Baltimore Sun: Maryland MUST consider scrapping its state #obamacare exchange.

The sound that you just heard was Martin O’Malley’s Presidential ambitions getting shot in the gut:

…the pace of enrollments is still far too low. If the [Maryland state] exchange is able to replicate its best weekday and weekend performance during every one of the 104 days between now and the end of the open enrollment period on March 31, Maryland will still only achieve about three-quarters of its goal of signing up 150,000 people with private coverage. The site may be better, but better isn’t good enough.

Under those circumstances, the question raised by Rep. John Delaney, a Montgomery County Democrat, about whether it would be better for Maryland to scrap its effort to build its own exchange and instead join the federal one has merit. Indeed, Gov. Martin O’Malley acknowledged on Monday that the option — and all others — remain on the table.

That’s a hard possibility for Governor O’Malley to acknowledge. Under his leadership, Maryland was one of the most aggressive states in the effort to build out its own exchange — a strategic decision that appears in retrospect to have involved no small amount of hubris and political ambition. Walking away now from all that effort and tens of millions in expenditures would be particularly embarrassing.

What is so astounding about this is that the Baltimore Sun is usually a reliable water-carrier for Democrats in Maryland: if you read the whole editorial, you immediately get struck by the fact that apparently in its world healthcare.gov is doing a whole lot better than it is in ours. If the paper is seriously discussing shutting down the Maryland state exchange anyway, then things are bad for the O’Malley administration.

Needless to say, this is also going to have an effect on the governor’s election next year: the Lt. Governor’s gubernatorial bid will probably get scuppered for certain if he has to preside over giving Obamacare back to the federal government. As I noted earlier this month… between this, underage twerking, and quixotic pot crusades, the Democratic primary is going to be insane.

Via: Red State

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MENTAL HEALTH LAWS ARE TROUBLE FOR DEMOCRATS

Instead of always taking incoming fire, how about Republicans start sending some back? It’s great that they stopped HillaryCare, but if they had actually fixed health care by forcing health insurance plans to be sold in a competitive free market, there would have been no opportunity for shyster Democrats to foist Obamacare on us.

It’s fantastic that we caught the Boston Marathon bombers, but why don’t Republicans fix an immigration system that brings foreign terrorists and mass murderers to our country? Let the Democrats explain why we couldn’t make room for a Danish surgeon because we needed another Chechnyan terrorist.

And it’s terrific that Republicans have managed to block sweeping gun bans after every mass shooting over the past few years — opposition to new gun restrictions has more than doubled since Newtown — but how about they actually do something to stop the next mass murder?

All these shootings are united by one clear thread: They all were committed by visibly crazy people, known to be nuts but not institutionalized.

Mental illness was blindingly clear in the cases of Seung-Hui Cho (Virginia Tech), Maj. Nidal Hasan (Fort Hood), Jared Loughner (Arizona shopping mall), James Holmes (Colorado movie theater), and a dozen other mass shootings in the past few decades.

But in every instance, Democrats’ response was: Let’s ban high-capacity magazines! Let’s limit private gun sales! Let’s publish the names of everyone who owns a registered gun!

Via: Human Events

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‘MASSIVE SEIZURE OF POWER’: Climate scientists, economists challenge EPA

A group of climate scientists and economists are challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and other stationary sources.

These critics see a “massive seizure of power” by the agency.

The scientists and economists, including the former chair of the EPA’s Science Advisory Committee, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, arguing that the agency does not have the authority to permit greenhouse gases from stationary sources. According to the group, such a permitting scheme is a “naked power grab of the most cynical sort.”

“There is no avoiding that this rule is a massive seizure of power, indeed likely far and away the largest seizure of power by any government agency ever,” reads the amicus brief.

“Under the guise of a technical statutory interpretation, the EPA now asserts it has a central role for itself to control and dictate all aspects of our lives under an over 30-year-old statutory provision never previously thought remotely to cover this subject matter,” the brief continues.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments from the EPA and some states and energy companies in February regarding the agency’s greenhouse gas permitting system. The central question of the case is, whether or not the EPA’s authority to regulate emissions from cars and trucks gives the agency the authority to set standards for stationary facilities, like power plants and refineries.

The EPA argues that it has the authority to permit stationary sources, but petitioners say that such a permitting scheme would be unworkable since greenhouse gases stem from global emissions and can’t be controlled by limiting U.S. emissions alone.

The high court’s decision will have huge implications for the energy sector and for the economies of coal states. Given that, several Republican lawmakers have injected themselves into this case, arguing that the court should rule against the EPA.

Via: The Daily Caller

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First lady: Signing up for Obamacare should be New Year's resolution

First lady Michelle Obama encouraged young people to sign up forObamacare, telling them that enrolling in the health law's new insurance exchanges should be a New Year's resolution.

“This act provides a safety net for millions and millions of Americans but we have to take the next step to go check it out, sign up and make sure that we're covered,” said Mrs. Obama in an interview for “The Joe Madison Show” on Sirius XM. “That should be our New Year's resolutions to ourselves.”

The first lady’s interview was one of three on radio programs as the administration looks to boost enrollment in Obamacare ahead of a Dec. 23 deadline for consumers to receive insurance at the start of 2014.

The administration is scrambling to sign up consumers in insurance exchanges after the glitch-ridden launch of the healthcare.gov website in October led to lower than expected sign ups and undercut public support for Obama's signature domestic achievement.

On Wednesday, the first lady and President Obama met with mothers in the White House and touted the role they play in making health care decisions for their families. The administration is courting mothers to encourage them to sign up their spouses and children, and touting the health law as the only way to cover all family members.

“There’s something about moms,” said the president at the event. “Number one, they’ve got credibility generally; number two, women oftentimes are the ones who are making the health care decisions of the family; number three, moms can tell young people who think they’re invincible that they’re not and prod them to at least get information.”

Via: Washington Examiner

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Fox News Poll: 67 percent say delay Obamacare, 53 percent would vote to repeal it

Americans remain unhappy with the health care law: Majorities say they wish it had never passed, would vote to repeal it if they could, and think implementation should be delayed until the kinks are worked out.  At the same time, a shrinking majority believes the law will survive.

That’s according to a year-end Fox News poll released Wednesday.

Click here for the poll results.

The number of voters who want implementation of the law delayed continues to grow. The new poll shows 67 percent think it should be postponed a year “until more details are ironed out.” That’s up four percentage points since last month -- and up 10 points since October. 

Those favoring a delay also now include a majority of Democrats: 54 percent support delaying implementation. That’s up 10 points from 44 percent last month. 

Overall, by a 54-38 percent margin, people wish the health care law had never passed and the 2009 system were still in place. 

Similarly, 53 percent would vote to repeal the law if given the chance, while 41 percent would keep it. 

Republicans (86 percent repeal) are 14 points more likely to want the health care law repealed than Democrats are to want to keep it (72 percent keep).

Via: Fox News Politics

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