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Skip As an airplane is about to crash, a female passenger jumps up frantically and announces, “If I’m going to die, I want to die feeling like a woman.”
She removes all her clothing and asks, “Is there someone on this plane who is man enough to make me feel like a woman?”
A man stands up, removes his shirt and says,
After NH State Rep Jane Cormier, the main Speaker of the night was up: mild mannered, soft-spoken Ken Eyring (and possessor of a knife-sharp set of smarts; fearless too!). What NH State Rep Dan Itse is to Constitutional knowledge, Ken is to the Gordian Knot called the Federal HUD / EPA / DOT Sustainable Communities … Read more
Oh yes, those “I’m a Healthcare Voter!” days of 2007 and 2008 – Unionistas from the SEIU union (pretty much, not much more than a socialist front, IMHO) joined forces with AARP in trying to persuade voters that Universal Healthcare was needed or the country would end up in ruin. AKA, Obamacare. They invaded almost every event on the Right – this “Healthcare Voter” was at a McCain rally in Franklin, NH – and yes, she wanted us all to take care of her. The SEIU put its all into preparing the battlefield space and getting Democrats voted into DC office. They succeeded beyond belief – the Dems ran the table and captured the US House, Senate, and the Presidency. And in that two years, Obamacare was spawned out of every Socialist’s idea of what Government could now to [for] everyone – and at the same time, take revenge on the ‘Evil people”. “Unicorns and fairy dust is now real and for everyone!” was the cry
Well, given all of the self-induced problems we’ve seen lately, it seems that what is apparently “in ruin” is going to be the rollout of Obamacare in 5 days as it seems everyday for the last couple of weeks, “features” of the online Exchanges. The fantasy of Unicorns and fairy dust has proven to be just that – and now the IT folks are on their knees praying pretty hard – feature after feature keep getting put off to the point that small biz owners will have to FAX in their requirements – and maybe hear back in a month (and that might be an even bigger fantasy). And now, it has swung around and bit the SEIU in the butt (emphasis mine, reformatted):
Members of the Columbus, Ohio-based Service Employees International Union Local 1 have gone on strike over recent job cuts by a janitorial company called Professional Maintenance. The reason for the cuts? The employer says it is because of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. This is ironic since SEIU is a major supporter of the law.
For Progressives, it isn’t about the “law”, it’s about Control. (H/T: Liberal Logic 101)
Er, not so much. I wasn’t going to write this (at least, first off) but when I heard Mitch McConnell, the top wimp in the US Senate, say this:
“It all adds up to just one thing – a law in trouble. A law that needs to be repealed. That’s the goal of every Republican in the caucus”.
No longer “stopped” – merely “repealed”. Safe words, weaselly words – a word that says to the LIVs (Low Information Voters) “we gonna keep on working on this!” but really means “we have no intention of risking ourselves and our careers over Obamacare”. Sorry dude, you did just that. You Republican chuckleheads have campaigned on stopping this socialized “camel nose under the tent” Obamacare law since it passed. “Stop” means “stop by any means” – including at any and every possible point to keep that law from being more fully implemented – which defunding it would do.
But Republicans in the Senate couldn’t and wouldn’t live up to that promise, could you? Do you really think that swapping one word out, “stop”, for another, “repeal” that we (the base) would get hoodwinked by this switch in tactic similar in nature to Obama’s continual blame game: “don’t blame me! don’t blame us!”.
Here are the 19 names, the “Freedom Guard” (that wished to keep that promise) that voted against cloture:
A senior Washington Post congressional reporter found it “interesting” that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told him that he answers to his constituents and the grassroots instead of the leaders in the Republican leadership who make up the permanent political class.
On Tuesday, Paul Kane said that in an interview in August, Cruz told him that every day in the Senate he tries to remember “to whom I am accountable; and it is not elected officials in Washington.” He also said, “with all respect,” it is not the mainstream media either.
“The people to whom I believe I am accountable are the men and women in Texas… who knocked on doors, who made phone calls, who stood up and said ‘Please, help turn this country around,'” Cruz, who is leading the defunding Obamacare efforts, told him.
And as it should be. Too often, we see the Humble Folk make promises, say the right things, and generally seem to be truthful when talking to:
The most Americans who think their Government has become too powerful – EVAH! When the People have realized that Government has inserted itself into every nook and cranny of their lives, either controlling them by law and regulation or spying on them to the point of feeling that the Land of the Free has become … Read more
This is one of those few times that I will reprint an entire post. Yet, I am hearing similar things more and more: “why should I fight and support a Party that more and more is Democrat-like versus Freedom and Constitution loving? Why should my time, my valuable time, be spent defending a Platform that is always ignored when times get hard to defend (or the converse – easy to walk away from when convenient). Breeanne Howe does a good job (emphasis mine):
Dear GOP,
I’m breaking up with you. It’s not like we didn’t see this coming. We’ve had our ups and downs. The Tea Party years were tough enough, but I truly thought we could make it when we elected (who we thought were) more principled leaders to replace at least some of the old guard. Unfortunately, the old guard and their old ways just won’t go away and you seem to be more in tune with them.
Hear it often – heck, I hear myself saying it. Principles over Party, for we look at what “Party – what Principles?” has wrought for this country in conjunction with the Democrats – a government that isn’t trusted to do the right thing, a government that doesn’t listen, a government that lies, a government that “looks down” on the Common Folk, elected officials that put themselves first versus why they were sent to their offices in the first place…
…to diss him?” Getting time with the President of the United States anywhere use to be the epitome of success – more so from small countries or those striving to be recognized on the world stage. No one turned down that opportunity. The fact that new President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, turned down Obama’s offer … Read more
And make no mistake, to Progressives, politics IS a religion! This is the post that I read from while we were yakking with Bill O’Brien during GrokTALK! (update: here too!) this past Saturday that outlines some of the VAST differences in outlook between Conservatives that are confident in themselves and in their fellow citizens and in Progressives that believe totally in Government and that it must be placed first – to the point that NOTHING should ever be detracted from it. Tower of Babel, anyone? A self-constructed idol, anyone? Republicans are UNBELIEVERS and must be held to account for any attempt in diminishing the reach, the cost, and the power of their all-giving (hmm, they keep forgetting about “all-taking”) Government. In setting the stage (emphasis mine):
CHAPEL HILL – Abortion safety laws make it “more dangerous for the black woman’s body.” Republican lawmakers “want kids to die.” Conservatives “are trying to take the U.S. hostage” and hope to “destroy our public school system.”
Showing the political cowardice and duplicity of DC Republicans when votes are easy but have all kinds of issues when the votes become very telling, very visible, and actually are compared to Principle by voters – and be very sure, the Base is watching with microscopes. Of course, these self-same pols are hating every micro-second for being in the spotlight. Ah, accountability – what a wonder concept! Here’s a smidge from a post at The Corner that brings this into great hi-def (emphasis mine):
The change has left some of today’s defunders bitterly resentful of their colleagues and former allies. In private conversations, they complain that their fellow Republicans were with them when voting for defunding was easy but have run away when everything is on the line….
This is the Washington political class in sharp relief. The Republican establishment resists President Obama and his agenda only when it knows that resistance is futile, token and sure to be inconsequential – when it’s good for a campaign commercial about how hard the GOP is working to undo Obamacare, not when it’s about actually working hard to undo Obamacare. For most Senate Republicans, the vote on an anti-Obamacare amendment in the context of authorizing national defense programs that Republicans knew they were never going to block was a pose – just like the forty-odd votes to repeal Obamacare that had no chance of becoming law.
By contrast, the current defunding effort is a put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is moment:
But WAIT! There’s MORE! Mike had this post concerning the demise of Fisker Automotive – one of the failed “green” attempts of the Obama Administration in trying to show that his Smart People could pick industries and anoint individual winners better than the venture capital pros who do this for a living. Of course, they’ve … Read more
Huffington Post (boy, this musta hurt reporting this):
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency says the agency will “effectively shut down” unless Congress approves stopgap funding by Oct. 1.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy says the agency won’t be able to pay employees. She says only a core group of people will remain on duty in case the EPA has to respond to a “significant emergency.” The vast majority of employees will stay home.
That means that most of EPA’s functions, like drafting regulations and enforcing laws to protect the environment, will likely remain stalled until government operations fully resume.
Congress has a week left to reach a deal to avoid the first shutdown since 1996. Lawmakers are at odds over a Republican plan to defund President Barack Obama’s health care law as part of the stopgap measure.
Through environmental regulations that they have put on steroids and issuance of them in certain industries (e.g., electrical generation, coal, shale, storm water runoff, sewer treatment, take over of local zoning codes), they have become an entire unelected and unaccountable government unto itself and has put itself in the enviable Progressive position of regulating almost every area of American life. All it takes is bureaucrats interested in that power and having fairies thoughts dancing in their heads that we can continue to have a modern society without any modern energy sources to drive them. And in the case of other areas, they are issuing regulation upon regulation that will strictly constrict where and how we are to live our lives.
David Gregory of the Sunday morning talking head show, Meet The Press, over the most important question concerning our Republic (yes, a Republic – not a democracy):
What is the Proper Role of Government?
and he turned to Leftist Tavis Smiley for his take on it:
Gregory:
There is a big argument over government too, here Tavis. You were concerned, as were others, about the vote on food stamps this week. This is about the size, scope, the direction of government. In the Republican Party, this is going to become a big campaign issue. It’s going to be in 2014 but it also for those who want to run for President in 2016. The question will be “where were you on Obamacare”?
Smiley:
“I think, not just for Republicans, I think that this country is facing a similar moment that we make a decision about what kind of nation, what kind of people we are going to be. the President recently, much to my chagrin, spoke of, advanced once again, this notion of “American Exceptionalism”. He clearly is not the only person in this town who likes to push that notion that we as Americans are exceptional.”
(H/T: Laconia Daily Sun)
Spin that screen and see what prices come up for you! Sheesh….
An Obamacare software glitch is now incorrectly tabulating how much people must pay for health insurance, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
“There’s a blanket acknowledgment that rates are being calculated incorrectly,” a senior health insurance executive told the WSJ. “Our tech and operations people are very concerned about the problems they’re seeing and the potential of them to stick around.”
Government officials, however, say they are not worried and promised the Obamacare insurance exchanges will be ready to go on October 1. “We continue working with [insurers] and we are confident that on Oct. 1, consumers will see accurate premium costs, including tax credits,” said Medicare spokesperson Brian Cook.
Randomness in this case is a huge bug, not a feature. And when the techies are concerned and the bureaucrats are acting like Kevin Bacon near the end of Animal House, I feel sorry for those folks who have no choice to be the “first adopters”.
You know, this is the whole purpose of the system:
…such that the whole world can see it too (H/T: Powerline)
The pro-gun side loves it because it is a commercially available, easy-to-use, well-built “tactical” weapon that looks like a “military style” machine gun; conversely, the other side hates it because it is a commercially available, easy-to-use, well-built “tactical” weapon that looks like a “military style” machine gun. To its fans, it is the emblem of … Read more
That was from this week’s Political Standing. Pindell’s statement evokes a question: “Are we about to the same thing that happened to Jim Coburn and Joe Kenny during their runs for NH Gov?“ Both were honorable men but got, from my view, little support from the party. Yes, part of Kenney’s problem was not him … Read more
During a White House event celebrating achievements in design Friday, Michelle Obama revealed her husband’s secret life-long ambition: He would have been an architect if he only had the skills. Speaking at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Awards ceremony in the East Room, the first lady explained why “the president is so jealous right now” that she … Read more