Madder than Hell

So, let me get this straight. Those of us who get Social Security will not receive a Cost of Living Increase for the next two years? When pigs fly!

The reason is because of the low inflation. Yeah, you read it right, low inflation. Not only that, but no COLA means that some seniors will see their Medicare Part B premiums skyrocket.

A freeze in Social Security benefits would have major implications for Medicare because the COLA, in effect, puts a cap on premiums for Part B of Medicare, which covers doctors' services.

If there is no COLA for Social Security, about three-fourths of beneficiaries will not see any change in their basic Part B premiums, according to federal officials. But some beneficiaries do not have this protection and could face substantial increases in their Part B premiums. In addition, millions of beneficiaries could see higher premiums for drug coverage, provided under Part D of Medicare.

Congress could step in. I would suggest that is exactly what Congress should do. They've done it before in the 1980's when inflation dropped below 3%. And since seniors are the one block of constituents who vote in huge numbers, Congress is not likely to forget that as they seek to shore up the income of social security recipients.

So, we can bail out criminals, but stick it to seniors. I'll be busy this week sending emails and making phone calls.

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Sorry Arlen, You Can't Have It Both Ways

Ok, Arlen we get it... Specter Won't Back Public Health Care Or Employee Free Choice Act. Claims he won't be a loyal Democrat. Then I say no support! Obama do not campaign for him... no funding from the DNC... what good will he do if we throw money his way without him voting for issues important to Democrats. It's imperative that we come up with a solid Progressive challenger in the Democratic Primary. Force him to play ball... we do not need another "Blue Dog 'Dino' Dem!"

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YIPPEE!

Arlen Specter announced that he will become a Democrat and will be the key to a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority.

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Iowa Has been Brainwashed!

Or so sayeth the right wing conservatives.

It was all a plot, [Mickleson] said, masterminded by clever, propaganda-spewing, out-of-state brain-washers on a bunch of gullible rubes ready to be fleeced.

And we fell for it.

"The gay lobby looked at us as a backwater state they could take over," Mickelson said, "and they did."

You'd never know that until the 2000's, Iowa was one of the best educated states in the US. But apparently, since we slipped to simply just the top ten, that means we're completely fucked up and stupid.

Or maybe it's because we actually have some thinking Republicans still left in the state:

. . [B]ut my mother - the Republican who voted for John McCain and every other Republican presidential candidate going back to the log cabin days - thinks the Iowa Supreme Court did the right thing.

Conservatives, she says, believe government should stay out of your personal business. And why is marriage anyone else's business?

Like the columnist, Marc Hansen, my parents are solid independent Iowa Republicans. We, as their children, may disagree with them on their votes and opinions, but they seldom cater to attitudes that would embarrass us because of their stupidity or bigotry.

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Today is the day

Here's to the happy couples!

DM Register Coverage
Deeth in Iowa City

I'm waiting for the flooding conditions in Iowa and through the lower MidWest and Texas to be blamed on today's historic moment. Or the Swineflu outbreak. Pat Robertson's 700 Club is broadcast at about 10am Central.

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And The Hits Keep On Comin'

The Million Militia Man March (h/t to Deeth)

A peaceful demonstration of at least a million — hey, if we can get 10 million, even better — but at least one million armed militia men marching on Washington. A peaceful demonstration. No shooting, no one gets hurt. Just a demonstration. The only difference from any typical demonstration is we will all be armed.

Sorry fellas, fiction already lapped your stupid.

Midwestern militia groups revolt against their local governments in protest of rampant U.S. adventurism overseas and, in the absence of the National Guard, are able to gain far more ground than they thought possible. Small insurgent groups pop up in towns and cities across the country, and a sizable force, the Free States Army, pushes toward Manhattan. The city proves too big for them to take, and also for the U.S. Army to defend. The war stalls there, a stalemate, neither side being able to shift things.[5]

Update: It's that type of day. The Onion on Facebook, "NEWSWIRE: 138 Dead After Loud Sneeze At NRA Meeting" A backfire in D.C. could kill tens of thousands.

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Embryonic Stem Cell's Help Cure Macular Degeneration

My Alzheimer stricken Dad suffers from "...age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness... The disease involves the loss of eye cells."

Of course the cure will be controversial: "Under the new treatment, embryonic stem cells are transformed into replicas of the missing cells. They are then placed on an artificial membrane which is inserted in the back of the retina."

When the time comes and if I am stricken with the same disease, sign me up. Being blind adds to the confusion my father already suffers from Alzheimers.

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