New members open thread

Submitted by JtC on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:39pm

What's up?

Vote

Comments

Submitted by Unabashed Liberal on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:03pm

Thank you for launching 'the blog.'

Our family is arriving this evening, instead of tomorrow, noon. So my Cocker post (which would entail quite a bit of time perusing Wolf's expansive photo portfolio) will have to wait until they leave.

But, I have an excellent (older) video of Chris Hedges and Paul Jay of Real News Network, discussing how the so-called 'liberal class' (i.e., Establishment Liberals, not rank-and-file ones) have eviscerated the working class in America--which I'll be back to post.

I hope that the image of Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin works. It is a screenshot from a hilarious SNL skit.

If these work, I promise that I'm done with 'testing.'

Again, thank you much, JTC.

Here we go . . .

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Submitted by Unabashed Liberal on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:12pm

Yeah--it worked!

JTC, it appears that it was working last evening, after all.

What happened is: When the image appeared in the upload 'thingie,' but failed to show when I previewed the post, I went back and removed the image altogether--thinking that something was amiss.

So for all new members, don't expect "to see" the image in the 'preview' mode, although the video will show.

See you guys after I pay some bills!

**********

Hi, CL!

Thanks for all that you do, as well. Very good to see you!

Mollie

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Submitted by JtC on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:21pm

Howdy Mollie...

No it wasn't working last night, I traced down the problem and fixed it this morning. Hey, I remember that SNL skit, back when SNL was at it's best.

Submitted by Cordelia Lear on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 5:52pm

Waves back n/t

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"Never separate the life you live from the words you speak." --Paul Wellstone

Submitted by Blue Dragon on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 3:57pm

thanks for getting this up and running

I tried to upvote 5 stars, but I can only vote one star?

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May the dolphins, whales and furry things inherit the world. Humans, unless we do an about face, have just about proven we don't deserve this beautiful planet.

Submitted by Unabashed Liberal on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 4:11pm

Hey, Blue Dragon! I mentioned the "1 star" fluke

last night. But forgot to say anything, this afternoon. Glad you brought it up.

Hope you're feeling better, now.

Mollie

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Submitted by dkmich on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 5:21pm

one star

That's the most I could vote too. Nice new digs...

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Submitted by JtC on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 5:51pm

The one by the vote...

means you voted once, it was registered as a 4 in my vote totals. i changed it to a simple thumbs up, which do you like better?

Submitted by Unabashed Liberal on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 6:22pm

Hey, I can go with either one. But I do sorta think that

the 'thumbs up' is sharper looking than stars.

And, anyway, if I like something, I usually like it--without assigning degrees of like.

(Of course, some might argue that the degree of effort that goes into a post, should count for something. And I suppose that's a valid point.)

Bottom line, I'm okay with either 'system.'

Mollie

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Submitted by Big Al on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 6:30pm

Thumbs up man.

Peace, Love, Dope.
Great job!

Submitted by Lady Libertine on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 3:16pm

making progress

but still have my head in the numbers game, and will for a few more weeks.

Check this out. yeesh.
Obama's New State Of The Union Tax Hike On Middle Class 529 College Savers
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanellis/2015/01/19/obamas-new-state-of-the...

Submitted by Unabashed Liberal on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 4:08pm

Hey, LL. About these plans,

we have a bunch of Financial Planners (Securities/Insurance Brokers, etc.) in the family, and for the most part, these plans are not that good a deal for the average family. (fees too high, complicated unless one has a financial advisor, etc.)

Truthfully, I think the entire SOTU Address was "Kabuki" at its finest.

Below is a link to a Bloomberg piece. (If it works--haven't tried a link, here.)

It describes the typical user of the 529 college savings plans as "less than 3 percent of American families use the plans. Those who do use them are disproportionately wealthy, with 25 times more assets than those who don’t use the plans, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO)."

Which is not to say no regular folks use them. I've got some family members who are educators (pretty well-heeled, but not wealthy--like a Dean Of Engineering) who have used this savings vehicle, and they seemed satisfied with it.

Anyway, wish you luck, since IIRC, you have a college age child. At current tuition costs, I can see how any type of plan might look good. (I would shop carefully, though, regarding the fees. We learned the hard way years ago, regarding an IRA.)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-09/why-97-of-people-don-t-use-529-...

Mollie

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Submitted by dkmich on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 5:27pm

Michigan has two qualified college savings plans.

MET allows you to buy a semester or up to 4 years at a jr. or 4 year university. The younger the child, the cheaper the cost.
MESP is a deferred savings account. If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought all three grandsons four years of MET for Michigan State when they were born. They are good deals. I was going to add "if you can afford them", but it is amazing what some people think is and is not affordable.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Submitted by Lady Libertine on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 6:36pm

ours is a state thing too - Texas

I forgot about that but thats okay. This is a special savings Our Financial Rep Guy (retirement stuff) advised my husband to do a few years ago when kid was just starting high school i think. We didnt put much into it but over 3 years ... anyway, I wasnt really involved at that stage of it so now Im having to play catch-up and read-learn what all the ins and outs of it are. Gearing up to do our FAFSA so I just wanna make sure this doesnt ding us. Its probably a good thing but man I hate this stuff!

Submitted by Unabashed Liberal on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 6:42pm

Hey, dkmich, good to see you again. Well, that's

also pretty much what the article said.

". . . Fees vary widely from state to state. In Louisiana, there’s no fee at all on a basic plan for residents, thanks to state subsidies.

Savers can often use low-cost plans in other states, though they may forfeit a state tax deduction by doing so."

I guess my primary point was "to check out the fees," since not all of these plans are created equal--or so it seems.

That, and the fact that the Forbes piece was a bit misleading, in that these plans are not as widely used as the article would indicate.

But, hey, I'm glad that they have worked for you.

Mollie

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Submitted by Lady Libertine on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 6:46pm

thanks

thanks for that link too. Fees? we pay fees on this thing? ugh.
Yeah our 529 doesnt have enough in it to even cover one semester tuition at her school so ... we'll see.

Submitted by Unabashed Liberal on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 6:57pm

Sure--and as the piece says, some states have good

programs. If Texas has a good deal, I'd go for it, too, since college tuition is definitely not getting any cheaper.

Again, I don't think that the President will pass any revenue or funding bills, unless they hit the lowest income folks. (That's what he usually does.)

So, with any luck at all, it's a pretty good bet that this cut won't pass.

(A topic for another thread is "what" the Administration actually intends to cut. I can hardly wait to see the February Budget--snark intended!)

Mollie

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Submitted by Tammany Tiger on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 5:41pm

Hillary the Inevitable plans to drop a money bomb

Amie Parnes of The Hill reports that Hillary the Inevitable's fat-wallet supporters are planning Operation Shock and Awe:

“The floodgates are going to open immediately, and there’s going to be a rush to get on the team,” said Don Peebles, the real estate mogul who served on President Obama's national finance committee. “There’s nobody in the Democratic Party who can match her. Not even close.”

Crashing the gates, indeed.

Submitted by Unabashed Liberal on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 7:14pm

Indeed, TT. Heard an interview with Parnes and

Julie Mason (XM Radio) yesterday.

Here's a link, and an additional excerpt from her piece in The Hill.

http://new.thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/230318-the-5-...

By Amie Parnes and Kevin Cirilli

January 21, 2015, 04:54 pm
The $5 billion presidential campaign?

The 2016 presidential election could cost as much as $5 billion, according to top fundraisers and bundlers who are already predicting it will more than double the 2012 campaign’s price tag.

Behind-the-scenes jockeying to raise big bucks from bundlers connected to super-PACs and third-party groups is well underway, even with no top-tier candidates officially in the race.

Potential candidates with proven fundraising prowess, such as 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, are throwing political elbows at each other to secure donors’ money at an early stage in the race. . . .

And then there’s Hillary Clinton. . . .

In private conversations, allies to the former secretary of State are predicting that the campaign totals on their end alone might surpass $1.5 billion and go as high as $2 billion. . . .

“I’ll be very surprised if it’s more than $3 billion,” predicted another major Democratic fundraiser.

Still, Clinton is looking to make up for past mistakes, and Bush, Romney and Christie are already competing over Republican donors. . . .

In 2008, Barack Obama’s campaign ran circles around Clinton’s campaign in raising money from digital advertising and small-dollar donors.

But Team Clinton — which raised nearly $230 million in 2008 — is off to a promising start as it looks to remedy those problems.

One close ally familiar with fundraising said it was possible she could raise $800 million from digital advertising alone in 2016.

“That’s a really realistic goal,” the ally said.

The super-PAC Ready for Hillary has raised more than $11 million, mostly through small-dollar donations. Another outside group, Priorities USA Action, which helped raise and spend more than $65 million for Obama during the 2012 cycle, has also committed to backing Clinton.

Team Clinton will most definitely have a website where supporters can “join” her campaign. They will then be asked to make donations.

Adam Green, co-founder of the liberal Progressive Change Campaign Committee PAC, which is pressing for candidates to adopt progressive policies more aligned with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), said there’s “definitely” space for a viable Clinton alternative despite her fundraising prowess.

“The big money matters more in the presidential race after New Hampshire and Iowa,” said Green.

He said Clinton could scare off challengers not by raising money but by reaching out to progressives.

“Clinton can close that political space by following the Warren wing,” Green said. “Early money is important for credibility but the big issue comes when a candidate cuts corners on policy to get more big money. That’s the problem.” . . .

Scary!

Mollie

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Submitted by Unabashed Liberal on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 7:17pm

Apologies--Deleted A Double-Post!

Mollie

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Submitted by JtC on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 5:47pm

Hi everybody...

thanks for stopping by. i just changed the rating system to a simple thumbs up, do you prefer that over the five star thing? There's also thumbs up and thumbs down.

Submitted by Tammany Tiger on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 6:02pm

Thumbs up gets a thumbs-up from me!

Submitted by gulfgal98 on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 6:04pm

Thumbs up

Is what I prefer. It is simple so that is why it is my preference. BTW, I think this site is going to be what we need for two reasons. The ability to actually post a diary in the kind of format most of us are accustomed to and the threaded comments format. Thank you so much Johnny!!!!!!!!

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Submitted by Cordelia Lear on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 6:18pm

My thoughts exactly n/t

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"Never separate the life you live from the words you speak." --Paul Wellstone

Submitted by JtC on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 6:24pm

You're very welcome, gulgal...

I'll be doing everything I can to improve it even more as we progress.

Submitted by Unabashed Liberal on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 7:18pm

Hear, hear! Good to see you, Nancy! N/T

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Submitted by gulfgal98 on Sat, 01/24/2015 - 6:56am

Hi Mollie

I am so glad to see you here too!

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Fri, 01/23/2015 - 11:20pm

So what's this all about?

Now we come to the blog at caucus99%. Is this the new caucus99%, replacing the old site or an addendum, or what? I can't just poke around and explore before Monday at the earliest, Johnny, so tip me a hint if you get chance.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by gulfgal98 on Sat, 01/24/2015 - 7:00am

I am not Johnny, but

the way I understand it is that this site is an open site that anyone can join. The main purpose is to enable the publication of diaries and to allow for threaded comments. In that way, it is more user friendly than the other one. But the purpose of each is different, so they both will remain in use.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sun, 01/25/2015 - 10:16pm

Thanks, gulfgal, good to see ya.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by JtC on Sat, 01/24/2015 - 7:15am

Hello el...

good to see you here, what ^gulfgal said^. It's an addendum, meant to replace the dairy section of the forum which wasn't that well suited for publishing diaries as we know them.

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Sun, 01/25/2015 - 10:17pm

got it, thanks for setting it up

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by OLinda on Sat, 07/16/2016 - 4:02pm

Hello blast from the past. :) nt

Submitted by riverlover on Sat, 07/16/2016 - 4:03pm

What's up with my comment page?

A transition? I have one line neither between comment thumbs up and replies. I'll get over it, or something.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Submitted by Alphalop on Sat, 07/16/2016 - 4:07pm