Best Plain English Explanation of SOCTUS’ Ruling on ACA

In Plain English: The Affordable Care Act, including its individual mandate that virtually all Americans buy health insurance, is constitutional. There were not five votes to uphold it on the ground that Congress could use its power to regulate commerce between the states to require everyone to buy health insurance. However, five Justices agreed that the penalty that someone must pay if he refuses to buy insurance is a kind of tax that Congress can impose using its taxing power. That is all that matters. Because the mandate survives, the Court did not need to decide what other parts of the statute were constitutional, except for a provision that required states to comply with new eligibility requirements for Medicaid or risk losing their funding. On that question, the Court held that the provision is constitutional as long as states would only lose new funds if they didn’t comply with the new requirements, rather than all of their funding.

via Amy Howe, http://www.scotusblog.com/cover-it-live/.

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Track of the Week: Flutes by Hot Chip

This week’s track is Flutes by Hot Chip off of In Our Heads. I’ve never been a huge Hot Chip fan and that’s largely because I never took the time to listen to them, but this new album is a great indie-esque synth pop. Flutes is unlike most of the songs on the album — it’s darker, more brooding, but the sound is totally unique and yet accessible.

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Track of the Week: All of Me by Tanlines

This week’s track is All of Me by Tanlines, off of their debut LP Mixed Emotions. A mostly synth-pop band with a bunch of bounce, this track is my favorite off of the album. Synth and guitars with a four-on-the-floor beat would make for much of an exceptional indie-pop band, but I love the lead singer’s voice and the lyrics and fun and catchy. Not particularly deep or thoughtful but it’s a fun summer song.

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