What do you think about with current News and Opinions?

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Something to understand what nurses think about re the Current News and their opinions!

‘Gutted’: What happened when a Georgia elections office was targeted for takeover by those who claim the 2020 election was a fraud

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/03/14/georgia-elections-fraud-purge/

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Since the 2020 election, the state’s GOP legislators have introduced 14 bills reorganizing county election boards that oversee election offices. So far, eight bills have been signed into law, resulting in a purge of longtime election board members, an exodus of election staffers and the installation of Republicans who have proposed measures to reduce poll locations and cancel Sunday voting.

It seems like republicans in Georgia have either lost their minds or they no longer care much about democracy.  

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Specializes in Critical Care.
10 hours ago, Beerman said:

No, I wasn't engaging with you.  I asked Tweety a question, and you interjected.

That being said, you claimed "every involved party" said it was never discussed with WH.  Actually,  the WH is the only one who says it was never brought to them.  And, we know the WH, actually Biden himself, has a recent history of making a similar lie.

Tweety and Cliff Claven seem to be defending the WH for not following the recommendation of the military.   That would suggest they also understand that the recommendation was discussed with the WH.

I'm not sure the article made it clear the proposal was officially presented to Biden, but either way I can certainly see why it would be a suggestion the President would "pass" on.  If all things considered it's not a great idea, isn't that his job?

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28 minutes ago, Beerman said:

"The buck stops with me, err, I mean Putin." -Joe Biden

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/biden-blames-putin-his-ukraine-war-inflation-rate-high-gas-ncna1291691

It's always curious to me when opinions about American inflation make no mention of the pandemic, which was the aggravating factor for most countries currently experiencing inflation. Yeah, and the reality that inflation is not simply an American problem or concern at this moment in time seems to rarely influence opinions wanting to make Biden the author of the inflation. 

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
9 hours ago, toomuchbaloney said:

It's always curious to me when opinions about American inflation make no mention of the pandemic, which was the aggravating factor for most countries currently experiencing inflation. Yeah, and the reality that inflation is not simply an American problem or concern at this moment in time seems to rarely influence opinions wanting to make Biden the author of the inflation. 

Biden's thorn may not be that a lot of people blame him for inflation but they will blame him for it worsening and not going away.  I think we are going to tolerant and understanding of the gas rising in the short term.  

I think the article makes a good point in that for the most part inflation hasn't been an issue for decades.  The average millennial and Gen Z voter is feeling the sting of something they haven't experienced before.  Even though boomer voters are feeling the sting as well we're at the top of our lifetime earnings and Gen Z is just starting out.  Also retired voters on a fixed income are feeling the sting.  Millennials, especially older millennials are crushing it at the work place, but they experienced the Great Recession and now this.  

I read a figure that inflation is costing the average household $300 a month.  This is okay if you make $300,000 a year but for someone making $30,000 that's a lot and people will find a scapegoat.

Personally, I'm weathering it okay.  I have a monthly budget for travel I'm digging into.  But inflation has erased the raises I've gotten the last couple of years (which was zero the last year) and has cast doubt on me retiring before 70 as I was hoping.

The White House is always to blame.  Just like Beerman stated he thought it was wrong to blame Bush for the Great Recession, it's not necessarily fair to blame Biden for inflation.  It's just how it is.

https://www.fox29.com/news/inflation-costing-average-american-household-nearly-300-per-month-report

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6 minutes ago, Tweety said:

Biden's thorn may not be that a lot of people blame him for inflation but they will blame him for it worsening and not going away.  I think we are going to tolerant and understanding of the gas rising in the short term.  

I think the article makes a good point in that for the most part inflation hasn't been an issue for decades.  The average millennial and Gen Z voter is feeling the sting of something they haven't experienced before.  Even though boomer voters are feeling the sting as well we're at the top of our lifetime earnings and Gen Z is just starting out.  Also retired voters on a fixed income are feeling the sting.  Millennials, especially older millennials are crushing it at the work place, but they experienced the Great Recession and now this.  

I read a figure that inflation is costing the average household $300 a month.  This is okay if you make $300,000 a year but for someone making $30,000 that's a lot and people will find a scapegoat.

Personally, I'm weathering it okay.  I have a monthly budget for travel I'm digging into.  But inflation has erased the raises I've gotten the last couple of years (which was zero the last year) and has cast doubt on me retiring before 70 as I was hoping.

The White House is always to blame.  Just like Beerman stated he thought it was wrong to blame Bush for the Great Recession, it's not necessarily fair to blame Biden for inflation.  It's just how it is.

https://www.fox29.com/news/inflation-costing-average-american-household-nearly-300-per-month-report

Actually, his American Rescue Plan and the message he sent early on to the fossil fuel indudtry are both partially responsabile for today's inflation.

I don't think people want to hear  him deflect blame.  They want to hear what is going to happen going forward.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
28 minutes ago, Beerman said:

Actually, his American Rescue Plan and the message he sent early on to the fossil fuel indudtry are both partially responsabile for today's inflation.

I don't think people want to hear  him deflect blame.  They want to hear what is going to happen going forward.

I suppose that's a fair talking point.  I don't think the second stimulus (which I didn't get) was necessary and did fuel inflation but wasn't the root cause.  The rescue plan which includes some provisions to help lower household expenses for families would put more pressure in the short term.

People like Machin, (who did have concerns about inflation when stalling the infrastructure program) are saying "we're not doing enough" but I also want to hear what their plans are for going forward.  Our senator here in Florida, Rick Scott once said the issue was a "gold mine" for republicans in the upcoming election.  

Scott has also said

" Now, countless families across America are dealing with that same struggle today all because of Joe Biden’s reckless, socialist policies, like his unconstitutional vaccine mandates, and absent leadership. Nothing Biden and the Democrats are doing helps Florida families and I won’t stop fighting against their disastrous agenda that’s fueling inflation and making life harder for working Americans.”

https://cc.org/sen-rick-scott-joe-bidens-inflation-crisis-is-crushing-american-families/

It seems the Republicans only plan is to use it to defeat democrats in the election and to fight his "socialist policies" and cut spending.  And raise taxes I might add.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/24/politics/rick-scott-rescue-america-plan-taxes-fact-check/index.html

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
Quote

The American Rescue Plan could be pushing inflation up slightly and temporarily, a Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco analysis said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/business/economy/fed-inflation-stimulus-biden.html

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/exclusive-rating-agencies-say-bidens-spending-plans-will-not-add-inflationary-2021-11-17/

I guess there is no way of knowing the impact of the spending plan on today's inflation, but I don't think it's a root cause or a good talking point.

The oil situation is a bit different and a better talking point, but I don't think Biden caused gas prices to "skyrocket" and one has to sift through the rhetoric.

https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/585532-bidens-renewable-energy-rush-is-making-gas-prices-skyrocket

There's also the idea that our underlying "addiction to fossil fuels" is fueling inflation.

https://www.salon.com/2021/11/17/inflation-is-accelerated-by-our-addiction-to-fossil-fuels--bidens-agenda-can-break-that-dependency/

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 a "main driver of the wave of inflation besetting the country is the price of energy." Gasoline, in particular, is skyrocketing. "Demand for energy — from motorists, truckers, airlines, shipping lines, manufacturers — rebounded from the pandemic slump much more quickly than production has been able to recover."

I think there's a truth to be had on both sides.   But broken record here in that the solution lies in getting more energy in the here and now and moving towards fixing our dependence on oil period.

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

Gee.  If we could somehow cancel the economic recovery, we could solve inflation quickly.  But I assume that nothing will be done to solve our dependence on foreign oil...no one has been able change this addiction despite the hardships of the 1973 oil embargo.  We've had a almost half a century of warning and did very little about it.  The Republicans would prefer that Biden not be successful in more drilling.  It's more important to win the next election than to accomplish anything positive.  Of course, by the time we can drill and fulfill orders for gasoline, EV cars will be common place and we may not even need all that gas.

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2 hours ago, Tweety said:

Biden's thorn may not be that a lot of people blame him for inflation but they will blame him for it worsening and not going away.  I think we are going to tolerant and understanding of the gas rising in the short term.  

I think the article makes a good point in that for the most part inflation hasn't been an issue for decades.  The average millennial and Gen Z voter is feeling the sting of something they haven't experienced before.  Even though boomer voters are feeling the sting as well we're at the top of our lifetime earnings and Gen Z is just starting out.  Also retired voters on a fixed income are feeling the sting.  Millennials, especially older millennials are crushing it at the work place, but they experienced the Great Recession and now this.  

I read a figure that inflation is costing the average household $300 a month.  This is okay if you make $300,000 a year but for someone making $30,000 that's a lot and people will find a scapegoat.

Personally, I'm weathering it okay.  I have a monthly budget for travel I'm digging into.  But inflation has erased the raises I've gotten the last couple of years (which was zero the last year) and has cast doubt on me retiring before 70 as I was hoping.

The White House is always to blame.  Just like Beerman stated he thought it was wrong to blame Bush for the Great Recession, it's not necessarily fair to blame Biden for inflation.  It's just how it is.

https://www.fox29.com/news/inflation-costing-average-american-household-nearly-300-per-month-report

The article made the point that we haven't had an issue with inflation for decades and then didn't even mention the worst pandemic in a century that killed more Americans than the last pandemic while it upended global economies.  That's my point.  I don't have a problem talking about inflation or what a political thorn it will be for the president but it's disingenuous to completely ignore the fact that the pandemic was the event that caused the inflation. And it's a very narrow perspective that doesn't bother to mention that the inflation is not limited to or worst in this country.  We should talk about how to mitigate the inflation as much as possible. 

In my view, this early hand wringing about inflation is evidence of two things; 1) the relative privilege and intolerance of inconvenience of the average American, regardless of circumstances, and 2) how deeply affected Americans are by the way media frames current events. Inflation is going to hurt millions of Americans. Congress should take some action. Maybe the Senate could vote on the Federal Reserve nominees held up in committee. 

Who benefits when the poplace is fed a skewed view of this situation that highlights the narrow and aggrieved POV rather a rounded reality of a situation? IMV there has always been a tendency of American media to highlight and elevate conservative points of view. Back in the day that meant that white male conservatives were the dominant voices and opinions forwarded on Sunday morning news programs and in major news outlet editorial pages. They were not the only voices but they were more numerous and frequent.  

When liberals were aggrieved that Trump was withholding military aid to Ukraine in a Putin sympathetic quid pro quo, the media told a large segment of the population that it was political theater, that liberals simply hated Trump and would criticize everything.  That gave conservatives permission to ignore all of it.  They could ignore the lies, the Putin friendly policies and the corruption because they were encouraged to believe it was all just based on nothing more than partisan hate. Hate.  Some of the media outlets continue to push that concept of hate, adjacent to facts in their programming and content. 

While I'm talking about conservatives excusing and ignoring bad behavior I want to remind us all that the Republican party, in general, elected Trump on a platform  that diminished the role of NATO and reduced American milirary aid and security commitments to Ukraine.  Then that same party told us that quid pro quo (extortion) was okay as long as you were president before they ignored an attempt to overthrow election results and break our democracy.  That was all before that same political party started insisting that the current president might have cheated in some way to win (a lie), is a corrupt and cognitively incompetent liar (projection) and needed to be held accountable for all manner of things large and small (even as they protected Trump from as much accountability as possible). 

It's a brave new world. 

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2 hours ago, Beerman said:

Actually, his American Rescue Plan and the message he sent early on to the fossil fuel indudtry are both partially responsabile for today's inflation.

I don't think people want to hear  him deflect blame.  They want to hear what is going to happen going forward.

So Biden's messaging to American oil companies is partially responsible for global inflation and soaring global energy prices? You've pointed out the thinking and opinion from voices in the petroleum industry but is that the wide view? 

Do you think that decisions and choices made by Biden affect energy prices in the USA more than choices made by Marathon or Exxon or similar?

On a side note, did Trump ever accept blame for anything or were his deflections just more acceptable for you? Trump deflected blame for some pretty specifically personal and individual actions but conservative voters and AN members were not really distressed by that at all.  Accountability for Trump's words and actions still isn't a high priority for conservative voters, do you think that he should be held accountable?

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

Oil prices have dipped below $100 a barrel: 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/15/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/index.html

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London (CNN Business)After Russia invaded Ukraine, global oil prices experienced a dramatic spike. Just over a week ago, Brent crude leaped above $139 per barrel. Analysts warned prices could touch $185, then $200 as traders shunned Russian oil, pushing inflation even higher and adding huge strain to the global economy.

But there's been a rapid reversal since then. Brent crude futures, the global benchmark, have cratered almost 30% from their peak. They're trading below $100 per barrel after shedding another 7% on Tuesday.

What's happening: The unusually sharp pullback has been driven by hopes that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could boost oil supply, and that demand from China could drop due to new coronavirus restrictions in major cities. This would ease the squeeze on the market.

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Plus, China's commitment to halting the spread of Covid-19, which has led to a lockdown in the tech hub of Shenzhen and new rules in Shanghai, could mean the country needs less energy in the short-term. China imports about 11 million barrels of oil per day.

The pandemic is still influencing the price of oil, and thus inflation. I suppose now conservative pundits will blame this on Biden, too. 

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