Aspen airport shuts down for Michelle Obama

First Lady Michelle Obama apparently halted private-jet traffic at Aspen airport as she landed for a weekend of skiing while President Obama headed to California.

Michelle, with her daughters, Sasha and Malia, was expected to touch down in Aspen Friday to spend Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day weekend away from her husband, who was meeting late Friday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Mrs. Obama’s arrival amid tight security was expected to delay the arrival of other wealthy vacationers on private jets at the Colorado ski resort. One source said, “Some of those heading into Aspen were whining that they’re shutting the airport for an hour so nobody can get in on their private jets on a high travel day.” The weather in New York and in Aspen caused further delays. The White House did not get back to us about the first lady’s arrival.

Aspen airport’s director of aviation, Jim Elwood, declined to discuss Mrs. Obama’s travel plans, but said, “Typically when VIPs land, we do not close the airport, but hold other traffic for a few minutes.” He added, “This is one of our busiest weekends of the year and we expect several hundred planes today.”

Mrs. Obama was spotted with her daughters at Aspen’s Buttermilk ski area over Presidents Day weekend in 2012 and 2013.

Last year, the Obama family stayed at the home of Aspen Skiing Company owners Jim and Paula Crown, who are big Democratic donors. Their security team occupied a house next door.

VIA: NY POST

CONTINUE READING

Obamacare's Perilous Protection Plan for Debtors by Michelle Malkin

"Uh-oh." That's the sound being uttered in doctors' offices and hospitals across the country as medical providers realize they're getting stuck with another bottomless Obamacare bill. While the White House desperately tries to pivot from the havoc wrought by the "Affordable Care Act," its hidden regulatory bombs keep exploding.

I heard about the latest problem this week from an eye doctor friend who received a letter from a Colorado-based insurer informing her that she's essentially on the hook for Obamacare's payment grace period for debtors. The optometrist is bracing for a flood of similar letters from other insurers. Like countless other independent providers, she's extremely concerned about the potential liability, uncertainty and fraud the rule imposes on her business.

Here's the raw deal: The Affordable Care Act created a 90-day grace period before insurers can drop patients who fall behind on premiums. So, delinquents who obtain tax-subsidized health insurance through an Obamacare health insurance exchange have three months to settle up their bills prior to their policy being canceled. As written, the law puts insurers on the hook for the grace period.

But the bureaucrats at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services decided to issue a rule in March making insurers responsible only for paying claims during the first 30 days of the debtors' grace period. Who's on the hook for the other two months? Well, customers are entrusted to foot the bills for additional services. But if they blow off the payments, it's up to physicians and hospitals to collect.

Via: Townhall

Continue Reading....

David, Goliath and Colorado's Next Gun-Rights Recall

COLORADO SPRINGS — Author Malcolm Gladwell has a new bestseller that turns conventional wisdom about the Biblical David vs. Goliath battle on its head: "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants." In short, it's Goliath who really had the odds stacked against him from the get-go. The overconfident giant with poor eyesight, weighted down with heavy armor and multiple swords, never had a chance against lean, nimble, sharp-shooting expert David.

The new Colorado gun-rights recall campaign against arrogant state Sen. Evie Hudak and myopic Democrats may well be a perfect update to Gladwell's book.

Refresher: In September, grassroots Second Amendment activists ousted two top Democratic state senators for their promotion of radical, job-destroying gun-control measures backed by New York and D.C. special interests. Vice President Joe Biden himself personally lobbied state Democrats to adopt the new gun-rights restrictions. Billionaire gun-grabber Michael Bloomberg dumped gobs of cash and lobbying expertise into the state.

But bigger coffers and bully pulpits weren't enough. National pundits called the historic recalls of Democratic state Senate President John Morse of Colorado Springs and state Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo "stunning," a "surprise" and a "shocker." Indeed, there was no such precedent in Colorado history. The gun-rights activists were outspent by at least a 7-to-1 margin. Giron's district went for Obama by 20 points; yet she lost by 12.

Via: CNS News

Continue Reading....

MAN INFORMED HIS DOG HAS SUCCESSFULLY SIGNED UP FOR OBAMACARE

It’s a real shaggy dog story. While Americans across the country are struggling to sign up for ObamaCare due to problems with the federal health care website, at least one enrollee has successfully gotten covered through a state-run exchange: a Colorado man’s 14-year-old Yorkie.

Fort Collins resident Shane Smith told KDVR he received a letter last week informing his dog,Baxter, that a health insurance account had been opened for the pup through Connect for Health Colorado.

Smith told the station he had to sign up for coverage through the state exchange because his health insurance plan was cancelled under ObamaCare. He isn’t sure how Baxter wound up getting enrolled instead, but he said he did give Baxter’s name as a security question as part of the registration process.

“It was pretty funny. Typical ObamaCare, that they would insure your dog by mistake,” Smith told KDVR.

Smith said when he called Connect for Health Colorado they fixed the problem, but he is still wary of ObamaCare due to all the issues.

“There’s been a lot of headaches that’s come from all of this,” Smith told KDVR.  “All the phone calls. All the nonsense. They ended up giving me good coverage I think, but who knows if they’re going to take it away,” Smith said.

“As long as Baxter’s covered, that’s all the counts,” he joked.

Colorado runs its own health insurance exchange that is separate from the problem-plagued website Healthcare.gov, which is run by the Department of Health and Human Services. A Connect for Health Colorado spokesman told KDVR its system would never make up a name when generating a letter, but it works quickly to resolve the situation when mistakes are made.

Via: Human Events

Continue Reading.....