Tag: Maine

Florida GOP Declares War On The First Amendment to ‘Combat Anti-Semitism’

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

By Chris Menahan | Information Liberation | March 5, 2023

“The Free State of Florida” is set to have the most oppressive hate crime laws in America in order to “combat anti-Semitism.”

Florida GOP Declares War On The First Amendment to ‘Combat Anti-Semitism’

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U.S. Press Starts To Figure Out College TikTok Bans Are A Dumb Performance

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

U.S. Press Starts To Figure Out College TikTok Bans Are A Dumb Performance

One, the bans are generally designed to agitate a xenophobic base and give the impression the GOP is “doing something about China.” But the party that couldn’t care less about rampant corruption or privacy violations isn’t doing much of anything meaningful to thwart China. In fact, letting adtech, telecom, and app companies run rampant with little oversight runs contrary to any such goal.

Two, the bans distract the public and press from our ongoing failure on consumer privacy and security issues. Banning TikTok, but doing nothing about the accountability optional free for all that is the adtech and data-hoovering space, doesn’t actually fix anything. China can just obtain the same data from a universe of other international companies facing little real oversight on data collection.

Three, the ban is really just about money. Trump gave the game away with his proposal that TikTok be chopped up and sold to Oracle and Walmart. That cronyistic deal fell through, but it’s pretty clear that this moral panic is designed to either help TikTok’s competitors (Facebook lobbyists are very active on this front), or force the sale of the most popular app in modern history to GOP-allies. At which point they’ll engage in all the surveillance and influence efforts they pretend to be mad about.

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New York and New England start RATIONING heating oil before winter as stockpiles slump by 70% and fears rise that families will be left in the cold

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Heating oil suppliers in the Northeast and New England have begun rationing the key fuel ahead of winter, after stockpiles dropped to a third of their normal levels.

New York and New England start RATIONING heating oil before winter as stockpiles slump by 70% and fears rise that families will be left in the cold

Will you get insulin-cost relief from the inflation bill? Not if you have private insurance

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Will you get insulin-cost relief from the inflation bill? Not if you have private insurance

But an out-of-pocket cap identical to that for Medicare was stripped from the bill for those with private insurance because Democrats are trying to pass the bill by a simple majority through the reconciliation process. That requires Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to vet the provisions. She said most of the health-related features were fine, but the insulin proposal for those who have private insurance, not Medicare, violated the Byrd provision, which says that issues “extraneous to the federal budget” cannot be passed by simple majority through reconciliation.

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Out-of-pocket spending for those with Part D Medicare drug coverage will be capped at $2,000 a year.

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In 2024, a 5% coinsurance payment that now kicks in after someone reaches the catastrophic drug spending level of $7,050 in Medicare will end. Because drug companies set their own prices, 5% on expensive drugs can be a lot of money.

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Report Details How Taxpayers Subsidize Cruel Low Wages Paid by Corporate Giants

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Report Details How Taxpayers Subsidize Cruel Low Wages Paid by Corporate Giants

Upon the study’s release Wednesday, Warren Gunnels, staff director and policy adviser for Sanders, tweeted: “The real looting in America is the Walton family becoming $63 billion richer during a pandemic, while paying wages so low that 14,541 of their workers in 9 states need food stamps — all subsidized by U.S. taxpayers. Yes. The Walton family is the real welfare queen in America.”

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