For a program that teabaggers said "SUCKS" there is a lot of activity on the AHC site

They are reporting the site is busy on the stoopid tube which means a lot of people are signing up.

Next time you bitch about the guy buying a Snickers with food stamps...

The 5 poorest states are all in the south

While the richest are in the north and Hawaii

Census report released earlier this month put median household income, adjusted for inflation, at $51,017 in 2012, and said that most people have had no gains since the economy hit bottom in 2009.

Sheldon Danziger, the president of the Russell Sage Foundation, views the stagnation as a metaphor for the economic recovery. Most of the gains are going to the wealthiest Americans, he said. "I don't see any bright prospects for the median worker, much less the poor."

Not surprisingly, the types of jobs available in each state affect incomes. Residents of states with the highest median incomes were more likely to be employed in information, finance and other professional sectors, the Census Bureau data show.

Each of the 10 states with the lowest incomes in 2012 also had poverty rates that exceeded the national average. Nationally, the poverty rate held steady at just below 16% in 2012. Government programs remain a lifeline for millions.

Residents of low-income states had relatively high rates of employment in the retail, manufacturing and transportation sectors. The high proportion of manufacturing jobs might be surprising, but it reflects the changing nature of the nation's manufacturing industry.

"There's a difference between unionized auto company workers and non-unionized parts suppliers," Danziger said. "Even when manufacturers haven't cut wages, they are adopting labor-saving technological change."

Poorest states:
___5. Kentucky
___4. Alabama
___3. West Virgina
___2. Arkansas
___1. Mississippi


http://money.msn.com/investing/americas-richest-and-poorest-states?gt1=33002

How Unpopular Is Ted Cruz Right Now?

Republican pushback against the junior senator from Texas is a thing to behold.

McCain is really pissed this time...

The Dodgers celebrated in the Diamondbacks pool.


http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/senator-john-mccain-blasts-dodgers-celebration-on-twitter-092013

The same government contractor did background checks on Snowden and Navy Yard shooter

Backgrounds of Snowden, Alexis checked by same firm
The same government contractor did background checks on NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Navy Yard shooting suspect Aaron Alexis.

WASHINGTON — The company that scrutinized former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden for a U.S. government security clearance said on Thursday it also checked the background of the Navy Yard shooter, allowing him to obtain a "secret" clearance.

USIS, working as a contractor for the Office of Personnel Management, conducted a background review of Aaron Alexis, identified by law enforcement authorities as the shooter who killed 12 people at the Navy Yard before he was shot dead.

http://news.msn.com/us/backgrounds-of-snowden-alexis-checked-by-same-firm

More Guns Equal More Deaths, Study Finds

Places with higher gun ownership rates also have higher firearms-related deaths, a new study finds.

In the study, published today (Sept. 20) in the American Journal of Medicine, researchers analyzed gun ownership rates, crime rates and deaths from firearms across 27 developed countries around the world.

"The U.S. has the highest gun ownership rates and also has the highest rate of firearm-related deaths," said study co-author Dr. Sripal Bangalore, a cardiologist at the New York University School of Medicine. [5 Biggest Gun Control Milestones in History]

Despite the prevalence of high-profile mass shootings, such as the recent Navy shipyard shooting, where the attacker showed signs of mental illness, the prevalence of mental illness in a society is only weakly correlated with gun-related deaths.

Message from Jessica Rabbit: Obamacare Is Not a Secret Sex Directory

Confidentiality remains protected by law. Doctors will not become covert government agents. But the Affordable Care Act may get more physicians talking with patients about preventing sexually transmitted infections.


Possibly the sexiest toon ever: Jessica Rabbit

"'Are you sexually active? If so, with one partner, multiple partners or same-sex partners?' Be ready to answer those questions and more the next time you go to the doctor, whether it’s the dermatologist or the cardiologist and no matter if the questions are unrelated to why you’re seeking medical help. And you can thank the Obama health law."

So begins a screed in the New York Post, which also ran on FoxNews.com, earlier this week. This and more shocking things about Obamacare are brought to us by Betsy McCaughey—the one-time inventor of the "death panels" rumor.

I know, a person with an extreme agenda says an absurd thing, what's new. This sort of thing matters right now, though, because still only around a quarter of Americans say they understand the Affordable Care Act well, and it remains a point of contention. People want and need clear information for productive discussion. It is important to sift through some of the more volatile nonsense.

I also see it as an engaging way to learn something about the health law. McCaughey seems to be drawing an egregious conclusion from a clause that's worth being aware of.


<snip>

Jon Stewart once reminded McCaughey that in the 1960s, Ronald Reagan warned the nation that the implementation of Medicare would leave U.S. healthcare in ruins.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/09/obamacare-is-not-a-secret-sex-directory/279789/

Fast-Food Restaurant Raises Starting Salary to $15 per Hour

Amidst nationwide protests about the minimum wage at fast-food eateries, one burger joint in the Detroit metropolitan area has decided to raise its starting salary to $15. According to the Daily Beast, Moo Cluck Moo, a Michigan eatery, had already been paying employees an unheard of $12 per hour. Fast-food workers around the country have been holding protests to encourage companies and restaurant owners to raise staff pay. Moo Cluck Moo owners Brian Parker and Harry Moorhouse chose to give their staff a pay bump. The bump to the so-called "living wage" has many critics (predominantly fast-food execs and restaurants owners), but Parker and Moorhouse have found that higher pay leads to much better service and lower employee turnover. Plus the business owners truly believe that their staff deserves every penny. "It's not an easy job to do," explained Parker.

http://www.delish.com/food/recalls-reviews/fast-food-restaurant-15-hour-starting-salary

Take that McDonnald's

What to do, what to do...

In June I was rear-ended, and my vehicle totalled. The person who hit me was uninsured, so I used my insurance to recover most of the cost of my vehicle, and then replacing it. Within a week of the accident, my insurance company had a check in my hand and I proceeded to find another vehicle similar to the one I lost. The vehicle I found cost me $2500 more than the insurance check even though the vehicles were nearly identical excluding color.

The person who hit me settled with the insurance company since then. I am still out the $250.


Today I go to the mailbox and there was a letter from the person who hit me wanting me to tell the state that there is no harm done and that she ows nothing as a result of the accident. She also wants me to say that there was heavy rain that day imparing travel. Her concern is that it will effect her driving record and employment as her employer reviews their driving records.

So what should I do?

Respond and point out that 1) I am out the $2500 due to her rear ending me, and 2) It was in fact not raining that day rather it was a very sunny day?

Or do I just not respond?