Unhealthful Hot Air

Last week, we had the tale of the dueling appellate court rulings. This week, we just have a whole lot of hot air.

G-O-TEA media spinners had seized on comments made by Obamacare/Affordable Care Act (ACA) architect Jonathan Gruber suggesting that health insurance tax credits truly are supposed to be denied to consumers in the 36 states operating in the federal health insurance exchange. They figured this was their "smoking gun". But then, Jonathan Gruber himself refuted their misinterpretation of something he said 2 years ago.

And then, there's this. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (R) blamed President Obama and the ACA for what may be a growing number of uninsured Mississippi residents. He also declined to admit he refused to allow ACA Medicaid expansion in Mississippi, and that he's taken additional steps to disrupt ACA implementation in his state. Whoops.

Oh, and let's not forget House Speaker John Boehner (R-Courvoisier) and his incredibly confusing USA Today op-ed. He declared he's as fervently opposed to Obamacare as ever... And that's why he's preparing to impeach suing President Obama to implement Obamacare more quickly?! Oops?

Thanks to Obamacare, more Americans have health insurance. And Medicare is more solvent. And the federal budget dedicit is dropping. And states not run by G-O-TEA radicals (including Nevada) want to keep those lower insurance rates. And all this success is making G-O-TEA politicians livid.

So they're suing. And they're whining. And they're complaining. And of course, they're spinning.

They just fail to recognize all this toxic hot air isn't healthful. Really, they need to step back. Oh, and they should see how Obamacare gives them better options in treating what we hope isn't a preexisting condition.

Time to Speak Up

Last month, we gave you a heads up on Mississippi's SB 2681. The Legislature passed it. And Governor Phil Bryant (R) quickly signed it into law.

So now, Mississippi has declared "License to Discriminate" to be state law. And believe it or not, two Nevada based companies are now in the thick of it.

How so? MGM & Caesars both operate casinos in Mississippi. And while the two gaming goliaths have put their money where their mouths are here in Nevada, they've yet to make a statement on Mississippi's new "License to Discriminate" statute.

They'll need to speak up soon. The damage is already being done there. And it's still spreading elsewhere. Kentucky now has "License to Discriminate" on its books. And G-O-TEA Culture Warriors are now pushing in Congress for a federal "License to Discriminate".

We know Cresent Hardy has an affinity for "segregation laws", but does Rep. Joe Heck (R-??!!) share that affinity? Will House Speaker John Boehner (R-??!!) actually allow a floor vote on this while continuing to block ENDA?

Clearly, the struggle over "License to Discriminate" continues. Even though it was stopped in Arizona, the G-O-TEA Culture Warriors have simply moved their fight elsewhere. They've succeeded in Mississippi. They may now try to pass a federal bill through Congress. And more state bills may not be out of the question.

The time to speak up is now. Now is a good time for those who claim to be pro-equality to put their money where their mouths are. After all, we know money talks in out system... Often more so than anything else. Just look at Arizona.

Still Not Over

Wasn't this supposed to be over by now? The last two Republican Presidential Nominees spoke against it. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) vetoed it. Several Nevada Republicans ran away from it... Despite championing it a year ago. But nonetheless, it was supposed to be "dead".

Yet now, the "TEA" powered "License to Discriminate" movement has come roaring back to life. And why's that, you ask? Thank the Mississippi Legislature for this. It just passed SB 2681, which is Mississippi's version of "License to Discriminate".

SB 2681 now sits on Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant's (R) desk. Yet unlike his Arizona counterpart, Bryant is expected to sign SB 2681 into law. And should Mississippi's Governor soon sign it into law, he'll probably boost efforts in Missouri, North Carolina, and Oklahoma to pass similar "License to Discriminate" legislation.

If Cresent Hardy is still experiencing difficulties in understanding what constitutes "segregation laws", he need not look further than Mississippi's SB 2681. Hell, he need not look further than SB 192, the "License to Discriminate" bill that he & Barbara Cegavske introduced to the Nevada Legislature last year.

This was supposed to be over by now. After all, "Republican rebranding"... Oh wait, that's gone nowhere. Instead, the G-O-TEA has been doubling down on its "Culture War". And the recent developments in Mississippi have only confirmed what we've already known.

Never mind the minor cosmetic changes and changing around of certain words. Pay closer attention to what they're doing. This was supposed to be over... But it's not. It may not be over until the courts weigh in. And it may not even truly be over until the Republican Party can learn to say no to its radical base.