07:49 – Big article in the paper this morning about SCOTUS and the King v. Burwell decision. Those who support Obamacare argue that SCOTUS should rule based on the “intent of Congress” to establish subsidies in all 50 states, whether or not a state runs its own exchange. That’s ridiculous on the face of it, since no one in Congress HAD any intent. How could they, since the ACA is so large that no member of congress even had time to READ it before voting on it. The solution is easy. SCOTUS should rule that Congress needs to fix the law by changing the clear language in it that authorized subsidies for ACA buyers only in states that run their own exchanges. Congress, should it want to, can fix the wording in a few minutes. The issue, of course, is that a Republican congress won’t make that change, allowing Obamacare to go down in flames, as it should. The democrats are trembling. If SCOTUS doesn’t vote to override the clear wording of the law and extend subsidies to all 50 states, they’re screwed. And they fear that 2016 will bring a Republican president and republicans controlling both houses of congress, in which case a repeal of the ACA could slide through like a greased weasel.
Barbara and I were just discussing that all of the series we’ve been watching lately are the same. The final season of Sons of Anarchy was all about blood and guts and massacres. Vikings was all about blood and guts and massacres. Game of Thrones is all about blood and guts and massacres. And Boardwalk Empire is all about blood and guts and massacres. That gets old real fast. I propose a new series all about blood and guts and massacres, but this time with the victims all politicians and bureaucrats and spammers and phone marketers. That one I wouldn’t mind watching, particularly if the victims were real rather than actors and the blood and guts were also real. In the meantime, I’ll just watch Heartland reruns.