2.<\/strong> Republican House members Pete King, Michael Grimm, Christopher Gibson, Richard Hanna, Tom Reed II, and Chris Collins are going to have a hard time explaining to their constituents in New York state why they all voted 37 times to repeal a law that will mean considerable savings in health insurance costs for those same constituents. \u201cHealth Plan Cost for New Yorkers Set to Fall 50%<\/a>\u201d The New York Times<\/em> reports:<\/p>\n State insurance regulators say they have approved rates for 2014 that are at least 50 percent lower on average than those currently available in New York. Beginning in October, individuals in New York City who now pay $1,000 a month or more for coverage will be able to shop for health insurance for as little as $308 monthly. With federal subsidies, the cost will be even lower.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n 3.<\/strong> The final, official confirmation of the legalization of marriage equality in England and Wales<\/a>\u00a0is a big freaking deal. The queen\u2019s \u201cRoyal Assent\u201d is bound to have a ripple effect throughout the Commonwealth and even to stir things up a bit in the Anglican communion. It wasn\u2019t major screaming-headline news, though, in part because all the major hurdles had already been cleared and we knew this was coming, but also because we\u2019re all getting more used to this. It\u2019s no longer earth-shaking, paradigm-shifting news, but more like one more in a growing list of milestones on a long, still-incomplete journey on which we seem to be gaining momentum.<\/p>\n The Texas Freedom Network has another dog-that-didn\u2019t-bark story<\/a> on San Antonio\u2019s efforts to \u201cpass a non-discrimination ordinance that, among other things, says businesses can\u2019t tell prospective patrons to take their business elsewhere simply because they\u2019re gay or lesbian.\u201d The city\u2019s most vocal and visible Catholic and evangelical leaders, TFN notes, \u201chave been somewhat mum on the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not that San Antonio mega-church pastor and \u201cBible prophecy scholar\u201d John Hagee has renounced his virulently anti-gay preaching, but as TFN writes, \u201cIn a few short years he went from the intolerant rhetoric of blaming Adam and Steve for the worst natural disaster to strike this country to \u2018no comment\u2019 when approached by a reporter. And that is, um \u2026 progress?\u201d Yes, it is.<\/p>\n 4.<\/strong> Here\u2019s another, more tangible bit of progress, and excellent news for 99 percent of Americans: \u201cSenate Confirms Richard Cordray as Consumer Watchdog<\/a>.\u201d They\u2019ve got all the money, but we\u2019ve still got a few laws and rights to defend ourselves. And now we\u2019ve got the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau<\/a> in place to ensure those laws and rights actually mean something.<\/p>\n Related, from Consumerist: \u201c5 Sample Letters That Get Debt Collectors Out of Your Face<\/a>.\u201d And from the CFPB: \u201cNew ways to combat harmful debt collection practices<\/a>.\u201d I hope you never need that information, but there it is just in case. It\u2019s useful stuff in a country where money is power and where nearly all of the church continues to ignore the first thing Jesus ever preached<\/a>: Jubilee is everything<\/em>.<\/p>\n 5.<\/strong> Seriously, here is everything you need to know about American Christianity: Leviticus 20:13<\/a> is widely known and discussed as a clobber text and the litmus test for any Christians\u2019 fidelity to the Bible.\u00a0Deuteronomy 15:1<\/a> is not.<\/p>\n Sometimes I think we almost need a Westboro-style protest group with signs that say \u201cGod hates banks.\u201d But instead we got Dave Ramsey and the perverse notion that debt is immoral only for the debtors<\/em>.<\/p>\n 6.<\/strong> Eric Bradenson courageously challenges his fellow Republicans to stop \u201cdenying the science\u201d of climate change and to \u201cadmit that 97 percent of scientists just might be right.\u201d Bradenson thinks small-government conservatives \u201chave better answers than the other side\u201d when it comes to the challenge of climate change and he boldly urges the GOP to change course \u2014 to lead rather than to obstruct in meeting that challenge.<\/p>\n Bradenson\u2019s words are brave, but, as Steve Benen reports<\/a>, the writer himself is a bit more prudently cautious. \u201cEric Bradenson\u201d is actually a pseudonym, used \u201cfor job security reasons\u201d to protect \u201chis boss and himself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn other words,\u201d Benen says, \u201cto write a piece making the case that Republicans can \u2018win the climate debate\u2019 by pushing conservative solutions to a real problem, is to put one\u2019s job in Republican politics in jeopardy. This really isn\u2019t healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n 7.<\/strong> The kids are all right<\/a>. (And they\u2019re also kind of adorable.)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/52\/2013\/07\/time-300x300.gif\")
<\/a>So once again it\u2019s kind of Big News that this story isn\u2019t bigger news. Opponents of marriage equality barely had the energy to rend their garments and proclaim that the sky will fall. We heard a few perfunctory lamentations from the usual suspects, but that was it.<\/p>\n