US General Election 2016

{{Love this woman- never seen her before this but if she is leading the fight back for womens health care then at least the fight is in good hands}}

She's the president of Planned Parenthood. The problem is that abortion is a red line for many. So government funding of the organization drives people crazy as a moral issue. They would have few problems if they didn't do abortions, but the feeling is that if they didn't, nobody else would step in and provide it in the current political environment.

{{{Mmmm I thought I heard her say that they dont in fact use tax payer funding for abortions, that it goes on screenings, preventive health ect maybe I miss understood?
And havent checked her stats, havent had a chance yet, but if what she says is accurate then abortions, teenage pregnancy ect are all at an all time low- I assume in part thanks to the work of organisations like hers.
Besides my taxes go on lots of shit I dont agree with- it pays police, I dont agree with every law though, it goes on military, I didn't like the war in Iraq much but I bloody well part funded the damn thing! You dont get to pick and choose which bits of a government budget you want to fund (maybe you should!) why should health be any different?}}}

Yes, tax dollars are not used to pay for abortions, but they do go to the same organization for other things. For many people this is like hiring a murderer to babysit, and when people say "how can you do that?!" get the response "but we're not paying him for murder."

Another thing Planned Parenthood does that drives many people crazy is provide birth control and counselling to teenagers without parental consent. The reasoning is that a kid who requires parental consent will not dare to get birth control, but will still sneak off to have sex. Unfortunately many people see this as encouraging teenage sex; but given how teenagers are often more driven by hormones than common sense it really does make sense to provide protection no questions asked.

I'd say those who are driven batty by Planned Parenthood are driven more by morals than common sense.

many people see this as encouraging teenage sex- Halfy


{{But if the figures show that in fact the numbers are down for teen pregnancy and there fore a need overall for abortions- is that not a good thing? And also the end of aim of the people who apparently oppose this?
Also what about those whose parents are alcoholics? Druggies? Abusive? Or just shit non-communicative parents the kid cant talk to about sex? Where are they supposed to go?
And I reckon what parents who think they dont want it available are thinking is 'If it had been available to me I would have used it, so I dont want it available for her!" which is stupid as what they are doing is denying the human adolescent need to explore their sexuality. Better done with guidance, knowledge and medical backup than without surely? They are going to do it anyway, they live in a highly sexualised age, just like all ages have been which is why the human race is still here. And in past ages- quite a lot of folk died from ignorance about sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy and when abortion was unavailable there was a booming trade in eye-wateringly dangerous back-street surgery- why would you want that? Maybe this should be on the Americans are wacko thread.   }}

In general the countries which don't allow women freedom of choice when it comes to abortion, are those countries which don't have a good record with human rights in general.

If it weren't for abortion being tangled up in it I'd agree it belongs on the America is Wacko thread. But though I think abortion should be legally available I can't easily tell people who think abortion is murder that they are wrong. Just not an easy issue.

I was watching former CIA director John Brennan being interviewed on Fox News. When asked what he hopes Trump learns about national security he said "I hope that he realizes it's not all about him...spontaneity does not advance national security..."

Well said, sir!

'Rand Paul said Sunday the (replacement Obamacare) plan also will include health saving accounts and tax credits to help customers save money.'- Fox

{{{ If you have no money you cant save money! If you are an alcoholic or have drug issues, or mental health issues you are unlikely to be a prudent saver- you are however likely to be in need of medical help! }}}

Petty, Petty....when will you learn? In the Republican world such people don't exist.

We’re going to have insurance for everybody. There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can’t pay for it, you don’t get it. That’s not going to happen with us.”- Trump

{{{Not sure that will go down well with fellow republicans who have been banging on about Obamas deficit for 8 years. And this surely has to mean government funded health care? If you give insurance to those who cannot afford it then someone still has to pay for it and that will be by tax dollars}}}

{{This cracked me up- this is how the Scottish newspaper The Herald's tv listings describe Trumps inauguration coverage- }}}

This is the perfect POV for viewing the upcoming drama!

I'm sharing it with my nonpartisan friends. My partisan friends have already learned their lines and are looking forward to participating in the drama.
I'll just sit back and enjoy the show.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/01/16/donald-trump-may-have-just-destroyed-the-republican-effort-to-repeal-obamacare/?utm_term=.639ff4057de9

This is kind of a fun article: the only way Republicans can replace Obama care and not have their hated one payer system or mandates is to actually offer something that will cover fewer people and have higher premiums. They can only pull that off by talking around it. But Trump doesn't have this subtlety, and has promised everything for cheaper than Obamacare, putting the Republicans in the soup.

"If Trump understood the political and policy challenges Republicans face, he’d know that high deductibles are supposed to be complained about and wielded as evidence that the ACA is a failure, but you’re not supposed to actually promise that any Republican plan will lower them. You want people to assume that, of course, but you don’t want to promise it directly, because then you might be held accountable for that promise.

But Trump says whatever comes into his head, and whatever seems like it might be popular. People hate out-of-pocket costs, so he promises low deductibles. People don’t like the idea of tens of millions losing their coverage, so he promises that everyone will be covered.

And now, congressional Republicans are going to have to answer for breaking a promise they didn’t even make. At a moment when opposition to the repeal of the ACA is gathering strength, this was the last thing they needed."

Donald Trump's election has literally caused the biggest collective temper tantrum of all time. Worried for inauguration.

It will come off with minor disturbances. There's 20,000 Bikers for Trump set to mobilize a "wall of meat" if any problems arise.

The bigger problem is Republicans slowly realizing that they can't just have things their way because Trump is not exactly one to toe the party line; and Democrats digging in to fight every inch. I wish they'd just throw their hands up, say the old rules are off and try working together to get things done that makes everyone (including Trump) equally unhappy; as opposed to nothing getting done so everyone's totally unhappy. I see that as the major good that can come out of this.

A nicely nuanced article and set of interviews about those who voted for Trump. For anyone who thinks it's all stereotypes, this is a good read.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/in-americas-forgotten-places-trumps-supporters-hope-to-be-heard-finally-233159431.html

Dingbats.  I hope the reporters are turning this over to police.  Though perhaps just having the video out there will stop it cold.

Edit: they did. good for them. Hard call whether it would have been better to not have blown cover before the police move in. If police don't get everyone the video could make them lie low.

Color me skeptical; James O'Keefe's lack of reliability (especially when it comes to editing) makes him essentially the conservative version of Michael Moore (arguably worse though). He has a track record of selectively edited videos and failed attempts at soliciting crimes. He first came to notice for the ACORN videos for which he later apologized and paid $100,000 to settle a lawsuit over.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_O'Keefe

People are alleging that the most recent video is of people whom O'Keefe offered to pay to start shit, but I don't know if that's true or not. Not familiar with the people behind the "counter-sting" so I'm not going to make any offhand assumptions about their trustworthiness, but in any event, O'Keefe's record isn't really on his side.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/counter-sting-catches-james-okeefe-network-attempting-to-sow-chaos-at-trumps-inauguration_us_5873e26fe4b043ad97e516f7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WDWLeRKc2Y

Seems like a problematic dude. Interesting that the only funds it seems the Trump Foundation spent (other than for a Trump painting and legal fees) was a donation to Project Veritas.

{{Thats part of the problem in the US right now- the President at least should care- its more than half his population he has to rule- and a substantial amount more than voted him into power. Its part of his job to try to unite Americans in common cause, instead so far he has largely spent the time in petty twitter spats being divisive and stirring up more splits- I mean what on earth possessed him to call a man who almost lost his life literally fighting for the right to vote and be treated equally as being 'all talk'? Did Trump even know who the guy was when he tweeted that? And what possible good did Trump think such a tweet could possibly do anyone? It looks like just another childish reaction to a perceived slight- you cant run a country that way let alone one the size and power of the US- he just doesn't seem informed before he reacts- and you cant expect good outcomes if your premises are flawed}}}

I shall be following the progress of this new administration with considerable interest.  It may verify my belief that a country runs on the belly of its bureaucracy, and most leaders are just distractions.  In other words, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy theory of presidential utility.