Friday, January 16, 2015

5 Craziest Bills Already Filed With the Texas Legislature

Houston News


5 Craziest Bills Already Filed With the Texas Legislature


Categories: Political AnimalsTexasWhatever
capitold_1024.jpg
Photo from the Texas Legislature

The 84th biennial Texas Legislature convenes on Tuesday, and based on recent developments -- namely the sweeping Republican victories in the midterms -- this session is going to see one of the most conservative crews ever to sit down and legislate in Austin. But never fear, all is not lost.
A tightly held Republican state legislature (a.k.a. the best every-other-year reality show around) will feature the usual focus on abortion rights (and how to get rid of them) and education funding (and what else can be cut after the budget was already scraped to the bone back in 2013.) But there are also going to be some extra-special ridiculous bills being looked at over the next few months. We've rounded up some of our favorites so far ("favorites" translates to "the ones that made us want to smack our head on the desk") of the more than 700 bills already filed since back in November. Keep in mind that state legislators will be able to file bills until March, so what follows is by no means the last word on that which some (a.k.a. we) see as just this side of crazy-pants crazy.
5. The one where everybody gets all the guns. HB 195: Relating to the carrying of handguns; providing for the open carrying of handguns; and removing the requirement that a person who may lawfully possess handguns obtain a Concealed Handgun License in order to carry a handgun lawfully in the state of Texas.
There are lots of Open Carry bills that have been filed, but the one by Rep. John Strickland is a real honey of a creation. See, Strickland not only wants to allow people to openly carry pistols and the other smaller firearms, he wants to make it so that all the people can carry all the guns all the time. HB 195 even proposes getting rid of concealed handgun licenses entirely. It's practically impossible to see how this one could, you know, backfire. Despite what you'd expect, this being shoot-em'-up Texas and all, the Lone Star State has had a 140-year ban on openly carrying firearms. If this or any of the other bills filed actually get through the Lege, Texas will become the largest state to allow this type of pistol packing.
4. The one that's trying to quash gay marriage just in case it becomes legal in Texas. HB 623: Relating to the funding, issuing, and litigation of certain marriage licenses.
It's hard to believe it, but as of right now, gay marriage has been recognized in 36 states that contain roughly 70 percent of the country's population. It's quite possible that Texas may become one of the next states to be legally on board with same-sex marriage judging from the response of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals last Friday. But of course, Texas lawmakers can't just go quietly and get along on this issue.
Last week Rep. Cecil Bell filed HB 623, a bill that will, among other things, prohibit the use of taxpayer funds for the licensing and support of same-sex marriage. It will also bar any government employee who recognizes gay marriage from being paid. Gay marriage is such a hot-button issue right now, this is only one of a slew of bills filed touching on the subject. However, considering where things stand and the fact that Texas may well be on the brink of becoming the next state to recognize same-sex marriages, the timing of and calculation behind this bill make it particularly exasperating.
3. The one where Texas wants to build its own Fort Knox. HB 483: Relating to the establishment and administration of a state bullion depository; authorizing fees.
Despite the fact that this idea didn't gain any legislative traction during the 2013 session, Rep. Giovanni Capriglione is once again hoping to create the Texas Bullion Depository. Basically this bill would allow Texas to set up its very own Fort Knox. Outside of Texas once again trying to wing it as its very own independent country -- and keep in mind that whole secession thing went so well for us last time -- there doesn't seem to be any actual reason to create such a thing, unless scientists have figured out a way to allow people to swim through piles of gold just like Scrooge McDuck. But despite the fact that this bill doesn't have much of a point, Capriglione is heading once more into the breach. Fingers crossed that it's the last time.
2. The one that's trying to make the cowboy hat the official hat of Texas.HCR 35: Designating the cowboy hat as the official State Hat of Texas
This one, cooked up by Rep. Marsha Farney, is pretty self-explanatory, but the mind-boggling part is that lawmakers are going to spend actual time, actual taxpayer dollars and actual effort on deciding once and for all that the cowboy hat is hands-down the quintessential hat of Texas. Because somehow that is a thing that needs to be conclusively decided and put down for the record so that everyone for time immemorial will know we are all about the cowboy hat versus, let's say, the ski cap.
1.The one that's trying to legalize discrimination. SJR 10: Proposing a constitutional amendment relating to an individual's or religious organization's freedom of religion.
The summary sounds innocuous enough, but state Sen. Donna Campbell's second attempt to legalize gay discrimination is anything but harmless. If passed, the law will allow Texas business owners to discriminate against LGBT customers if they feel that serving them would violate their religious beliefs. Aside from the tiny fact that it's arguable that any religion that would sanction, let alone command, such behavior must be pretty horrid, this isn't even the first time Campbell has tried this shtick. She filed a nearly identical bill back in 2013 and nothing came of it, but despite the fact that there could be all kinds of problems triggered by such broad legislation, she's going for it again

How the Gun Lobby Became a Threat to Public Safety

How the Gun Lobby Became a Threat to Public Safety

Beck: Our Founding Principles Require That Christianity Receive Preferential Treatment

Home


Beck: Our Founding Principles Require That Christianity Receive Preferential Treatment

For the last three years, right-wing Christian groups have been distributing Bibles to students in the Orange County, Florida, public schools system every January on "National Freedom of Religion Day." This year, after atheist groups and Satanists sought to likewise distribute materials to students, the school system suspended the program and Glenn Beck is predictably furious.
On his television program last night, Beck insisted that not allowing Christianity to have a preferred place in American society is a violation of the very principles upon which this nation was founded.
"We are clearly a Judeo-Christian nation," he said while warning that society has now begun to "coddle those who disagree with Judeo-Christian values."
"We are becoming openly hostile to our own foundation," Beck said. "We have tolerated and excused and embraced the ideals that are in direct opposition to our founding principles."
After slamming the Florida school system for not even having "enough spine left to stand up to Satanists," Beck insisted that this is not an issue of equal treatment or free speech. 
"We lie to ourselves and we say it's our principles, we believe in free speech," he said. "It's not our principles of free speech. This is national suicide":
- See more at: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/beck-our-founding-principles-require-christianity-receive-preferential-treatment#sthash.vjC4EPq7.dpuf



Sandy Rios: House Should Expel Muslim Congressman For 'Islamic Terrorist Connections'

Sandy Rios: House Should Expel Muslim Congressman For 'Islamic Terrorist Connections'

On her radio program yesterday, the American Family Association’s Sandy Rios alleged that President Obama, whom she believes is a secret Muslim, is trying to bring more Muslim immigrants into the U.S. as part of his plan of “radically transforming the United States of America.”
According to Rios, “the president prefers, defers to the Islamic world, he defers to the Islamic extremists in the Muslim world.”



Rios then launched into a tirade against Rep. André Carson, repeating her contention that the House should ban the Indiana Democrat from serving on the House Intelligence Committee for the serious crime of being Muslim. After false claiming that two groups that donated to Carson, the Islamic Society of North America and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, are tied to terrorists, Rios said that Carson should be booted out of Congress for “his terrorist connections, his Islamic terrorist connections.”
“This man, André Carson, does not belong on the House Intelligence Committee, he doesn’t even belong in Congress, this is disgraceful,” she said. “André Carson is a dangerous person.”
An incensed Rios then returned to attacking Obama for “radically transforming the United States of America” through immigration.

Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson explain the meaning of life to a curious 6-year-old

Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson explain the meaning of life to a curious 6-year-old

You Won’t Believe The Appalling Amount We Spend On Social Security (INFOGRAPHIC)


You Won’t Believe The Appalling Amount We Spend On Social Security (INFOGRAPHIC)

logo image
We just ran through the numbers for Congress’ wretched 2015 budget deal, and can’t believe how much we’re spending on Social Security. Even more appalling are our outlays for education, health care, food stamps, and other government programs.

We’re not spending nearly enough.

Take a look at the pie chart below to see what’s wrong with this picture. We’re not spending nearly enough on Social Security and other safety net programs. Nor can this paltry budget — which doesn’t even accurately account for the rising cost of living — do anything towards rebuilding our nation’s crumbling infrastructure or spurring innovation and economic growth.
The National Priorities Project reports that out of the US government’s entire $1.16 trillion pot of “discretionary spending” money for the upcoming year, a whopping $640 billion goes to the military. Whoa. let that sink in for a second. $640 billion for the military. That’s 55.2 percent of all federal funds not already committed. Even Social Security — which we all pay into — doesn’t get that much.
Pie chart with 2015 US discretionary spending for Social Security and other government programs.
2015 US discretionary spending for Social Security and other government programs. Infographic byElisabeth Parker.
Republicans love saying we don’t have enough money to cover the essential public functions shown on this pie charts, but that’s a lie. Back in mid-twentieth century America, our higher (but still comparatively modest) tax rates on corporations and one percenters fueled innovation and a broadly-shared prosperity never known to mankind before, or since.

During the prosperous years of the mid-twentieth century (1950-1970), we also spent way too much money on our military. But at least other spending helped balance it out. Now, we lavish money on a military that commits humanitarian outrages around the world while failing to care for its own soldiers, and have little left for anything else.
Meanwhile, the following essential programs remain underfunded for the third decade in a row:
(10) Social Security, unemployment, and labor ($56.1 billion): Social Security, unemployment, and labor only gets a scant 4.8 percent from this budget in a time of high (albeit dwindling) unemployment (assuming you count crappy low-wage jobs at McDonalds and Walmart as “employment”). Americans pay directly into federal funds for social security, disability, and unemployment insurance, yet Republicans in Congress sneeringly call them “entitlements,” as though we aren’t actually entitled to them.
(9) Medicare and health ($56.7 billion): Medicare and Obamacare (aka the ACA)  are two other programs that Republicans love to attack because they hate anything that improves the quality of life for their fellow Americans, no matter how efficient, well-run, and cost-effective these programs are. And the heck with flu vaccines and other public health initiatives. The GOP would rather just cast sick and elderly people away on an ice floe to die in some quiet, invisible way that doesn’t annoy them.
(8) Food & Agriculture ($12.8 billion): Conservatives in Congress love bashing food stamp recipients as “lazy” even though a lot of them actually do work, and simply don’t get paid enough. And despite the horrifying fact that 25 percent of US children now live in poverty — a record level here, and a much higher rate than in other developed nations — the GOP apparently wants them to starve. “Please, sir, can I have some more?”
(7) Veterans benefits ($65.5 billion): This seems generous, until you consider that a quick stroll through your local homeless encampment will swiftly reveal how badly our nation for our veterans. Alas, the skills our soldiers gain while serving in the military don’t translate well to the outside world, regardless of what all those ads and campus recruiters promise. Alas, Walmart doesn’t need as many armored tank drivers and ballistics specialists as you’d think.
(6) Science ($29.2 billion): Forget about the days when America led the world in technology and innovation. The pathetic $29.2 billion we spend on science not only won’t spawn the next Internet, we’ll be lucky if that level of funding allows us to keep up with the latest flu virus mutations.
(5) Energy & the Environment ($38.4 billion): Once you subtract all those fossil fuel incentives and subsidies, there’s very little left to develop renewable energy sources and promote an environment that’s actually habitable for humans in the near future. Then again, the world is barely habitable for humans now.
(4) Government ($63.9 billion): Since we’re cutting back on government programs, we won’t need government employees to keep them running. Except for the ones who process unemployment applications. We’ll need more of those.
(3) Transportation ($26.1 billion): Who needs roads, trains, and public transit? Once the US government lays everyone off and corporations ship all the jobs overseas, nobody will need to go anywhere anyway. But that’s okay, we can just hunker down in our bunkers and breed our New World Army.
(2) Housing & Community ($60.9 billion): Like food stamps, federal programs that help low-to-middle-income folks afford to rent or purchase homes  are under attack, even though 30 years of conservative policies have caused more people to need help in the first place.
(1) International Affairs ($38.2 billion):When military intervention doesn’t do the job, or causes bad PR, our leaders can schmooze the right people or make a thoughtful gesture. Perhaps we should fold this into the military budget, but we can’t, because it’s already so bloated.
Social Security has always been solvent and can continue meeting its obligations if we continue supporting the program as a nation. Even if we don’t agree with a government-run insurance system for retirement and disability, it’s what we’ve got, and we need to honor our promises.
When you look at the US government’s total 2015 budget of $3.9 trillion, Social Security accounts for $1.33 trillion (33.6 percent) and Medicare accounts for $1.05 trillion (26.6 percent). But that spending is far less lavish than it seems, when you consider that all working Americans pay for — or have paid for — Medicare, Social Security, and unemployment insurance.
Total US Government budget for 2015.
Total US Government budget for 2015 with $3.9 trillion, and $1.33 trillion for Social Security, unemployment, and labor. Pie chart: National Priorities Project.
But despite the fact that we’ve all bought and paid into this federally-run insurance system that provides a safety net of last resort for when we get laid off or get too old or too sick to work, these programs are constantly under assault by Republicans. In fact, the GOP attacks and chips away at nearly all government programs that once made America among the best places in the world to live, and then manages to convince Americans that education and other programs aren’t working.
The only program Republicans want to fund is the military: But, of course not the programs that help bring soldiers from low income backgrounds into the middle class, and not the programs that care for the veterans we’ve destroyed.

More from Addicting Info on Social Security:


H/T: Jenna B. Pope | Featured image: Elisabeth Parker.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Muslim Man Who Saved Lives at Kosher Market Siege Awarded French Citizenship

Mediaite


Muslim Man Who Saved Lives at Kosher Market Siege Awarded French Citizenship



Lassana Bathily, the Muslim man who saved 15 lives during last week’s terror attacks in France, will be naturalized in a public ceremony next week after nearly 300,000 people signed a petition demanding he be given citizenship.
In addition, he will be given the Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest award of merit.
Bathily, an immigrant from Mali and an employee of Paris’s Hypercache market, managed to hide a dozen people — seven Jews among them — in the supermarket’s walk-in freezer when Amedy Coulibaly stormed the market last Friday, killing four people and holding dozens hostage in exchange for the freedom of his associates, Cherif and Said Kouachi, wanted for the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
What’s more, Bathily managed to escape the building using a fire escape and, after convincing the police he wasn’t an accomplice, gave them crucial logistical information about the building that eventually helped them storm the market, kill Coulibaly, and rescue the hostages.
His quick thinking was praised by French President Francois Hollande and Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu, who publicly thanked him by name during a speech in a Parisian synagogue.
According to RTL, Bathily had filed for naturalization in July of 2014, and the Ministry of the Interior fast-tracked his request. A massive petition circulating on Change.org certainly helped: within days of being posted, the petition garnered nearly 300,000 signatures.
Bathily, noted in the media for his humility, will be given the award in a naturalization ceremony on Tuesday, January 20th in Paris.
[RTL]
[Image via screenshot/BFMTV]

The Senate will vote to decide if climate change is real

MAY THE EYES HAVE IT!

The Senate will vote to decide if climate change is real



Senate Majority Leader and honorary fifth ninja turtle Mitch McConnell announced yesterday that he will graciously allow the Senate to vote on climate change. Specifically: thing or not a thing?
Here at Grist, we understand that plenty of things that seem real might not bereal (Drake, cake pops), and vice versa (ghosts). And we agree with our nation’s House of Lords: The most important part of fighting existential threats is determining if they are real, preferably by simple majority. “Evidence” means jack until you put it to a vote.
Like climate change, there are lots of other societal bugaboos we’re just not sure we buy. Since we can’t DO anything about them until we decide, let’s look at the evidence for and against a few of the big ones — and then vote on them, Senate, we beg of you.
hourglass
Shutterstock
1. Time
For: The inexorable ravages of age; sand.
Against: The Rolling Stones; this broken Swatch; InterstellarR.E.M.
THEMOON
Shutterstock
2. The Moon
For: Neil Armstrong; R.E.M.; werewolves; tides.
Against: Investigative journalism; clouds.

adnan
YouTube
3. Adnan Syed
Against: Sarah Koenig.
veggies
Shutterstock
4. Vegetables
For: Your mom’s lying word; lying farmers.
Against: Fruits.
jeanclaude
YouTube
5. Jean Claude Van Damme
For: Footage of devastation via roundhouses and crotch punches; the 90s.
Against: This CGI nightmare fever dream; the 2000s.
Honestly, I see where Mitch is coming from: You don’t want to deal with a thing? Pretend it doesn’t exist; get your friends to agree with you. In that vein, I have one more item for this list:
President Obama and Mitch McConnell
Pete Souza/White House
6. Mitch McConnell himself
Against: There were only ever four teenage mutant ninja turtles, and you know it.

Here are 5 times Muslim guests denounced terrorism on Fox itself, despite being yelled at and interrupted:

Here are 5 times Muslim guests denounced terrorism on Fox itself, despite being yelled at and interrupted:


“Has America gone crazy?”

“Has America gone crazy?”

It's a question that dogs me wherever I travel abroad -- and one for which I increasingly have no easy answer