This was interesting in the news today...

Published

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/16/1157480905/spain-menstrual-leave-teen-abortion-trans-laws

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The abortion law builds on legislation passed in 2010 that represented a major shift for a traditionally Catholic country, transforming Spain into one of the most progressive countries in Europe on reproductive rights. Spain's constitutional court last week rejected a challenge by the right-wing Popular Party against allowing abortions in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.

The debate will be heated in Spain, I imagine, as the conservative opposition pushes back. My daughter had horrible menstrual pain during her adolescence and young adulthood.  I'm certain that she would have benefitted from that time. 

Specializes in Med-Surg.
subee said:

Do you believe that hundreds of men and women are standing by to be guards at Alligator Alley?  I surely don't and if there were such people, they'd all be very desperate people like illegals.  What will the state of Florida do with this enormous prison if they deported every single illegal?  I think they would start legal immigrants so it would simply rot in the sun and become a toxic eyesore.  I saw people protesting in the blazing sun against it.  Call it what it is...a concentration camp but the majority  Floridians are OK with that?

The Florida National Guard will help out and I suppose it depends on the pay and benefits who would want to work there.  

Since illegal immigrants have been a problem my entire life time with a steady stream of them it's likely this facility will be used for the near future.  If not then I'm sure another function will be found, or yes, it would be abandoned.

People in Florida voted for mass deportations, people in America did, so yes Floridians as I've stated above are okay with detention centers and the one in Florida is just another one that's been added on.  I'm not sure what the controversy is that we're continuing what we voted for and what we are already doing.  Never mind that it will cost $450 million its first year.  

I think we've lost our soul as a nation.  We don't care how we treat illegal immigrants, we don't care about taking away healthcare and food benefits.  We don't care about much until it's us.

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Workers at Sarasota-based U.S. Tent Rental have received death threats and been doxxed after the company was tapped to provide food service for workers building "Alligator Alcatraz,” a controversial massive immigration detention site being constructed in the Everglades.

U.S. Tent Rental employees said that the company is being misrepresented on social media as a main player in the detention center's construction. A TikTok posted on June 24 showed trucks with the U.S. Tent Rental logo driving to the detention site, garnering over 1.3 million views.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2025/06/29/sarasota-company-receives-death-threats-over-alligator-alcatraz-work/84357848007/

Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
Tweety said:

I understand that conservatives want to cut spending and that for many taxation is taking away their money.  I also understand the idea of reducing waste, abuse and fraud and making people work instead of giving them handouts.

I would also think there would be a little more resistance from even conservatives that something just isn't right about these trillion dollar tax cuts to the wealthy.  

On the other hand sometimes the wealthy do benefit others.  Bezo's wedding brought in a billion dollars to the economy of Venice supposedly.  

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/30/trump-bill-helps-wealthy-hurts-low-earners-yale-report.html

 

And Venice EARNED it to have Bezos desecrate their city!

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Never thought I'd see this in MY America:

image.png.f9cdad6c7a8da380e977bd47baab300d.png

Gift link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/us/politics/justice-department-rioter-weaponization.htmlunlocked_article_code=1.TU8.ReFJ.B1mKVM0OU8rI&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
 

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A former F.B.I. agent who was charged with encouraging the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to kill police officers has been named as an adviser to the Justice Department task force that President Trump established to seek retribution against his political enemies.

The former agent, Jared L. Wise, is serving as a counselor to ED Martin, the director of the so-called Weaponization Working Group, according to people familiar with the group's activities.

Mr. Martin, a longtime supporter of Jan. 6 defendants, was put in charge of the weaponization group in May after Mr. Trump withdrew his name for a Senate-confirmed position as the U.S. attorney in Washington. His nomination faltered in part because of the work he had done as an advocate and defense lawyer for people charged in connection with the Capitol attack....

...His selection meant that a man who had urged violence against police officers was now responsible for the department's official effort to exact revenge against those who had tried to hold the rioters accountable.

It remains unclear exactly what role Mr. Wise will play as Mr. Martin's adviser. But one person familiar with the working group's activities said that Mr. Martin was proud to have Mr. Wise on his team, adding that there was no better person to serve on the weaponization task force than someone who had experienced the federal government being weaponized against him....

 

 

Specializes in Public Health, TB.

Trump's tax bill would send an iconic Smithsonian spacecraft to Texas

Texas lawmakers say the move would honor Houston's role in NASA history. Critics say the price, which could exceed $300 million, is wasteful.

https://wapo.st/3I9UCcw

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The Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum could lose the iconic Discovery space shuttle to Houston if a pair of Texas senators get their way.

President Donald Trump's massive tax and immigration bill passed the Senate on Tuesday with language effectively ordering the shuttle's move to Texas. It would set aside $85 million to transport Discovery and construct a home for it at Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center — which itself oversaw more than 100 shuttle launches over three decades.

But the Smithsonian, which has housed the shuttle at its Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Northern Virginia since 2012, estimated that the true cost would be north of $300 million. That includes the cost of the transfer, the new facility to house it, prep for an alternative museum display at the Smithsonian and other related costs.

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Others, including former astronauts, said moving Discovery from its current home in the D.C. suburbs doesn't make sense — in large part because the highly modified Boeing 747 originally used to transport the shuttles piggyback-style is no longer available. When the shuttle first arrived at the Smithsonian by air in 2012, preparations for the transfer took nearly a year.

Houston already has a space shuttle, by the way. 

When the shuttles were being dispersed, the Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle applied to receive one. They had to build a facility for it just to be considered. They were not awarded with one, but they acquired a training mock-up that is on display. 

 

Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
nursej22 said:

Trump's tax bill would send an iconic Smithsonian spacecraft to Texas

Texas lawmakers say the move would honor Houston's role in NASA history. Critics say the price, which could exceed $300 million, is wasteful.

https://wapo.st/3I9UCcw

Houston already has a space shuttle, by the way. 

When the shuttles were being dispersed, the Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle applied to receive one. They had to build a facility for it just to be considered. They were not awarded with one, but they acquired a training mock-up that is on display. 

 

The only time spending hundreds of millions of dollars troubles conservative Americans is when it feeds poor children or pays for Medicaid and public health.  

Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

Did all senior citizens receive their Big Beautiful Bill propaganda? 

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
toomuchbaloney said:

Did all senior citizens receive their Big Beautiful Bill propaganda? 

No.  The 64% of recipients that don't currently pay taxes on their SSI aren't going to notice anything.  It will raise the number to 88% benefiting the upper middle class SSI recipients.  His promise to eliminate all taxes didn't pan out.  

There are apparently senior citizens living in poverty but also apparently American senior citizens are sitting on a lot of assets and are the wealthiest cohort in history.  So the "Ponzi scheme" is lifting people out of poverty, helping people (hopefully me in the very near future) hold on to assets as well as a good deal of that money is pumped right back into the economy stimulating it. 

Do the upper income earners on SSI need tax breaks?  Probably more than the ultra wealthy do.

 

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.
toomuchbaloney said:

Did all senior citizens receive their Big Beautiful Bill propaganda? 

FB_IMG_1751645818854.jpg

I received this email! 

Retirement Taxes: How All 50 States Tax Retirees

PA is tax friendly:

Quote

 

Tax on Taxable Income: Flat rate of 3.07%

Social Security: Not taxable

Pensions: Not taxable

401(k) and IRA Distributions: Not taxable

 

Only retirement tax I've paid is when I sold stock to pay for home improvements.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

Catastrophic flooding in Texas has taken the lives of dozens of people with a bunch of missing kids from a Summer camp still unaccounted for.  Thank the gods that the NWS was able to issue flood warnings in spite of mission crippling staffing shortages.  

Specializes in Public Health, TB.
toomuchbaloney said:

Catastrophic flooding in Texas has taken the lives of dozens of people with a bunch of missing kids from a Summer camp still unaccounted for.  Thank the gods that the NWS was able to issue flood warnings in spite of mission crippling staffing shortages.  

Homeland Security Secretary Noem seems to indicate that  previous administrations failed to update technology that would have allowed better warnings, but no mention of the staff shortages caused by DOGE. 

At about 30 minutes in, she seems to indicate old technology is to blame. 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-noem-and-texas-officials-give-update-on-flood-rescue-and-recovery-efforts

 

Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
nursej22 said:

Homeland Security Secretary Noem seems to indicate that  previous administrations failed to update technology that would have allowed better warnings, but no mention of the staff shortages caused by DOGE. 

At about 30 minutes in, she seems to indicate old technology is to blame. 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-noem-and-texas-officials-give-update-on-flood-rescue-and-recovery-efforts

 

She didn't mention that NWS mysteriously started using Musk's platform as a primary means of communicating with the public after the inauguration?  Did she mention that state officials knew there was weather forecasted that could lead to flooding? The local sheriff described that river valley as the most dangerous in the region because of flash floods. No one took the weather warnings seriously.  No official recommended in advance that people seek higher ground and shelter in place for potential rescue.  The campground owners seemingly felt no obligation to pay attention to local weather warnings when they knew the area floods with some routine and regularity.  They just all assumed that it would be fine.  It was a gamble really.  

NRSKarenRN said:

I received this email! 

Retirement Taxes: How All 50 States Tax Retirees

PA is tax friendly:

Only retirement tax I've paid is when I sold stock to pay for home improvements.

That's your state tax.  You were being taxed by the feds on SS.

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