Scott Rasmussen thinks 15 million will drop Obamacare because now they can, and 6.5 million others already pay a fine

From the story here:

Last year, an estimated 15 million Americans would have dropped out of Obamacare if they could. Now they can. Another 6.5 million paid a fine rather than sign up for coverage. This means that more than 20 million people directly benefit from the repeal of the mandate.

NONE of the increase to working age population aged 25 to 64 since 2005 has gone to household formation . . .

. . . either as renters or homeowners in their own right. They've ALL (and then some) gone to doubling-up on net, mostly with family.

The face of the declining middle class in 2016 was concealed as 15 million more lived in doubled-up households than in 2005

Zillow reported (here) in December that working age adults in 2016 were living in doubled-up households at a rate of 30% compared with 21% in 2005.

That works out to roughly 32 million in 2005 at the 21% rate vs. 50 million in 2016 at the 30% rate, using the Working Age Population data from FRED.

Had the rate remained 21% in 2016, just 35 million would be living doubled-up instead of 50 million. 

That's 15 million more adults who can't afford to buy, and can't even afford to rent, thanks to the feckless performances of George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama.

h/t Jeffrey Snider, Alhambra Investments

Trump disbands election integrity commission over costs to taxpayers of legal battles from state challenges

Way to go, Brownie!

Story here.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, climate update for December 2017

Grand Rapids, Michigan, climate update for December 2017

Max Temp: Actual 61, Mean 53, 2017 Max 96, Mean Max 94

Min Temp: Actual -12, Mean 4, 2017 Min -12, Mean Min -7

Av. Temp:  Actual 24.4, Mean 28.3, Annual Actual 50.3, Annual Mean 48.2

CDD:         2017 Actual 719, Annual Mean 690

Rain:          Actual 1.96, Mean 2.43, Annual Actual 39.43, Annual Mean 34.52

Snow:        Actual 32.9, Mean 16.2, Season to Date Actual 33.5, Season to Date Mean 22.9

HDD:        Actual 1252, Mean 1131, Season to Date Actual 2443, Season to Date Mean 2488 

The warming need as expressed by Heating Degree Days thus far into the cool season increased considerably in December and is now running just 1.8% under the mean to date overall.

The year 2012 remained the warmest full year on record by average temperature at 52.8 F going back to 1898, followed by 1931, 1921, 1998, 2016, 2010, 1938, 1939 and now 2017 at 50.3 F placing ninth. The cooling need in the warm season as expressed by Cooling Degree Days was 4.2% above the annual mean. 2017 actual average temperature exceeded the annual mean average temperature by a similar value, 4.35%. The record year 2012 exceeded annual mean average temperature by 9.5%.

Laugh of the Day: Hillary for Senate . . . from Utah!

Stocks haven't really been worth all the trouble since the year 2000

Yahoo and HuffPo call this "normal" winter weather: It's not

Here. But hot summer temperatures evoke global warming headlines. 

The mean monthly lowest minimum temperature in Grand Rapids, Michigan in Decembers is +4 F. With today and tomorrow to go, we're already at - 12 F, the third coldest on record.

Average temperature in December 2017 so far ranks 32nd coldest out of 126 Decembers, the 75th percentile. Normal would be the 50th percentile. So it's definitely colder than normal, while not absolutely record setting.

Climate shmimate. These idiots can't predict bupkis three days out let alone from month to month and century to century. All year long average temperature has been running warm, until December ruined their little global warming narrative.

Bwaaaaaaahahahahaha.

In 2016 1.8 million immigrant invaders, highest ever: Where's The Wall Mr. Trump? Where's the tracking of visa holders?

Donald Trump, president of the Jews

Video here.

Let this be a sign unto you: The era of libertarian looting ushered in by Reagan now reaching apogee will be followed by another FDR-like "progressive" era of welfare statism

Bernie tapped into the amorphous socialism clamored for by today's young people who face dim job prospects while saddled by large college debts for degrees incommensurate with what's available in the job marketplace. This is the direct result of the takeover of public education from bottom to top by the left. It never delivers what it promises, except for hope.

As "millennials" replace the Baby Boom at the polls, their vote will transform America, and already has. Obama and Bernie were signs of this. Expect a return to high taxation of the rich, even larger federal government, and the transformation of existing welfare state programs into universal systems.

Like it or not, that's the future. Patriotism will take the form of socialism for Americans instead of for the world.

Now that Republicanism has thoroughly committed itself to globalism, libertarians are advised to take the money and run. 

Little Marco admits Republican tax bill went too far helping corporations

Story here.

Great. But he still voted for it. 

No Profile in Courage Award for you, mister.

Michael Savage, crackpot: Emphasizes "wildlife and the earth" at dinner with President Trump

Recounted here.

Trump got elected on the issue of illegal immigration. There has been no progress on the wall in a year, and Savage decides to use his valuable meeting time with Trump to talk about . . . environmentalism. As if environmentalism will be important politically in the midterms.

What a nitwit.

We're being overrun and Savage decides to get all wet.

We're doomed I tell you.

Alt-right critic Amanda Marcotte says white supremacists are harder to see at the end of 2017

Everyone's harder to see right now. They're all inside because it's like - 11 degrees F outside.

Here:

White supremacists may be harder to see at the end of 2017, but the problem they represent is not going away any time soon.

Uh oh: A North Korean soldier who defected to South Korea this year has anthrax antibodies

UPI reports here:

South Korean authorities did not identify the soldier, who was either exposed to or vaccinated for anthrax, but did confirm he had developed immunity to the deadly disease before he defected, local news network Channel A reported Tuesday.

Rich guys Charles Barkley and Shaq are just going to pocket their big tax cuts from Trump

Reagan era tax "reform" killed the golden dividend goose: Monthly yield hasn't been 4% or better since 1985

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas commandeers woman's first class seat on United flight

Then claims racism when the woman complains.

Story here, where Yahoo doesn't name the congresswoman in the headline. In fact Yahoo doesn't name her until paragraph ten. But it does provide photos of the obese black idiot.

Over three months after Hurricane Maria, electricity won't be restored to all of Puerto Rico until May 2018

Way to go, Brownie!

Story here.

Read it and weep, suckers: Trump tells his rich friends at Mar-a-Lago that they just got a lot richer

"You all just got a lot richer," Trump tells friends, referencing tax overhaul

'The president himself on Sept. 13 -- long before the bill was finalized -- said the wealthy would not benefit from the GOP tax overhaul.

'"The rich will not be gaining at all with this plan. We are looking for the middle class and we are looking for jobs -- jobs being the economy," Mr. Trump said.'