Day: July 11, 2025

How Can Dems Lose?

College of Political Knowledge

DNC/Democratic Party

Paper #3

No secret that I dislike the Dems in Congress for they are doing nothing but reacting to everything Little Donny and his band of thugs are doing….they run to the nearest mike and bitch and moan and then sit back and wait for the next outrageous crap to happen.

As bad as the Trump administration is how can the Dems be losing on every front?  Especially on the Medicaid destruction bill that is before Congress as I type.

This article points to so many spots that Dems could get a stronghold with the voters…..but seem to be falling short…..why is that?

And so we watch as Senate Republicans argue about the degree to which they want to destroy Medicaid. You’ve been reading and hearing about this, I’m sure, and you may even have become familiar with the phrase “provider tax.” Journalistic shorthand usually does a poor job of explaining what that actually is. Bear with me for this brief explanation, because it makes clear how cruel and deliberate these cuts are.

Health care services that are reimbursed by Medicaid are, well, provided by a range of different “providers.” Chief among these are hospitals, but the category also includes nursing homes, other long-term care facilities, doctors, physical therapists, even chiropractors: all sorts of people. But the big money revolves around hospitals, and specifically rural hospitals, which rely heavily on Medicaid dollars because they are poorer on balance than other hospitals. They tend to be run on a nonprofit basis. They are less likely than urban or suburban hospitals to have commercial insurance, and they’re more dependent on Medicaid revenue because their client base tends to be poorer. There are about 1,800 rural hospitals in the United States. Here’s a map.

…

To make a long story short, when you reduce a tax, you reduce the amount of revenue it brings in. It’s also worth bearing in mind here that Medicaid reimbursements rarely cover the cost of care to begin with, so these cuts will make an already dire situation much worse. Governors and state legislatures will be staring at a quite substantial reduction in Medicaid tax revenue. They will then be faced with three choices: one, raise some other sort of tax; two, cut some other state service, like education; three, cut Medicaid services.

https://newrepublic.com/post/197356/democrats-losing-stupid-republicans-senate-bill-medicaid

I cannot understand how the Dems could be losing to the GOP on this destruction of a much needed program.

Are the American people that stupid?

Any ideas to share?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Food Prices–Up, Up And Away

If you feel you have to eat everyday then you are well aware of the prices of your groceries continue to make it extreme hard to eat as you would like.

I have noticed that a few of the stores that I visit have this trend of artisan food stuffs and damn they are expensive and it seems to be a growing trend.

Food prices have been steadily rising for years, but a new trend sweeping the grocery industry is making the situation even worse for middle-class shoppers. Across the country, more grocery chains are embracing upscale, boutique-style offerings. As a result, affordable staples that everyday shoppers rely on are nearly disappearing.

While these “premium” grocery formats may offer sleek aesthetics, artisan products, and organic selections, they come with a hidden cost: higher prices on basic goods. As these stores grow in popularity, many middle-income shoppers are finding themselves squeezed out of their own neighborhoods, forced to either pay inflated prices or drive long distances to find affordable alternatives.

Here’s why this grocery shift is happening, how it’s impacting the middle class, and why it’s a growing concern for families already struggling with the cost of living.

In many urban and suburban areas, traditional grocery stores are being replaced or rebranded into upscale, specialty-focused markets. These stores feature curated selections of organic, locally sourced, and “artisan” products. While appealing to affluent shoppers, they often reduce shelf space for budget-friendly brands or bulk items.

What’s driving this trend? Simply put, profit margins. Premium grocery items tend to carry much higher markups than basic pantry staples. Grocers can make more money by selling imported cheeses, boutique wines, and specialty health foods than by stocking generic canned goods or family-sized staples.

https://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2025/07/09/10160223_the-new-grocery-trend-thats-pricing-out-middle-class-shoppers.html

This is something you should watch out for in the future for it is a trap.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

AS long as we are talking about food prices…..

I am a devout beef eater and have been watching those prices shoot up and up why is that?

(I am not a rancher and do not buy or sell beef so if this article is in error please set the record straight)

Soaring U.S. beef prices are hitting consumers in the wallet and raising costs for restaurants.

“Anybody should be able to afford a burger,” said Andrew Schnipper, a managing partner at Hamburger America in New York City. “It’s never been an expensive item historically.”

Yet the restaurant may be forced to raise the price of its burgers, which start at $7.50. “We’re very focused on trying to charge the least amount we feel comfortable doing,” he added. “But obviously, if prices go up we have to raise prices.”

The cost of beef reached $5.98 per pound in May, according to Federal Reserve data — the highest since the Department of Labor started tracking beef prices in the 1980s. That rise hasn’t come overnight. Ground beef costs have increased 45% over the last 10 years, compared with roughly 30% for the overall Consumer Price Index.

Overall food prices have eased since surging during the pandemic, although they’re still up nearly 17% since 2022, according to the CBS News price tracker. That means a grocery bill that cost $100 back then would cost around $116.85 as of May (the latest data available).

So what accounts for higher beef prices? The answer largely comes down to simple economics, with demand outstripping supply. That has resulted in higher costs throughout the supply chain, including for meat processing companies, the restaurant industry and consumers.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/beef-prices-record-highs-drought/

There is always alternatives but those are almost as expensive…..so if you eat regularly you need to find people that can control the necessities like food.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

And Then The Rains Came

For week now the major story in the MSM has been the rains then flooding in Texas that has killed 100+ people and 150+ still missing presumed dead….there has been lots of back and forth on blame for this tragedy….there seems to be a wealth of misinformation in the saga so far….

I begin with an article in France24….

The catastrophic floods over the weekend have left more than a 100 people dead, including more than two dozen girls and counselors at a riverside summer camp, with rescuers racing on Tuesday to search for dozens of people still missing.

Multiple left-leaning accounts on the platform X peddled the unfounded claim that staffing cuts at the National Weather Service (NWS) by President Donald Trump’s administration had “degraded” its forecasting ability.

While the NWS, like other agencies, has experienced deep staffing and budget cuts under the Trump administration, experts say its forecasters rose to the challenge despite the constraints.

“There have been claims that (weather agencies) did not foresee catastrophic (Texas) floods — but that’s simply not true,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, wrote on Bluesky.

Read On….

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250708-texas-floods-misinformation-across-political-spectrum-sows-confusion

Then as usual there is a wealth stupid coming from Donny and his minions….

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem renewed her call Wednesday to “eliminate” the Federal Emergency Management Agency calling it “slow to respond” to the deadly floods that have killed more than 120 people in Texas over the past week.

…

Multiple sources said Noem waited until Monday to authorize the deployment of these search and rescue teams, more than 72 hours after the flooding began. Aerial imagery to aid in the search was also delayed waiting for Noem’s approval.

Noem used these very delays to justify her calls to disband FEMA entirely.

“Federal emergency management should be state and locally led, rather than how it has operated for decades,” she said. “It has been slow to respond at the federal level. It’s even been slower to get the resources to Americans in crisis, and that is why this entire agency needs to be eliminated as it exists today, and remade into a responsive agency.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/noem-fema-delays

A 72 hour delay in response time and then a call for an elimination of FEMA….was the delay [part of the pl;an to eliminate FEMA or just idiots playing golf and sipping martinis to be bothered with a response?

You tell me?

As suspect as this story is there was even more usual moronic blame being passed around….as usual it will be the Dems fault that this even took place….

Rightwing podcaster and influencer Charlie Kirk has claimed the death toll from the Texas floods “would not have been as high if it wasn’t for” diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Kirk made the comments during his program on Real America’s Voice, saying, “The Democrats are so despicable. The Democrats are not lifting a finger to remember the well over 100 that have died in Texas Hill Country.”

He added that what “you are not being told by the media anywhere, is that the death toll likely would not have been as high if it wasn’t for DEI.”

“This Texas tragedy is just the latest example,” Kirk went on. “It’s not just incompetence. This is DEI working to undermine meritocratic institutions, and more people likely died than otherwise would have because of DEI.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/charlie-kirk-texas-floods-dei-death-toll-b2785957.html

I am surprised that he did not blame immigrants….but is probably another story…

Oh there is more stupidity.

As Texas recovers from one of its deadliest floods, some Republicans are spreading a conspiracy theory that suggests that weather manipulation is to blame for the deadly flash floods that have killed at least 89 people.

Republicans, including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have accused the scientific practice of being used to harm and kill, with Greene proposing a bill on Saturday that would make weather modification, also called cloud seeding, a felony.

Greene has previously suggested that weather manipulation has been used to harm Republican-majority areas in the south.

Fellow Republican and Congressional candidate Kandiss Taylor, who is vying for a seat alongside Greene in Georgia, also slammed the practice while directly blaming it for Texas’ incredible deaths and destruction.

“This isn’t just ‘climate change.’ It’s cloud seeding, geoengineering, & manipulation,” she posted on X, without supplying any supporting evidence. “If fake weather causes real tragedy, that’s murder.”

“Fake weather. Fake hurricanes. Fake flooding. Fake. Fake. Fake,” she added in another post.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/weather-manipulation-conspiracy-theory-texas-floods_n_686c0c45e4b0082b3c90c01c

FOOLS!

But not to worry His Majesty plans to tour the damage today….

As President Donald Trump heads to Texas on Friday for a firsthand look at the devastation caused by catastrophic flooding, he has remained conspicuously quiet about his previous promises to do away with the federal agency in charge of disaster relief.

The Trump administration isn’t backing away from its pledges to shutter the Federal Emergency Management Agency and return disaster response to the states. But since the July 4 disaster, which has killed at least 120 people, the president and his top aides have focused on the once-in-a-lifetime nature of what occurred and the human tragedy involved rather than the government-slashing crusade that’s been popular with Trump’s core supporters.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-texas-floods-fema-phase-out-b77d9681d2d39f8c201351b54ecf944f

I am sure there will be another of his insulting speeches to follow….where no one is safe from blame and accusations.

Where will the next disaster hit?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”