News/Politics

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News/Politics 10-23-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread.

Say it with me now….

If you like your insurance, you can keep it…… or not.

From KaiserHealthNews  (Who supported this plan by the way and is now canceling policies because of it too) “Health plans are sending hundreds of thousands of cancellation letters to people who buy their own coverage, frustrating some consumers who want to keep what they have and forcing others to buy more costly policies.”

“An estimated 14 million people purchase their own coverage because they don’t get it through their jobs. Calls to insurers in several states showed that many have sent notices.

Florida Blue, for example, is terminating about 300,000 policies, about 80 percent of its individual policies in the state. Kaiser Permanente in California has sent notices to 160,000 people – about half of its individual business in the state.  Insurer Highmark in Pittsburgh is dropping about 20 percent of its individual market customers, while Independence Blue Cross, the major insurer in Philadelphia, is dropping about 45 percent.“

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This would be nice, but after the way the Supreme Court ruled, I’m doubtful that this judge will do the right thing either.

From TheDailyMail  “Bombshell: Federal judge suddenly green-lights lawsuit that could stop  Obamacare in its tracks

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Well at least Congress is finally gonna be briefed on the rollout fiasco. Well…. some of them will. Some pigs really are more equal than others, even in Congress.

From TheWaPo  “Mike Hash, who directs the Office of Health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services, will brief House Democrats Wednesday about implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

The closed-door session, which will start at 8:50 a.m., marks the first time the administration will have briefed members of Congress on the online enrollment system since its troubled rollout on Oct. 1.”

“House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) office is crying foul that House Republicans aren’t included in the briefing. It is asking that the same briefing be provided to the GOP.

“Far too much information about Obamacare’s rollout is being concealed from the public,” Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said. “All members – as well as the American people – deserve answers for this debacle. That’s why we have asked the administration to provide the same briefing to House Republicans. This snub is all the more offensive after Secretary Sebelius declined to testify at a House hearing this week. It’s time for the Obama administration to honor its promises of transparency and face some accountability.”

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It appears that the people hurt and killed in the Boston Marathon bombing weren’t the bomber’s only victims.

From MSNNews  “Slain Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was named as a participant in an earlier triple homicide by a man who was subsequently shot to death while being questioned by authorities, according to a filing made by federal prosecutors in the case against his brother, surviving bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.”

“According to the filing made Monday, Ibragim Todashev told investigators Tamerlan Tsarnaev participated in a triple slaying in Waltham on Sept. 11, 2011.

In that case, three men were found in an apartment with their necks slit and their bodies reportedly covered with marijuana. One of the victims was a boxer and friend of Tamerlan Tsarnaev.”

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What if there was a govt shutdown, and no one missed them, or even cared they were gone?

From CNSNews  “A large majority of Americans say they did not miss the federal  government when it was partially shutdown during the first half of  October, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released today.”

“78 percent said that they were not inconvenienced by the partial  shutdown of the government. Of the 22 percent who said they were  inconvenienced, 11 percent said it was a major inconvenience and 11  percent said it was a minor inconvenience,”

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News/Politics 10-22-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, as always. Here’s a few to start off with.

This first one is a couple of weeks old, but we will start off with it because it’s where the story begins.

From TampaBay.com  “This had been his idea. He’d heard something about God helping people who help themselves. So here he was, on a Sunday in September, surrounded by strangers, taking his future into his sweaty hands.”

“Davion always longed for a family. His caseworker took him to picnics, put his portrait in the Heart Gallery. But he had thrown chairs, blown his grades, pushed people away.

When he learned his birth mother was dead, everything changed. He had to let go of the hope that she would come get him. Abandon his anger. Now he didn’t have anyone else to blame.

“He decided he wanted to control his behavior and show everyone who he could be,” Going said. So someone would want him.

“I’ll take anyone,” Davion said. “Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don’t care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be.”

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Well I’m happy to say it looks like this young man will get his wish. 🙂

From Yahoo/GMA  “A Florida orphan whose church plea for a family to “love me until I die” has received about 10,000 requests from people asking to adopt him and will “without a doubt” be getting a family, his caseworker said today in an appearance with him on ABC’s “The View.”

Davion Only, 15, took the opportunity of being on national TV today to thank the group homes and foster homes that have “taken good care of me.” He also apologized for being a “butthead” to some of them when he was younger.

Only has been in foster care his whole life, but has never had a family. On a recent Sunday, he stood in front of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., and made a public plea for a family.”

“”Without a doubt, Davion will have a family,” his caseworker Connie Going said on “The View” today.”

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I wish the young man the best. After reading his story though, I read another story on adoption which shows this young teenager is smarter than some adults. It seems some would deny Davion his wish simply for the prospective parent’s political views. How truly sad. They need to grow up and consider the children instead. They should take these words from Davion to heart.

“I’ll take anyone,” Davion said. “Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don’t care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be.”

From Rare.us  “Last week, I wrote about a strange phenomenon we experienced firsthand after adopting our daughter from Ethiopia: Liberals think adoption is great, unless white, Christian, Republicans are the ones doing it. It was odd and sad to have strangers questioning and criticizing our family composition. The same crowd who emphasizes that there are all kinds of families — gay, lesbian, straight, divorced — suddenly got the vapors when they saw my black child on my hip at a GOP convention.

Apparently, according to the comments on my blog, many people believe conservatives have no business adopting a black child.  The New York Times has occasionally jumped in the fray, questioning whether black kids might be better off without parents at all if their only option is of the white variety.”

“I got many comments from liberals accusing me of exaggeration, claiming I’d created a straw-man argument, and that my “persecution complex was showing.”  Then, as if on cue, Ann Romney tweeted out a photo of their newest grandchild, adopted by their son Ben and his wife Andelyne:

“The response from the liberal Twitterverse was swift, predictable and damning. Here is a selection of the responses:”

And then it gets as bad as you would expect.

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Next up a reminder that voter fraud is a myth.

From TheHill  “A former chief of staff to Rep. Joe Garcia  (D-Fla.) is heading to jail for his role in organizing an online absentee  ballot-request scheme in the 2012 elections. 

Jeffrey  Garcia, 41, who isn’t related to the congressman, will spend about three months  in jail as part of a plea deal reached with the Miami-Dade state attorney’s  office, the Miami  Herald newspaper reported Sunday.”

“Prosecutors found Jeffrey Garcia had requested hundreds of ballots without  voters’ permission, the Herald said. None of them, however, were mailed, forged  or cast.  

Florida law prohibits anyone but voters or their immediate family members from  requesting ballots online.”

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Since the ObamaCare website is so riddled with errors and problems, the President decided to tell folks about the 800 number to call where you could get help with problems.  

And that doesn’t work either…….. 🙄

From NationalReview  “President Obama emerged on Monday to assure Americans that the “kinks” surrounding the federal and state health-care exchanges are improving and urged consumers to call the exchange hotline if they continue to encounter problems online. Shortly after he made the suggestion, Twitter lit up with reporters and others who attempted to do so but failed to get through to a navigator as promised. After dialing the number, some callers got a busy signal, others received an automated message, and yet others were referred back to Healthcare.gov.”

You couldn’t make this stuff up even if you were trying to write a tragic comedy. I shouldn’t be laughing when it’s such a serious thing, and yet I can’t help myself.

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News/Politics 10-21-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

The Obama admin continues to refuse to enforce the laws they dislike.

From WeaselZippers  “Chris Crane, president of the ICE Council, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ union, said that the President has effectively told ICE agents that they can no longer enforce the law, even as that applies to illegal aliens who have committed other crimes. He noted that while there has been investigation of the scandals of the IRS and Benghazi, “there has been no investigation into the President’s lawless activities with regard to immigration enforcement”.

“You can be in the country illegally, you can have an extensive criminal history, you can have multiple criminal convictions for serious offenses, and there is nothing that we can do to touch you,” Crane said. He pointed out that the numbers from the administration seeming to indicate “record deportations” were in fact falsely inflated. The numbers included mostly illegal aliens caught at the border, into the numbers of those deported from the interior, thereby juicing the numbers. Nothing the President says matches what he has been done, says Crane.

The ICE union has repeatedly asked for a meeting at the White House. But despite meeting with all manner of other groups on the issue, including illegal alien groups, the President has still refused to meet with the ICE union.

‘We are completely ignored,” Crane said, ‘The President will not respond to us…He gave some speeches where he called ICE agents “terrorists”. He said we went into neighborhoods and terrorized children, babies, nursing mothers, purposely tore apart families. So this President, I think, brings with him a real dislike, at the very least, for ICE agents and officers, and the mission we perform. I think there’s a real misunderstanding about what we do, and for that reason he has absolutely refused to let us be a part of any conversation.”

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The UN says the President is probably violating international law with his drone program. That’s impossible, don’t they know he’s a Peace Prize winner. 🙄

From TheGuardian  “Drone strikes by US may violate international law, says UN

Report says CIA attacks led to civilian deaths and casualties and says US protocols are ‘hurdle to transparency'”

“A United Nations investigation has so far identified 33 drone strikes around the world that have resulted in civilian casualties and may have violated international humanitarian law.”

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The Catholic church has filed a new lawsuit against the Obama admin.

From CNSNews  ” The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., is arguing in a new lawsuit that the Obama administration is engaged in a “conscious political strategy to marginalize and delegitimize” Catholic “religious views on contraception by holding them up for ridicule on the national stage.”

At issue in the lawsuit is whether the administration can force the archdiocese to secure a third-party administrator for its self-insurance plan who will provide sterilizations, contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs at no cost to church employees at some of the archdiocese’s separately incorporated subunits.”

“Lawyers representing the archdiocese filed a memorandum with U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Sept. 24, pointing to actions and statements made by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to demonstrate that the administration is deliberately targeting the Catholic Church for its religious views.”

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Young folks who supported the President’s re-election are gonna get rewarded for their loyalty. Just like the unions were.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Young people in 45 states will see their health insurance premiums increase under Obamacare because the law relies on the money they pay into the system to offset the cost of caring for older enrollees, according to a new study.

Virginia leads the pack, as individuals aged 27 and under will see their health insurance premiums jump by 252.5 percent — $416.55 — according to the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis.

Virginians under the age of 50 will see their premiums jump by an even greater percentage, rising from $228 to $991.03.”

You’ve earned it kids! 🙄

Now remember this next election.

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And last one from me today. Sen. Ted Cruz has been hammered in the press for standing on principle and actually doing what the voters that elected him wanted. The press and Dems despise the man, but his constituents have quite a different opinion.

From YahooNews  “Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, a favorite of the conservative Tea Party movement, returned home to a rousing welcome in Texas on Saturday after his attempt to derail Obamacare with a shutdown of the federal government led to sharp criticism of his tactics as reckless and futile.

“After two months in Washington, it’s great to be back in America,” Cruz joked in speaking to a crowd of about 750 people in a packed downtown San Antonio hotel ballroom.

Cruz was greeted with an eight-minute standing ovation in an appearance organized by the Texas Federation of Republican Women. People in attendance, many of them wearing red to show their support for keeping Texas a conservative-leaning state, lined up to greet him.”

Harry Reid and John McCain were hardest hit by the news. 🙂

LOVE IT!

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News/Politics 10-19-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, what’s on your mind?

The “official” national debt sat at the same number (20 Million under) for 150 days leading up to the extension of the debt ceiling. Everyone knew it was a fraud and a lie. Now we know how big of a lie it was. About a 328 Billion dollar lie. How is this not fraud?

From TheWashingtonTimes  “U.S. debt jumped a record $328 billion on Thursday, the first day the  federal  government was able to  borrow money under the deal President  Obama and Congress sealed this week.

The debt now equals  $17.075 trillion, according to figures the Treasury  Department posted online on Friday.”

“The $328 billion increase shattered the previous high of $238 billion set two  years ago.”

“In this case, the Treasury  Department borrowed $400 billion from  other funds beginning in May, awaiting a final deal from Congress and  Mr. Obama.”

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It. Just. Gets. Worse.

From WSJ/MarketWatch  “Insurers say the federal health-care marketplace is generating flawed data that
is straining their ability to handle even the trickle of enrollees who have gotten through so far, in a sign that technological problems extend further than the website traffic and software issues already identified.”

“Emerging errors include duplicate enrollments, spouses reported as children, missing data fields and suspect eligibility determinations, say executives at more than a dozen health plans. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Nebraska said it had to hire temporary workers to contact new customers directly to resolve inaccuracies in submissions. Medical Mutual of Ohio said one customer had successfully signed up for three of its plans.”

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Tech experts say it needs a complete overhaul.

From USAToday  “The federal health care exchange was built using 10-year-old technology that may require constant fixes and updates for the next six months and the eventual overhaul of the entire system, technology experts told USA TODAY.

The site could be perfect, but if the systems from which it draws data are not up to speed, it doesn’t matter, said John Engates, chief technology officer at Rackspace, a cloud computer service provider.

“It is a core problem in the sense of it’s fundamental to this thing actually working, but it’s not necessarily a problem that the people who wrote HealthCare.gov can get to,” Engates said. “Even if they had a perfect system, it still won’t work.”

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And as I predicted, after all, it wasn’t hard to figure out, more than half of the first sign-ups are low-income and pre-existing conditions. Those that will be heavily subsidized, or dumped into Medicaid.

From MyNorthWest.com  “Enrollments in health care plans through Washington state’s new health care exchange continue to increase, but it turns out a majority of the enrollees so far won’t be paying for their plans.

“The Medicaid newly eligible population accounts for a little more than half of the 25,000 that we’ve seen,” Michael Marchand, with the new Washington Health Care Exchange, tells KIRO Radio’s Dave Ross.”

“”We’ve figured out that probably more than 90 percent of those who are of the 1 million who are currently uninsured, they’re going to receive financial help in one way or another, whether it’s free or through tax credits.”

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News/Politics 10-18-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

I have a bunch this morning, so they’ll be Fast and Furious. Like the first one, which will be one of the longest today.

I have to give Sharyl Attkisson and CBS credit, They just keep at it.

From CBSNews  “CBS News has learned of a shocking link between a deadly drug cartel shootout with Mexican police last week and a controversial case in the U.S. The link is one of the grenades used in the violent fight, which killed three policemen and four cartel members and was captured on video by residents in the area.

According to a Justice Department “Significant Incident Report” filed Tuesday and obtained by CBS News, evidence connects one of the grenades to Jean Baptiste Kingery, an alleged firearms trafficker U.S. officials allowed to operate for years without arresting despite significant evidence that he was moving massive amounts of grenade parts and ammunition to Mexico’s ruthless drug cartels.”

“The gun battle took place last week in Guadalajara. Authorities say five members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel used at least nine firearms and ten hand grenades against Mexican police. If one of the grenades was supplied with the help of Kingery, as believed, it adds to the toll of lives taken with weapons trafficked by suspects U.S. officials watched but did not stop.

The Kingery case was overseen by the same Arizona U.S. Attorney and ATF office that let suspects traffic thousands of weapons to Mexican drug cartels in the operation dubbed Fast and Furious. The strategy was to try to get to the cartel kingpins, but it was halted after CBS News reported that Fast and Furious weapons were used by cartel thugs in the murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry on December 15, 2010. Weapons trafficked by other ATF suspects under surveillance were used two months later in the cartel murder of Immigration and Customs Agent Jaime Zapata in Mexico on February 15, 2011.”

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This one, well let’s just say it’s too funny. 🙂

From Politico  “A finding in a study on the relationship between science literacy and  political ideology surprised the Yale professor behind it: Tea party members  know more science than non-tea partiers.

Yale law professor Dan Kahan posted on his blog this week that he analyzed the responses  of more than 2,000 American adults recruited for another study and found that,  on average, people who leaned liberal were more science literate than those who  leaned conservative.”

“However, those who identified as part of the tea party movement were actually  better versed in science than those who didn’t, Kahan found. The findings met  the conventional threshold of statistical significance, the professor said.”

Hehehe…  🙂

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We all knew this was coming. And maybe that’s why govt employees weren’t getting much sympathy during the shutdown. Back pay, and a raise to boot.

From TheWashingtonPost  “The budget measure that ended the partial government shutdown allows for a 1 percent raise for federal employees in January in addition to providing back pay for those furloughed, according to two Democratic Maryland senators.”

““I’m proud we were able to fulfill our promise to make them whole again with back pay and finally break through the pay freeze with a modest adjustment for next year,” said Cardin, a member of the Senate Finance Committee.”

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And now, The Debacle continues.

Doh!

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Gee, maybe this had something to do with it. 🙄

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Federal officials did not permit testing of the Obamacare healthcare.gov website or issue final system requirements until four to six days before its Oct. 1 launch, according to an individual with direct knowledge of the project.

The individual, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the troubled Obamacare website project as suffering from top-level management disarray, changing systems requirements and recurring delays.”

Really could use that face-palm smiley here.

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But while the problems mounted, the cash flow to contractors increased. Typical Dem response, who cares if it’s a failure, just throw more money at it. 🙄

From TheFreeBeacon  “As U.S. officials warned that the technology behind Obamacare might not be ready to launch on October 1, the administration was pouring tens of millions of dollars more than it had planned into the federal website meant to enroll Americans in the biggest new social program since the 1960s.

A Reuters review of government documents shows that the contract to build the federal Healthcare.gov online insurance website – key to President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare reform – tripled in potential total value to nearly $292 million as new money was assigned to the work beginning in April this year.”

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This one I suggest everyone read.  This is who is responsible for this website mess, and what could potentially be a lot more taxpayer-funded govt debacles. It’s like Haliburton, but with a lot more tentacles.

From TheWaPo  “CGI Federal is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Canadian firm CGI Group, which was founded in Quebec City in 1976 by a pair or 26-year-olds named Serge Godin and Andre Imbeau. (CGI stands for “Conseillers en Gestion et Informatique” in French, which roughly translates to “Information Systems and Management Consultants”). Growing through scores of acquisitions, and providing outsourced IT services to massive companies such as Bell Canada and Quebec’s provincial pension plan, CGI’s business model depends on embedding itself deeply within an institution.

“The ultimate aim is to establish relations so intimate with the client that decoupling becomes almost impossible,” read one profile of the company.”

“That said, they’ve learned quickly, and see the U.S. federal government as their area of biggest growth. CGI Federal’s health-care practice has grown 90 percent year over year, largely due to the Healthcare.gov project. And for a contractor, ballooning projects are a good thing. “In the Federal Government business, we continue to see more extensions and ceiling increases on our existing work, while we further leverage our position on contract vehicles,” said CEO Michael Roach on their latest earnings call. Those “contract vehicles” now amount to $200 billion, which Roach later referred to as a “hunting license.””

“The healthcare.gov debacle has taken its toll on the working environment at CGI Federal’s 10-story complex in Fairfax, Va., according to a staffer working on a related project who asked not to be named. “There’s been a lot of agitation and anger, because CGI really prides itself on having family flexibility,” he said, noting the firm’s liberal telework policy. Instead, the Obamacare contract has sucked more and more staff off other projects, and people have been working around the clock to first get the site ready for Oct. 1, and then fix it when things started to go wrong. “There’s a lot of frustration,” the staffer said. “People are getting sick, fainting in conference calls.”

Oh boy.

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I expect the longer this mess goes on, the better chance there is that you see Dems pulling stunts like this one, in an attempt distance themselves from their roles.

From BuzzFeed  “Visit the website of Michigan-based design firm Teal Media today and you’d never know designers there helped create HealthCare.gov, the troubled online portal for Obamacare.

Just a few days ago, the site looked very different. Teal Media’s homepage featured its work on Obamacare prominently, placing a link to the firm’s work on one of the most well-known websites in America front and center. Now that link, as well as the page devoted to Teal’s work on HealthCare.gov, have been removed.”

“Teal Media doesn’t seem interested in talking about its work on HealthCare.gov. A woman who answered the phone at the company’s headquarters immediately referred BuzzFeed to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the Department of Health And Human Services (HHS) before a single question was asked. CMS is listed as Teal’s client on the firm’s now-erased HealthCare.gov page.”

And again, insert face palm smiley here. They had so many calls about removing it that they actually put it back up. Might as well, the screen shots already documented what you did. The cat is out of the bag. 🙄

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Oh, and the ObamaCare website is possibly violating software licensing copyrights. Nice. Again, the face palm smiley would be perfect here.

From TheWeeklyStandard  “Healthcare.gov, the federal government’s Obamacare website, has been under heavy criticism from friend and foe alike during its first two weeks of open enrollment.  Repeated errors and delays have prevented many users from even establishing an account, and outside web designers have roundly panned the structure and coding of the site as amateurish and sloppy.  The latest indication of the haphazard way in which Healthcare.gov was developed is the uncredited use of a copyrighted web script for a data function used by the site, a violation of the licensing agreement for the software.

The script in question is called DataTables, a very long and complex piece of website software used for formatting and presenting data.  DataTables was developed by a British company called SpryMedia which licenses the open-source software freely to anyone who complies with the licensing agreement.  A note at the bottom of the DataTables.net website says: “DataTables designed and created by SpryMedia © 2008-2013.”  

🙄 It’s a comedy of errors, but it isn’t really all that funny.

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Here’s something to keep in mind if you have to enter your personal info into the ObamaCare website. This is the kind of fine upstanding folks who will have access to your info.

From NationalReview  “A community organization established by Wade Rathke, founder of ACORN, will be participating in a “navigator” drive aiding people attempting to sign up for health-care coverage under the Affordable Care Act, according to a Fox News report. The organization, United Labor Unions Council Local 100, is based in New Orleans and was created by Rathke after ACORN went bankrupt amidst widespread scandal.”

“Dan Epstein, executive director of Cause of Action, a non-partisan watchdog group, said, “At a time when our government has ceased functioning due to an appropriations gap, it is ironic that America’s tax dollars are being doled out to an entity whose poor stewardship of our funds was well-established by Congress.” Congress voted to defund ACORN in 2009 after secret videos revealed ACORN employees coaching people on how to conduct illegal activities.”

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And here’s the type of people he employs.

From FrontPageMag  “The fact that Wade Rathke, a disreputable, radical left-wing community organizer, is allowed anywhere near the enrollment process ought to give all Americans pause. The only reason Rathke hasn’t been federally investigated for racketeering is because his allies control the federal law enforcement apparatus. President Obama pretends he has no connection to ACORN and Attorney General Eric Holder doesn’t care what laws have been broken because he approves of ACORN’s goals.”

“Yes, that’s President Obama’s former employer, ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

ACORN is the nonprofit group that knowingly hired felons convicted of identity theft to work on voter registration drives, giving them custody of sensitive voter information.”

Yeah. 🙄

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News/Politics 10-17-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Well it’s over. Until the next time. 🙄

And there will be a next time, this guarantees it. Or as Michael Bloomberg says, they just kicked the can down the road. They did nothing about the actual problems here.

From Politicker  “Washington lawmakers finally reached a deal to re-open the government just hours before the debt ceiling deadline, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg isn’t celebrating yet.

“All of what they’re talking about is simply kicking the can down the road,” Mr. Bloomberg told Politicker this afternoon.

The mayor was responding to a request for his take not long before Republican lawmakers had officially conceded their fight. But Mr. Bloomberg, sounding confident a short-term deal would be reached, predicted another standoff soon.

“It is true it would be after the Christmas holiday shopping season, I suppose, but we’re gonna have the same problem come January. We’ve got to stop all of this stuff and come up with a rational system,” he argued at the press conference, which was called to announce the activation of a giant new back-up water tunnel, which was officially switched on at 5 p.m. this evening.”

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Well we now know why McConnell sold out.

From WFPL/Louisville  “A proposal to end the government shutdown and avoid default orchestrated by Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Leader Harry Reid includes a $2 billion earmark for a Kentucky project.

Language in a draft of the McConnell-Reid deal (see page 13, section 123) provided to WFPL News shows a provision that increases funding for the massive Olmsted Dam Lock in Paducah, Ky., from $775 million to nearly $2.9 billion.”

“Asked about the additional funding in the proposal, McConnell spokesman Robert Steurer directed all questions to lawmakers who worked on the bill directly.

“Senators (Diane) Feinstein and (Lamar) Alexander, the chair and ranking member of the energy and water subcommittee, worked on the issue and can help you,” he says.”

I wouldn’t want to talk about it either Mitch. I’d be too embarrassed.

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Some might think calling Senate RINO’s sellouts is a bit much. I think it’s accurate. They sold out the American taxpayer with this deal.

From Politico  “But some Republicans were relieved to see the saga come to a close.

“It’s obvious that we are now seeing the end of this agonizing odyssey that  this body has been put through, but far more importantly, the American people  have been put through. It’s one of the more shameful chapters that I have seen  in the years that I have spent here in the Senate,” said Sen. John McCain  (R-Ariz.).

The Senate plan includes a proposal offered by McConnell in the 2011 debt  ceiling crisis that allows Congress to disapprove of the debt ceiling increase,  which means lawmakers will formally vote on whether to reject a debt ceiling  increase until Feb. 7. Obama can veto that legislation if it passes. If Congress  fails as expected to gather a two-thirds majority to override the veto, the debt  ceiling would be raised.”

They just agreed to change the rules so that the next time this comes up, it will take 2/3 of Congress to stop the President from raising it. There’s no way Dems would do that, so they just gave him the power to do it on his own. And you know he will.

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Why ObamaCare is a Mess.

From TheChicagoTribune  “We encouraged a one-year delay in the law. We recognize that’s not going to happen. Obamacare is here. It’s time, though, for the Obama administration to level with Americans about what’s happening here. It’s time to stop blaming Republicans and start talking about what needs to change.

The administration can do one thing — apparently on its own — to spare many Americans. It can delay the requirement that everyone buy insurance by March 31 or pay a penalty. Federal officials already have granted a one-year reprieve to the mandate that most employers provide insurance to their workers or pay a penalty. The administration cut a sweet deal for Congress and its staffers, who will continue to get generous federal subsidies. It has allowed any number of carve-outs for special pleaders.

A delay in the individual mandate would not be a special favor to American consumers. It’s a matter of fairness.”

“The deeper problems of cost and coverage in Obamacare are going to require an admission by the administration that this government management of the health care market is extraordinarily complicated and will be very costly for many people. The law has to change.”

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Well the website isn’t working, but the propaganda machine is up and running at full speed. 🙄 

From NewsBusters  “If you’re sick and tired of TV news broadcasts spewing pro-Obamacare  propaganda, get ready to be inundated with even more progressive health care  proselytizing in the dramas and comedies that follow those news shows.

For this you have the left-wing California Endowment to thank. The radical  philanthropy is in the news because it is funding Obamacare public outreach  efforts.

As Newsmax reports,  the Obama administration is “turning its focus on prime time television series,  using the influential platform and the power of celebrity to spread the word  about its healthcare initiative.”

With the White House’s blessing, the University of Southern California’s  Annenberg Norman Lear Center, which has something called a “Hollywood, Health & Society program,” has accepted a $500,000 grant from the left-wing  California Endowment to help TV producers condition the masses into supporting  Obama’s Soviet-style health care program.”

And due to the changed regulations, this is allowed. Which is exactly why they changed them. Just flat-out propaganda.

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News/Politics 10-16-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up today, some interesting words from Rand Paul. I’ll be honest, my first thought was I wonder what Dad thinks?

From CNSNews  “Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said the mainstream media  try to ignore it but there is a “worldwide war on Christianity” being  waged by a “fanatical element of Islam,” and that U.S. policy towards  Syria has resulted in America now sending weapons to “Islamic rebels who  are allied with al-Qaida.”

“From Boston to Zanzibar, there’s a worldwide war on Christianity,”  said Senator Paul at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on Oct.  12.  “Christians are being attacked around the world, but you won’t  hear much about it on the evening news because the answer’s not  convenient. It doesn’t fit the narrative we have been told about radical  Islam.

“The president tries to gloss over who’s attacking and killing  Christians,” said Paul.  “The media describes the killings as  ‘sectarian.’ But the truth is, a worldwide war on Christians is being  waged by a fanatical element of Islam.”

Meanwhile, the war on Christians in the military continues here at home.

Also From CNSNews  “After the Obama administration, for the second Sunday in a row, continued to prohibit approximately 50 Catholic  priests from saying Mass and administering other sacraments at U.S. military facilities around the world, Father Ray Leonard, who serves as the  Catholic chaplain at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia, filed suit Monday against the Department of Defense, Defense Secretary Chuck  Hagel, the Department of the Navy, and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.

DOD is prohibiting Father Leonard and the other Catholic priests from administering the sacraments and providing other services to their congregations even though two weeks ago Congress passed, and President Barack Obama signed, a law that instructed DOD to maintain on the job and keep paying contract employees who were supporting the  troops.

DOD took this action because Hagel determined–after consulting with Attorney General Eric Holder’s Justice Department–that civilian Catholic priests, working under contract as chaplains, did not, among other  things, “contribute to the morale” and “well-being” of service  personnel.”

Shocked? Me neither. After all, they’re more likely to support the people in the first link than they are Christians anywhere.

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In other news from the continuing shut down saga….

From TheWashingtonPost  “The Republican-controlled House canceled a vote Tuesday night on a plan to reopen the federal government and raise the debt ceiling after support from conservatives for the deal crumbled, leaving Washington without a clear path forward for avoiding a first-ever default on the nation’s debt.

Later Tuesday night, Senate leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell moved to pick up the pieces of the shattered House effort, with aides to both senators expressing optimism a deal could be soon at hand.

“Senator Reid and Senator McConnell have re-engaged in negotiations and are optimistic that an agreement is within reach,” said Adam Jentleson, spokesman for Reid (D-Nev.).

“Given tonight’s events, the leaders have decided to work toward a solution that would reopen the government and prevent default. They are optimistic an agreement can be reached,” said Don Stewart, spokesman to McConnell (R-Ky.).”

I’d be more optimistic if McCain and Senate Republicans didn’t appear to be stuck in “Surrender Monkey” mode.

And the plot thickens as well. This should add a sense of urgency to the whole affair.

From CNBC  “Fitch Ratings put the US government’s “AAA” credit rating on ‘rating watch negative’ Tuesday, saying that the standstill on the U.S. debt ceiling negotiations risks undermining the effectiveness of the country’s government and political institutions.

U.S. stock index futures fell.

“Although Fitch continues to believe that the debt ceiling will be raised soon, the political brinkmanship and reduced financing flexibility could increase the risk of a U.S. default,” the rating agency wrote in a statement.”

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Next up, only 6,964,000 to go. If you do the math, at this rate, no way they hit 7 million by their deadline, even if you go with the Mail’s 51 thousand instead of the 36 thousand here. And where will the money to fund it and keep it afloat come from without actual policyholders to pay for it?

From NationalReview  “Millward Brown Digital, a consultancy firm, released an analysis today estimating that only 36,000 people had signed up for insurance through the federal Obamacare exchange website.

According to Millward Brown Digital, there were 9.47 million unique visitors to healthcare.gov from the site’s launch on October 1 through October 5. Of those visitors, 1.3 million left the website for their state-run exchange and 3.72 million attempted to create an account on the site. Only 1.01 million successfully did so.”

“The analysis says that “Healthcare.gov was clearly unprepared to handle the huge spike in traffic witnessed on October 1st when it was visited by .9% (or 1 in 114) of everyone online in the U.S. This is roughly equivalent to the daily traffic on Target.com.”

Yeah…….. 🙄

Here’s more from the study, also not encouraging. 1 year delay? Sounds like 3 or 4 is more like it.

From TheWashingtonPost  “The number of visitors to the federal government’s HealthCare.gov Web site plummeted 88 percent between Oct. 1 and Oct. 13, according to a new analysis of America’s online use, while less than half of 1 percent of the site’s visitors successfully enrolled for health insurance the first week.”

“Based on a sample of two million users — or 1 percent of all online users in the U.S. — which Millward Brown Digital has permission to track, it suggests that the rush of traffic administration officials cited as the cause of the site’s problems trailed off within a matter of days.”

“And Aneesh Chopra, who served as the White House’s first-ever chief technology officer during President Obama’s first term, said the analysis actually captured the public’s sustained interest in signing up for health insurance on the federal exchange. He noted that while the total number of visitors to the site is interesting, it matters much more that one million Americans created an online account.

“Account creation is always the holy grail. That’s the moment that matters,” Chopra said in an interview. “In one week, a million people began a process that will result in affordable coverage. That means a lot of people are going to ultimately get the product.”

Not surprised the former Obama admin employee tries to put a good spin on things. But the reality is he’s wrong. His “Holy Grail” is useless. It means nothing. What it needs are paying customers. Signing up is easy, forking over the cash for an actual policy is quite another matter. That isn’t happening in large enough numbers yet.

And Forbes says people will be shocked when they find out the cost. They say the system is designed to get all your info first, then you get to see the prices. They say that’s the case because the numbers will scare folks away.

From Forbes  “A growing consensus of IT experts, outside and inside the government, have figured out a principal reason why the website for Obamacare’s federally-sponsored insurance exchange is crashing. Healthcare.gov forces you to create an account and enter detailed personal information before you can start shopping. This, in turn, creates a massive traffic bottleneck, as the government verifies your information and decides whether or not you’re eligible for subsidies. HHS bureaucrats knew this would make the website run more slowly. But they were more afraid that letting people see the underlying cost of Obamacare’s insurance plans would scare people away.

HHS didn’t want users to see Obamacare’s true costs

“Healthcare.gov was initially going to include an option to browse before registering,” report Christopher Weaver and Louise Radnofsky in the Wall Street Journal. “But that tool was delayed, people familiar with the situation said.” Why was it delayed? “An HHS spokeswoman said the agency wanted to ensure that users were aware of their eligibility for subsidies that could help pay for coverage, before they started seeing the prices of policies.”

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And last one for today, was the difficulty with the SNAP program over the weekend really a computer glitch? Or a dry run to gauge reaction for this?

From WeaselZippers  “The United States Dept Of Agriculture is the governmental body tasked with overseeing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or “SNAP.”

According to a memo dated Oct 11 2013 and circulated among SNAP program administrators for all states that participate, the USDA recommends they begin withholding benefits from citizens beginning in November.

Is the US Dept of Agriculture trying to create panic among program participants as we saw previously?“

Is this the next move in the make it hurt campaign the Obama admin is engaging in?

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News/Politics 10-15-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, not really surprising. Muslim groups that support terrorists set training policy for DHS and law enforcement, so why not let a hate group like the SPLC decide who the hate groups are. The radicals set the policy in this admin.

From FoxNews  “Several dozen U.S. Army active duty and reserve troops were told last week that the American Family Association, a well-respected Christian ministry, should be classified as a domestic hate group because the group advocates for traditional family values.”

“A soldier who attended the briefing contacted me and sent me a photograph of a slide show presentation that listed AFA as a domestic hate group. Under the AFA headline is a photograph of Westboro Baptist Church preacher Fred Phelps holding a sign reading “No special law for f***.”

American Family Association has absolutely no affiliation with the controversial church group known for picketing the funerals of American service members.

“I had to show Americans what our soldiers are now being taught,” said the soldier who asked not to be identified. “I couldn’t just let this one pass.”

Who cares if it’s false, as long as it fits their meme, right?

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The next few are ObamaCare related.

Think ObamaCare is too expensive? You’re in luck, a solution to that has been found. Just make less money! 😉

From HotAir  “This is a story out of California that’s been making the rounds this weekend and definitely needs to be filed under, “Who could have possibly seen this coming?” Some of the people who managed the feat of getting through the dysfunctional web site and actually getting quotes on health care policies under Obamacare have already been finding out that “low priced” can mean something entirely different than they may have thought. This is particularly true of older citizens on fixed incomes. But if your income is low enough, you can just scratch off a lot of the cost of those premiums with a taxpayer funded subsidy, right? Sure… but what if your income is too high? Well, duh… you should make less money!

People whose 2014 income will be a little too high to get subsidized health insurance from Covered California next year should start thinking now about ways to lower it to increase their odds of getting the valuable tax subsidy.

“If they can adjust (their income), they should,” says Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow with the Kaiser Family Foundation. “It’s not cheating, it’s allowed.”

Under the Affordable Care Act, if your 2014 income is between 138 and 400 percent of poverty level for your household size, you can purchase health insurance on a state-run exchange (such as Covered California) and receive a federal tax subsidy to offset all or part of your premium.”

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Many places are now demanding co-pays and deductibles up front.

From Bloomberg  “When Barbara Retkowski went to a Cape Coral, Florida, health clinic in August to treat a blood condition, she figured the center would bill her insurance company. Instead, it demanded payment upfront.

Earlier in the year, another clinic insisted she pay her entire remaining insurance deductible for the year — more than $1,000 — before the doctor would even see her.

“I was surprised and frustrated,” Retkowski, a 59-year-old retiree, said in an interview. “I had to pull money out of my savings.”

The practice of upfront payment for non-emergency care has been spreading in the U.S. as deductibles rise. Now, the advent of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is likely to accelerate that trend.”

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And things will only get worse. The job killing will continue as well. Some are saying it’s temporary, but that remains to be seen.

From USAToday  “Hospitals, a reliable source of employment growth in the recession and its aftermath, are starting to cut thousands of jobs amid falling insurance payments and inpatient visits.

The payroll cuts are surprising because the Affordable Care Act (ACA), whose implementation took a big step forward this month, is eventually expected to provide health coverage to as many as 30 million additional Americans.

“While the rest of the U.S. economy is stabilizing or improving, health care is entering into a recession,” says John Howser, assistant vice chancellor of Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Health care providers announced more layoffs than any other industry last month — 8,128 — largely because of reductions by hospitals, according to outplacement firm Challenger Gray and Christmas.  So far this year, the health care sector has announced 41,085 layoffs, the third-most behind financial and industrial companies.”

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Oh look, more special treatment for Obama’s friends.

From TheHill  “Labor unions are poised to score the delay of an ObamaCare tax in the bipartisan  budget deal emerging in the Senate.

The bargain under negotiation would make small adjustments to the healthcare law, including delaying the law’s  reinsurance fee for one year. The three-year tax is meant to generate revenue  that will stabilize premiums on the individual market as sick patients enter the  risk pool.”

“The tax applies to all group health plans, but unions argue it will raise their  healthcare costs while providing them no benefit.”

So basically it does the same thing to them that it does to many of us. But we get no special treatment.

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News/Politics 10-14-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread.

I’m taking the holiday off. 🙂 But I did have one I wanted to post.

Mr. President, tear down those Barrycades.

Oh wait, never mind, they already did.

There’s only one thing left to do with them, return to sender.

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So of course they get treated like hardened criminals by park police. You know, ‘cuz these are the domestic terrorists DHS has been warning about. 🙄  Funny though, everything was pretty peaceful, until the armed guards, SWAT, and armored vehicles showed up.

From TheBlaze with lots of pics  “Members of the so-called “Million Vet March” descended on Washington, D.C., Sunday to protest the Obama administration’s decision to close the city’s public memorials.

Thousands of demonstrators arrived early in the morning and tore down barricades that had been set up to block people from visiting the popular attractions, WTOP reports.

The group said military personnel and veterans are “being used a political pawns in the ongoing government shutdown and budget crisis,” according to a statement on its website.

The group also said it has no political leaning, but believes that the closing of memorials is “a despicable act of cowardice.”

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Some politicians like Cruz, Palin, and Lee joined them. Funny though, I didn’t see any Democrats. 🙄  As expected, most of the media treats it like a Tea Party Rally, and attempts to dismiss it.

From USAToday  “Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas were among those who gathered Sunday morning, along with former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, according to WTOP radio. Cruz said President Obama is using veterans as pawns in the shutdown.

“Tear down these walls,” the crowd chanted. Protesters also sang God Bless America and other patriotic songs as they entered the memorial plaza.

The memorial has become a political symbol in the bitter fight between Democrats and Republicans over who is at fault since the shutdown began. Earlier rallies have focused on allowing access for World War II veterans visiting from across the country with the Honor Flight Network.

Sunday’s rally was more political. A protest by truckers converged with a rally by a group called the Million Vet March at the World War II Memorial. Participants cut the links between metal barriers at the National Park Service site and pushed them aside.”

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Here’s a photo, video, and Tweet montage of more of the fun from the nation’s capitol. Via WeaselZippers

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News/Politics 10-12-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

The other day I was hard on Gov. Jerry Brown for his signing of the non-physician abortion law. He was wrong to do so IMHO, but this time he gets it right, so it’s only fair I point that out too.

From ABCNews  “California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill Friday that would have banned future sales of most semi-automatic rifles that accept detachable magazines, part of a firearms package approved by state lawmakers in response to mass shootings in other states.

The governor announced signing other gun-related legislation but rejected the centerpiece bill, which would have imposed the nation’s toughest restrictions on gun ownership.

Brown’s veto message said it was too far-reaching. The bill by Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg would have outlawed future sales of an entire class of weapons that includes most assault rifles.”

“”I don’t believe that this bill’s blanket ban on semi-automatic rifles would reduce criminal activity or enhance public safety enough to warrant this infringement on gun owners’ rights,” the Democratic governor wrote in his veto message.”

Golf clap.

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Funny, now they’re called non-essential, but they have no problem activating these units for Iraq and Afghanistan though. More discretionary cuts meant to hurt. They didn’t have to do this. The White House and DoD chose to.

From PewStates.org  “Nearly 50,000 full-time National Guard employees have been furloughed as a result of the federal government shutdown. The standoff in Washington also has resulted in the cancellation of most of this weekend’s training exercises, depriving even non-furloughed guardsmen of the salaries they receive for drilling. 

The furloughed guardsmen are paid by the federal government, even though they are under the command of their states’ adjutant generals and governors. The guardsmen who have been affected generally work as full-time computer programmers, or are engaged in cybersecurity or administrative work. Guardsmen whose salaries come from state funds will not be furloughed.  In some states, that is about half of the total.”

“Several governors were furious about having to issue furlough notices to guardsmen in their states. “Some of these men and women have been deployed multiple times,” Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage said in a statement. “This is a shameful tactic to use against Mainers who have put their life on the line to protect our freedoms.”

In Colorado, where National Guard troops are helping with the recovery from massive flooding, Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, ordered the state to pay the salaries of the 650 furloughed guardsmen who were assisting with cleanup.

“We can’t afford to lose one day in rebuilding areas destroyed or damaged by the floods,” Hickenlooper said. “Our National Guard troops are an invaluable part of the team working on the recovery. We need them to stay on the job.”

Not smart.

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The Senate has approved a bill restoring funding to military chaplains. But due to changes to the House bill, it now goes back to the House.

From FoxNews  “The Senate has approved a bill to let military chaplains work despite the partial government shutdown.

The Senate backed a version of the measure late Thursday. The version expressed the sense of Congress that chaplains should continue offering their services to members of the military and their families, and it had already passed the House.

Slight changes to the House measure were made by Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin of Michigan. Levin added a provision expressing Congress’ hope that the defense secretary could figure out how to pay contractor clergy.”

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One group challenging the shutdown of a federal park has won a court case challenging the closing. At least for now.

From TheWashingtonPost  “Fed up that the federal shutdown was keeping them off their practice fields, a group of young lacrosse players in Northern Virginia challenged the government in court. And at least for now, they won.

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the National Park Service to immediately reopen Langley Fork Park in McLean — which was closed Oct. 1 — and allow the boys and girls of the McLean Youth Lacrosse organization back onto the fields.”

“The judge’s order was not final. Attorneys are scheduled to return to federal court in Alexandria on Oct. 18 — provided the courthouse is still open and judges are still hearing civil cases  — to hash out a more permanent resolution. But until then, Langley Fork Park will be open for the hundreds of kids in the youth lacrosse group, which sued the Park Service, and for anyone else who might want to use it.”

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Fizzled.

From FoxNews  “A trucker protest aimed at clogging the Capital Beltway around Washington to protest government “corruption” was not shaping up to be quite the commuter nightmare organizers had threatened. 

 As of Friday morning, dozens of tractor-trailers were said to be on the road as part of the protest convoy.”

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And last today, I’m going to do my Rant! 😦 for the week here…….  

Now I’m a fan, but this is not helpful.

From WashingtonCBSLocal  “Dr. Ben Carson slammed President Barack Obama’s signature health care during his speech at the Value Voter’s Summit Friday.

“Obamacare is really, I think, the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery,” Carson declared. “It is slavery in a way because it is making all of us subservient to the government.”

Carson said the implementation of the Affordable Care Act was never about health care, only control.”

First off, as bad as I think ObamaCare is, it certainly isn’t the worst thing to happen since slavery. 50 million unborn children killed by abortion is certainly many degrees worse than ObamaCare. Be serious.

And while I agree it’s about control and making people rely on, and be subservient to the govt, the comparison to slavery is unfair. This is nothing like the physically and mentally forced subservience that slaves were subjected to. It’s nothing of the sort. I feel the same way about it when homosexuals attempt to compare themselves and their struggles to what slaves went through. It’s inaccurate and insulting. These things are bad, but they’re not slavery bad. There is no comparison.

This type of hyperbole is just gross, whether it’s from Sharpton, gay activists, or conservatives. Just my 2¢.