Obamacare

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News/Politics 9-20-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, here’s a few to start things off.

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From Breitbart  “Obamacare is before the U.S. Supreme Court again. On Thursday, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) lawyers filed the first viable petition for Supreme Court review involving Kathleen Sebelius’ HHS Mandate, which requires employers to provide abortion-related insurance coverage, even if those employers have a religious objection to abortion.  

Section 1001 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare) requires all large employers to offer “preventive services” to their employees or face enormous financial penalties. With President Obama’s approval, Sebelius issued a regulation that defined preventive services to include access to birth control, including those that cause abortions after conception. The regulation issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) only allows narrow exceptions, such as for churches, but leaves other religion-oriented or religiously-owned employers subject to the regulation. “

“These lawsuits argue both that the HHS Mandate violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment as well as a federal law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The federal appeals courts have split on whether a religiously-owned business can claim religious-liberty protections and whether requiring people to provide abortion-related services is a substantial burden on religious faith.”

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But Democrat Chris Murphy would like you to believe that forcing folks to violate their religious convictions is the morally right thing to do. 🙄

From CNSNews  “Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said that it would be morally justifiable for Congress to pass a continuing resolution that forces Americans to buy health care plans covering abortion-inducing drugs even if doing so violates their religious beliefs.

CNSNews.com asked Murphy about funding the controversial provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, following a press conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday.”

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Tom DeLay is back in the news. His conviction for money laundering has been overturned on appeal.

From KVUE/ABC  “Found guilty in 2010, the lawmaker known as “the Hammer” became a convicted felon.

 “It is what it is and we will carry on,” DeLay told reporters after the  verdict was announced. Lead attorney Dick DeGuerin assured the gathered  media, “This will never stand up on appeal.”

On Thursday, a two to one decision by the Third Court of Appeals  overturned that conviction, citing a lack of evidence. In the majority  opinion, Justice Melissa Goodwin explained, “The fundamental problem  with the State’s case was its failure to prove proceeds of criminal  activity.”

This decision will be appealed as well, but by prosecutors.

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Just think, when Common Core is fully implemented all public school kids will be learning the important stuff they need to succeed.

Or not. 🙄

From FoxNews  “Fourth grade students in Vermilion Parish, La. were given a homework  assignment that included words like “Po Pimp” and “mobstaz,” but school  officials said the worksheet was age appropriate based on an education website  affiliated with Common Core education standards.

“I try to instill values in my son,” parent Brittney Badeaux told Fox News.  “My goal is for him to ultimately to become a great man, a family man, a  well-rounded man. And now my son wants to know what a pimp is.””

“Vermilion Parish School Superintendent Jerome Puyau told Fox News the  “po-pimp” assignment was aligned to a fourth grade English Language Arts  standard for Common Core.

“Out of context, this word is inappropriate,” Puyau said. “However, within  the Common Core standards, they do want us to discuss real world texts.”

The Superintendent says this will help them later in life when buying albums. I kid you not. 🙄

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And here’s one that Chas posted last night, in case you missed it.

There’s a whole lot I’d like to say about these cowards not having the decency to hear these folks out. But I won’t. I’ll just say that I find this disgusting and shameful, which is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Democrats.

From TownHall  “During the second portion of a House Oversight and Government Reform hearing about Benghazi Thursday on Capitol Hill, the majority of Democrats on the Committee left the room and refused to listen to the testimony of Patricia Smith and Charles Woods. Ms. Smith is the mother of Sean Smith, an information management officer killed in the 9/11 Benghazi attack. Charles Woods is the father of Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, who was also killed.”

More here from HotAir, along with some video.

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News/Politics 9-19-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

I’m feeling under the weather today. You folks are pretty much on your own. But here’s a few I did want to post.

From TheBBC  “Multiple sources in the Capitol Police department, which guards the US Capitol complex, have told the BBC that its highly trained and heavily armed four-man Containment and Emergency Response Team (Cert) was near the Navy Yard when the initial report of an active shooter came in at about 8:20 local time.

The officers, wearing full tactical gear and armed with HK-416 assault weapons, arrived outside Building 197 a few minutes later, an official with knowledge of the incident told the BBC.

According to a Capitol Police source, an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Washington DC’s main municipal force, told the Capitol Cert officers they were the only police on the site equipped with long guns, and requested their help stopping the gunman. When the Capitol Police team radioed their superiors, they were told by a watch commander to leave the scene, the BBC was told.”

“I don’t think it’s a far stretch to say that some lives may have been saved if we were allowed to intervene,” a Capitol Police source familiar with the incident told the BBC.”

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From TheFreeBeacon  “Under Secretary of State Patrick Kennedy said the government of Libya is not allowing U.S. law enforcement into the country to arrest individuals connected with the Benghazi attack because the Libyan government “is not in control to that degree” Wednesday in a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.

Kennedy explained ever since the events of September 11, 2012 the country has taken a “serious turn for the worse.”

Journalists, according to Kennedy, still have access to the country but the Libyan government’s authority is so diminished it is incapable of allowing the United States in to arrest people:”

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From CNSNews  “House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), appearing with other Republican  leaders on Wednesday, said the House will pass a continuing resolution  (CR) that defunds Obamacare and lets the Senate deal with it.

He also  indicated that Republicans will use debt limit legislation as leverage in an attempt  to cut spending.

Two other Republicans said their conference has agreed to “delay” Obamacare.”

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From TownHall  “Traditionally, an “interfaith” meeting would mandate that some sort of “faith” be present by all parties, but that is no longer the case with the Obama administration. The Secular Student Alliance, a national nonprofit dedicated to organizing nonreligious students, has been invited to help plan a national gathering for the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Challenge.”

“While it is curious that an organization that explicitly denies the existence of faith would be invited to an “interfaith” meeting, it is hardly the Obama administration’s first outreach to those lacking any belief in a higher power. Atheists were present at a 2010 “interfaith discussion” at the White House, which prompted criticism from religious leaders.”

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News/Politics 9-17-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, some good news. 🙂

From ChristianityToday  “For Abby Johnson, the closing of a single Planned Parenthood center demonstrated her dramatic reversal from abortion clinic director to leading pro-life advocate.

But for pro-lifers throughout the United States, it marked another exhibit in a hopeful trend—abortion centers are shutting down at an unprecedented rate. The total so far this year is 44, according to a pro-life organization that tracks clinic operations.

None was more telling for Johnson than the mid-July closing of the Planned Parenthood center in Bryan, Texas. It came less than four years after Johnson, burdened by her involvement with abortion, walked out of that clinic as its director and into the offices of the Coalition for Life.”

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Needless to say, some aren’t as happy about it.

From HuffPo  “At least 54 abortion providers across 27 states have shut down or ended their abortion services in the past three years, and several more clinics are only still open because judges have temporarily blocked legislation that would make it difficult for them to continue to operate. Nebraska and Massachusetts have each added one clinic since 2010, and the other 21 states and the District of Columbia, most of which have not passed new anti-abortion laws since 2010, were unable to accurately count their clinics because their health departments do not license abortion providers separately from other kinds of medical providers. The Huffington Post’s tally did not include hospitals that provide abortions.

“This kind of change is incredibly dramatic,” said Elizabeth Nash, state issues manager at the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research organization. “What we’ve been seeing since 1982 was a slow decline, but this kind of change … [is] so different from what’s happened in the past.””

“This has turned into a nightmare,” said Kat Sabine, executive director of NARAL’s Arizona affiliate. “The kind of efforts the women have to take to get family planning or abortion services are just incredible, and you can only get care if you can get out of the community to do it. If you’re on a reservation or rural part of the state, unless you have reliable transportation, you’re not going to get care.”

And then doom and gloom scenarios end exactly where you would expect them to.

Yep. Cries of a “War on Women” by Republicans. Yeah, we didn’t see that comin’……

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Next, the DC Navy Yard shooting.

From TheWaPo  “At least 13 people are dead and 14 others were injured after a gunman opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, Navy officials said, spreading fear and chaos across the region as authorities sought to contain the panic.”

“D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier and Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced the mounting number of casualties in a series of news conferences. The suspected shooter, identified by the FBI as Aaron Alexis, 34, living in Fort Worth, is among the 13 dead. Alexis was a military contractor, one official said.”

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Why does this not surprise me?

From NYPost  “‘Are you sexually active? If so, with one partner, multiple partners or same-sex partners?”

Be ready to answer those questions and more the next time you go to the doctor, whether it’s the dermatologist or the cardiologist and no matter if the questions are unrelated to why you’re seeking medical help. And you can thank the Obama health law.

“This is nasty business,” says New York cardiologist Dr. Adam Budzikowski. He called the sex questions “insensitive, stupid and very intrusive.” He couldn’t think of an occasion when a cardiologist would need such information — but he knows he’ll be pushed to ask for it.

The president’s “reforms” aim to turn doctors into government agents, pressuring them financially to ask questions they consider inappropriate and unnecessary, and to violate their Hippocratic Oath to keep patients’ records confidential.”

But we’ve always been told it’s Republicans who stick their noses in what happens in private bedrooms and other people’s sex lives. Who knew? :roll:.

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Like I said last night, it’s good to be part of the exempt ruling class huh?

From NationalReview  “Prostitution. Bribery. Blackmail. Thuggery. Hypocrisy.

Those were just some of the incendiary words thrown around the U.S. Senate last week, and that doesn’t count what people said in private.

The Senate may still have a reputation as a genteel club, but lawmakers seemed to abandon rules of decorum completely last week in arguments about whether Congress should be treated like the rest of the country when it comes to Obamacare. 

Senator David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, has demanded a floor vote on his bill to end an exemption that members of Congress and their staffs are slated to get that will make them the only participants in the new Obamacare exchanges to receive generous subsidies from their employer to pay for their health insurance. Angry Senate Democrats have drafted legislation that dredges up a 2007 prostitution scandal involving Vitter. The confrontation is a perfect illustration of just how wide the gulf in attitudes is between the Beltway and the rest of the country — and how viciously Capitol Hill denizens will fight for their privileges.”

It’s their “Precious.”

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We’ll finish today with a story related to yesterday’s on “Common Core Curriculum.” Or, if you prefer, you can call it what I do. Just another reason to home school.

From TheDC-Clothesline  “I am a high school English teacher. I became a teacher because I believe that literacy, which goes beyond just reading the words on the page, is an absolute necessity for maintaining our Republic. Proof of that is found in the many laws against reading certain texts, or against reading altogether, that have been passed down by every tyrant since literacy became available to the general population. A few examples of such tyrannical laws are the Taliban banning reading for any female or laws against teaching slaves to read or the Soviet Union’s banning of such books as A Wrinkle in Time, Where’s Waldo, and To Kill a Mockingbird. The communist Khmer Rogue in Cambodia so hated literacy that just wearing glasses was cause for execution. Literacy leads to freedom and tyrants know it.

 I have been teaching for over twenty years. Generally, I have been given either no curriculum or curriculum that was focused on skills, not specific texts. I would have to get those skills taught in whatever way I wanted to get there. Sometimes I was given more direction and that direction was generally pretty good including texts, key terms, supplemental stories, and suggested writing assignments. These directions were created at a school level by the teachers in the school. I helped write some myself. Mostly, I have had a lot of freedom in how I could achieve the learning goals. Not anymore.

Today I was in a professional development session for my school district. Our school system has swallowed the Common Core curriculum whole. Why wouldn’t they? The federal system has said that it is “voluntary”, but “voluntary” means that the district gets cut off from major federal funding if it does not adopt the standards, so “voluntary” is subjective. Here is what the Washington Post reported Sen. Charles Grassley has to say about Common Core:

Current federal law makes clear that the U.S. Department of Education may not be involved in setting specific content standards or determining the content of state assessments. Nevertheless, the selection criteria designed by the U.S. Department of Education for the Race to the Top Program provided that for a state to have any chance to compete for funding, it must commit to adopting a “common set of K-12 standards” matching the description of the Common Core.”

She then goes on to expose the ugly heart of Common Core. It’s a liberal educator/indoctrinators dream come true.

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by

News/Politics 9-11-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread, as always.

First up, the Syria debacle. The President made his pitch to the country last night. I doubt many will be swayed by his speech. The official storyline changes daily. A little consistency might help his cause.

From WeaselZippers  “Yesterday: Obama Says Assad Not A “Credible” Threat To America – Today: Assad Is A Threat To Our National Security…“

“Assad has capability “relative to children,” the president told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, but “he doesn’t have a credible means to threaten the United States.”

“The question now is what the United States of America and the international community is prepared to do about it, because what happened to those people — to those children — is not only a violation of international law, it’s also a danger to our security. Let me explain why.”

“Our ideals and principles, as well as our national security, are at stake in Syria, along with our leadership of a world where we seek to ensure that the worst weapons will never be used.”

Zip asks the appropriate question “Which is it?”

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The spin machine is working overtime.

From BuzzFeed  “The Obama administration’s explanation of how a Russian proposal to get rid of Syrian chemical weapons came to be has morphed rapidly in the past 24 hours from being portrayed as an unexpected slip-up to — in its new incarnation — a plan that U.S. officials were involved in as early as last week.

“I had some conversations about this with my counterpart from Russia last week,” Secretary of State John Kerry said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, referring to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “President Putin raised the issue with President Obama at St. Petersburg. President Obama directed us to try to continue to talk and see if it is possible. So it is not something that — you know, suddenly emerged, though it did publicly. But it cannot be allowed to be a delay.”

Later, under questioning by Rep. Hank Johnson, Kerry said he had not made a mistake when he suggested the proposal in a press conference in London on Monday.”

“The administration has quickly changed its line on an idea that it scrambled to play down yesterday in the White House and State Department briefings even as the Russians immediately followed up by making the proposal to the Syrians, who “welcomed” it.”

Again, which is it?

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Rebels are demanding strikes.

From YahooNews  “The chaos in Syria will only get worse and destabilize the entire region if the global community fails to act, key figures of the war-torn country’s opposition said Tuesday.

Only Washington can deter Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons and so the US Congress should give the White House the go-ahead to target the strongman, they added.

Ahmad al-Jarba, president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, and Salim Idriss, chief of the rebel Free Syrian Army, wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post.”

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In other news……..

The cover-up continues.

From WeaselZippers  “Report: Kerry Refuses To Allow Congress To Question Benghazi Survivors, Republicans Threaten To Issue Subpoenas…“

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This has to sting the “Smart Diplomacy” crowd’s egos.

From Reason.com  “Poll: 64 Percent of Americans Say President Obama’s Handling of Foreign Policy Is Worse or the Same as President George W. Bush’s

74 percent of Americans say strikes on Syria would be “unwise” and half of Americans believe the D.C.  establishment wants war more than the public

As the country debates launching airstrikes on Syria, President Barack Obama’s standing on foreign policy has taken such a hit that the latest Reason-Rupe poll finds 64 percent of Americans, including 68 percent of independents and 41 percent of Democrats, believe President Obama’s handling of foreign policy is worse than, or the same as, former President George W. Bush’s handling of foreign policy.”

Ouch.

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Looks like an October House vote on the Immigration/Amnesty bill.

From MSNBC  “Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte, chair of the House Judiciary Committee overseeing immigration, said he expected Congress to pursue reform legislation despite a tight schedule featuring debates over Syria, health care, and the debt limit.

Those and other issues “should not deter us from getting to [immigration] as soon as possible,” Goodlatte said in an appearance on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show on Tuesday.

Goodlatte said he expected votes soon, perhaps in October, on a series of smaller House bills on border security, internal enforcement,  guest workers, and high-tech visas.”

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Unions that supported ObamaCare are asking for a “fix” for them, which would cost taxpayers 187 billion over a decade. Funny how all the supporters of this bad law want to be excluded from its effects. Congress, govt workers, and now Unions.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “Big Labor officials are negotiating with Obama administration officials on a “fix” to spare multi-employer pension plans, which are provided by many unions to their members, from the higher costs they would face under the president’s health care law.

A forthcoming report estimates the cost to taxpayers for that fix at $187 billion over 10 years.

Multi-employer plans — also known as “Taft-Hartley” plans — are ineligible for federal subsidies under Obamacare. This has many unions worried, since it will raise the cost of the plans, pushing employers to either limit coverage or pull out altogether. Some are already moving in that direction.”

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Some union members are finally figuring out that national union leadership is not working in their best interest. They’re more interested in helping Democrats push progressive causes. Including some that work against union members. ObamaCare is a perfect example. Immigration/Amnesty is another.

From TheWashingtonTimes  “The AFL-CIO needs to stick with representing workers and stop trying  to take on social  causes for the far left, said the union head for the  International  Association of Fire Fighters.

Harold Schaitberger, who presides  over the IAFF,  said there is “great  value” in aligning with political groups — but only as a  secondary  mission, he told The Hill. And the AFL-CIO’s  recent push to bring in environmental groups and  progressive-minded organizations to the union cause is leading the IAFF to express  concerns about politics becoming the priority, over the  representation  of members.

“To say that we are going to grow this labor movement by some kind of  formal  partnership, membership, status,  place in this federation, I am  against. This is the American  Federation of Labor. We are supposed to be  representing workers and  workers’ interests,” Mr. Schaitberger said in  The Hill. “We are not going to be the American  Federation of  Progressive and Liberal Organizations.”

He’s not alone in that view. Union members from the construction  sector have been especially vocal against bringing environmental  groups  into the AFL-CIO family, viewing them as the enemy in the Keystone XL  pipeline fight.”

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Meanwhile ObamaCare continues to be a job and hours killer.

From TheWeeklyStandard  “A Grand Rapids, Michigan report on a company that had to lay off over 1,000 people due to the Obamacare medical device tax:

“There are also new taxes affecting West Michigan industry, in particular, that took effect this year,” says a local reporter. “There’s a new 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device manufacturers. According to some reports, Kalamazoo based Stryker has laid off more than a thousand people because of it–and owes the federal government upwards of $100 million dollars this year alone. Late last week a Stryker spokesperson told me that Obamacare will cost the company fully 20 percent of its total research and development investments.”

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And it appears that the first reports on the altercation between George Zimmerman, his estranged wife, and his father-in-law may have been seriously exaggerated. Police are calling into question many of his estranged wife’s statements.

From ABC/ActionNews  “Lake Mary Police are now questioning the validity of several statements Shellie  Zimmerman made when she told 911 dispatchers her estranged husband, George  Zimmerman, threatened her and her father at gunpoint Monday afternoon.

“We did not find a gun, did not locate a weapon,” said Zach Hudson, public  information officer with the Lake Mary Police Department.  “Nobody ever saw  a gun. A gun is not part of this story.”

“”He continually has his hand on his gun and he keeps saying, ‘Step  closer.’  He is just threatening all of us,”  Shellie can be heard  telling dispatchers.”

“Hudson told ABC Action News Shellie provided a written statement Monday night  saying she never saw a gun and only assumed her estranged husband was carrying a  weapon because he touched his stomach.”

As I’m sure you’re all aware, this isn’t the first time she’s been accused of being untruthful with authorities. In fact she was already convicted for it. What a mess.

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by

News/Politics 9-10-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Harry Reid is delaying what would have been a 9-11 vote on Syria. They’ve lost the battle, and are starting to realize it.

From TheHill  “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Monday delayed a vote on using  military force against Syria.

Faced with stiffening opposition from Republicans and skepticism from many  Democrats, Reid said he would not rush the vote to begin considering the  controversial use-of-force resolution.

He insisted he was not delaying action because of a lack of votes.”

Sure Harry. And Obama never said anything about a red line right? 🙄

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Next, Assad’s forces have launched an attempt to liberate the Christian villages being attacked and terrorized by Islamic rebels.

From JPost/Reuters  “Syrian government forces launched an offensive to wrest back control of an historic Christian town north of Damascus on Monday, activists said.

In the past six days, the town of Maaloula has already changed hands three times between President Bashar Assad’s forces and rebel groups, some of which are linked to al-Qaida.”

More here from WaPo 

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More bad news for ObamaCare.

From RedAlertPolitics  “While much of the public relations campaign for President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has centered around convincing Millennials to buy into the law’s healthcare exchanges, just 11 percent of them now plan to do so according to a new poll by The Morning Consult.

The August National Healthcare Tracking Poll, which was released Wednesday, found that only 11 percent of  registered voters were “almost certain to purchase” insurance through the healthcare exchanges, while just 24 percent were “likely certain” to do so. Half of those who responded said they were “about 50-50″ when it came to buying into the healthcare exchanges, while 27 percent were unlikely to do so.

Overall, only 8 percent of registered voters were almost certain to buy into the exchanges and 14 percent were likely certain to do so.”

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More dirty dealings in Chicago and Illinois. And once again, it involves associates of the President.

From TheChicagoSunTimes  “The U.S. attorney’s office in Springfield has been busy the past few years investigating a variety of fraud schemes involving state grants. Thirteen people have been charged so far, six who have pleaded guilty.

Two of them have ties to President Barack Obama. One is the daughter of his controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Another was chief of staff to Obama’s longtime friend Eric E. Whitaker when Whitaker was Illinois’ public health chief.

In all, prosecutors are alleging a total of $16 million in fraud involving state health or commerce department grants and contracts.”

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It would probably be a good idea to avoid DC on this day. A million muslim march, and a biker counter protest. What could possibly go wrong? 😯

Needless to say the city tried to discourage the bikers by denying their permit. They’re havin’ none of it.

From BizPacReview  “The countdown to Sept. 11 commemoration demonstrations by patriotic bikers versus a fringe Muslim “truther” group is taking shape, and despite some confusion about the technicalities, the court of popular opinion isn’t even close:

Let the good guys roll.

Denied a permit by the nation’s capital for a special “non-stop” ride through town with a waiver for red lights, stop signs and other traffic controls, organizers of the “2 Million Bikers to DC” ride to remember 9/11 are undeterred.

Just riding on a public street doesn’t take any special permission after all, even if you have a million people doing it. They just sought the permit to make life easier on the city’s residents and businesses.”

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And George Zimmerman has new legal problems.

From TheDailyMail  “George Zimmerman was today questioned by police  after allegedly threatening his estranged wife with a handgun in an altercation  sparked by claims he has been having an affair, MailOnline can reveal.”

“Police were called to the Lake Mary, Florida  residence owned by Shellie Zimmerman’s parents, David and Machelle Dean, after  she made a panicked 911 call at around 2.15pm Monday.”

“‘He’s in his car and he continually  has his  hand on his gun. He keeps staying “Step closer”. He’s just  threatening all of  us with his firearm. He’s going to shoot us.”

UPDATE!

Police are now saying there was no gun involved.

From NBCNews  “Police now say they didn’t confiscate Zimmerman’s gun

Lake Mary PIO Zach Hudson backtracks during a press conference on initial police reports that George Zimmerman had a gun during altercation with wife.”

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News/Politics 9-7-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

We’ll start out today with a good news story.

From WCHSTV  “A just-released 911 call reveals the dramatic moment when two Dallas-area teens were able to help save a woman who had allegedly been kidnapped after they saw her mouth the words “help me” from the back of a moving vehicle.

ABC News reported that Charles Atkins Lewis, 37, was arrested Aug. 22 after allegedly kidnapping the woman, 25, who has not been identified, at gunpoint and forcing her into his car in downtown Dallas. The two teenagers noticed the woman from their car as Lewis allegedly drove her through Kaufman County, according to the recording.”

“Police arrested Lewis and he has been charged him with aggravated kidnapping. He remains in jail on $50,000 bond and it’s unclear whether he has a lawyer.”

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Then some bad news outta Texas too. The next 2 are related stories.

From TheBlaze  “San Antonio’s leaders on Thursday approved anti-bias protections for gay and transgender residents, over the disapproval of top Texas Republicans and religious conservatives who packed a City Council hearing and occasionally shamed supporters for comparing the issue to the civil rights movement.

The 8-3 City Council vote in favor of the ordinance was a victory for gay rights advocates and for Democratic Mayor Julian Castro, a top surrogate of President Barack Obama. Castro has called the ordinance overdue in the nation’s seventh-largest city, where there is a stronger current of traditionalism and conservatism than other major Texas cities that already have similar gay rights protections.”

““The problem I have is that you criminalize us if we speak our faith,” said Marc Longoria, 42, a pastor at My Father’s House Church. “We are Christians all the time. We don’t have an on and off switch.””

Here’s the original story again that I linked to a couple of weeks back.

From OneNewsNow 

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Some Democrat Senators are proposing an alternative plan for Syria. Or it’s just a “Peace in our Time” type moment.

From TheHill  “Two Senate Democrats are circulating an alternative resolution on military  intervention in Syria that would give President Bashar Assad’s regime a 45-day  window to avoid a strike if it signs a chemical weapons ban.”

“In addition to the ultimatum presented to Assad, the resolution would also  require the president to present a “long term strategy” on Syria to prevent the  use of chemical weapons.”

““The failure by the government of Bashar al-Assad to sign and comply with the  [Chemical Weapons] Convention clearly demonstrates a disregard of international  norms on the use of chemical weapons. If the Government of Syria does not sign  the Convention within 45 after the date of the enactment of this resolution, all  elements of national power will be considered by the United States government,”  read a draft obtained by The Washington Post.”

And it looks like maybe the President just found his out. Let’s hope he takes it.

From TheDailyCaller  “President Barack Obama hinted Friday that he might not strike Syria if Congress rejects his authorization request.

“I’m not itching for military action… and if there are good ideas that are worth pursuing, then I’m going to be open to them,” he told one reporter who asked if he was seeking alternatives to a missile strike.”

“Some in Congress have suggested giving the Syrian regime 45 days to sign the  Chemical Weapons Convention, get rid of its chemical stockpiles, do something  that would enhance the international sense of accountability for Syria, but  delay military action,” the reporter asked.

“I am listening to all these ideas, and some of them are constructive,” he said.”

Face, saved.

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Attention is being drawn to just who it is the Obama admin is taking advice on Syria from. That undue influence from radical Muslim groups thing the admin is known for. Again.

From HuffPo  “A Wall Street Journal op-ed cited this week by both Secretary of State John Kerry and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has drawn scrutiny for not disclosing writer Elizabeth O’Bagy’s ties to a Syrian rebel advocacy group.

On Thursday, The Daily Caller examined O’Bagy’s role as political director for the Syria Emergency Task Force, a group that has lobbied the White House and Congress to support the rebels. O’Bagy told The Daily Caller that she is not a salaried employee, but serves as a paid contractor.

Journalist Laura Rozen questioned Friday why the Journal op-ed — which was published a week ago online and in Saturday’s print edition — did not identify O’Bagy’s affiliation with the group.”

It also explains why McCain is so far out there on the matter, and is adamant about aiding the rebels.

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Others in the Democrat ranks are happy for the distraction Syria is providing.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “White House plans for a health care messaging blitz ahead of Obamacare’s rollout have been overshadowed by the president’s call to strike Syria, distracting the administration from its plan to focus attention on a litany of domestic issues.

Obamacare was supposed to get its time in the limelight over these next few weeks, ahead of October’s open enrollment launch for the healthcare law’s insurance exchanges.”

“Some Democrats, however, downplayed the lack of attention on the health law.

“Politically speaking, it’s not the worst thing,” a veteran Democratic strategist, given anonymity to speak candidly about Obamacare, said. “Recently, the focus on health care has done more harm than good. I’m highly skeptical that a new PR blitz, even from the likes of President Clinton, will do much.”

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We have a new record number of Americans no longer in the work force, so the unemployment rate is down again.

From CNSNews  “The number of Americans who are 16 years or older and who have decided not to participate in the nation’s labor force has pushed past 90,000,000 for the first time, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

In July, according to BLS, 89,957,000 Americans did not participate in the labor force. In August, that climbed to 90,473,000–a one month increase of 516,000.”

The number was 80 million when Obama took office. 10 million more now, and that’s how you drop the UC rate. But is it a recovery? No.

From MSNMoney  “Payrolls in the U.S. climbed less than projected in August after smaller gains the prior two months, indicating companies are being deliberate in their hiring as they wait for a pickup in demand. The unemployment rate unexpectedly fell as more people left the labor force.

 The gain of 169,000 workers last month followed a revised 104,000 rise in July that was smaller than initially estimated, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of 96 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for an August increase of 180,000. Unemployment dropped to 7.3 percent, the lowest since December 2008.

 The weaker data come as Federal Reserve officials, who meet Sept. 17-18, are debating whether the expansion and job market have improved enough to warrant trimming monthly bond purchases. While some companies are awaiting a pickup in sales before adding to staff, Ford Motor Co. (F) is among those putting more workers on assembly lines as the auto industry surges.”

And the actual job gains are always lowered on revision, and this will be too.

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News/Politics 9-5-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, the rush to war. They’re in such a hurry they broke their own rules to get it moving.

From TheDailyBeast  “Senate Democratic leadership tossed aside the rules for moving legislation with regard to the resolution authorizing the use of military force against Syria, angering some Republicans and creating confusion on Capitol Hill in the run-up to the war vote.”

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The Russians are chiming in as well.

From TheGuardian  “World leaders will gather in St Petersburg on Thursday for what has transformed into an international showdown with Vladimir Putin threatening to send a missile shield to Syria if the US launches an attack without the authority of the United Nations.

The G20 summit, hosted by Putin, had been expected to focus on the world economy and growth, but will now be dominated by the Middle East crisis, even if the formal agenda remains fixed on the slowdown of growth in emerging markets.”

Putin has also called Kerry a liar.

From Reuters  “Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday the U.S. Congress had no right to approve the use of force against Syria without a decision from the U.N. Security Council, and that doing so would be an “act of aggression”.

He said “anything that is outside the U.N. Security Council is aggression, except self-defense. Now what Congress and the U.S. Senate are doing in essence is legitimizing aggression. This is inadmissible in principle.”

“They lie beautifully, of course. I saw debates in Congress. A congressman asks Mr Kerry: ‘Is al Qaeda there?’ He says: ‘No, I am telling you responsibly that it is not’,” Putin said at a meeting of his human rights council in the Kremlin.“

“Al Qaeda units are the main military echelon, and they know this,” he said, referring to the United States. “It was unpleasant and surprising for me – we talk to them, we proceed from the assumption that they are decent people. But he is lying and knows he is lying. It’s sad.”

As much as I dislike the Russian leader, and most of what he stands for, I can’t say I disagree.

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Meanwhile, the people these strike will benefit have struck again. And yes, despite Kerry’s claims, they are Al-Qaida.

From TheBostonHerald  “Al-Qaida-linked rebels launched an assault Wednesday on a regime-held Christian village in the densely populated west of Syria and new clashes erupted near the capital, Damascus — part of a brutal battle of attrition each side believes it can win despite more than two years of deadlock.

As the world focused on possible U.S. military action against Syria, rebels commandeered a mountaintop hotel in the village of Maaloula and shelled the community below, said a nun, speaking by phone from a convent in the village. She spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

The attack came hours before a Senate panel voted to give President Barack Obama authority to use military force against Syria — the first time lawmakers have voted to allow military action since the October 2002 votes authorizing the invasion of Iraq.”

They have also vowed to slaughter Christians after Obama “liberates” Syria.

From Raymond Ibrahim  “Arabic news agency Al Hadath gives more information concerning this latest terror attack on Syria’s Christians, specifically how the al-Qaeda linked rebels “terrorized the Christians, threatening to be avenged on them after the triumph of the revolution.”

Thus al-Qaeda terrorists eagerly await U.S. assistance against the Syrian government, so they can subjugate if not slaughter Syria’s Christians, secularists, and non-Muslims — even as the Obama administration tries to justify war on Syria by absurdly evoking the “human rights” of Syrians on the one hand, and lying about al-Qaeda’s presence in Syria on the other.”

More here,

From WeaselZippers  “This video is a few months old but very relevant considering the Obama administration said yesterday the rebels are becoming more moderate and less affiliated with al-Qaeda. As shown in the above video, the exact opposite is true.

This footage from May and June 2013 shows battalions from the “Free Syrian Army” (FSA) declaring their unification with al-Qaeda’s Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front) in the eastern Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta and in Aleppo, both strongholds of the anti-government militants. Although some instances have occurred where clashes between the two groups have taken place, for the most part, the FSA and al-Qaeda unite under the banner of Islamic monotheism.”

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And in other news…..

From CNBC  “Standard & Poor’s on Tuesday blasted a $5 billion fraud lawsuit by the U.S. government as retaliation for its 2011 decision to strip the country of its AAA credit rating.

The McGraw Hill Financial unit was the only major credit rating agency to take away the United States’ top rating and the only one sued by the Department of Justice for allegedly misleading banks and credit unions about the credibility of its ratings before the 2008 financial crisis.

In a filing with the U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, Calif., S&P said the lawsuit attempts to punish it for exercising its First Amendment free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution but also seeks “excessive fines” in violation of the Eighth Amendment.

It said the government’s “impermissibly selective, punitive and meritless” lawsuit was brought “in retaliation for defendants’ exercise of their free speech rights with respect to the creditworthiness of the United States of America.”

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Next, 2 ObamaCare stories.

More from TheWeeklyStandard.

And different state, same outcome.

From HotAir  “The Lincoln Journal Star added to the annals of ‘If you like your plan you can keep your plan (Midwestern edition)” yesterday with a new report on the impact of ObamaCare on health insurance premiums in Nebraska.  Thanks to the mandates in ObamaCare, most of the individual insurance plans offered in the past will no longer be available, whether consumers liked their plan or not.  The replacements will be much more expensive, with cost hikes ranging from 21% increases to as much as 143%:”

“Nebraska Insurance Commissioner Bruce Ramge pointed out that a comparison of rates between Coventry and Blue Cross Blue Shield, the only companies of the four that offered rates in past years, showed that health insurance costs are going up for most Nebraskans.

Tom Gilsdorf, director of product development at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska countered: “An apples-to-apples comparison of 2013 health insurance costs to 2014 costs is virtually impossible,” he said. “Health insurance that will be sold to individuals, families and small businesses for 2014 is new and must cover a range of Essential Health Benefits that were not covered in the past.”

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And here’s a story related to a topic we discussed on the Daily Thread.

From TheWashingtonExaminer  “God is still great in the eyes of Americans, even on the internet. While an amazing 88 percent of the nation’s homes own a Bible, more and more are switching to the internet, cell phones and iPad for their weekly inspiration, according to a sweeping new survey of Bible use.

In their latest survey of Bible use, the American Bible Society finds that 41 percent of Americans used the internet to read the good book on a computer. Some 29 percent said they searched Bible verses on a cell phone and 17 percent said they read an electronic version of the Bible on a Kindle or iPad.

The trend is similar in the news business, with the readers shifting to digital over paper.

“The data shows a continual shift to digital content. The number of Bible readers who use their smart phone or cell phone to search for Bible content has increased each year, with a 6 percent increase in the use of this format from 2012,” said the Society. “Use of internet to find Bible content has also increased, up 4 percent from 2011,” they added.”

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News/Politics 8-30-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

The President seems determined to push ahead with his plan for Syria, despite losing the UK and France.

From Politico  “President Barack Obama’s latest geopolitical problem: His closest ally won’t help him attack Syria.

But he is not letting that stop him.

Britain’s House of Commons on Thursday evening rejected a  motion from Prime Minister David Cameron to endorse British participation in  military action in Syria, potentially hurting Obama’s effort to punish the  Bashar Assad regime for its reported use of chemical weapons.

The White House made clear after the vote that it is willing to act alone on Syria.”

More here, from TheNYTimes  “The negative vote in Britain’s Parliament was a heavy blow to Prime Minister David Cameron, who had pledged his support to Mr. Obama and called on lawmakers to endorse Britain’s involvement in a brief operation to punish the government of President Bashar al-Assad for apparently launching a deadly chemical weapons attack last week that killed hundreds.       

The vote was also a setback for Mr. Obama, who, having given up hope of getting United Nations Security Council authorization for the strike, is struggling to assemble a coalition of allies against Syria.”

“But administration officials made clear that the eroding support would not deter Mr. Obama in deciding to go ahead with a strike. Pentagon officials said that the Navy had now moved a fifth destroyer into the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Each ship carries dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles that would probably be the centerpiece of any attack on Syria.”

Who’s the cowboy now?

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Don’t know if this will be useful to anyone, but I figured I’d throw it out there. There is help, but it isn’t easy to do.

From MSNNews  “More than 33 million workers qualify to have their student loans forgiven because they work in schools, hospitals or city halls, but too few take advantage of the options because the programs are overly complicated and often confusing, the government’s consumer advocate said Wednesday.

Roughly a quarter of the U.S. workforce could take advantage of federal rules that give favorable loan repayment options to those in public service fields, including the military, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The agency recommended Congress review the loan forgiveness programs and encouraged employers to make sure their workers know they are available.

“Teachers, soldiers, firefighters, policeman — public sector careers invariably involve some effort, some inconvenience or some sacrifice. People give up higher incomes to serve their city, their state or their country,” said Richard Cordray, director of the CFPB. “We believe that people who contribute part of their talents, part of the benefits of their education, to society as a whole should not be mired in debt because they stir themselves to the calling of public service.”

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The Affordable Care Act is not, unless you make under 20 grand a year.

From NationalJournal  “For the vast majority of Americans, premium prices will be higher in the individual exchange than what they’re currently paying for employer-sponsored benefits, according to a National Journal analysis of new coverage and cost data. Adding even more out-of-pocket expenses to consumers’ monthly insurance bills is a swell in deductibles under the Affordable Care Act.

Health law proponents have excused the rate hikes by saying the prices in the exchange won’t apply to the millions receiving coverage from their employers. But that’s only if employers continue to offer that coverage–something that’s looking increasingly uncertain. Already, UPS, for example, cited Obamacare as its reason for nixing spousal coverage. And while a Kaiser Family Foundation report found that 49 percent of the U.S. population now receives employer-sponsored coverage, more companies are debating whether they will continue to be in the business of providing such benefits at all.”

“The truth is, Obamacare is doing what it was intended to do: make health care affordable for the nation’s lowest earners by spreading out the costs among taxpayers.

The trap is that the exchanges also present a savings for some employers but a rate hike for their employees.”

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Fast food workers staged walkouts nationwide yesterday for higher wages.

From MyWayNews/AP  “Fast-food workers and their supporters beat drums, blew whistles and chanted slogans Thursday on picket lines in dozens of U.S. cities, marking the largest protests yet in their quest for higher wages.

The nationwide day of demonstrations came after similar actions organized by unions and community groups over the past several months. Workers are calling for the right to unionize without interference from employers and for pay of $15 an hour. That’s more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, or $15,000 a year for full-time employees.

Thursday’s walkouts and protests reached about 60 cities, including New York, Chicago and Detroit, organizers said. But the turnout varied significantly. Some targeted restaurants were temporarily unable to do business because they had too few employees, and others seemingly operated normally.”

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New federal tax laws will treat “married” gay couples in all 50 states as married now, regardless of their state laws.

From Bloomberg  “Gay Spouses in All States Now Married Under U.S. Tax Law”

“Gay spouses in all U.S. states will be treated as married under federal tax law even if local authorities don’t recognize their marriages, in what gay-rights advocates are calling a victory.

The decision by the Treasury Department today implements the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which had forbidden the Internal Revenue Service from letting married homosexual couples file joint tax returns.“

More here from TheWashingtonTimes

And Medicare benefits as well. More on that from TheWeeklyStandard 

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News/Politics 8-27-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, the fuzzy math continues.

From CNSNews  “The Treasury Department’s latest official daily accounting of the  U.S. government’s receipts, expenditures and borrowings–released this  afternoon at 4:00 p.m.–indicates that the legally limited debt of the  federal government has now been exactly $16,699,396,000,000 for 100  straight days.

The Daily Treasury Statement released today showed the status of the  government’s accounts as of the close of business on Friday, Aug. 23.  Because the Treasury does no business over the weekend, the federal  government’s debt did not change on Saturday or Sunday.

The statement for Aug. 23 said the federal debt subject to the legal  limit set by Congress was $16,699,396,000,000—or $25 million below the  current limit of $16,699,421,000,000. Every Daily Treasury Statement  since May 17 has also shown the legally limited debt at  $16,699,396,000,000, or $25 million below the limit.”

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I’m sure all the young folks who voted for the president will be happy to hear this.

From Forbes  “No, Obamacare Is Not A Good Deal For Young People In The Long Run, Not Even Close”

“Progressives are becoming increasingly concerned at the prospect of millions of uninsured young people deciding to push the easy button next year by simply paying a very small finerather than obtain health coverage. Consequently, they have turned to a new argument to get those under 30 to act against their self interest by signing up for the Exchanges. Now we are being told that Obamacare will be a good deal for young people in the long run since whatever short-term losses they incur in the form of higher premiums will be more than made up later when they are older and get to pay lower premiums than they would in today’s market.

But those making these arguments haven’t offered any analysis to back up their claims. The conceptual point evidently is supposed to be intuitively obvious. As Ezra Klein puts it:

Young people grow old. Healthy people get sick. Rich people become poor. The people overpaying to keep costs low today are the people underpaying 10 or 20 years from now.”

Pay more now, less later. Got it.

That’s good, because they’ll still be paying their student loans back 20 years from now too, so they’ll need the extra cash. 🙄

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Isn’t it nice when govt rewards it’s own incompetence?

From TheWaPo  “While veterans waited longer than ever in recent years for their wartime disability compensation, the Department of Veterans Affairs gave its workers millions of dollars in bonuses for “excellent” performances that effectively encouraged them to avoid claims that needed extra work to document veterans’ injuries, a News21 investigation has found.

In 2011, a year in which the claims backlog ballooned by 155 percent, more than two-thirds of claims processors shared $5.5 million in bonuses, according to salary data from the Office of Personnel Management.”

“Beth McCoy, the assistant deputy undersecretary for field operations for the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), said bonuses for claims processors were justified because, even though the number of backlogged claims was rising, workers were processing more claims than ever.”

“But News21 found that regional office management gave bonuses to some employees even as their claims backlogs grew. During 2012, Office of Personnel Management records show some of the most troubled offices gave their employees the most extra pay.”

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This one? Yes please. 🙂

From TheNYTimes  ” Some of the early shots in the Republican primary battle against Senator Lindsey Graham have been fired from this tiny community on the northern border of the state where the Civil War began.

A small group called Carolina Conservatives United, one of dozens organized loosely under the flag of limited government, low taxes and strict adherence to the Constitution, sent out images last week of a milk carton bearing Mr. Graham’s face and asked Gov. Nikki R. Haley to issue the state’s version of an Amber Alert to find its missing senator.       

“Lindsey Graham has not been seen in the state of South Carolina for most of the last two years,” said Bruce Carroll, the chairman of the group.       

Conservatives in South Carolina are eager to oust Mr. Graham, who has enraged the far right for, among other things, reaching across the aisle on immigration and supporting President Obama’s nominations for the Supreme Court. Tea Party supporters called him a community organizer for the Muslim Brotherhood when, instead of heading home for the Congressional break this month, he went to Egypt at the request of the president.”

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And this last one I’m unsure on. I can see their point, but at the same time they shouldn’t be allowed to simply get out of it completely either. They have a certain obligation and responsibility here that cannot be denied or shirked. But one thing I am sure of is that they need to reform the way they currently do things. This works for no one.

From Bloomberg  “Ari Schochet has grown so accustomed to being sent to jail for missing alimony payments that he goes into a routine.”

“Schochet, who said he worked as a portfolio manager at Citadel Investment Group Inc. and Fortress Investment Group LLC (FIG) and once earned $1 million a year, has been jailed for missing court-ordered payments at least eight times in the past two years as he coped with the end of his 17-year marriage.

The reason he ran afoul of the law was simple. He was out of work for most of that time, a victim of a weak economy, and he ran through his savings trying to pay his wife alimony and child support that totaled almost $100,000 a year.”

“Schochet and ex-spouses in similar changed circumstances say New Jersey’s law unfairly imposes lifetime alimony on them. If they fail to make payments, like the $78,000 a year Schochet owes his ex-wife in alimony, they can be jailed for contempt of court regardless of whether they have a job or resources.”

Thoughts?

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News/Politics 8-26-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Things are escalating in Syria.

From TheTelegraph  “Britain is planning to join forces with America and launch military action against Syria within days in response to the gas attack believed to have been carried out by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces against his own people.”

“Royal Navy vessels are being readied to take part in a possible series of cruise missile strikes, alongside the United States, as military commanders finalise a list of potential targets.

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The IRS is at it again.

From TheDailyCaller  “The Internal Revenue Service is targeting the veterans’ organization the  American Legion, and a U.S. senator believes that Lois Lerner — a key figure in  the IRS scandal – is to blame.

“The IRS now requires American Legion posts to maintain dates of service and  character of service records for all members… The penalty for not having the  required proof of eligibility is, apparently, $1,000 per day,” the American  Legion stated.”

“The American Legion has recently learned of the so-called IRS ‘audit manual’  and is concerned that portions of it attempt to amend statutes passed by  Congress and approved by the president,” American Legion legal counsel  Philip Onderdonk, Jr. told The Daily Caller.

“Resolutions recommending action by the Legion’s legislative division on two  of the most egregious sections of the IRS document are being presented for a  vote by members at The American Legion’s annual national convention in Houston  [this] week. If the resolutions are adopted, the Legion will be empowered as a  body to urge correction of the veterans service organization-related portion(s)  of the IRS manual and suggest congressional review of the entire 38 section IRS  document,” Onderdonk said.”

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Remember Obama’s promises about keeping lobbyists out of his admin? Yeah, I guess like most of his promises, it has an expiration date.

From TheHill  “ObamaCare has become big business for an elite network of Washington lobbyists  and consultants who helped shape the law from the inside.
 
More than  30 former administration officials, lawmakers and congressional staffers who  worked on the healthcare law have set up shop on K Street since 2010.”

“Major lobbying firms such as Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock, The Glover Park  Group, Alston & Bird, BGR Group and Akin Gump can all boast an ObamaCare  insider on their lobbying roster — putting them in a prime position to land  coveted clients.”

So he won’t let lobbyists in, but he keeps cranking them out? I guess he didn’t mean his ObamaCare lobbyists.

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Maybe he needs to send some lobbyists out to the state and local levels on behalf of ObamaCare. They don’t seem to be getting the message.

From HotAir  “It’s been quite a week for ObamaCare, and we’re not even to the end of it yet.  First we find out that the White House missed half of the statutory deadlines in the bill and still has almost half of them left unaccomplished.  Next, UPS canceled spousal coverage because of the ACA, which will save it $60 million in costs, and CNBC described how employees might start petitioning their bosses to drop health insurance in order to score taxpayer-funded subsidies.  The AFL-CIO in Nevada finally discovered what a bad deal they’re getting, and Gallup confirmed that the more people know about ObamaCare, the less they like it.

Today, we find out that it’s not just the private sector that’s looking to recover ObamaCare costs at the expense of workers:

Many cash-strapped cities and counties facing the prospect of shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars in new health-care costs under the Affordable Care Act are opting instead to reduce the number of hours their part-time employees work.

The decisions to cut employee hours come 16 months before employers — including state and local governments — will be required to offer health care coverage to employees who work at least 30 hours a week. Some local officials said the cuts are happening now either because of labor contracts that must be negotiated in advance, or because the local governments worry that employees who work at least 30 hours in the months leading up to the January 2015 implementation date would need to be included in their health-care plans.”

And here’s even more that apparently need some of that sweet, sweet lobbying.

From FoxNews  “Delta Air Lines has issued an urgent warning about the impact of ObamaCare,  claiming the law’s implementation will contribute to a roughly $100 million  increase in health care costs next year alone. 

A representative with Delta confirmed the authenticity of the letter to  FoxNews.com. 

“Like many large companies, Delta faces significantly increased healthcare  costs in 2014 and beyond,” the company said in a statement on Friday. “Delta  will absorb the vast majority of those increased costs so that we can continue  providing a high value, high quality health plan. Consistent with our culture,  Delta will always keep the best interests of our people in mind in connection  with the healthcare and other benefits we provide.””

Looks like airfare will be rising, thanks to ObamaCare.

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INS agents are now being told not to arrest or deport illegal immigrants with children.

From TheWashingtonTimes  “The Obama administration issued a new   policy Friday  that says immigration agents should try not to arrest and  deport  illegal immigrant parents of minor children. The move  adds to the  categories  of people the administration is trying not  to  deport.

In a nine-page memo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said agents  should use “prosecutorial discretion” to try   to avoid detaining parents and,  if parents are detained, agents should   make sure they have the ability to  visit with their children or   participate in family court proceedings.

The  move won praise from immigrant-rights groups who said it’s a  step   toward a less harsh detention policy. But a top Republican blasted  the  memo as  another effort by the Obama administration to circumvent  the  law.

“President  Obama has once again abused his authority and  unilaterally  refused to  enforce our current immigration laws by  directing U.S. Immigration  and  Customs Enforcement agents to stop  removing broad categories of unlawful  immigrants,” said House Judiciary   Committee Chairman Robert W.   Goodlatte, Virginia Republican.”

And no one will do a thing about it.

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