Tag: regulation

“I have closed all my businesses in Ventura County, California.”

11:30 am

Sign of the times: “I have closed all my businesses in Ventura County, California.”

And the business owner is happy about it!

Never have I operated in a more difficult environment. Ventura County combines a difficult government environment with a difficult employee base with a difficult customer base.

Freedom not only requires that each person be free to follow their own dreams, it also demands that everyone else respect that desire and effort. If you read the story above, you will discover that in this part of California at least, no one respects this business owner’s desire and effort. Instead, from the government to his customers, everyone was out to destroy him, no matter what he tried to do.

So rather than follow his dream, he is shutting down and getting out. Very sad.

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Obamacare does not provide any easy way for a family to add a new baby to their insurance plan.

9:22 am

Finding out what’s not in it: Obamacare does not provide any easy way for a family to add a new baby to their insurance plan.

There’s another quirk in the Obama administration’s new health insurance system: It lacks a way for consumers to quickly and easily update their coverage for the birth of a baby and other common life changes. With regular private insurance, parents just notify the health plan. Insurers will still cover new babies, the administration says, but parents will also have to contact the government at some point later on. Right now the HealthCare.gov website can’t handle such updates.

It’s a reminder that the new coverage for many uninsured Americans comes with a third party in the mix: the feds. And the system’s wiring for some vital federal functions isn’t yet fully connected. [emphasis mine]

To paraphrase something George Will once said, the law is a blunt instrument, not designed to do many complex things. But with Obamacare the Democrats have asked it to do something incredibly complex, run the health insurance business. It can’t do it, and because of this it is now causing a great deal of heartache and misery for many people, a large number of whom are sick and vulnerable.

But we all know that the Democrats care about the sick and vulnerable, which is why they insisted that Obamacare be enforced now without delay.

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The 30 counties with the highest medium income just happen to be where most people work for the federal government.

3:47 pm

I am shocked, shocked! The 30 counties with the highest medium income just happen to be where most people work for the federal government.

The only county among the Top 5 for median household income not located near Washington, D.C., was No. 3 Los Alamos County, N.M.—which is the smallest county in that state, and which is also home to the U.S. Energy Department’s Los Alamos National Laboratory. The median household income in Los Alamos County in 2012, according to the Census Bureau, was $112,115.

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Frontpage picks Ted Cruz as their 2013 man of the year.

2:56 pm

Frontpage picks Ted Cruz as their 2013 man of the year.

From one end of the country to the other, the voices of the inevitable, Democrats and Republicans, politicians, pollsters and pundits, in ink-stained print, on the sprawling feeds of cable news and the endless whirl of the Internet, boomed their message.

Ted Cruz was wrong. Ted Cruz was doomed. Ted Cruz would destroy the Republican Party. Ted Cruz was a mad fool for taking on ObamaCare in all the wrong ways. But as the old year tips into the new, Cruz is standing tall and ObamaCare is being torn apart by its namesake in a frantic effort to save his popularity.

The truth is the truth. If you stand for it, without fear, you will win. Eventually, the bullies and naysayers will have to back off, simply because the truth will have become self-evident to everyone.

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A survey of New York businesses cannot find any businesses whose healthcare costs have gone down due to Obamacare.

9:27 am

A survey of New York businesses cannot find any businesses whose healthcare costs have gone down due to Obamacare.

Instead, the survey finds that premiums have gone up, across the board, for everyone.

Once again, who voted for this law? Who has defended it through thick and thin? Who shut the government down to prevent any changes to it?

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U.S. Customs destroys a musician’s 11 flutes, declaring them to be agricultural products.

9:54 pm

We’re here to help you: U.S. Customs destroys a musician’s 11 flutes, declaring them to be agricultural products.

A Canadian citizen, based in New York and with a green card employment permit, Bouzemaa was flying home from Marrakech, Morocco, when his baggage was opened by Customs at JFK.

‘I told them I had these instruments for many years and flew with them in and out,’ he said. ‘There were 11 instruments in all. They told me they were agricultural products and they had to be destroyed. There was nothing I could do. The ney flute can be made with bamboo. Is that agricultural?’

Ain’t you glad that the healthcare industry is now in the capable hands of this government?

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The law gives the government the final say on how your doctor treats you.

6:54 pm

Obama’s next Obamacare lie: Despite a promise by Obama that Obamacare would not come “between you and your doctor,” the law gives the government the final say on how your doctor treats you.

Section 1311(h)(1)(B) of the health law gives the secretary of Health and Human Services blanket authority to dictate how doctors treat patients. Not just patients in government programs like Medicare and Medicaid, but patients with private plans they pay for themselves. On Dec. 2, 2013, we learned from the Federal Register that the rules are now being written. Starting in 2015, insurance companies will be barred from doing business with doctors who fail to comply. The rules will be offered in the name of ensuring “health-care quality,” which of course could mean anything.

“The powers given to the secretary are so broad, he or she could literally dictate how all physicians nationwide practice medicine,” warns Congressman Phil Gingrey (R. Georgia), himself a physician. Gingrey is sponsoring a bill to repeal Section 1311(h)(1)(B). Otherwise, he says, the HHS secretary — a Washington bureaucrat with no medical training — could, for example, bar doctors from doing routine mammogram screenings until female patients turn 50. In short, the federal government will be calling the shots on what patients get.

It appears that Sarah Palin’s death panels are coming, despite the denials of Obama, the Democrats, and their toadies in the media.

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“Unfortunately, it’s easier for our franchisees to open a restaurant in Siberia than in California.”

12:37 am

“Unfortunately, it’s easier for our franchisees to open a restaurant in Siberia than in California.”

Kind of sums everything up, doesn’t it? And unless the American public starts to vote aggressively for freedom and less government — even if that means their favorite programs or benefits might be cut — it ain’t gonna get better.

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AmeriCorps volunteers have discovered that the health plans provided by this federal program are insufficient to meet the requirements of Obamacare.

5:14 pm

AmeriCorps volunteers have discovered that the health plans provided by this federal program are insufficient to meet the requirements of Obamacare.

If they don’t buy additional health insurance they will be subject to fines under the healthcare law.

I especially like this quote:

Sarah L. Sklaw, a 22-year-old Vista member from New York City, said: “I really support the Affordable Care Act, and I don’t want to be a naysayer. But it was surprising and frustrating to be told that our health coverage would not meet the law’s standards, especially because the Corporation for National and Community Service told us at orientation in August that we did not need to worry about the issue.”

In other words, she supported Obamacare, partly because she was told “if she liked her health plan, she could keep her health plan. Period.” She has now discovered that this was a lie and is angry. Who wudda thunk it?

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New York mayor Bill de Blasio: “We are going to get rid of the horse carriages. Period.”

9:53 am

A leftist politician speaks! New York mayor Bill de Blasio: “We are going to get rid of the horse carriages. Period.”

I highlight this story because it illustrates perfectly the priorities of the left. de Blasio wants to shut down the horse carriage industry that takes tourists on rides through Central Park because he and his ilk think it inhumane to the horses. Meanwhile, they don’t seem to care at all what this action will do to the humans who ride, care for, and make a living from those horses.

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Moronic Common Core lessons the federal government is imposing on public schools.

9:35 am

Government marches on! Moronic Common Core lessons the federal government is imposing on public schools.

#4 is especially vile, as its whole point is to encourage racial hatred.

I have not written much about the federally mandated education program Common Core, but don’t worry, nothing about it will surprise you. It is like most things the federal government requires these days, poorly thought out, politically motivated, and destructive to our society.

Other than that, it is peachy cream wonderful!

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The Obama administration essentially admits that Obamacare has increased the number of uninsured.

9:02 am

The Obama administration essentially admits that Obamacare has increased the number of uninsured.

The signups on the Obamacare website have been far below their goals. Meanwhile, the numbers of people who have had their insurance cancelled is far far higher. The result: fewer people insured.

Way to go, Democrats!

And then there’s this: Five Obamacare news stories to watch out for in 2014.

Except for the midterm elections, none sound like they will be good news.

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A tea party look at 2013.

10:13 pm

A tea party look at 2013.

In 2013, the five-year old conservative grassroots upsurge has grabbed Washington, D.C. by the collar, tearing the city colloquially known as “Boomtown” in a conservative direction for the first time in decades.

Though the article sees far more success in 2013 for tea party politicians than I think is warranted, I also think it does outline the birth of the future. The left is increasingly old and out of touch. The tea party, small now, has got the right ideas, and will thus grow stronger with time — assuming of course that it stays true to those ideas.

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Obamacare includes absurd regulations that will cost the vending machine industry millions.

8:52 am

Finding out what’s in it: Obamacare includes absurd regulations that will cost the vending machine industry millions.

Around 457 pages into Obamcare, section 4205 stipulates “the vending machine operator shall provide a sign in close proximity to each article of food or the selection button that includes a clear and conspicuous statement disclosing the number of calories contained in the article.” This new mandate will cost the vending machine industry an estimated $25.8 million initially and an additional $24 million for every subsequent year.

Expect some companies to go out a business because of this craziness.

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Obama’s top ten Constitutional violations for 2013.

4:36 pm

The Obama administration’s top ten Constitutional violations for 2013.

The sad thing about this list is that it is incomplete, and it is only for 2013. Moreover, anyone who has been honestly following the news for the past five years will recognize most of these abuses. However, #9 was new to me, and just as egregious.

Responding to complaints about the University of Montana’s handling of sexual assault claims, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, in conjunction with the Justice Department, sent the university a letter intended as a national “blueprint” for tackling sexual harassment. The letter urges a crackdown on “unwelcome” speech and requires complaints to be heard in quasi-judicial procedures that deny legal representation, encourage punishment before trial, and convict based on a mere “more likely than not” standard.

Isn’t it nice how this administration is working hard to recreate Great Britain’s abusive and tyrannical Star Chamber?

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Under Obamacare more than half the counties in the 34 states that use the federal Obamacare health exchange have no affordable insurance plans.

10:58 am

What’s not in it: Under Obamacare more than half the counties in the 34 states that use the federal Obamacare health exchange have no affordable insurance plans.

Don’t worry, your doctor won’t see you anyway!

Aren’t we all glad the Democrats stood firm in Congress to make sure this law went into effect?

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Here come the Obamacare tax bills!

10:02 pm

Finding out what’s in it: Here come the Obamacare tax bills!

The new taxes on one customer’s bill added up to $23.14 a month, or $277.68 annually, according to Kaiser Health News. It boosted the monthly premium from $322.26 to $345.40 for that individual. The new taxes and fees include a 2 percent levy on every health plan, which is expected to net about $8 billion for the government in 2014 and increase to $14.3 billion in 2018. There’s also a $2 fee per policy that goes into a new medical-research trust fund called the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Insurers pay a 3.5 percent user fee to sell medical plans on the HealthCare.gov Web site.

This list doesn’t include the hidden tax imposed on medical equipment that will also be passed on to customers.

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Should Republicans again demand that the Obamacare individual mandate be delayed?

10:49 am

Should Republicans again demand that the Obamacare individual mandate be delayed?

I say, no. I say the Republicans should demand that Obamacare be repealed. Agreeing to delay the mandate only acts to cement other parts of the law into place, which is bad as there is literally nothing about this law that is good, for the country or for health care.

Moreover, agreeing to delay parts of Obamacare will then make the Republicans part of the problem. Better to force the Democrats to vote against repeal, even as the law unravels. The result in November can only be good, as this vote will provide conservatives with more ammunition during the election campaign.

Finally, by putting repeal up to a vote we might even be surprised and get enough votes to repeal. Obama would then veto that repeal, but the vote would set the precedent for further repeal votes down the line, when Obama is gone.

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The first theorem of government: Government is a racket that benefits the political elite by taking money from everyone else.

9:40 am

The first theorem of government: Government is a racket that benefits the political elite by taking money from everyone else.

He has the data. Look especially at his first graph. And he correctly notes that this has been a bi-partisan effort.

The solution? Vote these bums out of office, repeatedly and often, so that no one has a motive to concentrate power and money in Washington.

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The sticker shock of Obamacare only begins when you pick your plan.

9:45 am

The sticker shock of Obamacare only begins when you pick your plan.

As a key enrollment deadline hits Monday, many people without health insurance have been sizing up policies on the new government health care marketplace and making what seems like a logical choice: They’re picking the cheapest one.

Increasingly, experts in health insurance are becoming concerned that many of these first-time buyers will be in for a shock when they get medical care next year and discover they’re on the hook for most of the initial cost.

In other words, the high premiums don’t cover most initial bills. You will have to pay the cost of most of your medical bills yourself.

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“An apparent double standard in President Barack Obama’s unprecedented crackdown on unauthorized leaks.”

12:45 pm

“An apparent double standard in President Barack Obama’s unprecedented crackdown on unauthorized leaks.”

Disclosures by lower-level officials have been vigorously pursued. For example, seven Navy SEALs were reprimanded for disclosing classified material to the makers of a military video game. Moreover, the administration has prosecuted a record number of intelligence community personnel for leaking.

Rarely, however, has the administration taken criminal action against senior officials for leaking.

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