Op-docs: Rebel Monk

As David R. Lurie lays out in his excellent Public Notice column, Republicans have been dreaming of doing away with Social Security ever since FDR enacted it, even though it successfully reduced poverty among the elderly. Ditto for Medicare, enacted under LBJ. The most infuriating part for me is they’ve managed to corral Democrats into going along with the messaging that these anti-poverty programs that people pay into are “entitlements” that “good government” types only want to “reform” and put on a “stronger” fiscal footing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the first case of severe bird flu in the United States. Which is a bigger deal than ever, because of the incompetent and inexperienced boobs El Cheato has nominated to run the nation's Department of Health and Human Services. If this mutates another step and makes the leap to human-to-human transmission, can they handle it?

El Cheato rather abruptly rejected the bipartisan plan yesterday to prevent a government shutdown for Christmas. Instead, he ordered Mike Johnson and Republicans to renegotiate — days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. Via the Associated Press: Trump’s sudden entrance into the debate and new demands sent Congress spiraling as lawmakers are trying to wrap up work and head home for the holidays.

Something like social studies was never controversial until America elected a raging narcissist who isn't capable of handling even the slightest bit of criticism into power. Narcissists always have flying monkeys to do their work; in this case, it's the Derby school district near Wichita, Kansas. There must never be a negative word about their precious leader, whose ego is fragile but massive.

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