Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Mike 03

Mike 03's Journal
Mike 03's Journal
October 31, 2020

R.I.P.

"That's the Chicago Way." The Untouchables



October 30, 2020

Yes. Sometimes it's so hard to accept that there are actually people in this country

that do believe what he says. To me, that's almost more shocking than that the President of the United States is a pathological liar and psychopath.

And on another thread here at DU, we are discussing what to do about the at least two incompetent judges on the SCOTUS, just another problem to solve that when you examine it objectively is almost inconceivable. This is really an incredible moment in the history of this country.

October 30, 2020

Sometimes pressure can come from within the court, IIRC

I think it's in Woodward's book The Brethren, co-authored with Scott Armstrong. It's been a long time since I read it, but Justice William O. Douglas, who was a very great liberal but eccentric justice, suffered a serious stroke (and maybe more than one, I can't remember) that rendered him barely able to do his work. It affected his motor and cognitive function and his ability to speak coherently and sensibly. Reporters who covered the court noticed it too. He did try to stay on, perhaps too long, but in the end wasn't he pressured to leave from within the court?

The reason I raise this is because if Justice Barrett turns out to be incompetent, Chief Justice Roberts isn't going to want to preside over the court that brings down the reputation of the SCOTUS. Same for if Kavanaugh is a raging alcoholic, or becomes unable to function. I still think there's an outside chance for something like that to happen, where the Chief Justice gets together with other justices and says, "We can't have the court be in this shape, we have to do something, for the sake of the institution."

Impeachment is hard because it takes two thirds of the Senate.

Now could Kavanaugh be indicted for perjury or sexual assault, and be brought down purely as a criminal matter? I don't know. We can always hope.

(It's pretty remarkable that we are having this conversation about the SCOTUS).

Please, DUers who know this story better please jump in and correct any mistakes re: Justice Douglas.

October 30, 2020

The thing I always worry about with this administration is that they lie.

But this was something that was stated under oath by the secretary the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and reported all over the country, so I think people are relying on it, and that because of how and when it was said, it carries some legal authority. Also, to my knowledge, no one from this administration has ever come out and refuted it.

October 30, 2020

Four more (because there's no such thing as *too much evidence*)

Government will cover uninsured patients' coronavirus treatment

https://www.axios.com/government-uninsured-coronavirus-treatment-4bb08407-0ccd-4815-b3ab-bb9ad826b7e3.html

Federal government will pay for COVID-19 treatment for uninsured, HHS secretary says
https://abc30.com/health-insurance-obamacare-uninsured-coronavirus-treatment/6074727/

Breaking: Trump administration will reimburse providers for treating uninsured Covid-19 patients
The Trump administration announced on Friday that it would reimburse providers at Medicare rates if they treat uninsured patients for Covid-19. HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the funds would be pulled from $100 billion allocated to hospitals as part of the recently-passed stimulus bill.

https://medcitynews.com/2020/04/breaking-trump-administration-will-reimburse-providers-for-treating-uninsured-covid-19-patients/

Hospital Stimulus Funds to Pay for Uninsured COVID-19 Treatment
Part of the $100 billion in hospital stimulus funds will go to paying providers Medicare rates for COVID-19 treatment for uninsured patients, the HHS Secretary said Friday.

https://revcycleintelligence.com/news/hospital-stimulus-funds-to-pay-for-uninsured-covid-19-treatment

October 30, 2020

More articles about this

Administration offers plan to cover COVID care for uninsured
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
April 22, 2020

https://apnews.com/article/2e42dbf0e5b52b144873417553a3c66b

HHS to use coronavirus relief funds to pay for care for uninsured
https://www.modernhealthcare.com/politics-policy/hhs-use-coronavirus-relief-funds-pay-care-uninsured

HHS Launches COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal
https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/04/27/hhs-launches-covid19-uninsured-program-portal.html

Trump administration to pay hospitals to treat uninsured COVID-19 patients
by Heather Landi | Apr 3, 2020 6:52pm

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals-health-systems/trump-administration-to-pay-hospitals-to-treat-uninsured-covid-patients

October 30, 2020

Yes, I was just looking at those stories the other day.

Trump administration says it will pay hospitals for treating uninsured covid-19 patients
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/trump-administration-says-it-will-pay-hospitals-for-treating-uninsured-covid-19-patients/2020/04/22/3df5fbb4-84b5-11ea-878a-86477a724bdb_story.html

The Trump administration confirmed Wednesday that the government will devote an unspecified amount of federal aid to help hospitals cope with the expense of treating covid-19 patients who are uninsured.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced the payments for patients without health coverage as part of several strands of funding the government will distribute from a federal relief package to hospitals and other health-care facilities and practitioners overwhelmed financially by the coronavirus pandemic.


I believe Azar was under oath when he said this.

Here's another:

Trump Administration Confirms It Will Pay Hospitals To Help Cover Costs Of Uninsured Coronavirus Patients
https://khn.org/morning-breakout/trump-administration-confirms-it-will-pay-hospitals-to-help-cover-costs-of-uninsured-coronavirus-patients/

I googled: "Azar Covid costs covered for uninsured"

Many stories come up. It really did happen. I remember being online at DU when he said this.

Edited to include more of the story.
October 30, 2020

We need to deal with Russia so they never even think about interfering with

an election again. I don't understand why it's not an Act of War to attack another nation's election.

There's been something I've wanted to dig out of a book I read a couple of years ago. I think it's in Greg Miller's book The Apprentice but I'm not 100% sure, which is why I never posted it. But somewhere I read that when Obama was president our intelligence agencies installed some cybernetic programs in Russia's infrastructure, but they have never been used. I want to find the exact paragraph before I go further.

Did anybody else read The Apprentice by Greg Miller? Does what I'm saying ring a bell?

October 30, 2020

Lately, some dreams about DU

I think because I'm spending so much time here. They always are short and usually involve me making a mistake, or fearing making a mistake, like posting an OP and forgetting to post the link, or forgetting to Rec a post, or posting a duplicate, or making a post and seeing someone else has made the exact same post right before I did and racing to delete it and for some reason being unable to delete it... It's silly and strange, but I'm serious.

More generally, I still have dreams about college, specifically cutting classes and flunking tests, which is incredibly strange because I never cut classes and did well on exams. I also have dreams about not being able to find a place that I'm looking for. I also have a recurring dream that I'm house-sitting in a home that is so big that I can't really get a handle on the house. One time the house had a huge mall in it. Other times, the house has bridges and tropical forests inside it. The last time I had this dream, there were a lot of large dogs in the house. Sometimes I just get lost inside the house.

I wonder what an expert on dreams would say about some of those recurring dreams. Anxiety, I guess.

October 29, 2020

Yes, I'm very concerned about the RW Christian "machine" that

takes credit for elevating Trump (even at the expense of their other darling, Ted Cruz, whom they abandoned in a second for Trump). They are global and incredibly well funded, and pundits keep declaring them dead but they are not even close to it.

Remember, those organizations have their own media empire and it cannot be shamed into changing. The only hope is to deplatform it financially by making their congregants aware of how deceptive the teachings are. I think good Christians and their organizations need to take them on, and some are.

Profile Information

Gender: Male
Hometown: Modesto California
Home country: United States
Current location: Arizona
Member since: Mon Oct 27, 2008, 05:14 PM
Number of posts: 16,683
Latest Discussions»Mike 03's Journal