David Cay Johnston asserts that Tha Bush Mobb tax cuts actually cost Americans some $6.6 trillion in income over the 12 years they were in effect. Then he describes some of the things we could have done with that money, including paying off all student loans, car loans, and credit card debt. You remember what happened instead, right? Right-wingers spent eight years calling reasonable people "traitors," then took a big dump on the economy, then called reasonable people "socialists" and pushed the same policies that got us into this mess.
The Republican Mayor of Belhaven, NC embarks on a 273-mile walk to Washington, DC to call attention to the plight of his town, which just lost its last hospital after its owner, the private health care corporation Vidant Health, decided to close it. Mr. O'Neal, who supports the Affordable Care Act's offer of a Medicaid expansion -- which, of course, the reactionary state government of North Carolina refuses to accept -- actually utters the phrase "immoral business plan" when discussing the former owner of said hospital. Joining the words "immoral," "business," and "plan" will make him a pariah in the Party. I wish him the best on his pilgrimage.
Leon County Circuit Court judge throws out Florida's most recent Congressional redistricting map, finding that political consultants "made a mockery of the Legislature’s transparent and open process of redistricting" and ran a "shadow redistricting process” aimed at protecting incumbents (though perhaps not Allen West, whom I recall having a little trouble figuring out where to run for re-election) and strengthening Republicans' hold on Florida's districts. At least two districts will have to be redrawn -- "at least" because those two districts border other districts -- but probably not in time for 2014.
Robin McKie of the Guardian visits Miami, FL and finds a city dealing with climate change right now. And though Miami plans to spend $1.5 billion dealing with sewer and drain issues, its porous limestone foundation and low elevation -- Miami will likely see six to 10 feet of sea-level rise before the century's out, and much of Miami isn't six feet higher than sea level right now -- will likely doom it. The climate change denialism among its leaders (like Sen. Rubio and Gov. Scott) certainly doesn't help.
Finally, some bad news: remember the infant scientists thought might have been cured of HIV after aggressive early treatment? Turns out the HIV has come back, and just ahead of a major HIV study hoping to expand upon the HIV's continued absence. Still, the baby managed to fight off a relapse for two years (a few months of that without the benefit of drug therapy), so there must be something there we can learn from.
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