"All that matters is he has a piece of paper to sign that cuts taxes for him and his wealthy friends and donors..."

[Miles Archer]

The real reason Republicans are rushing to pass the Trump megabill

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/senate-republicans-big-beautiful-bill-vote-rcna215558

And remember, the bill is massively unpopular, and it becomes even less popular the more voters learn about its provisions. Eight years ago, Republicans thought a tax cut bill would save them in the midterms; instead, that bill was so unpopular that they largely stopped talking about it before that campaign was even finished. Surely Republicans want to avoid reprising that disaster, so why not take a beat over the holiday, reassess and see whether there are other bills to give the president a legislative victory?

The answer is: There is no plan B. The megabill is not just the most important legislation of Trump’s first year; at this point, it is the only major legislation of Trump’s first year. If the bill is “big” and “beautiful,” that is by default. Republicans have to pass it because Trump wants them to pass something.

What that something looks like does not matter to the president, who has been consistently incurious as to the bill’s contents. Earlier this month, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said Trump was surprised to learn the Senate bill would limit a tax on health care providers that states use to fund Medicaid — a provision that was a key source of savings. On Thursday, as my colleague Steve Benen noted, the president claimed: “Your Medicaid is left alone. It’s left the same.” In fact, the bill would kick millions off Medicaid. On Friday, he claimed — for the second time in two days — that the bill would eliminate taxes on Social Security. It would not.

But whether this bill would cut taxes on Social Security — or throw millions off their health care or batter rural hospitals — is ultimately immaterial to the president. All that matters is he has a piece of paper to sign that cuts taxes for him and his wealthy friends and donors. Trump has his wish, and in today’s Republican Party, everything else comes second to making his wish come true.

[Hugin]

1. I have thought the same for some time now...

Trump does not care what is in the bill.

All of these draconian things dumped in it are either his sycophants trying to please him (again, HE DOES NOT CARE) or the opportunist Republicans grinding their own bigoted hateful axes.

All they really need to do is pass a simple bill which basically does nothing except give Glutenous Maximus a win he can sign with plenty of pompous ass kissing and maybe another squeaky parade. Dust their hands off and head out for a long weekend on the people’s dollar.

[Miles Archer]

3. 2017..."Cases of Beer Rolling Into U.S. Capitol Were Just One Thing That Had People Howling About Health-Care Vote"

Cases of Beer Rolling Into U.S. Capitol Were Just One Thing That Had People Howling About Health-Care Vote
Many American's spent Thursday reeling over the House's passing of a controversial Republican Health Care Bill, House Republicans celebrated with beer

By Dave Quinn Published on May 5, 2017 01:03PM EDT

Thursday’s House vote by the Republican majority to repeal Obamacare sent a lot of Americans reelingwith anxiety over potentially losing their health insurance or facing premium spikes of more than 750 percent. But along the corridors of Congress, the party beer was rolling in.

According to reports on Twitter from journalists like Alexandra Jaffe and Joe Scarborough, “cases upon cases” of beer were wheeled in to the Capitol as the vote, in which Republicans narrowly prevailed, was underway.

“Spotted Bug Light peeking out from the sheet,” Jaffe wrote in one tweet — later showing photos of the cart bearing the shrouded beers.

“How am I doing? Am I doing okay? I’m president. Hey, I’m president, can you believe it?,” Trump said to the cheers of his crowd of supporters.

[MIButterfly]

2. Donors, yes; friends, no. He has no friends.

To have a friend, you have to be a friend and he's never been a friend to anyone but himself. He wants to cut taxes for the donors so they'll give him more money; that's all he cares about.

Me, me, me, I, I, I, mine, mine, mine.

[Miles Archer]

4. Yeah, I caught that one and let it pass, but you're 100% correct. He has no "friends."

Been a while since he had good friends like Epstein...guys he could hang out with, do fun things together. Sad. Unfair.

[BattleRow]

5. Old Italian proverb:

You can steal more with a pen than you can with a gun

[AverageOldGuy]

8. "Pretty Boy Floyd: -- written and recorded by Woody Guthrie . . .

. . . by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and others.

LYRICS
If you'll gather 'round me, people
A story, I will tell
About Pretty Boy Floyd, an outlaw
Oklahoma knew him well

It was in the town of Shawnee
On a Saturday afternoon
His wife beside him in a wagon
As into town they rode

There a deputy sheriff approached him in a manner
Rather rude using vulgar words of language
An' his wife, she overheard
Pretty Boy grabbed a log chain
And the deputy grabbed his gun
And in the fight that followed
He laid that deputy down

Now, he took to the hills and timber
To live the life of shame
Every crime in Oklahoma
Was added to his name

He took to the trees and timber
On the Canadian river shore
And Pretty Boy found a welcome
At every farmer's door

Others tell you of a stranger
That come to beg a meal
And underneath the napkin
Left a thousand dollar bill

T'was in Oklahoma City
It was on a Christmas Day
There come a whole car load of groceries
And a letter that did say
You say that I'm an outlaw
You say that I'm a thief
Well, here's a Christmas dinner
For the families on relief

Well, as through this world I've rambled
I've seen lots of funny men
Some will rob you with a six-gun
And some with a fountain pen

But as through this world you ramble
As through this world you roam
You won't never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home

&list=RDOtJ0eUEiVm0&start_radio=1

[BattleRow]

11. Thank you..I had never heard this before!

[AverageOldGuy]

6. To Trump . . .

. . . the Presidency is just a big TV reality show. He fires people in public, signs bills and executive orders on TV, just as he did on The Apprentice -- which was all phony.

[Littlered]

7. Can someone steer me to these tax cuts?

I keep reading about tax cuts for the ultra wealthy but like most things in this bill I can’t find the actual hard numbers.

[Farmer-Rick]

9. Well, that bill will ensure 80% of Americans will die in abject poverty

Before Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the average elderly American died of hyperthermia because they lived in shacks with little to no heat or AC, couldn't afford food and boiled their drinking water.

You can NOT save enough money to cover you through to death. It's a moving target that only about 20% of Americans are able to accomplish.

So, that bill will ensure that you will have to pay for your parents healthcare costs or provide them with healthcare yourself directly. I hope those Trump loving Maga learn how to change bedpans. So, you get that responsibility on top of you trying to save for old age.

When all the nursing homes close they are not just going to murder all the elderly in their wards. I think 🤔 Those elderly are going to go live with family or friends. If they have any family and friends who will take them in.

Medicare right now only covers 80% of medical costs. Can you pay out $40,000 a year to cover your medical care in old age? That's a bill I got when my spouse was near death (Though we didn't know it.) I did manage to pay it off.... eventually, but I was working at the time.

Sooooo, are the Nazis in charge going to set up suicide camps for the elderly so they can end their life in dignity?

We old folks need to protest constantly. What do we have to lose? At least in jail they feed you.

[Ruby the Liberal]

10. The Democrats threw everyone off their healthcare

We tried to make it better but they are horrible people and they hate you. Have empathy for us as we are working very hard to protect you from these horrible people who just want to take all of your guns money.

No need to read the bill or use any critical thinking skills whatsoever - if you keep voting GOP, we'll be able to get the job done and give working class tax benefits and perfect healthcare!

In greed and without a soul,
GOP