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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Resident vows fight after TID cuts back bushes Voter turnout at 29 percent for Jackson County pot tax Famed 'Star Trek' producer Harve Bennett dies in Medford Ashland friends remember Lee Perlman as writer, officer ... and mensch Police Reports Education Willow Wind students raise money for water Getting its balancing act together Pulling strings for youth music education Bee college takes to the air Grizzlies shine at Eugene speech tourney Environment With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Legislature might be divided on clean fuels bill, but these Ashlanders weren't Ashland Rowing Club members put their backs into Emigrant Lake clean-up The birdman of Bellview Controlled burn planned for Ashland watershed on Friday Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Chrysler 300 Silvio Calabi: Volvo XC60 is sexy safety in an SUV Ride & Drive: 2015 Audi R8 Locally grown businesses bid for micro-investor attention Ride & Drive: 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Politics and elections Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out today Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Gov. Kitzhaber steps down, federal investigation begins Successor Kate Brown must run for election in 2016 State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Federal investigation of Kitzhaber to focus on potential financial crimes Gov. Kitzhaber announces resignation Read Gov. John Kitzhaber's statement on his resignation Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries Earl Dean King Death Notices Lee Alfred Perlman Death Notices David V. Sprunger Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society This $1 million Mercedes is like an armored private jet for the road Sports Latest Stories SOU's Maguin advances to 400 final Blazers likely to look to Afflalo in Matthews absence Gimme a break Fourth-ranked Raiders, Gutches try to make noise at NAIA nationals SOU relay team secures spot in title race High school Grizzlies let second-half lead slip away in season-ending loss to CV Williams named first-team all-star Owls stun No. 8 Raiders Norvell goes from newbie to state favorite Grizz boys fend off Eagles, earn second straight win Southern Oregon University SOU's Maguin advances to 400 final Gimme a break Fourth-ranked Raiders, Gutches try to make noise at NAIA nationals SOU relay team secures spot in title race Seventh heaven? Voices Latest Stories Philip Maddocks: Homeland Security is prepared to let its protection of Congress run out after this week Matthew T. Mangino: Pennsylvania officials battle over possibility of rare execution Jeffrey Gillespie: Putin on the blitz Letters to the Editor, March 5 Arthur I. Cyr: Brutal murders in Russia a reminder and challenge Editorial Our View: Spelling out safety Our View: Our View: A growing concern Our View: A change of scenery Our View: Pot tax fairness Letters Letters to the Editor, March 5 Letters to the Editor, March 4 Letters to the Editor, March 2 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 25 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 24 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Growth carries risks Guest Opinion: Legal poisons in our waters Chris Honoré: Public schools: separate, still unequal Guest Opinion: Why so anxious to tax marijuana? 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Mangino: Pennsylvania officials battle over possibility of rare execution Jeffrey Gillespie: Putin on the blitz Mochas, midrash and mysteries: An interfaith dialogue Council Corner: In office 55 days and still alive Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Memorize poems with your whole body Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Community blog: Writers, submit Theater Ticket Availability Ticket Availability 'She Stoops' rises on SOU stage Review: OSF keeps the comedy afloat in 'Much Ado' SOU presents 'She Stoops to Conquer' Music Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Another career highlight for Kelly Clarkson Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series Victor D. 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Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Voter turnout at 29 percent for Jackson County pot tax ... Famed 'Star Trek' producer Harve Bennett dies in Medford ... Ticket Availability ... Voter turnout at 29 percent for Jackson County pot tax ... Famed 'Star Trek' producer Harve Bennett dies in Medford ... Ticket Availability ... COMMENTARY Chris Honoré: The way Republicans roll redux By Chris Honoré DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré Posted Mar. 2, 2015 @ 12:01 am By Chris Honoré Posted Mar. 2, 2015 @ 12:01 am What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this topic? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter or email ... » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this topic? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter or email [email protected] . » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> It is difficult not to view all that is now taking place in Congress through the lens of the last election and wonder why the voters so overwhelmingly voted Republican. The electorate not only strengthened the conservatives’ majority in the House, they returned the Senate to the conservatives. I often wonder what the Republicans would have to do going forward to cause the electorate to become thoroughly disenchanted with them as a party. Recall that this is the hostage-taking cohort that shut down the government in 2013 for 15 days because President Obama refused to retreat on the Affordable Care Act? It was an extraordinarily disruptive and costly tantrum. And, apparently, quickly forgotten. Now consider what has taken place over what conservatives refer to as President Obama’s executive overreach regarding immigration. First the backstory: In June of 2013, the Senate passed a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill that included a path to citizenship for some 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. The bill would bring them out of the shadows and halt record deportations that have separated countless families. The Senate bill was then sent to the House, where it has been held in political purgatory ever since, because of more internal Republican machinations — differences between the Republican caucus, the tea party and mainstream members — than the actual merits of the bill. The Speaker of the House, John Boehner, has refused to bring the bill to the House floor for a vote, knowing that if he did it would surely win approval — an outcome rejected by his caucus and the tea party. It has been almost two years since the Senate bill was passed. In the interim, President Obama has repeatedly called for the House to vote on comprehensive immigration reform. Finally, using his executive authority, the president took action to protect from deportation some 5 million undocumented residents residing in America. In essence, his action was an expanded attempt to prevent those parents of children born here — as well as children brought here (“Dreamers”) — from being deported. In other words, the intent, while admittedly temporary, is also a profoundly humane attempt by the president to stop what has been an egregiously harmful policy that has fractured families. Though the House has steadfastly refused to address the Senate bill, the Republican membership is outraged at the executive actions taken by the president over immigration, insisting that he has exceeded his authority. And so, once again, using the hostage strategy that is reminiscent of 2013 (for which they paid no political price), conservative House members telegraphed over the past several weeks that they would refuse to fund Homeland Security (including all its ancillary departments) unless President Obama nullified his immigration executive order. The agency was slated to run out of funds by Saturday. This brinksmanship style of Republican governance led to the last-minute passage in the House on Friday of a one-week Band-Aid, and it once again illustrates how the GOP rolls: dysfunctional and acrimonious. They want what they want regardless of the collateral damage. Does this not qualify as grounds for voting for the other team? One other topic: At the risk of being redundant, some recent figures regarding enrollment in the Affordable Care Act were published in the New York Times. The context here is the fact that the House Republicans have repeatedly voted to repeal the Act (56 and counting). According to the New York Times, there has been a huge drop in the number of uninsured — at least 13.4 million Americans have been added to the insurance rolls. More than 11 million people have signed up to buy insurance on the exchanges and almost 8 million have signed up outside the exchanges and upgraded what were decidedly substandard policies. Medicaid has also been expanded (though 22 predominantly Republican states have cravenly opted out). Now here’s the rub: If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell, the most recent conservative challenge to ACA, many Americans now enrolled in Obamacare will be forced out, and many, once again, will find themselves back in emergency rooms, a place of last-resort care. Note: those attempting to send ACA into a death spiral have no alternative plan. Nothing. A fact that is morally reprehensible. Chris Honoré lives in Ashland. By Chris Honoré DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré Posted Mar. 2, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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