20 Comments
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Rosemary Ford's avatar

I have gotten overpayment and underpayment bills. They are unintelligible. I have a spousal benefit reduced by a pension. The 2 year look back and the COLA increases seem to make a simple mathematical explanation insurmountable. I have spent hours recalculating things on Excel. It is useless to get any answers from the local office. Based on my experience, I expect there are millions of misplaced dollars, maybe in the plus column, maybe in the minus column.

I was disappointed in the Harris/Walz interview. What a waste of time. Why do interviewers not ask follow up questions? Walz could have said, "I goofed but what I’d like to talk about is the small percentage of youth who are opting to join the military …"

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Tara Burch's avatar

Re: AGS—it really should be added as a major allergen. For people with severe reactions, it’s nowhere near as simple as avoiding red meat—there are mammal products & by-products that are either directly included in foods, or used as part of processing, and medications and medical supplies are also impacted. Because AG is not a major recognized allergen, it can be difficult to impossible to get a straight answer even from manufacturers on whether a given product is safe for someone with AGS. The size of the population impacted may be relatively small compared to other allergies, but the impact of an accidental exposure can be disastrous if not fatal.

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jeri Briggs's avatar

Gabe, go back to the Harris Walz interview re your take on how Governor Walz explained his horrible horrible horrible mistake of “carrying guns in to war.” He was speaking during a time of a horrific school shooting. Ok so he made a mistake. He has owned up. Leave it!! And next time you need to once again point this out, think of your own service to your country (ie I don’t think you are a veteran) and just don’t ever forget the many many lies Donny Trump has said.

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Phil Ritter's avatar

Are we all too ashamed of what we are helping the Israeli government do in Gaza and the West Bank to talk about it? Needing to "get a deal done" does not address the issue of our complicity.

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Maureen Simmonds's avatar

Thanks Gabe and enjoy your week off! When you get back, I would like you to analyze a speech or interview or rally that Trump has given. I feel like you pick apart Harris, while ignoring the out of control things he does.

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Patty S.'s avatar

Gabe - Enjoy your time, with your family, and your friends.⭐️

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Johnny Buse's avatar

I am once again asking for the Harris/Walz campaign to actually get started. It’s felt like an opening salvo of “vibes” for weeks.

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Wayne Schweigert's avatar

Thanks for your great work and enjoy your well earned "time off"

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Larry's avatar

Have a great time w/ your family & I'm looking forward to reading about your sspecial projects.

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Paul Thronson's avatar

Great nuanced and unsensationalized coverage on important topics. So glad you were recommended by a friend, please continue the great work.

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Freda Salatino's avatar

Have a great break Gabe! While you're breaking, please consider that five years (2019 to 2024) is as good as a lifetime for any adult who's serious about surfing the roiling sea of current events. Honestly, if you're paying attention there's no way to have a "final" stance on anything.

My current favorite amplification of this argument comes from Israeli-born comic Shahak Shapira, explaining Zionism. (See https://youtu.be/zDmUCeYPsiU.)

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Bob Dorson's avatar

Please discuss the idea of a tax on the enormously wealthy. This idea would really help our debt but would not substantially affect those that would be taxed.

Hope you have a nice week off. After living in Arizona for almost 70 years, I am living in Chesterfield for the last two.

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Michael Kupperburg's avatar

I'd like a reporter to ask a simple question: If your policies have not changed, but now you are supporting things, that in 2019 you supported, is that just for electioneering? Not going to happen, it is direct though.

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Dean Baker's avatar

In your discussion of alpha gal, you mentioned meat only. It also includes dairy (milk, butter and most importantly, CHEESE). So all products of mammals are potential allergens. My wife has it. It may go away, and it may not. And we still don't know what internal impacts it has on the human body.

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Kasumii's avatar

You covered a wide range of interesting points today. Thank you.

I am frustrated by Harris and Walz weaseling out of answering very important questions. They’re doing so shifts them into the “same old shit” column for me. Oh, I’ll vote for them of course. I mean, between them and turning our oligarchy into a fascist theocracy - no contest on who to vote for. But I’ll think twice on repeating that in 4 years (if they win). That she chooses to line up right behind Biden, especially on supporting Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, pisses me off to no end. Obviously I feel strongly about both of these things - the weaseling non-answers and supporting genocide.

But, once again, the people are forced to choose between two bad choices. I wonder if what the people want and need will ever matter again.

Wishing you a great and safe time off Gabe.

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Bette Mulley's avatar

Her responses were better than hearing from the Republican Project 2025 will do to our country!

Have a great vacation.

I will write my representative to see what his vote will be on the bills that you talked about today. I really appreciate it knowing about these, because I could ask these questions to my representative, which is Austin Pfluger. All I hear from him is support for oil interests.

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