He Just Keeps 'Reiding'

Anxious children sit in neat rows of desks within their dreary concrete and steel classroom and wait nervously for their substitute teacher to arrive for today's period 1 session.  Will it be Mrs. Wong, the part-time sub and full-time Progressive Liberal?  Oh, please, no.  The last time she was here, each had to write a paper on the vital importance of Green Energy and cite 'sources' (most of which necessarily came from the www.thinkprogress.org site) and then bring it home for their parents to read, and sign, to prove that the parents actually read it.  Yes, why just brain-wash the young when there's still a chance to reach the OLD at the same time?    
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Might it be Mr. Clepfer, the retired ex-New York State Worker who eats his wax-paper-wrapped sandwich from a greasy brown paper bag in his nondescript gray panel van in a parking space overlooking the playground?  
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Once again, oh, please, no.  The dude is weird.  The guy always carries balloons with him.  Is he a clown running from a circus, or is he some kind of, what's the word... "p-r-e-v-e-r-t"?  Regardless, the school district loves this guy, he's interesting to keep around, and he works CHEAP, it's almost like he'd spend time around the kids for FREE if given the chance.  The kids, however, know there's something not right with Mr. C, they're always on their best behavior in class because none of them want to spend time with him after the period ends.
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The door of the classroom swings open, a man in a gray suit, white shirt and red tie steps into the classroom and...
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"Mr. Moos!  Where have you been?!?!"  Tommy shouts.
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"Well, Tommy, I've been busy with family, I had my son back from Graduate School for a week, I spent another couple of weeks doing tax returns for the family and..."
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"Hey, Mr. Moos, did you lose some weight?"  Anna asks.
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"Yeah, just a little kidd-o, I've been going to the gym three to four days a week, eating a little healthier, and trying hard to live long enough to be a financial burden to future taxpayers, like, um, you guys!" The he drops his case onto the desk in the front of the room.  "So, what are you learning about in your class?  Where are you in your New York (rotten to the) common core curriculum?"
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A hand shoots up near the back of the room, "We're learning about the Senate Mr. Moos, it's kind of boring, and most of the stuff is from a long time ago, like when you were a kid, you know, a really long time ago." Reggie says.
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"Ah, yes, Reggie, the Constitutional Convention of 1787, I remember it well.  The summer was hot and muggy, and none of the air conditioning worked particularly well back then.  I was just a boy, about your age, and I was much thinner then, because you know, I was walking to school uphill both ways in the heat and snow every day and working on the family farm every night..." He says this as he drapes his suit jacket over the back of the teacher's chair, sits down, and looks at the students once again.  
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"Yup, things were hard back then.  You could depend on your family and your neighbors, the government stayed out of your life pretty much, because it wasn't as intrusive as it is today.  There was no such thing as 'Unemployment' because you had to work, farm, and often to barter to support your family.  If you didn't farm, work, or have a skill someone wanted, you had to rely on family or religious organizations for assistance - and most people were once too proud to do this."
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"Mr. Moos, what else was different about America when you were a kid?" Abigail asks.
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Well, when I was a kid, I remember that I named my favorite cow 'Bossie', and I did it without offending anyone..."  His eyes drift upward to the ceiling as a tear forms in the corner of his right eye.  He wipes the tear away casually, hoping that no one has noticed the depth of emotion which the memory triggered.
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"Was the cow a girl cow Mr. Moos?" Abigail asks.  "Because if it was a girl cow, you couldn't name her that today..."
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"Yes, Abby, she was a girl cow; she was an udderly wonderful girl cow." he responds as he opens the teacher's handbook lying on the desktop.  "So, what have you learned about the United States Senate in your class thus far?" he asks.
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Hands around the room shoot up and he points to the small quiet boy sitting directly in front of him.  "Yes Tim, what have you learned about the United States Senate so far?"
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"Well, I learned that people have to be thirty years old to run for the Senate.  Each Senator has a six-year term, and there are two Senators from each State.  AND my Dad tells me that the current leader of the Senate is Harry Reid and..." the boy's voice drops off as he sits down again.
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"Yes Tim, what about Harry Reid?  Why'd you get so very quiet?" Mr. M. asks as he looks into the boys reddening face.
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"My Mom told me that if you have nothing nice to say about someone, not to say anything at all."  Tim says as he lowers his eyes from the man in front of him to his own hands in front of him on his desk.
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"Oh, I see.  It sounds like you've been following the news lately?  You know, it's funny, but when I was substitute teaching your older brother a few years ago, I told him a story about Harry Reid back when President Obama was running for re-election in 2012.  I understand your reluctance to say any more than you have.  It's hard to say something nice about a man whose brain is full of spiders and whose heart is full of dark, soft, sucking things which make slurping sounds that can be heard from across the room.  Yeah, I get it." 
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"Really, you can HEAR them - out loud?" Tim asks.
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"You betcha.  Sometimes you can hear the slurping noises when he's speaking on the floor of the Senate.  And if you are watching very closely - when the light is just right, you can see his eyes change from a man's eyes, to those of a reptile..."
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"Hey Mr. Moos, is it true that Harry Reid takes money from his re-election funds and gives it to family members?" Mary asks.
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."Yes Mary, he sent $31,000 to his granddaughter's company to buy gifts for people, illegally spending the money from his campaign fund and paying it to family members." the man says.
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"If this is illegal, has he ever done it before?  How come he's not in jail?" Mary wonders.

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"Those are excellent questions, and the answer is that it IS illegal, he has done it before, and he's not in jail because he's a loyal Democrat," the man says with a serious expression on his face.
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"Come on, Mr. Moos, you can't tell me that he's done the same thing before, can you?  If he's the leader of the Senate wouldn't breaking the law be, um, you know, a BAD thing?" Mary asks.
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"Normally I would say yes.  But with the current crop of weasels we have in the Senate, breaking the law is something that they feel like they can do without getting punished.  As a matter of fact, for a Democrat in Congress breaking the law is a resume' enhancer.  In 2006 Harry Reid also used campaign funds to give Christmas gifts to employees at the Condominium he owns at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC.  He said it was a mistake and that he would pay the money from his own funds, reimbursing the campaign fund."
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"But he DID pay back the money in 2006, Mr. Moos?  Abigail asks.
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"Sure, after he got caught, just like he's doing again this time." Mr. Moos responds.  "He normally pays up after he gets caught breaking the law."
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"So besides breaking Federal Campaign Law, what else has Harry Reid been up to?" Mary asks.
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"In 2006, a $286-billion federal transportation bill included a little-noticed slice of pork pushed by Reid which provided benefits for the casino town of Laughlin, Nevada.  The interesting thing is that Senator Reid owned 160 acres of land in the area and the subsequent Federal spending he promoted drove the price of his land holdings up significantly.  But as the Senator stated when questioned about his involvement in the earmark (pork) process, "There's nothing basically wrong with earmarks. They've been going on since we were a country."  Well maybe, but between 1995 and 2005 the number of earmarks grew from about 1,400 to over 15,000 in 2006."
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"So he used Federal money to make more money for himself?" asks Tim.
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"Yup kidd-o, you've got it.  But don't worry, it gets worse." says Mr. Moos.
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"How could that be?" Abigail asks Mr. M.
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"Abigail, I hate to be the one to tell you, but Harry Reid believes that your parents, and your grandparents just aren't smart enough to know what a great thing that he and the President has done for you..."
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"Aw, come on Mr. Moos, you're pulling my leg, right?  He wouldn't really think we're stupid, would he?" Abigail asks.
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"Just this week Harry Reid told the Press that, “We have hundreds of thousands of people who tried to sign up who didn’t get through.  There are some people who are not like my grandchildren who can handle everything so easily on the Internet, and these people need a little extra time. It’s not — the example they gave us is a 63-year-old woman came into the store and said, ‘I almost got it. Every time I just about got there, it would cut me off.’ We have a lot of people just like this through no fault of the Internet, but because people are not educated on how to use the Internet.”  Mr. Moos shrugs his shoulders and looks at the children in the classroom.  "So what do you think about Dirty Harry Mason Reid now?"
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"He's a freaking idiot."  Reggie murmurs aloud.  "My Grandmother is on Facebook all the time AND she buys most of my Christmas gifts on Amazon because it's easier for her to do it online."
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"Mr. Moos - if people are too stupid to use the Internet, why would the Federal Government launch the ObamaCare site ON the Internet in the first place?" asks Abigail.
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"That is an excellent question Abigail, unfortunately, I'm not the best person to answer it.  Have your parents call their local House representatives and State Senators to ask them.  After all, these people answer to you folks, if they don't like the answer they get, toss the bums out."  Mr. Moos sits back in his chair and glances up at the clock, "Hey what are you kids having for lunch today in the cafeteria?"
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"We bring our own lunches to school now," Reggie says.
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"How come?" asks Mr. Moos.
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"That new Michelle Obama Meal Plan?  It's like eating yard grass clippings, so we brown-bag our lunches in our back packs." Reggie says.  "You know, just like Mr. Clepfer does, except we're not 'weird' like he is."
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"Yikes, I'm sorry kids.  I didn't know things were that bad."
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"Ah, it's not all bad Mr. Moos, a bunch of us got together and we're selling those little bags of Doritos in the lunch room - we're making pretty good coin too."
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"Well played my tiny entrepreneurs - but how does the school staff feel about you guys selling food in the Cafeteria?" asks Mr. Moos.
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Reggie smiles as he leans in towards Mr. Moos desk and asks, "Who do you think is buying most of our sugary contraband snacks?"
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Mr. Moos smiles, closes the text book sitting on the desk in front of him and says, "You know, I think you kids are going to be just fine.  Yes, you're going to be just fine indeed..."  
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California Scheming... On a Cold Winter's Day

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
-- Albert Einstein

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I find it fitting that on the home page for Covered California they feature a child holding her hands over her Father's eyes.  Maybe he doesn't want to see what happens next with Socialized Health Care either?
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Yes, I'm a bit late to the party, but now that I've catching up on things that have been bugging me for a while, it's time to pull the cork from the pig.  
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And regarding ObamaCare's cork once that thing's pulled, it ain't going back in...
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The folks implementing the Health Care Exchange in California have done what Big Government lackies do best...  They've wasted a LOT of "other people's" money.  
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On what?  Well, let's see what they've been spending the money on...  
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A Barack Obama Impersonator:
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A Richard Simmons Dance Party Competition: 
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The above segments represent only a small portion of the 6-Hour LIVE streaming Covered California 'Brain-Wash-athon' to encourage young (and stupid) Californians to sign up on the state's health exchange.
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While the 'performers' contributed their time; production, distribution, and other expenses for this embarassing program ran up a tab of $1.37 MILLION - funded by...  The nice folks of California.
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Personally, I'd pay $20 to NEVER have to watch either video again.  Perhaps we should TWEET this to the Left Coast as a fundraising idea for future Infommercials?  
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"Send us $20 and we'll block your computer's IP Address...  FOREVER!" 
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Following the event, I found the following online:  According to Cal Watchdog, Covered California will probably face a $78 million shortfall in the next year; its 2012–13 budget included $74 million for advertising and marketing. 
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Bottom Line:  Covered California is projected to LOSE $78 MILLION while spending $74 MILLION on quality programming as exhibited by those snippets above.  So you lose $4 MILLION as a result of your advertising budget of $74 MILLION?  Wow, Blue States must be clamoring to get in on this action.
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This leaves a question for the folks in California, how will THEY get more more money by signing up more people than they have already - especially since the people running the system are looking to RICHARD SIMMONS to motivate kids to sign?
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Oops, why did I have to ask the question???
..

 
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The question was answered this morning, February 16, 2014, via a dispatch run in the "Daily Democrat" entitled, simply enough: 
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Calif. bill would insure people in US illegally
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Immigrants living in the country illegally would be able to buy health insurance through the state of California under a bill introduced by a state senator.
.Only U.S. citizens can buy policies under the Affordable Care Act through health exchanges such as Covered California.
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."Excluding people from access to care hurts the overall health of our communities, and does not reflect California values," Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, said Friday at a press conference at a Los Angeles community health center.
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....
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.About 2 million immigrants are living in California without legal permission, the most of any state.
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.Imelda Plascencia moved to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 5. Plascencia, who described herself as being in the country illegally, suffers from gallstones and has waited in emergency rooms for treatment.
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."My health has been declining," the 28-year-old said at the news conference.
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.Immigrant advocates welcomed the bill.
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."If people are given the opportunity to pay for affordable health care, they will," Joseph Villela, director of policy and advocacy for the Coalition for Humane Immigration of Los Angeles, told the Daily News of Los Angeles. "It's a long shot, but it is the first official bill that will seek to promote health care for all."
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And thus it begins, the expansion of ObamaCare even PRIOR TO the complete implementation of ObamaCare.
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Gee, who saw THAT coming?
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That's a rhetorical question, you don't have to answer it.  
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Oh, one last thing, when dealing with Pigs, Poop, and the Feds?  
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Like I said at the beginning, the cork NEVER goes back in...  
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Now does it, big fella?
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Nope, I didn't think it did...

....

 
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ObamaCare Magic

Well, if nothing else, the man in the White House is consistent.

Another BIG announcement impacting employers / employees across the U.S. and the announcement is made...  While Congress is gone, Americans are preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July, President Obama is thinking about returning from Africa and...  Egypt is preparing to implode.

Yup, time to make the after-hours, pre-holiday announcement and watch to see if ANYONE gorging on hot dogs, iced tea, and apple pie notices...

Huh?  What's that?  You don't know what I'm talking about?  Oops, sorry, that's because you're NOT supposed to know what's going on in your government.  It's safer for you not to know - if you know what I mean.  Because when something's for the 'Greater Good' you need to know that there are many, many things, greater than yourself. 

Please be aware that if you continue, and keep reading, you'll be doing what this Administration doesn't necessarily want you to do: 

a.  Being Informed,
b.  Getting Informed and finally,
c.  Informing others

Why might they not want you to know what's going on? 

BASIC RULE OF LIFE #73:  When there's going to be spectacular Train Wreck, the best viewing location it is far up on a hill watching from the comfort of a folding chair with an amber-colored beverage in hand.  (This is vastly preferable to being ON one of the aforementioned trains going 60 MPH head long towards a second train - heading straight for you.) 

Unfortunately, for you, me, and MOST other Americans, your seat on the Federally-subsidized "Hell-Bent Express" is reserved!

The personable (and pleasantly dressed) IRS agent manning the ticket window reaches out and deposits your ticket into your open, trembling hand.  In the distance, somewhere on the platform, the conductor in a starched brown uniform shouts, "All aboard!" 

This means you.  Yeah, get on the train. 

No.  Seriously. 

Get on the freaking the train or they'll put you on it. 

It's for your own good.  You'll see.  It's always for YOUR own good.  

Even if it...  Kills you.

  

July 2, 2013, 08:30pm, The Huffington Post:  Obamacare Employer Mandate Delayed For One Year

Employers who don't provide health insurance will be spared penalties of up to $3,000 per worker until 2015, a one-year delay of a major component of President Barack Obama's health care reform law, the Treasury Department announced Tuesday.


Under Obamacare, companies with at least 50 full-time employees are required to provide qualifying health benefits to workers or face financial penalties called "shared responsibility payments." The provision of the law aims to shore up and strengthen the system that provides health benefits to most covered Americans. Under regulatory guidance to be published next week, the Obama administration will free companies from this mandate and from rules that they report information about their health benefits to the federal government next year.

"During this 2014 transition period, we strongly encourage employers to maintain or expand health coverage," Mark Mazur, assistant secretary for tax policy at the Treasury Department, said in a statement. The change does not affect people who will buy health insurance on their own or small businesses that will buy coverage through the law's health insurance exchanges.

More than half of Americans, 170 million people, are covered by employer-sponsored health insurance, according the census data. Of companies with at least 50 workers, 94 percent already offer health benefits, a survey by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation shows. The one-year delay of the penalties won't have a meaningful effect on jobs being the leading source of health care coverage, said Paul Fronstin, a senior research associate with the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
...

"The fact is, employers have been offering coverage voluntarily for how many years now. They didn't drop it before the law was passed. They offered it for business reasons," Fronstin said. "I don't think you'll see a mass exodus because of this."

Postponing enforcement of the "employer responsibility" mandate also isn't likely to result in significantly fewer people gaining health coverage because of Obamacare next year, said Larry Levitt, senior vice president for special initiatives at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

"The practical effect on how people will get covered is really small," Levitt said. "It might mean ever-so-slightly fewer people gaining insurance, but it'll be a very small number because the vast majority of larger employers already offer coverage." The Congressional Budget Office projected only a modest increase in job-based health benefits because of the law, he said.

...

"This announcement means even the Obama administration knows the 'train wreck' will only get worse," House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a statement. "This is a clear acknowledgment that the law is unworkable, and it underscores the need to repeal the law and replace it with effective, patient-centered reforms.'

The administration's move on the employer penalties follows a recent Government Accountability Office report suggesting the law's health insurance exchanges for individuals who don't get coverage at work and for small companies may not be ready for the six-month enrollment period that begins Oct. 1. In April, the administration also delayed part of the law intended to provide small-business workers with more health insurance choices.

These negative developments for the implementation of the health care reform law shouldn't been viewed as major warning signs, however, Levitt said. "I don't think people should read too much into this in terms of how ready the administration is to implement the rest of the law, but I think some people will draw those conclusions. I think it's more of an issue of perception than an issue of reality."

POINT OF CLARIFICATION:  Hey, Mr. Levitt, "Perception" IS "Reality" if you're the guy "Perceiving" it...

Example:

Yeah, the guy in the suit?  His perception rocks - reality, conversely, 'rocks' not so much. 

Okay, so if you follow the Administration's storyline, they're doing this 'delay' of the employer mandate so that 'larger employers' will have time to 'get their stuff together' prior to the full and udder (it's a cow thing, just go with it) roll-out of ObamaCare in 2014. 

The funny thing is that this deferral effectively pushes back OC's (ObamaCare's) deployment until AFTER the 2014 elections.  

Huh, I wonder why that is?

My perception is that this is being done purely for political reasons, as Democrats don't want a leadership 'blood letting' following the full implementation of ObamaCare in 2014. 

My perception is that since no Republicans voted for this legislation, Democrats are hoping a 12-month deferral will give them several more years to oppose Republican reforms (when, and if they every actually happen) and pass bad additional flawed legislation similar to our current Immigration Bill. 

My Perception is that there are no longer two parties in America - there those people who love America's as it WAS, and those who want to bend it to what they want it to BE.

My Reality is that I'd better get to work... 

Lest someone Perceive that I don't care any more and I become another of the takers, vs. the 'giving' kind-of-guy that I am.

Oh, and regarding the 'cut-&-pasted' photo that begins this post, I perceive that this Administration having the 'Ultimate Power' to do a major sleight of hand (as done late yesterday afternoon) is a lot like having many, many, BIG name stars in a major Hollywood motion picture on which you spent a LOT of other-people's money. 

Yeah, the movie gets made, but what happens when no one is interested in paying to see it?

But when you've got the only theater in town, and you can FORCE people to go, yeah, now you're on to something...

Happy Independence Day America! 

You know, it's odd, but I don't feel quite that we're quite as Independent as we used to be...

Let Them Eat Shakes!

Quick Quiz!

By a show of hands, who remembers the man featured in the photo above? 

Hey, put your hands down, I was kidding.  It's not like I can actually SEE you through that video camera on your laptop or anything... 

Or, can I???  Hmm, I wonder...

I cannot, of course, but just between you and me?  You might want to knock that cowlick down on the left side of your head if you plan on going out in public today. 

Today's post has absolutely nothing to do with your hair, that unblinking camera lens above your laptop monitor, or my ability to see you. 

Today's post has more to do with those people who CAN see you.

"They see you when you're smoking,
They know when you over-eat,
They see if you're on Blood Pressure meds,
They know if your knees are weak..."

In case you've forgotten who this guy is, allow me to call upon a series of 0's and 1's to decode the following digital representation of the wit and wisdom of... 

 

Alan Grayson's "Die Quickly" Speech

In defense of Alan Grayson - D, FL, (ousted in 2010) he was 50% correct in his assessment of the state of health care in the Nation.  From a purely statistical perspective, this makes him roughly 10 times more accurate than the majority of members in his party.  

His mistake, of course, was in saying that it is Republicans who want folks to 'Die quickly'.  The rest of what he said was pretty much dead on based upon what I read this morning. 

Yes, I am here today to tell you that:

Alan Grayson is a Visionary

 

I'll give you a few moments while you clear the milk you just sprayed out your nose off the keyboard. 

 

Again, just between you and me, you missed some.  Grab a paper towel and dry that spot just above your shirt pocket.  Cleanliness IS close to Godliness you know... 

 

And as I type this, I find myself a little closer to God than I was just yesterday.

 

ASSOCIATED PRESS, JANUARY 26, 2012:  Do penalties for smokers and the obese make sense?

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Faced with the high cost of caring for smokers and overeaters, experts say society must grapple with a blunt question:

 

Instead of trying to penalize them and change their ways, why not just let these health sinners die prematurely from their unhealthy habits?
 

Annual health care costs are roughly $96 billion for smokers and $147 billion for the obese, the government says. These costs accompany sometimes heroic attempts to prolong lives, including surgery, chemotherapy and other measures.
 

But despite these rescue attempts, smokers tend to die 10 years earlier on average, and the obese die five to 12 years prematurely, according to various researchers' estimates.
 

"This is my life. I should be able to do what I want," said Sebastian Lopez, a college student from Queens, speaking last September when the New York City Board of Health approved the soda size rules.  [Moos Note:  No one has seen Sebastian since he made this comment  - nah, just kidding.]
 

Critics also contend that tobacco- and calorie-control measures place a disproportionately heavy burden on poor people. That's because they:
 

- Smoke more than the rich, and have higher obesity rates.
 

- Have less money so sales taxes hit them harder. One study last year found poor, nicotine-dependent smokers in New York - a state with very high cigarette taxes - spent as much as a quarter of their entire income on smokes.

- Are less likely to have a car to shop elsewhere if the corner bodega or convenience store stops stocking their vices.

...

There always seems to be a fight whenever this kind of public health legislation comes up. And it's a fight that can go in all sorts of directions. For example, some studies even suggest that because smokers and obese people die sooner, they may actually cost society less than healthy people who live much longer and develop chronic conditions like Alzheimer's disease. 
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So let's return to the original question: Why provoke a backlash? If 1 in 5 U.S. adults smoke, and 1 in 3 are obese, why not just get off their backs and let them go on with their (probably shortened) lives?

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From an economist's perspective, there would be less reason to grouse about unhealthy behaviors by smokers, obese people, motorcycle riders who eschew helmets and other health sinners if they agreed to pay the financial price for their choices.
 
That's the rationale for a provision in the Affordable Care Act - "Obamacare" to its detractors - that starting next year allows health insurers to charge smokers buying individual policies up to 50 percent higher premiums.

A 60-year-old could wind up paying nearly $5,100 on top of premiums.
 
The new law doesn't allow insurers to charge more for people who are overweight, however.  [Moos Note:  Well, at least not YET]
 
It's tricky to play the insurance game with overweight people, because science is still sorting things out. While obesity is clearly linked with serious health problems and early death, the evidence is not as clear about people who are just overweight.

...


That said, public health officials shouldn't shy away from tough anti-obesity efforts, said Callahan, the bioethicist. Callahan caused a public stir this week with a paper that called for a more aggressive public health campaign that tries to shame and stigmatize overeaters the way past public health campaigns have shamed and stigmatized smokers.
 
National obesity rates are essentially static, and public health campaigns that gently try to educate people about the benefits of exercise and healthy eating just aren't working, Callahan argued. We need to get obese people to change their behavior. If they are angry or hurt by it, so be it, he said.
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Should I shift gears and jump into the debate over Gun Control and WHY people are hoarding weapons and ammunition over the past few years?  No.  I won't.  You can connect those particular 'dots' on your own. 

I'd like however to take a Left Turn towards a thought process which will solve ALL the problems referenced above.  I'm going to put on my Progressive Hat and use their logic to FIX the problems outlined above (you'll want to scrub your hands, face, and eyes with alcohol when you're done reading the section below):

How to fix!

• Obesity,
• Smoking,
• Insurance Costs,
• Over-Population,
• and, sure, why not? "Global Climate Change"

Allow me to use the  AP logic to fix the ills of society today:

• Cut all Federal Subsidies to the Poor which go towards 'food' - people will eat less, lose weight, and Live Longer (unless, of course, they starve to death - but if they do, hey, they'll die 'the healthiest' they've been in YEARS!)
• Force manufacturers to lower the price of their cigarettes while implementing a higher TAX on them.  This does two things, First, it punishes the richest Americans for their bad habit, and Second, it still allows the Poor to obtain prescription narcotics via Welfare and / or Medicaid at their local physician's office, sell it on the street (at market prices) and allow them to continue to smoke - for FREE!  It's the compassionate thing to do - they needs thems smokes.
• Provide Abortion on Demand - regardless the age of ANY patient!  Unborn, Newly Born, Teenaged, Middle-Aged, Geriatric?  No problem!  All it takes is a 'relatively painless' needle stick and viola!  Good night Irene!   Pop 'em down the chute into the furnace - boom, done!
• Dozens of well-meaning and thoughtful Progressive Scientists agree with ME that the problem with the Earth is...  US!  If we weren't here mucking things up, the sacred Earth could continue upon it's merry way spinning, and spinning, and spinning, and...  (Any further elaboration would require scientific research and I'm not going there, okay?)
• In the end, by allowing people to starve while continuing to smoke, we'll reduce the surplus population, save the Earth, and make the World a better place - for the, um, World.  We, of course won't be here to see how things turn out.
• Now that I think about it, perhaps I should remain behind to make sure the Earth fully recovers from us?  I'm willing to do this not for myself, but for Mother Earth, Gaya, this Big Blue Marble spinning forever in space.  It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. 
• As for the rest of you folks, let me know if you have any cool stuff at home because I'm coming to get it when you're gone...  YOU won't need it any more. 
• And don't expect me to bury you, I'll be chillin' with your XBox for days on end.  Just throw yourself into a fire or something when you begin to feel, really, really, bad, okay?   I don't want you laying around stinking up the place for me while I'm looting your home.  Thanks, that'd be great. 

No.  I don't want your stuff.  You keep it - I've got plenty of stuff of my own.  I guess in the end I ask you to keep your eyes open so you can see what's going on around you.  For example, if a Nationally known Politician is laughed off the national stage for using the phrase, 'Death Panels' to explain a provision of a national health care plan and a few years later you trip across an article which begins the way this one does - questioning whether the Fat or Smoking deserve to die???  Well, let's just say that in 2013 I don't believe in coincidences any longer. 

There are proponents of Eugenics in all levels of the Federal Government. They want people 'like them' to survive. 

And between you and me?  I'm not one of THEM.   

Hey, before I go, you've got a little bit of green stuff on your front tooth - salad at lunch today, huh?  Good for you.  Hope you had the Lite Ranch dressing (I see a little something on your collar).

Live long and prosper...  While you can, at least. 

Another Obama Success Story!!!



Governor Rick Scott ( -2.3%)

The above photo is of Rick Scott, current Governor of the State of Florida.  This is how he appears to most Floridians, Americans, Space Aliens, and Illegal Aliens.

However, if you visit the Lefty sights out there, he looks a bit different than the above photo. 

How different?  Well, you tell me...

(It took 2.1 seconds to come up with most of these via Google Images)

While the President, the Media, and the Looney Left have all been sharpening their PhotoShop skills, what has Rick Scott been doing?

Perhaps the better question is, what has each of the newly-elected Republicans been doing since they were swept into office on the shoulders of the TEA Party / Anti-Obama / Anti-Big Government voters?

This morning I found the answer. 

President Obama will not like it.

I can live with it...

I can learn to like it.  A lot.


Breitbart.com took data gathered by Examiner.com and came up with the following summary:

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPPED IN EVERY STATE THAT ELECTED A REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR IN 2010

In 2010, influenced by the Tea Party and its focus on fiscal issues, 17 states elected Republican governors. And, according to an Examiner.com analysis, every one of those states saw a drop in their unemployment rates since January of 2011.

Furthermore, the average drop in the unemployment rate in these states was 1.35%, compared to the national decline of .9%, which means, according to the analysis, that the job market in these Republican states is improving 50% faster than the national rate.
 
Since January of 2011, here is how much the unemployment rate declined in each of the 17 states that elected Republican governors in 2010, according to the Examiner:
 

Kansas - 6.9% to 6.1% = a decline of 0.8%
 
Maine - 8.0% to 7.4% = a decline of 0.6%
 
Michigan - 10.9% to 8.5% = a decline of 2.4%
 
New Mexico - 7.7% to 6.7% = a decline of 1.0%
 
Oklahoma - 6.2% to 4.8% = a decline of 1.4%
 
Pennsylvania - 8.0% to 7.4% = a decline of 0.6%
 
Tennessee - 9.5% to 7.9% = a decline of 1.6%
 
Wisconsin - 7.7% to 6.8% = a decline of 0.9%
 
Wyoming - 6.3% to 5.2% = a decline of 1.1%
 
Alabama - 9.3% to 7.4% = a decline of 1.9%
 
Georgia - 10.1% to 8.9% = a decline of 1.2%
 
South Carolina - 10.6% to 9.1% = a decline of 1.5%
 
South Dakota - 5.0% to 4.3% = a decline of 0.7%
 
Florida - 10.9% to 8.6% = a decline of 2.3%
 
Nevada - 13.8% to 11.6% = a decline of 2.2%
 
Iowa - 6.1% to 5.1% = a decline of 1.0%
 
Ohio - 9.0% to 7.3% = a decline of 1.7%
 

On the other hand, the unemployment rate in states that elected Democrats in 2010 dropped, on average, as much as the national rate decline and, in some states such as New York, the unemployment rate has risen since January of 2011.
 
This is yet another example of how the so-called “blue state” model is not working. 



In a related, but completely different story...

GOP governors vow to ignore Obamacare

Republican governors are planning to ignore the Supreme Court's decision Thursday to uphold Obamacare hoping that the issue will drive voters to dump President Obama in favor of Mitt Romney who has vowed to kill the Affordable Care Act.

After the decision, the Republican Governors Association said that nothing should be done by the states until after the election, a clear signal that they believe a GOP president, House and Senate will kill the health care reform pushed through by Democrats and opposed by Republicans.
 
RGA Chairman Bob McDonnell said, "Today's ruling crystallizes all that's at stake in November's election. The only way to stop Barack Obama's budget-busting health care takeover is by electing a new president. Barack Obama's health care takeover encapsulates his presidency: Obamacare increases taxes, grows the size of government and puts bureaucrats over patients while doing nothing to improve the economy."


You want to do what's right for the country?

Look at whatever President Obama is doing...

And reverse / ignore / legislate it away. 

This President continues to show Conservatives and Republicans HOW TO WIN ELECTIONS as well as HOW TO FIX THE ECONOMY.

All they have to do is follow his lead (from behind?) and turn his policies around to the Peoples' benefit.

Absolution

absolution:
1. the act of absolving or the state of being absolved; release from guilt, obligation, or punishment

2. (Christianity / Roman Catholic Church) Christianity
   a.  a formal remission of sin pronounced by a priest in the sacrament of penance
   b.  the prescribed form of words granting such a remission


It's been almost 24 hours since The Decision by the Supremes. 

The initial 'punched-in-the-gut' feeling?  While not-gone, it is somewhat diminished. 

I thought of putting a few words down yesterday after hearing that the Beast lives as a 'Tax' - but in reality, I needed time.  Time to think, to reflect, time to drive to my appointments yesterday with that 'WTF' look frozen on my face.

Yeah, you could say I needed some time. 

Comments from friends on FaceBook came (pardon the expression) Fast and Furiously:

"It's about time the Supreme Court got something right."

"Wow, John Roberts is NOT a Racist?"

"A great decision for America!"

And my personal favorite, "OMG, what have they done?"

Yes, responses to the news were as swift as they were varied.  The Legislatively-Bought-And-Paid-For-With-Your-Tax-Payer-Dollars, "The Affordable Health Care Act", survived.  But, unless you live in a freezer box in an underpass beneath I-95 - you already know this.

As I awoke this morning I knew I had to do something.  

But what?

Then it came to me...

I needed to offer myself (and, by extension, all of you) absolution.  As you know, I'm NO Priest (so it doesn't count towards getting you past Saint Peter's 'Gate') but I'd like you to take the next few minutes to regroup, reorganize, and reset yourself.  

For example:

If you...

• Voted for Hope and Change
• Thought ObamaCare was a 'Good thing'
• Sat back and kept quiet while ObamaCare was being shoved through the House and Senate
• Believed that the unfunded $17 Trillion in ObamaCare projected debt is 'no big deal'
• Wanted your kids to have health coverage until they're 26 because they can't get a job of their own
• Actually believed that YOUR health care would be 'Free'

I forgive you.  (But there are still a lot of other folks really crabby with you...)

Better yet, take a moment and forgive yourself.

When ObamaCare is 'locked and loaded' in 2014 you won't have to 'Read the Bill to find out what's in the Bill' because you'll be living, and paying for the Bill... 

For the rest of your life.

Chew on THAT for a minute.

Sure, there's a chance that it may get repealed, (there's also a chance that I may grow three inches taller overnight) but when you're busily 'giving things away which other people are paying for', it's hard to turn back this particular cruise missile once it is launched.

So, I offer you the following to assist you in resetting your priorities for the remainder of the day, and the upcoming weekend: 

Three boys, several tractors, numerous cows, and a brief moosical interlude called, "I'm Farming and I Grow It"

Why?  Because when all is said and done, 52+% of Americans will continue to do what they've done in the past...

• Go to work
• Take care of their families
• Take care of others (by choice, and / or by legislative dictate)
• Hope for a better future for their kids
• Pass their values on to their children
• Succeed, in spite of government's best efforts to make everyone 'equal'
• And, of course, feed their cows...

The challenge, of course, is to turn this legislation back by repealing it - killing it - and otherwise rendering it 'harmless'. 

To do this, we'll need to change the make-up of 66% of the branches of the Federal Government.

No pressure.

If you feel better after receiving your 'Absolution' above, please understand that this is a one-shot deal.  Effective immediately, everyone of you is responsible for what happens to this Nation. 

Because whan you can't count upon the Supreme Court to uphold the Constitution?  Yes, you could say that we're on our own. 

And now? 

Get busy.

Generations of rapping farm kids are depending on you.

So are the rest of us.