It's too hot for high drama, but nonetheless we persist (Trump cont.)

[illegitimateMortificadospawn]

I'm all out of inspiration here. The grind is getting us all down, interspersed with terrorist attacks, but we shall overcome. In the meantime, there's gin and camaraderie.

Previous thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2952694

Well, colour me shocked! It seems that maybe Kushner will not manage to bring peace to the Middle East after all.

REPORT: TRUMP MAY EXIT PEACE TALKS AFTER 'TENSE' KUSHNER/ABBAS MEETING
m.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Trump-may-exit-out-of-Peace-talks-after-tense-KushnerAbbas-meeting-497795?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Did it turn out to be a bit more complicated than he first thought?

A Palestinian official claims Abbas is furious at American demands, accuses the US of taking sides.

What could possibly have given them that idea?

Wonder what they demanded?

According to the article that they stopped giving money to terrorist families.
Abbas claims it's a social duty.

The problem is that if you are mediating, you must at least seem neutral.

Nobody knew The Middle East could be so complicated. Lweji.

Maybe something else going on there aside from the phenomenal incompetence you would expect?

www.politico.com/story/2017/06/23/state-department-russian-diplomats-illicit-travel-239915

To be fair, Kushner probably has other things on his mind (and some significant issues with FIL).

Now now, lion. He only has responsibility for brining peace to the Middle East, stopping the opioid epidemic and reshaping the Federal Government. (Plus a few other things.)

I remember Francis Urquhart once saying of a man, with a moue on his face, 'He has no bottom.' What he would say of 45's inner circle defies imagination.

Come on, cozie. He is a bigly resourceful and has a super skill set.

Should have it all sorted by now.

Totally unrelated, but I've just found this:

Missed out a word there. Feel free to complete the sentence:

He is a bigly resourceful:

a. Genius
b. Wizard (Third Order of the Grey)
c. Twat

I stand corrected.

Yeah, it's amazing how 'complicated' stuff gets when you can't;

1-throw money at it to make it go away or to get your way
2-cheat and lie your way through it
3-realize that people are watching.

Who knew, right?

I don't think they realised that everything is subject to scrutiny now. Everything.

I am amazed that they are so bad at covering their tracks.

For some conservative balance:

'He has instituted policies so right wing they make Ronald Reagan, for whom I worked, look like a liberal Democrat. He has appointed staff people far to the right of the Republican mainstream in many positions, and they are instituting policies that are frighteningly extreme.'

www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/24/intellectual-conservatives-lost-republican-trump-215259

I remember Francis Urquhart once saying of a man, with a moue on his face, 'He has no bottom.' What he would say of 45's inner circle defies imagination.

That they have no top either. And precious little in the middle.

I think they've operated for so long on the 'golden rule' (them with the gold, rules) that they really just don't 'get it'. I mean really. It's not that they 'know' but decide to do the other thing, they really, really feel that they are entitled to do whatever they want without question, or that money/influence is 100% of what you need to make things 'disappear'.

Trump's I did/I didn't/I did/I never said I did but maybe I did is an example. It's because firstly he feels entitled to lie with impunity because we are 'lesser beings' and secondly because he is so used to being 'yessed' that he can't grasp that he is being told 'no' or 'prove it'.

And since he's stacked his Administration with little copies of himself, no wonder it's all lies and chaos.

And no wonder the savvy GOP legislators see this as their 'main chance' to push through their nasty agenda.

And of course, who suffers? Those who can least afford to suffer, of course. Because they 'don't matter'. They are 'other'. Not simply religion/race 'other', but economic 'other'.

DH and I apparently will benefit by this horrible Senate bill. It's going to give us a tax credit of around $5000.00-$8000.00 based on the health insurance premiums (pay first, get a credit on your taxes). Sure, it's nice but We don't need it. We can afford our premiums (for now!). My low income cousin will lose her ACA subsidy and have to pay the full premiums. In return she'll be eligible for a 'tax credit' of a much lower amount to 'credit her' for health insurance premiums paid. Premiums that she will not be able to afford to pay on a monthly basis. A 'credit' does not increase your monthly net income, it just reduces your tax bill. She will become one of the working uninsured.

And if they cut Medicaid as they propose, you will see the number of deaths in low income people, children, and the disabled skyrocket. It's not just inhuman, it's eugenics.

So what will she do if she does become ill, Across?

There's an old movie, with a great comedy actress called Judy Holliday, entitled 'The Solid Gold Cadillac'. I'm afraid that I don't think it's available to stream but here is a trailer which shows some of the initial shareholders' meeting. Watch it and see if it rings any bells.

Reading about your cousin's situation has really made me realise how lucky I am to live in a country with universal health care. I don't have to worry too much if I become ill. I already have a chronic condition and I well looked after by the government with little out-of-pocket expense to myself (other than lost salary). I'm currently doing a four month physio program - two days a week outpatient - at no cost to myself.

My DH had considered moving to the US in a year or two for a career opportunity, but the issues surrounding healthcare there have probably nixed that.

Lots of bells ringing there.

This is an interesting read:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/24/united-states-healthcare-britain-insurance-confusing

What anyone without insurance does cozie, she'll do without healthcare until she gets so ill that she's forced into an ER (A&E).

Minor things will be ignored or 'treated' with OTC remedies. 'Minor things' that may actually be cancer, heart disease, or a myriad of other devastating illnesses that would have been treatable if caught earlier.

In short, we are returning to healthcare as it was before the ACA.

Claws lucky indeed!

Healthcare here is second to none in quality and availability IF you have good insurance. And you can have good insurance IF you can pay for it.

DH had cardiomyopathy a few years ago. The total of all the bills was $250K. We paid $250 out of pocket. Insurance covered the rest. If we hadn't had good insurance we would have been bankrupt and lost our home.

This is the future of healthcare for working Americans without the ACA as the employer mandate will end up going away and with no subsidies they won't be able to afford private insurance yet their wages will make them ineligible for Medicaid.