Merry Christmas at the Capitol

The 2013 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was officially lit Monday evening.

The 88-foot tall Engelmann spruce from Colville National Forest in Colville, Washington, was the star of the West Front show. House Speaker John Boehner was aided by Giovanni Gaynor, a first grader from Colville.

Gaynor, who someday wants to be a police officer, was named a junior officer for the day by Boehner and Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine.

Boehner offered these remarks at the ceremony:

“You look up at this awe-inspiring Dome and you look up at the night sky, you get overwhelmed.  Perhaps just as those humble shepherds were when the angel appeared before them.

“Out in the middle of nowhere, they must have wondered what on Earth was going on.  ‘Fear not,’ the angel said, ‘For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy… For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.’

“Off the shepherds went, finding the manger and kneeling before the embodiment of God’s light and love for each of us.

“This may be an old story, but still a mighty one to grasp.  It takes great faith.  And it takes true patience, much like the search for the perfect present itself.

“Slowly, we come to recognize it’s not so much about the telling of the story as it is the serving of the story.   And what emerges is a spirit of giving and a message of hope for all seasons: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men.’

“‘That,’ in the words of a great philosopher, ‘is what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.’” 

Via: McClatchyDC

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Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/12/03/210445/merry-christmas-at-the-capitol.html#storylink=cpy

LYING TO THE SICK

Affordable Care Act gets more and more curious. President Barack Obama promised to protect those with preexisting conditions and help the uninsured. Yet these vulnerable groups are getting clobbered. Congress needs to show mercy and protect them now instead of waiting until the entire misadventure plays out. Here’s a plan of action.

One of the president’s biggest lies to sell Obamacare was claiming it would protect people with preexisting conditions. He even lied that his mother Stanley Anne Dunham, a cancer victim, suffered because her insurer used the preexisting-condition excuse to drop her. The truth, revealed in a 2011 biography, is that she had employer-provided insurance that paid her hospital bills until the end of her life. Since 1996, employer-provided plans have been barred from dropping or excluding anyone based on a preexisting condition. So is Medicare and Medicaid.

The problem of preexisting conditions affects about 2 million people in the individual market. The best options for sick people are being closed because of Obamacare. In 35 states, the sick have relied on high-risk pools, where premiums are subsidized to keep them within reach. But every high-risk pool is scheduled to close on Dec. 31, 2013, or shortly after, because the law directs ill patients to enroll in Obamacare exchange plans.

The problem is that most exchange plans severely limit choice of hospitals and doctors, excluding specialty hospitals such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. For a cancer patient in the middle of chemotherapy, being forced to change health plans and oncologists is a life-or-death issue.

Via: Human Events

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Wasserman Schultz: Millennials Will Gradually Embrace Obamacare And It Will Be "Incredible"

ANDREA MITCHELL: Congresswoman, what about this poll? It shows that, first of all, among the millennials, many of them think that it will be more expensive. Only 13% say they will definitely enroll, 16% will probably, 41% are split. They're also concerned about costs. We see in this poll that 40% think the care will be worse, 37% think care will be the same, 18% think it will be better. Don't we have to -- doesn't the White House have to get more support from these young people in order to make the risk pool work effectively?

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL), DNC CHAIR: Well, over the next weeks and months, the White House as well as Democratic members of Congress and folks across the administration are going to be continuing to get the word out about the opportunity to sign up for coverage, the benefits of signing up for coverage. 

You know, for millennials, young adults in particular, because they have an opportunity to stay on their parents' insurance until they're 26 years old, many of them need to be aware they can do that. That's going to give them comprehensive coverage that so many of them don't have now. 

And the focus needs to be on making sure that we can get young people who are often healthier into the pool so that it lowers the overall cost of health insurance. Whether it's making sure they get access to preventive care like mammograms without a co-pay or deductible or making sure -- or a well-woman visit without a co-pay or deductible, or birth control for free so they can plan their families in the way they want to. That's why I think gradually you'll have millennials fully embrace the Affordable Care Act, and it's going to be really an incredible opportunity.

Via: Real Clear Politics
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HURT: Postal Service misses address by a whole continent

NEW YORK CITY — Did you hear the one about the U.S. Post Office and the Statue of Liberty?

So the Postal Service decides to issue a stamp commemorating perhaps the single most iconic image around the world representing the United States of America, the country that the post office serves so faithfully — rain, snow or shine.

They get a nice picture of Lady Liberty, her greenish copper gaze across New York Harbor welcoming the masses to a new land of hope and promise and opportunity. They print it up First Class at the rate of “forever,” as in a timeless promise that will never expire. Much like the Lady’s beckoning call to freedom.

But there was just one slight little problem. The majestic image turned out not to be a stamp commemorating our nation’s beloved Statue of Liberty. Rather, the postage stamp commemorates a cheap schlocky knock-off statue that graces, naturally, the strip in Las Vegas.

Now don’t get me wrong. Vegas is a monumental American achievement. Only in America could you find such an oasis of glittering debauchery in a massive barren desert that summons every social, economic and gender class that you can think of.

By private jet, first class, steerage, Amtrak or Greyhound Bus, boozy risk-takers and silicone bimbos roll in to gamble all they have worked for — or perhaps stolen — on the outside chance that they alone hold the magic luck to beat the house.

Via: Washington TImes

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ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOL REQUIRES PARENTS TO SELF-IDENTIFY AS LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE

OAK FOREST - An assignment sent home from an Oak Forest, IL high school government class is raising eyebrows among parents who are shocked by the questionnaire they and their children are required to fill out. The questionnaire (below) has the parents identify their positions on a number of highly-charged issues, and then places them on a "political spectrum."

The survey is from the textbook "U.S. Government 2", published by the "The Center for Learning". It is part of Oak Forest High School's Common Core curriculum, which according to the school district's website is to ..."provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them."

In Stage 1 of this particular unit, students are to match political philosophies with political parties, debate a political/social/economic issue from their viewpoint on the political spectrum and identify the viewpoint of a social issue on that spectrum.

In Stage 2, the students are to conduct a "Political Spectrum Interview" (questionnaire above) "...with someone 40 years old or older." The specific curriculum instructions are as follows:

Parents of some of the students told Illinois Review they fear possible retribution on their children if they refuse to complete the survey. However, each had determined not to do so.

Via: Illinois Review

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MOTHER OF SANDY HOOK VICTIM: BACKGROUND CHECKS WOULDN'T HAVE PREVENTED TRAGEDY

Nicole Hockley, whose child was tragically murdered at Sandy Hook last year, said that background checks would not have prevented shooter Adam Lanza from getting the guns he used to carry out the atrocities. She also stated that the 911 tapes from that day should not be released. 

Appearing on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports on Tuesday, Hockley and Mitchell both conceded tha background checks would not have prevented Lanza's mother from purchasing the guns Lanza eventually used at Sandy Hook. Hockley said Lanza's mother should have been more responsible with her guns and noted that Lanza's mental illness made the situation a "perfect storm" for the tragedy. 

Hockley, who lobbied for more gun control legislation after the Sandy Hook tragedy, said it was "disappointing" that Congress could not pass gun control legislation that called for more background checks and said gun control advocates are now committed "to make further changes happen" by "changing the hearts and minds" of those in their communities. She said legislation is not the only answer to making "further changes" happen regarding gun control. 

She also said the ban on plastic guns, which will expire on December 9, should stay in place. She also hoped the Sandy Hook families would protect their children from hearing the 911 tapes that will be released on Wednesday.

Via: Breitbart

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Good Grief: Mark Pryor’s new ad gives heavy focus on “Bible” but nothing on Obamacare

I’m surprised Mark Pryor isn’t holding a rifle in one hand and his Bible in the other because clearly he’s trying to pull one over on the good people of Arkansas, trying to appeal to those who cling to their bible and their guns. Allahpundit paraphrases this ad as saying “If God can forgive me for voting for ObamaCare, why can’t you?” I think that’s true but it seems to me he’s also justifying his Obamacare vote by saying that his compass is the Bible…that you know, he means to do well. But bad policy of this magnitude can’t be forgiven lightly.

In fact, if he was really sorry he’d work to repeal Obamacare and then resign. Then we could have a conversation about forgiveness. But he’s not sorry in the least. He just wants your vote and is trying his darnedest to act sincere and genuine about something many in Arkansas can identify with…the Bible and Christian faith.

Via: The Right Scoop

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What New Obamacare Problem Got Megyn Kelly So Angry?

 

Megyn Kelly kicked off her show Tuesday night utterly bewildered at a report she touted as striking another blow for Obamacare, after two whole months of problem after problem plaguing the health care website. This time, it’s about the payment mechanism for the site, and Kelly was astonished to discover that because no one is able to actually pay for plans on the site yet, the plan is to “estimate” the cost of each plan and for the government to just work out that estimate with insurers.

Yep. A program designed to provide affordable health care to millions of people will be temporarily whittling the payment system down to a crap shoot.

Kelly cited a new report from Reuters on a “short-term” fix for the Obamacare site’s payment system as they get the kinks sorted out.

The administration is planning a “workaround” for payments, said Daniel Durham, vice president for policy and regulatory affairs at America’s Health Insurance Plans.

Health plans will estimate how much they are owed, and submit that estimate to the government. Once the system is built, the government and insurers can reconcile the payments made with the plan data to “true up” payments, he said.

“The intent is to make sure plans get paid on time, which is a good thing,” Durham told Reuters.

First of all, the very fact that the payment system isn’t working was too much for Kelly. She cried, “How does the system work without a payment mechanism?! There’s no cash register!”

But for the government to just estimate the cost of health care plans… to say Kelly was flabbergasted would be putting it in the mildest possible terms.

Via: Mediaite.com

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Who Was Standing Behind Obama When He Kicked Off The New ObamaCare PR Campaign? White House Won't Say

Nineteen people stood behind President Obama on stage in the Executive Office Building Tuesday as the president kicked off a new campaign to promote Obamacare. One of those people, a young Florida woman named Monica Weeks, introduced Obama after telling the story of being struck with Crohn's Disease at age 19 and receiving expensive treatments for several years that were covered by her parents' health care plan — because Obamacare allowed her to remain on that plan until age 26. Now, Weeks said, she has coverage through a job. "The Affordable Care Act gives young adults who are just starting their careers more time to find a good job that offers reliable health insurance," Weeks said.

There were 18 other people standing with Weeks and the president on stage. Obama began his remarks by saying, "Thanks to Monica, thanks to everybody standing behind me." A little later, criticizing Republicans who have pronounced Obamacare a failure, the president said, "I would advise them to check with the people who are here today and the people that they represent all across the country whose lives have been changed for the better by the Affordable Care Act."

Via: Washington Examiner

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NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show

The National Security Agency is gathering nearly 5 billion records a day on the whereabouts of cellphones around the world, according to top-secret documents and interviews with U.S. intelligence officials, enabling the agency to track the movements of individuals — and map their relationships — in ways that would have been previously unimaginable.

The records feed a vast database that stores information about the locations of at least hundreds of millions of devices, according to the officials and the documents, which were provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. New projects created to analyze that data have provided the intelligence community with what amounts to a mass surveillance tool.

(Video: How the NSA uses cellphone tracking to find and ‘develop’ targets)

The NSA does not target Americans’ location data by design, but the agency acquires a substantial amount of information on the whereabouts of domestic cellphones “incidentally,” a legal term that connotes a foreseeable but not deliberate result.

One senior collection manager, speaking on condition of anonymity but with permission from the NSA, said “we are getting vast volumes” of location data from around the world by tapping into the cables that connect mobile networks globally and that serve U.S. cellphones as well as foreign ones. Additionally, data is often collected from the tens of millions of Americans who travel abroad with their cellphones every year.

In scale, scope and potential impact on privacy, the efforts to collect and analyze location data may be unsurpassed among the NSA surveillance programs that have been disclosed since June. Analysts can find cellphones anywhere in the world, retrace their movements and expose hidden relationships among individuals using them.

Via: Washington Post
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Obama Loses Millennials: 57% of Young Adults Reject Obamacare

A new Harvard University poll finds a majority of millennials (57 percent) disapprove of Obamacare. The news comes on the second day of President Obama’s latest effort to sell the health care law to the public at large and young people in particular.

The results from Harvard’s Institute of Politics, which surveyed 2,089 young adults aged 18 to 29, found only 18 percent of millennials who thought Obamacare would improve their care. Less than one-third said they’re likely to enroll in the Obamacare insurance exchanges.

Whether pollsters referred to the law as the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, most young adults (50 percent and 51 percent, respectively) believed their health care costs would go up because of the President’s signature domestic legislation.

Millennials, who played a critical role in the election and re-election of Obama, now rate the President at the lowest level since he took office in 2009, with 41 percent approval, the poll found. Millennials named the economy as their top issue, followed by government spending, jobs, taxes, and health care.

Via: The Foundry

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After Obamacare, ObamaCar Insurance?

The rollout of ObamaCare is, once again, displaying the federal government's adeptness at managing complexity -- a capability already illustrated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Amtrak (FUBAR), and the United States Postal Service (USPS).  Given the extraordinary rollout of ObamaCare, it's time to start moving toward single-payer auto insurance.

Here are two reasons why.

First, auto insurance companies offer a mind-boggling array of pricing options. Their nationwide, indecipherable rate structure cries out for the keen, coordinating skills of the Washington D.C. central planners. 

Second, the spread of telematics applied to vehicle tracking will offer the federal government new surveillance and revenue enhancement opportunities.    

Between 1989 and 2010, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) reported a national average increase of 43.3% in auto insurance rates. (By the way, the new NAIC CEO -- essentially a lobbyist job -- is former Nebraska Senator Ben "Cornhusker Kickback" Nelson.)

Sure, 43.3% is less than the CPI 76% inflation rate increase over those same years, but it's still unfair because the increased costs were not equitably shared. The costs need to be redistributed and, when necessary, supplemented by federal subsidies for those living in high-premium urban areas who can't afford auto insurance. 

Via: American Thinker

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