What’s news to you today?

How ’bout this.

Remember folks, they had to pass it so we could find out what’s in it.

From AP/Google.

“Nearly 6 million Americans — significantly more than first estimated— will face a tax penalty under President Barack Obama’s health overhaul for not getting insurance, congressional analysts said Wednesday. Most would be in the middle class.

The new estimate amounts to an inconvenient fact for the administration, a reminder of what critics see as broken promises.

The numbers from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office are 50 percent higher than a previous projection by the same office in 2010, shortly after the law passed. The earlier estimate found 4 million people would be affected in 2016, when the penalty is fully in effect.”

“And the budget office analysis found that nearly 80 percent of those who’ll face the penalty would be making up to or less than five times the federal poverty level. Currently that would work out to $55,850 or less for an individual and $115,250 or less for a family of four.”

Which is not what they promised.

Read more here

And now we find out they vastly underestimated the costs of administering it all. Again. Well, to be fair, they only counted the govts cost, which are higher than estimated too, not what it would cost business and people to conform to their still mostly unwritten rules. But underestimated still.

From the WashingtonExaminer

“Current federal regulations plus those coming under Obamacare will cost American taxpayers and businesses $1.8 trillion annually, more than twenty times the $88 billion the administration estimates, according to a new roundup provided to Secrets from the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute.”

“Complying with Health and Human Services Department requirements alone, he revealed, costs $184 billion a year, yet regulators are still drafting the rules for the 2,400-page Obamacare law that kicks into gear in 2014.”

“”While OMB officially reports amounts of only up to $88.6 billion in 2010 dollars,” said Crews, “the non-tax cost of government intervention in the economy, without performing a sweeping survey, appears to total up to $1.806 trillion annually.””

Read more here

This is annually. That’s gonna put a huge drag on the economy.

AFGHANISTAN

As with much of the Mid–East, the turmoil continues. Insider attacks have thrown things into disarray and slowed exit progress.

From the Independent UK

“Kim Sengupta reports on a chaotic 24 hours that saw the Allies in disarray, the exit strategy seemingly in tatters and a dozen killed by a suicide bomb.”

Read more here

Reuters has more on it.

“NATO’s decision to scale back joint operations with Afghan forces may protect the lives of Western troops increasingly targeted by “insider attacks,” but it raises troubling new questions about President Barack Obama’s strategy to stabilize Afghanistan.

After ramping up Afghan security forces at a breakneck rate to allow for a drawdown of Western troops, NATO is coming to grips with a rash of deadly assaults by Afghan recruits who turn their guns on Western allies. Muslim rage over a film insulting the Prophet Mohammad has further stoked the risk.”

More here

Even some allies are now questioning the strategy.

From the Guardian

“For months, if not years, Britain’s defence chiefs have made it clear they are desperate to get out of Afghanistan. They have clung to the increasingly implausible claim that training and mentoring Afghan security forces was going well, indeed better than expected.

That claim has been shattered by Nato‘s decision, taken at the behest of the US, to suspend joint Nato-Afghan ground operations. The decision strikes at the heart of Nato and British strategy.”

Read more here

Which is why I find this troubling as well.

The fear of spillover into Afghanistan is a very real possibility.

From the LATimes.

“Pakistan continued to seethe Wednesday over the release in the U.S. of a movie trailer mocking Islam, as legions of protesters rallied in several large cities for a sixth day and the government signaled its own discontent by declaring Friday as a national day “of peaceful protest.””

Let’s hope it stays peaceful. More here

————————————————

Update on Lybian Embassy attack:

How is this even considered security?

Via Breitbart,

“In her daily press briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland admitted that she provided false information Friday about the State Department’s hiring of private security firms for the American mission in Benghazi attacked on September 11th:”

Read more here

“The State Department selected a private British firm to provide security at the American mission in Benghazi, Libya in part because it was willing to accept the “no bullets” rules of engagement signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Breitbart News has learned.

On Thursday, McClatchy News reported that security on the external perimeter of the Benghazi mission was limited to a party of eight Libyan nationals, five of whom were hired by a British private security firm, three of whom were hold over revolutionary militia “now considered part of Libya’s military””

and here

Update II

From Fox News Insider

“Catherine Herridge reported that it’s believed Libyan man Sufyan Ben Qumu was likely involved in the attack, and even may have led the attack on the Consulate. Qumu was previously being held at Guantanamo Bay, but was released in 2007, when he was to be taken back to his native Libya and kept in prison. However, he wasn’t detained in the country.”

Read more here and here

“He was released by the Qaddafi regime as part of its reconciliation effort with  Islamists in 2008.”

That didn’t work out well obviously. More here

This morning I have several pieces for your consideration. The issue of media bias is one often argued. I think we have several pieces of new evidence to consider in the argument. It’s becoming more clear than ever that the media is protecting Obama and his blunders, while whining endlessly about supposed Romney mis-steps. It’s a coordinated effort in some cases as well. We’ve got lots of links. Some of you may not be crazy with some of the sources but alas, this is where you find it, not from the “MSM”. That right there should be a clue, but indulge me either way.

Let’s begin with the coordination between press members to embarrass Romney and push a false meme, rather than concentrate on the Obama policies that led to what the real story actually is, the Mid East mess and their badly bungling it.

From WeaselZippers

Here

Meanwhile, here’s what the foreign press was reporting. You’ll note it’s starkly different and much more detailed than what most outlets here in the US reported. They view it as a failure of the Obama admin. This provides a nice summary, with lots of links. The next 2 are from RedState.

Read that part here

We’re also finding out that differing versions are an issue. The US govt has one version, but the Egyptians version differs in some key areas.

Read that here

So what could possibly be of more importance than this story at present? Romney gaffes, or imagined ones at least. That’s what our press is concentrating on. This isn’t the only issue they’re running interference for the Obama admin on either. Now the DC links for Kathy Sebelious and her breaking of federal law, again ignored.

Stuff like this

And the Obama admin and DOJ coordinating with Media Matters, who provided the spin for Fast and Furious. The spin that most of the press ran with.

This here

Hey, even Hollywood is gettin’ in on the act. Yes, I know it’s the State of Cali., but don’t think for a minute this isn’t for Obama’s benefit. It pushes his crowning achievement. And what Hollywood produces goes nationwide. Broadcast of course, by the same networks who are failing to report real news. Go figure.

Read that here

Also, you can read a lot more on this kinda stuff from the MRC’s NewsBusters site. Exposing this stuff is all they do.

They’re here

So what causes this? Bias? Favoritism? Or just plain media malpractice? They’re even submitting stories to the White House for prior approval of quotes to control the message and avoid public errors. And the press has complied. They don’t even try to hide it anymore. Call it whatever you like, but it’s not working anymore. Maybe they’re all innocent of being biased, but there’s certainly enough evidence for an indictment. Let the court of public opinion judge them. Judging by the viewing and user numbers for most networks and print media, some jurors have already made up their minds.

What’s news to you today?

These 2 stories caught my eye.

Perhaps there’s a legitimate reason for this, but I’m just not seeing it.

From MyFoxDC,

“Two southeast companies that make U.S. military uniforms  are shedding hundreds of jobs, as the government looks to federal inmates for  the fatigues.

American Power Source makes military clothing in Fayette,  Ala., but its government contract expires in October. Federal Prison Industries – which also operates under the name UNICOR will snag the work, and leave the  task to inmates. FPI has the first right of refusal for U.S. Government  contracts, under a 1930 federal law.”

“American Apparel, the Selma, Ala., based military clothing manufacturer closed  one of its plants and continues to downsize others due to the loss of some of  its contracts to FPI. According retired Air Force colonel and spokesman Kurt  Wilson, the company laid off 255 employees and cut the hours of 190 employees  this year alone. So private workers end up losing their jobs to prisoners.”

“American Apparel charges $29.44 per uniform, but the FPI uniform costs $34.18 – a 15 percent difference.”

Read more here

Sadly, this one I can certainly see the reason for.

From CBS News

“The strategy for getting U.S. forces out of Afghanistan depends on training Afghan soldiers and police to protect the country themselves, but on Monday the U.S. military suspended most joint field operations with Afghan forces because so many Americans are being killed by the men they are training.

Afghan government troops — our allies — have turned their guns on NATO forces 36 times this year, killing 51, most of them Americans. That is more attacks than the last two years combined.

The order effectively suspends “until further notice” most of the operations which U.S. and Afghan troops conduct side by side. At higher headquarters, Afghans and Americans will still work together, but in the field small unit operations putting Afghan soldiers alongside Americans — the guts of the U.S. strategy to turn the fighting over to Afghans — will be suspended unless an exception is granted by a commanding general.”

Read more here