Friday News Roundup - Domestic
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-03-30/friday-news-roundup-domestic
The House of Representatives passed the so-called "Paul Ryan" budget without a single Democrat voting for the bill; Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney received the endorsement of former President George H.W. Bush; and both parties braced for fallout from the Supreme Court hearing arguments on the healthcare law. Ton Elving of NPR, Nia Malika-Henderson of The Washington Post and Doyle McManus of the Los Angeles Times join Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.
Guests
Ron Elving
Washington editor for NPR.
Doyle McManus
columnist, Los Angeles Times.
Nia-Malika Henderson
national politics reporter, The Washington Post.
Related Video
George Zimmerman following the altercation that killed Trayvon Martin:
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This is going to spoil the Sharpton/Jackson/Black Panther/Rep. Frederica Wilson/Rep. Bobby Rush/Rep. Corrine Brown narrative.
"An African American former television anchor and reporter is emerging as one of the most vocal defenders of George Zimmerman, the white Hispanic neighborhood watch volunteer..."
http://www.theroot.com/blogs/root-100/ex-anchor-defends-george-zimmerman...
What is up with this "white Hispanic" characterization? When has the lame stream media ever referred to POTUS Obama as a "white African American?"
Some more fun:
"Congresswoman Can‘t Quite Remember Name of ’Young White Female’ Murder Victim of Equal Concern to Martin Case"
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/congresswoman-cant-quite-remember-name-o...
Joe Biden overstated by 1.1 million on how many manufacturing jobs were lost before Obama took office. The 5.8 million job loss total in manufacturing included numbers from 2009. In reality, Obama job loss was 4.7 in his first year. USA Today.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-03-29/fact-check-biden-...
Regarding the Supreme Court hearings on the Patient Protection Act:
I'm not going to waste my time parsing the arguments for any side, nor the comments of the Justices. Neither am I going to predict the final decision (a dubious task at best).
It's up to the Court now. Let's try the "radical" idea of letting them decide, and then argue about it!
(It'll be so much more efficient.)
Regarding the Trayvon Martin killing, there are only a few things I have to say:
1) None of us know what actually happened.
2) That's precisely why we have a criminal justice system, to find out and assess responsibility under the law.
3) It appears the Police and State's Attorney may have botched the investigation.
4) The Stand Your Ground Law may be partially responsible.
5) Politicians (and pundits) of both the left and the right should stay out of this.
I will leave drawing final conclusions until the first item changes, but I believe there is reason to question the "wisdom" of the Stand Your Ground Law as evidence is mounting (not just from this incident) that it is an invitation to untrained individuals to react hastily with fatal and unjustified results.
The one thing we do know about the Trevon Martin case is this: A large man armed with a gun chased down and confronted a kid who had the audacity to be walking through his neighborhood. I don't know about you but I would certainly feel threatened by anyone confronting me with a gun, and we're concerned that Zimmerman might have felt threatened enough to shoot him? This is what happens when we have virtually unfettered access to guns. Thanks NRA, you have made this one of the most dangerous nations on earth.
There is only one question left.Did Treyvon Martin get in a blow before he was murdered in cold blood and with premeditation?
Re: ACA
1. It's clearly a tax even if it is not called one and AIA should apply.
2. There is no mandate to buy anything. The so-called mandate simply means that everyone must contribute in some way to a market they already participate in. Whether it's proof of insurance or the fine paid through the income tax form, no one is allowed to have a free ride on the backs of other members of this market. No one is forced to buy any "product" they don't want.
3. This market is like no other. In any other market, you can walk in, examine the product, decide whether the price is acceptable and walk out. In the healthcare market, you have no choice - you either accept the price or suffer. Imagine taking your child or your parent to a hospital and deciding that their health simply isn't worth it and walking out - that just won't happen. Also, the uninsured may be brought in and treated, passing the costs to the rest of the pool. That's not a market at all - it's a charity that we all pay for whether we do so "officially" or not.
4. States have no grounds for complaining about the Medicaid program since they can always opt out. Their whining seems to revolve around the idea that the federal government which pays 90% of the costs is giving the states such a good deal that they can't refuse. They call that compelling the state to accept the program, but only because it would be ridiculous to refuse.
Patsy Nomore wrote:
"There is only one question left.Did Treyvon Martin get in a blow before he was murdered in cold blood and with premeditation?"
Did you think of this all by yourself or did you have help?
I am a 34 year old, uninsured woman who had to have a $20,000 procedure last year. Because I didn't have insurance, over $19,000 had to be paid by the state, and therefore paid by tax payers. If you have a car, by law you must have car insurance. Why? Because driving your car not only affects you, but everyone around you. Same with health insurance. What affects a person healthwise, good or bad, affects everyone around that person. Brocolli should not be compared to healthcare! If I didn't buy brocolli for a year, it would not affect my neighbor.
As I read the reports of the Supreme Court I was struck that the arguments reported were almost all political, not legal. Specifically, the argument that regulating health care was like regulating the broccoli market was in any way similar. That is an argument used by the conservatives. Even Judge Kennedy asked if the insurance industry would have difficulty paying all the claims if there was not a mandate was an argument made by liberals which is certainly not a legal argument.
Is it possible that even the members of the Supreme Court now look at themselves as part of the political process in this country, not the legal process?
As to the Republican Budget, let us be clear. Emergency funding will always consist of Katrina post catastrophe scenario, providing feeds to the network, and entertainment, and cautious and religious warning to the rest of us if we are not in the soup ourselves. Let the ratings pay for the catastrophe help after the fact. Then the real-estate can be picked up cheaply, and 'spiritually' with 'high-minded values' by the 'religious classes' of the Old South, the True Saints that you should follow every where they lead. This is not 'class warfare'. That ware has already been lost. This is the Consolidation of The New South of Whales and Porpoises and Mermaids, Too. Any fairy tale you want, they got it. They got the props, the songs, the rattles, the potato salad and of course, the "sweet potatoes." And the fans. Let's don't forget the fan's. All the tea bags will be tied together and dropped into the drink, with ice cubes, mint leaves, and such. Oh, Carry on wit youselves. We got this path hidden in the weeds, neglected, fresh for the taking from the weak, weary, distracted, poor folk. And we will git them out of your sight, and ours, so we don't have to think about them. We got some special 'fever' for them. Come on over later for 'refreshments.'
I would be in favor of the universal health care bill if it had more mandates, for example; required grocery stores to provided more fresh vegetable selections in low income neighborhoods or was more like car insurance. There are many factors that determine your car insurance premium. How much effort you are putting into improving /maintaining your own good health should be one factor in determining your premium rate.
I love you, Diane, but Mr. Zimmerman is not an "alleged" killer. The uncertainty is whether the killing was justified, not whether he committed the act.
Contrary to the comment of one of Diane's guests, news accounts state that Zimmerman was treated by paramedics at the scene, before the tape shown above was made. He does not appear to be injured in this video, however, he had received treatment prior to it.
Ms Rehm's recollections of yesterday's show re: O'bama care seems to ignore the opinion of one of the three guests (the only educated attorney on the panel) that the manadate will likely be thrown out. I realize that this does not fit the liberal talking point list that Ms. Rehm subscribes to - but - the truth is the truth even though it sometimes hurts.
I have an overarching concern with "Stand Your Ground" and similar laws becoming popular across the country, regardless of the outcome of the Martin/Zimmerman situation - do laws of this ilk make it possible for one person to intimidate or harass another until the latter gets annoyed and confronts the former, after which the former can decide they feel "threatened" and use possibly deadly force against the latter?
If so, the potential ramifications are very troubling - especially in situations involving juveniles and short-tempered adults, either of whom may react rashly.
strudel wrote:
"Regarding the Supreme Court hearings on the Patient Protection Act:"
"Regarding the Trayvon Martin killing"
Hey buddy! For once we mostly agree! The rush to judgment is appalling and futile in both cases. I don't agree on the "stand your ground law" however for the same reason we agree on the other points - not enough evidence is in yet. Once there is enough accumulated we can begin to look at modification.
I am still wondering about Delric Miller, however and why nobody ever talks about him in this conversation. He is the black infant who was killed by a stray bullet from an AK-47 in Detroit a few weeks ago and you heard nary a peep. His killer is still at large. The reason is, Delric Miller was not politically useful. Trayvon Martin is a convenient tool for those with a political/anarchist/race-bating agenda. They don't really care about the Delric Millers of the world because they can't use their tragedy. Even though Trayvon Martin was no angel he was a human being. The way he is being used is an insult to his memory and his family.
We're going to be "gifted" a health care plan we are forced to purchase and
fined if we don't, which purportedly covers at least ten million more people,
without adding a single new doctor. It provides for 16,000 new IRS agents,
was written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it,
passed by a Congress that didn't read it but exempted themselves from it,
and signed by a President who smokes. Its funding is administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, for which we'll be taxed for four years before any benefits take effect, by a government which has
already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare. It is to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke. What could possibly go wrong?
The defenders of zimmerman claim that he has lost his life. I differ with that conclusion. He, perhaps, has lost his anonymity, and the life he once lived has changed, but he is still breathing. The choices he made cannot be undone by remorse. He chose to confront, he chose to ignore the dispatcher, he chose to carry a gun, now he has to suffer the anger, even hatred, of many Americans because of those choices.
His losses are trivial compared to those of the young man he killed.
Many causes at play in this situation including anyone wearing a hoodie out to do mischief or criminal activity must own a measure of guilt in this young man's death.
Forgive me for posting amid this lynch mob but the video of Mr Zimmerman shows something not discussed by Diane or her guests. It shows Mr Zimmerman wearing a red shirt. A witness reported a man wearing a red shirt was on the ground being punched in the head by another man.
Is the rope you are using left over from the Duke lacrosse case?
Good catch Elroy. I haven't been following this too closely because I am not on the jury and I will let the legal process gather and present all the evidence before I make any personal judgements. The red jacket/shirt being worn by Zimmerman is a piece of evidence that will need to be added in with all the other pieces of evidence before any sentence is imposed.
congachile wrote:
"This is what happens when we have virtually unfettered access to guns. Thanks NRA, you have made this one of the most dangerous nations on earth."
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Have you even seen a firearm in person much less been looking down the business end of one? There are 40,000 deaths by motor vehicle every year in the U.S. Thanks DMV, you have made this one of the most dangerous nations on earth.
ecgberht on March 30, 2012 @ 11:01 am wrote: “For once we mostly agree! The rush to judgment is appalling and futile in both cases. I don't agree on the "stand your ground law" however for the same reason we agree on the other points - not enough evidence is in yet. . . . I am still wondering about Delric Miller, . . . . Even though Trayvon Martin was no angel he was a human being. The way he is being used is an insult to his memory and his family.”
Part One
1) Well, agreement can happen - egghead. But I wouldn’t say we mostly agree.
2) I made no final conclusion about the Stand Your Ground laws, only that I believe there is reason to question the "wisdom" of such laws. There is far more evidence against them than just this incident. Among them: the rise in such killings after passage of such laws in every State where they were enacted, and the misuse and misapplication of such laws to allow people to literally get away with murder. In one Texas case, a man sitting safely in his home, saw a neighbor’s house being robbed. Despite being told by the 911 dispatcher not to go outside, he insisted he was going to “get them”. He then grabbed his shotgun, went outside to confront the robbers, and crying “Hello, you’re dead” killed both unarmed men. The Grand Jury demonstrated its respect for “sacred” human life by refusing to indict, even though he was never in any danger! This is a perfect example of the vigilantism these laws encourage, and Trayvon Martin is (possibly) an all too typical example of the innocent victims these laws create. I repeat: it is time to at least question the “wisdom” of such laws.
TO BE CONTINUED
PART TWO
3) Delric Miller? Oh come on! Talk about comparing apples and oranges. One pertinent fact you’ve omitted: We don’t know who did that killing! The situation is completely different, and has nothing to do with Stand Your Ground, or any other laws. If the police knew who killed him, and refused to arrest (or investigate further), then the cases might be similar, and possibly comparable. But they’re not.
4) The only ones insulting Trayvon Martin, “his memory and his family”, are mindlessly partisan and ideological people like you! (And that includes partisans of both left and right - such as those idiots from the new Black Panther Party.)
P.S. - And despite the attempt of people like you to assassinate Martin’s character, it’s clear he was a far better person than Zimmerman.
MarcusTullius on March 30, 2012 @ 12:17 pm wrote: “Have you even seen a firearm in person much less been looking down the business end of one? There are 40,000 deaths by motor vehicle every year in the U.S. Thanks DMV, you have made this one of the most dangerous nations on earth.”
Gee, are cars equivalent to guns (particularly handguns)? Let’s see if there’s any differences between them.
If used properly, and as intended, cars do not kill.
If used properly, and as intended, guns kill. Indeed, the whole purpose behind carrying a hand gun is the threat of death or severe injury! That’s why Zimmerman was carrying a gun, and not a water pistol.
Etaoin Shrdlu wrote:
"P.S. - And despite the attempt of people like you to assassinate Martin’s character, it’s clear he was a far better person than Zimmerman."
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You have just demonstrated your own sharpshooter skills in assassinating character.
Etaoin Shrdlu wrote:
"If used properly, and as intended, cars do not kill.
If used properly, and as intended, guns kill. Indeed, the whole purpose behind carrying a hand gun is the threat of death or severe injury! That’s why Zimmerman was carrying a gun, and not a water pistol."
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Cars are being used as intended when they kill. They are inanimate objects at the mercy of their drivers.
You just said that guns kill if used as intended. Then you say they also cause severe injury. Then you said they can be used to suggest a "threat". Which is it? But this would be news to people who use firearms for plinking and shooting competitions where nobody gets shot.
If a water pistol can not be used to "threaten" death, why are there so many laws now that demand they be made only in bright orange? Cap guns have to have orange plugs in their barrels. How many people were shot by LEO because they were brandisihing a toy weapon?
I doubt that someone with your ignorance about firearms would know the difference between a replica dummy weapon and a live firing one even if you had a chance to examine them at your leisure..
Since you have such a visceral fear of firearms, I suggest you never take advantage of your 2nd Amendment rights and purchase one.
"P.S. - And despite the attempt of people like you to assassinate Martin’s character, it’s clear he was a far better person than Zimmerman."
There is no evidence to support this statement. He may have been, he may not have been. Unless you knew Mr. Martin AND Mr. Zimmerman personally, please refrain from making such unsupported, irrelevant statements either way.
Treyvon Martin was gunned down on February 26,2012. Today is March 30,2012. 30 + days of NO investigation is NOT a rush to justice,but a STALL to cover up !!