What’s interesting in the news today?

1. As they say, the devil is in the details.

And as they also say, there is no free lunch.

From TheSeattleTimes  “It was the fine print.

As fine print is wont to do, it had buried itself in a long form — Balhorn’s application for free health insurance through the expanded state Medicaid program. As the paperwork lay on the dining-room table in Port Townsend, Prins began reading.

She was shocked: If you’re 55 or over, Medicaid can come back after you’re dead and bill your estate for ordinary health-care expenses.

The way Prins saw it, that meant health insurance via Medicaid is hardly “free” for Washington residents 55 or older. It’s a loan, one whose payback requirements aren’t well advertised. And it penalizes people who, despite having a low income, have managed to keep a home or some savings they hope to pass to heirs, Prins said.

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2. The GOP effort to restore military pension cuts has failed. It’s a sad day when a country doesn’t keep it’s promises to veterans. They swore an oath and honored it. This breaks the promises this country made in return for that.

From FoxNews  “A final effort by Senate Republicans to halt cuts to pensions of military retirees failed late Tuesday, after Democrats blocked an amendment to the controversial budget bill.

The two-year budget agreement, which cleared a key test vote earlier in the day, was expected to get a final vote no later than Wednesday.

Ahead of the final vote, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., tried unsuccessfully to use a parliamentary tactic to force a vote on the amendment, which he wrote to undo the cuts for military retirees.

A provision in the already House-passed bill would cut retirement benefits for military retirees by $6 billion over 10 years.”

There are plenty of areas in the military budget worth cutting. The billions they’re wasting on “green fuels” at an outrageous cost would be a good place to start. And notice they left the unionized civilians workers alone, just like with Tri-Care. This is aimed at the troops. This is just wrong.

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3. And in case you are wondering, no, disabled vets are not exempt like union workers.

From TheFreeBeacon  “A provision cutting the pensions of military retirees in the bipartisan budget deal that the Senate will vote on this week does not exempt disabled veterans, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

Disabled retirees were previously thought to be exempt from the changes to military retiree pay, which could cost servicemembers up to $124,000 over a 20-year period.

The Free Beacon previously reported that military retirees under the age of 62 would receive 1 percentage point less in their annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in the plan crafted by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray (D., Wash.).

The section of the U.S. code that has been altered also applies to disabled servicemembers, many of whom have been wounded in combat.”

Those who vote for this should be ashamed of themselves.

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4. Dissent is not tolerated. And remember, $1.5 million a day in federal funds go to support PP. So we’re probably paying for their “lobbying” against this man. Witch hunt is more like it.

From LifeNews.com  “Planned Parenthood is after the career and livelihood of a distinguished, highly-qualified, good high school teacher, Bill Diss, who had the audacity to tell Planned Parenthood that they were not allowed in his classroom.After a second hearing last night, that pro-life teacher, Bill Diss, has been fired.

The school board for the Portland Public School District voted to terminate Diss’ contract after Planned Parenthood’s lobbying effort.

Diss experienced censure in his teaching career beginning in 2007 when he publicly opposed the building of a new Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in downtown Portland. The current action follows Mr. Diss’ opposition to being forced to facilitate presenters from the Teen Outreach Program (TOP), a program administered by Planned Parenthood, coming into his tutorial session to recruit students.”

“Diss also spoke in defense of himself and asked the school board to consider the ways in which he was targeted by Planned Parenthood. He reminded them that his teacher reviews had been exemplary until he took a stand against Planned Parenthood. He also mentioned the hundreds of thousands of dollars he brought in grants to the school. After listening to the public comments, the school board recessed for private consultation.”

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5. Are televangelists about to go the way of the dodo thanks to Congress?

From NationalJournal  “Congress is trying to take televangelists from your televisions.

That’s the argument from faith-based broadcasters who are pushing to preserve the nation’s “must-carry” rules. The rules, which date back to 1992, require cable and satellite companies to pick up local broadcast affiliates—even the small, less popular stations.

Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., is pushing legislation to scrap those rules as part of a broader effort to deregulate the airways. Online video and expansive satellite lineups have given consumers so many options that the government no longer needs to decide who carries what, Scalise said.

But local broadcasters say they provide a public good, and therefore providers should be barred from dropping them in favor of potentially more lucrative outside programming.”

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