GOP Civil War

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) believes that incumbent Republicans won't have a problem holding their seats in the 2014 elections. "I think we are going to crush them everywhere," McConnell said about Tea Party challengers in a New York Times interview published Saturday. "I don’t think they are going to have a single nominee anywhere in the country."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mcconnell-crush-tea-party


Wishful thinking Mitch. Republican voters are stupid and evil and while you Mitch McConnell are stupid and evil the teabaggers are even more stupid and more evil and they will vote for the greater stupid and greater evil.


Republican voters are shockingly stupid.

Blacks Mentally Healthiest That's Why They Vote Democrat

This is why Blacks vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. It's a no brainer that Republicans are crazier than shithouse rats. They prove it everyday. The mentally healthiest people voting for Democrats is just more evidence that Democrats are right and Republicans are wrong.

http://midus.wisc.edu/findings/pdfs/806.pdf

Blacks have higher rates of complete mental health—flourishing and free of mental illness—than Whites. This finding is paradoxical insofar as Blacks, compared with Whites, face greater levels of social inequality and discrimination that explain much, and sometimes all, of the Black disadvantage in terms of premature mortality and physical disease.



Blacks have more mental toughness!

Although inequality and discrimination increase the risk of physical morbidity among Blacks
they do not entirely suppress the chances of positive mental health in Blacks. In fact, before making any statistical adjustments in socio-demographic variables, about 27% more Blacks than Whites are flourishing and free of mental disorder. When perceived discrimination is entered into regression models with relevant covariates(e.g., educational attainment), the gap increases between Blacks and Whites on 12 of the 13 signs of flourishing. Thus, were it not for social inequalities in general and discrimination in particular Blacks would have even better mental health than Whites. Discrimination, in short, suppresses Blacks’ potential to fully flourish in life.

Notwithstanding exposure to discrimination and dramatic social inequalities, Blacks exhibit resilience in mental health.



There you have it CONS and other racists. You have not broken the spirit of our Black brothers and sisters. All you CONS do is look dumb and dumber.

9 Distrurbing Facts About the South

Look, there are lots of things to love about the South.  There's delicious food, fat & gluttonous people and often amazing weather. But that's exactly why it makes us at Bigger Fatter Politics so sad to think about all the ways in which the region is struggling today.

First off, poverty rates are a lot higher in the South.


Source: USDA In fact, as many as one in four Southern kids lives in poverty, compared to the national average of one in five.

In the map above, red shading indicates a poverty rates between 17.9 and 22.8 percent. Orange indicates 15.9 to 17.8 percent; light orange, 12.2-15.8 percent; pale yellow, 9 to 12.1 percent. As you can see, there's a lot of high-poverty red in the South.
And minimum wages are much lower.



Source: Department Of Labor Virtually no Southern states, with the exception of Florida, have a minimum wage higher than the federal floor of $7.25 an hour. Many Southern states do have relatively low living costs. But they are not dramatically lower than costs of living in other states, such as Ohio and Missouri, that have set minimum wages at least slightly higher than the national limit. The Southern states are doing the absolute minimum for their poorest citizens by keeping the minimum wage at the lowest levels possible.

And people living in the South are a lot less likely to move up the economic ladder.


Source: Equality Of Opportunity Project If you want to achieve the American Dream, don't move to the South. That's because states in the South have extremely low levels of economic mobility. In the map above, pale yellow represents places with higher mobility, while red indicates low mobility.

Many living in poverty in the South are being denied access to affordable health care.


Source: Urban Institute
States that didn't choose to expand Medicaid under Obamacare are highlighted in lighter gray.
...which is costing these states a ton of money.


Source: The Huffington Post
This map shows how much money the 19 states that rejected Medicaid expansion will lose by 2022 as a result of doing so (assuming all other states participate).

This is particularly troubling because the South has several health crises on its hands. Like obesity.


Source: CDC Obesity rates are wonderfully high across the U.S. But they're particularly high in the South.
Southern states also have a higher percentage of cigarette smokers.


Source: The Huffington Post Most Southern states have a higher percentage of smokers than anywhere else in the country. Incidentally, most Southern states have relatively low taxes on cigarettes.

And a much higher rate of teen births because fat girls are sluts.


Source: Zara Matheson + Atlantic Cities The map plots birth rates among women ages 15 to 19. In states shaded dark blue, there are more than 50 births per 1,000 teenage women.

Perhaps all this is why some Southern states are among the least happy states in the country.


Source: Gallup That's according to Gallup's recent "State of American Well-Being" report, which surveyed thousands of Americans and ranked states based on an average of six measures: "life evaluation," emotional health, physical health, healthy behaviors, work environment and basic access to things like food, water and shelter.

Republicans Hate Blacks Because God Hates Blacks

A Racist God Slaughters Blacks

"And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots..." (II Chronicles 14:9)

So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. (II Chronicles 14:12)

Comment

It appears that Black Christian Bible studies programs ignore these verses, for it says that the Lord God slaughtered over a million blacks.

The association of black with evil goes far back in Western Christian culture. The early Church fathers, Origen, Jerome, and Augustine of Hippo wrote about devils appearing as Ethiopians.

White racist groups (such as the Ku Klux Klan who think of themselves as opposite of black devils) see these Biblical verses as evidence to justify their beliefs. We still hear phrases such as "Prince of Darkness" or "Black magic" which link blackness with sin.

In the story of Ham and Japheth, the word "ham" has connotations of "hot" and "dark" in Semitic languages. To the ancient Israelites, as well as some modern Jews and Christians, the "children of Ham" had dark skin and lived in eastern Africa. Thus they see the "Curse of Ham" as a link with black skin and sexual license.

Republicans Lie More Than Democrats... A LOT MORE!

What A Shocker: New Study Concludes That Republicans Lie Much More Than Democrats

May 28, 2013

By Anomaly

A new study from the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University concludes that Republicans are the ‘less credible party.’ And we never suspected a thing (wink wink). Michele Bachmann is one of the worst offenders.



Salon reports:

100 statements evaluated by the fact-checking website PolitiFact between Obama’s second inauguration and this month, the researchers found that claims from Republican officials were labeled as “false” or “pants on fire” by a 3-to-1 margin, compared to claims from Democratic officials. Conversely, half as many Republican claims were labeled “entirely true.”

“While Republicans see a credibility gap in the Obama administration, PolitiFact rates Republicans as the less credible party,” said CMPA president  Robert Lichter in a press release. An earlier study from the CMPA found the website rated the Romney campaign worse than the Obama campaign during the 2012 election. Not surprisingly, Michele Bachmann is one of the most poorly rated politicians on PolitiFact.

The study states, “A majority of Democratic statements (54%) were rated as mostly or entirely true, compared to only 18% of Republican statements. Conversely, a majority of Republican statements (52%) were rated as mostly or entirely false, compared to only 24% of Democratic statements.”
Of course, Republicans will claim the study is ‘skewed’ and will  not dictate their campaigns on fact-checkers, such as the Romney campaign said.  Either way, Democrats are winning, while Michele Bachmann gives fact-checkers migraines every time she opens her mouth.
During the Presidential debate, Mitt Romney used what was titled as PolitiFact’s ‘lie of the year’ and propagated it further.

Paul Ryan did the same thing while debating Joe Biden.

The statement adds, “This study’s findings are similar to those of a previous CMPA study, which found that PolitiFact gave more negative ratings to the Romney campaign than the Obama campaign during the 2012 presidential election campaign.”
Bu…but Benghazi!:

“Despite controversies over Obama administration statements regarding Benghazi, the IRS and the Associated Press, Republicans have continued to fare worse than Democrats, with 60% of their claims rated as false so far this month (May 1 – May 22), compared to 29% of Democratic statements – a 2 to 1 margin.”

Medical Billing Fraud

Medical Billing Fraud is Rampant

Blue Cross Blue Shield estimates that 1/3 of every dollar Americans spend on health care services goes to cover waste and fraud. That's more than we spend on national defense and we spent nearly 600 billion on our defense.  Much of this fraud is billing fraud and chances are your own doctor is one of the thieves.

Understanding Healthcare Fraud

Patients and their medical insurance information can be exploited in various ways that result in increased costs and decreased confidence in the healthcare system. As part of our efforts to improve and protect the healthcare system, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield National Anti-Fraud Department is undertaking a nationwide campaign to share how physicians, healthcare providers and customers can help with healthcare fraud detection and prevention.

• What is Healthcare Fraud?
• Protecting Members
• Financial Impact
• Who's Doing It?

Healthcare fraud is a federal crime under most criminal codes and consists of intentional deceit within the healthcare system for the purpose of illicit gains.  Healthcare abuse is similar activity or behavior where knowing intent to obtain an unlawful gain cannot be established.

Examples of healthcare fraud and abuse:

• Phantom claims for services or supplies that were never provided
• Using someone else’s medical insurance information to obtain services or supplies
• Falsifying signatures or medical records to support misrepresented services or supplies
• Unbundling services from a group to unlawfully increase medical payment
• Misrepresenting the location where services or supplies are provided
• Rendering medical care without a license
• Duplicate claim submissions

Protect Yourself  

We encourage you to follow these general guidelines to safeguard yourself from preventable medical errors and improve the quality of care you receive.

1. After care, review your statement to verify accuracy. Learn how to read your Explanation of Benefits.
2. Ask your doctor to explain the reason for services
3. Report any discrepancies to your health insurance plan or payer
4. Beware of "free" medical services, as illicit entities use this lure to obtain information
5. Safeguard your insurance card the same as you would your credit card
6. Report instances where co-payments or deductibles are waived
7. Don’t give your insurance number to marketers or solicitors
8. Never sign a blank insurance form

 

The Costs of Health Care Fraud

Healthcare expenditures topped $2 trillion in 2008 and are expected to exceed $3 trillion by 2014. The most conservative estimate of the amount of healthcare expenditures lost to fraud is three percent, which equates to over $70 billion annually.

That amount costs the average family of four over $200 a year above what they would pay for the honest delivery of healthcare goods and services. Losses attributed to wasteful spending, including fraud and abuse, may be as high as 30%.

 

Report Fraud

If you suspect that healthcare dollars are being paid improperly or as a result of false or misleading information provided to a Blue Cross and Blue Shield company, notify your local Blue Cross and Blue Shield company.Our Partners

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Office of Inspector General
Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Inspector General
Office of Personnel Management
Office of Inspector General
U.S. Postal Service
Federal Trade Commission
U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Food and Drug Administration
Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Inspector General
Department of Labor
National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association
Coalition Against Insurance Fraud
Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
State Attorneys General
State Departments of Insurance
State and Local Police Departments White Collar Crime Units
State Medical Licensing and Disciplinary Boards

US Defense Cuts

U.S. Defense Spending vs. Global Defense Spending

April 24, 2013

In 2012, the most recent year for which complete data is available, the U.S. approved $645.7 billion in defense budget authority (fiscal year 2013 dollars). This figure includes funding for the Pentagon base budget, Department of Energy-administered nuclear weapons activities, and the war in Afghanistan.

This number is six times more than China, 11 times more than Russia, 27 times more than Iran and 33 times more than Israel. Though China is often cited as the country’s next great military adversary, U.S. military spending currently doubles that of all of the countries in Asia combined. In 2012, the U.S. consumed 41 percent of total global military spending. The U.S. also remained in the top 10 highest spending countries as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), one widespread measure of military spending, trailing behind countries such as Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, all of which have a significantly lower total military expenditure as well as a lower total GDP.^I

2012 Defense Expenditure^II
(budget authority in billions of current U.S. dollars)

Country or Region	2012 Spending
United States (including war and nuclear)	645.7
Asia	314.9
Europe	280.1
Middle East and North Africa	166.4
Russia and Eurasia	69.3
Latin America and The Caribbean	68.8
Sub-Saharan Africa	19.2
Canada	18.4
Global Total	1,582.8

Top Five Defense Budgets
(budget authority in billions of current U.S. dollars)

U.S. vs. Global Spending
(budget authority in billions of current U.S. dollars)

Countries of Interest
(budget authority in billions of current U.S. dollars)

Country	2012 Spending	Percent of GDP
United States (including war and nuclear)	645.7	4.12
Canada	18.4	1.04
China	102.4	1.24
Russia	59.9	3.06
United Kingdom	64.1	2.63
France	48.1	1.86
Germany	40.4	1.20
Japan	59.4	0.99
India	38.5	1.98
Italy	23.6	1.19
Brazil	35.3	1.45
Australia	25.1	1.63
Saudi Arabia	52.5	7.99
South Korea	29.0	2.52
Israel	19.4	7.85
Taiwan	10.3	2.21
Iran	23.9	4.95
North Korea	**	**
Pakistan	5.9	2.55
Venezuela	6.1	1.80
Iraq	14.7	11.28
Afghanistan	2.1	10.54
Oman	6.7	8.42
Jordan	1.8	5.6

^IU.S. figure includes funding for the Pentagon base budget, Department of Energy-administered nuclear weapons activities, and the war in Afghanistan. Data from Congressional Research Service, Office of Management and Budget, and International Institute for Strategic Studies.
^IIUnfortunately, there is no such thing as an agreed-upon international definition for “defense expenditure.” Many countries count spending differently and, in some cases, transparency is an issue.
The analysis above uses data from The Military Balance 2013, the authoritative reference almanac produced annually by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Defense spending estimates for China and Russia, both of which regularly underreport their annual military budgets, have been reported using a methodology known as Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). The Military Balance typically uses market exchange rates to convert countries’ defense spending figures into U.S. dollars. In the case of China and Russia, however, the market exchange rates fail to fully reflect the purchasing power of the yuan and the ruble, respectively. To compensate for this, The Military Balance 2013 uses PPP. This allows for a more balanced calculation of the numbers. All of the figures for China and Russia in the analysis above use PPP figures, which are significantly higher than both officially reported and market exchange rate figures.
The bottom line is that this analysis uses the highest possible defense spending estimates for China and Russia.
^**The U.S. State Department estimates North Korean military spending at as much as a quarter of Gross National Product (GNP), with up to 20% of men ages 17-54 in the regular armed forces. Any publicly available estimates on DPRK defense spending are unreliable.