Post Scripts

Posted by Jack

Posted by Tina

The Washington Examiner reports that independent insurance brokers in California are estimating that 70% of the state’s doctors will not participate in the California exchange under Obamacare. Here’s why:

California offers one of the lowest government reimbursement rates in the country — 30 percent lower than federal Medicare payments. And reimbursement rates for some procedures are even lower.

In other states, Medicare pays doctors $76 for return-office visits. But in California, Medi-Cal’s reimbursement is $24, according to Dr. Theodore M. Mazer, a San Diego ear, nose and throat doctor.

In other states, doctors receive between $500 to $700 to perform a tonsillectomy. In California, they get $160, Mazer added.

Only in September did insurance companies disclose that their rates would be pegged to California’s Medicaid plan, called Medi-Cal. That’s driven many doctors to just say no.

The article continues and is well worth reading.

And Jack, doctors might be a good group to target with information about the state of Jefferson. I’m sure if Obamacare survives we can do better than California putting together an exchange. (barf)

Another headline just caught my attention on Drudge: Obamacare Plans Exclude Top Hospitals.

These hospitals will be reserved for the elite few!

It’s just more evidence that we will get what we predicted from Obamacare…shared misery in an inferior system at great expense.

California Republicans want to help people make the best possible choices. American Thinker reports that they have developed a website that explains options, tax ramifications, and consequences that may not be spelled out in the legislation.

Predictably leftist media have attempted to paint the Republican site a a fraudulent site to steer people away from it:

ABC News: California Republicans Defend Fake Obamacare Site

HuffPo: Californiia Republicans Direct Constituents to Misleading Obamacare ‘Resource Guide’

thinkprogress.org: The Fake ObamacareSite That is Trying to Trick Californians

Yahoo ‘News’: My personal favorite. Notice “resource,” which it indisputably is, is in quotes but “fake,” which it clearly is not, is not. California Republicans Send Voters to a Fake Obamacare ‘Resource’ Site

Business Insider: Republicans Trick Californians with Fake Healthcare Site

Daily Kos: California GOP Creates Fake Healthcare Website to Discourage Constituents from Obtaining Insurance

The Republican website is worth checking out; just go to Covering Healthcare: A California Resource Guide and look around.

Good luck, by the way, cause this is going to hurt an awful lot of us.

by Jack Lee

If there is one monumental victory the GOP can claim, it’s that for the last 3 years they have forced Obama and the democrats in Congress to actually reduce government spending. This is almost unprecedented in our bloated bureaucracy that lusts for ever creative ways to spend.

Subscribers (liberals) to Keynesian style economics warned us that drastic GOP budget cuts would wreak havoc on the economy – and they were 100% wrong! The economy responded very favorably to the cuts, despite the $85b that is still being pumped into buying back government bonds and despite Obama’s bailouts. Those things diminished the gains made by cuts, they did not help and leading economists in major financial institution generally agree, including Thomas Mayer, chief economist at Deutsche Bank.

Between a bungled ObamaCare that threats to bankrupt America and the GOP that has opposed it and their holding the line on spending, they should have a clear path to victory in 2014. But, don’t bet your last dollar on it. The GOP are known incompetents and they have a remarkable way of shooting themselves in the foot just when victory is near. The biggest danger to their victory in 2014 is the big spenders in the GOP are still there. They and the big spenders in the Democratic Party see the mildly improving economic conditions as a license to return to their old ways, before sequestration.

So, the big two question are, will the Tea Party Republicans be strong enough to hold back the big spenders in their own party? Will the GOP continue to stand back and let the Democrats sink under the weight of failures in ObamaCare?

The following chart should be helpful in seeing where the blame lays for the deficit. It also shows how previous presidents managed to add to the deficit too and this is very clear for Bush 41, but Obama is the guy who took the deficit to new highs. This is something the dems would like to avoid dealing with, but it’s now historical fact and they’re trapped by it.

by Jack Lee

By now most of America has heard the story of Merill Newman’s capture by the North Korean’s. He’s the 85 year old veteran of the Korean war who was taken hostage while on a tour of North Korea (aka DPRK).

Newman from Palo Alto was a former Colusa resident, who went on to Cal, then got his Masters at Stanford before enlisting in the Army. He served during the Korean war as the officer in charge of Kuwol partisan’s that fought the North Koreans behind the lines. They did a lot of damage and are still reviled by the DPRK.

Newman just completed a 10 day tour of North Korean when he was taken off his passenger plane 1 day before a scheduled goodwill meeting with some of the surviving Kuwol partisans in South Korea. Newman was charged with espionage and war crimes by the DPRK. This was Oct. 26th. And by Nov. 9th he appeared on North Korean television reading from his hand written statement. Newman confessed to numerous war crimes and apologized to the North Koreans. Upon completion of his confession he bowed to his captors. This confession is now on You Tube.

Newman was proud of his military service, but now he will have to live out what remains of his life with this humiliation. Many Americans think he’s a traitor for aiding the enemy by caving into their demands. However, I think this would be unfair. I do think Newman used incredibly poor judgment, possibly due to his age and there’s no getting around that. And yes, his actions led to another humiliating event for America, but he’s no traitor. Although one could argue that since he’s retired military and every military person knows POW’s are not allowed to give anything more than their name, rank and serial number. To do more is considered an act of treason, but it’s rarely pursued because our people were often times severely tortured for the [confession]. The DPRK considers the Korean war to still be unsettled since only a cease fire was signed, not a peace treaty.

Newman put himself in harms way and he was predictably arrested as a war criminal by the North Koreans. Why do I say, predictably? For starters, Newman volunteered his retired military ID card with his passport. There was no need to do that and it was a big help to intelligence agents doing the background on foreign travelers. Then he talked about his exploits with his travel guide (presumably a North Korean Agent) while inside North Korea. If that wasn’t enough, he had a well publicized reunion party arranged with former Kuwol guerrilla fighters when he returned to Seoul, South Korea. North Korea wasn’t please with his presence and to let him go back to celebrate with the Kuwol was too much. In their minds this guy had to be punished and the USA humiliated.  Part of this phoney confession read:  “I realize that I cannot be forgiven for my offensives (offenses) but I beg for pardon on my knees by apologizing for my offensives (offenses) sincerely toward the DPRK government and the Korean people, and I want not punish me.”   Doesn’t sound like the work of person with a masters degree from Standord does it? 

Of course Newman must bear responsibility for his descision to go to the DPRK that led to a forced confession, but also complicit in his travel plans was our Obama Administration and our Dept. of State.  They think it’s okay for Americans to travel into North Korea.   In 2010, North Korea changed its policy to allow U.S. travelers to visit on official guided tours. This has been like a license for provocations anytime the opportunity presented itself, as it certainly did in the case of Merill Newman.

Tourism is highly restricted by the DPRK and it can only be done with a guided tour by one of few approved companies like the state-run Korea International Travel Company that Newman used.

One would have rightly thought that given the provocations, threats of war and the hostage taking, that either the Bush or the Obama Administration would have halted travel to the DPRK.

Since Newman’s release two days ago, a former member of the Kuwol partisans asked, “Why did he go to North Korea?” Many of us are wondering that too?

Recently, we’ve seen a number of American’s kidnapped by DPRK for bogus reasons and held for propaganda purposes and this has required a former head-of-state to go there on bended knee to get them out. Now, along comes Newman and he was a personally delivered [gift] for the North Koreans propaganda machine.

P.S. This may be just my anger speaking, but I’m surprised Newman didn’t try to get pictures of himself standing on the captured USS Pueblo along with the North Koreans criminals that seized this Navy ship in international waters in 1968. The capture of the USS Pueblo was clearly an act of war. The American public has never been given a satisfactory explanation why we never retaliated.

Posted by Tina

An AP report in reports that exchange workers have given names, addresses, telephone numbers and email’s when available to people in the insurance industry in an attempt to meet the December 23rd deadline to have people enrolled by January first.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California health exchange says it’s been giving the names of tens of thousands of consumers to insurance agents without their permission or knowledge in an effort to hit deadlines for coverage.

The consumers in question had gone online to research insurance options but didn’t ask to be contacted, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday (http://lat.ms/1jyABXS ).

The exchange lawyers were certain that no privacy laws were broken but at least one California Insurance broker was “shocked and dumbfounded” that they would do this:

…some insurance brokers and consumers weren’t pleased with the state’s initiative.
“I’m shocked and dumbfounded,” said Sam Smith, an Encino insurance broker and president of the California Association of Health Underwriters, an industry group.

“These people would have a legitimate complaint,” said Smith, who added he had been given two consumer names.

The names provided include people who started an insurance application on the Covered California website but didn’t complete the process.

And the beat goes on. Talk about more “mess” for us to clean up. The next couple of years are going to be horrible for those needing care and those attempting to insure and provide it.

Posted by Tina

“It’s as if this guy discovers everything late, as if he wandered into the White House on a White House tour and discovered himself in the Oval Office as president.”

Hat tip: Newsbusters

Posted by Tina

Since the Feds show little interest in securing our borders Texas did it themselves. An exclusive story from report from Breitbart tells how:

Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst announced a Texas-led three-week effort that he says reduced illegal immigration, smuggling, and human trafficking to a standstill in the Rio Grande River section of the U.S./Mexico border.

The Lt. Governor spoke with me in an interview for Breitbart News; he stated: “In the Rio Grande Valley sector, nearly nothing moved in those three weeks. We shut it down. We had teams of Texas law enforcement in the brush, high altitude aircraft, gun boats, and more,” he explained. “Our intel revealed that the Gulf cartel was growing frustrated with our three-week effort.”

“The border issue is just about dollars and cents,” Dewhurst said. “This proves Texas can do the job the federal government has refused to do — to invest in the border and shut it down from illegal activities that are hurting Texans and other Americans.” He added: “Texas will protect our own citizens and other Americans from the criminal gangs that are destabilizing our state and our nation.”

The plan, according to Dewhurst, was to do a three-week operation with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) as the tip of the spear. He said the effort cost approximately $5 million each month. “We are fixing to appropriate more money,” he said. The Lt. Governor is seeking an additional $60 million to be approved by the State Legislative Budget Board.

Compared to most other states and the US economy the Texas economy is thriving.

Job growth, sales tax collections and building permits all signal that the Texas economy continues to outpace the national economy.

Over the past year, Texas added jobs in all of the 11 major industries, including professional and business services, trade, transportation and utilities, leisure and hospitality, education and health services, construction, mining and logging, government, financial activities, information, other services, and manufacturing.

Pre-recession Texas employment peaked at 10,635,700 in August 2008, a level that was surpassed in September 2011, and by October 2013 Texas added an additional 591,900 jobs. In the U.S. as a whole, only 85 percent of recession-hit jobs were recovered by November 2013.

Why is it so hard for our liberal friends to get that when investors and business are allowed to do their thing, with reasonable approaches to regulation and tax rates, everybody wins? The people benefit from the jobs created and better paying jobs, the poor benefit when resources are not stretched thin from too many who are needy, and governments benefit because of the increase in productivity and sales. Government then has the resources it needs to do things government was meant to do, like securing our borders!

Texas is one of the states that has begun to take back their sovereignty and solve their own problems. Let’s hope more follow suit.

Posted by Tina

The slogan, “Remember Pearl Harbor,” may be fading age the WWII generation leaves us but the history of the shock, sacrifice, and unity that followed does not and should not.

“December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. … Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory. … With confidence in our armed forces – with the unbounded determination of our people – we will gain the inevitable triumph – so help us God.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Visit the Time (Life) webpage for photos and historical references like this:

“In the face of an attack so clear that no man could argue it,” LIFE declared to its readers in mid-December, “the nation stood absolutely united. Senator [Burton K.] Wheeler, the leader of the Isolationists, spoke for all when he said: ‘The only thing now is to do our best to lick hell out of them.'”

We are hard pressed to find that kind of unity and loyalty to America and American ideals today. Much could be learned from the example set by this group of humble, dedicated, roll-up-your-sleeves Americans.

Posted by Tina

The Daily Mail:

The president and his supporters are pushing to get higher wages for American workers, but the nation’s largest pro-Obama organizing group is telling its footsoldiers not to expect a paycheck at all.

Organizing For Action, which flexed its muscles as Obama For America during two presidential election campaigns, announced Wednesday that it’s seeking ‘Spring Organizing Fellows’ to ‘be a part of our growing organization’ and ‘explor[e] OFA’s broad scope approach to issue advocacy.’

But unlike most fellowships, which offer a stipend or a housing allowance, the positions are strictly ‘unpaid’ and require Americans to work ‘without the expectation of pay, for civic and public service purposes.’

Organizing For Action collected $7.7 million during the third quarter of 2013, according to disclosure reports collected by the Center for Responsive Politics. The group has raised nearly $21 million this year.

Cheapskates!