Morning all — raining here this morning, and our parched yard needs it. It’s been a rather dry July.

How are things in your neck of the woods?

Morning Christy. Into another cycle of daily thunderstorms. High humidity and cool temps. Todays high 67 with 40% chance of thunderstorms. As long as we don’t have hail like last week.

We’re having a gentle rain today — which is nice. We need a good soaking, and I’m thrilled we are getting a little at the moment. My garden is looking much, much happier.

Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight has been doing some good analysis of the various health care proposals. As you know, he is one hell of a numbers guy. This review of the Senate Finance Committee’s poor math is very good.
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com…..-math.html

I don’t believe that it is possible for the rethug party to have a legitimate debate without resorting to their fear mongering and accompanying lies. They are morally bankrupt and mentally challenged.

Excellent — thanks for the heads up. All of the spin has been flying so fast and furious the last few days, that cutting things down to numbers and reality is really important.

Will take a peek…

I wouldn’t say all of them are. But I do think that Virginia Foxx falls into a special category of kooky that very few others can match.

Except maybe Michelle Bachmann. And…

Christy – some legal advice please. I am going to be meeting with my state rep on Sat. It is my hope to convince her to introduce a resolution next year that would start the process to creat a Constitutional Ammendment that would require congresscritters to recuse themselves from any vote where they have received or benefitted from any contribution in excess of a maximum that individuals can contibute to a campaign. How many states would need to pass a resolution to put the ammendment into effect?

Does it need to be a constitutional amendment? What about an amendment to ethics rules for elected officials? That would be easier to champion internally, given that a constitutional amendment would require ratification by a very large amount of states.

And, frankly, once you start down the constitutional amendment road, you open an enormous Pandora’s Box of amendment-o-rama for any number of things you don’t want.

Oh, and I meant to say that it requires ratification of 3/4ths of all the states.

Here’s the exact language from the Constitution — it’s Article V:

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.

Good morning everyone. We’re in clamshell mode here. It’s just moist and feels very closed, would like a day of rain. It’s been dry here also.

I think there’s a prevailing sense of powerlessness running through society. Obama tapped into this with a pseudo positive message of hope and change, when in reality he was manipulating the fear and hopelessness in a different way then what the Republicans do.

I don’t know what the answer is to be honest after watching the debacle on health care. After hearing what Maxine Waters had to say about Rahm and the Blue Dogs, it’s very disheartening. It’s ok to break your promise to the voters, but not ok to break your promise to a fellow politician.

If I was Obama I’d have a town hall about health care in the Blue Dog’s districts during the recess and have a real debate in front of the people. This will never happen because Obama is a coward and not a leader.

Good Morning, Christy
Sitting here on my first cuppa, on the first cool am we’ve had in ages. A little overcast. It’s been a real heat wave here for several weeks. Two or three nights it didn’t get below 80. This is pleasant and appreciated. Especially since I took a ride on your Foxx link And while doing so, heard the introduction of the guest chaplain for the House…a Falwell who’s linked to Liberty U.
Man, there’s always something to get me started on the blech early in the morning, isn’t there? *g*

It’s incredibly frustrating, isn’t it? I do think there is a palpable feeling of powerlessness on far too many issues.

How to break through that is tough. How to make something really work is even tougher.

Ugh, I hate it when it is that hot and sticky at night. Glad it’s cooled off a bit for you.

btw, I’ve popped up a new post because I think the human element in so much of this discussion has gotten far too short a shrift from folks inside the Beltway.

And I felt the need to put it front and center for all of us.

I think so many things are broken that it does offer opportunities to reinvent the process on some levels. There won’t be immediate results however and for the people who are suffering now that’s a problem.

One aspect of the health care issue is that it’s a way to control people. If there is a single payer program or a strong public option, people won’t be as tethered to their low wage dead end job for what little health benefits they may have there. I know I lived that. That takes the power of free choice away.

The social business model is another way people can change the dynamic of what’s going. Capitalism in and of itself is not a bad thing. It’s how it’s manipulated for greed that’s the problem. If you set up a business that benefits society with your profits then it challenges the power structure of the existing form of capitalism. All things being equal, I think people would choose to consume and work for business/services that benefit all.

This approach will take time, and like the health care debate, getting any favorable legislation that would empower people to live their fully chosen lives will be a epic battle.

The rules are set by the congresscritters themselves. Everytime they create rules they create themselves loopholes. I am tired of the Baucuses etc. This has gone on for to long. They need to get the message that we are fed up with “legal” bribery.

I keep wondering if the increasing unemployment issue, which raise questions of health care coverage after that 6-month COBRA extension wears off from unemployment, will be the straw that breaks the backlog on this.

But thus far, it’s not making a dent.

I think far too many of these folks in Congress and working in and around the Beltway have no clue how so many people in America scramble to get by — working two jobs, neither of which have healthcare, and going hungry so their kids get a meal, etc., etc. I’ve been contemplating a way to have them change places for a day with a constituent in that situation so they can really see how people work their asses off just to get by and what they face day to day.

No idea how something like that could work. But it would be illuminating for some of these folks, I think.

You are so right, they really don’t have a clue. Most middle-class people don’t, until it happens to them.

Do you remember a few years ago some Congresscritters spent a few weeks “living on” a food stamps budget to see if it was really difficult to get enough to eat? I can’t remember who they were right now – just recall one was a young bachelor with no cooking skills, who bought mostly peanut butter and prepared food, and ran out of money pretty quick.

Something like that can be useful – I think the participants that time pretty much got the message.
OTOH, a long time ago – Reagan admin maybe? Someone in the admin – Ag secretary? tried something similar, but of course he had a wife who cooked. I remember getting the impression that they didn’t start with an empty fridge or cabinet, either; they used their existing staples to make meals. And of course the conclusion was – Family of 4 living on Food Stamps? No problem.
Of course eligibilty has decreased since then, and benefits never keep up with inflation.

I’d love to see something in the real world for staffers and elected reps.

A second idea on the “real world” experience – send staffers for at least a few days/nights at an urban free clinic (are there still any?) or emergency room – the county/public hospital, no fancy private pay hospitals — to follow the cases that come in, interview patients who are willing to talk about their situations – something like that.

Hmmm, further thought – perhaps a trained interviewer, with experience dealing with poor people in crisis. A Congressional staffer, conservative, disposed to believe people are poor by choice, might not be the most tactful interviewer. But they could listen and watch!

Just throwing out random thoughts here.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/21/food-stamp/

Ah, here we go – a link to the day at the end of the “Food Challenge” when Rep. Tim Ryan’s jar of peanut butter was confiscated by TSA as he got on a plane. He was the bachelor I was thinking of. It was 2007.

From a WaPo article on the Challenge:

McGovern and his wife, Lisa, did their food shopping for the week with help from Toinette Wilson, a D.C. resident and mother of three who relies on food stamps. Wilson gave him some tips, but it was still a struggle, he said.

“No organic foods, no fresh vegetables, we were looking for the cheapest of everything,” McGovern said. “We got spaghetti and hamburger meat that was high in fat — the fattiest meat on the shelf. I have high cholesterol and always try to get the leanest, but it’s expensive. It’s almost impossible to make healthy choices on a food stamp diet.”At the Safeway, Ryan seemed to grow depressed as he realized the limits of his budget. “It’s unbelievable,” he said, filling his small grocery basket with peanut butter, jelly and bread. He bought a big bag of cornmeal that he says he’ll try to fashion into grits for breakfast and polenta for dinner. And he grabbed some canned tomato sauce and pasta on sale. No money for meat, milk, juice, fresh fruit or vegetables, save for a single head of 32-cent garlic to flavor the tomato sauce.

“I don’t know if this is going to make it,” said the third-term Democrat, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds. “By the end of the week, I’m going to be eating cornmeal and strawberry preserves.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01957.html