Medicare

Here's a 10-point primer about Medicare. The author points out: "If you’re under age 65 there’s a good chance that you know very little about the program." As it turns out, I get to stay in that category even after reading this primer.

Representing the People

Click for a bigger picture.

More Weiner

I really think this guy must be a pill to be around, but he sure is funny with all his antics. In truth, I worked with a guy just like this. I found him very taxing very quickly...but in small doses he was amusing.

You are John Boehner

Choose your own budget adventure.

Money Chart

Via The Dish.

Oh, Don

Donald Rumsfeld has released a whole bunch of everything, including delightfully bitchy emails, to coincide with the release of his book. Esquire has sifted through some of them, and gives us the following sampling:

The "My Time Is More Valuable Than Yours" Note

- - -
October 26, 200l
TO: Honorable Condoleezza Rice
FROM: Donald Rumsfeld
SUBJECT: Schedule

It isn't possible to have a 7:15 a.m. phone call, an NSC meeting and then two PC meetings in one day. That takes most of the day.

I need time with my staff. Let's try to figure out a different way to do our business…

The "Do You Think You're On Entourage?!" Note

- - -
December 13, 200l
TO: Honorable Condoleezza Rice
FROM: Donald Rumsfeld
SUBJECT: PC Meeting

We just had the Principals Committee meeting on Iran and Russia. At the last minute, we were told not to bring the “plus one.” I arrive, and I see you have Steve Hadley, Bob Joseph, Robin Cleveland, and Al Gonzales there-and I am like a one-armed paperhanger.

I am going to start bringing “plus one” to my meetings at the White House, unless there is just an enormously good reason not to. I sure cannot imagine what it would have been on that meeting, particularly since there were so many people in the room anyway…

The "You're Terrible At Your Job And You Can't Even Explain Why, Dumbass" Note

- - -
May 20, 2002
TO: Honorable Condoleezza Rice
FROM: Donald Rumsfeld
SUBJECT: Moscow Proposals

I just saw this article from the London Times saying, “President Bush will propose . . . that Russia and the United States join forces to develop the controversial Star Wars missile defense system . . .”

What is that about?

Second, I have asked repeatedly for a copy of these other documents that are supposedly going to be dealt with by President Putin and President Bush in Moscow. I still haven't seen a copy of anything other than the treaty. I need to see them. Please get them over to me.

Thank you.

The "She's Either Dumb, Deaf, or Secretly British, and Therefore, an Obtuse Asshole" Note

- - -
August 22, 2002
TO: Paul Wolfowitz [Deputy Secretary of Defense]
FROM: Donald Rumsfeld
SUBJECT:

Call Condi Rice. She said to me that we have got to get the detainee mess sorted out, that nobody is able to get answers. I think she is getting this from the UK. Call her and find out what she is talking about. She always comes in with these cryptic messages as thought [sic] the Pentagon is messed up, and I don't have any idea what she is talking about…

The "You're Such an Idiot You Can't Even Run a Schedule" Note

- - -
October 4, 2002
TO: Honorable Condoleezza Rice
FROM: Donald Rumsfeld
SUBJECT: North Korea

I thought you told the President in my meeting that there werent going to be any meals at the North Korean event. I notice they had one or two dinners.

Thanks.

The "How I Subvert Your Time-Sucking Meetings" Note

- - -
October 30, 2003
TO: Honorable Condoleezza Rice
FROM: Donald Rumsfeld
SUBJECT: NSC Meetings

We have an NSC meeting scheduled for Monday with no subject. I like to be prepared for meetings, but if we don't have the subject of the meeting a working day ahead of time, then there is no way for us to be prepared…

The "You're Not Early Enough For Us, Slackass" Note

- - -
November 5, 2003
TO: Honorable Condoleezza Rice
FROM: Donald Rumsfeld
SUBJECT: Agendas and Schedules for PC and NSC Meetings

…If you want people from DoD to do something, please tell us that, not in the meeting, but the day before—and we will do our best…

The "And By Tactical Errors She Means 'My Bad Hair Days'" Note

- - -
April 04, 2006
TO: Stephen J Hadley [National Security Advisor]
FROM: Donald Rumsfeld

I think we better get some talking points on what Condi thinks she meant when she said we have made "thousands of tactical errors."

I keep getting asked the question, and I don't know the answer. I don't know what she had in mind.

Thanks.

Shame, Boatloads of Shame

The Wisconsin Statehouse seems like a really unpleasant place to work these days.

Abortion & Government

I don't know who you are, Mr. Weiner, but I'm a fan. And definitely watch to the end.

Why do we poll Americans?

What I gather from this is that people think defense spending is too high when things are going OK and that it is waaay too low right after bad shit happens (Iran Hostage Crisis, 9/11). Whatever your opinions on defense spending, that just makes no sense. If "the public" thinks it's too low right after bad things happen, then presumably they think that the lack of spending contributed to the bad things in the first place. Americans, as a polling unit, have the attention span of a gnat. I could give a rat's ass what they think is too much or too little. It would be nice if people who actually have the knowledge and experience to say anything worthwhile on the subject would do so and ignore polls. Ugh.

CIA doesn't know how to tweet

The CIA gets yelled at for not anticipating the Egyptian revolution. Their main problem? They weren't monitoring Twitter and Facebook. They should go hire some whipper snappers to take care of that. I imagine the following conversation between a recent hire and his mother:

Mom: "Oh, that's swell sweetie. Congrats on your new grown-up job. Can you take out the trash?"

CIA Twitter Guy: "Mooooom. I'm like a spy now. You can't ask a spy to take out the trash. I'm super important now."

Mom: "Oh bullshit. You're just getting paid to read those dumb twats or tweets or whatever the hell they are because no one else wants such a tedious and lame job. Now take out the trash."

CIA Twitter Guy: [Grumble, grumble] "Fine."

Oh, sweet progress!

What's up with Egypt?

A primer.

Obama Responds to David Kato's Murder

Obama responded to the murder of David Kato, the Ugandan gay rights advocate who was outed in a Ugandan newspaper last year. (The newspaper released the photos of several people they claimed were gay with the headline "Hang Them")

I am deeply saddened to learn of the murder of David Kato. In Uganda, David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate. He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom. The United States mourns his murder, and we recommit ourselves to David’s work.

At home and around the world, LGBT persons continue to be subjected to unconscionable bullying, discrimination, and hate. In the weeks preceding David Kato’s murder in Uganda, five members of the LGBT community in Honduras were also murdered. It is essential that the Governments of Uganda and Honduras investigate these killings and hold the perpetrators accountable.

LGBT rights are not special rights; they are human rights. My Administration will continue to strongly support human rights and assistance work on behalf of LGBT persons abroad. We do this because we recognize the threat faced by leaders like David Kato, and we share their commitment to advancing freedom, fairness, and equality for all.

Dumb Shit or Satirist?

We Need a Christian Dictator
Uploaded by OnKneesforJesus. - News videos hot off the press.
I couldn't be bothered to look up whether this idiot is for reals or not. But, man, is he a hoot and a half, or what?

Suicide in the Armed Forces

For the past two years, more servicemen and women have died at their own hand than in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. That is shameful.

Indiana, you are kind of gross

A bill just passed the Indiana House that requires that state documents be published only in English. Because English is the official language of Indiana, and that "should mean something." I think it means something like Indiana congresspeople have too much damn time on their hands.

DADT by the numbers

I didn't know that enlisted men and women were more likely to be discriminated against compared to officers. (Enlisted make up 82% of the armed forces, and as you can see above, make up 98% of those discharged under DADT.) I'm fascinated by this fact, and I want to know more. Were people turning a blind eye when it came to officers? Did officers try harder to keep themselves closeted? Are there fewer officers who are gay?

I would also like to know -- by class, gender, etc. -- what percentage outed themselves (Dan Choi, for example) versus being outed by someone else.

Yay to the end of DADT!

Socialized Health Care in 1798?

Tea partiers and what have you are always yelling about what the framers of the constitution did and did not want. A major criticism of the health care law is the unconstitutionality of the mandate, and that the Founders would be rolling over in their graves.

Well maybe and, then again, maybe not. They were not, it turns out, totally opposed to the idea of government healthcare:

In July of 1798, Congress passed – and President John Adams signed - “An Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen.” The law authorized the creation of a government operated marine hospital service and mandated that privately employed sailors be required to purchase health care insurance.

Keep in mind that the 5th Congress did not really need to struggle over the intentions of the drafters of the Constitutions in creating this Act as many of its members were the drafters of the Constitution.

Now, that doesn't seem exactly the same to me, but I bet it would surprise some Tea Partiers. There has, not surprisingly, been some controversy stirred by this article. Here is someone else's article who went and talked to knowledgeable university folk, who said things like:

There's no proof from the historical record that Adams would have backed the idea behind the individual mandate in particular. But it is fair to conclude, the professor says, that the founding generation supported the basic idea of government run health care, and the use of mandatory taxation to pay for it.

This is why spending cuts are hard.

In case you can't read the type. The graph on the left is percent of respondents wanting to cut spending in a given category. The graph on the right is the actual spending, as a percent of the proposed 2010 budget.

From Sullivan