Oy. Just farking OY! 🙄
Category: Obama
Ouch: Stephen Green lays the smackdown on Obama’s Nuke policy
I figured some were not going to be happy about Obama’s change in policy, I was right: (H/T Insty)
Well, yesterday Obama — facing no pressure or need to change anything at all — quite recklessly turned over the strategic initiative (operational, too, for that matter) to the other guys.
Little countries can now act, with chemical or biological agents, sure in the knowledge that however we respond, we will respond with less. The other guy now gets to determine how much punishment he is willing to take. Before yesterday, we determined how much punishment we were willing to dish out (plenty).
President Johnson (and to a lesser extent, Nixon) made the same mistake in dealing with North Vietnam. “Escalation,” tit-for-tat, let Hanoi dictate the pace of the war, while simultaneously learning how to deal with, and obviate, our military might. Result: We lost the initiative and eventually the war. Sucky, that.
I highly suggest you go read the full article. Some would dismiss this as propaganda. But, I think it warrants a full read.
President Limits Nuke Usage
I have mixed feelings about this, I will explain after the quote:
Via the NYT:
President Obama said Monday that he was revamping American nuclear strategy to substantially narrow the conditions under which the United States would use nuclear weapons.
But the president said in an interview that he was carving out an exception for “outliers like Iran and North Korea” that have violated or renounced the main treaty to halt nuclear proliferation.
Discussing his approach to nuclear security the day before formally releasing his new strategy, Mr. Obama described his policy as part of a broader effort to edge the world toward making nuclear weapons obsolete, and to create incentives for countries to give up any nuclear ambitions. To set an example, the new strategy renounces the development of any new nuclear weapons, overruling the initial position of his own defense secretary.
Mr. Obama’s strategy is a sharp shift from those of his predecessors and seeks to revamp the nation’s nuclear posture for a new age in which rogue states and terrorist organizations are greater threats than traditional powers like Russia and China.
It eliminates much of the ambiguity that has deliberately existed in American nuclear policy since the opening days of the cold war. For the first time, the United States is explicitly committing not to use nuclear weapons against nonnuclear states that are in compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, even if they attacked the United States with biological or chemical weapons or launched a crippling cyberattack.
Those threats, Mr. Obama argued, could be deterred with “a series of graded options,” a combination of old and new conventional weapons. “I’m going to preserve all the tools that are necessary in order to make sure that the American people are safe and secure,” he said in the interview in the Oval Office.
As I said above, I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, the idea of America being stoked to the hilt with Nukes on a hair trigger is not my idea of a good time. On the other hand, the idea of the United States not being able to defend itself is not a very comforting thought. Because I am not a partisan blogger, I will simply say this; I believe Obama is trying to strike a balance and trying to keep all parties happy. Which is not easy, when the people you are trying to make happy are not your biggest fans. Either way, it has to be a tough order.
Other Bloggers from ALL sides on this: Political Punch, CBS News, Ben Smith’s Blog, Power Line, The Corner on National …, Beltway Confidential, The Caucus, PoliBlog, Commentary, ATTACKERMAN, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Jihad Watch, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Independent, Fausta’s Blog, Hot Air, Pajamas Media, Scared Monkeys, Atlas Shrugs, Liberty Pundits dot net, Another Black Conservative, The Confluence, The Moderate Voice, The Atlantic Online, Israel Matzav, Guardian, News Hounds, Don Surber, YID With LID, Pundit & Pundette, The American Pundit, Alan Colmes’ Liberaland, The Page, And So it Goes in Shreveport, The Anchoress, The Lonely Conservative, JammieWearingFool, Gawker and Riehl World View
Coming to America under Obama rule?
I have to give Kudo’s to Pamela Geller for reporting what I wanted to here.
I mean, are white people, who Obama’s followers deem to be racist going to end up dead?
It is a fair question to ask.
Is the Afghanistan/Pakistan mission unraveling?
It seems that way. 🙁
The Story via Stratfor.com:
Three explosions, two rocket attacks and subsequent gunfire have been reported in the near vicinity of the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 5. The attack occurred early afternoon local time when the consulate would have been full of both American and local employees. The death toll is reported at 36 but is expected to rise.
There are no assessments yet of the damage that the consulate building has sustained, but reports indicate that the explosions led to the collapse of other, adjacent buildings. Pakistani soldiers are also reported to be engaging militants in gunfire, indicating that militants are actively engaged in an attack near the area — possibly with the intention of breaching the U.S. Consulate.
[….]
UPDATE:
One attacker was able to blow up in the U.S. Consulate premises, AAJ TV reported April 5. The front side of the U.S. Consulate has been totally destroyed. Reports indicate that seven or eight security personnel in the consulate are dead. The consulate’s communication system is down.
Many people are wondering why this has happened. I think I know why. It could very well be because of this here:
The Story via Washington Post:
KABUL — President Obama’s visit to Kabul last week, intended in part to forge a closer working relationship with President Hamid Karzai, has helped produce the opposite: an angry Afghan leader now attacking the West for what he perceives as an effort to manipulate him and weaken his rule.
Karzai’s relationship with his U.S. backers in the past week has taken a sharp turn for the worse after his two anti-Western speeches in three days, remarks that some officials see as a rehearsed, intentional move away from the United States.
In remarks to parliament members Saturday, Karzai said that if foreign interference in his government continues, the Taliban would become a legitimate resistance — one that he might even join, according to lawmakers present.
“When I heard Karzai’s remarks, it really shocked me. It scared me,” a senior Afghan official who works closely with Karzai said. “We should not take this lightly. This is a golden opportunity to have the West here; we can’t squander it.”
Karzai’s comments have angered U.S. officials and some of his prominent Afghan colleagues in the government, who fear he is jeopardizing international funding and military support because his pride has been injured.
“That guy’s erratic, he’s unpredictable. I don’t get him,” said a senior U.S. military official in Kabul.
However, if you read a little deeper, you will see this:
But the next day, Karzai told a gathering of lawmakers that foreign interference fuels the insurgency. One lawmaker said Karzai made the point that if he is compelled to obey foreigners, “I’ll join the Taliban.”
“I know he’s cooperating with the U.S., but he just wants to give us a wrong perception. He’s trying to prove himself as a hero, a nationalist,” the lawmaker said.
Some of the presidents’ supporters said that people overreacted to the statements, and that Karzai is well aware of how reliant he is on the United States and other countries fighting in Afghanistan. The United States pours billions of dollars monthly into Afghanistan, and 30,000 new troops are arriving to fight the Taliban.
Speaking at a meeting of about 1,200 tribal leaders and local officials in the southern city of Kandahar on Sunday, Karzai again suggested that U.S. pressure is counterproductive.
“Afghanistan will be fixed when its people trust that their president is independent and not a puppet,” he said. “We have to demonstrate our sovereignty. We have to demonstrate that we are standing up for our values.”
I think this guy needs to make up his mind. Trying to play to his people and be friends with the west is not going to work. The United States of America is NOT interested in owning that Country, no more than it is interested in owning Iraq. We are, or at least we were, there to get rid of Al-Qaeda terrorists who wanted to attack and destroy America. It seems that our focus is shifting and we are now trying to play “Paddy Cake” with Afgan Leaders who want to be friendly with the the U.S. and the Taliban. The President of the United States needs to firm with Karzai, and tell him either choose the Taliban and possibly being killed by the United States in military action or choose true freedom and democracy. You cannot have it both ways, terrorism and democracy cannot co-exist.
Just a personal aside, I had a sinking feeling that this sort of a thing would happen, if we elected a Democrat for a President. For all of his failings, for all of the stuff that I did not like about him; George W. Bush knew exactly how to deal with these sorts of things. He was seen by the Afghan people and the Iraqis as a firm strong leader, who was willing to risk it all to stand against terrorism, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. President Obama just does not have that same stance. President Obama and by default, the Democrats see terrorism as a juvenile criminal behavior; and it is not; it is a war against freedom and democracy in the name of a backward and dangerous religion.
I guess the only hope at this point is that Obama realizes what he is dealing with here and changes his focus. However, I just do not see that happening at all. Needless to say, the next year few years is going to be interesting, when it comes to the war on terror and this entire situation.
The Other McCain on the Economic Reality
A very interesting read, quite true too.
Possibly one of the funniest iPad questions ever
Seeing AP is having the iPad orgasm blues or something to that effect. I thought I would share with you one of the funnier questions related to the iPad yet.
This comes via David Pogue over at the ol’ Grey Lady:
Q: I read that it has a fingerprint-resistant screen, but then you said the fingerprints show up disgustingly. What’s the real story?
A: Fingerprints are greasily, streakily visible when you turn off the screen. But the iPad has the same oleophobic (oil-resistant) coating as the iPhone, so all the streaks disappear with a single firm wipe on your pants leg.
Someone tell the person that asked that rather funny question, that you are not supposed to be playing with your, ahem, iPad, when you have your fingers into a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. 🙄
That is, of course, unless you are into such things. 😯
Just a thought. 😀
It’s about time: Obama proposes offshore drillng
Finally, the stupid socialist is doing something right:
The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.
The proposal — a compromise that will please oil companies and domestic drilling advocates but anger some residents of affected states and many environmental organizations — would end a longstanding moratorium on oil exploration along the East Coast from the northern tip of Delaware to the central coast of Florida, covering 167 million acres of ocean.
Under the plan, the coastline from New Jersey northward would remain closed to all oil and gas activity. So would the Pacific Coast, from Mexico to the Canadian border.
The environmentally sensitive Bristol Bay in southwestern Alaska would be protected and no drilling would be allowed under the plan, officials said. But large tracts in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska — nearly 130 million acres — would be eligible for exploration and drilling after extensive studies.
The proposal is to be announced by President Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Wednesday, but administration officials agreed to preview the details on the condition that they not be identified.
The proposal is intended to reduce dependence on oil imports, generate revenue from the sale of offshore leases and help win political support for comprehensive energy and climate legislation.
via Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time – NYTimes.com.
It’s about time that Bambi Teleprompter is doing something right.
An exasperated Moonbat Steve Benon whines:
My confusion, then, is over the administration’s negotiating tactics. In February, the president cleared the way for the first new U.S. nuclear power plants in more than 30 years. Today, the president will reportedly open up new opportunities for coastal drilling.
In other words, Obama has already effectively given Republicans what they wanted on energy. What is he getting in return?
My question is, why the fuck should he get anything in return, at all?
He better be fucking hoping and praying that we don’t make his origin of birth a big issue when the Republicans take back the house and senate come 2010! What assholes… like the Republicans owe that floppy eared son-of-a- bitch anything at all. 😡 🙄
Again, I say, good on ol’ big ears for finally learning that capitalism is a good thing and that drilling is a good idea. Now if we could just teach the REST of liberal and socialist, and communist America that! We’d have to start in the fucking oval office first!
About that Sean Hannity Ad in the sidebar
I am sure that by now most of you have noticed that Ad for Sean Hannity’s new book.
Well, as most of you know, I loathe Sean Hannity; I am not even remotely a fan. But $15.00 is $15.00 is $15.00, and seeing that I am in the financial position that I am in, any sort of extra money, say from advertisements like that —- is a good thing. Believe me, if I had tons of ads in that sidebar, that were paying me more money; I’d tell ol’ water carrier boy to pound sand. But right now, I will take any sort of money that I can get.
Some of you are wondering what I do not like about Hannity. I just don’t like his attitude and stuff he calls President Obama. It just strikes me as unprofessional and yes, I sometimes think he sounds a bit racist. That whole “Anointed One” line got stale long ago. I mean, I am not a big fan of Obama, and yes, I do criticize his polices. But I do it without the stupid and sometimes borderline racist nuances, name calling and general stupidity, which people like Hannity and his fans are known for. I will admit, during the election and a little after it. I partook in some of that myself. But there was a point, when I basically said, “Okay the man is President now; time to move on and criticize his polices.” I mean, it’s one thing to say something witty once and a while; but to revolve a whole show around it and repeat the same stale crap every week, is just downright stupid. I guess my biggest complaint is that Sean Hannity makes it personal about the President and his Wife and I have also heard his kids. That’s over the line in my book. I never make it personal. Hannity does, this is why I do not watch his show.
As for Hannity personally; I never liked him when he was with Alan Colmes either. He’s a very, very, very, arrogant man, and the sick part is, he has got nothing to be arrogant about. The man lied his way into the business and the only reason he is where he is today, is because some idiot at Fox News felt sorry for the bastard. So, the way I see it; he has nothing to be conceited about.
Anyhow, about that Ad Space — I have plenty of spaces available for advertising. If you have something you would like to promote. Please, take out an Ad. My rates are the lowest around. My site gets anywhere from 300 to over 3K hits a day, depending on the news cycle. I expect during the 2010 elections that this sites numbers will rise as election day nears. So, getting ad space would be a good idea; and besides, it is for a good cause — Me, of course! 😉 😛 😀 Seriously, with the economy like it is here in Michigan and seeing the Obama administration is now putting the hurt on small business. I fully expect the jobs in this area to simply decrease. So, this little blogging gig might be my income for a long time to come. I realize that my readers are not rich and that they are suffering too. But, this is America folks, hard times like this, is when Americans come up with the best ideas for starting a business, and the key to a successful business is advertising. Remember folks, Capitalism is America and being your own boss and being successful at it, is the American dream. I am just looking for my share. Help me do that, place an ad today!
America-haters, Liberals, idiots and pinheads need not apply…
Nutball Threatens Eric Cantor
WOW! Take a couple hour nap and the loonies come out… 😯
A Philadelphia man was charged Monday with threatening to kill House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.).
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Philadelphia announced it had charged 33-year-old Norman Leboon with making the threat against the second-ranking House Republican.
The U.S. Attorney alleged that Leboon made threats against Cantor in a YouTube video, which was subsequently removed.
Leboon would face a maximum of 15 years in prison and up to a $500,000 fine if convicted on all charges.
Cantor said last week that he was the subject of anti-lawmaker threats that had erupted in the wake of a contentious vote on healthcare legislation. The minority whip said a bullet had been shot through his campaign office’s window, a shooting that was later determined by authorities to be random.
via Man charged with making death threat against Rep. Cantor – The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room.
Michelle Malkin has got a nice Document drop on this guy. Looks like a real charmer. 😉
This proves what I’ve said all along, there’s loonies on both sides. Left and Right. The presidency seems to be flushing them out. Good job Barry! 😛
Libtalker idiot Mike Malloy jumps the shark
This comes via The Radio Equalizer:
Transcript:
MALLOY (31:30): It took these filthy Republicans about 48 hours- 72 hours to come up with the ‘oh, yeah, well, you know, we’re getting bad phone calls too, yes we are.
And then this John Boner, this John Boner [sic] these guys created this. they created this atmosphere, they did it because Limbaugh and Beck told them to!
MALLOY (36:25): Well, keep it up boys, just keep it up, um except for one thing: you rat bastards are going to cause another Murrah federal building explosion, you are. And then – what is Beck – maybe at that point Beck will do the honorable thing and blow his brains out.
Maybe at that point, Limbaugh will do the honorable thing and just gobble up enough – enough Viagra that he becomes absolutely rigid and keels over dead.
Maybe then O’Reilly will just drink a vat of the poison he spews out on America every night and choke to death! Because that’s what’s gonna to happen, that’s what they are pushing these right-wing, nut case, fringe, militia jerk-wads to doing!
Yeesh... Now that is what I call over the top. Yeah, I know, I’ve done the same thing myself here. But it is one thing to be a lowly blogger, such as myself here. But it is another entirely to be a broadcaster with a huge bully pulpit like what Malloy has got there. What he did here was totally wrong, and he should be shamed for it publicly.
The reference to the “Murrah federal building explosion” which Malloy and rest of his idiot liberal friends blame on the Conservatives and Christians; when, in fact, Timothy McVeigh was NOT a Christian or a Conservative is a dishonest one —– McVeigh was a Conspiracy Theorist and was angry about the Waco tragedy, which was brought on by the Clinton Administration. How ironic that they attack the right, for something that was created by their own leaders. If I were one of those uncouth bloggers, I would say I hope the next “Murrah federal building explosion” happened not in a public building; but perhaps at his office or maybe even his house. But I have much more class than Malloy. 🙄
Another fine point to put on this is; this shows how desperate the Left media is,Obama’s Poll numbers are tanking, America is waking up to the fact that they have been sold a bag of lemons and now the left wing media is in full on attack mode of everything Conservative. It is a sad thing to watch, but it is a horrible byproduct of overselling someone, who quite obviously to me and rest of American, who doesn’t have their nose square up Obama’s behind, not qualified to be in the office of the President. Quite simply, it is what happens when you elected based upon racial entitlement. Detroit learned that lesson with family entitlement, with the whole Kilpatrick fiasco. Just as well, America is about to learn that same lesson with racial entitlement.
18 Myths about Obamacare Debunked by Jane Hamsher
A great round of lies, myths and outright bullshit; which are being touted by the Obama Administration and it’s fan boys.
Via Jane at HuffPo:
Myth 1: This is a universal health care bill.
Fact: The bill is neither universal health care nor universal health insurance. According to the Congressional Budget Office:
- Total uninsured in 2019 with no bill: 54 million
- Total uninsured in 2019 with Senate bill: 24 million
Myth 2: Insurance companies hate this bill.
Fact: This bill is almost identical to the plan written by AHIP, the insurance company trade association, in 2009.
The original Senate Finance Committee bill was authored by a former Wellpoint vice president. Since Congress released the first of its health care bills on October 30, 2009, health care stocks have risen 28.35%.Myth 3: The bill will significantly bring down insurance premiums for most Americans.
Fact: The bill will not bring down premiums significantly, and certainly not the $2,500/year that President Obama promised during his campaign.
Annual premiums in 2016: status quo / with bill:
Small group market, single: $7,800 / $7,800
Small group market, family: $19,3oo / $19,200
Large Group market, single: $7,400 / $7,300
Large group market, family: $21,100 / $21,300
Individual market, single: $5,500 / $5,800
Individual market, family: $13,100 / $15,200(The cost of premiums in the individual market goes up somewhat due to subsidies and mandates of better coverage. The CBO assumes that cost of individual policies goes down 7-10%, and that people will buy more generous policies.)
Myth 4: The bill will make health care affordable for middle class Americans.
Fact: The bill will impose a financial hardship on middle class Americans who will be forced to buy a product that they can’t afford to use.
A family of four making $66,370 will be forced to pay $5,243 per year for insurance. After basic necessities, this leaves them with $8,307 in discretionary income — out of which they would have to cover clothing, credit card and other debt, child care and education costs, in addition to $5,882 in annual out-of-pocket medical expenses for which families will be responsible.
Myth 5: This plan is similar to the Massachusetts plan, which makes health care affordable.
Fact: Many Massachusetts residents forgo health care because they can’t afford it. A 2009 study by the state of Massachusetts found that:
- 21% of residents forgo medical treatment because they can’t afford it, including 12% of children
- 18% have health insurance but can’t afford to use it
Myth 6: This bill provides health care to 31 million people who are currently uninsured.
Fact: This bill will mandate that millions of people who are currently uninsured purchase insurance from private companies, or the IRS will collect up to 2% of their annual income in penalties. Some will be assisted with government subsidies.
Myth 7: You can keep the insurance you have if you like it.
Fact: The excise tax will result in employers switching to plans with higher co-pays and fewer covered services.
Older, less healthy employees with employer-based health care will be forced to pay much more in out-of-pocket expenses than they do now.Myth 8: The “excise tax” will encourage employers to reduce the scope of health care benefits, and they will pass the savings on to employees in the form of higher wages.
Fact: There is insufficient evidence that employers pass savings from reduced benefits on to employees.
Myth 9: This bill employs nearly every cost control idea available to bring down costs.
Fact: This bill does not bring down costs and leaves out nearly every key cost control measure, including:
- Public Option ($25-$110 billion)
- Medicare buy-in
- Drug re-importation ($19 billion)
- Medicare drug price negotiation ($300 billion)
- Shorter pathway to generic biologics ($71 billion)
Myth 10: The bill will require big companies like Wal-Mart to provide insurance for their employees.
Fact: The bill was written so that most Wal-Mart employees will qualify for subsidies, and taxpayers will pick up a large portion of the cost of their coverage.
Myth 11: The bill “bends the cost curve” on health care.Fact: “Bends the cost curve” is a misleading and trivial claim, as the U.S. would still spend far more for care than other advanced countries.
- In 2009, health care costs were 17.3% of GDP.
- Annual cost of health care in 2019, status quo: $4,670.6 billion (20.8% of GDP)
- Annual cost of health care in 2019, Senate bill: $4,693.5 billion (20.9% of GDP)
Myth 12: The bill will provide immediate access to insurance for Americans who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition.
Fact: Access to the “high risk pool” is limited and the pool is underfunded. Only those who have been uninsured for more than six months will qualify for the high-risk pool. Only 0.7% of those without insurance now will get coverage, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services report estimates it will run out of funding by 2011 or 2012.
Myth 13: The bill prohibits dropping people in individual plans from coverage when they get sick.
Fact: The bill does not empower a regulatory body to keep people from being dropped when they’re sick. There are already many states that have laws on the books prohibiting people from being dropped when they’re sick, but without an enforcement mechanism, there is little to hold the insurance companies in check.
Myth 14: The bill ensures consumers have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to challenge new insurance plan decisions.
Fact: The “internal appeals process” is in the hands of the insurance companies themselves, and the “external” one is up to each state.
Ensuring that consumers have access to “internal appeals” simply means the insurance companies have to review their own decisions. And it is the responsibility of each state to provide an “external appeals process,” as there is neither funding nor a regulatory mechanism for enforcement at the federal level.
Myth 15: This bill will stop insurance companies from hiking rates 30%-40% per year.
Fact: This bill does not limit insurance company rate hikes. Private insurers continue to be exempt from anti-trust laws, and are free to raise rates without fear of competition in many areas of the country.
Myth 16: When the bill passes, people will begin receiving benefits under this bill immediately
Fact: Most provisions in this bill, such as an end to the ban on pre-existing conditions for adults, do not take effect until 2014.
Six months from the date of passage, children could not be excluded from coverage due to pre-existing conditions, though insurance companies could charge more to cover them. Children would also be allowed to stay on their parents’ plans until age 26. There will be an elimination of lifetime coverage limits, a high risk pool for those who have been uninsured for more than 6 months, and community health centers will start receiving money.
Myth 17: The bill creates a pathway for single payer.
Fact: Bernie Sanders’ provision in the Senate bill does not start until 2017, and does not cover the Department of Labor, so no, it doesn’t create a pathway for single payer.
Obama told Dennis Kucinich that the Ohio Representative’s amendment is similar to Bernie Sanders’ provision in the Senate bill, and creates a pathway to single payer. Since the waiver does not start until 2017, and does not cover the Department of Labor, it is nearly impossible to see how it gets around the ERISA laws that stand in the way of any practical state single payer system.
Myth 18: The bill will end medical bankruptcy and provide all Americans with peace of mind.Fact: Most people with medical bankruptcies already have insurance, and out-of-pocket expenses will continue to be a burden on the middle class.
- In 2009, 1.5 million Americans declared bankruptcy
- Of those, 62% were medically related
- Three-quarters of those had health insurance
- The Obama bill leaves 24 million without insurance
- The maximum yearly out-of-pocket limit for a family will be $11,900 (PDF) on top of premiums
A family with serious medical problems that last for a few years could easily be financially crushed by medical costs
I have to hand it to Jane; she is not afraid to stand up to her own party and call them out on their lies.I do not agree with Jane’s politics, nor her desire to get a public option or single payer healthcare, but there is something to be said about gal, who dares to take on the liberal establishment and call them out on their deception. Hats off to ya Jane and keep up the good work on your end of the aisle.
I just wish Jane would wake up and realize that the Democratic Party is not the Party of the people that it once was; but is now a party of big Government socialism. in other words, the Party of Roosevelt and World War 2 is gone for good and is now an outright Marxist Party. I pray one day that she see’s that. I figured that out, when I began blogging. I hope one day, that she too does someday see that.
Needless to say, this healthcare bill is NOT going to be like Christmas….for anybody.
Obama Signs his Healthcare plan into law
Yeah, I know; most of you most likely do not care to watch ol’ Bambi here pat himself on the back. But, it is a historic moment. So, here it is….
The very odd part comes at the end.
The Video:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
The Story via MSNBC:
President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed into law a landmark health care reform bill, presiding over the biggest shift in U.S. domestic policy since the 1960s and capping a divisive, yearlong debate that could define the November congressional elections.
The law will bring near-universal coverage to a wealthy country in which tens of millions of people are uninsured. The plan’s provisions will be phased in over four years, and it is expected to expand coverage to about 94 percent of eligible non-elderly Americans would have coverage, compared with 83 percent today.
“We have now just enshrined the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health,” Obama said at a signing ceremony at the White House, where he was joined by House and Senate Democrats who backed the bill as well as ordinary Americans whose health care struggles have touched the president.
Again, I present this, because it is a historic event. Although, I just wonder what will come in 2010 and 2012.
Should be interesting to watch.
Video: Is the Stimulus Working?
This comes via R.S. McCain:
Hey! I thought I was the only crazy person on twitter?!?!
Dude, you’re not helping….:
Earlier today, self-described conservative blogger Solomon “Solly” Forell posted a tweet that included a call for assassination, as well as this line: “We'll surely get over a bullet 2 Barack Obama's head!”
via Conservative Blogger Calls For Obama’s Assassination On Twitter (Updated) – Solly forell – Jezebel.
Here’s his picture:
You can most likely guess what will happen to him, don’t you? After all, he is the right color. If this had been me, I’d already be in jail.
Also, to clear the record, the dude is NOT a Conservative; he is, in fact, a conspiracy theorist. BIG DIFFERENCE!
There’s a big difference between believing in limited Government and Alex Jones kooky horseshit.
Anyhow, this guy is an idiot, and quite obviously over-reacted. I mean, I was none too pleased either, but I didn’t flip my cork like that. I mean, what purpose does it serve? Acting all nutty like that, does not change a thing. I’ve done it myself and all it does, is create headaches for yourself.
The Secret service is investigating; but, honestly? I doubt anything will become of it. Because a brother don’t cut another brother… If you know what I mean; and I think you do! 😀
Two very valid points about what happened last night
First up Philip Klein over at the AmSpec Blog:
The question conservatives should be asking though, is how did we get in this position in the first place? How come, over the course of two elections, Democrats were able to take back the White House and amass substantial majorities in both chambers of Congress, allowing them to enact this sweeping legislation with no Republican votes – and huge defections in their own party? How could a generally right-of-center nation be taken over by liberals from Chicago and San Francisco?
The answer, of course, is that none of this would have been possible without George W. Bush — or more broadly speaking, Bush era Republicanism. While they were in power, Republicans squandered an opportunity to push free market health care solutions. When they did use their power to pass major legislation, it was for policies like the big government Medicare prescription drug plan, which was (until today) the largest expansion of entitlements since the Great Society.
They took earmarks and doled out farm and energy subsidies. They earned a reputation for fiscal recklessness and corruption and incompetent governance. President Obama ultimately forced through the health care bill in spite of the political consequences to his party because he’s ultimately a true believing liberal. But it was only because of the failures of Bush-era Republicanism that an ideological liberal with little experience was able to capture the presidency on the abstract notion of change.
Today will be largely remembered as the biggest legislative victory for liberals since Medicare in 1965. But it should also be remembered as the day that Bush cemented his legacy as one of the most destructive presidents for advocates of limited government.
and… Robert Stacy McCain:
Which is to say that what happened Sunday night was not the birth of a new era of liberalism. Rather, it was the death of a kind of “conservatism” that was never really conservative at all. It was the “conservatism” of No Child Left Behind and ethanol subsidies, of unprincipled compromise and cynical self-dealing, of “shamnesty” and kowtowing to CAIR.
If the Republican Party can offer America nothing better than that in the future, the GOP will go the way of the Whigs, passing unlamented into political oblivion.
All I can say to add to this is, when you call yourself a Republican and you basically are a Progressive; what do people honestly expect? George W. Bush was, and still is, and will be to his dying breath; a Wilsonian President. That is a Progressive view on foreign policy. Which is why I do not quite understand why the folks over at HotAir are crying the blues.
Look, the point I am trying to make is this. It is the 900 pound gorilla in the room, that nobody on our side wants to discuss. It is a fact, that George W. Bush drove the United States of America into a war; that we all know now, had zero to do with 9/11. There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. There were parts; but no weapons. The Bush Administration decided to stay anyhow, and move the goalposts to keep us there. For this little foolhardy move, the American people decided that Republicans did not have the ability to govern a nation and as a result of that; the Democrats won. Elections matter, it is just that simple. Because of this, were are all staring — bleary-eyed as we may be — at a socialist nightmare.
I hate to say it, but David Frum is absolutely correct. We have no one other to blame, than ourselves for this one. Yeah, I know, I do not much care from Frum either; I know what he said about the Paleo-Conservatives, and yeah, I know he is a chameleon. But once and a while, that idiot kanook does get it right. ( 😯 )
Honestly, What do they expect?
Boy, I tell ya. The liberal crowd is some seriously stupid people anymore. 🙄
I guess most of you know that now the liberal crowd is all in a tizzy, because some protesters let their true feelings be known about this healthcare bill.
My question to them is; seriously guys, what the fuck do you expect? I mean, nobody wants this stupid bill passed and yet, this liberal Congress is hell-bent on passing this moronic bill anyhow; all to appease this President. Is it not any wonder the American people and yes, those protesters are a little bit pissed off?
I mean, and I how to do I put this? Ah, I know! The liberal media and I mean the one’s who are reporting this; You should be glad it was just words. I mean, it could have very well been worse. Luckily and thankfully, it was not. But it could have very well have been. So, to the Race hustlers and Gay Blades; be glad it was just words, signs and insults. Because the alternative could have been much worse.
But again, to the more important point —– What the hell do you people expect? I mean, you want to destroy this Country’s health-care system, all to fulfill a stupid, idiotic socialist agenda; and you wonder why some people are pissed off about it?
It’s time to get real boys and girls. Not everyone is on the same page with you. This should not be a surprise. 🙄
Here’s the roundup of the stupid cry babies and so forth…
Ouch: Keith Olbermann makes a rather funny mistake
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Ooopsie! 😯 😮
Yeah, you did it alright. 😆
Video: America’s Comeback
This Comes via The Other McCain:
RGA 2009 Chairman’s Report
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The revolution starts today. What are you doing?
Healthcare, But at what cost to Americans?
The question also is; do Democrats actually care?
Caterpillar Inc. said the health-care overhaul legislation being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives would increase the company’s health-care costs by more than $100 million in the first year alone.
In a letter Thursday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Caterpillar urged lawmakers to vote against the plan “because of the substantial cost burdens it would place on our shareholders, employees and retirees.”
Caterpillar, the world’s largest construction machinery manufacturer by sales, said it’s particularly opposed to provisions in the bill that would expand Medicare taxes and mandate insurance coverage. The legislation would require nearly all companies to provide health insurance for their employees or face large fines.
The Peoria-based company said these provisions would increase its insurance costs by at least 20 percent, or more than $100 million, just in the first year of the health-care overhaul program.
“We can ill-afford cost increases that place us at a disadvantage versus our global competitors,” said the letter signed by Gregory Folley, vice president and chief human resources officer of Caterpillar. “We are disappointed that efforts at reform have not addressed the cost concerns we’ve raised throughout the year.”
Business executives have long complained that the options offered for covering 32 million uninsured Americans would result in higher insurance costs for those employers that already provide coverage. Opponents have stepped up their attacks in recent days as the House moves closer toward a vote on the Senate version of the health-care legislation.
via Caterpillar: Health care bill would cost it $100M – Chicago Breaking Business.
The answer I am afraid, is no. The Democrats have backed themselves into a corner and have overreached. Now they have to deliver. But at what cost? My friends over at the Confederate Yankee have summed it up:
If Obama passes:
- Companies that already pay health insurance will have to pay higher rates, meaning less profitability, higher costs, and fewer jobs
- Companies that don’t currently pay health insurance will have to pay high health insurance rates, meaning less profitability, higher costs, and fewer jobs.
- Companies that cannot withstand the high costs of forced health care will simply shut down.
In all three situations, job loss—or at least the absence of job creation—is a certainty.
The Democrat’s attitude is this; “what do we care? It is not our jobs that will be lost.” Their whole, “For the greater good,” is what is wrong with the whole idea of social engineering and progressive politics. “If a few people lose their jobs, so what? We are doing for those who have not; even if we are stealing it for those who do have.” That I am afraid, is what Progressive Politics and Progressive thought is all about. Take from the rich and giving it to the poor. Economic redistribution; and you know something folks? Every time it is done, somebody, somewhere gets the short end of the stick. Which is what will happen, if this travesty of a bill is passed.
By the way, that whole “For the greater good”, has root in historic Democratic Party politics. As some of you might know, that is the same mentality that the Democrats used to promote the idea of slavery. The idea that, “the Negro man must be contained, for the greater good of society,” was and still is, straight out of the Progressive school of thought. For those who are uninformed, Stephen A. Douglas, who debated President Lincoln in 1858, was, in fact, a Democrat. It was no matter that it was inhuman, morally wrong and quite insane; it was for the greater good and besides, them slaves liked being beaten and forced to work! 🙄 Again, more Progressive insanity. “Let’s kill the job market, so everyone can have healthcare!” 🙄
It is quite sad to see, that since 1858, not much has actually changed in the Democratic Party. Oh, sure, they are not longer persecuting blacks; that is because someone finally figured out, that the Democrats could use their votes. So, they give them a little lip service, make promises of more hand outs and proceed to snicker at them behind their backs. All the while ignoring their concerns. That is what Plantation politics is all about. Herd everyone into groups and make them promises, all for their votes.
I think it is about time that the American people woke up and realized that the idea of “for the greater good” is basically for the greater death of America.
Others: Hot Air, GOP Leader Blog, GINA COBB, Maggie’s Notebook and Althouse
What I HATE about this new Healthcare Bill
This is the part that I HATE:
If Congress passes the Senate health-care plan, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, American families will be required by federal law to buy a federally approved health insurance plan that will cost a minimum of $12,000 per year–and, on average, will cost $15,000 per year — whether their employer or the government helps them with the premium or not.
Beginning in 2014, the Senate plan would require all individuals to buy health insurance. Anyone who does not obtain insurance through an employer would be forced to buy it out of their own pocket. Families of four that make up to 400 percent of poverty level–currently $88,200 per year–would receive a subsidy from the government to help pay for their premiums. That subsidy would attenuate as their income increased and would disappear when their income reached the 400 percent of poverty level.
Families earning more than $88,200 a year (or whatever 400 percent of the poverty level equals in any given year) would be entirely on their own. Under the Senate bill, employers would not be required to purchase health insurance for their workers, and if they decided not to do so, the maximum penalty they would have to pay would be $750 per year for each worker they did not insure who subsequently received a federal subsidy to buy insurance. The $750 penalty on employers who decided not to insure their workers would be far less than they would pay in premiums for the $12,000 minimum required plan.
I highly suggest that you go read the rest of that; because it is very important to read. I do smell a supreme court challenge to the law requiring people to buy insurance. This is one of the reasons why I believe this bill might actually fail; because the idea of the Government forcing the American people to buy insurance goes against the whole idea of freedom and liberty.
I do notice that there will subsidies for those who are in the low-income bracket. I just wonder, what are all the qualifiers for those of us, who are unemployed and cannot afford to get insurance? Are they going to come after me and toss me in jail, if I cannot afford to get insurance? I mean, would I have to put out the money, which I do not have, to get insurance and hope that I get a subsidy at a later day or would I get it up front?
You see, it is all these questions and the Congress’s unwillingness to explain all of this; is what has me a bit upset. But our side is not helping with all of the stupidity. I just want straight answers, and not stupid talking points from robotic partisan parrots.
I want answers and I am not seeing them. This is not good. Not good at all. 😡
Obama Says, Pass Healthcare or I will be lynched by the left
OK. That is not exactly what he said; but he basically conveyed the same thought.
President Barack Obama had exhausted most of his health care reform arguments with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus during a White House meeting last Thursday when he made a more personal pitch that resonated with many skeptics in the room.
One caucus member told POLITICO that Obama won him over by “essentially [saying] that the fate of his presidency” hinged on this week’s health reform vote in the House. The member, who requested anonymity, likened Obama’s remarks to an earlier meeting with progressives when the president said a victory was necessary to keep him “strong” for the next three years of his term.
Another caucus member, Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), said, “We went in there already knowing his presidency would be weakened if this thing went down, but the president clearly reinforced the impression the presidency would be damaged by a loss.”
Added Serrano: “He was subtle, but that was the underlying theme of the meeting — the importance of passing this for the health of the presidency.
via President Obama’s pitch: Fate of presidency on the line – Glenn Thrush – POLITICO.com.
I tend to believe that President Obama is going to screwed no matter what he does. Because if the bill passes; there are going to be those who are going to be angry that it did pass; especially those on the right. If it passes, and there is no public option; there are going to be those on the left that are going to be mad about that. Either way, I think the President and his Presidency are screwed.
But, honestly? It is his own fault, The President, when he was running, made all sorts of outlandish promises and now he is having to make those promises happen. Sometimes, when trying to do that, one runs up against reality and right now for the President; reality bites.
Sometimes, painting one’s self into a corner, can be a bad thing, and this time; it is a bad thing, for everyone involved.
President Barack Obama and Fox News’s Bret Baier politely spar over Healthcare and Foreign Policy
Here’s Part 1 and 2 of that:
You can go read the entire transcript of this interview by going here and reading it.
I have to give President Obama credit, after bashing Fox News and calling it “nothing more than a propaganda outlet”; he did show some guts by going into the lion’s den and going head to head with Bret Baier. That took some serious guts. It could help his image too; not with those on the hard right, but the independents, who voted for the guy with the “spine of steel”, as Vice President Joe Biden called it. Truthfully, the President has not been showing that so-called “Spine of Steel” here as of late. Maybe the White House is trying to improve the President’s image a bit, seeing that his poll numbers are down. Hence the interview.
I saw the interview on T.V. myself; I would not call it “combative” as I have seen it called on other blogs. I would call it politely testy, at times. I mean, there was no swearing and no calling the President an out liar, when he was obviously lying. I mean, If I would been running that interview, and he would have started in on the talking points; I would have stopped him and told him he was flat out lying and full of shit and would have demanded short and straight answers out of him. I would have also demanded that he answered the question of just who the hell does he think he is, to just swagger into the White House and start changing the established Heathcare system in this Country. I would have said, “You can do this, why? because you are black and entitled to it?” Which is probably why the interview was not giving by me. It would have lasted all of about five minutes. The next thing I would have asked him, was why he will not produce his original birth certificate and I would have brought up the fact that EVERY last damned President since the United States started keeping birth records has produced a birth certificate; and I would have asked him why the hell he feels exempted from this practice. Again, I would have asked him if he felt it was because he was black that he could bypass such things. I would have also brought up the fact that the so-called document that his campaign produced was, in fact, a forgery, which was pointed out by several well-known bloggers and was proven to be by three different forensic experts. None of whom would publicly identify themselves, for fear of reprisal from Obama’s campaign and from the Government itself.
So, in closing, it was a decent interview, not nearly as tough as it should have been. But it was and still is worth watching.
The Reality Report #36
In this report:
Does Obama want your DNA?
How far will the IRS go to extract the peoples blood?
What the heck is Chris Dodd thinking about the FED’s monetary power? Gary answers those questions and
welcomes SpyChips co-author and RFID expert Katherine Albrecht to the show to discuss the latest in
RFID and implantable human tracking technology.
The Thrill is Gone says Howard Fineman
Wow! 😯
So Saith Howard Fineman:
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, was 50 minutes late for his briefing, apparently a record for tardiness, but few reporters in the White House press room bothered to feign outrage; they didn’t seem all that eager to ask him questions anyway. When his boss flew to Missouri to give another of his “high octane” (The New York Times), “impassioned” (The Washington Post) health-care speeches, no cable channel covered the event. If you are president, the only thing worse than criticism is not being covered. And the truth is, we in the press are bored with Barack.
The “mainstream media” are losing patience with, and even interest in, their erstwhile hero. President Barack Obama never had a chance with the Ailes-Murdoch crowd, of course, and it didn’t take the president long to offend the fierce left wing of the blogosphere. But now, finally, the MSM, which views itself as ideologically neutral, has found ideologically neutral reasons to lose patience with him: that he may be ineffectual; that he doesn’t know how to play the game; that he can’t get anything done. Exhibit A: the health-care bill. The Times‘s Frank Rich, the astute dean of the commentariat, wrote recently that Obama has failed to “communicate a compelling narrative” in office and, as a result, “could be toast if he doesn’t make good on a year’s worth of false starts.”
Cue the music!
Only thing I can really say is, when you oversell a man, what do you expect? 🙄