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THEY take care of Themselves.
Author: Raine    Date: 04/26/2013 15:14:48

Last night the Senate voted to end the furloughs for Air Traffic Controllers. Today it appears to be heading toward the House for a vote.
The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed by unanimous consent a bill that would end the furloughs of air traffic controllers. The furloughs have been blamed for widespread delays at the nation's airports.

The bill approved late Thursday would allow the transportation secretary to move up to $253 million during the rest of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.


You know what the Senate didn't vote to end? The funding cuts for Meals on Wheels. It's a little program that helps the elderly stay in their homes, instead of having to relocate to a nursing home.
Freddie Neese does not want to live in a nursing home.

The 66-year-old who has congestive heart failure and an enlarged heart said he's able to stay in his own home - for now - with help from programs such as Meals on Wheels.

He greets volunteers who bring him prepared, healthy meals that include vegetables and fruits with a smile - and great appreciation.

"I don't want to be in a nursing home. I want to be in my own home and I want to live here as long as I can," said Neese, whose wife passed away in 2001. "Getting these meals means a lot to me.

"I don't know what I would do without it."

But this program both locally and nationwide will face tough financial times if, as expected, it becomes a victim of sequestration, the $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts triggered because leaders couldn't agree on a better way to cut federal spending.


You know what else the Senate didn't vote on? Restoring funds for Head Start.
Across the country, administrators of Head Start -- the federal preschool educational, health and nutritional program for disadvantaged children -- have begun taking drastic measures to meet the 5-percent cut as mandated under the sequester. Unlike other agencies that have used budget dexterity to temporarily put off those cuts, Head Start has been forced to deal with budget gaps now because the school year ends this spring.

What's resulted is a series of operational changes that have left needy families even further in the lurch.

In Palm Beach County, for instance, Head Start has ended its bus service, forcing families for 2,300 children to find their own methods of transportation.

That's a relatively minor inconvenience compared to the other challenges Head Start parents now face. Many have been forced to figure out what to do with their children (often 3- to 5-years-old) during the days that the program will no longer be operational -- dozens of chapters have said they will shut their doors weeks early. Others have seen their child thrown off the Head Start rolls entirely. In Wisconsin, 700 families could end up losing Head Start access. In Cincinnati, nearly 200 children are at risk. In Oklahoma City, that number is 100.


Another thing the Senate didn't vote to end: restoring funding to treat cancer for Medicare patients.
"If we treated the patients receiving the most expensive drugs, we’d be out of business in six months to a year," said Jeff Vacirca, chief executive of North Shore Hematology Oncology Associates in New York. "The drugs we're going to lose money on we're not going to administer right now."
After an emergency meeting Tuesday, Vacirca's clinics decided that they would no longer see one-third of their 16,000 Medicare patients.

"A lot of us are in disbelief that this is happening," he said. "It's a choice between seeing these patients and staying in business."
They also didn't vote to replace funding for Section 8 housing.
The same story is playing out in public housing agencies around the country, according to Douglas Rice, senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Last week he authored a report that found 140,000 low-income families could be denied access to rental assistance by early next year because of the sequester.

"The severity of the shortfall in voucher renewal funding caused by sequestration is unprecedented in the history of the program," Rice wrote in the report. "Facing such large shortfalls, agencies will be forced to take steps to reduce program costs quickly, even as they spend down reserves."
There was no vote to re-institute the military tuition program:
“The secretary of the Army has approved the suspension of tuition assistance effective March 8, 2013, a statement on the GoArmyEd website read in part. ”Soldiers will no longer be permitted to submit new requests…However, soldiers currently enrolled in courses approved for tuition assistance are not affected, and will be allowed to complete current course enrollment(s). This change in the Army tuition assistance program applies to all soldiers, including the Army National Guard and Army Reserves. The Army understands the impacts of this decision and will re-evaluate the decision if the budgetary situation improves.”


Elderly, children, troops, poor and sick people -- none of them got a vote last night. By unanimous consent, (in other words, no floor vote happened) this problem ended:
Furloughs for 47,000 Federal Aviation Administration employees went into effect Sunday, causing 1,200 flight delays in the system Monday. That number fell short of the up to 6,700 flights per day the FAA has said could be affected, but it has already caused concern on both sides of the aisle.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blamed "poor planning" and "political motives" for the delays.

Air traffic controllers are going back to work.
This episode shows whose problems Washington takes seriously. The FAA debacle is bad for the whole economy, but it particularly hurts people who fly a lot, who tend to be affluent. Members of Congress themselves also happen to fly a lot. As a result, we've gone from problem onset to legislative solution in about five days. (snip)

The FAA fix has been sold as an effort to ensure that sequestration does not interfere with "essential" government services. When lawmakers say "essential," they apparently mean "essential to people like me."

This outcome should alarm Democrats. Republicans don't like to talk too loudly about it, but the core of their long-term fiscal plan is to sharply reduce programs that aid the poor. Last year's House budget proposal cut $800 billion from Medicaid over 10 years, on top of a repeal of the Medicaid expansion and the rest of the Affordable Care Act, and it cut a further $800 billion from income security programs such as food stamps. (snip)

The FAA fight is a done deal. But Obama must be careful not to allow a series of piecemeal fixes that concentrate sequestration's effects solely on the poor. In coming months, as sequestration continues to unfold, defense contractors and military communities will be coming to Washington seeking relief. That lobby also may be powerful, but the Obama administration must tie a solution for them to one that helps the poor and the unemployed.


If there was ever a question about priorities, let it be known that 100 people in the Untied States Senate will take care of themselves, first. They got theirs, and fuck everyone else.

and
Raine
 

54 comments (Latest Comment: 04/27/2013 00:20:17 by Raine)
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Comment by wickedpam on 04/26/2013 13:08:27
Morning

My neck of the woods? - as per usually I have craptastic next door neighbors, other then that not a whole lot other then getting some stuff in the garden

Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 13:10:34
Morning, comrades.

Some news out of Boston.....Dzhokar has been transferred from BWH to a military facility at Fort Devens. (Ayer, MA).

There's a growing rumour that the MBTA officer shot may have been a victim of friendly fire.

And I visited Troop 30 (Watertown) last night, across the street from The Zone. Several scouts live in that neighborhood, as well as the Scoutmaster. One kid's house was "riddled with bullets". It's a wonder there weren't more folks killed or hurt, according to what I heard first-hand last night.



Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 13:20:12
I've dusted off my old Unit Commissioner hat. National gives us a tool to assess a unit's health. I've run worksheets for both Troop 250 (home unit) and Troop 30 (visited). The results are quite revelationary.

Of course, I'm not Unit Commissioner anymore, so anything I can do to influence things is rather limited.



Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 13:23:31
More Friday tidbits:

Did you know that water flowing through a plastic Poland Springs dispenser nozzle can generate a static charge, and that it fucking hurts?

Also, the "U" and "I" keys are right next to each other on a Dvorak layout. Because of my neuropathy, I don't always get my fingers on the right keys. Fortunately, I was able to correct this morning's "Claim Lust" before I distributed it.



Comment by trojanrabbit on 04/26/2013 13:25:44
Hmmm....let's see, besides what Tri already said.

2nd morning in a row I really had to drag myself out of bed, with a lot of nudging from Sophie. Daddy, I'm HUNGRY!!!! I haven't eaten in at least 8 hours! FEED ME!

One of the pre-war GE TV sets went for $5K in that antique auction. Be interesting if the purchaser tries to restore it. You can't even connect those to a VCR or DVD player to view anything, they use a totally different standard (probably 441 scanning lines instead of 525). The real serious collectors/restorers will go through a lot to get a historical set working again.

Sorry, my TV geek hat is really on tight today.

Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 13:40:29
Quote by trojanrabbit:
Sorry, my TV geek hat is really on tight today.



I'll see your TV geek and raise you an aviation geek.

I left my ipod in the car again today. So, I was just thinking that I probably need to run my checklists again. In aviation, there are all kinds of checklists for the various phases of flight.

I made three for the car, a startup and shutdown list, and one for an "inflight emergency" as it were. (After my accident last year). One of the items is indeed "Disconnect and Stow iPod".



Comment by trojanrabbit on 04/26/2013 13:48:36
Quote by TriSec:
Quote by trojanrabbit:
Sorry, my TV geek hat is really on tight today.



I'll see your TV geek and raise you an aviation geek.

I left my ipod in the car again today. So, I was just thinking that I probably need to run my checklists again. In aviation, there are all kinds of checklists for the various phases of flight.

I made three for the car, a startup and shutdown list, and one for an "inflight emergency" as it were. (After my accident last year). One of the items is indeed "Disconnect and Stow iPod".



Same here, especially when sometimes I decide at the last minute which car I'm going to take. If I'm lucky I only forget an iPod or phone charging cable. If I'm not lucky I'll forget the med container. I suppose I'll catch hell if I forget "my" laptop. And that works both ways, lots of times the meds or the lunch cooler accidentally stay at work.

Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 14:00:21
I have returned.

Already a busy morning. I am loving the banter today.

Comment by trojanrabbit on 04/26/2013 14:07:54
I've been so busy with testing stuff, I haven't been able to do any "programming". I think that part of the brain has really gone dormant. I still live in constant fear of the next Excel version "breaking" something. Fortunately I haven't been forced to "upgrade" from Office 2007 on the workstation PC.

Comment by BobR on 04/26/2013 14:16:31
Quote by TriSec:
Quote by trojanrabbit:
Sorry, my TV geek hat is really on tight today.

I'll see your TV geek and raise you an aviation geek.

I left my ipod in the car again today. So, I was just thinking that I probably need to run my checklists again. In aviation, there are all kinds of checklists for the various phases of flight.

I made three for the car, a startup and shutdown list, and one for an "inflight emergency" as it were. (After my accident last year). One of the items is indeed "Disconnect and Stow iPod".

The biggest problem with any checklist is inconsistent implementation, generally as a result of hubris. Once you think you know everything on there by heart and stop looking at it, you start missing things.

Comment by wickedpam on 04/26/2013 14:17:26
oh wow - George Jones has died.

Comment by BobR on 04/26/2013 14:22:58
Quote by wickedpam:
oh wow - George Jones has died.

Another icon passed (Country Music Division).

I wonder what that means for his line of dog food?
Tagline: "If George says it's good, then it's good, by George!"

No, I'm not kidding.

Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 14:30:12
Quote by BobR:

The biggest problem with any checklist is inconsistent implementation, generally as a result of hubris. Once you think you know everything on there by heart and stop looking at it, you start missing things.



TriSec agrees, as he overlooks a flap setting and drives his Boeing into the ground.



Comment by wickedpam on 04/26/2013 14:53:05
apparently everyone wants to have a loud meeting in the hall today

Comment by Scoopster on 04/26/2013 14:53:26
Mornin' all & Happy Fridee!!

Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 15:06:31
Quote by wickedpam:
apparently everyone wants to have a loud meeting in the hall today



Maybe you should discharge a fire extinguisher in their general direction.

Comment by wickedpam on 04/26/2013 15:08:06
Quote by TriSec:
Quote by wickedpam:
apparently everyone wants to have a loud meeting in the hall today



Maybe you should discharge a fire extinguisher in their general direction.


not a bad idea - though then I'm not a team player and my anti-social roots start to show


Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 15:32:34
BLOG POSTED!!!!


Comment by trojanrabbit on 04/26/2013 15:35:54
Yup, it's amazing what these fucking pigs will do when it's THEIR ox being gored.

Serves 'em right if Obama vetoes it. But he doesn't have the backbone, either.

Comment by wickedpam on 04/26/2013 15:42:56
You know my fave part about this whole FAA thing was when one Congress person (wish I could find quote) I heard on WTOP say they should have cut office staff first they aren't important.

Ya good luck with getting any of your paperwork or reports processed ass.

Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 15:45:14
Quote by wickedpam:
You know my fave part about this whole FAA thing was when one Congress person (wish I could find quote) I heard on WTOP say they should have cut office staff first they aren't important.

Ya good luck with getting any of your paperwork or reports processed ass.
They are really assholes. This stunt is so damn transparent it's ridiculous.

"Our goal here shouldn't be to score political points on the backs of weary travelers, it should be to fix the problem," McConnell said on the Senate floor Tuesday, citing the FAA's "mismanagement of this issue."
Seriously -- he said that shit.





Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 15:47:51
Of course, the real irony is that no congressman actually flies commercially these days.

It's either on a taxpayer plane or a corporate jet. Tax jets will of course get priority, but I suppose the corporates will get hung up by ATC like everyone else.

I'd have to guess that the difference here is people stuck on airplanes get mad and make phone calls....cancer patients, the elderly, the hungry, the poor...generally don't.



Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 15:50:08
You are aware that the whole FAA thing is a manufactured crisis? The tax on airfares was designed and targeted to pay for ATC. The sequester didn't change the tax collection here, but what it did do was remove the targeted allocation. So that money has just been sitting there and has not been used. Congress is just releasing the funds to pay for what they were designed to pay for in the first place.


Comment by trojanrabbit on 04/26/2013 15:52:24
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
You know my fave part about this whole FAA thing was when one Congress person (wish I could find quote) I heard on WTOP say they should have cut office staff first they aren't important.

Ya good luck with getting any of your paperwork or reports processed ass.
They are really assholes. This stunt is so damn transparent it's ridiculous.

"Our goal here shouldn't be to score political points on the backs of weary travelers, it should be to fix the problem," McConnell said on the Senate floor Tuesday, citing the FAA's "mismanagement of this issue."
Seriously -- he said that shit.




I wouldn't expect anything different from McTurtle.

But Democrats had to start this. Yup, gotta keep those business people flying. Fuck everyone else. I'd love to see how Warren voted on this. I might be seriously pissed off at her.

ETA - ah, unanimous consent. Fuck them. I'm gonna have to play Macarone's song full volume on the way home.

Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 15:58:48
Not sure what the "official" term is, but it looks like it was passed in the Senate by acclaim.

Senate passes bill


WASHINGTON --
Legislation to end furloughs of air traffic controllers and delays for millions of travelers is headed to a House vote after the Senate approved legislation late Thursday giving the Federal Aviation Administration budget wiggle room that wouldn't require controllers to take unpaid days off.

The bill passed without even a roll call vote, and today the House of Representatives s expected to approve the legislation just in time for lawmakers to head to the airports for a weeklong vacation.




Comment by trojanrabbit on 04/26/2013 16:03:13
Quote by TriSec:
Not sure what the "official" term is, but it looks like it was passed in the Senate by acclaim.

Senate passes bill


WASHINGTON --
Legislation to end furloughs of air traffic controllers and delays for millions of travelers is headed to a House vote after the Senate approved legislation late Thursday giving the Federal Aviation Administration budget wiggle room that wouldn't require controllers to take unpaid days off.

The bill passed without even a roll call vote, and today the House of Representatives s expected to approve the legislation just in time for lawmakers to head to the airports for a weeklong vacation.



I think the official term is "being cowardly pieces of shit"

Comment by Scoopster on 04/26/2013 16:03:43
Quote by TriSec:
Not sure what the "official" term is, but it looks like it was passed in the Senate by acclaim.

Senate passes bill


WASHINGTON --
Legislation to end furloughs of air traffic controllers and delays for millions of travelers is headed to a House vote after the Senate approved legislation late Thursday giving the Federal Aviation Administration budget wiggle room that wouldn't require controllers to take unpaid days off.

The bill passed without even a roll call vote, and today the House of Representatives s expected to approve the legislation just in time for lawmakers to head to the airports for a weeklong vacation.


Unanimous Consent, I believe?

Comment by Scoopster on 04/26/2013 16:04:14
Or that Rabbit.. heh

Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 16:11:22
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by TriSec:
Not sure what the "official" term is, but it looks like it was passed in the Senate by acclaim.

Senate passes bill


WASHINGTON --
Legislation to end furloughs of air traffic controllers and delays for millions of travelers is headed to a House vote after the Senate approved legislation late Thursday giving the Federal Aviation Administration budget wiggle room that wouldn't require controllers to take unpaid days off.

The bill passed without even a roll call vote, and today the House of Representatives s expected to approve the legislation just in time for lawmakers to head to the airports for a weeklong vacation.


Unanimous Consent, I believe?
I mentioned that in the blog.
Elderly, children, troops, poor and sick people -- none of them got a vote last night. By unanimous consent, (in other words, no floor vote happened) this problem ended:


Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 16:14:43
Quote by TriSec:
You are aware that the whole FAA thing is a manufactured crisis? The tax on airfares was designed and targeted to pay for ATC. The sequester didn't change the tax collection here, but what it did do was remove the targeted allocation. So that money has just been sitting there and has not been used. Congress is just releasing the funds to pay for what they were designed to pay for in the first place.
In the ABC link I have in the blog, they have something about what you wrote that perked my attention:

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association decried the furloughs on Tuesday, saying that the FAA is paying some workers overtime to cover for furloughed employees.

"It's simple math - furloughing controllers earning base while paying others base pay plus an additional 50 percent will not result in savings," the NATCA said in statement. (snip)

"The FAA has initiated a series of cost-saving measures ... but the fact is 70 percent of the FAA's operations budget is personnel, so there is simply no way to avoid furloughs," Carney said at the daily press briefing Tuesday. "If Congress wants to address this matter then they should act, but this is something that only by law Congress can do."







Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 16:19:55
:blink: Ed is killing me today.

Comment by trojanrabbit on 04/26/2013 16:21:31
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
You are aware that the whole FAA thing is a manufactured crisis? The tax on airfares was designed and targeted to pay for ATC. The sequester didn't change the tax collection here, but what it did do was remove the targeted allocation. So that money has just been sitting there and has not been used. Congress is just releasing the funds to pay for what they were designed to pay for in the first place.
In the ABC link I have in the blog, they have something about what you wrote that perked my attention:

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association decried the furloughs on Tuesday, saying that the FAA is paying some workers overtime to cover for furloughed employees.

"It's simple math - furloughing controllers earning base while paying others base pay plus an additional 50 percent will not result in savings," the NATCA said in statement. (snip)

"The FAA has initiated a series of cost-saving measures ... but the fact is 70 percent of the FAA's operations budget is personnel, so there is simply no way to avoid furloughs," Carney said at the daily press briefing Tuesday. "If Congress wants to address this matter then they should act, but this is something that only by law Congress can do."






WTF?

Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 16:21:44
The strange sad tale of the boston bombing just got stranger:
After cooperating with FBI investigators for two days of (possibly fruitless) questioning this week, Zubeidat and Anzor Tsarnaev are now laying low. CNN has the report on their undisclosed whereabouts:

The parents of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects have left their home in Dagestan for another part of Russia, the suspects' mother Zubeidat Tsarnaev told CNN Friday. She said the suspects' father, Anzor Tsarnaev, is delaying his trip to the United States indefinitely.


Comment by wickedpam on 04/26/2013 16:27:23
Quote by Raine:
:blink: Ed is killing me today.


why? cause he's talking Duck Dynasty?


Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 16:32:50
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
:blink: Ed is killing me today.


why? cause he's talking Duck Dynasty?

No, it was his droning on about not knowing celebrities and white house dinners and

Comment by wickedpam on 04/26/2013 16:35:22
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
:blink: Ed is killing me today.


why? cause he's talking Duck Dynasty?

No, it was his droning on about not knowing celebrities and white house dinners and


aaahhh - yea, I get ya.


Comment by livingonli on 04/26/2013 16:53:13
Good day, folks. I guess now I'm thinking of the Roman Senate scene in "History of the World, Part 1" where they shout in unison "Fuck the Poor" since that does seem to be the mantra.

Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 16:55:56
And then there's this today.


The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has given tacit approval to the Boy Scouts’ proposal to allow gay youth to join, saying they “appreciate the positive things” included in the plan to end the organization's controversial ban on gay boys.

The Boy Scouts of America last week proposed allowing gay youth – but not adults – to participate in the private youth organization. That came two months after they floated the idea of allowing gays and lesbians of all ages to join, a proposal that was denounced by the conservative religious groups that make up a bulk of Scouting.

“We are grateful to BSA for their careful consideration of these issues. We appreciate the positive things contained in this current proposal that will help build and strengthen the moral character and leadership skills of youth as we work together in the future,” the LDS church said Thursday in a statement posted to their website.

“The current BSA proposal constructively addresses a number of important issues that have been part of the ongoing dialogue, including consistent standards for all BSA partners, recognition that Scouting exists to serve and benefit youth rather than Scout leaders, a single standard of moral purity for youth in the program, and a renewed emphasis for Scouts to honor their duty to God."

The Mormon church tops the list of membership enrollment numbers, with 431,000 youths participating in LDS-sponsored units as of Dec. 31, 2012. That was followed by the United Methodist Church at 364,000 and the Catholic Church at 274,000. More than 70 percent of Scouting units are chartered to faith-based groups.


This changes things a bit. My read on this now is they now the flawed proposal is going to pass, so the Church has come out with this.

Of course, the reason we have the ban in the first place is BECAUSE the Mormons run the show. This could be major.



Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 18:12:10
Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 18:45:04
My IQ continues to plummet.



Comment by Scoopster on 04/26/2013 18:48:39
What's the latest word on Herr Mondo?

Comment by Scoopster on 04/26/2013 19:03:12
Comment by TriSec on 04/26/2013 19:04:59


Remember a few years back (It may have been after Columbine, if memory serves) the brief "see-through backpack" craze?

Yeah, that worked well.


Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 19:29:41
Quote by TriSec:


Remember a few years back (It may have been after Columbine, if memory serves) the brief "see-through backpack" craze?

Yeah, that worked well.

Speaking of backpacks -- don;'t you think these would go well with the uniforms?

Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 19:36:08
Quote by Scoopster:
What's the latest word on Herr Mondo?
no news.

I assume he is still in the hospital. Y'all can pm me if you want his number.


Comment by Mondobubba on 04/26/2013 19:44:37
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Scoopster:
What's the latest word on Herr Mondo?
no news.

I assume he is still in the hospital. Y'all can pm me if you want his number.


I'm suppose to have another CT done today. But since this is a hospital, it could happen at any moment. On another note, soap is one of the blessings of civilization.

Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 19:55:08
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Scoopster:
What's the latest word on Herr Mondo?
no news.

I assume he is still in the hospital. Y'all can pm me if you want his number.


I'm suppose to have another CT done today. But since this is a hospital, it could happen at any moment. On another note, soap is one of the blessings of civilization.





Comment by wickedpam on 04/26/2013 19:57:16
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Scoopster:
What's the latest word on Herr Mondo?
no news.

I assume he is still in the hospital. Y'all can pm me if you want his number.


I'm suppose to have another CT done today. But since this is a hospital, it could happen at any moment. On another note, soap is one of the blessings of civilization.





Good to see ya


Comment by Raine on 04/26/2013 19:58:04