Joe Ferguson forever

den of vipers...

A recent Instagram post earned supermodel Gigi Hadid nearly a half a million likes, but it wasn't a photo of herself or of the latest fashion trend. It was a quote from Benedictine Sr. Joan Chittister on the importance of being more broadly pro-life, not just "pro-birth." The quote — which Chittister confirmed she said during an interview with journalist Bill Moyers in 2004 — said: "I do not believe that just because you are opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, a child educated, a child housed. And why would I think that you don't? Because you don't want any tax money to go there. That's not pro-life. That's pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is."

hmmm...ever heard of instacart?

The guy has no conscience, no concern for anyone. I think he hates poor people more than any other group. But they’re to blame for eating the shite he’s fed them.

it reflects the fear that much of the electorate has that this will adversely affect them. It's that reality hitting them in the face. Few see this healthcare debacle as making America great again. And so far, all the R's are offering is that they don't feel it'll be that bad. Oz bluntly stated that the other day. "patriotic" displays and propaganda are rarely useful when people see a quality of life issue going the wrong way. We'll see more of it from SNAP and Medicaid cuts when the rubber meets the road.

Publicizing that was part of her resume for a job in the trump admin. She figured they'd value her ruthlessness. She was right.

sadly, what the populace wants isn't important to a king. but it could well cost him some pawns, knights and bishops.

45-33 would be a nice score for a Bills win Sunday night. It's not a good score for trump on the shutdown. https://thehill.com/homenews/5582193-trump-gop-blamed-shutdown/

Ozzy is a quick read. He's got the maga boss shite down already. He's always been good at lying. https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/not-big-issue-republicans-shrug-consumers-confront-health-care-sticker-rcna240722

agreed. trump should be in jail.

nope. Either the supplements get reinstated, millions of people who are currently insured become uninsured or we go to a Medicare for all model. My friend's no fool. The more I think about it, the more I suspect his concerns are warranted. We've had the discussion before. He knows I'm for universal coverage. I didn't rub it in. Honestly, I was shocked.

Trump could end this with another executive action. He’s used them for much less valid reasons.

No. I suppose that’s why my friend looked unwell tonight. He’s a solid R but not maga. He see’s his business starting to crumble. Cool. Avoid Tylenol and roundup and you’ll live forever. Maybe add some supplements hawked by our CMS czar. And if you can’t afford a proper surgery you might need to try that. But I’d advise against it.

But KFF found the amount that people pay for coverage is set to rise 114 percent on average because Congress has not extended the enhanced tax credits that help people afford insurance plans. we had marketplace plans for 3 years. No complaints.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5579055-window-shopping-2026-affordable-care-act-plans/ the shite is going to hit the fan when people see their premiums increase massively. was talking to a friend who happens to be an insurance agent we used for years for business. He said that Medicare for all is going to happen. I couldn’t really follow his reasoning but he looked gray and he’s very bright.

Because he and many like him think they validate their bizarre beliefs.

But these updates are all about some noble, proud assertion on the economy and not about self glorification…

or, they don't think they should be practicing independently. ding, ding, ding.

I pay a monthly fee to be part of a small panel of patients cared for by a single MD. I certainly feel it’s worth it. If I felt that care from a midlevel was equivalent, I wouldn’t spend the money. And in these undesirable places, depth of knowledge is even more important. Specialists are few and far between. I counsel my friends and family to do the same as me. The acceptance of inferior midlevels in place of physicians is a reason why healthcare quality is dropping. Dumbing down to the lowest common denominator is not a recipe for excellence. Don't Americans deserve excellence? Btw, most states require a supervising MD, for any practicing midlevels why do you think that is. Re seeing specialists, mid levels refer much more frequently which ultimately cost the patients more.

So, at the very least, don't worsen it. Maybe try to improve it?

Some is greater than none. This will worsen an already serious problem. And in pursuit of what? A more racially pure society?

There aren’t enough trained and highly educated Americans to fill the void. Not enough Americans to staff rural hospitals, for example, even with the H1B And even with the visas, rural hospitals need to pay much higher to anyone, including H1B recipients, to attract them to places like rural Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia, Appalachia etc. I ve gotten several job offers in the last few weeks but I’m done. Recruiting a 65 yo shows the depth of the shortage. They can’t expect me or anyone in my demographic to practice very long. Poor roi, but they are doing it. I’m sure it’s similar in IT but my first hand experience is in healthcare.

It now costs $100k just to get an H1B visa for professionals. One obvious consequence is the inability to recruit docs to rural areas. The same area that overwhelmingly voted maga. To a lesser but still substantial degree it wlll hurt all hospitals Other vital industries like engineering or IT will be affected to a similar degree. I wonder what it cost trump to obtain citizenship for Melena and her parents. https://legalunitedstates.com/trump-h1b-executive-order-2025/ Countries like India and China, which supply the majority of H1B professionals, are monitoring the situation closely. Indian IT firms such as Infosys and TCS could see reduced placements in U.S. offices, while American graduates may face less competition domestically. Meanwhile, Canada, the UK, and Australia are seizing the opportunity by rolling out fast-track visa programs to attract skilled professionals discouraged by the U.S. system.

How bout an Eastern European and her family who are now US citizens for no apparent legitimate legal reason? Are they equally American to you? what’s your threshold for being a full citizen? Depending on the number of generations required, some here may not qualify. Some of the trump administration too.

People haven’t started starving yet. Biz is really up at our local foodbank Hurray!