ObamaCare Turns 3

You say it's your birthday
 It's my birthday too, yeah
 They say it's your birthday
 We're gonna have a good time
 I'm glad it's your birthday
 Happy birthday to you.
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Yes we're going to a party party
 Yes we're going to a party party
 Yes we're going to a party party
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"Birthday" Lyrics courtesy of The Beatles
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"ObamaCare" courtesy of, well, you know...
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Image Source:  ThinkProgress.org

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It seems just like yesterday that ObamaCare was shoved down our collective National gullet.  Nancy Pelosi, then-Speaker-Of-The-House, told Congress that they must, "Pass the Bill to see what's in the Bill", and Congress...  Obliged. 
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The 2,200+ page Bill (which no one read in its entirety) was signed into law three years ago (give or take one day) today.
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Major aspects of the Affordable Health Care Act (a.k.a.:  ObamaCare) do not go into effect until 2014, but the very-long-and-winding-Bill (subliminal Beatles's reference) signed into Law three years ago has not been idle.  This malignant bit of legislation has been very, very busy doing what progressive legislation does - multiplying.
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As referenced above, the original 'Bill' was 'North of' 2,200 pages in scope. 
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As I type this on March 23rd, 2013 the three-year-old version of the Law is a 'bit' lengthier with over 18,000 pages of regulations.  
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While the original Bill was less than two feet tall when birthed, the "New-and-Improved" Law is roughly Six Feet, Seven Inches tall. 
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How do we know this?  Because Mitch McConnell printed out all the regulations included in the Law, stacked them up in his office, wrapped them with a bow, and took a photo of them. 
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You'll find this photo here...
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Story:  WashingtonExaminer

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Personally, I prefer that Mitch McConnell not spend so much time 'Wrapping' this legislation, as he should spend more time attempting to gut it, but hey, that's just me.  And, if he's looking to tie the 'Empty Chair' thing back to the Clint Eastwood's speech at the Convention, well, Mr. McConnell, sorry, but that ship sailed a while ago. 
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You, I, and we, um, what's the word?  Oh, that's right, we LOST.    
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More than four years after setting sail we find our Nation still adrift, bobbing on the U.S.S. ObamaNation, looking for direction, looking for propulsion, looking for a Skipper, and finding ourselves gazing longingly at the ObamaNation's Lifeboats - only to find that the majority of their fragile hulls have been eaten through by Progressive Metal-Eating Carpenter Ants. 
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While the U.S.S. ObamaNation remains the "Love Boat" for some Progressive folks...
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The Love Boat for some...
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The Tiger-Laden Lifeboat for others...
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For most of the last four plus years, I've felt like that kid in the "Life of Pi" film - adrift in a lifeboat.  His family has their futures stolen from them, he sees everything he has swallowed by the sea, and he is rewarded with only a full-grown (and hungry) Bengal Tiger as his lone shipmate (this, after the Laughing Hyena (Joe Biden?) kills and eats the Zebra (Boehnor?), then the Orangutan (McConnell?), and finally, the Laughing Joe Hyena is eaten by the Tiger (Obama?).)
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Whoa, didn't expect to go HERE... 
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Metaphors can be spooky sometimes - especially when the work so well.
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In the end, after what seems like YEARS, but is really only 2 Hours and 3 Minutes in "Movie Time", the lifeboat finds land, the boy struggles ashore, and the tiger jumps out and walks away without ever looking back, instead, focused on his new killing grounds which await ahead... 
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Sheesh, that DOES kind of work for President Obama, doesn't it? 
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He'll never look back at what he's done to / for this Country.  He's all about "Forward!", isn't he?
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Ah, enough of this movie role-play, let's get back to the thing itself... 
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ObamaCare, Our Nation's Malignant Federal Toddler, turns Three!
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What will ObamaCare cost? 
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Well, according to the Congressional Budget Office... 
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NFI!  (a.k.a.:  "No Freaking Idea"!) 

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But don't take my word for it, let's go to the chart of CBO Estimates...
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Yes, the costs for ObamaCare will be somewhere between $898 BILLION and $1.6 TRILLION for Medicaid Expansion and Exchanges ALONE.  Or, in layman's terms, about TWICE what we were told it would cost.  But when you're borrowing the money from other Nations?  It's not like it's REAL money! 
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And, BONUS!  This additional expense doesn't include your inflated cost for your family's health care premiums (expected to double by 2014). 
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Yes, that motion you feel under the deck is the U.S.S. ObamaNation listing dramatically to the Left.  Grab your life vest now, and pick up a few Tiger Chow bags on your way to the lifeboat before you get wet...
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And yes, you will GET wet.
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Hey, speaking of 'All Wet'!
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Aw, ain't she Tweet?  On February 27, 2013, Donna Brazile, Democratic-Strategist, called her Health Care Insurance Provider to ask why HER health Insurance Premium went up.  In return, the answer she received, as she tweets, was "No good answer". 
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Yes, the air is thick with irony this day...
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Okay Ms. Brazile, let a guy in his PJ's take a shot at it for you.  Seriously, why not?  I couldn't do any worse than professional political-types YOU consult for, right?
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1.  The Affordable Care Act (now Law) requires insurance companies to insure stuff they never used to...  Presumably for FREE.  Having taken business courses back when the world was young and Carter was President, I have news for you, Ms. B., there is nothing FREE in America (unless, of course, you are Poor in America - in which case, MOST EVERYTHING IS FREE).  I know, because folks like me pay for all of it.   
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2.  Covering contraceptives for FREE?  No, everybody pays, regardless of your religious beliefs of affiliations. 
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3.  Covering kids up to 26 years of age because they can't get a job because the economy SUCKS under Obama leadership?  No, everybody pays.  Including half-wit Democratic Strategists who can't see anything through the haze of their own progressive ideology.
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4.  Funding health care exchanges for the really sick folks with pre-existing conditions who don't have insurance for FREE?  No, everybody pays.  Luckily, this means that morons like you also have to pay.  The difference is that I knew it YEARS ago, and you took three years to catch on.
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5.  For an in depth discussion of WHY health care premiums MUST rise, Ms. Brazile, please check out the following link to a post on Forbes.com which parallels Medicare spending to projected ObamaCare spending increases -- Why Health Care Spending Will Explode Under ObamaCare 
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6.  If the above fact-based assertions do not work for you, I offer you this final 'possible' answer: 
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Recent near-Earth asteroid and meteor fly-bys are making rich 1%-type Health Care Providing Capitalists very nervous.  They need as much money as they can gather to build gigantic interstellar space crafts in which they will escape the Earth in case of a "World Ending" Collision with a foreign body (no, Ms. Brazile,  I'm not speaking about Hugh Jackman - sorry). 
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They will be alerted to the warning of this impending collision by high-ranking executives at Google who are now running former NASA space programs and will be notified immediately via their APPLE-based communication appliances. 
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They will meet in International Falls, North Dakota and be shot into space 8 hours before the 'Big One' hits, just west of Atlanta, Georgia.
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I'm not sure if I've covered all possible conspiracy stuff here, but in the chance that I did not, please feel free to include some vague text about Bigfoot and Alien Abduction at your discretion. 
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Oh, and don't forget the part about Ms. Brazile trapped in a lifeboat with a man-eating tiger.  Yes, not being a man, she'll be just fine... 
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For those who do not know who(m) Ms. Brazile is, she is the current Vice Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.  It is therefore no wonder that she has no idea what the impacts of ObamaCare are as she didn't read the Bill either...
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I guess the most interesting fact about Ms. Brazile is that she is a Democratic-Strategist.  Yes, you are reading this correctly.  She tells what Democrats what they need to do to WIN. 
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On second thought, let's make sure that our friend Donna makes it to International Falls on time, because when the Earth is destroyed, I want people of her intellectual 'mass' leading Democratic Leadership on Alpha Centuri in the future.  It may be the only chance surviving Republicans have of winning the future and assuring freedom for those inhabitants of "New America" once they leave this current Obamaville behind in their Jet Wash.
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Ah, maybe there's no asteroid heading towards Earth?  Maybe there's no Meteor with Atlanta's name on it?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I don't know.  What I do know is that unless ObamaCare goes "Under the knife", many things we took for granted in the past will go away. 
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Fatalities attributed to ObamaCare will necessarily include: 
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Choice.  Affordability.  Freedom.  Efficiency.  Access.  Lives.

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In the meantime, folks like Donna will continue to be surprised, and the rest of us will wonder why we didn't do more while we still could? 
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Shame on US. 
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Between you and me?  I've already had my plot of Moon surveyed and deeded.  So when the planet-killer from space gets here, I'll already be on my way to a better place (building lunar rockets is my part-time speciality.) 
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If any of you survive (I'm hoping that you make it - but no, I'm sorry, I only have room on my ship for my family, dogs, and fish), you'll be able to look to the night sky and say, "I see him.  I see the Moos on the Moon."
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Additional lunar plots are available for any other Lunatics out there...
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But only for a limited time.
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Operators are standing by now...
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No, I am NOT kidding:  "Earth's Leading Lunar Registry" Is real. 
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Donna Brazile's consulting qualifications are not.
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Oh, and for "Moo Station Alpha", my new Lunar address? 
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No tigers allowed.
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Suffer the Little Children

I was wrong.  I 'misunderestimated' the devastating impacts of the Sequestration on other Americans.   
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I honestly never KNEW it could get this bad. 
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WashingtonTimes.com reports:  The White House announced Tuesday that it was canceling all public tours of the president’s home because of the sequester spending cuts.
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“Due to staffing reductions resulting from sequestration, we regret to inform you that White House Tours will be canceled effective Saturday, March 9, 2013 until further notice. Unfortunately, we will not be able to reschedule affected tours,” the White House said in an email.
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...
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As President Obama was returning from visiting wounded veterans at Walter Reed Medical Center, a reporter shouted a question about the decision to cancel the tours as Mr. Obama was walking from Marine One to the Oval Office.. 
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He simply smiled and waved. 
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Yes, the President of the United States has now declared 'The People's House' off limits to, We the People.
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Well, that'll show US!
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In response (according to WhiteHouseDossier.com):  Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) introduced an amendment to the fast-moving continuing resolution spending bill that would bar funding for President Obama’s golf outings until the White House reopens for public tours.
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Gohmert, who announced his amendment from the floor of the House, said Americans, whether Republicans or Democrats, will be greatly disappointed to come to Washington and not be able to get their tours of the White House. Many tours are planned well in advance.
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The amendment states:
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None of the funds made available by a division of this act may be used to transport the president to or from a golf course until public tours of the White House resume.

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Gohmert cited an estimate by Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, that 341 federal employees could have avoided being furloughed had Obama not traveled to Florida for a three-day golf extravaganza.

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In a 'sort of related' story...  As of this afternoon, White House Spokesman Jay Carney has still NOT been able to explain why the Department of Homeland Security placed an order for $50 MILLION in new TSA agent uniforms (at a cost of approximately $1,000 per TSA employee), days before the Sequester kicked in.
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Maybe the $50 MILLION is for a LOT more of those surgical gloves?

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I wonder if perhaps a better tact would have been for TSA agents to forgo their new 'duds' and allocate a portion of this $50 MILLION towards the volunteers who host these tours of the White House? 
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But wait, don't volunteers normally work for FREE? 
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Even if they work 'on the cheap', I've got to figure that it'll cost something less than $50 MILLION to run groups of kids through a building their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents have contributed to for all of their lives, right?  I mean, it's not like we have to hire temporary security guards to watch the kids, I'm assuming that there is a LOT of security running around at the White House. 
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In 2010 WE funded over $310 MILLION in upgrades to the White House - I'd like to see how my money was spent.  If nothing else, I'd to get in an take a fork or something while my tour guide isn't paying attention.
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This Administration has been 'forking me' for a while, it's about time I 'forked them' for a change.   
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As lunch is officially over...  "Poke me with a fork - I'm done."
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Post Sequestration - Obamaclypse Now

"Barack Solo in Star Wars, Episode 9:  I Meld With You"

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Well, it's official - today is the first day of the "Worst Days of Your Life".  Last evening as you were scanning cable TV, cruising Facebook, or perhaps just reading a good book, the President ordered those Draconian Cuts he warned you all about. 
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He issued the very orders which he tried so valiantly to avoid.  He implemented sequestration. 
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Surprisingly, the Republicans did not bend to the President's will (for once).  President Obama tried to save our Nation 'one more time' - and failed.  Democrats stood ever-ready to answer the call for 'more spending', but nefarious Republicans somehow sucked in their guts, stood tall, and said, "No.  Not this time." 
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So instead of giving politicians an additional $100 BILLION to spend in 2012 - they only gave themselves an additional $15 BILLION to spend.   
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"The First Cleave is the Deepest, baby I know, the first cleave is the deepest" - Rod Stewart

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Yes,  last evening, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, took a 'meat clever' to the soft, gooey insides of our Nation leaving this very Nation splayed open and quivering uncontrollably on his desk.  He didn't want to do it.  It wasn't the President's fault.  He tried (harder than he's ever tried before) to save us from himself.  He even had a photo-op with Congressional leaders yesterday morning to tell them once again that they were getting ready to enforce a 'really dumb thing'. 
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He forgot to mention (again) that the 'really dumb thing' was his staff's idea, but facts, as you know, are 'curious things'.  There was no more time for debate, Surgeon-In-Chief Obama was preparing to operate.    
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Repeatedly the cleaver rose and fell. 
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Blood speckled the walls. 
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The President grinned.
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In a distant room of the White House a monitor fell silent following a protracted, high-pitched squeal of protest.
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When it was over, $85 BILLION lay on the floor of the West Wing.  Cleaved from 2013 bureau budgets the spending pulsed for a moment, fell onto its side and expired.  My God, I can hear the screams of children, the elderly, the sick, the needy, and the unemployed ringing in my ears!  This could be my Tinnitus, but no, I'm pretty sure it's the howling screams of the forgotten, the neglected, and the myriad of yet-ill-conceived spending programs which will never see the light of day.
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The horror.
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I am typing this post at 6:25 on the Saturday morning following 'Sequester Friday'.  It appears that the sun is beginning to rise once again in the east.  While it's still early in the day, I have yet to notice any planes falling from the sky, any zombies shambling up my street, nor any starving children left to die at my doorstep (come to think of it, I'd better go check as soon as this post is a 'wrap').    
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Granted, the increasing amount of light outside may be no more than a headlight from an oncoming train, but I'm pretty sure that it's the sun regardless.  Has the President's cleaver resolved all the Fiscal Ills of our Nation?  No.  Not by a long-shot. 
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Will the 2.2% spending 'cuts' be painful?  Well, that depends on which agencies are impacted.  As you know, 50% of the funds will come from Defense budgets and the remaining 50% (actually the reduction in the spending INCREASE - lest anyone forget) comes out of domestic programs. 
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Who will administer the 'less than expected spending increase'?  Well, I actually looked that up.  While the President has said that it 'isn't him', I look to the Congressional Budget Office and find: 
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The Administration's Office of Management and Budget has sole authority to determine whether a sequestration is required and, if so, the proportional allocations of any necessary cuts.  
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Perhaps the President is NOT aware, but the Office of Management and Budget DOES report to him.  [Inconvenient Truth #689] 
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Image:  WhiteHouse.gov

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So, who's responsible for those 'Draconian Spending Cuts' as they are doled out?  They will be prescribed to American citizens by people who report directly to the President.  It's going to be hard for President Obama to vote "PRESENT" on this one (as illustrated above, he'll be the guy in the 'usual suspects' line-up with blood speckled across on his white shirt). 
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President Obama will want to 'duck and cover' per his normal behavioral pattern, but there are a lot of us gnats buzzing around out here with long memories and access to other folks online. 
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He may forget whose idea this Sequestration thing was, what led up to it, and who decided which cuts are made, but we will not forget.  We g-nats, have a g-knack, for g-facts... 

(The 'g' is silent - thank you!)

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WEATHER UPDATE:    The sun is fully up, it's just past 7:30am.  No planes, no zombies, no starving children on the doorstep (I just looked), and it appears that today is a lot like yesterday, merely a day later.

I leave you today with the phrase I told my my kids every day I woke them up in the morning for school:
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"Good Morning Kidd-o!  Welcome to another day of unlimited possibilities..."

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This goes for you, as well.

Have a great weekend.   May your possibilities be unlimited... 
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