govt shutdown

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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 10-18-13

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 10-12-13

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¢.

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News/Politics 10-9-13

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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News/Politics 10-8-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Republicans in Congress are beginning a probe into the Obama admin’s shutdown related nonsense.

From FoxNews  “Republican lawmakers plan to investigate mounting reports that federal officials are kicking families out of their homes and shuttering private businesses because they sit on federal parkland — describing the spectacle as an over-the-top response to the partial government shutdown. 

“We are receiving a lot of reports” of businesses being shut down, said Mallory Micetich, spokeswoman for Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee. 

She confirmed the committee is investigating these reports, as part of a widening probe into the National Park Service’s response to the partial government suspension.”

“”Many of these non-federally funded sites exist throughout the United States and operate with no staff or resources from the National Park Service,” a statement from Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee said. “This is yet another example of the Obama administration attempting to make the government shutdown as painful as possible and forcing closures of private and nonprofit operators that did not happen during previous government shutdowns.” 

That’s because they weren’t orchestrated by a vindictive President using Chicago style politics

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But as with most things, the President exempts his friends and supporters. That’s why illegal rights activist are using the Mall today when it’s closed to the commoners. And like with ObamaCare, his friends and associates get waivers.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “The Obama administration quietly changed its furlough guidance Friday to allow government employees who are also union representatives to return to work and receive a regular paycheck during the government shutdown.

On the fifth day of the government shutdown the House unanimously passed a bill approving back pay for 800,000 furloughed federal workers, a rare moment of bipartisan unity, even as House Republicans and Democrats continued their bitter budget standoff.

The vast majority of those workers do not serve as union representatives and will not receive a pay check as long as the government remains shuttered. But the Office of Personnel Management Friday opened the door for some of their co-workers, those who serve as union representatives, to return to work and get their regular paycheck.”

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Gee, I wonder if this guy gets Obama’s “excepted/essential” status too?

From JudicialWatch  “A prominent Muslim advisor at the Obama Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has close ties to a convicted Hamas fundraiser and other radical Islamist causes, including a nonprofit that proclaims sharia is the only legitimate law according to Islam.

Incredibly, this Homeland Security advisor, Mohamed Elibiary, has regular access to classified information and is a prime mover behind two of the Obama administration’s most dangerous policies; normalizing relations with domestic and foreign Islamist groups (including the Muslim Brotherhood) and arduous enforcement restrictions of laws related to material support for terrorism.

While this may seem incomprehensible to many, it’s all documented in a disturbing report published this week by the Center for Security Policy, a Washington D.C. think tank dedicated to promoting national security. The 33-page document is actually based on a lengthy, five-part interview with Elibiary, an influential member of Obama’s Homeland Security Advisory Council.

Elibiary admits he’s a longtime friend of a self-described Islamist (Shukri Abu Baker) convicted in 2008 of financing the terrorist organization Hamas through his U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity, the Holy Land Foundation. Elibiary reveals that he donated to the Holy Land Foundation monthly until it was shut down by the U.S. government and he defends Baker, depicting his prosecution as a case of political persecution.”

He’s behind the Obama admin’s embrace of the Brotherhood as well.

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The ATF and Obama admin are trying to block the publication of a book on the Fast and Furious gun walking scandal.

From TheWashingtonTimes  “The Bureau  of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is blocking the main  whistleblower in the Fast and Furious case from publishing a book, claiming his  retelling of the Mexico “gun-walking” scandal will  hurt morale inside the embattled law enforcement agency, according to documents  obtained by The Washington Times.

ATF’s dispute with Special Agent John  Dodson is setting up a First Amendment showdown that is poised to bring  together liberal groups like the American  Civil Liberties Union and conservatives in Congress who have championed Mr.  Dodson’s protection as a whistleblower.

The ACLU is slated to  become involved in the case Monday, informing ATF it  is representing Mr.  Dodson and filing a formal protest to the decision to reject his request to  publish the already written book, sources told The Times, speaking only on the  condition of anonymity.”

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Uh-oh, sounds like someone’s getting a trip to the woodshed. Good.

From WeaselZippers  “Former U.S. Attorney Joe DiGenova: SCOTUS Aware DOJ Advising Universities To Disregard Their Ruling On Race Based Admissions, Preparing To “Slap Them Down”

“Joe DiGenova is a Former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. He spoke on WMAL this morning, noting that the DOJ actually advised universities in writing to ignore the SCOTUS ruling on race based admissions. The ruling determined that you could not use race as the primary factor in determining admission. Yet, the DOJ letter advises the universities that they could carry on as they had been doing.”

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News/Politics 10-7-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

The shutdown continues. And so does the petty nonsense and closings.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Most of the furloughed Department of Defense civilian employees will be recalled, according to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who acknowledged that government lawyers interpreted a Pentagon funding law passed on the eve of the shutdown too narrowly.

“Today I am announcing that most DOD civilians placed on emergency furlough during the government shutdown will be asked to return to work beginning next week,” Hagel said Saturday.”

“House Republicans passed the Pay Our Military Act to the Senate on the eve of the government shutdown in order to insulate the Pentagon from the effects of the lapse in government appropriations.

The Senate passed and President Obama signed the measure, but the Pentagon furloughed about 400,000 civilians anyway.”

Of course they did. This is supposed to be painful because that’s what Obama wants.

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Boehner continues to refuse a stand alone CR.

From Bloomberg  “U.S. Speaker John Boehner said the House can’t pass an increase to the U.S. debt ceiling without packaging it with other provisions — a nonstarter for President Barack Obama.

“We are not going to pass a clean debt limit,” Boehner said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” program. “The votes are not in the House to pass a clean debt limit.”

“Boehner said he believed the country could end up in default if Obama doesn’t negotiate. “That’s the path we’re on,” Boehner said.

Boehner’s comments came as the stalemate between the White House and House Republicans showed little sign of thawing just 11 days from when Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew told lawmakers the U.S. will exhaust measures to avoid breaching the debt ceiling. The House and Senate aren’t scheduled to be in session today and there are no meetings planned between the two sides.”

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Say it with me now….. Most transparent administration evah! 🙄

From HotAir  “Remember when the media rushed to talk about transparency in the Barack Obama “Hope and Change” era? Good times, good times.  Leonard Downie, who once worked as the executive editor of the Washington Post and wrote a novel about Washington corruption and the Iraq War, finds a bigger and non-fictional problem in the successor to George W. Bush.  Downie gives the Post a preview of his report from the Committee to Protect Journalists which outlines the Obama war on reporters and their sources:

“A memo went out from the chief of staff a year ago to White House employees and the intelligence agencies that told people to freeze and retain any e-mail, and presumably phone logs, of communications with me,” Sanger said. As a result, longtime sources no longer talk to him. “They tell me: ‘David, I love you, but don’t e-mail me. Let’s don’t chat until this blows over.’ ”

Sanger, who has worked for the Times in Washington for two decades, said, “This is most closed, control-freak administration I’ve ever covered.”

Many leak investigations include lie-detector tests for government officials with access to the information at issue. “Reporters are interviewing sources through intermediaries now,” Barr told me, “so the sources can truthfully answer on polygraphs that they didn’t talk to reporters.”

Nice.

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And a new term of the Supreme Court is about to start. Should be some interesting cases to follow.

From TheLATimes  “The Supreme Court term that opens Monday gives the court’s conservative bloc a clear opportunity to shift the law to the right on touchstone social issues such as abortion, contraception and religion, as well as the political controversy over campaign funding.

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News/Politics 10-5-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, I’d like to say I’m shocked. I’d like to….

From TheDailyCaller  “In a stunning development, some military priests are facing arrest if they  celebrate mass or practice their faith on military bases during the federal  government shutdown.

“With the government shutdown, many [government service] and contract priests  who minister to Catholics on military bases worldwide are not permitted to work  – not even to volunteer,” wrote John Schlageter, the general counsel for the  Archdiocese for the Military Services USA, in an op-ed this week. “During the shutdown, it  is illegal for them to minister on base and they risk being arrested if they  attempt to do so.””

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Republicans are continuing their efforts to fund some govt departments. FEMA could be an important one if the hurricane in the Gulf causes widespread damage. Let’s see if the obstruction on piecemeal bills continues from the Senate and White House.

From FoxNews  “The House voted Friday to fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as Republicans cast the bill as an emergency measure to help Americans threatened by the approaching tropical storm.”

The bill was one of several House Republicans have pushed in recent days to fund chunks of the government amid the partial government shutdown. 

They’ve been pressuring Democrats, with little success, to support these mini-spending measures while the budget impasse drags on. Republicans upped that pressure on Friday, saying disaster response is critical as Tropical Storm Karen tracks toward the Gulf Coast and is poised to hit this weekend. 

“When you’ve got a storm in the Gulf of Mexico, this is not a time for partisanship,” Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., said after the vote, flanked by Gulf state lawmakers. Scalise called on President Obama to remove his veto threat and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to pass the bill in the Senate. “

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Meanwhile the firm responsible for the ObamaCare implementation has been identified. And no offense to our Canadian friends, but couldn’t we have found a US company instead of outsourcing to Canada?

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “A Canadian tech firm that has provided service to that country’s single-payer health care system is behind the glitch-ridden United States national health care exchange site healthcare.gov.

CGI Federal is a subsidiary of Montreal-based CGI Group. With offices in Fairfax, Va., the subsidiary has been a darling of the Obama administration, which since 2009 has bestowed it with $1.4 billion in federal contracts, according to USAspending.gov.

The “CGI” in the parent company’s name stands for “Conseillers en Gestion et Informatique” in French, which roughly translates to “Information Systems and Management Consultants.” However, the firm offers another translation: “Consultants to Government and Industry.”

The company is deeply embedded in Canada’s single-payer system. CGI has provided IT services to the Canadian Ministries of Health in Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Saskatchewan, as well as to the national health provider, Health Canada, according to CGI’s Canadian website.”

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And the last one from me today is this. The founder of McAfee speaks out about the lack of security with the ObamaCare sites. Still needin’ that face palm smiley. 🙄

From TheDailyCaller  “For starters, McAfee said the way it is set up makes it possible for fake  websites be set up to fool people to think they’re signing  up for Obamacare.

“It’s seriously bad,” McAfee said. “Somebody made a grave error, not in designing the program but in simply implementing the web aspect of it. I mean, for example, anybody can put up a web page and claim to be a broker for this  system. There is no central place where I can go and say, ‘OK, here are all the legitimate brokers the examiners for all of the states and pick and choose one.’”

“According to McAfee, there’s not a quick fix — and as long as it set up this  way, it could be a playground for computer hackers.”

““Here’s the problem: It’s not something software can solve,” McAfee continued. “I mean, what idiot put this system out there and did not create a central  depository? There should be one website, run by the government, you go to that  website and then you can click on all of the agencies. This is insane. So, I will predict that the loss of income for the millions of Americans who are going  to lose their identities — I mean, you can imagine some retired lady in Utah, who has $75,000 dollars in the bank, saving her whole life, having it  wiped out in one day because she signed up for Obamacare. And believe me, this  is going to happen millions of times.”

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News/Politics 10-1-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, as always.

Well, it’s shutdown. So this is either the worst thing ever if you listen to Dems, or it’s no big deal. I hate not knowing whether it’s time to panic or not. 🙂

From NBCNews  “With just hours to go before a midnight deadline, the Senate swiftly nixed a House-passed government funding proposal late Monday, tossing the legislation back to the lower chamber with unusual speed as the nation careened towards a federal shutdown. 

Shortly after receiving the House proposal to fund the government and delay a key provision of the president’s health care law, the Senate voted along party lines to send the bill back to the House for a last-ditch effort at meeting a midnight deadline to keep the government’s lights on. 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor before the vote that Republicans “have lost their minds” by repeatedly voting for “ridiculous policy riders” destined for failure in the Democratically-controlled Senate.”

If it’s the end of the world, why do I feel fine?

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This one? Well it’s kinda like that Sequester thingy. It’s supposed to be bad, and it might be for the little guys in the federal food chain. But rest assured, the people in charge are gonna be OK.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “A federal government shutdown will temporarily cut off pay of thousands of Uncle Sam’s workers, but for those considered “excepted employees,” there could be a nice salary bump thanks to rules allowing overtime, compensatory time and other benefits provided to those the administration feels too important to furlough.

In advance of the potential shutdown, the Office of Personnel Management distributed a 30-page “Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs” that spells out who will get what, if anything, if President Obama and House Republicans can’t negotiate a break in the budget stalemate by Monday night, the end of the fiscal year.

Most workers won’t be considered excepted employees, but OPM emphasized that it’s not because their work isn’t valued. “Excepted employees include employees who are performing emergency work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property or performing certain other types of excepted work,” said the guide.”

Comp time and overtime will be permitted for the lucky ones. The ones who get furloughed will get back pay when they get back to work, at least they have the last 17 times this has happened.

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Today is the scheduled launch day for ObamaCare. And yes, it breaks federal law on taxpayers not funding abortions.

From TheWashingtonTimes  “The Office of Personnel Management ruled Monday that members of Congress and  their staffs will be able to buy health care plans that pay for abortions, even  though the premiums are funded largely by taxpayer money — a move that  conservatives say breaks federal law on abortion funding.

Under the terms of Obamacare, lawmakers and their aides are required to  ditch their government-sponsored plans and buy insurance on state-based health  care exchanges, though unlike most people on the exchanges, the staffers and  members will have most of the costs of their premiums paid by their employer —  in this case, taxpayers.”

“Federal law generally prevents taxpayer money from being used to pay for  abortions, but OPM said the health care plans offered through the exchange were  private. The agency also said it will make sure the money is segregated so that  the portion that pays for abortions comes out of the employees’ own  contributions, which amounts to about a quarter of the premiums.”

Please. Don’t insult our intelligence. That’s hogwash and they know it. It’s a distinction without a difference.

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And last one from me today…

The Obama DoD continues their war on Christians.

From FoxNews  “Evangelical Christian airmen at Lackland Air Force Base are facing severe threats and retribution for their religious beliefs and some personnel have been ordered to publicly express their position on gay marriage.

“There is an atmosphere of intimidation at Lackland Air Force Base,” said Steve Branson, the pastor of Village Parkway Baptist Church in San Antonio. “Gay commanders and officers are pushing their agenda on the airmen. There is a culture of fear in the military and it’s gone to a new level with the issue of homosexuality.”

Branson tells me at least 80 airmen attended a private meeting at the church where he heard them voice their concerns about religious hostilities at the Air Force base. It was a standing-room only crowd.

“The religious persecution is happening,” the pastor said. “It’s getting bigger every day. Gay and lesbian airmen can talk about their lifestyle, but the rest have to stay completely quiet about what they believe.”

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UPDATE

Looks like the govt isn’t the only thing down this morning.

From Twitchy  “Surprise! Obamacare health insurance exchange websites don’t work”

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Now by now you’re all aware that I’m a bit snarky. But I’m a rank amateur compared to some of these. 🙂  Via Twitter, the first hour of shutdown Tweets.

And the fun continues in the comment section. 🙂

Also from Twitchy  “We’ve just lost the Eastern Seaboard. Pray.”

“I think I just saw a star go out.”

“The space station is spinning out of control and the polar bears are dying.”