Well, off we go

essentialsaltes said:

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.

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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.

Pitfalls in the solar sector:

Lukaris said:

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

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

iluvatar5150 said:

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

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

Lukaris said:

Pitfalls in the solar sector:

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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.

rambot said:

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

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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!

Another Trump accomplishment I can support.

rambot said:

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

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‘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.