Well, off we go

[Servus]

 

[essentialsaltes]

Waste and freeloaders and evil Obamacare might be back on the menu! For a limited time!

House Republicans launch bill to extend health subsidies past midterms​

It’s the latest sign the GOP sees political peril in letting enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits expire at the year’s end.
Ten House Republicans are leading new legislation that would extend enhanced tax credits for coverage under the Democrats’ 2010 health law.

Make it 12.

This House Republican is no troublemaker. But she's sticking her neck out for Obamacare subsidies.​

Rep. Jen Kiggans has stepped into a political minefield in her quest to secure an extension of enhanced health care tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year.

A former Navy helicopter pilot, nurse practitioner and mother of four, the 54-year-old Virginian is seen in the Republican Conference as something of a model member, hailing from one of the toughest swing districts in the country. She is viewed by her peers as personable and a team player.

Twelve Republicans and seven Democrats are backing legislation that would enact a one-year extension of the subsidies, which are implemented in the form of enhanced tax credits. Kiggans is the lead sponsor and the GOP face of the effort.

“In six weeks or so, people will get a notice that their health care premiums are going to go up by thousands of dollars,” said Kiggans. “And at the end of the year ... for people that either have this type of insurance and work in small businesses, are self-employed, you know, I worry about their access to health care.”

Mindful of the intraparty fissures around this issue, Johnson has so far been careful not to say whether he endorses an extension, and certainly isn’t tying it to a government funding package needed to avert a shutdown before Oct. 1.

 

[Lukaris]

Pitfalls in the solar sector:

$2.2 billion solar plant in California scheduled to be turned off after years of wasted money: ‘Never lived up to its promises’

The hugely expensive Ivanpah Solar Power Facility was completed in 2014, but it’s now dated and inefficient. It’s set to close in 2026.

nypost.com

 

[iluvatar5150]

Pitfalls in the solar sector:

$2.2 billion solar plant in California scheduled to be turned off after years of wasted money: ‘Never lived up to its promises’

The hugely expensive Ivanpah Solar Power Facility was completed in 2014, but it’s now dated and inefficient. It’s set to close in 2026.

nypost.com

Getting outpaced by new technology is a pitfall in any sector.

 

[Lukaris]

Getting outpaced by new technology is a pitfall in any sector.

Within 10 years & a couple billion $ spent is not a confidence builder.

 

[rambot]

Within 10 years & a couple billion $ spent is not a confidence builder.

This was an older technology too....heating water using heliostats was a risky endevour (it's basically a gigantic solar oven) and I find it odd that they expected that to be a long term money making endevour.
I am totally with you about it not being a confidence builder. Good thing the tech itself has been a dead end essentially and there is a more sensible focus on solar panels.


Quick... without looking how much has the efficiency of solar panels increased since t hat project was first proposed?

Construction began in 2009. Solar panels: 200W efficiency
Solar panels 2025: 500W (Was offered to me for my house)...750W is available.

 

[Bradskii]

Pitfalls in the solar sector:

For that type of technology? You bet. It's now outdated. Thanks for the heads up as to how far and how quickly the industry has advanced.

 

[essentialsaltes]

I wonder how many Leopards ate my face stories and how quickly we will be hearing them.

Multiple Republicans revolt as Trump axes Hispanic grant​

Six House Republicans — who have all previously voiced opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives — are now revolting after a prominent DEI program was gutted by the Trumpadministration.

In September, the Trump White House officially ended funding to “racially discriminatory discretionary grant programs at minority-serving institutions,” among which was a grant program for colleges and universities where at least 25% of the student body is Hispanic.

“They’re not trying to reach a quota like DEI is doing,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who himself co-sponsored legislation to eliminate federal DEI programs, speaking in defense of the aforementioned grant program, The Washington Post reported Thursday. “They’re just serving the communities in which they happen to live, which is what we want.”

Gonzalez is not alone in his rare break with Trump on this issue; he is joined by [others]

The Republican lawmakers’ plea to have the diversity grant program restored was met with deaf ears, however.

Adios!

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Another Trump accomplishment I can support.

 

[essentialsaltes]

I wonder how many Leopards ate my face stories and how quickly we will be hearing them.

‘I’m angry with my president:’ Trump voters in Florida confront the fallout of his policies a year before the midterms​

The consequences will be felt especially hard in Miami-Dade County, where the shift of the Latino vote from Democrat to Republican was key to Trump’s victory last year. Here, about 215,000 households (about 24%) rely on SNAP, one of the highest rates in the country. In other words, more than half a million people.

Alexis Maria, a 35-year-old single mother born in West Palm Beach who works as a doctor’s assistant, is among them. She says she voted for Trump because she thought he would be a better leader. “The last time Trump was president, I made more money than ever in my career. Prices were low. Gasoline was cheap. I remember going on vacation. Interest rates were lower. Now everything is out of control. I can’t even afford the air we breathe. Now I see that I made the wrong decision,” she says.

Alexis has been receiving food stamps since her first child was born. She has two children, ages 12 and six. “The government is the reason we’ve been able to eat most of the month, and the other half, I’m counting each cent to survive, what with food prices and rent,” she says.

Alexis says she has been looking for information about places where they donate food, such as churches and aid organizations, and has even had to miss work to be able to go get food. “Now I need to go three times a week to feed my family, and the lines every week have been longer. This sums up why I’m angry with the president. His decisions are now [adversely] affecting the lower and middle class. They only benefit the rich,” she says.

But not all Republican voters are disappointed. Some, like Kimberly Delgado, 28, maintain their support for Trump despite the difficulties they face. A resident of Weston, northeast of Miami, Delgado says that although she works at a funeral home and her husband also works full-time, they can’t afford to feed their two children, and they have been receiving food stamps for four years. Delgado was born in the U.S. to Cuban parents and she assumes that the situation with the government shutdown is going to be difficult for many like them — people who work full-time and yet still need help due to the rising cost of living.

 

[essentialsaltes]

I wonder how many Leopards ate my face stories and how quickly we will be hearing them.

Pro-Trump Nurse Shocked He Removed Career From ‘Professional’ Degree List​

Under the revamped list of professional degree programs, nursing and other key health care jobs were excluded, triggering debate over how this could affect nurses’ ability to get approved for student loans in the long run.

“Please remove the limitations of professions!” wrote Wendy Brindley Hines on Facebook. “As a PROFESSIONAL nurse who has her Masters Degree and as someone who has voted each time for you, I cannot believe that you would disrespect our profession!”

“Additionally, our middle daughter will graduate as a PT in 1 month, and our youngest is planning on becoming a Physician's Assistant. All of which take care of patients on a daily basis. Grad school is very expensive… trust me, I know! I have paid my way myself for each level of my education," she wrote.

Also kicked off the list of professions (for increased student loan support) were architects, accountants, educators and social workers.

Well, at least theology is still on the list. Maybe your kids can get loans and do faith healing.

 

[rambot]

Pro-Trump Nurse Shocked He Removed Career From ‘Professional’ Degree List​

Under the revamped list of professional degree programs, nursing and other key health care jobs were excluded, triggering debate over how this could affect nurses’ ability to get approved for student loans in the long run.

“Please remove the limitations of professions!” wrote Wendy Brindley Hines on Facebook. “As a PROFESSIONAL nurse who has her Masters Degree and as someone who has voted each time for you, I cannot believe that you would disrespect our profession!”

“Additionally, our middle daughter will graduate as a PT in 1 month, and our youngest is planning on becoming a Physician's Assistant. All of which take care of patients on a daily basis. Grad school is very expensive… trust me, I know! I have paid my way myself for each level of my education," she wrote.

Also kicked off the list of professions (for increased student loan support) were architects, accountants, educators and social workers.

Well, at least theology is still on the list. Maybe your kids can get loans and do faith healing.

As I understand it, there are QUITE a few professions he removed from the list...and you won't be surprised to learn most of them are female dominated.

Good heavens the "We need businessmen to run things" argument is, literally, the dumbest argument I've heard.

 

[RileyG]

Pro-Trump Nurse Shocked He Removed Career From ‘Professional’ Degree List​

Under the revamped list of professional degree programs, nursing and other key health care jobs were excluded, triggering debate over how this could affect nurses’ ability to get approved for student loans in the long run.

“Please remove the limitations of professions!” wrote Wendy Brindley Hines on Facebook. “As a PROFESSIONAL nurse who has her Masters Degree and as someone who has voted each time for you, I cannot believe that you would disrespect our profession!”

“Additionally, our middle daughter will graduate as a PT in 1 month, and our youngest is planning on becoming a Physician's Assistant. All of which take care of patients on a daily basis. Grad school is very expensive… trust me, I know! I have paid my way myself for each level of my education," she wrote.

Also kicked off the list of professions (for increased student loan support) were architects, accountants, educators and social workers.

Well, at least theology is still on the list. Maybe your kids can get loans and do faith healing.

How on earth does he have power to do that?

 

[essentialsaltes]

How on earth does he have power to do that?

This is something the Department of Education has control over. 'Professional' is a specific category of college degrees that have expanded access to federal student loans.

 

[RileyG]

This is something the Department of Education has control over. 'Professional' is a specific category of college degrees that have expanded access to federal student loans.

Thanks for the response.