Zero Boys) in Summer of 1986 and continued to tour the Midwest. the Ep "Diaper Days" showcased the band's musicality and especially Osgood's songwriting. The track "Average Bear" became a hit on college radio, thanks to a strong performance at the CMJ in Fall 1986. The band continued to play through the '80's, opening for acts such as Guided By Voices, Datura Seeds, and Lemonheads. The band officially broke up in 1990.

[Libertarian]

Dammit. After reading that I miss them more than ever.

[Lord Humungus]

I don't know - things went downhill after the guitarist left to pursue that solo career of monk chants.

[Colonel Slanders]

Flaming Load of Muffins - Are they anything like the late, great and lamented Flaming Bag of Scat?

[Rich]

Flaming load of muffins

[Dick N. Bimbose (n?e Cooper)]

South Shore Highway, We are FLAMING LOAD OF MUFFINS and we are here to rock you!

[Fist of Etiquette]

President-elect Donald Trump has picked his son-in-law Jared Kushner to be a senior White House advisor.

Trump is America's president-in-law.

[Swiss Servator]

*slow clap*

[Lord Humungus]

The mysterious case of the Oklahoma Bigfoot

One of the most noticeable traits I have noticed over the years concerning the cryptid critters we call Bigfoot is their individuality, which in my opinion shows that they are not that far removed from us in the family tree. Some of them are almost cowardly acting, in spite of their powerful physique and tremendous strength, while others go to the opposite extreme of putting on an aggressive, threatening display that can be downright terrifying to the witness. Somewhere between these extremes are the Sasquatch that act like they are surprised by, and quite curious about, this virtually hairless critter they find themselves confronted with.

It was a Bigfoot falling into this last category that Brenda ? a pseudonym ? encountered when she stepped out of her rural Delaware County, Oklahoma, home on the Monday afternoon of Dec. 26, 2016.

[Slammer]

STEVE SMITH LOVIE OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE

[Swiss Servator]

Some of them are almost cowardly acting, in spite of their powerful physique and tremendous strength, while others go to the opposite extreme of putting on an aggressive, threatening display that can be downright terrifying to the witness.

STEVE SMITH SOMETIMES IN DIFFERENT MOODS WHEN RAPING OKLAHOMANS.

[WTF]

If these things actually existed, someone would have decent video footage by now.

[Gadfly]

I think the bigfoot idea, if it was not invented out of whole cloth, come from sightings of upright bears, such as this guy. If you saw that from a distance, especially at low light or while fatigued/drunk, you may legitimately think you've seen a monster.

[commodious just wasting time]

But all of theme are highly photophobic.

[thrakkorzog]

"The problem is that big foot is just naturally blurry. It's not the photographer's fault. There's just a big blurry monster wandering around out there, and that's what scares me."

[Lachowsky]

+1 mitch hepburg

[Rich]

The presidential farewell address became a fixture in the 20th century ... American homes.

You know what else is a fixture in 20th century American homes?

[UnCivilServant]

Indoor plumbing?

[Lee Genes]

Infinitely more valuable

[Just a thought not a sermon]

Umm...microwaves? VCRs? Cocaine?

[straffinrun]

The Clapper?

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

The garbage disposal?

[The Fusionist]

A Volkswagen, ja?

[Fist of Etiquette]

The bunker.

[Princess Trigger]

Underwear?

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Flapper dresses?

[Elspeth Flashman]

The stereo console?

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Victrolas?

[juris imprudent]

Jeez people, the remote - so you can flip his Highness off and watch something you care about - like the adventures of homesteaders in Alaska.

[bacon-magic]

Light fixture?

[Dick N. Bimbose (n?e Cooper)]

Kegerator?

Oh, that's just mine?

Okay.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Clemson beat Alabama last night to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.

After whittling down from a bracket starting with 64 teams...

[Swiss Servator]

*narrows field*

[Mr Drew]

Oh nicely done, Swiss.

[Lord Humungus]

Meanwhile in Australia:

Reptile catchers remove venomous snake from little girl's night light

Tony Harrison posted a video to YouTube showing the 1 a.m. call he and Brooke Smith took last week at a Beechment home where a family found a brown tree snake dangling from the night light over their young daughter's bed.

"This brown tree snake was in a night light above a little girls pillow at 1 am..... a little disturbing," Harrison wrote in the video's description.

Smith jokes in the video that the snake is a "funny-looking extension cord."

Smith knocks the snake out of the light's shade and picks it up off the ground before placing it carefully in a sack.

[The Fusionist]

CSI (Crikey, Snakes! Investigators), Australia

[Libertarian]

"Smith knocks the snake out of the light's shade and picks it up off the ground before placing it carefully in a sack."

Personally, I would have slammed the door shut just after throwing about 2 or 27 flash bang grenades into the room. If I had the presence of mind to get the daughter out first, all the better.

[Lee Genes]

You're on a SWAT Team?

[Lee Genes]

Cognitive dissonance, how the fuck does it work?

10 Ways Well-Meaning White Teachers Bring Racism Into Our Schools

1. Lowering or Raising Achievement Expectations Based on Race/Ethnicity

2. Being 'Race Neutral' Rather than Culturally Responsive

The rest is just as stupid.

[Rich]

Being 'Race Neutral' Rather than Culturally Responsive

I blame MLK!

[Ted S.]

"Culturally Responsive" is cultural appropriation.

SJWs are fucking totalitarians.

[juris imprudent]

Totalidiotarians

[straffinrun]

Race Neutral and Culturally Responsive are alignments? I can see Race Neutral, but doesn't Chaotic Dipshit cover Culturally responsive?

[Juvenile Bluster]

For a normal site, that's moronic.

For Everyday Feminism, it's somehow less moronic than what they usually post.

[Lee Genes]

I find it illustrative of the catch-22 that identity politics creates. There is no solution other than submitting to your "intellectual" betters that traffic in sophistry and arrogance.

[WTF]

Too stupid to realize 1. and 2. contradict each other.

[PBR Streetgang]

^^^ THIS.
Seriously, WTH?

[WTF]

Lee Genes|1.10.17 @ 9:25AM has the answer.

[Bubba Jones]

To be fair, I think they mean that teachers should spend more effort on the disadvantaged so that they can achieve the same milestones as everyone else.

Of course, these same people get pissed when rich kids aren't left in classes where they don't get full attention.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...GOP lawmakers are speaking out with force, concerned about the political backlash if the GOP is perceived as being reckless given that 20 million Americans have health coverage through Obamacare and there's no clear vision or firm timeline for an alternative.

But rushing headlong and single-handedly into comprehensive overhaul of the nation's health insurance structure worked out so well for the Democrats.

[Mr Drew]

I'm not sure what the frenzy is all about.

Rand Paul said on Twitter that trump called him to say he liked Rand's idea of a replacement.

If I understand it correctly, Rand's idea boils down to, deregulate and let the free market take over.

The real idiocy and barrier is this idea that you can't sell health insurance across state lines.

Am I missing something? Besides prog chicken little spasms of course...

[Fist of Etiquette]

It's either lawmakers afraid of looking weak on repeal before the next election cycle or, more likely, the other side of the aisle trying to gin up panic after some in their ranks showed weakness on Obamacare.

[Dick N. Bimbose (n?e Cooper)]

Well, Republicans are pussies, so ...

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

The real idiocy and barrier is this idea that you can't sell health insurance across state lines.

This. Look how cheap car insurance is. I can buy it from almost anywhere. WTF can't I buy medical insurance from, like, a company in South Carolina or North Dakota? Why do I have to go with what my employer provides, and why can't my employer pick from more than just local providers?

[Evan from Evansville]

This is as close as I can come to the top! Long time no comment.

I'm back in Korea after spending 2 years in Singapore doing my "teach abroad and travel and avoid having actual responsibilities as much as possible" thing.

Had to have my medical check today and I'm fucking terrified of everything that possibly could come out of it. I'm just gonna hope they don't deport me.

Good to be back, both to Korea and H&R! I've never stopped lurking.

Howdy, all. (Yes this post contains nothing of substance. Deal.)

[Rich]

Welcome back!

[Just a thought not a sermon]

"Had to have my medical check today and I'm fucking terrified of everything that possibly could come out of it."

I'm pretty sure Singapore offers shots for syphilis now, you should look into that.

[Evan from Evansville]

I only had sex with a *few* prostitutes in my journey across SE Asia. Hopefully enough to grant me some sort of hooker herd immunity.

[Rich]

hooker herd immunity

Nice album name.

[Mantis Toboggan, Jr.]

Hey, EfE!

You won't get deported. However, if you had waited 10 more days to come back, then probably. You'd have been deported and then locked out forever thanks to the beautiful, classy wall.

[Crusty Juggler]

Don't worry - someday there will be a cure for resistant-strain gonorrhea.

*fingers crossed for Evan*

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Welcome back!

[Evan from Evansville]

I was in the States for about 3 months, smoking not too much but getting stoned probably 6/7 nights. I've had two weeks of to burn that off. Hopefully that's enough. Although there are rumors that they don't test for THC anymore but it's very vague.

I also drink like an absolute fish and they are going to freak out by whatever insane numbers my liver produces. And I'm on a shitload of steroids to deal with a long-term eczema flare-up that's lasted ever since I got to Singapore. I'm going to blame all my meds on any problem that I have.

Plus side: My new gig is pretty chill. I also live 2 minutes walking distance from work as opposed to the fucking hour fifteen minute commute I had in Singapore each way. Cool to be back in the scene and have people my own age around me for the first time in 4 months.

Negative side: I'm the only foreign teacher at my job, surrounded by 7 women. I'm sexually attracted to the head teacher. I'm sure I'll go insane at some point in time.

Next up: Start what will be my 7th band in Korea. Get paid get laid.

[Pope Jimbo]

Make sure to visit the soju tents frequently. That should stave off the insanity. No matter how crazy you are, you'll be normal in a tent full of soju crazed Koreans.

[Ted S.]

Singapore is big enough that it can take 75 minutes to get from one part of it to another?

[UnCivilServant]

There are NO ROADZ!!!111!!!eleven!!

[Evan from Evansville]

It's like 80x60 miles. I lived in the central part. A bus, a subway and another bus to the far west end was a good 75 minutes. I think a few times I managed to get back home in under an hour but that was very rare. Which fucking sucked cuz I worked second shift Wed-Friday teaching only 4.5 hours a day getting home at 10:15PM or so, but then I had to wake up at 6:45am on Sat/Sun to get to work by 9, where I had to teach for 8.5 hours a day, pretty much straight.
Woke up in the dark (daylight was 7am-7pm every day...all year) and got home with maybe 15 minutes of light to spare. Sucked.

Worst was rent of $3400 a month (though my now ex and I lived in a dope 3 bedroom apt in a very cool neighborhood.

Get this shit. A fucking pint ANYWHERE in the city at a bar was going to set you back $15 bucks and a simple G&T was about $17. Aaaaaah, Korea! Three buck beers everywhere and a bottle of soju for $1. Jesse.in.mb lived in...Daegu(?) I think. Oh, god how dangerous this country is for people with as wet an appetite as I have.

Korea is the undisputed pinnacle intersection of living abroad when it comes to cheap cost-of-living and the amount of money you make. Only been back for two weeks and am very excited to actually be able to save money again without even having to think about budgeting.

And dear christ the legs these women possess. It should be their chief export. "She had the kind of legs you wanted to suck on for a day." I'm falling in love with every girl I see here.

[Evan from Evansville]

It's like 80x60 miles. I lived in the central part. A bus, a subway and another bus to the far west end was a good 75 minutes. I think a few times I managed to get back home in under an hour but that was very rare. Which fucking sucked cuz I worked second shift Wed-Friday teaching only 4.5 hours a day getting home at 10:15PM or so, but then I had to wake up at 6:45am on Sat/Sun to get to work by 9, where I had to teach for 8.5 hours a day, pretty much straight.
Woke up in the dark (daylight was 7am-7pm every day...all year) and got home with maybe 15 minutes of light to spare. Sucked.

Worst was rent of $3400 a month (though my now ex and I lived in a dope 3 bedroom apt in a very cool neighborhood.

Get this shit. A fucking pint ANYWHERE in the city at a bar was going to set you back $15 bucks and a simple G&T was about $17. Aaaaaah, Korea! Three buck beers everywhere and a bottle of soju for $1. Jesse.in.mb lived in...Daegu(?) I think. Oh, god how dangerous this country is for people with as wet an appetite as I have.

Korea is the undisputed pinnacle intersection of living abroad when it comes to cheap cost-of-living and the amount of money you make. Only been back for two weeks and am very excited to actually be able to save money again without even having to think about budgeting.

And dear christ the legs these women possess. It should be their chief export. "She had the kind of legs you wanted to suck on for a day." I'm falling in love with every girl I see here.

[Evan from Evansville]

And the squirrels got to me! I feel so loved!

[straffinrun]

Squirrel that money away, EfE.

[R C Dean]

Get paid get laid.

Sounds like you've already got a name for the new band.

[Gadfly]

That sounds more like a song title than the name of a band. I could see it charting with a catchy tune.

[Krabappel]

Hello!

As someone whose family is also from Evansville, I can understand your need to flee the United States. ;p

[Evan from Evansville]

"Bart's teacher is named Krabappel?....I've been calling her Krandle!"

[Fist of Etiquette]

This is as close as I can come to the top!

With an attitude like that, it is.

[Evan from Evansville]

Don't you tell me how I come.

I'm like a fucking Confederate sniper with a Kentucky rifle. Aim small, miss small, bitch.

[Not a True MJG]

Welcome back and good fortune on all your future endeavors.

You know what I'm talkin' 'bout.

[Evan from Evansville]

...These euphemisms are getting increasingly more concrete....

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

FAA approval - check
Explosion (aka "anomaly") investigation complete - check
Weather - check

Looks like SpaceX will finally return to flight on Saturday. Woot!

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

I can't believe I'm the only nerd excited about this!!

[Cyto]

Not remotely. I have spaceflightnow.com on my startup group. I couldn't believe it took the feds so long to sign off on this.

I'm mostly just jonesing for the falcon heavy to fly. They've been teasing us for a couple of years now. I'll be reserving a seat at the cape for that one. The kids (and their dad) would definitely love to see two booster cores landing back at the launch pad... simultaneously. That's going to be quite a show.

[Mr Drew]

Don't worry, sister, I feel ya.

The rest of the dorks here think space x shuttered after the season finale of South park

[thrakkorzog]

Well who else is going to take Tom Cruise up to see Wilzyx?

[Swiss Servator]

No, you are not!

[DOOMco]

Yes!!

[Lord Humungus]

Georgetown Professor Calls For Whites To Have An I.R.A. ? 'Individual Reparations Account'

I agree with reparations, but maybe this is my white privilege speaking: I can't imagine actually doing that.

That is what I meant by an I.R.A.: an individual reparations account. You ain't got to ask the government, you don't have to ask your local politician ? this is what you, an individual, conscientious, "woke" citizen can do.

But charity can't be the end of it, right? The Koch brothers gave the United Negro College Fund $25 million, but I doubt you would consider them "woke."

No. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that charity is a poor substitute for justice. But I ain't turning $25 million down.

[Drake]

I'd rather pay an Irish thug to administer beat-downs to anyone using "white-privilege" seriously.

[Free Society]

I'd rather pay an Irish thug to administer beat-downs to anyone using "white-privilege" seriously.

That would make blacks over-represented on the receiving end of those beat downs. So regardless of the racial neutrality of your initial criteria, that policy would be racist. Because racism is the only acceptable way to explain any differences in outcome between different groups.

[Mr Drew]

"I'd rather pay an Irish thug"

You rang, sir?

[UnCivilServant]

So all of these socjus bastards and communists assailing my rights will pay me reparations?

Oh, it's just trying to steal more money from me.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

I've done my genealogy back to the mid-1700's. Not a single one of my ancestors owned slaves, and the ones that fought in the Civil War were all Union. So, fuck that noise.

[Lee Genes]

But white, correct? You're gettin' all that privilege whether you realize it or not. Gotta pay it back.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

I'm one of the whitest people on the face of the Earth, according to my Ancestry DNA test.

[commodious just wasting time]

Not even a single Cherokee princess?

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Not even a single Jewish princess. Not even a single Eye-talian princess. Like, white white.

[Clich? Bandit]

Copper this Saturday...It will be gorgeous.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

OMG dude - was watching the snow stake cam last night. PUKING & NUKING!

[Lord Humungus]

and my ancestors didn't come over to the US until after 1900ish. They were mostly poor Dutch farmers looking for a better life.

My mom's side has ancestors that can be traced back to the 16th century - apparently merchants - again Dutch.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

You people need to get woke. This is how I've had it explained to me: It doesn't matter if your ancestors owned slaves or not, you still benefit now as white crackers because SLAVES BUILT THIS COUNTRY.

[Lee Genes]

OK, so doesn't the current generation of blacks benefit from that as well?

[Crusty Juggler]

Not nearly as much as you do, whitey.

[Lee Genes]

It's true! If it weren't for slaves, my ancestors would have been worse off than the poor hillbilly coal miners they were!

[Crusty Juggler]

And only the whites has those well-paying coal miner jobs, didn't they?

[Lee Genes]

Spend a day in the coal mines and nobody could tell anyway.

[Crusty Juggler]

Wow, your racism didn't take long to emerge, eh racist?

YOU CAN'T WIN, LEE.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Slaves built my 1967 condo?

[Free Society]

you still benefit now as white crackers because SLAVES BUILT THIS COUNTRY.

That explains why sub-saharan Africa is such a great place to live. Because slaves from that region are the most ingenious builders of civilization the world has ever seen. I mean, they built the United States into what it is today.

[Tyler.C]

We took their best and brightest!!;!;

[WTF]

You could actually make the argument that the people who had their ancestors sent to the US as slaves are better off than they would be if their ancestors had remained in Africa. I mean where would you rather live today? Africa or the US?
Maybe African Americans should pay reparations to white people for making sure they didn't have to live in Africa.

[Free Society]

Look at the GDP per capita disparity between blacks here and there. It's vastly disparate. That should say it all and put this reparations nonsense in a grave.

[Swiss Servator]

From my family - The first poor SOB from Frisia that got off the boat here went straight into a Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment for the last 8 months of the Civil War. No wonder nobody else came over for another 20 years...

[Free Society]

Sounds like he picked the wrong time to immigrate.

[Tyler.C]

Hell my family owned slaves, and fought for the Confederates. I don't give a duck.

[Lord Humungus]

Racist!!!! By Default!

You must atone for your forefather's sins.

[Tyler.C]

Does calmly running out about my white privilege count towards that atonement?

[straffinrun]

Fuck it. Hit them straight with that.

[Free Society]

Hell, I've got more Western European genetic markers than most Western Europeans alive today and yet my ancestor was aboard the Mayflower and was an indentured servant as a result of manslaughter charges. He was brought to this continent against his will long before any Africans were. I want reparations.

[jack sprat]

Similar for me going back to late 1700's. Except I think some of my Irish ancestors probably did some debt indenture work so i'm thinking if they are handing out reparations they should be paying me too.
*of course I know all reparation stuff is bullshit

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

I've always been curious to here their explanation for how much the Russian immigrant who came here in the 90s owes African-Americans.

[UnCivilServant]

You're paler than a paper bag, pay up.

[PBR Streetgang]

"You ain't got to ask the government, you don't have to ask your local politician ? this is what you, an individual, conscientious, "woke" citizen can do."

Good for Dyson! He's tell the "woke" brigade to put their money where their mouths are. He knows they are just signalling and he's calling them out.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Also, I'm taking my neighbor skiing and paying for her lesson and condo rental for the week. So, we're square.

[EDG reppin LBC]

Go on...

[R C Dean]

So, we're square.

Doesn't sound like it to me. Needz moar detail.

[Michael]

I've gotten into a few debates with prog dipshits that champion the concept of reparations. It's fun to tell them that I'm second-generation Polish and that they should look into the etymology of the word "slave".

[Libertarian]

I'm most impressed that you can become a Georgetown professor while sprinkling your sentences with "ain't."

[Rhywun]

So not woke.

I remember the last time this call for "reparations" crap was peaking - and if it takes another 9/11 to shut it up, well I'm game.

[LoneWaco]

hey whaddya know, the facebook four just paid off my collective guilt debt.

[Mike Laursen]

Instead of paying reparations, can't we just hand out a bunch of casino licenses like we did with the Indians. Look how it's brought prosperity to the reservations.

[Volren]

Sometimes I'm floored by how similar to organized religion proggies get. Original Sin, wow.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

Interesting...interesting...ok, we'll talk about individual reparations. Of course, since we're bringing ancestors into the mix, let's talk about my ancestors. There's Dr. David Livingstone, who in addition to being a famous explorer was also an outspoken abolitionist and opponent of African colonization. On the paternal side my ancestors owned the shit out of some slaves, it's true, but on the flip side one was the colonial governor of Pennsylvania, which should account for something. In more immediate terms, by maintaining a respectable and visible arsenal as well as owning two large, loud dogs, I provide an enhanced security environment for my urban, racially-diverse neighborhood. I believe, in the net, I'm owed a suitable amount of remuneration.

[Lord Humungus]

Meanwhile in Canada:

Man in Angry Birds costume attacks, punches passerby on Queen Street West

The man said he made some sort of comment about the costume which prompted the man in the costume to attack the 24-year-old tourist and throw him to the ground.

Police allege the man in the Angry Birds costume repeatedly punched and kicked the victim while he was on the ground, causing him serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Toronto Police Const. Jenifferjit Sidhu said Monday the victim is still recovering from his injuries in the U.S. and will likely remain in recovery for some time.

Investigators were initially hopeful that surveillance camera footage from the area would lead them to a suspect but said they have yet to identify anyone.

[Ted S.]

Jenifferjit [sic] is a he?

[Pope Jimbo]

Did you hear that Canada is trying to hack our electrical system!!!!!!!

Rufus has some 'splainin to do.

[Ted S.]

Didn't they cause the great blackout of 2005?

[Lord Humungus]

Man accused of masturbating in public tells officer his penis was itchy, authorities say

The woman told officers that she saw the incident from her second-floor balcony and went down to confront the suspect, who was identified by police as Alexey Zubkov, 27, but he drove away and returned a short time later.

The responding officer said he confronted Zubkov and asked him if he knew why he was there.

According to the report, Zubkov replied, "Yes. The lady says she saw me jerking off."

Police said Zubkov asked the officer if he could explain himself, and claimed that he has a "very bad itch on his penis and wanted to get a good scratch," so he pulled down his pants to relieve his itch.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

A modern day Diogenes.

[Ted S.]

Warty hardest hit.

[Elspeth Flashman]

He's done half the work for his defense attorney here. Nice, uh, job!

[Pope Jimbo]

I wonder if he caught something from a 9 year old girl?

[Lord Humungus]

Yes We Can: People Share Their Most Memorable Moments from the Obama Presidency

Cult or ?

[straffinrun]

Not ever setting foot in Obama's America was my MMM.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

I hope some of those are from Yemenis or Syrians or Libyans with their best memories of the Obama presidency.

[Mike Laursen]

I think I will always remember the photos of Middle Eastern children with the tops of their heads blown off by drone strikes. Does that count as a MMM?

[Brochetta's magic (((pants)))]

That Vietnamese broad was pretty hot.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

Mad as a march hare, sure, but everybody knows there's no ass like crazy ass.

[Crusty Juggler]

U2 take 'operatic' Joshua Tree album on tour 30 years on

Irish rockers U2 said on Monday they would mark the 30th anniversary of their hit album "The Joshua Tree" by playing it in full on a European and North American tour.

[Lee Genes]

In other words, they have nothing new that's worth a damn.

[Drake]

You think Metallica will be selling out concerts this year so people can hear their latest album?

[Certified Public Asshat]

I guess this is controversial (?) but I liked the new album.

[Drake]

I heard the one song they played on the radio and hated it.

[Crusty Juggler]

They are going to give those concerts with or without you, Lee. With or without you.

[Lee Genes]

*awaits Swiss*

[Swiss Servator]

*narrows gaze*

[Ted S.]

They have nothing old that's worth a damn, either.

[Libertarian]

You still haven't found what you're looking for?

[Swiss Servator]

*narrows gaze*

[(((Renegade)))]

In other words, they have nothing new that's worth a damn.

There. That's better.

[Ted S.]

Shitty album, and now they're making an opera of it?

[Mike Laursen]

Fun fact I learned while visiting Joshua Tree National Park at Christmastime: the cover of the Joshua Tree album was taken somewhere near Death Valley, not JTNP.

[Lord Humungus]

Democrats want 9/11-style special commission to probe Russia

Democratic members of the U.S. Congress called on Monday for the creation of an independent commission to investigate Russia's attempts to intervene in the 2016 election, similar to the Sept. 11 panel that probed the 2001 attacks on the United States.

Their "Protecting our Democracy Act" would create a 12-member, bipartisan independent panel to interview witnesses, obtain documents, issue subpoenas and receive public testimony to examine attempts by Moscow and any other entities to influence the election.

The panel members would not be members of Congress.

The legislation is one of many calls by lawmakers to look into Russian involvement in the contest, in which Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in the White House race, confounding opinion polls. Republicans also kept control of the Senate and House of Representatives by larger-than-expected margins.

[Juvenile Bluster]

I'll accept this if we stop interfering in every other country's elections. Deal, Congress?

[Drake]

I'll accept if they drag Password Podesta in and embarrass him for days on his email security and content. Then move on to subpoenaing the Clinton server and spending weeks humiliating her for exposing State Department secrets on an unsecured server.

[Crusty Juggler]

Do you know who else wanted to probe Russia?

[Just a thought not a sermon]

The Tunguska meteor?

[Lord Humungus]

Napoleon's scouts?

[Elspeth Flashman]

The Finns?

[EDG reppin LBC]

Here's a Finnish probe I can appreciate. https://youtu.be/OXesXgSWUuM

[Drake]

The Golden Horde

[straffinrun]

Ford?

[PBR Streetgang]

James Bond?

[WTF]

Genghis Khan?

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Ragnar Lothbrok?

[BearOdinson]

Because allegedly hacking and publishing emails that show the DNC is as corrupt an organization that has ever existed, and that no one is arguing weren't real, is the same as murdering 3000 US citizens.

[Princess Trigger]

Well, they did lose the election for God-King. That's pretty devastating.

[R C Dean]

So, its reds under every bed, again?

[Volren]

I am all for this if they attempt to subpoena Putin.

"Today, testifying through webcam from Moscow, Vladimir Putin answers questions from the bipartisan review panel for Russian hacking..."

[Lord Humungus]

Libya Ramps Up Oil Production, Threatening OPEC Plans

Libya's crude-oil production has more than tripled in the past six months, imposing an obstacle to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' plans to raise petroleum prices by collectively lowering output.

Oil prices have surged 19% to more than $55 a barrel since OPEC's Nov. 30 deal to throttle down its output by about 4%, but the surge in Libyan production challenges a bet the cartel made against the North African country.

[WTF]

Increased US fracking will also hold down the price. OPEC's power is very limited these days.

[mr simple]

Incentives, how do they work?

[Lee Genes]

YEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean (D) on Sunday called on progressives to help cripple Breitbart News' business model with an aggressive and shrewd campaign of boycotting advertisers.

[Rufus The Monocled]

I don't know how or when or ever but I do wish these things backfire and explode in their faces one day in spectacular fashion.

Assholes.

[WTF]

Because trying to destroy anything and anyone that disagrees with your political opinion is the epitome of tolerance.
Assholes, this is how you get Trump.

[Rich]

Sneaky asteroid spotted whizzing between Earth and moon

A *sneaky-ass* asteroid, even!

[commodious just wasting time]

Sex offender asteroids now?

[Certified Public Asshat]

We Need To Tax The Rich But Instead We'll Do The Opposite

Economic inequality in America has been rising steadily since the Reagan era. Why? A new research paper identifies what it say is the main culprit: the fact that we've stopped taxing the rich.

There are, of course, many contributing factors to the post-Reagan Age of Inequality that has finally grown so dire that it is warping our electoral politics past recognition: the decline in union bargaining power, the influence of money on politics, the deregulation of the financial industries, fortunes spawned by new technologies, and more. But a new National Bureau of Economic Research paper, by economists from Yale and from Stockholm University, says that the most important factor of all has been the decline of progressive income taxes.

[Juvenile Bluster]

WHY THE FUCK IS THAT ON DEADSPIN YOU TOOL MAGARY

[Brochetta's magic (((pants)))]

I don't recall anyone bitching about income inequality until economic growth came to a halt under our Regulator in Chief.

[Ted S.]

If they want to stop taxing the poor, repeal Obamacare and the individual mandate.

[Rhywun]

And lower extortionist sin taxes while they're at it.

[Tornado35235gsg35423ttg3gt3g3g]

The rich fund the government....what is this talk about not taxing them anymore

[Tornado35235gsg35423ttg3gt3g3g]

The top rate has gone from 28% with Reagan to 40% now. What financial deregulation are they talking about?

I think the 1% has 20% of income but yet pays 38% of the total bill. The only group where there is such a disparity. They pay the highest effective rates.

[Tyler.C]

Actually I think it's more like 80% of the Bill. David Angelo did a bit on this a while back.

[Drake]

I think they are talking about taxing assets not income. Who can be sure what stupid shit they mean?

[Not a True MJG]

the fact that we've stopped taxing the rich.

the most important factor of all has been the decline of progressive income taxes.

Indeed, there's a lot of mixed messages here.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

The entire concept of income inequality is based on warped zero-sum economic thinking. It's a great way to identify people not to be taken seriously.

[Trigger Warning]

How can the rich fund the government if the governent creates all the money, you capitalist pig?!

/progderp

[Certified Public Asshat]

It's hard to really follow the comments (and article in general) because they don't know the difference between wealth and income. But they all seem to agree capital gains rates are too low.

So in order to solve wealth inequality, we're going to discourage people with assets from selling those assets with high tax rates. They will still have wealth and no capital gains to pay tax on, brilliant.

[Libertarian]

Every time I hear the term "fair share" I want to ask the speaker to define it. They never do, of course, for obvious reasons.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

Some economist wrote a thing a while ago that I wish I could find. Basically, it was something like, "Another word for inequality is 'trade'. 'Income inequality' is why people with money who need things give it to people without money who have things."

[Lord Humungus]

The right look: Conservative politicians look better and voters reward it

Since good-looking politicians win more votes, a beauty advantage for politicians on the left or on the right is bound to have political consequences. We show that politicians on the right look more beautiful in Europe, the United States and Australia. Our explanation is that beautiful people earn more, which makes them less inclined to support redistribution. Our model of within-party competition predicts that voters use beauty as a cue for conservatism when they do not know much about candidates and that politicians on the right benefit more from beauty in low-information elections. Evidence from real and experimental elections confirms both predictions.

[Brochetta's magic (((pants)))]

To be fair, who hasn't masturbated to Paul Ryan? He's like an even sexier Screech.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

It was a very bad itch on my penis and I wanted to get a good scratch, okay?

[Private Chipperbot]

It was a very bad itch on my penis and I wanted to get a good scratch, okay?

More authentic 🙂

[UnCivilServant]

Wait, some voters actually know what these people look like?

[The Fusionist]

"Those shallow, dumb voters, falling for those brainless prettyboys instead of going out with me!"

[colorblindkid]

Study: Democrats are Hideous.

[UnCivilServant]

Is there some causal link? Or is it merely correlative?

[Crusty Juggler]

Fact: Henry Waxman was the third-most attractive Democratic politician.

[straffinrun]

He always reminded me of a fruit bat.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Trying to think of any somewhat attractive Dem...wouldn't throw Cory Booker out of bed for eating chips (I would throw him out of bed for being a Demo, though). That's it.

This list is hilariously pathetic (and a few years out of date).

[commodious just wasting time]

Jug Ears with his washboard abs doesn't do it for you?

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Not beefy or bald enough. And I have a strong distaste for washboard abs. And Democrats.

[Free Society]

Not beefy or bald enough. And I have a strong distaste for washboard abs. And Democrats.

So basically you're pursuing a relationship with Bob Murphy? He's got it all, including the hair that he doesn't have.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Yeah, I totally love DC wonk suits that think their appearance on CNBC at 3am was the highlight of their life.

(I'm thinking more along these lines)

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Helllloooooo!

BTW, what happened to our esteemed colleague, AUH2O? He used to post pics of decent-looking dudes to counteract the Page 3 girls.

[Free Society]

Ouch. Bob Murphy has feelings too you know.

[commodious just wasting time]

I imagine Kristen's dreamboat is Gregor Clegane.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

I imagine Kristen's dreamboat is Gregor Clegane.

Yeah, that'll do the trick.

[Rhywun]

Not beefy or bald enough. And I have a strong distaste for washboard abs.

I bet Chris Christie wears a piece. *swoon*

[straffinrun]

Rahm Emmanuel?

[AceDroman]

The chick from Hawaii? I dunno senator or congressperson, I can't be bothered to research.

[Free Society]

I don't know what is about the AfD's Frauke Petry, but I keep finding myself scouring the internets for bikini photos of her.

[Lee Genes]

Sugarfree bait

[Juvenile Bluster]

Speaking of SugarFree bait, yesterday driving home from work there was a truck towing a boat. The boat had the NutraSweet logo painted on the side as well as several packets of the stuff painted on the side. If I wasn't going 70 MPH on the highway at the time I would've gotten a picture.

[Lord Humungus]

bate?

[Rich]

"Let 'er rip!"

[Free Society]

#AlwaysBelieveHer

[commodious just wasting time]

President Barack Obama will deliver his farewell address tonight in Chicago.

While keeping his fingers crossed behind his back.

[straffinrun]

Not gonna link it, but MSNBC talked about Trump calling Streep "overrated". MSNBC anchor says, "How can she be overrated? She won the Cecil B. Demille award!". Being overrated would mean you won awards, right?

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Streep is the queen of "Look at Me! I'm Acting!". Which is to say you're always conscious of the fact that you're watching Meryl Streep perform.

Jennifer Lawrence is her heir apparent in that.

[Lee Genes]

This

[Free Society]

Jennifer Lawrence should stick to porn.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

I loved her in Julie & Julia. I thought they should have cut out that insufferable Amy Adams part altogether and just made a film about Julia & Paul.

I also liked Out of Africa, but I don't think the role was all that demanding. And The River Wild was a fun romp with a great cast.

[Greg Loves His Woodchipper]

Hell yeah. And I'm tired of people keep trying to tell me that I feel that way just because she's such a big, big star.

[Greg Loves His Woodchipper]

Scratch the "keep"

[Rhywun]

"How can she be overrated? She won the Cecil B. Demille award!"

Ask Obama what he's done for "peace" lately.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Hillary Clinton's campaign cost a record $1.2 billion, double Trump's campaign spending of $600 million.

We need to get money out of politics so the rich can't just buy elections!

[Rich]

Sheesh, just the eye-candy gimmicks like the glass-ceiling bullshit probably ran into the hundreds of millions.

[commodious just wasting time]

They clawed a little back by selling unused fireworks.

[R C Dean]

Trump should have bought them for the inauguration.

[commodious just wasting time]

If there's one complaint I have about the Trump transition, it's that they're not trolling nearly hard enough.

[thrakkorzog]

So what's the going rate for a ticket to Wisconsin?

[Trigger Warning]

ROLL CRIMSON TIGERS!

[RBS]

Seen on Facebook...

Sharing for all, info on healthcare moving forward-
We all need to understand this:
When the President elect or Paul Ryan say they want to replace the #ACA with "Health Savings Accounts" (#HSAs), they are also saying they want to replace #Obamacare or #Medicare or #Medicaid with YOU paying for your healthcare. That means YOU pay for chemotherapy... YOU pay for all surgeries and hospitalization... YOU pay for all your family's doctor visits, urgent care, ER visits, and prescription drugs out-of-our-pocket. A Health Savings Account is just a tax-free way for you to save up money to pay for your own medical bills.
So if you are paying off college loans, or saving for a house down-payment, or simply living paycheck to paycheck, guess what -- a Health Savings Account does you no good, because you have no discretionary funds to deposit into it.
And even if you manage to save five grand or ten grand in an HSA, that could all get wiped out in one hospital visit for you or a family member. Then you are back to square zero again.
Even if you can supplement your HSA with affordable health insurance, you will be eating away at money that you should be investing for your retirement or your kids' college tuition. Only the top 3-5% of Americans can save enough for retirement, college AND their own out-of-pocket medical expenses. Therefore, the tax benefits of HSA's only help those people. Please call your Congressmember to protest this.

[straffinrun]

And the Obamacare fine didn't take poor people's money?

[Lord Humungus]

something something leeches

[Aloysious]

HSA's are great. I have an HSA plan through my employer. They match contributions up to a certain amount, and every year, on top of matching contributions, there are up to six hundred dollars in incentives I can earn if I pass four requirements on the health screening test. The HSA is interest bearing and portable. What's not to like?

[commodious just wasting time]

It gives consumers control over their healthcare spending and doesn't entail gobs of mandated coverage, therefore progs hate it.

[robc]

My employer added an HSA option this year, I jumped on the chance to have one again.

[WTF]

Because the only moral position is to force other people to pay for your shit.
Fuck off, slaver.

[jack sprat]

^this

[robc]

Only the top 3-5% of Americans can save enough for retirement, college AND their own out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Bullshit.

The savings in monthly premiums funds the HSA up to my deductible for the year (almost - its rounding error difference) without reducing take home pay at all.

[robc]

Extra benefit from repeal of Obamacare will be that OTC drug purchases will be HSA eligible again.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

THANK FUCKING GOD. I was a huge believer in HSAs until I realized how much money I wasn't saving by pissing pretax dollars into a fund I was guaranteed to leave money in at the end of the year.

[robc]

HSA money carries over from year to year, so that isnt a problem.

Now, with an FSA, that is an issue.

[Libertarian]

"Only the top 3-5% of Americans can save enough for retirement, college AND their own out-of-pocket medical expenses."

I had absolutely no idea that I was part of the top 5%. And on a 5-figure salary, no less. I feel much better now.

[robc]

Its weird, because the last time I looked, I think my household was just into the 2nd quintile, so top 40% sure, but nowhere near top 5%.

[Not a True MJG]

I started applauding during the first paragraph.

[Not a True MJG]

And apparently my discretionary income is not real (since I'm also paying off huge student loans), and I'm in the top 5%.

[Lord Humungus]

Wife of a U.S. marshal accused of framing his ex-girlfriend in Craigslist 'rape fantasy' plot

When officers arrived at Angela Diaz's condo last June in response to her 911 call, police say, they found her in tears, with a ripped shirt and red marks on her neck. A man had just tried to rape her in her garage, she said.

Anaheim police believed this was the gruesome result of a recent Craigslist ad, in which someone had posed as Diaz and invited men to visit her condo to participate in her "rape fantasy" encounters, even if she screamed and fought back.

Detectives became convinced the electronic trail led to her husband's ex-fiancee, Michelle Hadley, who soon faced 10 felony charges and the possibility of life in prison.

It was a bizarre enough case, but on Monday it took an even stranger turn: Authorities say they were fooled.

[commodious just wasting time]

Along with attempting to frame Hadley, Diaz is accused of faking a pregnancy and cervical cancer, forging a check, posing as an attorney and as two of her husband's ex-girlfriends, and forging doctors' notes.

That is a lot of crazy to stick it in.

[WTF]

And she's on the wrong side of the Hot/Crazy line.

[Jerryskids]

I see on the news Corey Booker is taking point on attacking Sessions, i.e., getting his face on camera and his name in the news. Even though they have to note that one Senator attacking one of his learned/esteemed colleagues is unprecedented, not to mention rather frowned upon, they're still giving him a bigger head start on 2020 than merely being one of the short-listers for Hillary's Veep.

[WTF]

Corey Booker is just another Newark corruptocrat, he was just less corrupt than his mayoral predecessor, Sharpe James.

[Mookman]

I've heard from a friend of mine who works in media that Booker's closeted homosexuality is one of the worst kept secrets in Washington. He'll start with being a hardass on this, come out of the closet a bit later, and run on being the first gay AA president.

[Drake]

I live in NJ and have heard similar rumors.

[R C Dean]

Isn't Booker on record saying what a swell guy Sessions is?

[The Late P Brooks]

A Health Savings Account is just a tax-free way for you to save up money to pay for your own medical bills.

I don't actually have a problem with that.

[WTF]

At my previous job I had an HSA with a high-deductible health insurance policy. It worked just fine, although the premiums still went up every year thanks to Obamacare, it was still cheaper than a traditional plan.

[Tyler.C]

But YOU have to pay, rather than some stranger who also can barely afford his own healthcare, but doesn't qualify for aid.

[Free Society]

The Death of Nations: Globalism, Immigration and Migrant Crisis

Question: "The UN Agenda 2030 and the UN World Population Prospects-Revision 2015 clearly state that legal migration from developing nations into Western nations is expected to be roughly 2.6 million people per year, every year for the next 34 years, and that population increases in Western nations over this period will be 80% due to immigration."

"And, of course, the Western nations will pay for the support of all these immigrants, many of whom are illiterate, have few if any employable skills, are ignorant of law and order, and bring with them totalitarian ideologies. Could you discuss this redistribution of the global population as it relates to our Western values of self-determination and individual liberties?"

Freedomain Radio is 100% funded by viewers like you.

[straffinrun]

When looking at a grandfather clock in slow motion, it's easy to forget that the pendulum swings back. Wouldn't put too much faith in the predictive abilities of the UN.

[Free Society]

I wouldn't put much faith in the countless statisticians and demographers who, twenty or thirty years ago were calling it inconceivable that the Muslim population in France and Germany would ever approach anything more than a trace minority. Even the most pessimistic didn't see the events of 2015 coming. All you need is one potato faced German woman with no children calling the shots, next thing you know third world migration is many times greater than any projections had predicted.

How will the pendulum swing back, exactly? I see no way around the conflict and devastation we'll need to experience before the pendulum could possibly swing back.

Anyways, don't let the short description sum up the valuable information in the podcast. Give it a listen while you do whatever you do.

[straffinrun]

When I say the pendulum will swing back, I didn't say it had to be peaceful. It could go "The Germans are angry again" or it could be a little more peaceful. Stop subsidizing the immigrants with stolen money and things have a chance to sort itself out. Otherwise...well, learn your German.

[Free Society]

Stop subsidizing the immigrants with stolen money and things have a chance to sort itself out.

This needs to be done while it's still an option on the table.

[straffinrun]

Yesterday I was watching a documentary on the city of Uruk. The greatest city and culture the world had ever seen. The host walked around the pile of sand where it once stood, picking up shards of pottery from thousands of years ago. People don't realize that your shit could disappear in a flash. Ben Franklin "Republic if you can keep it". They understood the dangers.

[Free Society]

This is covered in the video. It's not new information to you or I, but it's articulated well. In a lot of ways, the West has been on a path for destruction for the last 150 years or so, since the governments have seized control of the money supply and education. That allowed the welfare/warfare state to come into being and indoctrinated legions of youth into believing things that deny the fundamental nature of humans and their societies.

[robc]

How will the pendulum swing back, exactly?

The next Charles Martel?

[The Late P Brooks]

a new National Bureau of Economic Research paper, by economists from Yale and from Stockholm University, says that the most important factor of all has been the decline of progressive income taxes.

What are they saying? Incentives matter? Getting to keep the fruits of your labor leads you to work more/harder?

I suspect that's not what they set out to demonstrate.

[Suthenboy]

Goodbye Obama? More like 'Fuck off, good riddance'.

[Lord Humungus]

I'm sure Obama will pop up as the media's darling every time they want to get some speech-a-fyin'

He'll be around for a long, long time since that ego has to be fed.

[straffinrun]

The Republicans are praying you're right.

[commodious just wasting time]

Look, Obama was too busy saving the country to save his party. Now that he's leaving office he'll have plenty of time to salvage what's left of it.

[Lord Humungus]

too busy golfing

[straffinrun]

The shellackings will continue until nothing improves.

[The Late P Brooks]

The HSA is interest bearing and portable. What's not to like?

You're being tricked into believing you have some sort of responsibility for and control over your own life.

IT'S A TRAP!

[Sevo]

Been covered? Seems important to me:

"House Passes REINS Act In Response to Obama's Executive Power Abuse"
[...]
"The House voted in favor of The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2017 (H.R. 26) on Thursday. The measure would require Congress to approve all new major regulations, meaning the executive branch will be more accountable to the legislative branch. Congress introduced the legislation in the 114th Congress after President Obama repeatedly abused his executive powers, according to top Republicans."
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/c.....s-n2267104

[Tornado35235gsg35423ttg3gt3g3g]

Nice

[straffinrun]

Seems nice and I hope it works. How long before the amnesia sets in given all the power they have now?

[Free Society]

That should be a fucking constitutional amendment. The regulatory apparatus has formed an extra-legal state within a state that has become too powerful to tame.

[Sevo]

Real 'man of the people', he is:

"To the non-delight of San Francisco's rush-hour drivers, the Veep's Secret Service motorcade has brought traffic to a standstill on Howard Street between 1st and 2nd streets, so he can make a stop at The Melt for a grilled cheese."
http://hoodline.com/2017/01/jo.....ur-traffic

The little people can wait; nothing they do is as important as Biden's grilled-cheese jones.

[commodious just wasting time]

I'm being unfair and overbroad, but there's a grim justice in this happening to San Franciscans.

[Sevo]

Maybe, but I'm hoping a whole load of hag-supporters missed the start of a pity-party as a result.

[commodious just wasting time]

Malicious prosecution lawsuit against Freddie Gray prosecutor Marylin Mosby allowed to proceed.

[commodious just wasting time]

Alzheimer's drug may regrow dentine, reversing tooth decay and potentially eliminating the need for fillings.

[Evan from Evansville]

I got into a FB conversation with a person that I respect intellectually but has been going down the rabbit hole of leftist derpitude recently.

He was talking about Planned Parenthood and I suggested that it shouldn't be federally funded based on how people intelligently (doesn't matter if I agree with them) can consider funding abortion to be immoral. I posited that having no Fed $ would likely incentivize people to donate directly, whereas now they don't because they feel it's already being done.

"Are you able to cite even a single example where defunding a program essential to the poor resulted in a benefit to them due to private donations taking the place of the funding?" he asked.

I told him why I thought the question was unfair: "The Feds are giving money to PP or to Boeing or to GM or whatever. All of those groups benefit from that money. Of course taking it away isn't going to benefit them as their revenue is lowered. I DO think that it's a net benefit to SOCIETY if these things are defunded, although employes at Lockheed Martin certainly would blanch at such an idea."

I think this is a fair response, and think the "essential tot he poor" is weasel-wording, but it did get me thinking. Anyone able to think of a concrete circumstance where getting rid of Fed/gov't funding led to more private donations and support?

[commodious just wasting time]

I DO think that it's a net benefit to SOCIETY if these things are defunded

I'd take the tact that if they're valuable to society, they're not being defunded, they're being funded voluntarily.

[Evan from Evansville]

I talked about how the ratchet of government only gets tighter so it's very hard to show examples like this. I replied in negative examples, like how minimum wage laws were *enacted* to preserve the white labor force and those *additions* in gov't interference ended up hurting minorities and how that now they are viewed as sacrosanct and untouchable that it's impossible to get rid of these laws. The laws ended up harming the people that *now* they are ostensibly designed to help.

But I admit that off the top of my head I can't think of a concrete example that goes the other way, where eliminating government funding led to more private donations and funding.

I guess deregulation of airlines is one I can rip off immediately, but that was an act that allowed actors to better invest/run/manage/innovate an industry. I wouldn't consider it an example of charity being bolstered by defunding/deregulating.

Any thoughts, oh wise commentariate?

[commodious just wasting time]

It's a bit of a weasely argument on your friend's part if you understand that mission creep is a central part of the problem when it comes to government bureaucracies. They'll never cede authority or funding, they'll always contrive new avenues for spending and lobby for ever greater budgets. Whatever their mission statement says, their primary purpose is self-preservation and advancing careers. They're effectively immortal, insulated from market forces, answerable to nobody, and as long as the taxpayer is on the hook will never hurt for revenue. Why would one of these agencies ever go away?

[Libertarian]

If you could provide me a list of programs where federal funding was reduced, it would speed the googling a lot.

/snark

[Evan from Evansville]

That's actually pretty fucking gold right there, Jerry.

[Ken Shultz]

Wall Street Journal article unintentionally hilarious on the issue of conservation.

"After years of tussling with federal authorities over public land where cattle herds graze, ranchers are now teaming up with the government to battle a common foe: wild horses.

"Ranchers, Government Find Common Ground in Fight to Restrict Wild Horses"

http://www.wsj.com/articles/in.....1484053201

There are a number of problems with using the government for conservation in a representative democracy--and it really doesn't matter which federal agency you're talking about. Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forestry Service, the National Park Service, even--show me a federal agency that's been charged with some form of conservation, and I'll show you an agency that's been colonized by interests who oppose that conservation effort.

We live in a pluralistic democracy, where conflicting interests are all represented. The problem is that true conservation is about not compromising on land use, and you can only do that effectively with private property.

[Ken Shultz]

Average Americans support the BLM, FWS, the Park Service, etc. because they imagine those agencies are protecting wild horses, endangered sea otters, and wild buffalo, respectively--but those agencies don't only answer to the interests of conservationists, they also answer to ranchers, the fishing industry, and . . . ranchers. Those agencies sell wild horses that graze on federal land for dog food, move (and thus kill) endangered sea otters that compete with California's seafood industry, and cull the last of the truly wild buffalo herd to keep them from migrating onto federal land that's leased out to ranchers for grazing.

Taking land and putting it under federal government control doesn't protect it. It makes those resources easier to exploit. In many ways, "protecting" land through federal control means protecting it from conservationists. True conservation requires private property, where the only people who decide how that land is used are the conservationists who own it. Government ownership is incompatible with true conservation.

[Free Society]

Channeling economic goods through political channels causes economic goods to be distributed politically. Someone tell the leftists, I hear they're very open minded.

[Tornado35235gsg35423ttg3gt3g3g]

In 2012 they raised the income tax rate from 35 to 40% on the top bracket

The capital gains was raised from 15 to 20% + 3.8% ACA tax in 2012

This =/= a decline

[Fuck You - Cut Spending]

Looks like a big night for murders on the South Side as the police will be preoccupied.

[Necron 99]

This guy really screwed the pooch.

[Evan from Evansville]

To get your Alien Registration Card you have to get a medical checkup that involves piss and blood.

Let me tell you what, though. I fucking nailed the hearing portion of the test. I was clicking that button faster that the fucking wavelengths themselves traveled.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Tsk tsk - your "IRA" needs to be millions of dollars!

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

I did too!

[straffinrun]

*Tosses car keys in bowl* Don't be shy, boys.

[Dick N. Bimbose (n?e Cooper)]

NO MOAR RAILROADING!