REFERENDUM: ACTIVISTS GATHER SIGNATURES TO OVERTURN NON-PHYSICIAN ABORTION IN CALIFORNIA

Anti-abortion activists may begin gathering signatures to place a referendum on the 2014 election ballot in California to overturn AB 154, a law permitting non-physicians to perform abortions in the first trimester of pregnancy. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the law last month, over the objections of pro-life groups and some physicians, and with the enthusiastic support of Planned Parenthood, which offers abortion services.

The City News Service reports that Secretary of State Debra Bowen granted permission to supporters of the ballot initiative to begin gathering signatures: "Valid signatures from 504,760 registered voters--5 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the 2010 general election--must be submitted by Jan. 7 to qualify each referendum for the November 2014 ballot." Abortion could, once again, be a prominent election issue.

Via Breitbart

Continue Reading.....

If Obama were a corporate executive, he'd be prosecuted for fraud

Andrew McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor of distinction, has written an important column for National Review Online, laying out what would happen to a corporate executive who behaved as President Obama has, selling an insurance product. I laid out the case that Obama was guilty of fraud late last month, but McCarthy's expertise and careful explication are of a much higher level.

The entire article deserves to be read in its entirety. But here is a sample:

Fraud is a serious federal felony, usually punishable by up to 20 years' imprisonment - with every repetition of a fraudulent communication chargeable as a separate crime. In computing sentences, federal sentencing guidelines factor in such considerations as the dollar value of the fraud, the number of victims, and the degree to which the offender's treachery breaches any special fiduciary duties he owes. Cases of multi-million-dollar corporate frauds - to say nothing of multi-billion-dollar, Bernie Madoff-level scams that nevertheless pale beside Obamacare's dimensions - often result in terms amounting to decades in the slammer.

Justice Department guidelines, set forth in the U.S. Attorneys Manual, recommend prosecution for fraud in situations involving "any scheme which in its nature is directed to defrauding a class of persons, or the general public, with a substantial pattern of conduct." So, for example, if a schemer were intentionally to deceive all Americans, or a class of Americans (e.g., people who had health insurance purchased on the individual market), by repeating numerous times - over the airwaves, in mailings, and in electronic announcements - an assertion the schemer knew to be false and misleading, that would constitute an actionable fraud - particularly if the statements induced the victims to take action to their detriment, or lulled the victims into a false sense of security.

Via: American Thinker

Continue Reading.....

EDITORIAL: In Washington, a crisis in competence

Both the federal shutdown and the botched rollout of the healthcare website sent the public the same sad message.

Elected officials in the nation's capital have spent the past several weeks demonstrating that they can't do the jobs voters sent them there to do. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers got into an extended spat that shut down much of the government for 16 days and threatened to turn Treasury Secretary Jacob Lewinto the world's biggest deadbeat. Meanwhile, the Obamaadministration launched a website for the new federally operated health insurance exchanges that failed epically, with so many design flaws and technical problems that it may take weeks to reach a basic level of reliability.

Granted, the government shutdown and the HealthCare.gov meltdown happened for very different reasons. The former was a result of a cynical and ill-conceived gambit by House Republicans, who tried to force changes in Obamacare that they didn't have the votes to win. The latter stemmed from the administration's inept management of a complex project, a problem exacerbated by political imperatives that repeatedly trumped technical ones.

The overarching message to the public, however, is the same in both instances: Your leaders are incompetent.

And the people are listening. Gallup reports that Congress' approval rating sank to an abysmal 11% during the shutdown, after rebounding slightly from its record low of 10% in February. President Obama, meanwhile, has seen his approval rating slide steadily this year to 39%, nearing the low point of his tenure. Dwindling faith in government has contributed to a pessimism about the economy that discourages consumer spending, the lifeblood of U.S. growth. According to surveys, the relentless stream of bad news out of Washington last month coincided with sharp drops in consumers' hopes for the economy and their confidence about the future.

The administration can undo some of the damage by fixing HealthCare.gov soon, giving people ample time to shop before policies are supposed to go into effect Jan. 1. But Washington faces another potential shutdown and default early next year, when the temporary measures enacted in mid-October expire. The best way for lawmakers to avoid a replay of last month's debacle would be to strike a deal before the end of the year that keeps federal agencies operating and the Treasury paying its bills.

Via: LA TImes

Continue Reading.....

The ‘White Poppy President’

The same president, who barely two months ago tried to keep 80-plus-year-old war veterans from visiting their open-air Washington war memorials, will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Veteran’s Day this Monday.

The same president, who is gutting the U.S. military, will host a breakfastto honor veterans and their families that is closed to the press. (White House Schedule)

For reasons above and more,President Barack Obama fully qualifies as ‘The White PoppyPresident’.

The White Poppy is the symbol of the ‘conscientious objector’.

Both here and overseas, the White Poppy is piggybacking the Red Poppy as an equal symbol for public displayon Remembrance Day and Veterans Day.  The pacifist and bedraggled White Poppy has much in common with politicians of the day who piggyback the internationally celebrated day to honour the world’s war dead with the same empty words and photo-ops.

Around since 1926, the White Poppy has never, in any way that can be called significant, come down off the shelf. (Canada Free Press, November, 2006)

“In 1926, a few years after the introduction of the Red Poppy in the UK, the idea of pacifists making their own poppies was put forward by a member of the No More War Movement (and that the traditionalblack centre of the British Legion’s red poppies should be imprinted withthe words “No More War”). (Wikipedia).  “Nothing seems to have come of this, until in 1933 the Women’s Co-operative Guild introduced the White Poppy; their intention was to remember the war dead (as with the red poppy), but with the added meaning of a hope for the end of all wars.

Via: Canada Free Press

Continue Reading....

The Drift toward Despotism - Too many of our rulers and their enforcers reflexively see the citizenry as a threat. By Mark Steyn

At a time when over 4 million people have had their health insurance canceled, it’s good to know that some Americans can still access prompt medical treatment, even if they don’t want it. David Eckert was pulled over by police in Deming, N.M., for failing to come to a complete halt at a stop sign in the Walmart parking lot. He was asked to step out of the vehicle, and waited on the sidewalk. Officers decided that they didn’t like the tight clench of his buttocks, a subject on which New Mexico’s constabulary is apparently expert, and determined that it was because he had illegal drugs secreted therein. So they arrested him, and took him to Gila Regional Medical Center in neighboring Hidalgo County, where Mr. Eckert was forced to undergo two abdominal X-rays, two rectal probes, three enemas, and defecate thrice in front of medical staff and representatives of two law-enforcement agencies, before being sedated and subjected to a colonoscopy — all procedures performed against his will and without a valid warrant.

Alas, Mr. Eckert’s body proved to be a drug-free zone, and so, after twelve hours of detention, he was released. If you’re wondering where his lawyer was during all this, no attorney was present, as police had not charged Mr. Eckert with anything, so they’re apparently free to frolic and gambol up his rectum to their hearts’ content. Deming police chief Brandon Gigante says his officers did everything “by the book.” That’s the problem, in New Mexico and beyond: “the book.”

Getting into the spirit of things, Gila Regional Medical Center subsequently sent Mr. Eckert a bill for $6,000. It appears he had one of what the president calls those “bad apple” plans that doesn’t cover anal rape. Doubtless, under the new regime, Obamacare navigators will be happy to take a trip up your northwest passage free of charge. That’s what it is, by the way: anal rape. The euphemisms with which the state dignifies the process — “cavity search” — are distinctions that exist only in the mind of the perpetrator, not the fellow on the receiving end. Fleet Street’s Daily Mail reports that this is at least the second anal fishing expedition mounted by local authorities. Timothy Young underwent a similar experience after being fingered by the same police dog, Leo, who may not be very good at sniffing drugs but certainly has an eye for a pert bottom. At the time of Mr. Young’s arrest, Leo’s police license had reportedly expired a year-and-a-half earlier, but why get hung up on technicalities?

Via: NRO

Continue Reading....

Three Ritzy Eric Holder Events Cost A Staggering 400K In Awards Alone

The Justice Department’s internal watchdog blasted the U.S. Marshals Service for excessive spending on “swag,” but the attorney general spent half as much on just three events.

Internal documents reveal that award spending for the Annual Attorney General Awards Ceremony — headed by Attorney General Eric Holder — more than doubled between 2009 and 2011, coming to a total of over $410,000 in the course of just three ceremonies.

The event is held by the Justice Department to recognize employees for their work. Holder presents the awards himself, which may explain why the department spared no expense when purchasing them.

Via: Daily Caller

Continue Reading.....

[VIDEO] Rush Limbaugh: It would be a gross error for Republicans to let Obama delay the individual mandate

Via MFP, didn’t House Republicans demand a delay of the mandate at one point in late September as their price for averting a shutdown? Yes, says Rush, but that was then. Obama refused to defund the law before it started wreaking havoc so now his reward is getting to watch this car crash play out. In fact, that was a core argument among establishment Republicans against “defund.” Why stop a program that the Democrats own if you’re convinced it’ll be a wreck? Allow it to launch and then, when it wrecks, their credibility will wreck with it. Let it burn.

I’ve written about this problem before, as have other righty bloggers, but it’s newly urgent now that Obama’s website czar is hinting that the site won’t be ready by the end of the month. Delay is coming, and like I said at the end of that last link, there are two ways Obama can play it. He can do what he did with the employer mandate and unilaterally declare that the individual mandate won’t be enforced, at least temporarily. That’s probably illegal but that never stopped him before. Or he can call on both parties in Congress to pass something to delay the mandate for awhile, at least until the website is up and running. Marco Rubio introduced a bill two weeks ago that would do exactly that — yet here’s Rush insisting that it would be the height of stupidity to ease the pain caused by ObamaCare by granting Obama a delay. Simple dilemma for the GOP, then: If they agree to a delay, they’re helping to reduce near-term suffering caused by the law. Like Rush says, that’ll make it easier later for Democrats to claim that it’s working okay. If they don’t agree to a delay, they’re contradicting a position they held as recently as six weeks ago and giving Obama an opening to claim that Republicans want people to suffer. They’re so vindictive towards him, he’ll say, that they’d rather see people forced to pay a penalty next year for not having insurance even though the website makes it next to impossible to obtain insurance. Remember, none other than Ted Cruzrejected the “let it burn” strategy in an interview a few weeks ago because, he said, it’d be terrible to stand by while Americans are suffering just to score some political points. That was his rationale for pursuing “defund” — he tried to stop the law before it could do harm. How does he feel about mitigating the harm now that the law’s taken effect?

What the GOP’s going to end up doing, I assume, is granting a delay if Obama asks for one but only if he gives them other concessions. What those might be, I don’t know; they could ask for a sunset clause on the entire law by a certain date if things aren’t working, as Ace suggests, although who knows if Obama would dare risk that. Whatever happens, it’s crucial that they make sure people understand that delaying the mandate has bad consequences. It’s unfortunately necessary because you can’t penalize people for not buying a product that the government’s website won’t let them buy, but it’s only going to increase the risk of adverse selection to the insurance industry. Instead of healthy people signing up en masse and tossing their money at insurers every month starting in April, those insurers will have to wait until May — or June, or July, or who knows when. And meanwhile, untold numbers of sick people will be signing up, month after month. Job one for the GOP is making that clear so that the public understands that Obama’s colossal screw-up is going to do damage even after mitigating action like delay is taken. Meanwhile, if O refuses to grant them any concessions, they should simply vote present on delay, in fine Obama tradition, instead. Let Democrats continue to own this. No “yes” votes from Republicans, even if the politics of this force them to relent on the mandate for now.

Via: Real Clear Politics Continue Reading.....

[CARTOON] Obamacare Disclaimer

Via: California Political Review

Promise breakers: Congressional lawmakers shirk shutdown pledge, keep paychecks

Nearly half of Congress promised to share federal workers’ pain during the partial government shutdown by forsaking pay — but now that the shutdown is over and employees got paid, many lawmakers say they deserve their own checks.

Some of the lawmakers said their vow to forgo pay was good only for as long as the shutdown lasted. When the shutdown ended after 16 days, they said, they had done their jobs and were entitled to their money.

Others among the nearly 250 who forsook their salaries said congressional approval of back pay for all federal workers, including the hundreds of thousands who were furloughed, meant lawmakers should be paid, too.

David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, said members of Congress are using technicalities to try to “wiggle out” of promises to the American people.

“People across the country, when they heard their member of Congress said they would be returning their pay during shutdown, that’s what they heard and what they expected,” Mr. Williams said. “For Congress to even try to backtrack on that just reduces the amount of trust people have in Congress, if that’s even possible.”

Members of Congress, who make $174,000 a year, were paid Sept. 30 and Oct. 30, so even those who said they were rejecting their salaries never missed a check because the shutdown lasted from Oct. 1 through Oct. 16.

Via: Washington Times

Continue Reading....

'Real' Unemployment: 13.8%

(CNSNews.com) – The “real” unemployment rate rose from 13.6% in September to 13.8% in October, according to figures released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Though the national unemployment rate is 7.3%, the “real” unemployment rate is a broader measure of the number of people in the United States, 16 and older, currently looking for jobs.

Known as the U-6 unemployment rate, this “real” unemployment figure, seasonally adjusted, includes the unemployed “plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons ….”

The U-6 rate captures the fuller picture of people who are willing and able to work, but cannot find a job.

Since President Barack Obama has been president, the  U-6 unemployment rate rose from 14.25% in January 2009 to a high of 17.1% in October, November and December 2009 and the same rate in February, March, and April 2010.  The U-6 rate did not fall below 14% under Obama until March 2013, when it hit 13.8%, the same rate for October 2013.

Via: CNS News

Continue Reading....

In California, hundreds of thousands to pay more for health insurance

Hundreds of thousands of Californians who purchase their own health insurance are bracing to pay more for their plans, as the cost of the federal health care overhaul lands harder on middle-class customers.

Notices began arriving in recent weeks informing consumers that their plans are being phased out and replaced with policies that comply with requirements of the health care law. Many are being told to expect double-digit percentage increases in monthly costs, in part to help balance the cost of covering the underprivileged and those with pre-existing medical conditions who may not have had coverage.

The notices throw into sharp relief an e stirring reality of the law: While many will benefit, a smaller segment may not.

“There is certainly going to be heat around this, and lots of understandably unhappy people,” said Janet Coffman, a professor at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies and the department of family and community medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

“This is one important slice that is experiencing some very substantial increases in premiums,” she said. “But it’s important to understand this is one of many areas in which the impact of the health care law on individuals and families varies widely.”

Via: Sacramento Bee

Continue Reading.....

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/04/5877848/in-california-hundreds-of-thousands.html#storylink=cpy

Seniors lose insurance and doctors under Obamacare

Retired chemist Edward Schokowitz was incredulous when he received a letter from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey early last month saying his Medicare Advantage Plan, which had no premium, would be eliminated next year.

“They took all the senior citizens and threw us out of the plan. They now want to give us the same plan for $153 [per month],” he told the Daily Caller. “The President said you can’t be kicked out of your plan. He lies.”

Schokowitz is one of many Medicare beneficiaries now learning that — like Americans who buy insurance on the individual market — they are losing their insurance, and in some cases their doctors, under Obamacare.

Private insurance companies that cover patients with government funds under the Medicare Advantage program have quietly started to dump doctors and patients because of Obamacare budget cuts.

Schkowitz, 75, who lives in a senior citizen complex near Atlantic City, would also pay more for prescription drugs under the new plan. The co-pay for a three-month supply of one of his medications increases next year from $7.50 to $54.00.

Thousands of New Jersey residents are suffering the same fate . Currently, 74,000 Garden State residents are enrolled in Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage. Nearly half have zero-premium plans.

But in 2014, New  Jersey Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield is eliminating all zero-premium plans with prescription drug coverage and all but two of its other plans with monthly fees.

New Jersey Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield spokesman Tom Vincz tells the Daily Caller that “due to rising health care costs and cuts to Medicare Advantage we had to make these product changes.”

Via: Daily Caller

Continue Reading.....

Philippines typhoon leaves an estimated 1,000 dead in one coastal town alone, report says

One of the most powerful storms on record devastated the central Philippines, reportedly killing an estimated 1,000 people in one town alone and leaving the airport in the hard-hit city of Tacloban in shambles.

The Philippine Red Cross told Reuters that based on reports itestimates at least 1,000 dead in Tacloban, which is located about 360 miles southeast of Manila, and 200 in Samar Provice.

"An estimated more than 1,000 bodies were seen floating in Tacloban as reported by our Red Cross teams,'' Gwendolyn Pang, the secretary general from the agency told Reuters. "In Samar, about 200 deaths. Validation is ongoing."

With communications and roads still cut off, Capt. John Andrews, deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, said he had received "reliable information" by radio from his staff that more than 100 bodies were lying in the streets of Tacloban on Leyte Island. It was one of five islands where Typhoon Haiyan slammed Friday.

PHOTOS: Typhoon leaves trail of destruction

Regional military commander Lt. Gen. Roy Deveraturda said that the casualty figure "probably will increase," after viewing aerial photographs of the widespread devastation caused by the typhoon.

Via: Fox News

Continue Reading....

[VIDEO] Obama Weekly Address Honoring America's Veterans, Saturday November 9, 2013

In this week’s address, President Obama commemorates Veterans Day Weekend by thanking the brave men and women who have worn this country’s uniform. The President says he is proud of their service and will do everything possible to ensure America always has their back and always honors their sacrifice.

Via: White House.gov

Continue Reading.....

[VIDEO] Rep. Todd Young Delivers the Weekly Republican Address, Saturday November 9, 2013

In this week's address, Rep. Todd Young details how hardworking Americans were told not to worry, that their coverage would stay the same and - if anything - their costs would go down if Obamacare passed. But just the opposite is happening. To fix this, next week House Republicans will consider the Keep Your Health Care Act. No Americans should have to go to their inbox or mailbox in fear of finding out they're losing a plan they like - or worse, a plan they need. It's time to stop this trainwreck now.

Via: GOP.gov

Continue Reading.....

Obama grasps for climate legacy as second-term agenda crumbles

President Obama has a chance to craft a second-term legacy on climate change even as the rest of his agenda runs aground in Congress.

Gun control legislation is dead; immigration reform is on life support; and reaching a fiscal deal with Republicans appears to be a long shot.

To make matters worse, what was supposed to be his signature first-term achievement — ObamaCare — is suffering from a disastrous rollout.

But there’s one thing that’s going right for Obama: Executive action on climate change is moving full-speed ahead at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“He may be able to do more through climate change [rules] because the EPA has the authority,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told The Hill on Thursday.

The most far-reaching piece of Obama’s climate plan is carbon emission standards for the nation’s fleet of existing power plants, by far the largest single source of industrial carbon emissions. The EPA is also writing standards for new plants.

“I think climate change, immigration reform are both sort of legacy issues,” Blumenthal said. “The measure of his presidency will be whether he has left changes in law and regulation, but also a heightened awareness, which I think he has been doing.”

Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer said the push on climate change through executive action could shape Obama’s legacy — but only to a point.

“There are limits to what it will mean to his presidency,” said Zelizer, who teaches history and public affairs.

Via: The Hill

Continue Reading.....