Did you hear this? The IRS admitted they were targeting conservative groups. Pres. Obama called it outrageous and said he would immediately have his Benghazi investigators look into this...Leno
Note: Since this was posted in June, we now have solid and irrefutable evidence the administration lied re: Obamacare and millions have lost their health insurance.
I believe it's true that pictures and photos are worth a thousand words (well, maybe not a thousand). If that indeed is the case, the following images should sum up the last 4+ years of the Obama administration very well.
Note: This is a re-issue. Since this was posted in June, millions have lost their current plans and the computer glitch continues. And we also learned from NBC that the Obama administration knew many would lose their insurance policies contrary to what Obama promised.
While there are a few good advantages with ObamaCare (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010), the disadvantages far outweigh the law's advantages. In fact, even some of the advantages, e.g. keeping children on your health plan until age 26, incur an additional cost. In addition, there are tax credits for the poor and some businesses.
But let's take a closer look at the unintended consequences that have been revealed since the legislation was enacted. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Costs will rise. In fact, they have already risen in many states. The truth is at no time in recent history has the cost curve for health insurance ever bent downward on an aggregate basis. Not long ago, even HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius admitted that some Americans will face higher premiums, especially the young and healthy in some cases as much as a 169% increase.
- Just last week, California officials announced that ObamaCare will raise individual premiums from 64 to 146%.
- Unlike promised by Pres. Obama, many Americans will have to give up their current plans and their current physicians.
- Even if you retain your health coverage, it will most likely change to conform to the many new regulations and standards mandated by ObamaCare.
- The CBO estimated that the law will cost more than $1.7 trillion by 2022 (as most government estimates, that will probably double. Just look at the promises made for Medicaid and Medicare decades ago, the estimates were embarrassingly wrong).
- In the last two years, the White House granted over 1400 waivers to various companies and unions. In fact, some unions are already complaining about the law (they supported 3 years ago).
- There are literally thousands of new regulations being rolled out, many of these by the IRS.
- Those who refuse health insurance will be assessed a tax from $95/year the first year to over $600/year in 2016.
- A recent Gallup Poll found that 41% of business surveyed have frozen hiring because of the law. Another 38% acknowledge they've pulled back in growing their businesses because of ObamaCare (603 business owners were surveyed).
- Investors Business Daily reported just this week that local governments and municipalities have been cutting hours of their employees so they can skirt ObamaCare mandates. Many of these employees face pay cuts up to $3000 per year depending on their hourly wage. These included municipalities in Kansas, Michigan, Indiana, California, Utah, New Jersey, Virginia, and a host of others.
- Forbes reported this week thanks to ObamCare there will be a massive shortage of physicians up to 20,000 but that could increase by a factor of five in the coming years. In fact, A Physicians Foundation Survey found that of the 13,000 doctors surveyed, over 60% said they would retire immediately if they could. In a February report by The LA Times, they reported the state already does not have enough physicians to meet the demands of ObamaCare.
- Regarding the shifting of patients to Medicaid, over 50% of doctors in many states refuse to accept Medicaid today. The reason? Medicaid pays only 60% of what private insurance pays for medical services.
- Of course, common sense indicates when you add millions to the already strained patient rolls, there will not be enough physicians available to care for those patients. Hence, there will be more reliance on nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
- Yahoo News reported last week that ObamaCare may end up being unaffordable for low income wage earners. For example, an employee making $21K per year may end up having to pay about $2000 a year for insurance coverage. And a low wage earner making less than $16 grand will not be eligible for Medicaid.
- According to Kaiser Health News, 16 states have already started rationing by limiting the number of prescription drugs they will cover for Medicaid patients.
- The young will be hit hard. The law forces insurers to charge young, healthy people more to cover the cost of insuring older persons and those with pre-existing conditions (you see, the pre-existing coverage also comes at a cost).
- In fact, the law is scaring so many Americans, that CNBC reported two weeks ago that two-thirds of those who lack health insurance don't know yet if they will purchase the coverage as of January 1, 2014.
- Deloitte Development found that many businesses will be backing away from ObamaCare. They found that 41% of businesses embraced this sentiment.
- Investors Business also reported that because of the cost factors involved in meeting ObamaCare mandates, they've already started cutting back on benefits offered to employees.
- In addition, MSN Money reported last April that many companies are opting for more part-timers in response to the law. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that fewer people will have employer provided health insurance in the coming years.
- ADP Research reported many workers in industries such as hospitality and retail will lose their employer-provided insurance.
Obama Supporter Has Perfectly Improbable explanation Absolving President For Blame For Scandals...The Onion
- Is American resilient enough to withstand a 1000 cuts? I asked myself that question after reading a piece by Thomas Sowell today {"Gov't Surveillance + The Loss Of Trust"}. He wrote: "When Barack Obama squanders his own credibility with his glib lies, his is not just injuring himself during his time in office. He is inflicting a lasting wound on the country as a whole." But Sowell also continued with this: "But we the voters are not blameless. Having chosen an untested man to be president, on the basis of rhetoric, style, and symbolism, we have ourselves to blame..."
- I happen to believe we are remarkably resilient as a nation even in the face of an incompetent government administration as evidenced by a truly dreadful and appalling track record in the last five years. After all, we are a nation that survived the Civil War. We're a nation that survived a horrific depression. We're a nation that survived WWII. We're a nation that survived the Cold War. These are just a few examples of our robust endurance in the face of unimaginable challenges. So I believe we will be able to withstand even the assaults by this administration (including many in Congress) on our freedoms and liberties.
- But I'm writing this now, at this point in our history. We still have several more years to endure these muggings. In just the last four years, we've experienced a miserable economy, a failed foreign policy and now even attacks on the principles most Americans value so highly. I'm still optimistic because our nation's history reinforces that confidence. I just hope I can say the same thing four years from now.
We live in what's called an open society, which of course means, they open our emails, open our phone records, and open our medical records...Leno
- Americans appear to be conflicted regarding the revelations that NSA uses mass surveillance on Americans. For example, in the most recent USA Today/Pew polling, by 48-47%, Americans are divided over whether they approve or disapprove of the programs as part of the effort to fight terrorism. By 49-44%, they say the release of classified information serves rather than harms the public interest. More interesting is the response from those 18-29 years of age---60% of those say the leaks serve the public interest. My theory on this is that this generation has never really known privacy. In fact, those 65 and older, just 36% say the leaks serve the public.(In a sidebar piece of news, Campus Reform is reporting that some students at George Mason University have a petition out asking the Obama administration to spy on Fox News).
- Today, NSA representatives are testifying to Congress. They've reported that NSA's operations have thwarted at least 50 terrorist attempts, some targeting New York City again.
- Unlike the IRS and DOJ's targeting of specific individuals and groups for purely political reasons, it's clear the NSA plays a vital role in protecting the homeland from terrorism. But I believe, because of the nature of bureaucrats to abuse any system (as we've seen in just the last several months), the NSA needs to make assurances that this type of surveillance is not abused. After all, we've all become familiar with NSA's operations because their operations were leaked by Snowden (although most Americans have known our intelligence agencies have been using surveillance for decades).
- Many questions still need to be answered without jeopardizing national security. For example, how long does NSA maintain their surveillance records? How extensive is the surveillance? How is the mass surveillance legally justified? (we know there are 4th Amendment concerns. Just last week, the ACLU announced plans to file a lawsuit over the NSA revelations. "The program...represents a gross infringement of the freedom of association and the right to privacy," said Jameel Jaffer, ACLU's deputy legal director). Someone should also ask the NSA officials whether a narrower surveillance program be just as effective as a massive one?
- These questions need answers because, as I wrote in my piece yesterday, trust in this administration's stewardship regarding this issue is not high among most Americans. We've seen this with the reports last month of the DOJ's wiretapping of some news reporters. And we've still not had a full accounting of the issues regarding the Benghazi scandal. In addition, there have been reports that NSA staff have eavesdropped on Americans. In 2008, ABC reported on NSA staff listening into phone calls of our troops overseas. However, we also have to be careful not to automatically blame the employees of the NSA for everything that goes wrong. Intelligence agencies don't operate the way Hollywood would make you believe they do. As Ralph Peters wrote recently, most don't sit around all day and think of ways of harming Americans. Most are patriots. We have to keep that in mind throughout this debate.
- Secrecy to ensure our national security is necessary. Even our Founding Fathers recognized this when they allowed for closed congressional proceedings regarding issues of national security. On the other hand, because we are a democratic republic, a national debate is always appropriate and should be welcomed.
- Last week, Gen. Keith Alexander, NSA director, said, "Everything depends on trust...We do not see a trade-off between security and liberty." I would say to the director: you need to convince us of that.
According to Gallup Poll, Pres. Obama's approval rating dropped to 45%. Luckily for Obama, he has "impeachment insurance." It's called, "Joe Biden."..Leno
- As with many polls that have come out in recent weeks, CNN's current poll is not good news for Pres. Obama. In fact, in just one month, his approval rating has fallen 8 percentage points to 45%. In addition, 54% do not approve of the way he is handling his job. More disturbing for Obama, there was a 17% drop among those under 30 years of age, a demographic he once had a strong hold. Along with African-Americans, the young voters were his most loyal. Not any longer.
- These numbers point to one conspicuous fact: Most of the nation does not trust this administration. As many of us (including moi) might say it's about time these people took the train to Realtyville, it's clear the scandals are having an impact.
- It's having an impact because it appears the very first response from this administration regarding all of the scandals is to either stonewall, coverup, lie or all three. Even many of the "low-information voters" are beginning to understand this.
- I believe this can be summarized with what Peggy Noonan wrote this week: "The NSA is only one of many recent revelations and events that have the ability to damage the ties Americans feel toward their country."
