Obamacare Is Obama Unmasked

David Limbaugh / Townhall Columnist

Everyone is focusing on Obamacare because it is such an obvious disaster, but in fact, it is but a microcosm of Barack Obama's entire presidency. Obamacare is Obama unmasked. 

 Aren't some of you tired of making lame excuses for him that only serve to make things worse? He has made a mess of nearly everything his policies have touched, and he's mostly avoided the blame; but he owns Obamacare, and he has nowhere to hide.

When someone with the influence Obama enjoyed upon first taking office sets out to fundamentally transform the nation -- and he has the unqualified support of the entire liberal media apparatus, the Democratic Party in lock step, millions of people purchased with government money and/or indoctrinated in liberal universities, and the cudgels of racial shaming and white guilt -- the possibilities are endless.

Constitutionalists have observed for years that America has been on a downward spiral as its ruling class has discarded its founding principles -- the very ideas that led to this nation's uniqueness, power, prosperity and benevolence. We've known that we could not forever piggyback, with impunity, on America's system of limited government and its free market economy. Eventually, statist encroachments on both would destroy our prosperity, liberty and power.

But we were thinking in terms of decades into the future, not a matter of a few years. Who would have ever thought the United States would embark on such an accelerated path of national suicide?

At the beginning, people could argue that Obama would usher in a period of prosperity and bipartisanship and that things would get better in America. But after five years of unconscionably reckless federal spending, a wholesale assault on our domestic energy industries, endless abuses of executive authority and other lawless incursions on the Constitution, unprecedented divisiveness and polarization across economic, racial and gender lines, America's declining power and prestige in the world, an explosion of the welfare state, and the worst economic recovery in 60 years, how can anyone who cares about this nation's future and the well-being of our children and grandchildren keep supporting this man's policies?

Even those of you who seem to have an endless capacity for buying into the administration's childish scapegoating of the Bush administration or the current GOP opposition for every Obama policy failure surely are beginning to have doubts as you watch the inglorious unfolding of Obamacare.

At first, you may have been hanging on to the fantasy that this was just a technical problem with the website -- perhaps marginally understandable given the immense scope of the "transition" into government-run health care. But unless you have been asleep the past few weeks, you understand that the problems with the website were so colossal that only an incompetent and arrogant administration could have presided over them.

But you also know that as horrendous as the website problems are, they pale in comparison with the substantive problems with Obamacare and Obama's abject lies to pass the bill in the first place and his continuing pattern of deceit concerning this boondoggle.

You may choose, like New York Times editors, to become part of the lie and euphemize Obama's Obamacare lies as "misstatements." But that's an insult to anyone in possession of the left side of his brain. Actually, it's an insult to right-siders, too, because you'd have to be bereft of intuitive powers not to sense the enormity of the presidential deception.

It is inconceivable that Obama merely misspoke when he promised that Americans could keep their private plans and doctors if they liked them and when he said the premiums for an average family of four would decrease by $2,500. Those were cold, calculated lies designed to defraud the American people and their representatives into supporting Obama's "signature" legislative dream, which was never about increasing access, reducing costs, increasing quality and preserving choices. Rather, Obamacare has always been nothing less than the linchpin in Obama's bigger dream to fundamentally change America into a nation he could like instead of resent -- a socialist utopia rather than the land of the free, of the brave and of equal opportunity.

Those on the left who stubbornly insist on continuing to support Obama and his destruction of America need to re-evaluate him. Is your appetite for denial unbounded?

Those on the right who insist on continuing to pull their punches instead of calling it like it is will also eventually have America's blood on their hands.

We all had better wake up. There's only so much bitterness and covetousness a nation's leaders can arouse in its people before they reduce it to permanent mediocrity.

'Affordable' Care Depends on the Size of Your Subsidy  
Byron York / Townhall Columnist

What does the word "affordable" in the Affordable Care Act mean? Many people might assume it means Obamacare will make health coverage less expensive. That's certainly the impression President Obama gave when he promised his national health care scheme would "cut the average family's premium by about $2,500 per year.

But Obama and the Democrats who passed the law didn't really mean that premiums will go down. What they meant was that premiums might well go up, but the government will give some Americans money with which they can pay the higher premiums and still come out ahead.

For some people that will be true. For others, not so much. Unlike Social Security and Medicare, Obamacare is a means-tested entitlement program. It will give low-income Americans substantial taxpayer-paid subsidies with which to purchase insurance. People who make a bit more will receive smaller subsidies, and those above a certain income level will receive no subsidies at all. If they have to purchase higher-priced coverage, that's their problem.

The pro-reform Kaiser Family Foundation has created on its website a subsidy calculator into which anyone can enter his location, income and family size to come up with an estimate of how big, or small, his Obamacare subsidy will be.

Start, for example, with a low-income family of four living near St. Louis, Mo., with $35,325 in household income (that is 150 percent of the federal poverty rate for a family that size). A Silver Plan policy for the family would have an annual premium of $8,088, according to Kaiser. But the family would receive a taxpayer-paid subsidy of $6,675, which means the family would pay, with its own money, just $1,413 for the coverage. (Kaiser chose the Silver Plan for the calculator because that is the plan that determines the size of Obamacare.

Of course, most families of four in Missouri make more than $35,325 a year. The 2012 Census Bureau estimated that the median income for a Missouri family of four was $72,230 -- meaning that half the state's families of four are below that level and half are above.

For a family that is right on the median income, $72,230, the annual premium would still be $8,088, but the taxpayer-paid subsidy would fall to $1,226, meaning the family would pay, with its own money, $6,862 for the coverage. Is that a better deal than they have now? Maybe yes, and maybe no. In any event, they won't save as much as the president promised.

Finally, choose a higher income level, but one at which there are still a lot of people. For a family of four with an income of $85,000, the premium remains $8,088 but the subsidy shrinks to just $13 a year, meaning the family will pay, with its own money, $8,075 for coverage. So that family will technically receive help with its health care costs -- but not really.

For families above that level, and there are a lot of them, the subsidy will be $0. The bottom line is, when -- or if -- large numbers of people actually begin purchasing coverage on the Obamacare exchanges, many will find the much-touted subsidies aren't for them.

And that will be the key question of Obamacare: Will it help more people than it hurts, or will it hurt more people than it helps? If the answer is the former, Obamacare might become a permanent feature of American life. If the answer is the latter, it will be politically unsustainable and will fail.

The administration and its defenders might argue that the numbers will be a bit different, that some premiums could be lower or subsidies higher. But the basics are the same: Obamacare is all about subsidies, and "affordable" means the government is paying for all or part of it.

That is why the administration and its defenders are urging Democrats nervous about the disastrous Obamacare rollout to just wait for the subsidies to arrive. When that happens, they say, the Obamacare controversy will subside.

Whatever the case, the cost to taxpayers will be enormous. Obamacare limits the percentage of income that subsidy-receiving Americans have to spend on health coverage. Those at the top of the subsidy ladder are obligated to spend no more than 9.5 percent of their income on premiums. Those lower down pay a lower percentage -- for that family of four with $35,325 in annual income, it would be 4 percent.

So the "affordable" in Affordable Care Act doesn't really mean affordable at all.

What Obama really meant to say...

Iran's Supremo Ali Khamenei calls Israel an "illegitimate and bastard regime"

From Jihad Watch / Posted by Robert Spencer

More moderation from the New, Moderate Iran. Note how in this story Khamenei is a moderate, whereas in this one he is a hardliner. "Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Calls Israel ‘Bastard Regime,’" from the Washington Free Beacon, November 4:

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Israel an ‘illegitimate and bastard regime’ while criticizing Israel’s alliance with the United States on Sunday, Israel Hayom reports.

Khamenei’s comments seem to undo the work done by Iran’s recently elected “moderate” President Hasan Rouhani, who has been on a charm offensive of late. Rouhani’s semingly moderate approach has led to a renewed round of nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 — U.N. Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S., plus Germany.

Additionally, Khamenei spoke of nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers.

Khamenei voiced his support on Sunday for Iran’s talks with world powers over its disputed nuclear program, while expressing pessimism about them.

“No one should see our negotiating team as compromisers,” Khamenei, Iran’s top decision-maker on its nuclear drive, was quoted as saying on his official website. “I am not optimistic about the [nuclear] negotiations but, with the grace of God, we will not suffer losses either,” he added.

Newsmx
Rubio, "Crist cannot be trusted"

 By Cathy Burke

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Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on Monday blasted his old rival, former Gov. Charlie Crist, calling him "a consummate political opportunist that can't be trusted."

The slap from Rubio — who humiliated Crist in the 2010 GOP Senate primary — came after the ex-governor announced he'd be running for the Democratic nomination to challenge Gov. Rick Scott next year, Sunshine State News reported.

Crist joined the Democrats at the end of last year.

"Floridians have a clear choice between a governor with a proven record of job creation, and a consummate political opportunist that can't be trusted,” Rubio said.

“Charlie Crist's governorship was underwhelming, to say the least. Rick Scott has proven himself very capable of cleaning up after Charlie's mess, creating jobs, and restoring Floridians' hope about the future."

Some of Florida’s most prominent Democrats stood with Crist for his formal campaign announcement when he suggested his flexibility is a plus for voters sick of partisan warfare in Washington and Tallahassee, The Washington Post reported.

“The far-right wing seems to want to make much of my party affiliation,” he told cheering supporters and family members, including his Republican parents. “That is precisely what’s wrong with politics today.”

Affordable Care Act, Not Insurers, At Fault For Cancelled Insurance Plans

Matthew Needham / Townhall Columnist

 

President Obama has come under fire recently for promises about the Affordable Care Act. The President repeatedly assured doubters that under the Affordable Care Act, Americans would be able to keep their existing health insurance. As a growing number of Americans receive cancellation notices from their insurance companies, many are describing this promise as misleading, if not an outright lie. These cancellation notices are particularly infuriating to young people, who are now forced to subsidize the health care of older, more affluent Americans.

In a speech defending the law on Wednesday, the President attempted to shift the blame for these cancellations on “bad apple insurers.” This claim ignores the fact that these cancellation notices are the result of insurance companies simply complying with the Affordable Care Act. The Obama administration is depending on “young invincibles” to enroll in health insurance plans to make the law a success, but young people would be wise to consider the misleading nature of the administration’s claims.

During Congress’ debate of the Affordable Care Act and the resulting political aftermath, one of President Obama’s most persistent claims was that people who were happy with their health insurance would be able to keep it. In an address to the American Medical Association on June 15, 2009, the President stated, “If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period.” The President planted this straightforward stake in the ground, with no caveats.

As the law has gradually taken effect, this has proven untrue. According to CBS News, more than 2 million Americans are losing their health insurance plans because of the Affordable Care Act.

While the Obama administration has admitted these insurance cancellations are taking place, the administration has attempted to shift the blame away from the Affordable Care Act. In a press conference on Tuesday, Press Secretary Jay Carney stated to those receiving health insurance cancellation notices, “Your insurer basically threw you off that plan.” On Wednesday, the President himself attributed these changes to “bad apple insurers” who are attempting to “downgrade or cancel these substandard plans.”

In reality, these insurance cancellations are the result of insurance companies simply complying with the regulations put in place by the Affordable Care Act. According to Peter Suderman, Senior Editor of Reason Magazine, the Affordable Care Act “institute[s] a slew of new requirements that [are] certain to result in health insurers dropping current plans for millions of people.” Many existing plans in the individual market, which were targeted to meet consumer demand, did not fit these mandates.

Health insurance companies have had to cancel many of their existing plans to create new, more costly plans which do comply with these new mandates.

While this may be news to those who followed President Obama’s rhetoric over the past few years, the large number of health insurance cancellations were actually expected by the Obama administration. NBC News recently took a look at regulations issued in July 2010, finding that the Obama Administration “knew that more than 40 to 67 percent of those in the individual market would not be able to keep their plans, even if they liked them.”

The success of the Affordable Care Act rests upon a large number of so-called “young invincibles” enrolling in health care. In order to make the law work, “The White House has said it needs 2.7 million young adults to buy insurance through the government-run marketplaces,” according to Businessweek. But as Cathy Reisenwitz recently noted on Forbes, the law “hoses young, relatively poor people like [her] right when we least need high bills for services they’re not using.” In the face of mounting evidence that President Obama’s claims about the Affordable Care Act were misleading, young people are wise to remain skeptical of the law’s supposed benefits.

Maybe Pain Will Teach You Millenials Not To Vote For Your Own Serfdom

Kurt Schlichter/ Townhall Columnist

 

You Millenials voted for Obama by a margin of 28 percent, which will make it a lot easier for me to accept the benefits you will be paying for. We warned you that liberalism was a scam designed to take the fruits of your labor and transfer it to us, the older, established generation. Oh, and also to the couch-dwelling, Democrat-voting losers who live off of food stamps and order junk from QVC with their Obamaphones.

You didn’t listen to us. Maybe you’ll listen to pain.

I have been told that being hard on you Millennials will turn you against conservatism, that I should offer you a positive, hopeful message that avoids the touchy problem of your manifest stupidity.

No. There’s no sugar-coating it – your votes for Democrats have ensured that you are the first generation in American history that will fail to exceed what their parents attained. Embracing liberalism was a stupid thing to do, done for the stupidest of reasons, and I will now let you subsidize my affluent lifestyle without a shred of guilt.

I’m a 48 year old trial lawyer living on the coast in California – I should have “Hope and Change” tattooed on my glutes. I’d have an excuse to be lib-curious, but you Millennials? Why do you support an ideology that pillages you to pay-off Democrat constituencies? Your time in the indoctrination factories of academia trained you in a form of “critical thinking” that is neither. Somehow, you came to embrace the bizarre notion that conservatives are psychotic Jesus freaks who want to Footloosisze America into a land of mandatory Sunday school and no dancing.

But liberals, in contrast, are nice. Obama is cool. You chose petty fascism with a smile. Not a lot of thought went into it. Facts, evidence – these were mere distractions from the feelings-based validation that came from rejecting us wicked conservatives.

What did you get? The chance to be forced to buy health insurance you don’t want at inflated rates so my rates can be lower. You get to pay more out of your monthly barista take – liberalism ensured that the tanked job market foreclosed a real career – so that I get to pay less out of my lawyer checks.

Thanks, suckers.

You fume that conservatives want to spy on you in your bedrooms. Leaving aside the fact that that your tacky boudoir fumblings are the last thing conservatives care about, have you noticed how your precious Big Brother spies on your doings everywhere else? But who cares about that – Mumford & Sons totally digs Obama!

Don’t even get me started on your crappy music.

Enjoy your student loans, Millennials! We tried to tell you that it was a Democrat scam designed to subsidize liberal academia by allowing you to go into decades of crushing debt to pay for a bachelors in Ancient Guatemalan Gender Identity Issues.

Good plan. Now fetch my latte – I’m in a hurry to get to my corner office. And I’ll leave you a tip – next time you decide to vote for a liberal, first be born in 1964.

Don’t think that I’m happy about this. I came to Los Angeles after the Gulf War. I had a car and a few bucks I had saved in the desert which went right into paying for Loyola Law School. I had no contacts and no money, but I knew I had endless opportunity.

I worked hard. I could start a business. I could get credit. I could – and did – build my own future.
But can you? Liberalism, with its impoverishing redistribution, crippling regulations and the debt it suckered you into undertaking, has ensured that most of you can’t.

You live with your parents, and Obamacare encourages sponging until you are 26 years old. At 26, I was leading Americans in a war, not begging mommy to pay my bills. The liberals want you to be eternal man-children, wearing cargo shorts and passively pumping money into their socialized medicine nightmare in return for “Brosurance” you don’t want or need.

It breaks my heart to see the young lawyers I hire hobbled by six figures of debt. But hey, your desperation works fine for us established folks. I got 297 applications for a junior associate position.

Let me say that again – 297. Most of them weren’t even practicing law – they were brewing coffee, not writing briefs. Now, I understand that most of you learned nothing but liberal clichés in college, but take a guess: As an employer, are the salaries I pay generally more or less when I have 297 people competing for each job?

So feel free to keep voting for the liberals who keep you in chains. I’ll take my cheaper insurance, my future Social Security checks, and the other benefits that come from being established without guilt.

The guys who you squander your votes upon certainly won’t change that equation. You’ll tread water in life, but hey, at least those conservatives won’t be in charge!

Thanks again, suckers. Now get off my lawn.