Five things the Obama administration had no idea the Obama administration was doing.
I am reminded of this individual:
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Heh. Kathleen Sebelius was handed a copy of Websites for Dummies by a Republican state senator at an Obamacare outreach event Friday.
Leftwing civility: The only juror in the George Zimmerman trial to go public has lost her job, been shunned by friends, and received death threats to herself and her family.
And then there’s this: Actress who tweeted that she was going to vote for Romney was inundated with hateful mail and even death threats.
“This is a program that’s doing the opposite of what it was intended.”
Krauthammer hits the nail on the head. Obamacare was pushed hard by Obama and the Democrats as a way to provide everyone healthcare insurance. (How many times did they scream about the 40 some odd million uninsured?) Instead, the law is now forcing the cancellation of literally millions of insurance policies while at the same time it is impossible to sign up for insurance on the Obamacare website. And even if the website gets fixed, the available policies under the law are too expensive and provide the wrong benefits. Large numbers of people are going to refuse to buy (which might explain why the numbers enrolling have been so pitifully low).
The result: Fewer people will have heath insurance under Obamacare than before the law. And you can bet every one of those people who lost their health insurance — against their will — will be very pissed off come election day.
The Obama administration has issued an order forbidding Navy Seals from wearing on their uniforms the Navy Jack, which includes the words “Don’t Tread On Me”.
They’ve been wearing the Navy Jack for the last two centuries.
After reading the email, I first wondered, ‘why?’ (Actually, first I headed to the gym to take out my frustration and anger on some unsuspecting weights with the fury and intensity only a former Navy SEAL can exert.) Why would our leaders sell out our heritage? Why would they rob present and future sailors of our battle cry?
When a friend of mine asked his leadership the same question, he was told, “The Jack is too closely associated with radical groups.” We must assume that this thought policeman embedded in the SEAL community is speaking of the Tea Party, whose flag (which also dates from the American Revolution) depicts a snake with the same defiant slogan as The Navy Jack.
The Obama administration’s objection isn’t because the slogan is associated with “radical groups.” It’s because that slogan is now associated with their political opponents, who just happen to have more in common with this nation’s heritage that Obama and his ilk.
The FAA has lifted its ban on the use of cell phones during take-off and landings in airplanes.
The ban on mobile devices has been in effect since the early 1990s, when cellphones began to crop up, and the FAA and airlines summarily freaked the hell out for no good reason. Despite no direct evidence that the use of mobile phones or other electronic devices would interfere with the plane’s systems, the ban continued — even after the FAA hired an outside safety agency to find if anything could go wrong. They didn’t. But the FAA and airlines decided to continue the policy. Until today.
The requirement to stow laptops during takeoffs and landings remains, however, as the FAA fears these larger objects could too easily become dangerous projectiles should something go wrong.
Pushback: Another court has ruled against the Obama administration’s forced contraceptive mandate under Obamacare.
Pushback: The man whom the Justice Department and Homeland Security threatened with prosecution because he was selling mugs and T-shirts ridiculing those agencies has now sued them over those threats.
A new poll, taken by a liberal poll company, finds that Democratic incumbents took a much bigger hit than Republican incumbents after the government shutdown.
As I’ve said repeatedly, the shutdown was a team effort of both parties, that occurred because of their disagreement over Obamacare. The spin has said the Republicans lost big. The evidences says otherwise.
Also, this poll was taken before the most recent disasters relating to Obamacare became public knowledge. I suspect the numbers will worsen for Democrats in subsequent polls.
Owning it: In 2010 the Democrats unanimously voted in support of the regulations that are now forcing the cancellation of millions of health insurance plans.
The Democrats voted for Obamacare. They then voted for the regulations that are wiping out health plans nationwide. And they voted to shut the government down to support Obamacare only one month ago.
I would say this indicates pretty strongly that they are responsible for this law.
Free speech in modern America: Protesters shout down New York police commissioner Raymond Kelly at Brown University.
I don’t particularly agree with Kelly’s policies, but I am even more strongly offended by these protesting thugs. Kelly came to give a speech. They should be respectful and let him speak.
It’s a little late to get or expect any Republican buy-in [to Obamacare], though. That would have required serious compromise back in 2009, when Democrats, at the high tide of their power in the Obama era, saw no reason to make any. They ignored the polls, they ignored Scott Brown’s shocking win in Massachusetts, and they ignored normal parliamentary practices to pass the single most partisan piece of major social legislation in a century.
They insisted on this particular law, at this particular time. They own it. They own every canceled policy, every rate increase, every unintended consequence and every unpopular intended consequence. It is theirs, lock, stock and two smoking barrels.
And they and Obama own every lie they told to get this law passed.
Let me also add that the Democrats and Obama reaffirmed that ownership in the budget battle in October. They forced a government shutdown rather than accept even the slightest revisions to Obamacare.
The best (and worst) concealed carry states for 2013.
I am happy to report that my state, Arizona, is number one. And not surprisingly, the states from which I fled, New York and Maryland, are 46 and 43 respectively.
I strongly believe that where a government respects the right of its citizens to possess and bear arms, freedom will be strongly defended. Take a long look at these rankings. That the most heavily regulated blue states tend to be near the bottom and the less regulated red states tend to be near the top lends weight to my belief.
Modern free speech: The Justice Department and Homeland Security are threatening to prosecute a novelty store owner for selling mugs and t-shirts that make fun of the two agencies.
Here’s some evidence that, in trying to spin his earlier lies, Obama has only lied again.
Yesterday, the President said in Boston that the millions of people who are getting cancellation letters ending their coverage in the individual health insurance market are being saved from “substandard plans” that were sold to them by “bad apple insurers.” …
Are health insurance plans in the individual market substandard? Not the overwhelming bulk of them. How do I know that? Because individual health insurance policies have been regulated for decades by the states. Every policy sold in a state has to be approved by that state’s insurance commissioner. Have you heard about the longstanding debate over whether or not states over regulate this market with too many state health insurance coverage mandates and policy requirements?
In other words, Obama lied about Obamacare allowing you to keep your plan. Now that millions are having those plans cancelled because of Obamacare, he has made up a new lie: Your plan stinks, and only he knows the right plan for you.
Not you. Not your state government. Not the insurance company. Only he knows what’s best.
How nice of him.
Another young Obamacare supporter finds out what’s in it.
My old plan was as bare-bones as they came, so I assumed that even though the new plan would cost more, my coverage would improve under Obamacare, at least marginally. It did not.
Under my old plan, my maximum out-of-pocket expense was $4,900. Under the new plan, I’m on the hook for up to $6,350. Copays for my doctor visits will double. For urgent-care visits, they will quadruple. Though slightly cheaper plans exist if I decide to shop around on the exchange, I will lose my dental coverage should I switch.
Needless to say, I am not pleased.
He is also shocked that the burden for paying for this hellish law will fall on him and other young citizens. What I am amazed at is how surprised he is. And I think this statement by one commenters sums things up very well:
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Finding out what’s in it: One expert estimates that 129 million people, 68% of those who buy health insurance, will lose their plan by the end of 2014 because of Obamacare.
I am sure all those people will be grateful to Obama and the Democrats for standing strong and shutting down the government rather than allow any changes to this law.
Note: I keep repeating this point about the government shutdown because it is important to remember the real cause of that shutdown: The Republicans objected to Obamacare and the Democrats endorsed it. We mustn’t forget this very fundamental fact as we watch Obamacare roll over the country like a bulldozer.
Obama and the Democrats solve the terrible terrible problem of the terrible name of the Washington Redskins.
In a move certain to delight most of official Washington, D.C., it has been decided to change the name of the Washington Redskins football franchise to the Washington Reds. President Obama, himself, voiced his approval of the decision, as did Harry Reid, who was practically giddy upon hearing the news. The stadium will be painted red, in keeping with the new name, and its own name will be changed to Red Stadium. All players who play for the Reds, as well as all Red staff, Red cheerleaders, and Red coaches, will be asked to pay a 60% surtax on their exorbitant salaries and to divest of their pension plans entirely in order to share their wealth more equitably with all of the people of the District of Columbia. Any profit-sharing from games played by the Reds will be placed into the general coffers at Treasury Department and administered by Jack Lew.
Click on the link. It is worth it.
Working for the Democratic Party: IRS official Lois Lerner illegally provided private tax information to other government agencies.
A conservative government watchdog says it has obtained emails revealing that the Internal Revenue Service sent conservative groups’ private tax exemption application and tax return information to the Federal Elections Commission, in violation of federal law.
According to Judicial Watch, the emails from Jan. 2009 to the present, provided by the FEC in response to an August 2013 Freedom of Information Act request, yielded a “revealing email chain” between former Internal Revenue Services (IRS) Director of Exempt Organizations Lois Lerner and enforcement attorneys at the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Not finding out what’s in it: Obamacare does not provide patients or doctors or hospitals any way of finding out who is in or out of network.
“In many cases, consumers are shopping blind when it comes to what doctors and hospitals are included in their Obamacare exchange plans,” said Josh Archambault, senior fellow with the think tank Foundation for Government Accountability. “These patients will be in for a rude awakening once they need care, and get stuck with a big bill for going out-of-network without realizing it.”
All of this represents a larger problem with the Affordable Care Act, said Archambault, who has extensively studied the law. “It reflects deeper issues in implementation,” he said. “Some hospitals and doctors don’t even know if they are in the network.”
In addition, this story indicates that many major hospitals are opting out of Obamacare, with no way for patients to find out beforehand.
Aren’t you glad the Democrats and President Obama shut down the federal government earlier this month to make sure Obamacare went into effect?
A physicians organization has filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration’s decision to delay Obamacare employer mandate by one year.
The AAPS lawsuit, which was filed today in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, asks the Court to enjoin the Obama Administration from imposing its “individual mandate” while delaying the “employer mandate.” The law that was passed by Congress in 2010 requires that the employer mandate go into effect at the same time as the individual mandate: Jan 1, 2014.
“The U.S. Constitution requires a strict separation of powers between the three branches of government, such that the executive branch cannot change laws passed by Congress,” AAPS’s lawsuit explains. By imposing the individual mandate in 2014 without the protection of the employer mandate, the Obama Administration has changed the legislation passed by Congress.
Poll: 70% of Americans want to delay the Obamacare individual mandate.
One, I suspect that many of those polled really think they are asking for a delay of Obamacare entirely, and do not understand that delaying the mandate will do nothing to save their present insurance plan. If Obamacare requires that plan to die, it will die, regardless of when the mandate goes into effect.
Two, this is strong evidence that, when the next budget deadline arrives in a few months, the Republicans should once again demand to either delay, defund, or repeal Obamacare. They should force the Democrats to once again vote for this law. If the Republicans do this, they might actually be in a position to force Democrats to agree to a repeal.
I am posting the video below mostly as a marker, so that I can find it again easily when I am confronted by Democrats who can’t seem to understand what a lie is and what a liar looks like.
But watch it anyway. I knew it was a lie when he said this repeatedly in 2009 and 2010, but it is even more infuriating to see it now, especially considering the wreckage that lie is causing across the country as people find they no longer can afford any health insurance, no matter how minimal.
Fascist thugs: According to insurance executives, the White House is threatening them with “retribution” if they don’t keep silent about the problems Obamacare is causing them.
“What is going on is a behind-the-scenes attempt by the White House to at least keep insurers from publicly criticizing what is happening on this Affordable Care Act rollout,” reports Andrew Griffin of CNN. ”Basically, if you speak out, if you are quoted, you’re going to get a call from the White House, pressure to be quiet.”
According to Griffin’s sources, Bob Laszewski of Health Policy and Strategy Associates – a prominent consultant for insurance companies with a history of criticizing ObamaCare – says he’s getting calls from the executives he works with, asking him to speak out on their behalf, “because they feel defenseless against the White House PR team.”
Laszewski told Griffin, “The White House is exerting massive pressure on the industry, including the trade associations, to keep quiet.” Industry sources confirmed “they fear White House retribution.”
“The president and the Democrats lied us into a bad law.”
The Right opposed the law on principle. A single party — the Democrats — own this law in a way that no party has had complete ownership of any major social legislation in a century. They bought this legislation with deceit and the GOP said so. Now that it is going into effect, the facts on the ground are confirming that deceit. Moreover, the same haughty condescending bureaucrats and politicians who told us they were smart enough and tech-savvy enough to do just about anything are being exposed as incompetent political hacks.
And remember: This same President and those same Democrats re-affirmed their support of Obamacare less than one month ago by insisting on shutting the government down rather than agree to even the slightest revision of this disaster of a law.
The reasons Obamacare makes health insurance much more expensive.
All of these reasons were expounded in great detail by conservatives back in 2010 in their effort to get Democrats to negotiate the law. The reasoned response from the left: “You’re a racist!”
Well it now turns out that a lot of very liberal pundits, politicians, and Democratic supporters are racist too, as they are discovering that the conservatives in 2010 were right.
Thirteen Democratic senators who told the same lies as Obama about Obamacare.
Do not go to the Obamacare website. It is worse than a Nigerian hoax email.
Steny Hoyer, #2 Democrat in the House, admitted today that Democrats knew that Obamacare would cause the cancellation of millions of health plans.
The Democrats really think Americans are stupid. This is how Hoyer tried to explain away Obama’s often-repeated lie that “if you like your plan you get to keep it”:
Asked by another reporter how repeated statements by Obama to the contrary weren’t “misleading,” Hoyer said “I don’t think the message was wrong. I think the message was accurate. It was not precise enough…[it] should have been caveated with – ‘assuming you have a policy that in fact does do what the bill is designed to do.’”
As is commonly known, the details of policies put in place by various departments of the Administration are considered beneath the purview of the office of the presidency. The President is above all that and, as Chris Matthews points out, he can hardly be expected to remember such minutiae such as who gave the order to stand down at Benghazi, which is thousands of miles away, or who ordered the IRS to harass certain Tea Party members, let alone members of other terrorist groups, or even what was happening in Fast & Furious down in Mexico. That’s somebody else’s country, said Matthews, and the President just wasn’t personally aware. Besides, he was on the golf course at the time . . . every time.
There’s more, all tragically hilarious.
