Friday, December 14, 2012

BUMMER: Most States Say No to Health Care Exchanges

Leftist tools hardest hit:

Facing Deadline, Most States Say No To Running Their Own Insurance Exchanges


The Obama administration will have to build and operate online health insurance markets for more than 30 states, something few expected when the federal health law was approved in 2010.

With today’s deadline hours away, only 18 states and the District of Columbia had proposed running their own insurance markets, also known as exchanges, a key vehicle under the law to expand health coverage to an estimated 23 million people over next four years.

“Most analysts did not anticipate that the federal government would end up playing such a big role in the operation of exchanges nationwide,” said Carolyn Pearson, a director at the Washington, D.C., consulting firm Avalere Health.

When President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, the option to have the federal government run the state markets was seen as a backstop. Administration officials have repeatedly said they hoped most states would run the markets themselves because they know their insurance markets best.

Most experts thought only states with small populations such as Delaware or Montana would seek federal help. Instead, most will rely on the federal government — including two of the most populous states, Texas and Florida, which together account for nearly 20 percent of nation’s uninsured. By law, the state exchanges must be approved by the federal government by Jan. 1, begin enrollment next October and have coverage take effect Jan. 1, 2014.

...For consumers, the new exchanges will operate similarly to online travel Internet sites Expedia and Orbitz in helping people compare benefits and prices. But the exchanges will also have broad powers to determine which plans are available and the types of benefits offered. They will also determine who is eligible for federal subsidies as well as Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor.

Did you notice the two highlighted quotes?

By law, the state exchanges must ... have coverage take effect Jan. 1, 2014 - the federal government? Operating under a strict deadline? Hahahahhahahhahhhaa. Hold on, I'll get the popcorn.

For consumers, the new exchanges will operate similarly to online travel Internet sites Expedia and Orbitz... - Right. The new exchanges will operate like Internet startups forged in the crucible of brutal, daily competition -- something government, uhm, excels at.

The cluster that is Obamacare will be entertaining in one respect: betting how much of it collapses under its own weight as the central planners all scramble to avoid blame.


AETNA: Health Care Premiums to Double in 2014 Because of 20-oz. Soft Drinks and Obamacare, But Mostly Obamacare

Well, slap me silly and call me Susan.

Health insurance premiums may as much as double for some small businesses and individual buyers in the U.S. when the Affordable Care Act’s major provisions start in 2014, Aetna Inc. (AET)’s chief executive officer said.

While subsidies in the law will shield some people, other consumers who make too much for assistance are in for “premium rate shock,” Mark Bertolini, who runs the third-biggest U.S. health-insurance company, told analysts yesterday at a conference in New York. The prospect has spurred discussion of having Congress delay or phase in parts of the law, he said.

“We’ve shared it all with the people in Washington and I think it’s a big concern,” the CEO said. “We’re going to see some markets go up as much as as 100 percent..." Premiums are likely to increase 25 percent to 50 percent on average in the small-group and individual markets, he said, citing projections by his Hartford, Connecticut-based company.

And industry analyst Robert Laszewski confirms the assessment:

[F]or the vast majority of states there will be rate shock.

I can also tell you that, so far, I have detected no serious effort on the part of Democrats to delay anything. Frankly, I think hard core supporters of the new health law and the administration are in denial about what is coming.

I expect more health insurers to be echoing the Aetna comments in coming weeks.

Surprising, ain't it, considering no one even read the bill.

Obamacare needs to be crushed. Obliterated. By. Any. Means. Necessary.



Hat tip: The invaluable BadBlue News Service.

WORLD'S DUMBEST BLOGGER: My "Facts" About Gun Control Aren't Political, As Far As You Know

Last year, The Washington Post's Ezra Klein yanked the title of World's Dumbest Blogger from Matthew Yglesias.

Klein appears to be positioning himself to retain the title in 2013 by leaping into the gun control debate on the heels of the man-caused disaster at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Remember: we're not allowed to call evil by its rightful name, be it Islamofascism or plain psychopathy.

Klein's latest missive is as impressive a collection of lies, fables, half-truths and misdirection as you'll see in a single WaPo excretion. Consider a couple of clips:

If roads were collapsing all across the United States, killing dozens of drivers, we would surely see that as a moment to talk about what we could do to keep roads from collapsing. If terrorists were detonating bombs in port after port, you can be sure Congress would be working to upgrade the nation’s security measures. If a plague was ripping through communities, public-health officials would be working feverishly to contain it.

Only with gun violence do we respond to repeated tragedies by saying that mourning is acceptable but discussing how to prevent more tragedies is not.

I've got a better analogy: if increasingly easy access to welfare and food stamps offer incentives to rear children out of wedlock... and if those kids born out of wedlock are proven to commit violent crime at far higher rates than kids raised in two-parent familes... and if the correlation of welfare to violent crime had been proven in roughly two dozen studies... and if said correlation affected millions of kids... would Democrats finally abandon their failed "Great Society" policies that have literally turned inner cities into violent, crime-ridden wastelands?


Would Democrats repudiate their own destructive policies that condemn huge numbers of inner-city kids to lives of violence, death or prison?

I didn't think so.

States with stricter gun control laws have fewer deaths from gun-related violence.

Last year, economist Richard Florida dove deep into the correlations between gun deaths and other kinds of social indicators. Some of what he found was, perhaps, unexpected: Higher populations, more stress, more immigrants, and more mental illness were not correlated with more deaths from gun violence. But one thing he found was, perhaps, perfectly predictable: States with tighter gun control laws appear to have fewer gun-related deaths.

You mean like Illinois?

An Aurora Massacre occurs every 10 days in Chicago, the city with the strictest handgun restrictions in the U.S., located in the state with the strictest firearm restrictions in the country.

Like Washington DC, New York City, cities in Mexico, cities in Germany, and even London -- to name but a few -- "gun-free" cities are truly areas where the innocent are targeted by predators who have no intention of abiding by any law.

The masterminds who think they can banish evil from the world by banning guns must reject all of human history, as well as logic and reason, to promote their unconstitutional schemes.

Which is why Ezra Klein will almost certainly retain the title of the World's Dumbest Blogger next year.


Larwyn's Linx: Hiding the witnesses

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

Hiding the witnesses: This Ain't Hell
The Republicans Have Failed the Nation: RS
Republican Election Strategy 1 - Targeted Buy-Up: Howling

“Next Time We’ll Really Stick it to Obama”: RS
Republicans Do Have Leverage; Use It!: DLim
The Tales, Michigan, And Sociodynamics: Bastion

Time To Personally Demonize The Left Along Alinskyite Lines?: HayRide
Federalism could be the solution to GOP branding problem: RWN
Good News! Your permanent record is now available on demand: Hot Air

Economy

Unemployment Benefits for Illegal Aliens in Nearly Bankrupt California: MB
Obama's Tacit Approval of the violence in Michigan: AT
Obama's Tax-the-Scapegoat Strategy Is Doomed to Fail: IBD

Dear Losties: thanks for going broke on our behalf: Sensing
US average marginal effective tax rate about 40%?: Q&O
The Regulatory Cliff Facing Small Businesses: Elephant

Kettle, Meet Pot: MOTUS
The Numbers Don't Lie: IPI
Retailers smuggling cigarettes into Cook County: Marathon

Scandal Central

Remember when Obamacare was gonna save us thousands on our health insurance? Me neither: WyBlog
Marxist EPA Wants to Regulate Water As a Pollutant in Virginia: Sentinel
Washington, DC, Union President Convicted, Faces 183 Years in Prison: Foundry

Climate & Energy

Green Graveyard: 19 Taxpayer-Funded Failures: Foundry
New Report: Man-made Global Warming Is a Farce: NewAm
California Cap-and-Trade to Produce 14% of Projected Revenue: Breitbart

Media

The letter “D” & Liberal Belief the Ultimate Indulgence: DTG
Andrew McCarthy Responds to Mother Jones: GoV
Ace of Spades destroys media over union violence, Crowder attack embargo: Twitchy

Cardinal Dolan Slams Media Silence on Battle Over HHS Mandate: LifeNews
Mark Steyn on Unions: If a 1940s man were dropped in Detroit, he’d think Japan won WWII by nuking it: Scoop
Mobs taking over Washington Metro: Daley Gator

MSM: Go Away Conservative Media – We Have it Covered: Nice Deb
Re: Thunderdome Layoffs: Morrissey
Elizabeth Warren Not Chosen to Serve on the Committee on Indian Affairs?: Powers

World

Bachmann: ‘Game over’ for America if any dissent of Islam criminalized: Creeping
Great job, Hill: North Korea launches rocket of peace: Register
Are the progressives the greatest threat to liberty in America?: SpellCheck

Egypt Facing Economic Collapse?: TAB
MoH recipient Meyer injured in altercation: ArmyTimes
Israeli envoy warns against wearing yarmulkes in Copenhagen: JTA

Rice Withdraws; Secretary of State John Kerry Coming Soon?: Geraghty
What Really Sank Susan Rice?: AmSpec
Ex-Marine 'chained to a bed' in a Mexican prison as Obama, Hillary, and Democramedia remain silent: HySci

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

That proposed Internet regulation at the UN didn’t go over too well: Hot Air
Google: We Don’t Plan to Build Apps for WinPho8: Gizmodo
US jury says iPhone infringes on three MobileMedia patents: Verge

Cornucopia

12 of Wikipedia’s Greatest Sentences : MentalFloss
Obama Gangnam Style!: Dossier
Rethinking Hijab: C&S

Image: Marc Faber: "Paul Krugman Should Go And Live In North Korea"
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Blazingcatfur Legal Defense Fund Raising Drive

QOTD: "Sixteen Democratic senators who voted for the Affordable Care Act are asking that one of its fundraising mechanisms, a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices scheduled to take effect January 1, be delayed. Echoing arguments made by Republicans against Obamacare, the Democratic senators say the levy will cost jobs — in a statement Monday, Sen. Al Franken called it a "job-killing tax" — and also impair American competitiveness in the medical device field." --Daley Gator

Thursday, December 13, 2012

WAVOSAUR: A Tiny, Free Audio Editor

When it comes to software, no two words make the heart grow fonder than: (a) "tiny" and (b) "free".

A portable, full-featured audio editor that supports ASIO and VST FX in a mere 225KB download? Wavosaur is tight programming and then some. But despite its tiny footprint, this free audio editor has tons of features so you can change bit rates, convert, create and apply volume envelopes, cut, dice, slice, detect beats, normalize, and much more.

It's also very fast in applying those edits and non-destructive, which means you may undo your actions without reloading the original file.. What Wavosaur doesn't do is reverb, chorus, flange, and compress, etc. Instead, the program relies on VST effects plug-ins (Virtual Studio Technology, a standard from industry heavyweight Steinberg) for FX. That's no doubt part of the reason it's so efficiently-sized. You can find download links and listings of many free VST effects plug-ins on the Wavosaur website if you've none of your own.

Though somewhat Windows 95 in appearance, Wavosaur is extremely easy to use, fast, and efficient. Don't let shape-consciousness deter you... The Wavosaur interface is efficient, though a bit old-school in appearance. You can dock the numerous toolbars at the top or bottom of the editor window or detach them to float. It isn’t particularly pretty, but it gets the job done quite nicely.

Wavosaur is impressive, and for straight audio editing, it's amazingly powerful. Download it, even if it's just to see how small you can go when you write tight code.

If you do any audio work, PC World has the details and a download link.


Hat tip: BadBlue Tech News.

QOTD: Selective Amnesia Syndrome

Proving that the White House remains concerned about the Benghazi scandal, President Obama announced today that Amb. Susan Rice has withdrawn her name from consideration as a potential Secretary of State.

As for Quote o' the Day, Jon Gabriel wins in a landslide:


As for the reason for Rice's withdrawal?

The reason can only be fear. Next week, Hillary Clinton is supposed to testify before Congress about Libya. There are some indications Clinton may now back out, or resort to insisting on a closed session hidden from the public. Whatever the result, President Obama clearly does not want to give Congress any more high-profile chances to ask someone under oath what happened in the hours and days after Stevens was killed. Rice was at ground zero of the real scandal: not in Benghazi, where the attack occurred; but in Washington, where the cover-up was planned and executed.

Furthermore, Obama probably thought that sacrificing Rice, who still keeps her job as UN ambassador, would assuage some congressional critics and distract from a pending report on what happened in Benghazi. Most importantly, it eliminates the troubling possibility of a Rice confirmation hearing. That likely still would have led to a confirmation victory for Obama—but a pyrrhic one given the ability of most Americans to sniff out a liar.


Hat tip: @AdamSBaldwin.

HOW UNIONS BILK THE RANK-AND-FILE: By the Numbers

Excerpted from Union Facts:

Financial Information

  • Annual Dues Paid to Unions: $8,209,113,955
  • Total Union Assets: $8,775,962,626
  • Total Spending
    • Representational Activities: $4,074,510,945
    • Political Activities: $582,248,875
    • External Contributions: $333,982,197
    • Overhead: $3,914,513,501
  • Unions that fail to pass Department of Labor audits: 92%

Diversity

  • Major Unions with White Presidents: 94%
  • Major Unions with Male Presidents: 89%

Union Officials

  • Total union officers and staff members: 173,389 people
  • Total compensation paid to union officials and officers: $1,152,061,495
  • Total compensation paid to union employees: $2,563,981,776

Crime, Corruption, and Violence

  • Recorded Incidents of Union Violence and Intimidation since 1975: 9,000+
  • Union Racketeering Indictments since 2001: 2,056
  • Fines Paid Resulting from DOL Racketeering Investigations since 2001: $670 million

Pensions

  • Pension Funds controlled by unions: 7,585
  • Average Pension Funding Level: 48%

Just for grins, please note the percentage of Annual Dues Paid to Unions that is devoted to compensating union bosses and their lackeys (Total compensation paid to union employees). And Democrats dare talk about how health insurers are ripping off consumers? How about what unions are doing to the rank-and-file?


A HORRIFYING PREVIEW OF OBAMACARE: 6 in 10 Veterans Administration claim denials are in error

So reports Army Times in a sobering report on the state of a typical, government-run health care system:

A new report on an old problem contains some sad statistics about veterans’ benefits claims:

• Thirty-one percent of claims filed with the Veterans Affairs Department are likely to be denied — and 60 percent of those denials will be erroneous.

• Sixty percent of claims will take longer than 125 days to be processed, more than 7 percent of claims will be misplaced, and 4 percent will be completely lost.

• A veteran calling VA’s benefits hotline has just a 49 percent chance of being connected to someone and receiving a correct answer.


...Based on a review of the 870,000 benefits claims pending before VA in 2011 — a number that has climbed to about 900,000 pending claims today... Even faster claims processing might be possible by contracting out administrative services or transferring claims processing from the federal government to states, the report says. It recommends expanded pilot programs to test those ideas.

The nonpartisan National Center for Policy Analysis, which specializes in retirement and health care programs, is skeptical about VA’s stated goal of eliminating the claims backlog by the end of 2015.

VA “is barely able to process current claims,” the report says, “and has exhibited little to no progress toward their stated goal of 125 days and 98 percent accuracy for processed claims by 2015.”

The federal government, in general, does a poor job of administering disability benefits and services, the report says, “as evidenced by the state of Social Security Disability.”

“But the Veterans Benefits Administration appears to be far worse.”

When Nancy Pelosi famously opined -- vis a vis Obamacare -- that we had to pass it to find out what's in it, she was wrong.

We know what's in government-run health care: a nice, juicy crap sandwich for everyone involved.

Picture our entire medical system administered by the BMV, the Post Office and the SEIU, combined.


Hat tip: BadBlue News.

Larwyn's Linx: Brace youself: America’s next revolution may be just around the corner

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

Brace youself: America’s next revolution may be just around the corner: RedAlert
Endangering the Elderly: Beacon
The Correct Response To The Anti-Right To Work Arguments: HayRide

So Which Is It, Mr. Boehner?: RS
Sessions: why not follow the Constitutional process, idiots?: Ace
How Harry Reid's Power Grab Would Harm the Senate: Foundry

Court Allows Archdiocese’s Obamacare Challenge to Proceed: Foundry
Stuff You Already Knew: Romney Ad Strategy Blew: Ace
Berkeley Students Have No Problem Procuring Cheap Contraception: Sandbox

Economy

Finally: Dems Read ObamaCare. Request Delays.: CDN
"Better off on benefits": ZH
Taxpayers Pay $4.8M for Union Boss Salaries in Single Dept.: Breitbart

Will Obama blame Bush for the $22.7 billion AIG bailout profit?: IBD
Judge: 600 workers to be fired thanks to Obama/NLRB/SEIU: RS
It Gets Better, Right to Work Edition: Katz

Scandal Central

Senator Intern's Sex Offender Arrest Delayed Until After Election: Blaze
Secret Parley of Obama, Boehner Betrays Their Pledges To Open Government: NY Sun
Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down IL Ban on Concealed Carry as Unconstitutional: FreeLight

Media

The 40 Best Political Quotes For 2012: RWN
Euphemism o' the Day: Cato
AFL-CIO OMG WTF?: RSM

AP Fails to Tell Readers November's $172 Billion Deficit Is Worst November Ever: NB
Steven Crowder Challenges His Assailant: Criminal Prosecution or Boxing Match: NoisyRm
Bozell Blasts ABC, CBS, and NBC For Censoring Footage of Union Vio: MRC

Harry Belafonte Encourages Obama to Imprison Advocates of Entitlement Reform: MB
Rep. Moran’s Son Likely a Victim of Right Wing False Flag Operation: Nice Deb
PolitiFact awards ‘Lie of the Year’ to truthful Romney ad: Twitchy

World

New Signs Assad Preparing to Use Chemical Weapons: WorldThreats
The North Korean Missile Threat: Beacon
North Korea's Rocket Victory: Deep Consequences: ABC

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

You’ve Got 30,000 Days To Live… Reverse Engineer Your Life To Make Them Count: Crunch
Cosmonaut snaps extraordinary image of Mt. Everest: Riehl
How Websites Know Your Email Address the First Time You Visit: Slashdot

Cornucopia

Festivus: Wikipedia
U.S. Senator Promising Legislation Allowing In-Air Use of Electronic Devices if FAA Doesn't Act: MacRumors
"M*gger. M*gger. M*gger. M*gger. M*ggings.": Ace

Image: Finally: Dems Read ObamaCare. Request Delays.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Pundit & Pundette

QOTD: "What's the difference between Mafia and unions? One threatens to kill you if you don't give them money, the other dresses snappy." --@IowaHawkBlog

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

GOOGLE THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET: Says Mobile War is Over and Android Has Defeated Apple

Interesting analogies drawn by Google Chairman Eric Schmidt:

Google (GOOG) Chairman Eric Schmidt believes the war between Android and Apple’s (AAPL) iOS is just about over and his side has won. In an interview with Bloomberg, the former CEO said that the current mobile battle is similar to the computing war that took place more than 20 years ago between Microsoft (MSFT) and Apple. The executive notes that Google is “winning that war pretty clearly now.”

...Schmidt’s words aren’t without merit; Android has seen explosive growth since its debut and controlled nearly 70% of the market this year. In fact, the operating system has been projected to dominate the smartphone market over the next four years while continuing to eat away at Apple’s tablet market share.

The Chairman’s comparison to Microsoft of the 1990s is fairly accurate. Windows was able to conquer the operating system space because of the strong support it had from a variety of manufacturers, while Apple refused to license OS X. Google has taken an approach similar to Microsoft’s, but rather than licensing the software it gives it out freely. This has helped the Android operating system see unprecedented growth.

“The core strategy is to make a bigger pie,” Schmidt said. “We will end up with a not perfectly controlled and not perfectly managed bigger pie by virtue of open systems.”

If taking shots at Apple wasn’t enough, the executive also jabbed the world’s largest social network, calling Google+ a “viable competitor to Facebook.” While Google’s social networking site has had its fair share of success, topping 500 million total users in a little over 14 months, it is no match for Facebook’s one billion monthly active users.

My prediction is that Google will continue to nibble away at Facebook, cable companies and wireless providers. This will prove extremely healthy for consumers because the latter two industries desperately need the benefit of robust competition.


Hat tips: Image via The Android Invasion, Story via BadBlue Tech News.

STATISM TODAY: Maryland County Bans Soda

Robert asks, "What better way to fight obesity than to infringe upon people’s right to buy, sell or drink what they want?"

Howard County Bans Sale Of Sugary Drinks On Public Property


December 11, 2012 9:11 PM

HOWARD COUNTY, Md. (WJZ)—No more sugary drinks in Howard County vending machines.
As Mike Schuh reports, the county executive stopped the drinks from being sold on county property.

Childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years. Health experts pour the blame squarely on sugary drinks... “Sugary drinks are the largest single source of added sugar to our children’s diet,” said Nikki Highsmith Vernick, Horizon Foundation CEO.
Sugar, she says, turns into fat.

The student government at Burleigh Middle was brought out to demonstrate the problem.
At their call, 10 tons of fine sand was dumped to demonstrate the amount of sugar which would be consumed by their school in a year if every kid drank one sugar soda a day.

...Howard County Executive Ken Ulman used this backdrop to announce a ban on the sale of sugar drinks on county property. “Vending machines will look differently in our parks, libraries and any county buildings,” Ulman said.

The ban, he says, takes effect immediately.

Of course it does.

As Mark Levin is fond of saying, the circle of liberty surrounding each of us seems to grow smaller by the day.

Now that Chief Justice John Roberts has ruled that the government has the power to compel individuals to buy products of the central government's design, how much longer until the feds mandate the consumption of broccoli?



CHRISTMAS GOODIES: 1951

Spotted at the amazing historical photo site Shorpy:



Fast-forward 61 years and I expect most kids will be getting Barack Obama Inaction Figures and Dick Trumka Union Thug Dolls.


DO YOU EAT? These charts should make you nervous

You may remember the last time food prices spiked: the entire Middle East exploded in an inferno of Muslim Brotherhood-fueled unrest. Democrats and the media -- but I repeat myself -- called it the "Arab Spring".

Not to get you overly paranoid or anything, but the race to devalue global currencies -- spearheaded by one Ben Bernanke and his magical printing press -- is touching off more inflation in food prices as evidenced here and here:



Now that the Federal Reserve has monetized trillions in debt, it's safe to say that there is no viable exit strategy. Other than inflation and/or economic collapse, that is.



THE NEGOTIATION: Selling John Boehner a Car

Salesman: Welcome to District Chevrolet, can I help you with something?

Boehner: Lookin' for a sedan (*cough*). One with four doors.

S: Power ashtrays?

B: You know it, sonny.

S: How much you lookin' to spend?

B: Ehhh, unnngh, maybe... six... six hunnert a month, tops.

S: Well, we have several sedans in that price range. How much you lookin' to put down?


B: Fifteen grand, tops.

S: How 'bout mileage? Good gas mileage important for ya?

B: Damn straight it is.

S: Well, based on those precise criteria, I got just the ride for you then. This beauty right here (points to a shiny black sedan) is the 2012 Chevrolet Volt, which by most accounts is a collector's item.

B: I thought you couldn't sell any of those things.

S: That's a damn lie! Eh, pardon my French, sir, but we get that a lot. The Volt is one of our top sellers, plus they fixed the kersplodin' battery problem and the melting power cord issue, best we can tell.

B: You say it's a collector's item?

S: That's what all, eh, most, uhm, some of the, er, experts say.

B: Must say it looks purty sweet. What's one of these bad boys run?

S: Well, with a fifteen grand down payment... (whips out calculator, starts clicking keys)... 'bout $675 a month.

B: Hot damn, that's pretty close to what I wanted.

S: Tell you what (looks to either side, starts talking in a hushed voice)... you look like a real pro at negotiating --

B: Damn straight.

S: Don't tell my manager, but I can get you into the Deluxe model for an extra $14 a month if you sign tonight.

B: What's on the Deluxe model?

S: Couple of really nice items: you get the rustproof undercoating and the luxury, deluxe floor mats in plush velour. Softest damn floor mats in the world, guaranteed.

B: Sounds pretty good. You sure it's only $14 extra a month?

S: Like I said, don't tell my manager.

B: Hell, I won't! Do I look like a punk to you? I can smell a good deal when I see one.

S: Alright! You wanna me to write this puppy up? I got another guy who was lookin' at this car an hour ago and just went to get his wife...

B: Well, hell -- I better do it. Why don't you write it up.

S: Sure, enough. You can't get a better 84-month lease deal than this one, as far as you know.

B: Just hurry up. That other guy may come back with his freaking wife!


Larwyn's Linx: This is who they are. This is what they do.

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

This is who they are. This is what they do.: ProWis
Teamsters boss predicts "civil war" in Michigan: Hayward
Fighting for the freedom to work without coercion: Malkin

“There Will Be Blood”: Union Violence in the Age of Obama: Malkin
Union thug violence towards right-to-work supporters in Michigan: Moe Lane
Obama Jobs Council Chairman : Communist China "Works": GWP

Economy

Our Government-Created Financial Crisis: Williams
Taxing the Poor: Sowell
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder Signs Right-To-Work Bill Into Law: WZ

NFIB Small Business Outlook Drops To Record Low: ZH
Auto Bailout Loss Could Exceed $70 Billion: Breitbart
7% of Detroit Public-School 8th Graders Reading-Proficient: CNS

HSBC: Preferred by 'Drug Cartels and Money-Launderers’: Driscoll
California State Workers Earning $822,000: ZH
526,421 family farms threatened by new death tax: Exam

Scandal Central

ObamaCare Surprise: New Fee for Companies, Employees: AIM
Dems Ask for Delay to Obamacare Med Device Tax They Voted for in the First Place: ATR
U.S. Should Consider Automatic Voter Registration: Holder: Bloomberg

Climate & Energy

Climate Depot's Big Media Week: Over 300,000 unique visitors to Climate Depot in 24 hours!: Depot
Extreme Weather Belief Like A “pagan rite of human sacrifice to ensure a good harvest”: STACLU

Media

Back and to the Left: Springtime for Oliver Stone: Driscoll
"Marriage Matters": ProWis
Martin Bashir Ignores Violence By Union Thugs, Assails Michigan Governor's 'Crap Burger': NB

Mish Shedlock Exposed: Schiff
‘The First Ad of 2014' Will Look Very Much Like the First Ad of 1992: Driscoll
Rapper Big Boi Refuses To Get Behind Obama Presidency: ‘I Ain’t On Nobody’s Team’: Mediate

World

New Army Manual Orders Soldiers Not To Criticize Taliban: JW
Dictators Shutting Down the Internet: Schneier
Mark Carney, Incoming Governor of the Bank of England, Dives Straight Into Monetarist Loony Bin: Mish

New Report Confirms Islamic Terrorism Trumps Others: IPT
North Korea rocket launch: satellite successfully sent into orbit: Telegraph
Lawmakers question gift of 20 F-16s to Morsi's Egypt: Fox

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Four Cups of Coffee A Day Cuts Risk of Oral Cancer: Slashdot
Air Force sends mystery X-37B mini-shuttle back to space: Phys.org
Nokia engineer hacks Windows 8 to get free games (and provides full instructions): VenBeat

Cornucopia

Santa Claus is coming to Motown: MOTUS
Meet Obamadon, the Ancient Extinct Lizard Named After a Reptilian President: Nice Deb
Illinois concealed weapon ban struck down by court: BBC

Image: "Right to Work Means Better Wages"
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: NLPC Union Corruption Update

QOTD:

...I don't know just how committed Obama is to policies that undermine America's economic health, but we know he doesn't blink upon running up more than $5 trillion in debt in less than four years, $3.4 billion to $4 billion per day. We know he loves, loves, loves blaming Republicans for everything. We know he's willing to blame Republicans for failure to pass immigration reform, bad jobs numbers, the deficit, the continuing housing crisis, gridlock in Washington, the debt panel's failure to reach a deal, the difficulty of life for the unemployed, and the inability to build the Keystone Pipeline.

Now at some point, the public may get really tired of his "it's never my fault" routine, and Obama might find himself in deep doo-doo. But so far, that hasn't happened.

--Jim Geraghty

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

FOOD STAMP ABUSE: They're not even pretending any more

From the American tradition of rugged independence to a culture of dependency:

I took this photo of the self-checkout payment screen at a Hen House grocery store in Overland Park, KS. Cash benefits for food stamps. And why not? This is America. Forward!

As a high school student and humble grocery store carryout (back in the 80's), it was common to watch someone pay for their government-approved items like milk and diapers with their food stamps and then, in a separate transaction, pay for their beer and cigarettes with their cash. Even as a kid I knew this was wrong. If you have money for booze then you shouldn't be asking your neighbors to pay your grocery bill.

Today, the dependency class can't even be bothered to fake it. We'll just give them the cash.

It's probably for the best though. They'll need that cash on their welfare-funded Hawaiian vacations. Oh, you can't afford one of those? Quit being so selfish and get back to work. 47.7 million food stamp recipients are counting on you and they're not going to just feed themselves, you know.

Since taking office, Obama has increased the number of Americans on food stamps and in poverty by a mind-boggling 50 percent.

The abuse of food stamps is so widespread that even the USDA now admits it has no idea what people are buying with them.



MAP: The 61 countries most vulnerable to an Internet shutdown

Last week Syria's government shut down access to the Internet, presumably to prevent new reports of its war crimes from leaking to the outside world.

Which begs the question: which countries are most susceptible to a government-mandate shutdown of the Internet?

For 52 hours last week, Syria joined the unfortunate club of countries whose governments have chosen, however briefly, to return their citizens to the digital dark ages. That club, which also includes Egypt and Myanmar, remains small for now. But if you live in any of these five dozen countries, it could happen to you, too.

In the wake of Syria’s digital blackout last week, the networking firm Renesys performed an analysis of which countries are most susceptible to an Internet shutdown, based simply on how many distinct entities control the connections between the country’s networks and those of the outside world. It found that for 61 countries and territories, just one or two Internet service providers maintain all external connections–a situation that could make possible a quick cutoff from the world with a well-placed government order or physical attack.

On Monday, Renesys published its full list of countries and territories at various levels of Internet shutdown risk. And here are the places it put in the “severe risk” category.

Andorra, Anguilla, Netherland Antilles, Aruba, Ã…land Islands, Barbados, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Bhutan, Central African Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Cook Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Grenada, French Guiana, Greenland, Gambia, Guinea, Guadeloupe, Guyana, British Indian Ocean Territory, Jersey, Comoros, Saint Kitts And Nevis, North Korea, Lesotho, Libya, Monaco, Saint Martin (French and Dutch parts), Marshall Islands, Mali, Myanmar, Mauritania, Norfolk Island, Nauru, French Polynesia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Palau, Réunion, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Suriname, South Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe, Syria, Swaziland, Turks and Caicos, Chad, Tokelau, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Wallis and Futuna, and Yemen.

Just give President Obama a little time. With a little effort, he'll be able to get us on this list.


UNION SUCCESS STORY #7,407: Only Seven Percent of 8th-graders in Detroit Public Schools Read Proficiently

As they say, someone new is blocking the schoolhouse door.

...In the public schools in Detroit, Mich., according to the U.S. Department of Education, only 7 percent of the eighth graders are grade-level proficient or better in reading.

Some public school teachers in the City of Detroit and around the state of Michigan are reportedly taking a vacation or a sick day today to protest right-to-work legislation likely to be approved by the state legislature. Under current law, Michigan public school teachers must pay dues to the teachers’ union. If the right-to-work law is enacted, Michigan public-school teachers will be free to join the union and pay dues to it if they wish, but they will also be free not to join the union and not to pay it dues.

Detroit public-school eighth graders do even worse in math than they do in reading, according to the Department of Education. While only 7 percent scored highly enough on the department’s National Assessment of Educational Progress test in 2011 to be rated “proficient” or better in reading, only 4 percent scored highly enough to be rated “proficient” or better in math...

I blame Bush. And Sarah Palin.

But certainly not the unholy alliance of the Democrat Party and public sector unions, which exist only to fleece the beleaguered American taxpayer.


Hat tip: BadBlue News Service.

WANTED PHOTOS: The Union Thug Who Tried to Kill Steven Crowder

Fox News contributor Steven Crowder was in Michigan today to record the pro-slavery protests orchestrated by the same union bosses who've economically obliterated Detroit. The death threats and physical violence were just what we've come to expect from the Marxist-aligned Leftists:

...the crowd started tearing down the AFP [Americans For Prosperity] tent that was there. When Crowder attempted to intervene, he was assaulted by multiple protesters with one ... shouting that he would "kill a mother f***er with a gun..."






Do you know this douche? Dana Loesch has a donation page where you can contribute to a reward to find and charge the assailant.


Update: UNION THUG Who Beat Steven Crowder ID’ed – His Name Is Tony Cummings.

Larwyn's Linx: Top 10 Things to Say to Obama Voters Who Got Laid Off

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

The Top 10 Things to Say to an Obama Voter Who Just Got Laid Off: RWN
DeMint’s move and the growing frustration inside the GOP: Exam
Boehner could face conservative challenger for Speaker: DC

What Does "Let it Burn" Mean?: Ace
Obama to America: I Won’t Compromise on Taxes: AIM
House leadership concerned Price will challenge Boehner for Speaker: Hill

Economy

Legal vs. Illegal Aliens: Burning Platform
Gallup Poll Visualizes Effect of Obamacare: Mish
The Fed is Killing the U.S. Economy: Daily Ticker

Medical Device Tax: Immoral and Impractical: ObjStd
Obama's Untenable Position on Taxes, Growth: Villainous
Santelli: "All They're After Is Your Bucks!": ZH

Understanding $16,000,000,000,000 in Debt: AT
Surprise! President Obama Slams Michigan's Right-to-Work Effort: Reason
New insurance fee in health overhaul law likely to hit consumers: Fox

Scandal Central

Benghazi Terrorists Were Armed By Obama: GWP
Jeanine Pirro Blasts Hillary For Benghazi Cover-up – Skewers Obama For His Weakness on Syria: Nice Deb
Does Obama ever stop campaigning? Has he made a “Fiscal Cliff” counteroffer?: GayPatriot

Climate & Energy

Climate Conference Ends in Disgrace: Mead
Graph: The `green energy' implosion: Malkin
Doha post mortem – some green activists ‘close to despair’: Watts

Media

Liberal NYT Columnist Nicholas Kristof: Gee, Maybe Eternal Government Dependency Isn't Helpful: Ace
Celebration: The NYTimes Finally Admitted Reaganomics Worked: Publius
Peter Schiff: Majority Doesn't "Have A Right To Steal My Money Just Because They Voted For It": RCP

New York Times Sells A Bridge, Then Buys A Map: Kesler
Trouble In Paradise, Susan Rice Edition: JOM
The Spot-On Quote Of The Day…: Camp o' the Saints

Welfare State Advocate Spews Inaccuracies on PBS NewsHour: CDN
So-called journalist Chuck Todd refers to ‘so-called’ right-to-work legislation: Twitchy
Former Jesse Jackson Jr. staffer big fan of dwarves, pornography: NakedDC

World

‘Courage, Skill, and Patriotism’: Navy SEAL Dies Rescuing American Hostage From the Taliban: Blaze
Ground Zero Mosque Update: No ‘Community Center,’ Just a Mosque: Bruce
UN Hosts Art Depicting Palestine as All of Israel: Breitbart

"Widespread Traditional Practice": An Islamic Crime: FPM
What happened when the Brits decided to raise taxes on their ‘evil one percent’?: Scoop
Move Over, Michigan, China Is The World's Next Rust Belt: Forbes

‘The Last of the Just’ in Belgium: Simon
Another Strange Communism Headline from NYT: 'Halcyon Days Of Failed Ideals' in E. Germany: MRC
French socialists seem surprised, upset that wealthy actor has decided to jump ship: Hot Air

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue.com/Tech)

Australian police warn not to use Apple Maps: ZDNet
Bypassing Two-Factor Authentication: Schneier
Google Reportedly Dodged $2 Billion in Taxes With Bermuda Tax Haven: Mashable

Cornucopia

So Much in Common: V the K
Hono­lulu after Pearl Harbor: A report published for the first time, 71 years later: WaPo
‘Star Trek Into Darkness’: Sequel preview; villain still a mystery: LAT

Image: Getty Images, via V the K
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Take the Taxpayer Protection Pledge

QOTD: "First of all, I'm in the top two percent. Right now, I'm paying 45% of my total income in income taxes, both to the state of Connecticut and to the federal government, and if you take the 3% Medicare tax. After the tax hikes go into effect next year, more than half -- more than half of my total income is going to go to the government. You tell me, what's fair about that when medieval serfs pay 25%, I'm paying half? I don't care what the majority voted to do, they don't have a right to steal my money just because they vote for it.

...You know what the wealthy are going to do? They're going to invest more abroad, they're not going to work as hard, they're not going to pay as much in taxes, they're not going to employ as many people. Their employees are going to pay all the taxes." --Peter Schiff