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News/Politics 10-24-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Looks like the White House will finally admit a delay in the individual mandate is necessary.

From MarketWatch  “The Obama administration will delay enforcement of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance mandate, extending how long Americans may go uninsured before facing a penalty under the law, MarketWatch has learned.

The health care law requires most people to have health insurance by Jan. 1, 2014 or face a penalty, but the Administration may postpone when those penalties will go into effect. The law allows for “short coverage gaps” of up to three months before imposing the penalty, which is $95 or 1% of an individual’s income (whichever is greater) next year. Under the current rules, someone would have to be covered by March 31, an official with the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed, which is the final day that people will be able to purchase health insurance on the public exchanges, or marketplaces, created by the ACA.”

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Maybe a four year delay is in order?

From Forbes  “For people who have been following the story closely, it’s been clear for months that Obamacare’s exchanges were not ready to go live on October 1, and that their implementation needed to be delayed. The Obama administration insisted otherwise, claiming that everything was hunky-dory, and that reports to the contrary were simply the work of partisan saboteurs. But earlier this week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius admitted the truth. “We didn’t have enough testing…for a very complicated project,” she conceded to the Wall Street Journal. The exchanges needed five years of construction and one year of testing, and instead had only “two years [of construction] and almost no testing.” That leaves us with an obvious question: Why, then, did Sebelius insist on rolling out the exchanges four years ahead of time?”

“The answer may be that she was under direct instructions from the White House. According to a letter sent to White House officials by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, CGI Federal—one of the key contractors involved in the project—said that officials with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the government agency tasked with running the exchanges, “constantly mentioned the ‘White House’ when discussing matters with CGI. For example, CGI officials told Committee staff that the ability to shop for health insurance without registering for an account—a central design feature of the health insurance exchange—was removed ‘in late August or early September.’”

It’s time to drag her in front of Congress, with a subpoena if necessary.

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Who are the ObamaCare Navigators, and how much are we paying for them?

From WeaselZippers  “1. Millions and millions of dollars It is important to understand that all the navigators listed are not just helping steer people through the Obamacare maze out of the goodness of their hearts. Each group/person listed has been awarded a grant (translate: tax payer dollars) to “navigate” people through the process.

For example, the Community Action Network of Nebraska (CAN) which has a few chapters amongst the listings, was awarded a grant for $562, 457.

There are 454 listings other than CAN.”

“There are also multiple “community action” groups, many of which sound like ACORN reborn. Amongst those, there is Seedco. Seedco has a “seedy” past. Seedco was under investigation by both NY State and the Federal government for fraud for falsely reporting jobs they supposedly had obtained for workers pursuant to a grant. The U.S. Attorney brought a civil fraud charge against them and they paid $1.725 million in a settlement in December 2012. Despite this, President Obama gave them a multi-million dollar contract for Obamacare. Or should I say, we paid the settlement at least in some measure, since they received more tax dollars for training for Obamacare. “As a result of these and other operational changes, we strongly believe that Seedco has the experience, integrity and commitment to carry out this work,” a Seedco statement said when queried about their involvement in Obamacare.”

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The Army keeps saying this isn’t official policy and these are “rogue” instructors doing this, and yet it keeps happening.

From FoxNews  “Soldiers attending a pre-deployment briefing at Fort Hood say they were told that evangelical Christians and members of the Tea Party were a threat to the nation and that any soldier donating to those groups would be subjected to punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

A soldier who attended the Oct. 17th briefing told me the counter-intelligence agent in charge of the meeting spent nearly a half hour discussing how evangelical Christians and groups like the American Family Association were “tearing the country apart.”

““The American public should be outraged that the U.S. Army is teaching our troops that evangelical Christians and Tea Party members are enemies of America, and that they can be punished for supporting or participating in those groups,” said Berry, a former Marine Corps JAG officer.”

“And while a large portion of the briefing dealt with the threat evangelicals and the Tea Party pose to the nation, barely a word was said about Islamic extremism, the soldier said.”

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Maybe that has something to do with this.

From TheBlaze  “Nine senior commanding generals have been fired by the Obama administration this year, leading to speculation by active and retired members of the military that a purge of its commanders is underway.

Retired generals and current senior commanders that have spoken with TheBlaze say the administration is not only purging the military of commanders they don’t agree with, but is striking fear in the hearts of those still serving.

The timing comes as the five branches of the U.S. armed forces are reducing staff due to budget cuts, and as U.S. troops are expected to withdraw from Afghanistan next year.

“I think they’re using the opportunity of the shrinkage of the military to get rid of people that don’t agree with them or not tow the party line. Remember, as (former White House chief of staff) Rahm Emanuel said, never waste a crisis,” a senior retired general told TheBlaze on the condition of anonymity because he still provide services to the government and fears possible retribution.”

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Next up, the Unemployment Rate is down, the number of Americans not in the workforce is up, and fuzzy math rules the day.

From CNSNews  “The number of Americans who are 16 years or older and  who have decided not to participate in the nation’s labor force has  climbed to a record 90,609,000  in September, according to data released  today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The BLS counts a person as participating in the labor force if they  are 16 years or older and either have a job or have actively sought a  job in the last four weeks. A person is not participating in the labor  force if they are 16 or older and have not sought a job in the last four  weeks.

In from July to August, according to BLS, Americans not participating  in the labor force climbed from 89,957,000 to 90,473,000, pushing past  90,000,000 for the first time, with a one month increase of 516,000.”

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And because of the above, you get this as one of the results as well.

Also From CNSNews  “In the fourth quarter of 2011, 49.2 percent of Americans received benefits from one or more government programs, according to data released Tuesday by the Census  Bureau.

In total, the Census Bureau estimated, 151,014,000 Americans out of a  population then estimated to be 306,804,000 received benefits from one  or more government programs during the last three months of 2011. Those 151,014,000 beneficiaries equaled 49.2 percent of the population.

This included 82,457,000 people–or 26.9 percent of the population–who lived in households in which one or more people received Medicaid benefits.”

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And the cost for all this continues to rise. But remember, we don’t have a spending problem. 🙄

From TheWeeklyStandard  “New research from the Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee shows that over the last 5 years, the U.S. has spent about $3.7 trillion on welfare.”

“We have just concluded the 5th fiscal year since President Obama took office. During those five years, the federal government has spent a total $3.7 trillion on approximately 80 different means-tested poverty and welfare programs. The common feature of means-tested assistance programs is that they are graduated based on a person’s income and, in contrast to programs like Social Security or Medicare, they are a free benefit and not paid into by the recipient,” says the minority side of the Senate Budget Committee.

“The enormous sum spent on means-tested assistance is nearly five times greater than the combined amount spent on NASA, education, and all federal transportation projects over that time. ($3.7 trillion is not even the entire amount spent on federal poverty support, as states contribute more than $200 billion each year to this federal nexus—primarily in the form of free low-income health care.)”

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And this should scare everyone, but especially the youngsters who will be left holding the bag.

From ZeroHedge  “Did you know that the U.S. national debt has increased by more than a trillion dollars in just over 12 months?  On September 30th, 2012 the U.S. national debt was sitting at $16,066,241,407,385.89.  Today, it is up to $17,075,590,107,963.57.  These numbers come directly from official U.S. government websites and can easily be verified.  For a long time the national debt was stuck at just less than 16.7 trillion dollars because of the debt ceiling fight, but now that the debt ceiling crisis has been delayed for a few months the national debt is soaring once again.  In fact, just one day after the deal in Congress was reached, the U.S. national debt rose by an astounding 328 billion dollars.  In the blink of an eye we shattered the 17 trillion dollar mark with no end in sight.  We are stealing about $100,000,000 from our children and our grandchildren every single hour of every single day. This goes on 24 hours a day, month after month, year after year without any interruption.

Over the past five years, the U.S. government has been on the greatest debt binge in history.  Unfortunately, most Americans don’t realize just how bad things have gotten because the true budget deficit numbers are not reported on the news. The following is where the U.S. national debt has been on September 30th during the five years previous to this one…

09/30/2012: $16,066,241,407,385.89

09/30/2011: $14,790,340,328,557.15

09/30/2010: $13,561,623,030,891.79

09/30/2009: $ 11,909,829,003,511.75

09/30/2008: $10,024,724,896,912.49″

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35 thoughts on “News/Politics 10-24-13”

  2. From an e-mail. This supports my 7;50 on the Daily Thread.

    By. Andrew Malcom of Investors dot com.

    While the president of the United States pitched his crumbling healthcare program like a late-night infomercial barker, the Army’s chief of staff made a shocking admission about national defense.
    …………………..
    “Right now,” Odierno said, “we have in the Army two brigades that are trained. That’s it. Two.”
    Odierno also revealed that troops shipping out to Afghanistan now are prepared only to train and assist Afghan troops, not to conduct combat operations themselves. But, of course, there’s no guarantee the Americans won’t find themselves in combat while accompanying Afghan soldiers.
    All this to obey Obama administration orders to drastically cut the Army and military spending and meet cuts under sequestration. Since the Obama Pentagon began the troop draw-down two years ago under the president’s orders, more than 33,000 active duty soldiers have been cut.

    Read More At Investor’s Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/politics-andrew-malcolm/102213-676088-ray-odierno-army-combat-brigades-way-below-minimum-after-cuts.htm#ixzz2idljRFBI

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  3. From Ricky’s link.

    Dr. Krauthammer also worries about Obama’s psychology. He’s called Obama a “narcissist,” and he tells me that matters: “He’s the least experienced, least-known president probably in the history of the United States. … If you’re coming in as a novice, you ought to have some humility in deciding where you want to go and take the country.”

    I told you that in 2008, while he wars running for president. Remember my failed run? I lost, not because I was less qualified, but because I didn’t have the media in my pocket and don’t look good on television.
    He is, and will be, a disaster for America.

    I have this thesis mulling around in my head that the “Media” is all forms is the kernel of the problem we have in this country. It would take lots of doing to establish this.
    I don’t know if it’s worth my time and effort. But I think it’s important.

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  6. I am one of the people receiving benefit from the government.
    So is Elvera. ‘
    Like any retirement plan, I put 7.5% of my pay into a retiremnet fund. Like all employers, the government put in 7.5% which made a 15% contribution to a retirement fund.
    The part that didn’t make sense, but I took it anyhow. The part that I put in was an allowable deduction from my income tax for 21 years.

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  7. Since the administration is replacing the Military Leadership with those that will only be “yes” men, the next step by the administration will be Martial Law. Look for some manufactured crises in the near future where we see Martial Law initiated along with forcible internment of Christians and those that speak out against the administration.

    http://www.infowars.com/ex-navy-seal-military-leaders-being-asked-if-they-will-disarm-americans/

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  8. Chas and anonymous, you are not taking from the Government, you are getting some back of what you put in, whether it be money or service. The same goes for unemployment benefits. It’s insurance not welfare. You wouldn’t feel bad about using your home owners insurance.

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  9. I have a good retirement, and am not complaining. However, I notice that those who belong to the country club and live in the gated communities are retirees from banks, the railroad and other industries. They were white collar executives.

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  10. That’s the way socialism works. They take your stuff than when they “give” it back to you they get to add conditions. Hey, here’s a “free” education for your children that we paid for with your taxes. Of course since it’s “free” you have no right to complain about what a bad education your children are getting. ,

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  13. From The Washington Times A 2006 speech by Senator Barak Obama:

    “The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our government’s reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.”

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/16/dean-playing-around-with-debt/#ixzz2ieZ3WIYS

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  15. I would argue that vets, retirees, and SS recipients have earned theirs. The rest? You could argue either way.

    151 million, of which 3 million are getting VA benefits.

    So yes, about 2% are. Another 33% are receiving Soc Sec, and about 8% SSI.

    “Also among the 151,014,000 who received benefits from one or more government programs during that period: 49,901,000 who collected Social Security; 49,073,000 who got food stamps; 46,440,000 on Medicare; 23,228,000 in the Women, Infants and Children program, 20,223,000 getting Supplemental Security Income;13,433,000 who lived in public or subsidized rental housing; 5,098,000 who got unemployment; 3,178,000 who got veterans’ benefits; and 364,000 who got railroad retirement benefits.”

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  16. Chas will not like this. Neither do I.

    http://blog.al.com/montgomery/2013/10/air_force_academy_considering.html

    “The Air Force Academy is considering dropping the phrase “so help me God” from its honor oath after a complaint from a civil liberties group that advocates for the separation of church and state in the military.

    The Academy’s Honor Review Committee met Wednesday at the Colorado-based campus to review the oath after a complaint filed by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Academy Public Affairs Director Major Brus Vidal told Fox News the Honor Review Academy considered a range of options with the ultimate decision to be made by the Academy Superintendent.

    Air Force officials could opt to leave the oath as it is, make the mention of God optional or remove it altogether.

    The Academy’s current honor oath reads: “We will not lie, steal or cheat nor tolerate among us anyone who does. Furthermore, I resolve to do my duty and live honorably, so help me God.”

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  17. I am wondering AJ if the reason Webb left Politics in VA is because of the way the Obama administration is destabilizing the military. Webb was a Marine. When he was under secretary of the Navy, he mandated chapel attendance at the Naval Academy. A little know fact about Webb was that he was vehemently opposed to having women serve in combat. It is a sad day for the Republic or what is left of it.

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  20. And another excellent thought from Mohler today:

    “A basic principle of Christian theology was once written into the moral immune system of Western civilization—what God commands and institutes is what leads to genuine human flourishing. Our civilization now lives in open revolt against that affirmation.”

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  21. I was just thinking that the Republicans should just get out of the way, and let the ObamaCareDebacle TrainWreck take itself out. More and more people are getting the shaft, more and more people are losing faith in it, more and more people say just scrap it and start over.

    How far does it have to go before it’s obvious to even Nancy Pelosi that it’s broken and can’t be fixed. Start over already.

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  25. I posted the following on Facebook. One of our local high school coaches was formally accused (by a parent of a player on the other team) of “bullying” after his team won a game 91-0.

    The Obama Administration announced the following anti-bullying rules that will be in force for all remaining Aledo games:
    1. All Aledo touchdowns will be subject to an excess touchdown tax, with two of the six points given to their opponents.
    2. Aledo will be given only two downs to pick up first downs while its opponents will be given seven downs.
    3. Aledo will kick off from its goal line following scores.
    4. Aledo must allow two of its opponents in its offensive huddles, so they will know the play and the snap count.
    5. Aledo defenders must count “3 Mississippis” following the snap of the ball before they move.
    6. Aledo opponents will be allowed to hold, clip and target.
    7. Aledo opponents will be given ten points at the start of each quarter just for remaining on the field.
    8. Aledo will only be allowed to use Caucasian running backs, receivers and defensive backs, and must use a quarterback from the Indian subcontinent.

    Rachel Maddow and Al Sharpton will officiate all remaining Aledo games to insure compliance with the new federal anti-bullying rules.

    Was Aledo’s 91-0 football win last week a case of bullying? | DFWVarsity.com
    http://www.star-telegram.com
    Special to the Star-Telegram Aledo’s Ryan Newsome, left breaks away from Western Hills Duane Thomas to score a touchdown to take a 41-0 lead in the second quarter of… Special to the Star-Telegram Aledo’s Ryan Newsom, center, cuts between Western Hill’s Shane Little, left and Jocoby Powell as he ra…

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  27. Aledo is good. They have won the state championship three of the last four years in Class 4A. They have already beaten two good teams by wide margins this year. Unfortunately, they are now in a district with the Fort Worth schools, which have fallen on hard times. It is strange to go to a football, basketball or volleyball game between a suburban school and a Fort Worth or Dallas school. I saw a volleyball playoff game between our suburban school and a Hispanic Dallas public school. (The Dallas school district is over 70% Hispanic). We had 750 fans. They had none. I felt like going over to the other side and cheering on the little Hispanic girls who fought bravely, but were overmatched.

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  29. ricky — it may not be bullying (the word is severely overused) but its unsportsmanlike. At a certain point, the winning coach can get creative and make the rest of the game finish in a more sportsmanlike fashion. My daughter was once called to play the final game of a “rep” soccer team an age group above her. The team had a bad year and many players had simply quit as they were tired of losing. In the final game of the season, they played the best team in their division and by the middle of the second half they were losing 6 – 0. The opposing coach took all his good players off the field and then switched his players so they played their opposing positions. The goalie played striker and the defenders became forwards. The final score was 8 – 2. On one hand the girls felt insulted but they also admitted it made them want to play because they also had a chance.

    When I coach volleyball and the score become lopsided, I take my starters off and I call a time out to tell my team not to rub it in when they win a point.

    In hockey leaving your number one forward line on for the last minute of the game when you are ahead by four goals is considered unsportsmanlike and may lead to fights, during and after the game. Similarly, celebrating an empty net goal is also unsportsmanlike.

    For that football coach to run up the score is inexcusable and a poor example of sportsmanship. This is when you let all your back ups play or even better switch positions around, make it interesting for your team, try new plays, etc.

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  30. AJ

    In counting who is on the public dole, are some people counted more than once? I’m thinking those who collect Social Security also collect Medicare or medicaid. Are these individuals counted 2x?

    An other group not mentioned by some here are the working poor. There are many people who work poor paying job(s) and requiring SNAP, medicare etc. In fact many large corporations such as Walmart and McDonalds encourage and instruct their employees to apply for benefits and welfare to supplement their wages. In effect, the taxpayers subsidize the wages of the poor and ensure the Walton family makes an other million. A simple solution is to raise the minimum wage. Yes, some of the cost may be passed on to the consumer but not all. And in any case, Costco and other corporations have shown its possible to make a healthy profit while paying workers well…. well enough so they don’t gov’t programs to survive.

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  33. Occasionally I agree with HRW. It was unsportsman like. When the Gamecocks were far ahead of Arkansas, Spurrier played the second and third team guys for the entire fourth quarter.
    But each team plays it’s best. If the score was run up by the third team, that’s the way it goes.
    Nobody deliberately drops a ball.
    Nobody deliberately misses a tackel.

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  34. For the record, the Aledo coach also agreed to use a running clock during the entire second half. If that and playing the reserves and stopping all passing isn’t enough for you, see the eight anti-bullying rules for football listed above.

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  35. If they’re that concerned about it, get a real Mercy Rule. 35-0, games over.

    The coach did all he could. But you can’t tell a second or third stringer who finally gets a chance to play that he has to just take a knee for cryin’ out loud. Stop with the wussification of sports already.

    What’s next, we don’t keep score in high school anymore either so nobody’s feelings get hurt? You do realize they do that in little league now right? But here’s the thing, my neighbors kid plays soccer in just such a nancied up league and guess what? Every single game, every single kid knows whether they won or lost despite attempts by overprotective adults to confuse them. Turns out they can count and keep score on their own. And they do. 🙂

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