SAR #15121

It's cold in the winter, and sometimes it snows.

 
In Memoriam: At some point civil insurrection replaces passive docility, even in America. While the people of Baltimore were trying to calm the city, the Republican governor and the city's political leaders let the investigation drag on, the militarization continue, arrest without charges and ridiculous bail bond levels for minor offenses persist. In the midst of the tension, city water officials sent out “pay up or have your water turned off” notices to 25,000 of the city's poor and unemployed, and a Republican state legislator proposed the state take food stamps away from families whose kids protest the police state.

Tough Love: Merrill Lynch advises its clients to leave more than $26 million but less than $63 million to each of their kids, to insure that they feel loved without being spoiled.

Busywork: House Republicans passed the first joint House-senate budget resolution in six years. The budget is designed to eliminate deficits by 2024 (without considering the wisdom of saddling the economy with greatly reduced government spending) by cutting social programs, especially healthcare spending and support for the poor, but including at least an extra $40 billion a year for killing strangers overseas. This is only a non-binding resolution and has no force whatsoever, other than to give them that warm fuzzy feeling that comes from posturing for the clueless.

Chastity: In their ongoing drive to preserve virginity, Colorado Republicans have killed the state's IUD contraceptive program – which had helped reduce teen births by 40% - claiming that the device causes abortions. It does not.

Napalm In The Morning: The US economy has suddenly stalled, turning in a remarkably disturbing 0.2% GDP growth [sic] rate. Business investment has essentially evaporated, exports have tanked, and the homeownership rate is the lowest in 25 years. And the Fed is still holding $3.7 trillion of QE that it cannot dump in a collapsing economy. Personal income did not grow at all in March, and consumer spending rose by a weaker than expected 0.4%. In downturns the Fed typically lowers interest rates by 3 or 4%, which starting from zero will be an interesting undertaking. So will any attempt to extend QE.

Quoted: “If Sue loves Joe and Tom loves Joe, Sue can marry him and Tom can’t. And the difference is based upon their different sex. Why isn’t that a straightforward question of sexual discrimination?” Chief Justice Roberts, on the gay marriage question.

First, Do No Harm: One in every 25 hospital patients contracts a new infection while in the hospital, and about 400,000 Americans are killed by hospital errors every year. Think “outpatient”.