#then section 31 and what it represents needs to be excised

[roguetelepaths]

...so guess who's rewatching star trek discovery

#star trek #star trek discovery #section 31 #i don't actually mind section 31 as a narrative element it just needs to be done right #and it rarely has been since its introduction #the narrative purpose section 31 serves is to be like 'hey maybe the Federation Isn't Perfect' #or like 'maybe it's got some systemic problems that are being allowed to continue because they benefit the people in power' #if you just treat it like another part of starfleet/the federation that just has a few bad apples it loses that narrative purpose #because the entire point of it is that it IS the bad apple and it IS spoiling the bunch simply by existing as itself #and that if the federation wants to have any chance at all of actually being what it claims to be #then section 31 and what it represents needs to be excised #you simply CANNOT have 'unambiguous postscarcity utopia' and 'omnipresent unrestricted intelligence agency' at the same time #at least not if you want to have any degree of narrative consistency #the last time i watched this arc in discovery was before i got into ds9 (and met mars!! ily airota) and it's almost unbearable now

[thathivemindgroup-blog]

Item #: SCP-2562

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-2562-A and -B are contained in Type 2 Humanoid Containment Cells at Site-17. They are permitted one hour of visiting time daily; otherwise, standard amenities and precautions associated with T2HCC are in place. SCP-2562-A has no special medical, dietary, or psychological requirements, and has a Standard Risk Rating of 02/05/00. SCP-2562-B has a Standard Risk Rating of 02/05/03, and is undergoing treatment for type 2 diabetes.

Material altered by SCP-2562-B is kept in Document Storage Cabinet 32C-E.

Description: SCP-2562 is the collective designation for two genetically identical human males designated SCP-2562-A and SCP-2562-B. SCP-2562-A possesses a tattoo on its right palm reading "Mr. Top Text, by Gamers Against Weed"; SCP-2562-B possesses a tattoo on its left palm reading "Mr. Bottom Text, by Gamers Against Weed".

SCP-2562 possess the ability to alter text by placing an index finger within several centimeters of it and deliberately effecting the change. Depending on the medium, this may entail the addition or deletion of ink, data, etc. or alteration of physical objects that represent the text. SCP-2562 do not need to understand the material, or identify it as writing, to effect these changes, and claim to possess no control over the particular nature of the alterations.

SCP-2562-A alters texts by the addition of additional content near the beginning of the text in question, with no alterations being made more than 30% through the text or extending the total length of the text by more than 15%. The additional content takes the form of elaborations upon existing content, typically making implicit content explicit and deriving inferences from it, in a style consistent with the original text. In the case of constrained forms of writing, such as sonnets, additional text may instead manifest as annotations presented as a supplement to the text.

SCP-2562-B alters texts by replacing content from the end of the text with the phrase "BOTTOM TEXT".1 Up to 13% of the original material is removed in this process. Texts altered by SCP-2562-B retain the ability to convey their entire meaning; readers will understand and respond to SCP-2562-B the same way they would the original text, with the exception that subjects cannot recall the wording of content excised by SCP-2562-B.

SCP-2562-A is generally cooperative with Foundation staff, and has used its abilities to assist Foundation cryptanalysis efforts on occasion. SCP-2562-B will typically refuse to cooperate with any request except under duress or when offered a substantial reward.

Document 2562-602

SCP-2562-A and -B were both instructed to use their anomalous properties by altering the text of the poem Ozymandias, by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Text added by SCP-2562-A has been colored pink, while text added by SCP-2562-B was colored green.

I met a traveller from an antique land1 Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:

And on the pedestal these words appear: 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, BOTTOM TEXT

1 Diminish Ozymandias; let his pow'r Be heard through traveller's gossip, and no more.

Document 2562-618

SCP-2562-A and -B both possessed identical copies of this document at time of recovery. It is reproduced below in its entirety.

Holy Heck! You've just found yourself your very own Mr. Top Text and Mr. Bottom Textby Gamers Against Weed! Has cool powers and a twin brother to hang out with / BOTTOM TEXT. Who is Dr. Wondertainment?

Collect them all and become Mr. Gamer!

01. Mr. Literal Serial Killer 02. Mr. Normie 03. Mr. Bernie Sanders 04. Mr. Get Anything For Free In Any Shop 20. Mr. Sex Number 21. Mr. Heavenly Virtues 22. Mr. Deadly Sins 23. Mr. Original Character 24. Mr. D.A.R.E. 25. Mr. Gentrification 26. Ms. Mad About Video Games 27. Mr. Meme 28. Mr. Ominous (discontinued) 29. Mr. Destiny 30. Mr. Monty Python And The Holy Grail 31. Ms. Zapatista 32. Mr. Hax 33. Mr. Just Has The Tattoo 34. Mr. Top Text and Mr. Bottom Text ✔ 35. Mr. Finale

Interview Logs

Several interviews with SCP-2562 were performed by Dr. Steele. Excerpts from two have been selected to accompany this document.

Dr. Steele: How did you first meet Mr. Bottom Text?

SCP-2562-A: He was the first thing I saw. The very first thing I remember — and that he remembers — is browsing through the science fiction section at the ██████ Public Library. We took a minute to touch base, decided we were twin brothers, and went right back to it.

Dr. Steele: Your situation didn't strike you as odd?

SCP-2562-A: Compared to what? I knew that most people didn't appear out of nowhere like that, but I also knew we weren't most people — we knew right from the start how our abilities worked. It didn't bother me all that much… really, I was more interested in seeing their collection of Asimovs than anything.

Dr. Steele: That makes sense. And at some point, you started using them on the books at the library.2

SCP-2562-A: That we did. Mr. Bottom Text would go around touching everyone's books, said he was doing them a favor. And of course, I had to go after him and try to make up for it with my own effect.

Dr. Steele: You had to?

SCP-2562-A: He was depriving them of the joy of reading. Sure, he could cram all of that meaning into two words, which is nice if you're in a hurry I suppose, but good writing is more than just getting the point across. The words matter.

Dr. Steele: But your own properties can interrupt the pacing and flow of the writing, even when it's stylistically consistent with the original.

<SCP-2562-A appears uncomfortable, sighing and breaking eye contact.>

SCP-2562-A: I guess. But when the writing isn't that good, when it leaves things out… I know some people aren't all that good at reading, and they could use a bit of a hand there. It's useful for that, at least. Does that make sense?

Dr. Steele: Yes, it does. You've clearly given this topic a lot of thought. Did you… start off like that, or did you have to grow into it?

SCP-2562-A: I've always cared — he does too, he just won't show it. I had the time to develop some opinions on it, in the two days before you people took us in.

Dr. Steele: I see. How's your relationship with Mr. Bottom Text?

SCP-2562-A: <Shrugs> What can I say? We get on each other's nerves, but… he's my brother.

SCP-2562-B: He's all like, oh, you're depriving the joy of reading, bluh bluh bluh. You know what people can do with the time I save them? Read more stuff.

Dr. Steele: I asked you about the first time you met.

SCP-2562-B: I bet he literally said "he deprives them of the joy of reading". He's so predictable.

Dr. Steele: Care to comment?

SCP-2562-B: I… no, I don't care. I thought that was obvious.

Dr. Steele: Fine. How do you feel about him personally?

SCP-2562-B: Actually, I want to talk about video games. I finished talking about Mr. Top Text. You ever play Super Smash Bros. Brawl?

Dr. Steele: <Sighs> No, I haven't.

SCP-2562-B: It sucks. I get like, two hours a day with that Wii, and I waste it on Super Shit Brothers. Anyways, you were asking about my brother?

Dr. Steele: Probably.

SCP-2562-B: Cool, 'cause I'm going to talk about him. Like I give him shit, because he deserves it, but I can kinda see where his thing is coming from, it can be nice to have things spelled out. Don't tell him I said that, I'll never hear the end of it.

Dr. Steele: I'll do my best.

SCP-2562-B: He's a sell-out, though. Told me he was helping you guys break codes, and I'm thinking, what's he get out of it? He's actually not even a sell-out, because he ISN'T getting anything out of it. Like are the codes any of your business? He's so nosy, I bet that's what he gets out of it.

Dr. Steele: I can't comment on that.

SCP-2562-B: Oh, well then I'm bored. Conversation's over. Bottom text.

Dr. Steele: You can't skip real-life conversations by saying "bottom text".

SCP-2562-B: Bottom text.

Footnotes

1

. This exact phrase will appear regardless of the original language and style of the text.

2

. Complaints about materials altered by SCP-2562 at the ██████ Public Library alerted the Foundation to SCP-2562's existence.

[isaacscrawford]

ACA Round-Up: Hospital Nonprofit Status, ACA Nondiscrimination Litigation, And More

American non-profit hospitals have long qualified for tax exempt status under federal law as “charitable” organizations. They are often afforded exempt status from state and local property, sales, and income tax under similar requirements. The Affordable Care Act imposed additional requirements that hospitals must meet if they wish to retain federal tax exempt status. These include:

Establishing written financial assistance and emergency medical care policies,

Limiting amounts charged for emergency or other medically necessary care to individuals eligible for assistance,

Making reasonable efforts to determine whether an individual is eligible for assistance under the hospital’s policy before engaging in extraordinary collection action, and

Conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) at least once every three years, which must be widely publicized, and adopting an strategy to implement the CHNA.

The IRS released final regulations implementing the 501(r) requirements in 2015. The regulatory requirements were effective for tax years following the end of 2015.

The IRS has reportedly been conducting compliance reviews of tax exempt hospitals and has levied a $50,000 excise tax against some hospitals that have been out of compliance with 501(r) requirements. In August, however, the IRS released for the first time a notice dated February 14, 2017 actually revoking the 501(c)(3) status of a hospital that had failed to implement and publicize its CHNA.

The hospital’s situation was complicated as it was not only tax exempt under 501(c)(3) but was also being operated by the local county government. It carried out a CHNA to meet Medicare requirements but neither took steps to implement the CHNA nor posted it on a website. Hospital executives represented to the IRS that they did not need 501(c)(3) status and that it might in fact limit some of the hospital’s activities. They also indicated that they did not have the resources to conduct a proper CHNA. Considering these facts, the IRS revoked the hospitals 501(c)(3) status.

This is hardly a typical situation for noncompliance with 501(r) requirements, but is at least an indication that the government will revoke 501(c)(3) status in situations where a hospital willfully violates the requirements of 501(r)

Judge Mandates Status Reports In Challenge To Prohibition On Gender Identity And Pregnancy Termination Discrimination

On August 16, 2017, Judge Reed O’Connor entered an order in the Franciscan Alliance case requiring the government to file a status report on or before October 16, 2017 and every 60 days thereafter. The Franciscan Alliance and several other plaintiffs, including several states, have sued challenging a HHS regulation promulgated under section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity or termination of pregnancy.

Late in 2016, Judge O’Connor, a federal district court judge in Texas, entered a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the rule. On July 10, 2017, Judge O’Connor remanded the issue to HHS to reconsider its rule. HHS stated in an August 4 status report that it has submitted a draft proposed rule amendment to the Justice Department for review. Following that review, the rule will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for interagency clearance, after which it will be published for comment as a proposed rule. Until then, HHS will continue to comply with the injunction against enforcement of the challenged provisions of the rule. The court will continue to monitor the rulemaking process.

Treasury IG Report Details IRS Record On ACA-Mandated Letters

On July 31, 2017, the Treasury Inspector General for Taxpayer Assistance (TIGTA) issued a report on the implementation by the Internal Revenue Service of an ACA requirement—specifically, that the Treasury Department must send a notice each year to individuals who file a tax return and are not enrolled in minimum essential coverage (MEC) informing them of the availability of coverage through the exchanges.

The report found that the IRS did not send these notices out in 2015 for filing year 2014. The agency focused instead on understanding filing behavior; updating form instructions and publications to include information on the MEC requirement; coordinating with tax preparers and software developers regarding the requirement; and including information on the availability of exchange coverage in correspondence regarding individual mandate compliance.

In November of 2016 and January of 2017, the IRS did send out over 7 million letters to individuals who had filed a 2015 tax return and either claimed an individual mandate exemption or paid the penalty, notifying them of the availability of exchange coverage. The letters were sent at these times rather than in the preceding June because the IRS and CMS concluded that this was the optimal time for encouraging individuals to enroll in coverage. Some of the letters encouraged taxpayers to enroll in coverage, while others encouraged them to either enroll in coverage or claim an exemption. Some of these letters included a personalized penalty amount for the individual taxpayer while some included the standardized penalty amount. CMS paid about $3.7 million for preparing and mailing the letters.

The notice was not sent to 3.3 million taxpayers who filed “silent returns” which failed to identify MEC coverage, pay a penalty, or claim an exemption, as CMS decided that these individuals were less likely to enroll in coverage. Also, the notice was not sent to a group of 1.9 million individuals who filed a 2015 return and claimed an exemption or paid a penalty but were randomly selected to serve as a control group to measure the effectiveness of the letter.

The IRS is not sending out the notices for 2017, but is sending out notifications to transmitters of electronically filed returns to share with taxpayers who file a form 8965 exemption report with missing or incorrect information, pay a mandate penalty, or file a silent return informing them of the availability of marketplace coverage.

The TIGTA noted that the IRS letter stated that most taxpayers could get coverage through HealthCare.gov for $75 a month or less after financial assistance was applied. The TIGTA suggested that this statement was misleading — according to its analysis, exchange premiums for 3.4 million (63 percent) of taxpayers exceeded $75 a month, averaging $168 a month, after financial assistance. It noted that the $75 a month figure was for low-cost (presumably bronze-level) health plans and not for the plans that enrollees actually selected. The TIGTA suggested that the IRS should have independently verified this claim rather than relying on HHS’ estimates.

Administration Will Make CSR Payments For August

Multiple media sources are reporting that the White House has confirmed that cost-sharing reduction payments will be made for August. This will lessen the financial impact on insurers of a CSR payment termination during 2017, if one occurs, as it will mean one less month that insurers will have to absorb the cost of termination themselves. It does nothing, however, to clarify for insurers or state insurance regulators what they should assume regarding CSR payments in determining which insurers will participate in the individual market and what premiums they will charge for 2018.

Health insurers offering qualified health plans through the marketplaces for 2018 must file their rates for 2018 by September 6, 2017. As no guidance has been offered as to whether CSRs will be paid in 2018 (or even in September 2017), state regulators should presumably instruct their insurers to file their rates based on an assumption that CSRs will not be paid, or at least to file two sets of rates assuming on the one hand that CSRs will be paid and on the other hand that they will not be. As the CBO has projected and multiple insurers have confirmed in rates already filed, the nonpayment of CSRs would result in significant rate increases, probably in the order of 20 percent in most states. If no action is taken by the White House or by Congress very soon, it should be assumed that these are the rates that will be in effect.

Congress could, of course, specifically appropriate funding for the CSRs. The CBO has confirmed that such an appropriation would not increase the budget deficit since it has already assumed an appropriation to exist. A CSR appropriation is high on the agenda of a number of members of Congress of both parties. But even assuming the most rapid conceivable schedule for both houses to enact and the President to sign such an appropriation, it would still come after the rate filing deadline — which is the day after Congress reconvenes on September 4.

Only the Trump administration can at this point provide assurances that the CSRs will be paid at least through the end of the 2017 and for 2018 unless the appellate court in House v. Price decides at some point to affirm the lower court judgment—now on hold—that the payments must end. The only responsible step for the administration at this point is to immediately provide such assurances, and to state that it intends to work with Congress to clarify that an appropriation exists as quickly as possible and independent of any other actions Congress might take on health care reform. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, has urged the President to continue the payments, at least through September, while Congress takes action.

Any other approach simply increases the likelihood, indeed the certainty, that premiums in many state individual markets will increase dramatically for next year. A failure to take action is also likely to result in the number of counties without any insurer in the individual market for 2018 beginning to grow again.

Nevada-Centene Arrangement Leaves Only Two Bare Counties For 2018

Centene announced on August 15, 2017, that it had worked out an arrangement with Nevada to offer coverage in the 14 Nevada counties that had previously had no insurer signed up to offer coverage through the exchange for 2018. This leaves the “bare county” problem largely solved for 2018, with only two counties remaining in the country—one in Wisconsin and one in Indiana—with no insurers currently offering coverage for 2018. Between them they have fewer than 400 current exchange enrollees.

The bare county problem may reappear, however. As noted earlier, the CBO report on terminating cost-sharing reductions projects that 5 percent of Americans would live in counties with no 2018 coverage if the CSR payments are terminated.

Article source:Health Affairs