Joe Scarborough Blasts NRA's 'Disgusting' New Ad: 'What's Wrong with The...

I

This is how the NRA commemorated the anniversary of the Newtown tragedy.

The NRA- an organization lead by cowards, to teach cowards, to do cowardly acts.

Mika on Morning Joe summed it up best:

"They are out of step. They are out of the mainstream. They are totally out of synch with what's going on in our society, and quite frankly, after seeing that, I think the people who are running that thing are SICK! I think they are sick in the head and I am embarrassed for our country."

You could take out the word 'country' and replace it with 'Texas'.

"That we have a section of society, The NRA -which should have a voice- there is a debate there- but they just took it to the lowest base level." --Mika from Morning Joe"

I Tell U What:

Texas and it's leadership sure looks a lot like the leadership of the NRA.
For a minute there, I thought Minka was talking about Texas specifically. 

The Truth About The Texas Legislature

I've been to Austin and witnessed it for myself.
The Texas Legislature is nothing more than a free 'happy hour' and 'dinner' for lawmakers.
That's it.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
'Tricky Rick' will try to convince you that Texas has the goods, but do you really believe him?
Oops. I feel sorry for you if you do.
After all, there's your version, my version, then there's the truth.
Here's some truth for ya to suck on:



TEXASS

Education (50th=Lowest, 1st=Highest)
• Public School Enrollment	2nd
• Average Salary of Public School Teachers	33rd
• Average Teacher Salary as a Percentage of Average Annual Pay	34th
• Current Expenditures per Student	38th
• State & Local Expenditures per Pupil in Public Schools	44th
• State Aid Per Pupil in Average Daily Attendance	47th
• Percent of Elementary/Secondary School Funding from State Revenue	37th
• Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores	45th
• Percent of Population 25 and Older with a High School Diploma	50th
• High School Graduation Rate	43rd
• Percent of Adults with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree	31st
• Percentage of Higher Education Enrollment	9th
• Per Capita State Spending on State Arts Agencies	43rd

State of the Child (50th=Lowest, 1st=Highest)
• Birth Rate	2nd
• Percent of Population Under 18	2nd
• Percent of Uninsured Children	1st
• Percent of Children Living in Poverty	4th
• Percent of Children Fully Immunized	34th
• Percent of Children Overweight	19th

Health Care (50th=Lowest, 1st=Highest)
• Percent of Population Uninsured	1st
• Percent of Non-Elderly Uninsured	1st
• Percent of Low Income Population Covered by Medicaid	49th
• Percent of Population with Employer-Based Health Insurance	48th
• Total State Government Health Expenditures as Percent of the Gross State Product	43rd
• Per Capita State Spending on Mental Health	50th
• Per Capita State Spending on Medicaid	49th
• Percent of Population Physically Active	36th
• Health Care Expenditures per Capita	44th
• Hospital Beds per 1,000 Population	27th

Health Professionals per Capita:
• Physicians	42nd
• Dentists	39th
• Registered Nurses	44th

Health and Well-Being (50th=Lowest, 1st=Highest)
• Percent Living Below Federal Poverty Level	4th
• Percent of Population with Food Insecurity	2nd
• Average Monthly Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Benefits per Person	47th
• Prevalence of Obesity in Adults	16th
• Rate of Death due to Heart Disease	22nd
• Prevalence of Diagnosed Diabetes	14th
• Diabetes Death Rate	16th
• Percent of Population Who Visit the Dentist	46th

Women's Issues (50th=Lowest, 1st=Highest)
• Overall Birth Rate	2nd
• Teenage Birth Rate	7th
• Births to Unmarried Mothers	17th
• Percent of Women with Pre-Term Birth	9th
• Percent of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance	50th
• Percent of Women Who have had a Dental Visit within the Past Year	45th
• Rate of Women Aged 40+ Who Receive Mammograms	40th
• Rate of Women Aged 18+ Who Receive Pap Smears	37th
• Breast Cancer Rate	42nd
• Cervical Cancer Rate	11th
• Percent of Women with High Blood Pressure	16th
• Family Planning	37th
• Percent of Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care in First Trimester	50th
• Women's Voter Registration	45th
• Women's Voter Turnout	49th
• Percent of Women Living in Poverty	6th
• Percentage of Women with Four or More Years of College	30th
• Percent of Businesses Owned by Women	17th
• Percent of Median Income for Full Time Work	26th

Access to Capital (50th=Lowest, 1st=Highest)
• Percent of Mortgage Loans that are Subprime	9th
• Mortgage Debt as Percent of Home Value	47th
• Foreclosure Rates	10th
• Private Loans to Small Businesses	30th
• Asset Poverty Rate	36th
• Median Net Worth of Households	47th
• Average Credit Score	49th
• Retirement Plan Participation	47th
• Median Credit Card Debt	19th
• Average Credit Score	49th

Environment (50th=Lowest, 1st=Highest)
• Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions	1st
• Amount of Volatile Organic Compounds Released into Air	1st
• Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Water	1st
• Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Air	1st
• Amount of Hazardous Waste Generated	1st
• Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Air	5th
• Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Water	7th
• Number of Hazardous Waste Sites on National Priority List	7th
• Consumption of Energy per Capita	5th

Workforce (50th=Lowest, 1st=Highest)
• Average Hourly Earnings of Production Workers on Manufacturing Payrolls	38th
• Government Employee Wages and Salaries	24th
• Percent of Workforce that are Members of a Union	41st
• Workers' Compensation Coverage	50th

Quality of Life (50th=Lowest, 1st=Highest)
• Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Poor	9th
• Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Middle Class	5th
• Median Household Income	34th
• Home Ownership Rate	44th
• Homeowner’s Insurance Affordability	46th
• Auto Insurance Affordability	24th
• Personal Bankruptcy Filings Rate, Per Capita	39th
• Percent of Households with Internet Access	42nd

Democracy (50th=Lowest, 1st=Highest)
• Percent of Voting-Age Population that is Registered to Vote	43rd
• Percent of Voting-Age Population that Votes	45th

The Weekly Wrangle

The Texas Progressive Alliance is digging in for another long legislative session as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff has interviews with SD06 special election candidates Sylvia Garcia and Carol Alvarado.

BossKitty at TruthHugger is just appalled that the whole story isn't addressed: Of Course It’s Not Just Guns. Cut taxes, create a structural deficit, cut education and the safety net which results in a surplus. Rinse and repeat.

WCNews at Eye on Williamson wants to make sure everyone hasn't forgotten the past. Do you remember how we got here?

As early voting began, Brains and Eggs had the most comprehensive coverage of the special election to replace the late Mario Gallegos in the Texas Senate. A post on the protest at TransCanada, two posts on Sylvia Garcia's aggressive campaign against Carol Alvarado, a post on the candidate who boycotted one of the debates, and a post critical of the exceptionally lame media coverage of the election highlighted a busy week.

Over at Texas Kaos, lightseeker gives you the skivvy on the educational funding issue, including the latest lamebrain schemes from our Republican leaders. Check it out: Texas Education - The Same Old Fools In Charge Part 2.

Neil at Texas Liberal posted that a grave with a view of traffic would be a fitting end to an urban Houston life.  

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants you to know that Rick Perry has doubled down on corporate greed and Tea Party crazy.

Sunday Funnies

"No one's taking away all the guns. But now I get it... now I see what's happening. So this is what it is: their paranoid fear of a 'possible' dystopic future prevents us from addressing our actual dystopic present. We can't even begin to address 30,000 gun deaths that are actually, in reality, happening in this country every year because a few of us must remain vigilant against the rise of Imaginary Hitler." 

-- Jon Stewart

"Chuck Hagel is the new Secretary of Defense nominee. They're saying that he may be reluctant to send troops into a war zone needlessly. What kind of a nutjob is this guy?"

--David Letterman

"Folks, once Jack Lew becomes Secretary of the Treasury, this pubic hair masquerading as an autograph will appear on all our money, making our currency a laughingstock! Our money should have nothing ridiculous on it… just old men in wigs and pyramids with eyes." 

-- Stephen Colbert

"Chris Christie lashed out at Congress for doing nothing for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. But in their defense Congress says, 'Hey, we don't do anything for anybody.'" 

-- Jay Leno