News & Articles

Bipartisan stupidity 
We have been accused of being unfair in our reporting on Republican stupidity. In castigating only Republicans for saying and doing stupid things we are exhibiting “liberal bias.” Being “biased” is a cardinal sin in journalism. One must present “both sides” of every issue as having equal validity no matter how boneheaded, inaccurate or fallacious one side might be. 

Democrats, of course, are politicians and sometimes say and do stupid things. Former Democratic politician Claude Pepper (1900 – 1989) once said, “The mistake a lot of politicians make is in forgetting they’ve been appointed and thinking they’ve been anointed.”
As a token of good faith, our title has changed to be bipartisan.  

Democratic Stupidity 
A major problem with the Democratic party is they have divided loyalties. They are supposed to be the party of the people but must suck up to the corporate donors. Politics is all about the money. As a result, Democrats have often failed to deliver for the people who vote for them. 

In the past Democrats controlled the Congress and the presidency they have failed to enact the badly needed changes to our undemocratic system. They failed to clean up money in politics, overturn Citizen’s United, get rid of the filibuster, reform the budget process, reign in wasteful spending or seriously address the mess with the tax laws. They have failed to deliver on many issues that the majority of people wanted. 

So it is not surprising that Democrats may lose to the stupidest idiot in our history. Stupidity is truly bipartisan. 

Tiffany ignorance on health insurance 
It would be nice if politicians knew something about the issues they pontificate or legislate about. But too many are driven by their ideological beliefs and not by facts or what is good for people. 
Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) is a prime example. In his May 10 newsletter he says, “Medicare Advantage members and physicians are all too familiar with the frustration of waiting for prior authorization to receive necessary care. This time-consuming process puts patients at risk due to lengthy delays and prevents physicians from giving patients 

the care they need.“ 
This is true. Many participants in Medicare Advantage insurance have problems with being denied timely care because of prior authorization hassles. But this is not because of “DC bureaucrats” or “government red tape” as Tiffany asserts. He has the facts wrong.
Medicare Advantage (MA) is not run by the government (i.e., Medicare). MA plans are operated by private, for-profit insurance companies. When a senior citizen signs up for an MA plan they are no longer covered by standard Medicare. They have chosen to purchase (with money from Medicare and often individual premiums) private medical insurance. 

So when needed medical care is delayed or denied to an MA participant it is the insurance company’s bureaucracy and red tape causing the problem, not the government.
Tiffany’s and Republican’s solution is the “Gold Card Act.” This supposedly deals with prior approval by exempting doctors with a 90% authorization approval rate in the prior year. In other words, more bureaucratic crap. But the expensive and extremely profitable MA program is left unchanged.   
If Republicans really wanted to “trust our family doctors” to “prioritize the well-being of patients” (as Tiffany claims) they would ban all prior authorizations for all medical insurance. If they really cared they would help enact a sensible, national health insurance program that actually controlled costs. 

“Freedom Summer” in Florida
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is prohibiting local municipalities from using rainbow colors to illuminate or decorate bridges from Memorial Day until Labor Day. They can only use red, white and blue lighting. 
A number of communities display rainbow colors in honor of Pride Month in June and other  celebrations throughout the year. DeSantis has been a leader in the Republican attacks on, and discriminatory actions against, the LGBTQ+ community as well as women, immigrants and minorities.   
“Thanks to the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida continues to be the freest state in the nation,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue. But Republican “freedom” is only for the whites, males and the bigoted.   
Pettiness is now a Republican “family value” along with hate and discrimination.