Monday, December 21, 2009
POLL: MOST AMERICANS WANT CONGRESS TO PASS NO CURRENT HEALTH BILL
Subject: txt hcare
Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters nationwide say that it would be better to pass no health care reform bill this year instead of passing the plan currently being considered by Congress.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 34% think that passing that bill would be better.
Notably, it's middle-income voters that are most likely than others to say that passing no legislation is the better option. One reason for this is that most Americans now believe they will be worse off if reform passes.
However, 70% of liberal voters nationwide say it would be better to pass the legislation rather than passing nothing at all. Most moderates (54%) and conservatives (80%) hold the opposite view.
[Any passage sets the course for socialized medicine, only how quickly it will occur is unknown.]
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Health Bill Passes in the Senate With 60 Vote
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After Midnight: While you were sleeping, a cat burglar congress stole our country.
The roll was called at 1 a.m., with Washington still snowbound after a weekend blizzard, and the Senate voted on party lines to cut off a Republican filibuster.
Wake up and smell the coup.
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Reid gets his 60 votes - the Chicago Way
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Yesterday morning, while Washington, DC was getting blanketed with a record snowfall, Senate Democrats treated the entire United States to what may be the greatest snow job of all time.
Biggoverment.com calls it "the most corrupt piece of legislation in our nation's history," and indeed it is.
Senator Ben Nelson agreed to support this massive healthcare restructuring plan which no one besides a few Democrat senators has even seen.
The price for his support was 100 percent coverage of increases in Medicaid costs for his home state resulting from the legislation -- now and forevermore. It amounts to a flagrantly unconstitutional subsidy to Nebraska with taxpayer dollars from the other 49 states.
We should have seen this coming...
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The High Price of Ben Nelson's Low Vote
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Scream loudly about this one
It appears that the current health care bill’s plan to insure about 30 million uninsured Americans includes a provision to move a good portion of them onto the Medicaid rolls. Needless to say, that’s quite the unfunded mandate to force upon the budgets of our already cash-strapped states.
But there’s one state that today was guaranteed immunity from such a budget-annihilating burden -- Nebraska. While 49 other states will be forced to scramble and cut and tax and reappropriate in order to meet the new mandates, Nelson’s home state won’t.
That’s because Nelson sold his vote for Reid’s assurance that the feds will pay 100% of any new Nebraska Medicaid costs -- forever.
And that leaves non-Nebraskan taxpayers picking up the tab – forever.
This sordid sell-out certainly represents a new low in opprobrious political payoffs.
Scream loudly about this one.
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Merry Christmas, from Harry
Here's what's going to happen to us under Harry's bill, according to the CBO
Reid bought the 60 votes needed to pass Obamacare, despite the legislation itself not being available for reading.
The CBO does not make the accounting all that easy, despite its many tables of numbers. The number Democrats like to cite is that this plan will reduce the deficit by $132 billion over the 10 years from 2010 to 019.
Imagine that, more people insured and the deficit reduced. How do they do that?
The short answer is: over $1 trillion in Medicare cuts and tax increases.
"This administration ought to know that five years' worth of Medicare and Medicaid cuts totaling $200 billion are dead on arrival with me and with most of the Congress."
[I.e., another scam, for which we'll pay dearly - snip.]
But at least no "public option," right?
"[This legislation would replace] a ‘public plan' that would be run by the Department of Health and Human Services with ‘multi-state' plans that would be offered under contract with the Office of Personnel Management..."
Are we sure that means no "public option"? Do multiple "multi-state" plans under OPM sound that much better than one federal plan under HHS? The devil is in the details, and this legislation is about 2,000 pages of such details.
And no "death panels" either, right?
"The legislation also would establish an Independent Payment Advisory Board, which would be required, under certain circumstances, to recommend changes to the Medicare program to limit the rate of growth in that program's spending. Those recommendations would go into effect automatically unless blocked by subsequent legislative action."
That is, the only thing that prevents the "advisory board" from being a "death panel" is the hope that Congress will override it.
For the longer story, read on...
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[You decide.]
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THE HEALTH BILL IS SCARY
When the government asserts the power to provide care, it also asserts the power to deny care
Even if the public option is eliminated from the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) health care reform bill, the onerous rationing provisions will remain intact. For instance:
- The Reid bill (in sections 3403 and 2021) explicitly empowers Medicare to deny treatment based on cost.
- An Independent Medicare Advisory Board created by the bill -- composed of permanent, unelected and, therefore, unaccountable members -- will greatly expand the rationing practices that already occur in the program.
- Medicare, for example, has limited cancer patients' access to Epogen, a costly but vital drug that stimulates red blood cell production.
- It has limited the use of virtual, and safer, colonoscopies due to cost concerns.
- And Medicare refuses medical claims at twice the rate of the largest private insurers.
There's more:
- The Reid bill depends on the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in no fewer than 14 places.
- This task force was responsible for advising women under 50 to not undergo annual mammograms.
- The administration claims the task force recommendations do not carry the force of law, but the Reid bill itself contradicts them in section 2713.
- The bill explicitly states, on page 17, that health insurance plans "shall provide coverage for" services approved by the task force.
This chilling provision represents the government stepping between doctors and patients....
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CBO: Real 10-Year Cost of Senate Bill Still $2.5 Trillion
Subject: txt 1st hcare -
With Obamacare, you get the good, the bad, and the ugly -- except for the first part.
The Congressional Budget Office's score is in for the final Senate health bill, and it's amazing how little Americans would get for so much.
The Democrats are irresponsibly and disingenuously claiming that the bill would cost $871 billion over 10 years.
But that's not what the CBO says. Rather, the CBO says that $871 billion would be the costs from 2010 to 2019 for expansions in insurance coverage alone. But less than 2 percent of those "10-year costs" would kick in before the fifth year of that span.
In its real first 10 years (2014 to 2023), the CBO says that the bill costs $1.8 trillion -- for insurance coverage expansions alone. Other parts of the bill would cost approximately $700 billion more, bringing the bill's full 10-year tab to approximately $2.5 trillion...
[But they're still saying {heard it again Friday} that this bill 'pays for itself'. Are we allowed to be insulted yet?]
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They're laughing at us
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All over the world, they're laughing, some more discretely than others. We may not like it, but we have to acknowledge it. There's just too much material.
We're we are the world's first super power joke generator.
You know where they're laughing at us the hardest? Iraq. Baghdad. You know who? Legislators.
In a remarkable, but still tender bit of anthropology, really good people - military, State Department and civilian - have been advising newly democratized Iraqi leaders about the ways of democracy, including law making.
Three WEF (Worst Enemies Forever), Shi'ites, Sunnis, and Curds, are bumpily affecting self-government.
They are coached to let every voice at the table be heard; not get to far ahead or behind constituents; to be civil to one another; to establish level playing fields and fair rules; to avoid stacking the deck; to be open with the public and to listen to them, individually and as a group.
The military advisors, being high-ranking officers, encourage leaders to set the example and keep everyone informed.
The basic lessons of democracy, the stuff of election campaigns.
Yet, what do Iraqi see from their would-be model in Washington?
They see us twice pass legislation in the middle of Saturday nights...
Petraeus Accuses Iran of Aiding Afghan Taliban
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Gen. David Petraeus has accused Iran of still backing Shiite militants in Iraq and giving a ''modest level'' support -- including explosives -- to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
''Iran continues to fund, train, equip, and give some direction to the residual Shiite militias and extremists elements in Iraq,'' ''There are daily attacks with the so-called signature weapons only made by Iran – the explosively formed projectile, forms of improvised explosive devices, etc.,''
he said.
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"Smoking gun" Iranian document proves military component to nuke program
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The TimesOnline has obtained some documents, apparently smuggled out of Iran, that provide indisputable proof that the mullahs have been pursuing a two-track nuclear program since at least 2007, with the eventual goal of constructing a nuclear weapon.
The key is the Iranian's attempts to construct a "neutron initiator" - a necessity to start the chain reaction in the fissile material and explode the bomb. Intel analysts believe this is the last piece of the nuclear puzzle and that it is probably close to being a reality.
This is very, very bad. I won't say that Iran has duped western countries. The fact is, the US and others have fooled themselves. They substituted political calculation and wishful thinking for honest, hard headed, realistic analysis.
And the price we may pay for that stupidity could be incalculable.
The UN will take up the issue of sanctions later this week. Expect a lot of posturing but not much in the way of punitive sanctions. There just isn't a consensus on doing something drastic like cutting off the Iranian's refined petroleum imports, including gasoline. This means that even if another round is agreed to, they will be just as useless as the previous two rounds in getting Iran to halt its enrichment activities.
Somewhere in Israel, a clock is ticking down to zero. What will happen when that occurs is still anyone's guess.
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Putin: Russia has no evidence Iran trying to build nukes
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Russia has no evidence that Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday. ''We have no information that Iran is working on the creation of a nuclear weapon,'' Putin said when asked by a reporter if Iran was close to making an atomic bomb.
Moscow has previously supported UN sanctions against Iran only after insisting they be watered down and has so far refused to publicly support...
[Again and again we fall for it.]
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Terror test runs on airlines?
Airtran Flight 297 saw behavior many thought was a test run for a terror attack. It could be part of a pattern seen on other carriers
After my article on the biazarre incident on Airtran Flight 297 was published, one reader going by the initials VHG said something that immediately caught my attention. The comment referred to an apparently similar occurrence that happened on United Airlines flight #227 in Denver on December 9th,, only two days before my article appeared... [snip]
Two possibilities that come immediately to mind are either these incidents are orchestrated as a ploy to create a scenario to litigate for profit like the imams from US Airways Flight 300, or something more sinister is in the works. In the aftermath of Fort Hood, can we afford to ignore warning signs of abnormal or pattern behavior any longer?
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Penetration Even At The Pentagon: Muslim Spies Setting Muslim Policy
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The internal threat from Muslim extremists in the military extends to high-level Defense Department aides who have undermined military policy. In fact, one top Muslim adviser pushed out an intelligence analyst who warned of the sudden jihad syndrome that led to the Fort Hood terrorist attack.
An honored guest of the Ramadan dinner at the Pentagon this September was Hesham Islam, who infiltrated the highest echelons of the Ring despite proven ties to U.S. terror front groups and a shady past in his native Egypt.
For example, Islam persuaded brass to sack a Pentagon analyst, Stephen Coughlin, after he advised cutting off outreach to ISNA, which he accurately ID'd as part of a covert terror-support network in the U.S. — something the Justice Department recently confirmed in a major terror finance trial.
Most disturbing, Islam met regularly with Saudi and other embassy officials lobbying for the release and repatriation of their citizens held at Gitmo. He in turn advised England, who authorized the release of dozens of Gitmo detainees. Some have resumed terrorist activities...
[The severe disadvantage of good vs. evil is good's inability to believe in the existence of evil...]
[Highly Recommended > ]
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Taqiyya (Arabic: التقية) is the Shia Muslim religiously sanctioned practice of lying to non-believers if furthers Islam.
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Swiss minaret appeal goes to European Court
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An appeal against last month's decision by Swiss voters to ban minarets has been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
The appeal was lodged by Hafid Ouardiri, an Algerian-born Muslim and a former spokesman for the Geneva Mosque.
Mr Ouardiri wants the court to rule that the ban is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
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Americans opposed to further government regulation of the U.S. financial system
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Americans remain opposed to further government regulation of the U.S. financial system, even as President Obama and congressional Democrats move closer to passage of legislation that will give the government more oversight than ever.
Only twenty-eight percent (28%) favor allowing the government more oversight of the financial system, while another 20% aren’t sure.
Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans and a plurality (45%) of adults not affiliated with either major political party oppose more government regulation of the financial system.
However, most Democrats (55%) support the creation of a new consumer protection agency.
Americans like one part of the bill, however. Seventy-nine percent (79%) think regularly auditing the Federal Reserve Board and making those results public is a good idea.READ MORE
IS KEYNESIAN STIMULUS WORKING?
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President Obama has called for yet more Keynesian-style spending stimulus for the economy, including increased investment on government projects and expanded subsidy payments to the unemployed and state governments.
The package might cost $150 billion or more, with the president saying that we have to
"spend our way out of this recession".
The total Keynesian stimulus of recent years has included the Bush stimulus bill in early 2008, TARP, large increases in regular appropriations, soaring entitlement spending, the Obama stimulus package from February, rising unemployment benefits, and falling revenues, which are "automatic stabilizers" according to Keynesian theory.
But despite its magnitude, the deficit-fueled Keynesian approach to recovery is not working.
The time is long overdue for the Democrats in Congress and advisors in the White House to reconsider their Keynesian beliefs and to start entertaining some market-oriented policies to get the economy moving again, as Ronald Reagan implemented with stunning success...
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Realith Check re: Admirable clarity: the GOP alternative
Subject: txt mny msm bias
"As the fight over President Obama's economic recovery package heats up, the two sides are beginning to define themselves with admirable clarity. The president says we have a crisis that is heading toward a catastrophe... The Republicans, on the other hand, have honed their economic message: Denial, Delay, Do Nothing."
Paul Begala at CNN.
Federal Spending and Debt Projections
Republican alternative budget versus Obama's budget, over 2010-2019:
Deficit: $3.3 trillion less.
Debt: $3.6 trillion less.
Spending: $4.8 trillion less.
Source: House Republicans.
The Obama energy fiasco
Whatever happened to President Obama's urgent campaign appeal to "free America from dependency on foreign oil"?
In eleven short months, the Obama administration has made more mistakes on energy policy than did Jimmy Carter in his entire term, and that's saying something.
What has he done to encourage more production of coal, oil and gas, and nuclear energy here at home?
The answer is, he has done nothing. All that he has done, including promotion of aggressive new EPA enforcement intended to address the fictitious "problem" of climate change, discourages new exploration and production. The result is that our future supplies of energy have been put at even greater risk... [snip]
Without adequate energy resources, we can expect a future of rising prices and short supplies.
Rising energy prices will lead to inflation throughout the economy, fewer jobs, less wealth, and less consumer spending. In the absence of cheap power, we can foresee the decline of our economy and with it the decline of military force necessary to defend ourselves against future enemies.
With his policy of blocking development of fossil fuels and nuclear energy, Obama has set the country on a perilous course. In one way or another, every citizen of the United States will pay for the irresponsible, anti-growth policies of this administration...
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POLL: 68% Favor Offshore Oil Drilling
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/design/plain/images/rasmussenLogoHome.gif
Just 20% oppose drilling for oil off the coast of the United States, with another 12% undecided.
These numbers are virtually unchanged from findings just after Election Day in November 2008.
Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party favor offshore drilling much more than Democrats.
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[Click to enlarge]
[I.e., the increasing reliance on foreign real* energy on the left continues to grow assuming our increased use of coal on the right. But Obama and company want to drive any/all coal production into bankruptcy {his words, not mine}.
What then our 'independence' ?]
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INNOVATION SCHOOLS RAISE LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS
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The Innovation Schools Act, passed by the Colorado legislature in 2008, permits public schools, groups of schools and school districts to escape some of the heaviest state regulations and the most restrictive collective bargaining agreements impossed by unions and to develop new, creative teaching models for delivering high-quality education to schoolchildren.
However, Innovation Schools are illegal in most states.
Their highly-centralized public regulatory structure prevents enterprising school leaders and teachers from creating school models designed to meet the educational needs of their students.
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TEACHERS' UNIONS VS. PROGRESS -- AGAIN
Why does the New York state legislature oppose using data in any way that would identify ineffective teachers?
Ever wonder how effective your child's teacher is? Officials in Albany would rather you didn't know. At least that's the lesson one has to take from their refusal to allow data systems to match students to teachers, though doing so would help the state compete for a pot of perhaps hundreds of millions of federal dollars.
Unions' political interests stand in the way of improving our schools and easing New York taxpayers' burdens, says Marcus A. Winters, a Senior Fellow with the Manhattan Institute.
States must develop data sets that track the individual performance of students over time and match those students to their teachers. Unfortunately, New York has deliberately refused to take that step.
Worse, along with its refusal to improve its data system, the state has kept cities from adopting reforms:
When New York City hinted that it would use its own data system to evaluate teachers based on student test scores, the state legislature passed a law banning the practice...
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POLL: Americans Souring on Democrats
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Support for the Democratic Party is slumping amid a wave of public discontent, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. The findings underscore how dramatically the political landscape has changed during the Obama administration's first year. In January, voters were optimistic about the future, the new president enjoyed soaring approval ratings, and congressional leaders were set to swiftly pass his ambitious agenda. In December's survey, for the first time
The findings underscored how dramatically the political landscape has changed during the Obama administration's first year. In January, despite the recession and financial crisis, voters expressed optimism about the future, the new president enjoyed soaring approval ratings, and congressional leaders promised to swiftly pass his ambitious agenda.
In December's survey, for the first time, less than half of Americans approved of the job President Barack Obama was doing, marking a steeper first-year fall for this president than his recent predecessors...
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More House Dems leaving
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We may be seeing the first evidence that many moderate Democrats are tired of fighting the leftist urges of their own party.
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Tea Party Movement Tops Established Parties in NBC/WSJ Poll Despite Biased Question, Skewed Sample
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Geoffrey Dickens documented the furor of MSNBC's Chris Mathews over the results of an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll (PDF).
Specifically, Mathews was irked that the Tea Party Movement (TPM) was viewed quite a bit more favorably than the two major political parties by those polled (VP=Very Positive; SP=Somewhat Positive; N=Neutral; SN=Somewhat Negative; VN=Very Negative; DK=No Opinion):
- Tea Party Movement: VP-20%; SP-21%; N-21%; SN-10%; VN-13%; DK-15%
- Democratic Party: VP-10%; SP-25%; N-19%; SN-19%; VN-26%; DK-1%
- Republican Party: VP-5%; SP-23%; N-27%; SN-24%; VN-19%; DK-2%
Mathews dismissed the TPM's convincing advantage over the established parties, especially in higher strong positives and lower strong negatives, as being the result of a biased poll question working in the Tea Partiers' favor. I don't think so. In fact, I think the result occurred even though the question is loaded against the TPM.Here is the full text of the Tea Party poll question...
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