Nearly $2 billion already paid to unions, state public employee systems, and big corporations under Obamacare

This idiotic thing has got to be repealed: Nearly $2 billion already paid to unions, state public employee systems, and big corporations under Obamacare.

The program began making payouts on June 1, 2010. Between that date and the end of 2010, it paid out about $535 million dollars. But according to the new report, the rate of spending has since increased dramatically, to about $1.3 billion just for the first two and a half months of this year. At that rate, it could burn through the entire $5 billion appropriation as early as 2012. [emphasis mine]

AARP’s Billion Dollar ObamaCare Windfall

So this is why they lobbied for the crappy bill: AARP’s billion dollar Obamacare windfall.

Almost half of the $500 billion in ObamaCare’s Medicare cuts come out of Medicare Advantage. The cuts don’t kill the program, but they mortally wound it. CBO estimates that the Medicare Advantage program will be cut in half, causing over 7 million seniors to lose their health care coverage. They will be forced to return to traditional Medicare and, in most cases, will need to purchase Medi-Gap coverage.

Using very conservative assumptions (AARP keeps its current share of the Medi-Gap market and premiums don’t rise), this increase in the Medi-Gap market will generate more than $100 million a year in additional license fee revenue for AARP. Over a billion dollars every decade. Keep in mind, this revenue is simply for using AARP’s name, so it is almost pure profit.

University Protects Student Who Issued Jihadist Death Threats Against Conservatives and Jews

More craziness: McGill University has decided to protect the student who issued jihadist death threats against conservatives and Jews.

Some examples of the student’s threats: “I want to shoot everyone in this room,” followed by “I should have brought an M16.”

Here is McGill’s interpretation: “We have come to the conclusion that the messages don’t constitute a threat to the community.”

The incremental approach is working

He has a point: Fred Barnes argues that the Republican incremental approach to cutting the budget makes sense politically. Key quote:

The end zone is far away, however, and impatience won’t get Republicans there. Impatience is not a strategy. It may lead to a government shutdown with unknown results. To enact the sweeping cuts they desire, Republicans must hold the House and capture the Senate and White House in the 2012 election. Then they’ll control Washington. Now they don’t.

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