What’s interesting in the news today?
A new low in the shutdown fight. Denying benefits to the families of those killed in combat. In many cases this benefit is used to help with burial and travel for the families. This is for no other reason but spite. But thankfully, a group has stepped up to help.
From NBCNews “A Maryland foundation is stepping into the breach to cover death benefits for the families of fallen service members that were suspended during the government shutdown — including the families of five killed in Afghanistan over the weekend.
In what veterans call an outrageous slight after the ultimate sacrifice, the shuttered federal government is withholding a $100,000 payment, known as the death gratuity, that is normally wired to relatives of fallen service members.”
“It is upsetting because my husband died for his country, and now his family is left to worry,” said Ashley Peters of Springfield, Mo., whose husband, Jeremy, was a special agent assigned to the Army’s 5th Military Police Battalion and was among the five killed. “My husband always said if something happened to him we would be taken care of.”
“As outrage over the lapse built Tuesday, the Fisher House Foundation of Bethesda, Md., offered to cover advance grants until the government can make reimbursements to the foundation.”
One father blames the Tea Party for this. But the order for this came from the Obama White House, not Congress. His anger seems misdirected.
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VA offices and benefits are being used to inflict more pain.
From TheHill “Regional offices run by the Department of Veterans Affairs closed Tuesday as furloughs began for 7,000 employees of the agency’s Benefits Administration (VBA).”
““All public access to VBA regional offices and facilities will be suspended … due to a lack of funds,” Veterans Affairs Department spokeswoman Victoria Dillon said in a statement provided to The Hill.”
“House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) slammed Senate Democrats for not agreeing to piecemeal bills to fund the VA. The ball, Miller said, is now in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) court.
“Harry Reid could stop these furloughs and ensure veterans’ benefits immediately by acting on either of these bills, but instead he’s content to let them gather dust on his desk,” he said in a statement. “It’s well past time for Harry Reid to stop the games and fund VA. If not, he owes America’s veterans an explanation for why he’s putting their benefits at risk.”
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This admin has specifically targeted veterans, but they’re not the only victims. Here’s the top six.
From TheWashingtonExaminer “A partial government shutdown just wasn’t going to hit people the way the Obama administration needed it to, so officials resorted to some unprecedented acts to make Americans feel the pain, as Conservative Intel’s David Freddoso notes:
Most people — even the poor in state-run safety net programs — don’t have that many interactions with the federal government agencies affected right now by the shutdown.
So it’s a challenge to make people notice that your agency is vital to the survival of the Republic. The feds have to apply a lot of force and behave in unsubtle ways to make you angry with Congress.”
Folks are cited for trespassing and threatened with arrest for trying to access parks and monuments. Well, except for the rally for immigration reform, they got a pass.
Aren’t we at least supposed to get cake or something? Maybe a circus?
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The President held an hour-long press conference Republican Bashfest. Funny thing though, the press got him in person for an hour with questions, and yet not one asked about the failure that is the ObamaCare Exchanges. Gee, I wonder why……. 🙄
From Politico “President Barack Obama sustained an hour-long press conference today without a single question about his signature healthcare law and the glitches that continue to plague the insurance exchanges — a point that frustrated several conservatives.
“Explain to me how in a dozen questions the second biggest story of the week, the healthcare.gov debacle, doesn’t even come up,” Brendan Buck, the press secretary for House Speaker John Boehner, asked in an email to POLITICO.
“”Questions from WH press corps are pathetic,” Brit Hume, the Fox News analyst tweeted. “As of this moment, not a single tough or challenging inquiry.”
Liberal outlets are blaming……. wait for it…… wait……
The shutdown. 🙄
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That’s a shame, because they could have asked some good ones. Like maybe ask why our personal info will be shared with law enforcement and for audits, and why you hide that fact in the fine print?
From TheWeeklyStandard “Maryland’s Health Connection, the state’s Obamacare marketplace, has been plagued by delays in the first days of open enrollment. If users are able to endure long page-loading delays, they are presented with the website’s privacy policy, a ubiquitous fine-print feature on websites that often go unread. Nevertheless, users are asked to check off a box that they agree to the terms.
The policy contains many standard statements about information automatically collected regarding Internet browsers and IP addresses, temporary “cookies” used by the site, and website accessibility. However, at least two conditions may give some users pause before proceeding.
The first is regarding personal information submitted with an application for those users who follow through on the sign up process all the way to the end. The policy states that all information to help in applying for coverage and even for making a payment will be kept strictly confidential and only be used to carry out the function of the marketplace. There is, however, an exception: “[W]e may share information provided in your application with the appropriate authorities for law enforcement and audit activities.”
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Here’s an update on that whole Obama saved GM thing. Not only are the taxpayers out billions, they managed to create a new sub-prime bubble that’s about to burst. And we’ve known all along they were fudging the sales numbers by overstocking inventory. That’s showing up now too.
From TheFreeBeacon “General Motors of Canada President Kevin Williams is warning that subprime loans could doom the auto industry just as it did the housing industry in 2007.
Williams told the editorial board of Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper on Monday that record Canadian auto sales could be attributed to cheap credit loans.”
“Using subprime loans and easy credit to move cars off the lot may not be GM Canada’s goal, but its parent company, bailed-out, Detroit-based General Motors, has been moving in that direction, as the Washington Free Beacon reported in February. Nearly 90 percent of loans issued by GM Financial were subprime.”
“GMF has the riskiest lending portfolio of any major car company: 96 percent of its customers have credit scores below 660. GM’s lending habits parallel those in the housing market leading up to the 2008 crash…GM finished the year with 8.5 percent of loans in delinquency, the highest rate since 2010 and larger than the delinquency rates at Ford, Toyota, and Honda combined.”
They’ve learned nothing. Well, to be fair they have learned they can milk the taxpayer when they have friends like Obama.
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Wandering Views 
Obama Administration Denies Mass to Catholics
Apparently, a priest was denied access to a military chapel this weekend. Father Ray Leonard serves at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia but because of the government shutdown, he wasn’t allowed to go to celebrate Mass this past weekend.
He is contracted by the Defense Department to meet the spiritual needs of Catholics, but not now. The chapel doors were locked and the sign said, “Shutdown: No Catholic service till further notice.”
http://blogs.cbn.com/thebrodyfile/archive/2013/10/08/priest-obama-administration-denied-mass-to-catholics.aspx
This came from Drudge. Drudge also says Obama’s approval rating is down to 37%. I doubt that Obama cares. He isn’t running anything and he doesn’t care about his legacy. He will have destroyed the U.S. as a Constitutional democracy and that is his goal.
Otherwise he would use some judgment about such things as shutting down memorials and roads to parks which require no Federal funds to operate in the short term.
He also refused to send the parents/spouses of four military people who were killed in Afghanistan to Dover AFB to receive the bodies. This is Standard SOP for military people. Such a little man.
He intends to inflict pain, not arrive at a solution except the total destruction of our medical system and replace it with single pay.
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I told you at the beginning of this that the operation didn’t originate in Cincinnati. Nobody there is going to divert from mission activities without direction from above.
Internal Revenue Service Obamacare official Sarah Hall Ingram discussed confidential taxpayer information with senior Obama White House officials, according to 2012 emails obtained by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and provided to The Daily Caller.
Lois Lerner, then head of the IRS Tax Exempt Organizations division, also received an email alongside White House officials that contained confidential information.
Ingram attempted to counsel the White House on a lawsuit from religious organizations opposing Obamacare’s contraception mandate. Email exchanges involving Ingram and White House officials — including White House health policy advisor Ellen Montz and deputy assistant to the president for health policy Jeanne Lambrew — contained confidential taxpayer information, according to Oversight.
http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/09/white-house-irs-exchanged-confidential-taxpayer-info/#ixzz2hFjgi6FP
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I see I’m just talking to myself here.
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I’m reading, I just have nothing useful to say. 🙂
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Me too. 🙂
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When is a shut down not a shut down. What do Republicans expect when they don’t pass a spending bill…..
Republicans argue they can pass spending one item at a time…. in other words, what they want only. That’s not a compromise. Attaching repealing legislation passed four years ago and two election cycles ago is not a compromise. Pass a ‘clean’ spending bill and then run for Senate and the Presidency on the promise of a repeal …… but the Republicans already did that and lost. They only managed to retain the House through gerrymandering. Democracy has spoken and the people approve ACA.
A government shutdown and debt default is far more important than a web server crashing because of overuse. I would think Republicans would like to keep this story on the down low as it indicates the popularity of the ACA.
Facebook’s privacy policy is far more invasive than the example cited by AJ. Of course, when you sign up for an insurance policy they will keep the information for audit purposes and will involve law enforcement if you commit fraud.
Curious how people here think about the 14th Ammendment and its application to the debt ceiling.
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Perhaps the Republican’s somewhat faux surprise that shutting down the gov’t will affect their constinuients is their inherent disrespect for gov’t but it also may be their suspicion that sequestering, shutdowns, and debt default are just scare stories.
Interesting articles
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/10/republicans-dont-think-they-have-to-raise-the-debt-ceiling-theyre-dangerously-wrong/280409/
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/10/house_republicans_debt_default_and_government_shutdown_the_gop_thinks_the.html
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Lets examine the history of the 14th amendment shall we?
4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts
incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or
rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall
assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against
the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such
debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
It seems that the only reason to secure a debt according to the Constitution is to pay for war debts or to pay pensions. Nothing else. So if the treasury is taking in less than its spending then that is deficit. If you spend more than you take in, that is debt. With the high unemployment of the country and manufacturing going to Canada, Mexico or China, you have less revenue coming into the treasury than coming in, wouldn’t it be more sensible to bring revenue back into the country by bringing back manufacturing? Will that won’t happen because the EPA won’t allow it. The EPA will not allow a business to make chips for such things as computers because of the caustic chemicals needed to make them, so those chip manufacturers go overseas to China and Taiwan because they don’t have EPA’s to regulate them out of business. I will be the 1st one to say we should be good stewards of the land, but when your throw common sense out the window and make it impossible for a business to stay in business, guess what, they move. Economics 101. When the business moves so do the jobs. The problem with Government is just that Government. If the individual states want to regulate their lands and environments, then let them and keep DC out of local affairs. Clue bat time. Fire the bureaucrats in DC and make them all go join the unemployed so they experience 1st hand what it is like to work for a living.
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Attaching repealing legislation passed four years ago and two election cycles ago is not a compromise.
Why not?
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