I’m Back

Brought the Mahalaptop home today. The geeks had to do a factory restore, meaning it was pretty much wiped, and I’m having to reinstall software now. The problem apparently was caused by the Windows 10 upgrade I did a few weeks ago, so if you haven’t done that yet, hold off until they get more bugs fixed.

I see Canada has nixied Stephen Harper in favor of the more progressive and also more handsome Justin Trudeau. Yay.

Let’s look at what’s going on with Obamacare, starting with the newest effort by Republicans to repeal it.

The repeal legislation, Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Ac, is being brought through a legislative procedure known as budget reconciliation, which only requires a simple majority to advance in the Senate and thus could overcome Democratic opposition to land on President Obama’s desk. However, the maneuver is only workable, under parliamentary rules, if it reduces the deficit and a full-on Obamacare repeal would add $353 billion to the deficit, the Congressional Budget Office has found. So Republicans are targeting only certain aspects of the law — such as the individual and employer mandates — that, if repealed, would reduce the deficit. It would also almost certainly be vetoed by the president.

However, according to Heritage Action, this is not good enough.

Heritage Action for America — the lobbying arm of the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation — issued a statement threatening to consider the vote on the House bill, expected Friday, a key vote for conservative members.

In the statement, communications director Dan Holler accused GOP leadership of “putting their members in a terrible position,” as the legislation leaves in place some aspects of Obamacare, and argued that by voting in favor of the bill, Republicans are “undermining any serious effort to repeal the law in 2017.”

Actually repealing it would require Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, plus the White House. Well, they’re going to keep the House for awhile. However, my understanding is that the Dems are in pretty good shape to take back the Senate. And I sincerely think the White House is out of reach for Republicans. So good luck with that, Heritage Action.

Heritage Action is complaining because the partial repeal bill leaves the exchanges and medicaid expansion intact. If Heritage Action had half a brain, it would know that ending the individual mandate all by itself would kill the exchanges, and the rest of Obamacare as well, but we’re talking about wingnuts here.

Oh, and Fun Fact — states that didn’t expand Medicaid are paying more for it.

Insurance co ops also are in trouble. Nonprofit insurance co ops were allowed under Obamacare as a weak alternative to the private option.  Republicans saw to it that the co ops would be fragile, at best; see Richard Mayhew for an explanation. Since some co ops are failing, Republicans are trying to kill the entire program.

In other news, Jim Webb dropped out of the presidential race. Bye, Jim Webb.

18 thoughts on “I’m Back

  1. Yikes, I already installed Windows 10 a few weeks ago.

    Glad to see you’re back!

    I have no insights re politics; but it looks to me like the odds favor the Democratic Party for both the Senate and the Presidency, so I’m moderately optimistic about Obamacare.

  2. Welcome back!

    Oh, how they hate Obama and Obamacare – it’s something that actually tries to help people (besides just the rich and poweful)!

    Conservatives should should name whatever bullshit they want to “replace” it with, GOP-Don’t-Care!
    GOP – Don’t-Care plan:
    Die quick!
    Die quiet!
    But not so quick that some of our croni… partne… fine Big Pharama and huge heath care providers can’t make a huge profit off of you and yours.
    BWA-HA-HAAAÀAAAAAAA!!!!!

  3. I have been getting invitations to install Windows 10 but I read somewhere that there have been problems so I’m glad I resisted. Besides, I am so computer illiterate that I probably would have been really messed up.

  4. “The problem apparently was caused by the Windows 10 upgrade”

    Of course, sounds like an upgrade to me!

    “Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act”

    If only the GOP would put as much effort into effective governance as they do to coming up with crafty Orwellian titles for legislation. They must use a formula that automatically adds the words freedom and or patriot depending on the subject? I think the teabaggers are growing tired of the “Repeal Obamacarel” shell game the “RINO’s” are playing!

  5. I haven’t gotten over my problems with Windows 8.1 to feel secure with an update. Also, it appears the Chicago Cubs may not make it to the World Series. However, the NY Mets may.

  6. I still miss Windows XP. Also fountain pens. Ah well. I appreciate the warning on Windows 10!

  7. I’m confused. You’re going to have to explain to me what you mean by Obamacare, because I’ve not been paying attention.

  8. Jim Webb is considering running as an independent. If we all hope together at the same time, do you think we can make it real? Webb has always been a poor fit for the Democratic Party. If he runs an independent campaign, he will pull only from the most extreme gun-loving, war-mongering wing of the Repubs. All together now: “Run, Jim! Run!”

    The wonderful geek who fixes our computers when they get cranky told us months & months ago not to install Win10. Microsoft tried to tempt Win8 users by offering a free upgrade. Right. The upgrade is free, but you have to pay your geek by the hour to clean up the mess that Microsoft leaves behind.

    • I actually found Windows 10 to be less annoying than Windows 8, until my laptop had a meltdown. So I’m kind of sorry to be back with Windows 8.

  9. I really am a dinosaur because I find computers annoying in general. I had a desktop with XP and had lots of problems with it. It finally froze up completely and I can’t use it now. My laptop is 7, I believe and of course I have problems but Netflix told me it is because it is a cheap computer. My daughter says it is the operator. So, I just limp along. I have been told by people who know that computers are good for a maximum of 3 years then you have to get a new one. Seems like planned obsolescence to me. Oh well, at least they are making cars better, I think.

    • //When you say “my laptop had a meltdown” – what did it do?//

      In brief, it refused to load Windows after a restart.

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