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I've found the new Trib site is vastly better using Firefox (with AdBlock installed) rather than IE.
Apparently my comments will show up with "promark747" on the new site.
Transition time
This will be the last Change of Subject post using this blogging platform -- the one I and so many of you have grown accustomed over most of the last 11 years. Like the rest of Tribune online content, my musings as well as my columns are very soon moving over to a wholly new web platform -- af...
I'm not opposed to change, but the redesign of the Trib site is heinous, and I'm saddened by the possibility that many of us won't make the transition to the new CoS. It's been a wonderful 10 years getting to debate with a bunch of very intelligent -- if sometimes misguided :) -- individuals, as well as EZ himself.
I'm going to give the new Trib site and CoS a little time for the dust to settle and then see if I can jump back in.
Either way, no matter what happens, thanks to all who have made this place special.
Transition time
This will be the last Change of Subject post using this blogging platform -- the one I and so many of you have grown accustomed over most of the last 11 years. Like the rest of Tribune online content, my musings as well as my columns are very soon moving over to a wholly new web platform -- af...
Was surprised to see that it was the first time in Cubs history that a position player came in to pitch and got the victory.
16 is the new 21
More proof that baseball needs to speed up its act last night at Wrigley Field: This game, which took six hours, 27 minutes, was the longest game (by time) in Cubs’ history. It surpassed the previous record of six hours, 10 minutes that it took the Cubs and Dodgers to play 21 innings on Aug. 17...
Are there people who oppose Obama because he's black? Yes, obviously. But there are also just as many who falsely attribute all of his failings to alleged racism.
Sullivan defends `decent, pragmatic' Obama
From Andrew Sullivan's blog essay, Why Am I Moving Left? From that first stimulus vote on, [Barack] Obama faced a unanimous and relentless nullification Congress. If he favored something, they opposed it. Despite Obama’s exemplary family life, public grace and composure, and willingness to comp...
I have a really hard time believing that the High-Five wasn't used prior to Dusty's home run in 1977.
Land of Linkin'
An occasional listing of intriguing, wacky, useful, provocative and otherwise interesting links that readers and I have come across and think you might want to see. Kafka's Joke Book: A horse walks into a bar. The bartender asks, “Why the long face?” “I was born into servitude, and when I die,...
@JaKeH,
The real question here is whether Democrats generally -- the people who voted *for* Obamacare, keep in mind, their opinion is the one that counts -- intended to slip in a secret, relatively unnoticed poison pill that would allow states to remove one leg (subsidies) of the three-legged stool holding up the whole policy, the other two being restrictions on insurers (no denying coverage for preexisting conditions, etc.) and the mandate, thus allowing it to collapse. I think the answer is obvious: of course not. It's simply illogical and absurd to believe that they anticipated states not setting up exchanges, as they obviously did by establishing the federal replacement, and not also anticipated that subsidies would be available through such exchanges."
The Occam's Razor answer is that they really wanted states to establish their own exchanges and figured that the "poison pill" of lost subsidies would ensure that goal (after all, how else could they incentivize participation?) As it turns out, the pill was not poisonous enough.
There is AMPLE history to contradict the "typo" claim.
The 'Moops' attack on Obamacare
It's very clear that the architects of Obamacare and all those who voted for it made the equivalent of a typo when they failed to specify that health-insurance subsidies would also be available to residents of states covered by federal exchanges, not just state exchanges. A federal circuit court...
@JakeH,
"The federal exchanges were clearly meant to stand in the shoes of the state exchanges"
Then why even have state-run exchanges?
The 'Moops' attack on Obamacare
It's very clear that the architects of Obamacare and all those who voted for it made the equivalent of a typo when they failed to specify that health-insurance subsidies would also be available to residents of states covered by federal exchanges, not just state exchanges. A federal circuit court...
@rayspace
"With this in mind, the defendants’ primary counterargument points to ACA §§ 1311 and 1321, which, when read in tandem with 26 U.S.C. § 36B, provide an equally plausible understanding of the statute"
So if you have two competing arguments with "equal plausibility," shouldn't the one supported by the actual text of the statute prevail?
The 'Moops' attack on Obamacare
It's very clear that the architects of Obamacare and all those who voted for it made the equivalent of a typo when they failed to specify that health-insurance subsidies would also be available to residents of states covered by federal exchanges, not just state exchanges. A federal circuit court...
JakeH,
The authors may have anticipated some states would not participate, but since the federal government could not compel states to create an exchange, it created incentives to participate, namely the subsidies. A federal exchange was available as a backup, but that doesn't automatically mean it was supposed to get the exact same treatment the same as state-run exchanges.
http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/articles/cannon-adler-health-matrix-23.pdf
The 'Moops' attack on Obamacare
It's very clear that the architects of Obamacare and all those who voted for it made the equivalent of a typo when they failed to specify that health-insurance subsidies would also be available to residents of states covered by federal exchanges, not just state exchanges. A federal circuit court...
Trying to figure out how you get out of the net...
Nets to you
Would you go on this amusement park "ride"?
Greg is 100% correct. Congress meant for the tax credits to serve as an incentive for states to establish their own exchanges, and as Greg said, it is up to the ACA defenders to prove that the plain text of the law was not the intent.
The 'Moops' attack on Obamacare
It's very clear that the architects of Obamacare and all those who voted for it made the equivalent of a typo when they failed to specify that health-insurance subsidies would also be available to residents of states covered by federal exchanges, not just state exchanges. A federal circuit court...
"Doesn't really matter what Rauner proposes."
Agreed, my biggest hope for Rauner would be the ability to limit further damage to the state until Madigan passes away.
Where’s the math? -- Hard to figure how Rauner’s ‘blueprint’ puts us in the black
“I can’t really comment on his wording,” said Bruce Rauner, the man who would be governor, responding Monday to reporters’ questions about a judge’s ruling that a legislative term limits referendum doesn’t belong on the November ballot. “I haven’t seen it.” (story) Evidently not, or he would hav...
Now that the gov is running out of banks to extort money from, they are turning to other large companies, like FedEx:
The gov says FedEx knowingly transported illegal drugs from illegal online pharmacies to customers from 2000-2010.
FedEx says BS. They asked the government for a list of these supposed pharmacies that are illegal and the government wouldn't provide such a list and basically told FedEx to figure it out on their own.
FedEx wrote:
"We want to be clear what’s at stake here: the government is suggesting that FedEx assume criminal responsibility for the legality of the contents of the millions of packages that we pick up and deliver every day. We are a transportation company – we are not law enforcement. We have no interest in violating the privacy of our customers. We continue to stand ready and willing to support and assist law enforcement. We cannot, however, do the job of law enforcement ourselves."
Typical government stupidity.
Open thread: The Weeks in Review
The Afternoon Shift (WBEZ-FM) Neil Steinberg and I, the Colonial Babies, break it all down with Justin Kaufmann. Chicago Newsroom CAN TV: Host Ken Davis is joined by Mick Dumke (Chicago Reader) and Natalie Moore (WBEZ). They discuss the upcoming mayoral election, and question using the term, ...
DrX,
"if this was something recorded with a hidden camera while he was in a bathroom stall, then it actually isn't reasonable to have expected that this would be seen by the world. Odds are very small that a you're on hidden camera when you're in a stall in a men's room. I certainly wouldn't assume a fourteen year old would anticipate this remote possibility."
The article stated it was another student who peaked over the stall and recorded it (presumably with his phone).
The price of cruelty
CBS: A San Diego couple says their 14-year-old son committed suicide after an embarrassing video surreptitiously taken of him in a school bathroom went viral and led to him being "mercilessly bullied."...The parents said officials with the San Diego Unified School District were aware of the vid...
Dr X,
I don't see any details in the article about the bullying...do you know more that you can share?
Let's forget for a moment that the incident was recorded. Instead let's say he was masturbating out in the open in the bathroom and three kids walked in and caught him red handed (no pun intended). I think he SHOULD expect to be teased about it, and the grief that follows is mostly his own doing.
The price of cruelty
CBS: A San Diego couple says their 14-year-old son committed suicide after an embarrassing video surreptitiously taken of him in a school bathroom went viral and led to him being "mercilessly bullied."...The parents said officials with the San Diego Unified School District were aware of the vid...
Regarding #2 (the Cubs), I think Ricketts is attempting his own "do over" in that the price he paid Sam Zell was already heavily discounted based on known restrictions--not only with the rooftops but with the landmarks commission.
Dire straitjackets: Bad deals remind us to take the long view
Consider these six deals: 1. In 2003, the Chicago Park District entered into a 20-year contract that exempted the new Park Grill restaurant in Millennium Park from property taxes and from paying for garbage pickup, water and gas. 2. In 2004, the Cubs entered into a 20-season agreement with the...
LizH,
Just because a job is hard or unpleasant doesn't mean it commands or deserves high compensation.
As for the banks, these fines are just a shakedown by the government. The real culprits (aside from those who took out fraudulent loans) were the ratings agencies and the policies encouraging home ownership to those who could not afford it.
Dire straitjackets: Bad deals remind us to take the long view
Consider these six deals: 1. In 2003, the Chicago Park District entered into a 20-year contract that exempted the new Park Grill restaurant in Millennium Park from property taxes and from paying for garbage pickup, water and gas. 2. In 2004, the Cubs entered into a 20-season agreement with the...
GJO'L,
I don't view that incident as bullying...mistaken identity, yes, but sounds like he was defending himself (albeit disproportionately to the perceived offense).
The price of cruelty
CBS: A San Diego couple says their 14-year-old son committed suicide after an embarrassing video surreptitiously taken of him in a school bathroom went viral and led to him being "mercilessly bullied."...The parents said officials with the San Diego Unified School District were aware of the vid...
Two questions:
1. Why do you think the boy didn't be more careful in hiding his activities? He had to know what he was doing was potentially embarrassing, and he had to know someone was in the next stall. He was either extremely careless or perhaps part of him wanted it to be made public.
2. The person who recorded the act was clearly wrong and should be punished SEVERELY. But what do you expect kids to do when they are made aware of something like this? Teasing is expected. I'm not saying the kid should be beaten up (if he was), but at that point it's contrary to human nature to expect kids to simply ignore it.
The price of cruelty
CBS: A San Diego couple says their 14-year-old son committed suicide after an embarrassing video surreptitiously taken of him in a school bathroom went viral and led to him being "mercilessly bullied."...The parents said officials with the San Diego Unified School District were aware of the vid...
@SF,
"But, "government job" is such an amazingly broad category that it seems silly to lump them all together anyway. I always wonder exactly what kind of job people are imagining when they talk about this cushy, overpaid government job."
I agree...for purposes of this discussion I think many of us envision the lifers at the DMV and not the top scientists at the CDC.
Dire straitjackets: Bad deals remind us to take the long view
Consider these six deals: 1. In 2003, the Chicago Park District entered into a 20-year contract that exempted the new Park Grill restaurant in Millennium Park from property taxes and from paying for garbage pickup, water and gas. 2. In 2004, the Cubs entered into a 20-season agreement with the...
@JL,
"As mentioned in my previous post, it also is a terrible approach if we hope to act like private companies and try to attract and retain top talent."
When you're discussing unions, "top talent" does not come into play. The very structure of a union rewards the weak and penalizes the better employees.
Dire straitjackets: Bad deals remind us to take the long view
Consider these six deals: 1. In 2003, the Chicago Park District entered into a 20-year contract that exempted the new Park Grill restaurant in Millennium Park from property taxes and from paying for garbage pickup, water and gas. 2. In 2004, the Cubs entered into a 20-season agreement with the...
"They had a good union that negotiated in good faith for pensions"
Sure, the union negotiated in good faith; the politicians did not.
"And even if we agree with the $39,231 figure, I'd hardly call that generous - it's awfully hard to live on that kind of money, especially in the Chicago area"
Give me a break. It's called RETIREMENT. To paraphrase Mike Royko, it's assumed you no longer need to buy another toaster, or spend a lot of money on clothes. You should be downsizing. And any pension or SS should be a supplement to savings. Pensions were never intended to be salary-level incomes, though they have become that due to greed.
Dire straitjackets: Bad deals remind us to take the long view
Consider these six deals: 1. In 2003, the Chicago Park District entered into a 20-year contract that exempted the new Park Grill restaurant in Millennium Park from property taxes and from paying for garbage pickup, water and gas. 2. In 2004, the Cubs entered into a 20-season agreement with the...
"Could the legislature pass a constitutional amendment that let's the state off the hook? I'm not advocating this or suggesting that it's politically practical, but just asking if, from a legal standpoint, the state could get out of the pension problem with an amendment.
ZORN REPLY -- Sure. Could it be done politically, though? I doubt it."
When things get bad enough, they will amend the constitution. It's inevitable. And it's not accurate to say the pension issue is dissimilar from the parking meter and Park Grill deals. They are all a result of insider deals that harm the public.
Dire straitjackets: Bad deals remind us to take the long view
Consider these six deals: 1. In 2003, the Chicago Park District entered into a 20-year contract that exempted the new Park Grill restaurant in Millennium Park from property taxes and from paying for garbage pickup, water and gas. 2. In 2004, the Cubs entered into a 20-season agreement with the...
When I was buying suits in my 20s, I was amazed that the suits with a size 48 coat would typically come with pants having a "drop" of 5 inches (i.e., a 43-inch waist). I had to have major alterations to fit my 34-inch waist. It's 20 years later, and I am thankful for the 5 inch drop and understand why that's the standard.
Because the mu-mu was already taken
From Sunday's paper:"Men's slim suits: Tight or just not right?" Those tight-fitting suits for men — they used to signal the wearer hailed from Paris or London, or at least did his shopping there. Now they're ubiquitous as the apparel industry discovers that male America has a growing taste for ...
The MLB all-star game is far and away the best all-star game due to the nature of the sport. The other major team sports are heavily dependent on the experience of having the offenses and especially defenses working in concert (defense is a joke in most AS games). Football is probably the lamest AS game, as they actually change the rules for the Pro Bowl (e.g., no blitzing).
Baseball's AS game is real baseball...with the exception of the debacle from several years ago when Brenly and Torre ran out of players (heaven forbid they save them for extra innings).
Speaking of sports
Paul Sullivan is clearly a man after my own heart, always wanting to tinker with the sports: MLB All-Star Game could use some changes. I never watch all-star games. They seem like a vestige of the days when sports broadcasts were comparatively rare and if, say, you lived in an American League c...
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