May 15, 2019 6:00 AM
HomeMorning ReadsMorning Reads – Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Morning Reads – Wednesday, May 15, 2019

By  Morning Reads  15 Comments

I’m filling in for your Wednesday reads, so you’re in for a double dose this week.

Obviously, the biggest story in the last 24 hours is the indictment of Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck. Here’s the full press conference.

Other news, however, includes:

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Jessica Szilagyi

15 Comments
  1. auh2o

    Biden excoriated by AOC. This young woman will singlehandedly cause a 2020 loss by the Democrats. She causes billions in losses for NY by chasing Amazon away. I actually feel sorry for Pelosi.
    https://news.yahoo.com/joe-biden-under-pressure-left-climate-change-195325315.html

    • Grindelwald

      Speaking as someone outside the Fox News bubble, I think you’re really over-hyping AOC here.

      For starters, HQ2 was slated for Long Island City, which isn’t in Ocasio-Cortez’ district. It’s also not in her borough and would have had minimal impact on the Bronx outside of possibly accelerating the gentrification and affordable housing issues all of New York City is dealing with.

      More importantly, as a Congresswoman, AOC had no power to impact the state or city incentives being offered to Amazon as part of New York’s bid for HQ2, so her opposition to it was just noise. There was considerable opposition from state and local leaders who actually had the ability to impact the tax incentive package as well as opposition from residents who – like I mentioned earlier – are legitimately concerned about the impact to housing costs, neighborhood gentrification, etc.

      AOC is one of 435 members of the House of Representatives. She’s got a platform because she’s young, conventionally attractive, and incredibly adept at social media. But I think she’s talked about more on Fox News than she is in actual conversations between Democrats.

      • Dave Bearse

        Hillary is effectively out of the picture. Nancy’s getting on in age. There’s a need to identify someone else and groom the base accordingly.

    • xdog

      I know gopers like to demonize Ocasio-Cortez but that doesn’t make her all-powerful. She doesn’t care for Biden but she has lots of company among the donks.

      The Amazon deal collapsed for many reasons but mainly because Amazon wasn’t prepared for the intricacies of NY politics — powerful state boards, union concerns, the Cuomo/De Blasio enmity, a new majority leader in Albany. Amazon like other big firms is used to deference when they build new centers and NY wasn’t coming through with open arms and big smiles. Ocasio-Cortez was a skeptic about the deal but she wasn’t alone.

    • Mr. Bear

      AOC is yet another gift that keeps on giving, but she is not a one-off. Consider the Florida congressperson who stated that nuclear weapons were being brought into Venezuela. That got quickly swept under the refrigerator, but they don’t call it the “House of Representatives” for nothing. You look at them as a whole, and you’ve got a pretty good snapshot of America in 2018.

      It’s scary, but, on the other hand, all the conspiracy theory stuff, and impeachment, and whatever else their fevered minds can come up with is probably good for the country. Everybody’s blowing off steam without making the mistake of getting serious and passing legislation that causes true harm.

      On the other hand, there is some important legislation that has gone wanting. But until the voters themselves sober up and get serious, we will still have the Follies.

      • Grindelwald

        I’d note that no only is Diaz-Balart isn’t even the most war-hungry Florida Republican at the moment. A quick look at Marco Rubio’s Twitter feed makes it pretty apparent that “Little Marco” is really really desperate for simultaneous military engagements in both Venezuela and Iran.

  2. chefdavid

    So the Gov vetoed HR-51. No straw from the Tennessee River for Atlanta. It passed 47-2 in the Senate and 163-4 in the house. Wonder if lawmakers will attempt to override it. Just like the recess bill it passed 48-4 and 160-11.

  3. Grindelwald

    I’m weary of touching off another abortion debate, but I have a sincere question for the pro-life crowd and I hope you’ll illuminate the thinking a little bit:

    Under Alabama’s new abortion law, an embryo at any stage of development is recognized as a “life.” This recognition, however, doesn’t extend to embryos being used as part of IVF procedures. So, in essence, Alabama protects embryos inside of a woman’s body but offers no protections on embryos – even ones at the same developmental stage – in laboratories.

    If a life is a life, how does Alabama’s law not cover IVF embryos?

    • bethebalance

      Is the lack of recognition specifically about IVF or is it about anything outside the womb (where there could be entanglements with stem cell concerns)?

      • Grindelwald

        Quote from one of the Senators discussing the bill: “The egg in the lab doesn’t apply. It’s not in a woman. She’s not pregnant.”

        I understand why they didn’t apply the law to embryos outside the womb – doing so would effectively ban IVF and other fertility treatments in the State of Alabama, which is a real hard sell to couples (like mine) that rely on IVF to achieve their dream of having a child.

        But, at the same time, the logic doesn’t make sense. If the embryo in the womb is a human life. The embryo in the lab is, too. I mean, am I wrong?

        • Dave Bearse

          It’s the same corundum that a child conceived by rape or incest isn’t really a life. But rapes and incest are such only with government concurrence.

        • bethebalance

          “The egg in the lab doesn’t apply. It’s not in a woman. She’s not pregnant.”

          That’s some top-notch medically-informed public policy there.

          First of all, are we talking eggs or embryos? I’ve seen where some say embryos are at moment of fertilization of the egg, others say it’s about a week later. Also, an egg in a woman also wouldn’t apply. An egg doesn’t make a woman pregnant.
          But bad medicine aside…

          I don’t know much about IVF, but I imagine it involves multiple attempts at fertilization, then implanting, etc. So there could be fertilized eggs that die because they don’t take to the womb?
          If so, then the policy would arguably be to encourage pregnancy by allowing fertilized eggs/blob of cells/embryos to fail to live/die along the pathway to seek pregnancy. But then it seems like that pathway is also open to embryonic research.

          It’s understandable that many lawmakers could get easily confused about all these issues. What’s not understandable is why they would write a bill in the midst of confusion. If you can’t explain it right, or don’t know the difference between an egg and an embryo, this would not be a bill for you.

  4. Benevolus

    So a state auditor determined that the university system wasn’t paying enough into the Teacher Retirement System. Some want to delay making them pay it back.

    “Delaying the issue could help the University System for at least two reasons. With the new fiscal year fast approaching, it would be unlikely that the system would be back-billed for fiscal 2019 and 2020, even if it is eventually found to owe the money. And it would allow the General Assembly time to consider legislation, sponsored by House Retirement Chairman Tommy Benton, R-Jefferson, to codify the University System’s position that it doesn’t owe future payments.”

    So even if they do owe the money, Benton wants to pass a law that says they don’t? Why?

  5. Benevolus

    OK, I’ve got some issues with the Cobb County giving cash grants for startups.

    1. Startups should generally get funding from banks and investors.
    2. I can understand encouraging “innovators, those new businesses, that have a new idea, new concept”, but how does “fashionable straps that hold cellphones” fall into that description?
    3. There are so many easily pursued sources of funding now that a government grant shouldn’t be necessary. If a person can’t attract loans or investors, maybe they shouldn’t be starting a business or maybe they don’t actually have a good idea. Seems like a recipe inviting failure to me.
    4. This disadvantages existing companies who already employ people and pay taxes. I know it would suck if the government funded a new startup that would compete with my company.
  6. auh2o

    A funny publicity stunt. His opposition are sure to go crazy.
    https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-wdrc-trump-radio-20190515-l73gdcbjfrdn3gmb6eucf2c35a-story.html

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