Bikers denied no-stop permit for 9/11 rally through D.C. but will ride anyway

The nation’s capital has denied a “no stop” permit for the “2 Million Bikers to DC” rally on Wednesday, meant to “remember those who were killed on 9/11 and honor our armed forces.”

The group said in a statement Sunday that D.C. officials denied their request for a special nonstop ride through town with a waiver for red lights, stop signs and other traffic signals.

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“What could have been a one or two hour ride through will now likely be an all day event,” the group said.

Denial of the permit sparked outrage on the biker group’s website because the District of Columbia reportedly has granted the American Muslim Political Action Committee a permit for the Million Americans Against Fear rally, formerly known as the Million Muslim March, for Wednesday on the National Mall, the PAC announced Saturday.

BizPac Review points out that the Muslim advocacy group also announced it had received a commitment from Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri Democrat, to speak at the event.

The 2 Million Bikers to DC group offered an apology to D.C. residents, who will undoubtedly be disturbed by the noise.

Via: Washington Times

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CBO: Obamacare individual mandate delay would save $35 billion

The House bill to delay Obamacare’s individual mandate would save $35 billion dollars, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis.

After the Obama administration revealed it would not enforce the employer mandate — a requirement that large companies provide their employees health insurance — until January 2015, the House quickly passed a measure that would not only codify that delay, but put off the individual mandate by one year as well.

The CBO found that just a one-year delay of the individual mandate would save $35 billion over ten years. But the basic cost structure of the Affordable Care Act would remain intact.

“I never thought I’d see the day when the White House, this president, came down on the side of big business, but left the American people out in the cold as far as this health care mandate is concerned,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said.

Cantor’s message carried over even to some in the President’s own party. The “Fairness for American Families Act” is one of many Republican-dominated efforts to delay certain aspects of Obamacare, but this time it received bipartisan support:  22 House Democrats bucked their own party and voted for the bill, which President Obama vowed to veto.

The White House charged that the House legislation “would raise health insurance premiums and increase the number of uninsured Americans.”

Keeping the individual mandate the law of the land is vital to the success of Obamacare exchanges. High participation in the exchanges, especially by the young and the healthy, is necessary to keep premiums low.

Not enforcing the employer mandate while still requiring individuals to purchase health insurance would have increased participation in Obamacare exchanges, piling on an additional $3 billion in subsidies, according to the CBO. Presumably this cost would be nullified by the House bill to delay the individual mandate.

Via: Daily Caller

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Business Owners May Face $100-Per-Day Penalty Under ObamaCare

Small business owners who thought they were off the hook for ObamaCare regulations until 2015 may be in for an expensive wake-up call next month.

Beginning Oct. 1, any business with at least one employee and $500,000 in annual revenue must notify all employees by letter about the Affordable Care Act’s health-care exchanges, or face up to a $100-per-day fine. The requirement applies to any business regulated under the Fair Labor Standards Act, regardless of size. Going forward, letters are to be distributed to any new hires within 14 days of their starting date, according to the Department of Labor.

Earlier this summer, the employer mandate, which states that every business with at least 50 or more full-time employees must offer workers acceptable coverage or face a $2,000 penalty per-worker, per-year, was pushed back until 2015. But the Oct. 1 employee-notification deadline stands. Keith McMurdy, partner at FOX Rothschild LLP, says the $100 per-day fine has been “unfortunately overlooked” by many small businesses, and the dollar amount on the penalty comes from the general per-day penalty under the ACA.

“The PPACA has a general $100-a-day penalty for non-compliance. Since this requirement is in the FLSA there are also penalties there. So the general consensus is that some penalty applies and probably the general provision,” McMurdy tells FOXBusiness.com.

Joeseph Dutra, president and CEO of Kimmie Candy Co., has 30 employees and brings in more than $500,000 in revenue annually, which means he has to notify workers of the exchanges by Oct. 1. He had no idea.

Via: Fox Business

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[VIDEO] Obama: Congressional Debates On Syria Will Take A Couple Weeks

During a special interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace, President Obama acknowledged that Congressional debates will take a couple weeks, and that the American people have not been persuaded by the administrations arguments on Syria.

CHRIS WALLACE: But it’s going to take a couple of weeks?

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I do believe it’s going to take some time. Chris, you guys have polls, you do head counts. Right now, the American people are not persuaded. Right now, Members of Congress who are just getting back still have questions. So we’re going to have time to have a good deliberation in congress. We will pursue this diplomatic track. I fervently hope this can be resolved in a nonmilitary way. But I think it is important for us not to let the pedal off the metal when it comes to making sure they understand we mean what we say about international ban on chemical weapons.

Via: WFB

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Vice President Biden Awards $10 Million Grant To The Port Of Baltimore

OBAMA "SHIPS" BIDEN OUT OF WASHINGTON

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Vice presidential visit. Joe Biden comes to the Port of Baltimore with a $10 million check.

Alex DeMetrick reports it’s just the latest investment in a port positioning itself for the future.

The dockside applause may not have been heard by longshoremen unloading one of the largest container ships ever to call at the Port of Baltimore.

“And all indications are they’re going to get larger,” said Jim White, the port’s executive director.

Millions have already been spent on cranes massive enough to serve the mega-ships coming with the expansion of the Panama Canal.

Biden announced the federal government will now spend another $10 million on a port that is already ahead of most others when it comes to handling super-sized vessel.

“The Port of Baltimore is going to continue to send ships out over the horizon, but it’s not just Baltimore. The rest of the country has got to catch up with you. The rest of the East Coast has got to catch up with you because the opportunities are immense,” said Vice President Joe Biden.

Much of the money will be spent underwater, widening and straightening the shipping channel into the port.

Via: CBS Baltimore

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Senate delays Syria test vote

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is delaying a Senate test vote to authorize the use of force against the Syrian regime.

Reid said Monday evening that he would not take a procedural step that would have officially begun the Senate’s debate and set up a test vote on Wednesday. He added that he consulted with the president, fellow Democrats and the Republican leadership before slowing the timeline for the vote.

The shift came as major news networks aired interviews with President Barack Obama, who told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie that a Russian proposal to shift Syria’s chemical weapons cache to international control is a “potentially positive development."

Via: NBC News

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Opposition to Syrian Airstrikes Surges

Over just the past week, the share of Americans who oppose U.S. airstrikes in Syria has surged 15 points, from 48% to 63%, as many who were undecided about the issue have turned against military action. By contrast, the share of Americans who support airstrikes remains virtually unchanged: Just 28% favor U.S. military airstrikes against Syria in response to reports that its government used chemical weapons.

The new survey by the Pew Research Center and USA TODAY, conducted Sept. 4-8, 2013 among 1,506 adults nationwide, finds that this growing opposition to Syrian airstrikes is intense: 45% say they oppose airstrikes very strongly. That is roughly three-times the percentage (16%) that strongly favors airstrikes.

Republicans, in particular, have turned against Syrian airstrikes. A week ago, Republicans were divided about evenly: 35% favored and 40% opposed military airstrikes in response to the government’s alleged use of chemical weapons. Today, Republicans oppose airstrikes by an overwhelming 70% to 21% margin, with 51% saying they are strongly opposed.

Via: Pew Research

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