On the Lighter Side

I am headed for China again...
Here are some more amusing links.
MSN News in Comics

If you want one to discuss...  Thoughts?

Poor Women and Children Will Suffer

NPR Trump Administration Proposes Sweeping Changes To Federal Family Planning Program

I am still amazed at how these crazy Pro-Lifers are so dedicated to keeping poor women poor.  And how they also want to keep them stupid and unprotected.  I mean listen to this stupidity...

"Some of those organizations emphasize abstinence outside of marriage or promote fertility awareness methods, which depend on understanding a woman's cycle and restricting sexual activity at times she is fertile.  Mario Dickerson, executive director of the Catholic Medical Association, said he would like to see the program move in that direction. "We could provide abstinence programs; we could provide natural family planning ... but not have to provide these other services," Dickerson said."

Like that poor wife or live in girl friend will have a lot of say in dissuading the horny husband or boyfriend...

I mean quality birth control and first term abortions are available to every woman who has a reasonable household income.  And yet Religious Whackos want to withhold these basic legal freedoms from low income women but cutting the funding. Then on top of that the same Religious Whackos want to cut programs that help these unwanted kids after they are born...

I will never understand their rationale?  Thoughts?  

Voter Fraud Matters Unless GOP Benefits?

WAPO Analysis: A federal election will be rerun because of fraud. Republicans aren’t talking about it much.


Thoughts?

ISIS Bride Lawsuit

CNN Alabama ISIS bride's father sues Trump administration over citizenship, seeks her return


Trump is apparently being a hypocrite AGAIN....  He is urging European countries to take back their citizens and yet this stupid young lady and her child are being refused due process in the USA.  Thoughts?

Majority Disapproves of Trump National Emergency

NPR Poll: 6-in-10 Disapprove Of Trump's Declaration Of A National Emergency


Well that number makes sense...  I mean it is almost exactly the same as Trump's disapproval to approval ratio...  Well that is assuming that some of the Trump supporters are actually fiscal conservatives, therefore against spending on some silly wall rather than on actual defense projects... :-)  Thoughts?

Walz's Budget Proposal

MinnPost  Walz’s budget: OMG or DOA?

I am kind of guessing Dead On Arrival... It looks like he is proposing a lot of long term spending that will become problematic if a recession comes...  Like it always does...  Thoughts?

School Choice Re-visited

Forbes Six Reasons Why School Choice Won't Save Us
Jerry and I were arguing the school improvement thing again and I found the above interesting piece while researching a response..

I had asked him to provide me the "benchmark school" that I should research and that all should learn from...  And as usual he avoided giving me the name I seek...

"How about looking at modern schools and learning what is NOT working, for starters? Maybe ask why, when "better school" vouchers are offered, why hundreds line up for each one available. Or how about Khan academy?" Jerry

This discussion has been on going for nearly 10 years now.  He believes that vouchers will work miracles because the kids will be able to attend schools like "??????????"...  But then he refuses to share the name...  The big tease. :-)

American Progress Piece

Brookings Negative Impacts of Vouchers

What to do about Billionaires?

VOX Bill and Melinda Gates and the problem of the “good billionaire”
A new wave of critics say even the most generous billionaires are bad.
Are they right?


Some interesting concepts.  Thoughts?

Emergency? Really?

So we know most illegal drugs and residents enter through legal ports of entry.  They do not run across the border in the middle of the night.  And yet the wall is Trump's top priority?


He must be really scared of those families and children who cross illegally to claim asylum...  Do you think they look threatening?


WAPO Recipe for GOP Disaster?


Politco I Do Not Need to do This?


Reuters Legal Challenges Face Uphill Battle

The Importance of Phonics?

MinnPost Minnesota’s persistent literacy gap has lawmakers looking for ways to push evidence-based reading instruction

MinnPost Special-ed reform: Paperwork exacerbates funding challenges, proponents say

Thoughts?

22 Trillion and Climbing

Well our irresponsible politicians are giving us greedy Americans just what we asked for:

• Tax cuts
• Spending Increases
• More debt to burden future citizens

Are there any responsible adults / citizens left in this country?

CFR Debt Dilemma

Shut Down Clock Keeps Ticking

NPR ICE Detention Beds Latest Stumbling Block

Klobuchar for President?

MP Klobuchar To Run for President

MP Is Klobuchar a Moderate?

Well she is not a Centrist, but she is more centered than some of the others...

Do you think she can get the DEM nomination?

Religious Freedom for Christians Only?

NYT Justices Allow Execution of Muslim Death Row Inmate Who Sought Imam 

Sean provided the above link.

I am thinking that the prison's solution should have been adequate.

"The officials said Mr. Ray’s imam could visit him shortly before the execution and observe it from a viewing room. But they would not allow the imam into the execution chamber. 

The chaplain was allowed to be present, the officials went on, because he was an employee of the prison system who was “a member of the execution team” and was “familiar with the technicalities of the execution protocol,” having attended almost every execution in the state since 1997. The chaplain kneels and prays with inmates who seek pastoral care, the officials said. After considering Mr. Ray’s request, prison officials agreed to exclude the chaplain. But they said allowing the imam to be present raised unacceptable safety concerns.

"Chaplain: A clergyman in charge of a chapel"

I am not sure why the inmate thought it was important to have the Imam on his side of the glass... Probably just trying to hold on to life a little longer.

Or are we thinking that chapels need multiple Holy persons there...

Education Improvement

The Atlantic I Used to Preach the Gospel of Education Reform. Then I Became the Mayor. Policy makers need to question their assumptions about what makes a good school.

That was an interesting read. A solution somewhere between the Unions and the Charters.

Border Security Confirmation Bias

CNN Hill negotiators listen to experts on best ways to secure border, but hear what they want


Yes they are all self serving political idiots...  Hopefully coming to a common solution benefits them personally or we are doomed...

"Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the no. 2 Democrat in the chamber, praised the briefers as "conscientious public servants" and reported that they agreed with Democrats that new technologies -- like sensors and drones -- were a higher priority than new barriers, which Trump and many Republicans want." 

"But North Dakota Republican Sen. John Hoeven said he walked out convinced the career officials believe a barrier is key. "Yes, you need technology. Yes, you need personnel. But you also have to have a border barrier," Hoeven said."

2019 State Of The Union

NYT Fact Checking SOU


FOX News SOU


VOX SOU


I did not watch it and have little interest in it...
What did you think?

Adverse Childhood Experiences

SC Times How adverse childhood experiences impact the criminal justice system

Pipeline to Prison May Start with Childhood Trauma

Trauma before Incarceration: Examining the Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences

A FB Friend linked to the first piece and it seemed appropriate given where the G2A Who Live? Who Decides? comments went.

"Actually...

• the unlucky kids do get "no strings" support
• while their parent(s) has to go to work
• often leaving kids to their own devices
• gang recruitment then becomes easier
• then the kids are arrested and we pay to incarcerate them

And the cycle continues...." G2A 

And I did not even cover the point that abuse and neglect are more likely to occur in these struggling households.  What do you think about the relationship between ACEs and Life Long Struggles?

Please remember that Jerry thinks school vouchers will make all this bad stuff go away.  Where as I think public services should improve and being a parent should be a privilege that is only granted to those who can prove themselves capable. (ie driver's license, afford liability insurance, etc)  It always seems to me that raising kids well is a lot harder and more important than driving a car.

DEMs 2020 Summary

CNN The capitalist socialist populist manifesto of Democrats in 2020


Thoughts?

Who Lives? Who Decides?

Jerry, Moose and I are arguing over here. Here is what I asked Jerry... And I have really gotten NO answer...

So are you saying that your grand baby is on life support. The medical professional(s) and parent(s) have decided that the baby is suffering too much and/or will have no quality of life because of massive chronic problems...

• Do you really want someone other than the Parent(s) and Doctor to decide if the plug can be pulled?
• Who would that be exactly?
• What process do you recommend?
• Or do recommend that we keep all babies on life support for ever?

Please remember the life and death questions we consider when discussing abortion and/or the removal of life support.

1. Cells within a Woman vs a Baby on human life support

• When does a collection of cells within the woman end?
• Who gets to choose if or when those cells are removed?
• When does baby's life begin?
• Who gets to decide if that baby is removed from human life support?
• Or should women be forced to deliver every blatocyst to term?

2. What if the fetus or baby that is inherently flawed and will die without massive heroic measures and long term life support machines.

• Who do you want involved in making the remove from the woman or "unplug" decision? 
• Are you okay with making the Mother carry this dead or dying fetus for months even though it cause her great mental distress?
• Who should make that decision?
• What governmental legal process do you want involved? 

3. What if the potentially viable fetus/baby is putting the Mother's life at risk

• Who do you want involved in making the abort vs C section decision? 
• What governmental legal process do you want involved?
• Do you support risking the Mother's life no matter what?

Now I am a self professed control freak. I would not ANYONE getting between my wife and I making these types of life and death decisions regarding any of my close family members.

And therefore I am fascinated that others want to put the government in the middle of this issue.

One thing I did become aware of recently is the risk that the mother may be depressed / out of her mind. I do agree the the medical professionals do need to consider this when weighing in on their decision.

Thoughts?

Ps. If you are put on a machine one day and it is the only thing keeping you "alive"... Who do you want authorized to pull your plug?  Your family or some governmental law?

End the Missile Treaty?

NPR U.S. Announces It Will Withdraw From Nuclear Arms Control Treaty With Russia

From what I think I know...  This is actually a good idea?

The rationale is that China being the USA's biggest real threat in the future. We really need to be freed of this encumbrance so we can pressure both Russia and China into a new treaty.

Thoughts?