THE CASTLE GHOSTS OF IRELAND

A HALLOWEEN INTERVIEW WITH SEN. MIKE LEE

HALLOWEEN HORROR 2013: GET THE DOOR, CHAD

The desperate attempt to bamboozle Millennials into the ObamaCare scam has been going on for years.  And why?  Because, as Bill Clinton recently stated: "This only works if young people show up."  But the truth has been known for almost as long.  ObamaCare is actually a wealth-redistribution system in the most regressive manner possible.

Young workers, who find it increasingly more difficult to find jobs, will end up subsidizing the health care of older workers, who are hanging onto jobs longer and longer.  Walter Russell Mead and the folks at the American Interest have been hammering this point home for most of the year. And so has Nick Gillespie at Reason. The politics of this wealth transfer is nothing short of perverse. Rates will increase by an average of 169% for the young while older people will pay about 22% less.

ObamaCare turns the concept of health insurance on its head by forcing the young to subsidize the old, rather than calculating for the risk a young person actually poses. Young people won't benefit from purchasing a policy through the ObamaCare exchanges that will cost more with no return on their investment.

Not only is ObamaCare generational theft in the immediate sense, young people who buy a plan through its exchange now won't even benefit in the long-run. A healthy 18-year-old who purchases an ObamaCare plan now is essentially paying an 18% excise tax over his or her entire lifetime. That's intolerable. 

ObamaCare contributes to both generational and income inequality by forcing businesses to shift hourly workers to part-time positions and to drop their employer coverage. The economic realities created by ObamaCare disproportionately impact those just entering the workforce and low-income earners.

A serious wealth gap between young and old Americans already exists in this country, and ObamaCare exacerbates it at a time when the unemployment rate for 18 to 29-year-olds is over 60% higher than the national average.

ObamaCare is full of exceptions for those connected enough to get special favors, mostly corporate cronies, congress and their special friends. These inconsistencies contribute to businesses avoiding ObamaCare by shifting to more part-time positions - hurting those looking for jobs after graduation.

Members of Congress and their staff were exempted by the White House from a provision in ObamaCare that stated they must join the exchanges. Additionally, last year the department of Health and Human Services granted waivers to over 543,812 workers represented by labor unions, while 69,813 people employed by private companies received the same special treatment.

Uncertainty surrounding ObamaCare has slowed new business investments. Not knowing what to expect has caused employers - especially small businesses - to halt growth. A recent Chamber of Commerce survey found that 71% of small business owners are finding it harder to make new hires because of ObamaCare.

The implementation of ObamaCare has been riddled with delays and special carve-outs for Democrat Party constituencies and other well-connected groups. Data from the the non-partisan Congressional Research Service shows that ObamaCare has been delayed or amended 19 times - five of which were undertaken by the White House unilaterally.

In order to avoid the economically damaging mandates contained within ObamaCare, businesses are cutting worker hours and dropping health care coverage. This forces people with lower incomes into expensive ObamaCare exchanges in order to access health insurance.

There is also a security issue that should make Millennials think twice about signing up. Now that we know the government has been systematically collecting the phone records and online communications of millions of American citizens, do you want to further compromise your privacy? If you sign up for ObamaCare, your sensitive information will go into a new central data hub - an identity thief's wet dream.

ObamaCare utilizes a data hub to process individual's purchase of health insurance. This data hub will provide unprecedented access of sensitive data to multiple government departments.

The data hub is extremely susceptible to hackers and phishing scams.  Also, the "Navigators" hired to secure the private data have not been properly (if at all) trained and vetted.

Furthermore, in light of the recent scandalous revelations about the NSA, the FBI, and the IRS we should strive to protect our privacy, not just from criminals but from bureaucrats who feel empowered to target citizens for their political or religious beliefs.

Scared yet? You should be. Stay safe and watch out for those Navigators...

RED EYE - OCTOBER 30, 2013 FULL EPISODE

Greg welcomes guests Mike Baker and Brooke Goldstein.

Medicare Made Millions of Payments...to the Dead

Medicare paid $23 million for dead patients in 2011 and $29 million for drug benefits for illegal immigrants from 2009 to 2011, according to a report Thursday from the Health and Human Services inspector general.

The investigators said Medicare has safeguards to try to stop payments to dead patients, but it still ended up sending out the $23 million anyway.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) — the same agency that is struggling to fix the broken Obamacare website — acknowledged the problems and said it will try to take steps to fix them.

"We agree that in cases where the information indicates an individual is not lawfully present in the United States, that individual should not be permitted to enroll or to remain enrolled in a Part D plan during the period where he or she is not eligible to receive federal benefits," Marilyn Tavenner, administrator of CMS, said in response to the report about illegal immigrants getting benefits.

YESTERDAY'S HEADLINES TODAY - VOL. 113

Progressive Government Fails

It's Not a Broken Promise if You Never Meant to Keep it

What Everyone Knew About ObamaCare and Wouldn't Say

Five Things We Learned from Today's ObamaCare Hearing

The Obama Regime's Response to Insurance Plan Cancellations Is Misleading and Condescending

Obama tells insurance companies to shut up, if they know what's good for them

The thuggery of ObamaCare Czarina Kathleen Sebelius

"We aren't leaving the party. We ARE the Party!" - Three Predictions for 2014

Terry McAuliffe's Anti-Catholic Campaign

Crypto-Marxist Bill de Blasio Plans to Gut Central Park

UH OH! OBAMA'S APPROVAL RATING HITS NEW LOW

Obama approval sinks to new low

President Barack Obama's approval rating has declined to an all-time low as public frustration with Washington and pessimism about the nation's direction continue to grow, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Just 42% approve of the president's job performance, which is down five points from earlier this month. By comparison, 51% disapprove of his job in office — tied for his all-time high.

The NBC/WSJ pollsters argue that no single reason explains Obama's lower poll standing. Rather, they attribute it to the accumulation of setbacks since the summer — allegations of spying by the National Security Agency, the debate over Syria's chemical weapons, the government shutdown and now intense scrutiny over the problems associated with the health care law's federal website and its overall implementation.

And for the first time in the survey, even Obama's personal ratings are upside-down, with 41% viewing him a favorable light and 45% viewing him negatively.

"Personally and politically, the public's assessment is two thumbs down," says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff.

RED EYE - OCTOBER 29, 2013 FULL EPISODE

Greg welcomes guests Ann Coulter and Rob Long.

ObamaCare screw up sends callers to cupcake shop

Thanks to ObamaCare, New Yorkers can now get health insurance with rainbow sprinkles.

In yet another bungle for the botched government insurance rollout, the state Health Department has mistakenly listed numerous non-health-related business as enrollment sites — including a Brooklyn cupcake shop that has been besieged by callers.

"I have nothing to do with this," said Carmen Rodriguez owner of Brooklyn Cupcake in Williamsburg. "I run a very busy establishment, and I'm like, what is going on?"

Because of the mistake, her bakery has gotten 150 calls from people seeking medical-insurance information.

"There has to be somebody who can help with ObamaCare; that's their own mess," she said.

In nearby Red Hook, the dispatcher for a limo company was equally puzzled at finding his company to be among those listed as enrollment sites.

"If you want me to get you a car, I can help you out," said Allen Amor of Apex Car & Limo. But ObamaCare? Sorry, wrong number."

Marco Abad, of Zambrand Auto Repair in Sunset Park, said he didn’t even realize his business was among those listed.

"That's something crazy, because we fix cars over here," he said.

YESTERDAY'S HEADLINES TODAY - VOL. 112

Strategy Session: ObamaCare is Melting Down. What Should Republicans Do?

GOP must not get into bed with Democrats on ObamaCare 

Obama knew all along you could not keep your existing health plan

Three Admin Officials Swing Back Furiously at NBC Over ObamaCare-Driven Health Policy Cancellations, Miss by Miles

Desperate: Grover Norquist Turns to Progressive Media in Crusade Against Ted Cruz

The Hungry and the Well Fed

Dianne Feinstein, who defends NSA data-mining of Americans: I'm outraged we're spying on foreign leaders

Soros and Hillary Take on America

Occupy City Hall

Shocker! (Not Really): Obama's Political Group Behind Opposition to Late-Term Abortion Ban in New Mexico

RED EYE - OCTOBER 27, 2013 FULL EPISODE

Greg welcomes guests Jedediah Bila and Lou Dobbs.  Plus, Michael Moynihan fills in for Greg's repulsive sidekick, Bill Schulz.

Poll: 42% Identify with Obama Politically, 42% with the Tea Party

Voters are evenly divided when asked whether they agree more politically with President Obama or with the average member of the Tea Party. But an enormous partisan gap colors virtually all opinions of the Tea Party.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 42% of Likely U.S. Voters think the president's views are closest to their own when it comes to the major issues facing the country. But just as many (42%) say their views come closest to those of the average Tea Party member instead. Sixteen percent (16%) are not sure.

Overwhelming majorities of Mainstream voters identify more with the average Tea Party member than with either the president or the average member of Congress. Pluralities of the Political Class agree more with Obama and Congress.

Interestingly, while voters are more critical of the Tea Party, they continue to identify with the movement's smaller government/lower taxes message. Sixty-two percent (62%) think cutting spending rather than increasing it is the best thing the federal government can do to help the economy.

ANSWERING THE QUESTION: IS EVIL RATIONAL?

Is evil rational? If it is, then how can we depend on reason alone to make a better world? Best-selling author Dennis Prager has a challenging answer.

YESTERDAY'S HEADLINES TODAY - VOL. 111

The First Cracks: Some Democrats are beginning to break their oath of silence as ObamaCare crumbles

ObamaCare Faces A 'Death Spiral' -- But It Turns On The Declining Participation Of Health Plans, Not Just Rising Premiums

ObamaCare Sticker Shock, With Dependency for All...

NYT: Say, ObamaCare kind of undermines Obama's big-government approach, huh?

"Yes, You Can Keep Your Health Plan" or, What Part of *Screw You* Don't You Understand?

Inspector Clouseau's White House: Obama was also unaware of phone taps on foreign leaders

The Deep State

Obama's Military Purge

Liberals Fear the Heritage Foundation...and They Should

Wake Up and Smell the McAuliffe Posters

"I PRAYED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE..."

This is guaranteed to annoy the hell out of rabid atheists who see this...

Jailed activist tells of life in cold cell

Ms Harris passes the time in her Murmansk cell desperately trying to keep her mind occupied.

''I try to keep myself 'busy' with little things like doing the laundry, sweeping the floor and doing exercises,'' she wrote in her first letter to Australia. ''We're allowed to leave our cell and walk for one hour each day. We're locked in what can be described as an outdoor chicken pen [to walk]. It's horrible. But yesterday I saw that someone had scratched 'Save the Arctic' into the wall. It made me laugh.''

In a letter written on October 10, a week before she appeared in court and her bid for bail was denied, Ms Harris told Mr Lorenz she had begun to pray.  ''I honestly believed I'd be out of prison by now,'' she said. ''I'm slowly coming to terms with the prospect of spending two months here. But it's not knowing what will happen after that that I find really hard. I prayed for the first time in my life the other day. I prayed for freedom and courage.''

To be fair, I don't know for sure if Alexandra Harris is, in fact, an atheist, an agnostic or merely non-religious.  Given her left-wing associations and the fact that by her own admission she has never before prayed in her life, it would seem very likely that she is an atheist.

For argument's sake, I'm going to assume that she is a person who has considered herself an atheist.  I don't know exactly to whom she was praying.  She may not have a clear idea herself. Obviously, however, with frightening uncertainty enveloping her in those harsh surroundings she has felt the need to seek comfort and hope from a higher power.  

It's not quite a foxhole in wartime but it's a similar dynamic and another example of the aphorism "There are no atheists in foxholes."

This statement irritates atheists precisely because it's so often true.  But if you read the Wikipedia page at the link above you'll notice that they have basically turned it into an attack on the phrase.  It's a rather silly attempt to debunk the aphorism by "proving" that there actually have been atheists in foxholes (I'm sure there have been a few).  There are no links to sites that explain or support the idea, only ones that make the atheist "argument" against it.  This is not a coincidence.

The phrase is merely intended to point out that when it's a matter of life and death, many people who didn't realize it before come to find out that a devotion to Darwinism simply isn't sufficient comfort.  They need more.  They pray to God.

But so fanatical are atheists to prove their point, that they've even built themselves a monument to celebrate their contrarian view.  For the record, I have no problem with that.  It's amusing to see them erect monuments to their lack of faith.  I'd rather have them erecting their own monuments than constantly attacking our Christian ones.  The eliminationist nihilism of rabid atheists is what I find disturbing, not their curiously fervent belief in their own non-belief.

More malignant is their compulsive need to attack people of faith, especially those who serve in the military.  This summer there was a disturbing report concerning an essay written by Lt. Colonel Kenneth Reyes, a chaplain at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska.  Reyes was ordered to remove the column, titled, "No Atheists in Foxholes: Chaplains Gave all in World War II," because it allegedly offended atheists serving on the Air Force base.

Col. Brian Duffy, the base commander told Fox News the column was removed "out of respect for those who considered its title offensive."

"The 673d Air Base Wing does not advocate any particular religion or belief set over another and upon learning of the complaints from some readers, the article was promptly removed," he said. "We regret any undue attention this article may have brought to any particular group or individuals."

Lt. Col. Kenneth Reyes confirmed to Fox News that he wrote the original essay that appeared in his "Chaplain's Corner" column on the base website.

Reyes recounted the origin of the phrase "There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole." Father William Cummings has largely been credited with uttering the phrase in Bataan during World War II.

President Eisenhower referenced the phrase during a speech to the American Legion in 1954, noting "I am delighted that our veterans are sponsoring a movement to increase our awareness of God in our daily lives. In battle, they learned a great truth that there are no atheists in the foxholes."

Reyes ended his essay with a reflection on faith.

"Everyone expresses some form of faith every day, whether it is religious or secular," he wrote. "Some express faith by believing when they get up in the morning they will arrive at work in one piece, thankful they have been given another opportunity to enjoy the majesty of the day, or express relief the doctor’s results were negative."

Reyes did not attack or insult atheists or non-believers in his column.

Of course he didn't.  No reasonable person would take offense at the chaplain's essay.  Unfortunately, we're not talking about reasonable (or rational) people.  We're talking about Mikey Weinstein and his gang of haters and misfits. In a really pathetic attempt at portraying themselves as victims, Weinstein's group, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation accused Reyes of going on an "anti-secular diatribe" and publicly denigrating "those without religion."

According to Weinstein's fanatical organization, 42 airmen (all anonymous, of course) allegedly complained about the essay.  In an alarming example of moral cowardice in the face of a ridiculous PC attack on the First Amendment, Colonel Duffy ran up the white flag of surrender.

"In the civilian world, such anti-secular diatribe is protected free speech," wrote MRFF's Blake Page in a letter to Col. Duffy. "Beyond his most obvious failure in upholding regulations through redundant use of the bigoted, religious supremacist phrase, 'no atheists in foxholes,' he defiles the dignity of service members by telling them that regardless of their personally held philosophical beliefs they must have faith."

The Air Force agreed and approximately five hours after the MRFF complained, they removed the chaplain’s essay.

"While certainly not intended to offend, the article has been removed from our website," Col. Duffy wrote in an email to the MRFF. "We remain mindful of the governing instructions on this matter and will work to avoid recurrence."

But that's not good enough for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. They want the chaplain punished for what he wrote.

"Faith based hate, is hate all the same," Page wrote. "Lt. Col. Reyes must be appropriately reprimanded."

Where, exactly, is the "hate" in the chaplain's essay?  It's a question for which they have no honest answer.  Perhaps Weinstein and his mob should take a good long look in the mirror if they want to discover who is injecting hate into the situation.  So let them babble on about Ted Williams.  I will continue to be inspired by the remarkable life of Army chaplain Father Emil Kapaun.

Liberals these days love to invoke Eisenhower's name and his words as a way to demonstrate what a "good Republican" should be like.  They have always loved to quote from his farewell address in 1961.  They are, however, much less enthusiastic about the speech he gave on February 7, 1954 in which he said:

AS A FORMER SOLDIER, I am delighted that our veterans are sponsoring a movement to increase our awareness of God in our daily lives.

In battle, they learned a great truth--that there are no atheists in the foxholes. They know that in time of test and trial, we instinctively turn to God for new courage and peace of mind.

All the history of America bears witness to this truth.

Out of faith in God, and through faith in themselves as His children, our forefathers designed and built this Republic.

We remember from school days that, aboard a tiny ship of destiny called the Mayflower, self-government on our continent was first conceived by the Pilgrim Fathers. Their immortal compact began with the words, "In the name of God, Amen."

Amen!

YESTERDAY'S HEADLINES TODAY - VOL. 110

Lies the Dems Tell Themselves

ObamaCare Heading Into a Death Spiral

NSA Spying Threatens to Hamper US Foreign Policy

Terry McAuliffe: A 'Brick Wall' Against Women's Health

Beg Apple: Subways overrun with homeless

Sharpton Launches Barneys Shakedown, Defends Jay-Z over Barneys Relationship

The Presidents' Gatekeepers: Time to Reconsider Chief of Staff Position?

Leftist Media Mounts Coordinated Attack on Obama's Claim to 'Greater, More Competent Government'

Film review: The Counselor

Tea Party Raising McCain's Frustration

RED EYE - OCTOBER 25, 2013 FULL EPISODE

Greg welcomes guests Sherrod Small and Ellison Barber.

Islamofascist "Rebels" in Syria Burn Bibles and Other Christian Books In Front of Catholic Church

The militia of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the faction that in several regions of Syria monopolized the armed insurrection against the regime in Damascus in recent days have organized a book burning of Bibles and Christian books in front of the Greek – Catholic church of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Raqqa, the Syrian city which has been for months under the control of anti-Assad militias.

This information was reported by the independent Kurdish Agency – AraNews, known for its critical stance against the Syrian regime and in contact with activists and informers that from Raqqa have leaked the news via social networks.

The region of Raqqa was the scene of clashes between the army of Assad and the militias of the opposition in March. After the withdrawal of the government army, internal clashes between the anti-regime Free Syrian Army battalions and groups of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant began.

The stated purpose of this faction is the creation of an Islamic caliphate in the areas which have fallen under its control. To do this, civilians are subjected to campaigns of indoctrination and fanaticization – based on jihadist ideology. Already in September several videos circulating online had documented the vandalism committed against the two churches in the city of Raqqa by militants of ISIL, with the destruction of crosses, statues and sacred images.

Meanwhile, Christians in Syria are also seeing their names appear in kill lists posted online by jihadist "rebels."

SNL MOCKS OBAMACARE WEBSITE & SEBELIUS

YESTERDAY'S HEADLINES TODAY - VOL. 109

CNN: No, you can't buy health insurance through ObamaCare 800 number

Lies of Obamacare: The Book of Ezekiel

ObamaCare's Medicaid Problem

Rubio Now Opposes Going to Conference with Senate Immigration Bill

"I cannot even stand to look at you" LIE spurs Hardball to call GOP racists anyway

The Republican Embrace of the Welfare State

The New Patricians

Serious Issues Regarding the White Working Class

Mark Shields: 'Republicans Have Had One Major Victory in the Past 25 Years'

The Desert of Islamization

RED EYE - OCTOBER 24, 2013 FULL EPISODE

Greg welcomes guests Kevin Sorbo and Lori Rothman.

"Glitches" Also Hitting ObamaCare Phone And Paper Applications

Trying to sign up for Obamacare the old-fashioned way — paper, pen or telephone?

With the supposedly state-of-the-art $600 million HealthCare.gov portal malfunctioning, President Barack Obama is urging Americans to go ahead and try to get health coverage by mailing in a paper application, calling the helpline or seeking help from one of the trained "assisters."

But the truth is those applications — on paper or by phone — have to get entered into the same lousy website that is causing the problems in the first place. And the people processing the paper and calls don't have any cyber secret passage to duck around that. They too have to deal with all the frustrations of HealthCare.gov — full-time.

POLITICO reporters who got recorded announcements earlier in the week — sometimes directing them to try HealthCare.gov — can now get through to the call center. Once they connect, staffers like "Justin" try to get people's information into the online system.

But "Justin" doesn't have a fast track. Asked if the website works better for him than the general public, he responded: "No."

"The site does not work for us either," he said.

YESTERDAY'S HEADLINES TODAY - VOL. 108

Sorry liberals, ObamaCare's problems go much deeper than the Web site

Obama Can't Blame the Republicans This Time

ObamaCare meltdown raises serious questions about being unmanageable, says...David Gregory?

ObamaCare rollout casts cloud over 2014 Dems, despite GOP's budget fight bruises

Democrats and celebrities bail on ObamaCare

ObamaCare and the "Governing" Trap

Virginia Governor's Race: Voters have a clear choice

Ken Cuccinelli's policies show a strong libertarian streak

John Kasich's Medicaid Expansion And Uncompensated Care

Lillian Hellman Haunts History .com - The popular website regurgitates the liberal spin on communists in Hollywood

3 GREAT READS FROM CAPITALISM MAGAZINE

Here are three columns written by Thomas Sowell this week, published in Capitalism Magazine (and elsewhere) on the subject of race in America.  Since false accusations of "racism" are essentially the only "arguments" that the Left is capable of vomiting up these days, Dr. Sowell's views are especially pertinent.

Race-Hustling Results

A painful moment for me, years ago, when I was on the lecture circuit, came after a talk at Marquette University, when a young black student rose and asked: "Even though I am graduating from Marquette University, what hope is there for me?"

Back in the 1950s, when I was a student, I never encountered any fellow black student who expressed such hopelessness, even though there was far more racial discrimination then. We knew that there were obstacles for us to overcome, and we intended to overcome them.

The memory of that Marquette student came back to me, years later, when another black young man said that he had wanted to become a pilot, and had even planned to join the Air Force in order to do so. But then, he said, he now "realized" that "The Man" would never allow a black guy to become a pilot.

This was said decades after a whole squadron of black fighter plane pilots made a reputation for themselves in World War II, as the "Tuskegee Airmen." There have been black generals in the Air Force.

Race-Hustling Results: Washington Redskins and "White Guilt"

Shelby Steele's best-selling book "White Guilt" provides sharp insights into the many counterproductive consequences of white guilt that can be exploited by race hustlers, to the detriment of blacks and whites alike. The sports team gambit is just one of many.

So long as the race industry - the Al Sharptons, Jesse Jacksons, and their counterparts in various minorities - can get political or financial mileage out of being offended, they are going to be offended. The only thing that will put a stop to this racket is refusing to be taken in by it or intimidated by it.

Looked at in isolation, Bob Costas' opinion about the names of sports teams is one that reasonable people might agree or disagree with. But, unfortunately, this issue is not something that exists in isolation. It is part of a whole grievance-generating campaign that poisons race relations. That campaign is conducted not only by the race industry but also by all too many in the media and in the education system, from elementary schools to the universities.

Race-Hustling Results: Polarization of American Society and Future Race Wars

More dangerous than these highly publicized episodes over the years are innumerable organized and unprovoked physical attacks on whites by young black gangs in shopping malls, on beaches and in other public places all across the country today.

While some of these attacks make it into the media as isolated incidents, the nationwide pattern of organized black on white attacks by thugs remains invisible in the mainstream media, with the notable exception of Bill O'Reilly on the Fox News Channel.

Even when these attacks are accompanied by shouts of anti-white rhetoric and exultant laughter at the carnage, the racial makeup of the attackers and their victims is usually ignored by the media, and public officials often deny that race has anything to do with what happened.

These attacks have sent many people to the hospital, and some have died, but the attacks are often carried out in a festive atmosphere. What are called "troubled youths," in this and other contexts, are often in fact young people enjoying themselves greatly by creating big trouble for others.

RED EYE - OCTOBER 23, 2013 FULL EPISODE

Greg welcomes guests Jo Ling Kent and Gavin McInnes.

Many Young Single Women Will See Premiums Rise

The "Julias" of the world have been led to believe that the president's health law was full of gifts: mandated preventative and maternity care, community-rating provisions that equalize women’s premiums with men’s, and, of course, "free" birth control.

But a new analysis shows that Obamacare will have serious consequences for this favorite Democrat voting bloc: Many young women will face steep premium increases. It looks like we will pay for all of these "gifts" after all.

The American Action Forum found that the average 30-year-old, non-smoking woman who buys her own insurance will see premium increases by at least 193 percent. This woman will not see her premiums decrease in any of the 50 states.

"IF YOU LIKE YOUR INSURANCE, YOU CAN KEEP IT"

Arrival of ObamaCare forcing insurers to drop customers with low coverage

The Affordable Care Act was signed by President Obama in 2010 and since then he has repeated one reassuring phrase: "If you like your insurance plan you will keep it. No one will be able to take that away from you. It hasn't happened yet. It won't happen in the future."

But it is happening. The president's health care law raises the standards for insurance policies, which many consider to be a good thing. But hundreds of thousands of Americans whose policies don't meet the new standards are being told that their health plans are being cancelled.

Natalie Willes is a sleep consultant who helps parents in Los Angeles train their newborns to sleep. She buys her own health insurance.

"I was completely happy with the insurance I had before," Willes said.

So she was surprised when she tried to renew her policy. What did she find out?

"That my insurance was going to be completely different, and they were going to be replaced with 10 new plans that were going to fall under the regulations of the Affordable Care Act," she said.

Her insurer, Kaiser Permanente, is terminating policies for 160,000 people in California and presenting them with new plans that comply with the healthcare law.

"Before I had a plan that I had a $1,500 deductible," she said. "I paid $199 dollars a month. The most similar plan that I would have available to me would be $278 a month. My deductible would be $6,500 dollars, and all of my care after that point would only be covered 70 percent."

Around 14 million people buy their own health insurance on the individual markets, which is actually about the same as the true number of Americans uninsured by circumstance rather than choice.  Half of those insured will lose that insurance thanks to the mandates imposed by ObamaCare, and will get forced to buy new policies.

Willes will have to pay $948 more a year for the new policy, but that's not all.  She will also have to pay another $5,000 extra on top of that to get past the deductible each year before she gets any benefit from the policy at all. If she's reasonably healthy, all of her medical costs will get paid straight out of her pocket, on top of her insurance policy costs which will now total $3,336, or almost a cool $10,000 after the deductible before she sees any benefit at all.

Her story is just one of hundreds of thousands of similar stories across the country.  So while the Democrats are trying to convince themselves and others that their problems will be over as soon as the website is fixed (whenever that might be) the fact of the matter is that the website is only the portal to much larger problems and ObamaCare will be the main issue in the 2014 election cycle.  Sooner or later, the American people will come to appreciate the party that fought against this monstrosity.

DEMOCRATS NOW SUPPORT OBAMACARE DELAYS

Democrats beginning to support ObamaCare delays

A rising tide of Democrats has begun voicing support for easing the deadlines and penalties of the Affordable Care Act, showing the first cracks in party unity against GOP opposition to the health care law.

The pressure is acute in the Senate where Democrats in conservative or competitive states are lining up behind proposals to delay Obamacare, citing problems with the administration's glitch-plagued online rollout.

Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., announced Thursday she supports delaying the enrollment period for two months and waiving the tax penalty for individuals who fail to enroll for the same period of time. The delays would "make up for time that is being lost" while the website is not functioning properly, she said in a statement.

Hagan's statement came the same day the House held its first hearing into flaws in the website, and Julie Bataille, communications director for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told reporters, "The system just wasn't tested enough."

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., proposed this week delaying the enrollment period, citing problems with HealthCare.gov. Her plan was quickly endorsed by Democratic Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. All five Democrats face competitive 2014 re-election races.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he is drafting a proposal to delay for one year the requirement for individuals to purchase health insurance.

A prominent 2014 Senate Democratic candidate, Michelle Nunn in Georgia, on Thursday endorsed delaying the requirement for individuals to buy insurance.

A House Democrat, Rep. John Barrow of Georgia, also called for delaying the individual mandate in a floor speech this week, citing the administration's prior decision to delay for one year a separate requirement for employers.

YESTERDAY'S HEADLINES TODAY - VOL. 107

Report: Final Cost of ObamaCare's Website o' Fail Could Top $1 Billion

This Is What a Health Insurance Death Spiral Looks Like

Obama is always a victim, never a leader

Critic in Chief: Charles Krauthammer diagnoses Obama's policies and psyche

Army halts training program that labeled Christians as extremists

The science fiction of IPCC climate models

Taft Is Daft: Presidential Descendant Delights Chris Matthews by Repeating His Ted-Cruz-Is-McCarthy Bilge in the NY Times

Alan Grayson: Spokesman of Nazi-Backed Occupy Wall Street

Alan Grayson Flaunts His Ignorance

The Secret to Mark Wahlberg's Success

AFTERBURNER: THE COOKIE CUTTER CURRICULUM

DR. BEN CARSON CALLED "BLACK RACIAL HIT MAN"

How much Kool-aid does it take for a couple of no-limit race hustlers like Sharpton and Earl Ofari Hutchison to decide that a man like Dr. Ben Carson is "stupid?"  When people insult Carson and call him names it isn't the horrible "racist" Tea Party people doing it.  They'd be thrilled to have him on the ticket in 2016.  No, it's so-called progressives who are relentlessly abusive and racist in their attacks on Dr. Carson.  

They are the ones who have a chronic fear of black Republicans.  They are empowered by unearned liberal privilege that empowers them to be as obnoxious and disgusting as possible when attacking minority Conservatives.  That's how a creepy, d-list hack like Bill Maher can get away with calling Carson, world-famous pediatric neurosurgeon, a "drooling idiot."  

And now here's Sharpton and his guest going after Carson simply because he doesn't share their liberal views.  Being educated and Conservative, apparently, makes him "uppity" in their view.  So we get this...

Liberal Radio Host: Ben Carson is GOP's 'Black Racial Hit Man'

During a segment on Al Sharpton's radio show, author and regular co-host Earl Ofari Hutchinson identified GOP rising star Ben Carson as a "black racial hit man" for conservative views, a figure who can make pointed and controversial statements with less fear of reprisal than a white conservative.

"Let's put a black face, two or three would be better, a black face on all the dirt, all the muck, all the grime, just everything we can think of negative that the GOP has made their stock and trade the last few years," Hutchinson said. "Let's put some black faces, maybe some Latino faces, but especially black faces out there, because we know how African Americans think about - and rightly so - the GOP."

"Now, I think Ben Carson fits into the plan," he continued. "You take someone who, on the surface, has a compelling life story. Many people know that. They've read his book, they heard him lecture over time. They know his tremendous accomplishments as a medical professional, overcoming many odds. So, he's almost tailor-made to be the stalking horse, to say stupid things, to say dumb things, but more importantly, to say very, very pointed things. In other words, he's almost - no, not almost, he is the black racial hit man."

He's tailor-made all right.  Tailor-made to disrupt their racist narrative and speak truth to power (after which he was targeted by the IRS)  They ridicule and insult him because he has in abundance the kind of moral character that they'll never understand, let alone possess.  Sadly, but not surprisingly, racial double standards are still very much alive among progressives.