All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[Tami]

The women of the White House care so little about women [opinion]

But one of the things that makes conservatives distinct from liberals is that we don’t believe in filling quotas as an end in itself. That is, just putting numbers of women in representative slots doesn’t mean those women are necessarily better at their jobs than men, nor does it mean those women are good for women.

This point could not be clearer right now, as a number of high-profile women in Republican leadership are both proving to be patently bad at their jobs and exposing a shocking disdain for what is good for women.

Over the past nine days, I have watched women in positions of tremendous power in my party contort to either defend, spin, dismiss or ignore disturbing and credible reports of domestic violence provided by at least three victims and a detailed FBI report in order to protect a White House aide, who’s now resigned, and the president he worked for.

Among the least troubling aspects of this scandal is just how badly these professionals have managed it. Any crisis communications professional would have known how to keep a one-day story from becoming a nine-day story by firing Rob Porter, instead of waiting for him to resign, issuing an unequivocal statement condemning domestic violence and vowing to make sure the White House is a safe place for women to work — not to mention a place that sends the nation the right moral message about a serious, serious crime.

[Tami]

The FBI, CIA and NSA say American citizens shouldn't use Huawei phones

Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas asked the group to raise their hands if they would recommend private American citizens use products or services made by Apple competitor Huawei or smartphone maker ZTE. None of them did.

FBI Director Chris Wray explained why it is an issue for companies and local governments to use Huawei or ZTE products and services.

There is a risk of letting any company "beholden to foreign governments" inside the country's telecommunications infrastructure, he said. Huawei is a global leader in networking equipment, and the government has previously blocked it from selling technology to some federal agencies.

[JBatmanFan05]

Jacob Zuma resigns as South Africa's President, mired in corruption scandal

(CNN) Jacob Zuma has quit as President of South Africa, finally succumbing to a slew of corruption scandals that have drained support from his ruling African National Congress party.

"No life should be lost in my name and also the ANC should never be divided in my name," he said during a nationally televised political address Wednesday. "I have therefore come to the decision to resign as President of the republic with immediate effect."

The announcement came after the ANC took the extraordinary step of calling for a no-confidence vote in the leader on Wednesday, a day after it publicly demanded his resignation.

Zuma, 75, survived multiple attempts by opposition parties to oust him during his more than eight years in power, earning him the nickname of the "Teflon president."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/14/afric...ntl/index.html

[Vic Vega]

I saw a guy buying about 40 Sweet Tarts and a few lotto tickets with his EBT card. I don't think that should be allowed. It should be limited to food, not candy and the lotto.

This must have been in a Bodega.

They won't let you buy Lotto tickets with EBT money anywhere else.

Candy is still food so that they can't do anything about that.

[Tami]

Broward Superintendent: “numerous fatalities” in Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS shooting; suspect in custody

The Broward Sheriff’s Office confirmed that they took a suspect into custody in connection to the shooting that injured as many as 14 victims.

“Fourteen people were transported to the hospital with varying degrees of wounds,” said Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said during a press conference.

Deputies arrested the suspect in the Wyndham Lakes community in Coral Springs, just before 4 p.m., a little over a mile away from the school.

“He was taken into arrest without incident,” said Israel.

[BeastieRunner]

Jacob Zuma resigns as South Africa's President, mired in corruption scandal


https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/14/afric...ntl/index.html

Israel, South Africa, for corruption. Which country is next?

[kidfresh512]

The FBI, CIA and NSA say American citizens shouldn't use Huawei phones

Which is why ATT and Verizon pulled out of offering them recently for sale here

Israel, South Africa, for corruption. Which country is next?

United States hopefully...

[Iron Maiden]

and who are you to decide?

thats the problem with the stigma the poor deal with

people who think they are better than them passing judgment

I bet if some had their way, all they would be allowed is bread and water

Because candy and lottery tickets aren't necessities. They're getting the card because they require assistance for food purchases, after it's been determined if the applicant meets the guidelines. I can understand the desire to end all your problems by getting lucky on the lottery but that's not what the card is for. That 2 dollar lottery ticket can buy milk, cereal, soup, etc. It's about learning to make the right choices for yourself. I had 10 brothers and sisters and my Mom knew how to stretch that dollar to make a meal for all of us. We rarely had soft drinks although she would buy Kool Aid or make sun tea, etc.

[Tami]

Because candy and lottery tickets aren't necessities. They're getting the card because they require assistance for food purchases, after it's been determined if the applicant meets the guidelines. I can understand the desire to end all your problems by getting lucky on the lottery but that's not what the card is for. That 2 dollar lottery ticket can buy milk, cereal, soup, etc. It's about learning to make the right choices for yourself. I had 10 brothers and sisters and my Mom knew how to stretch that dollar to make a meal for all of us. We rarely had soft drinks although she would buy Kool Aid or make sun tea, etc.

Candy can be a necessity for some people with diabetes. There might be other reasons why someone actually needs candy.

[Joker]

Eating 40 packages of Sweet Tarts is going to give you diabetes. Nobody needs that many of any candy. And good lord, how much of your money did you just blow on that?

[RumpusMagoo]

Candy can be a necessity for some people with diabetes. There might be other reasons why someone actually needs candy.

Is that how that works? I thought diabetics need to stay away from sugar, no?

[Tami]

Is that how that works? I thought diabetics need to stay away from sugar, no?

Normally yes, but if their blood sugar levels drop too much, in an emergency they can use candy to bring it back up.

[Mister Mets]

Unfortunately for you, since it will go against your beliefs, but micromanagement of the food stamps program.

I'm actually not for government micromanagement, but if you want to ensure the program is used to its peak potential, you'll need to incentivize certain purchases. Farmers markets already offer discounts for food stamp users, so why not have grocery stores adopt a similar program. And, because transactions are usually in bulk, have data jockeys examine these transactions and see if people are buying balanced items and aren't just buying 12 bottles of soda every week.

My issue with this "blanket" idea is that it's clearly utilizing a "one size fits all" philosophy, when food isn't that simple. People have various dietary habits, nutritional needs, allergies, and religious preferences.

And, then there's the actual enforcement of the program. Hiring contractors to can and ship the products, making sure they are delivered, minimizing loss and theft (which you know WILL happen), and addressing people who can't easily get these packages. Obviously, they'll want the lowest bidder to do it, and if the Puerto Rico meal fiasco (only 50,000 meals made out of a 3 million order ever made) is any recent indicator, I don't trust whomever gets the contract to do the dang job right.

It's going to cost the government more to enforce this "Blue Apron" program than what they are currently doing in the long haul, but you know... MAGA!

I was responding to a point that giving rations to poor people doesn't sound American. What's the best policy is a slightly different question, but I do thank you for your perspective.

According to the New York Times, officials are saying it is unlikely the proposal would be implemented.

In reality, administration officials on Tuesday admitted that the food-box plan — which the president’s budget director Mick Mulvaney compared to the Blue Apron grocery delivery service — had virtually no chance of being implemented anytime soon.

Instead, the idea, according to two administration officials who worked on the proposal, was a political gambit by fiscal hawks in the administration aimed at outraging liberals and stirring up members of the president’s own party working on the latest version of the farm bill. The move, they said, was intended to lay down a marker that the administration is serious about pressing for about $85 billion in other cuts to food assistance programs that will be achieved, in part, by imposing strict new work requirements on recipients.

“I don’t think there’s really any support for their box plan. And, I worry that it’s a distraction from the budget’s proposal to cut SNAP by some 30 percent. That’s the real battle,” said Stacy Dean, vice president for food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive Washington think tank. “The dangers are these other proposals to cut benefits. But all anyone is talking about today are the boxes.”

Senator Debbie Stabenow, the ranking Democrat on the agriculture committee, doubted the motives behind the plan.

“This isn’t a serious proposal and is clearly meant to be a distraction,” Ms. Stabenow said.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue stealthily pitched the idea over the last few weeks to the White House’s Domestic Policy Council as a novel way to reach the administration’s self-imposed goal of slashing federal food assistance programs by $214 billion over the next decade. It was quickly embraced by Mr. Mulvaney, a fiscal hawk who is seeking to steer a debate increasingly dominated by free-spending Republicans and Mr. Trump, who has insisted on major budget increases for the Pentagon and Homeland Security.

Neither man had any illusions that the plan would be immediately embraced by congressional Republicans, who were not given advance notice of the proposal, the officials said.

I haven't offered an opinion on it, beyond asking for specifics about one of the arguments against it, butit sounds good to me if it can be implemented properly. That is a big if.

From my understanding the plan was to swap half of food stamp benefits with harvest boxes.

If it could save money and be done without the expenses of implementing it properly exceeding the current expense of the program, I'm all for it.

The controversy gets to some interesting philosophical divides.

I do think there is a government obligation to take care of poor citizens. And if this would accomplish the goal more cheaply than food stamps, that's fine with me.

There's a tweetstorm by Annie Lowrey of arguments against it.

https://twitter.com/AnnieLowrey/stat...27645374517249

I am concerned about the difficulties for people who move frequently, the potential for abuse in terms of government contracts, and foreseeable problems in shipping (increases in shipping costs, effects of storms). I don't care about the effects on fussy eaters, and don't think money should be spent assuaging anyone's egos. There are some situations that apply in a small percentage of cases that seem easily solvable (allergies, vegetarian alternatives, religious restrictions, medical needs) with alternative packages.

[TheInvisibleMan]

Because candy and lottery tickets aren't necessities. They're getting the card because they require assistance for food purchases, after it's been determined if the applicant meets the guidelines. I can understand the desire to end all your problems by getting lucky on the lottery but that's not what the card is for. That 2 dollar lottery ticket can buy milk, cereal, soup, etc. It's about learning to make the right choices for yourself. I had 10 brothers and sisters and my Mom knew how to stretch that dollar to make a meal for all of us. We rarely had soft drinks although she would buy Kool Aid or make sun tea, etc.

who are you to say what a necessity is and isn't?

[JBatmanFan05]

who are you to say what a necessity is and isn't?

The English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal?