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Ted Cruz

7 (6.5%)

Rick Santorum

16 (14.8%)

Michelle Bachmann

13 (12%)

Chris Christie

23 (21.3%)

Rand Paul

49 (45.4%)

Total Members Voted: 107

[Hotfire90]

.

[Darvi]

I think I'll expand my previous comment to include anything that isn't a freaking news network.

[Scoops Novel]

Is the navy yard shooting really coming off as a part of the gun debate? Across the pond it seems firmly in the range of national security concern.

[Lord Shonus]

This is a country where, if seven of the twelve housewives called in a radio show poll support something it's considered a "National Mandate" by the groups already pushing for that something, and teenagers being killed while busing playground equipment is considered the equipment's fault. In other words, anything that can be even tangentially connected with a debate will become the focus of the latest outbreak of said debate.

[Owlbread]

President Obama didn't exactly help by politicising the massacre while it was still going on.

[misko27]

Is the navy yard shooting really coming off as a part of the gun debate? Across the pond it seems firmly in the range of national security concern.

No, I can't say that really is even remotely part of it here. It leans more mental health issue then anything.


Although it did come out that the same Firm that did Snowden's Background check also did Aaron Alvarez's.


As for Hotfire, I can only wonder what you think of the Boston Bombings.


SO ANYWAY OTHER NEWS OCCURRED. AND SINCE NO ONE MENTIONS IT, IT'S MY JOB.


Today Hassan Rouhani announced Iran was seeking a "Nuclear accord", that is, a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Rouhani has the backing of the highest levels of Government on this, up to and including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. This is the latest part of the so-called "charm offensive" Rouhani has been taking in recent weeks. This came as a response to a friendly letter Obama sent Rouhani following his election in which Obama sounded hopeful for Dialogue. Obama is seen as likely to take that hand, and with the UN coming back in session, it's likely Diplomacy will happen soon. How negotiations go is seen as important: After 6 months or so, Parliamentary election season starts in Iran, and Rouhani will be seen by hard-liners as having exhausted his chance.


Also some stuff about Pope Francis. Oh and following the concession of John Boehner, the Republican House has passed the spending bill cutting funding from Obama's health law. At this point it will be sent off to the Senate where, as Ted Cruz had the audacity to say, it will likely be stripped of the language defunding the Affordable Care act and sent back to the House. At this point, it will face a up-or-down vote, and if it doesn't pass, a showdown over the Government's funding will occur. The deadline is Oct 1st.

[Scoops Novel]

I imagine there are many like hotfire. Thanks for the news. How did the republican's succeed in sending it to the senate?

[misko27]

I imagine there are many like hotfire. Thanks for the news. How did the republican's succeed in sending it to the senate?

With the complete and abject surrender of the Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner, the most conservative wing of the republican party now rules the House, with him (and by extension the non-extreme section of the rank-and-file) doing whatever they tell him. It's fairly easy at that point to draft whatever they please (They have attempted to repeal to law 40 times so far, this is both their 41st and 42nd time). All republicans have been cowed into supporting it, so it went almost entirely by party line, with 2 democrats for and 1 republican against.

It has an almost laughably small chance in the Senate, even one of the bill's biggest supporters said so (Ted Cruz, and he was completely villified for saying so. They're pretty much denialist at this point), so then it'll go back, with the new question of "whether to fund the US government" essentially replacing the choice for the House.

[Leafsnail]

No, I can't say that really is even remotely part of it here. It leans more mental health issue then anything.

And how people with mental health issues are allowed to purchase firearms

[Redzephyr01]

No, I can't say that really is even remotely part of it here. It leans more mental health issue then anything.

And how people with mental health issues are allowed to purchase firearms

Speaking of that, apparently a town in Iowa is now allowing blind people to use guns.

[Owlbread]

I believe it's perfectly legal for blind people to buy guns. I've said before that I saw a fellow from a gunshop on youtube talking about how he "sold a gun to a blind man" once.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Ladies and Gentlemen, we had a good run, but I'm afraid this is the end of the world. The Tea Party and the Sierra Club are working together to initiate the rise of decentralized solar power in Georgia.

[SalmonGod]

So I just learned today that most privately owned prisons write occupancy requirements into their contracts with the state.  In other words, if a certain percentage of the prison's beds aren't occupied because of a fall in crime rates or something, the state must compensate with taxpayer money.  I understand they're a business, so they have to bring in a profit or fold and the state has an interest in keeping them operating, but... that's why prisons shouldn't be fucking private businesses.

I guess I would be ok with it if the compensation were simply paid to keep the places running, because the alternative is prisons that are completely tax-funded... but it's pretty obvious that the typical approach is to design laws to put as many people in prison as possible.

[alexandertnt]

Aren't private prisons completely tax-funded anyway? Where else is the money coming from?

[Chaoswizkid]

From my understanding, they are completely tax-funded. However, in addition to $$$ per prisoner, there is $$$ per non-existent prisoner if the occupancy % falls below a certain point. That is opposed to public prisons, which are completely tax-funded, but are only paid $$$ for upkeep, regardless of occupancy (although the $$$ would probably decline given that it wouldn't take as many workers to upkeep a place that isn't at full occupancy and is not expected to be at full occupancy).

Key phrase is "From my understanding", though.