Obama In N.Y. Post's Whoppers List

BREAKING: Barack Obama, the corrupt former president who used federal agencies to harass and spy on political opponents, calls for further censorship and government regulation suppressing free speech on Big Tech platforms. - Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch on Twitter last night.

Yesterday, ex-President Barack Obama gave a speech at Stanford University filled with truckloads of B.S. The speech was so patently so full of baloney that I won't even bother to review it.

Two days before, he posted a Twitter tweet filled with much of the same baloney that the New York Post included it in their "The Week In Whoppers".

They posted:

This tweet:

In recent years, we've seen how quickly disinformation spreads, especially on social media. This has created real challenges for our democracy.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 19, 2022

We say: What a laugher. The man who won the 2013 “Lie of the Year” award from (left-leaning) fact-checker PolitiFact for assuring Americans they could keep their health plans under ObamaCare suddenly wants to combat “disinformation.” Anyone seriously think he’ll criticize those who spread “disinfo” like the Russian-Trump collusion hoax — or the claim that The Post’s 2020 exposé of e-mails on Hunter Biden’s laptop was itself “Russian disinformation”? Ha!

To see more whoppers, go here. 

Trump Signs Executive Order On Healthcare Price Transparency

In a White House ceremony today, President Trump signed an executive order giving people access to pricing on medical care. (This will likely be ignored by the media.)

According to the Washington Examiner:

President Trump has signed an executive order meant to help patients shop for medical care, revving up for a reelection campaign in which he plans to cast himself as a champion of healthcare despite presiding over an increase in uninsurance and trying and failing to undo Obamacare [We can thank late Sen. John McCain for that. - A]. 

The executive order signed Monday will lead to doctors, hospitals, clinics, and other medical providers making their prices publicly available so that patients can see how much they can expect to pay before they receive care. 

"This is a very big thing that is happening right now and it’s pretty much going to blow everything away,” Trump said.

To read more, go here. 

Gov. Grisham Rolling Out Red Carpet For Disease

This morning, I spotted a post by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on ObamaCare following a Tweet stating that she's "temporarily" housing illegal aliens in university dormitories, all on the taxpayers' dime!

I couldn't leave her post unanswered:

The Party of Infanticide

The Democrat Party has given up the pretense of not being in favor of baby-killing. This is mind-boggling. They are the party of infanticide.

The Federalist reported:

When asked about the controversial late term abortion bill presented in Virginia’s House of Delegates this week, Governor Ralph Northam said a fully developed child born in the third trimester would be kept alive, but the physician and mother would get to discuss and decide whether to take its life or not. 

“If a mother is in labor…the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and mother,” Northam said on WTOP’s “Ask The Governor” segment this morning. 

The radio host, Julie Carey, did not bother to clarify what he meant by “resuscitated” or whether this meant mother and a doctor could choose to kill a baby after birth, a baby who would have just taken their first breath.

Why mince words? The Democrat Party is the party of legalized murder. There's no stopping them. If they are willing to kill "unwanted" babies, are senior citizens next? Remember ObamaCare "death panels"?

To read more, go here. 

Texas Federal Judge Rules ObamaCare Is "Unconstitutional"

A federal judge in Texas (a highly respected one) ruled that ObamaCare is "unconstitutional".

According to the Denver Post:

WASHINGTON — A conservative federal judge in Texas on Friday ruled the Affordable Care Act “invalid” on the eve of the sign-up deadline for next year. But with appeals certain, even the Trump White House said the law will remain in place for now. 

In a 55-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that last year’s tax cut bill knocked the constitutional foundation from under “Obamacare” by eliminating a penalty for not having coverage. The rest of the law cannot be separated from that provision and is therefore invalid, he wrote. 

Supporters of the law immediately said they would appeal. “Today’s misguided ruling will not deter us: our coalition will continue to fight in court for the health and wellbeing of all Americans,” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who is leading a coalition of states defending the ACA.

Yes, an appeal is expected.

To read more, go here.

John McCain

Above, President Nixon welcomes ex-POW John McCain home in 1973.

The passing of Sen. John McCain has left me with mixed feelings.

I have full sympathy for his family and friends over his passing. But, I also remember some of the things he did as a self-described "maverick", most recently for being the one vote against repealing ObamaCare, which leaves us with much of it today.

He was strong on defense, but he always seemed ready to inject American troops in world hotspots.

While I think he would have been a far better president than Barack Obama, my 2008 vote was mainly for his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin.

McCain's career will be examined in the years ahead by historians and others. I'll just leave it at that.

Tax Reform Passes Congress

President Trump has scored his first major legislative victory.

The U.S. House and Senate have passed the tax reform package bill.

A ceremony was held on the South Lawn of the White House featuring President Trump and congressional leaders.

The tax bill (following the President's signature) goes into effect on January 1. We're still stuck with the current tax laws for 2016 (for tax day on April 15, 2018). However, wage earners will begin to see an increase in pay starting in February 2018.

What's more, the ObamaCare individual mandate is GONE!

It is funny, liberal snowflakes are still trying to claim that "Reaganomics" failed to do anything positive. Their meme is bogus and they are stupid if they believe that.

But, here's the actual record (courtesy of Forbes.com) of "Reaganomics".

Currently, the Democrats are screaming that allowing people to keep more of there own money is "theft". Meaning, it deprives the government of your money to spend.

Remember back in the 1980s, the Democrats said that it was "inflationary" for people to keep more of their own money? They'll always come up with some idiotic excuse!

ObamaCare To Be Repealed First

Well, they've finally on the same page regarding ObamaCare.

Young Conservatives reported:

President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have officially done it: they’ve all called for a full repeal of Obamacare. 

Following the announcement by Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Mike Lee (R-UT) that they will oppose the GOP healthcare bill as it currently stands, Trump, Pence, and McConnell must have decided to spring into action.

President Trump Tweeted:

To read more, go here.

Why Republicans MUST Get Out And Vote!

The rumor is out there (allegedly based on recent polls) that Republican voters may sit this whole election out. That would not be a good idea.

Remember the last time Repubicans sat out an election? That was in 2008 and Obama was elected as were a sizable majority of Democrats to the House and Senate. Because of those majorities and Obama, the Democrats went ape and we have been saddled with a $20 trillion national debt and ObamaCare. We should remember that. The country is in a mess!

With terrorism on the rise, much of it caused by Obama and Hillary Clinton, do you really think the Democrats are going to protect this country, especially with all those refugees coming in without proper vetting?

Even if you aren't pleased that Donald Trump is the GOP presidential nominee, it is in everyone's best interest that Repubican voters must go to the polls and vote for their senator or member of congress. If for nothing else, for your own self-interest to keep the Democrats from raiding your pockets even further. If, God forbid, Hillary Clinton wins, she needs to be kept in check.

Get out and vote, Republicans!

California Moves Toward Extending Obamacare to Illegal Immigrants

Leave to the one-party state of California to find a way to gouge the state's taxpayers. They'll always find a way.

According to U.S. News & World Report:

During a 2009 address to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama told the country that his plans for health care reform would not extend to people who are in the country illegally. 

"You lie!" South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson notoriously shouted. Obama replied, "That's not true." 

But only two years after the largest coverage provisions in the Affordable Care Act took effect, the country's most populous state has passed a bill that, in fact, seeks to extend Obamacare to people regardless of their immigration status.

The bill, now before California Gov. Jerry Brown, aims to allow people who are in the country illegally to buy private health insurance on the state's exchange. Its author, Democratic state Sen. Ricardo Lara estimates that 390,000 such immigrants could receive health insurance, but officials who operate the exchange place that number closer to 50,000.

Guess whose tax money will go to subsidize illegals? If you are a California taxpayer, just take a look into a mirror.

To read more, go here.

Retirement Does Have Its Advantages

Some good news on two fronts arrived in today's mailbox. Both are tied into my retirement and both show that there's advantages to being retired.

First, I received notice and a Benefits Identification Card from the State of California that I am eligible be on the state's Medi-Cal program. This is due to my monthly retirement income. No more Obamacare worries!

Second, I received my National Park Service Senior Pass. This is a lifetime pass for seniors over age 62 to the nation's national parks and other places that accept the pass. It also "admits the pass owner and any accompanying passengers in a private vehicle. For areas that charge a per person fee, the pass admits the pass holder and 3 additional adults (16 and older)." This means I can take Amber, Denise, Aiden or whomever to a national park for free! They just have to be passengers in The Beast.

Retirement, Etc.

In the excitement over our new arrival, I am forgetting that as of this Friday, I am retired from the grime of working nights.

The Social Security end of it begins next March (it starts the following month after your birthday).

My task of late, besides getting things ready for Sierra, is to find an affordable healthcare plan to replace the one I got through work.

"The Affordable Care Act" is a total lie as medical coverage costs have gone through the roof and the lowest one I found for 2016 was through AMAC for $509 a month. Yes, you read that right. A month!

Some people are paying $800+ per month. That's almost the cost of my current rent. I don't see how they can do it unless they have a subsidy or have the income of a Bill Gates.

A lot of them say, "Oh, this is a Godsend as my wife has a re-existing condition and it covers it." Well, that's nice. But your're robbing Peter to pay for Paul's (or Pauline's) medical bills. Socialism is great until you run out of other people's money.

I will dig around to see if a cheaper one can be found. As a retiree, I may qualify for a subsidy on the exchanges. I will be checking that out.

You can thank Barack Obama and the Democrat Party for making a total mess of things! Many already have by voting quite a number of Democrats out of office.

IRS Screwing Small Businesses Who Help Employees With Health Insurance Expenses

Tyranny By Regulation

A new regulation became effective July 1 by the Internal Revenue Service that would penalize small businesses with a hefty fine just for helping their employees obtain health insurance.

Rush Limbaugh talked about this yesterday:

Wait until you hear this next story.  It is from Forbes.  Here's the headline: "Small Businesses Threatened with $36,500 IRS Fines For Helping Employees with Health Costs." This was not and is not part of Obamacare.  The IRS just created this, and that's one of the problems with Obamacare.  

Obamacare is open ended.  The secretary of Health and Human Services can invent regulations.  The IRS can invent new tax rules and regulations, and they've just done it.  

This provision was never voted on by anybody in Congress. 

According to Newsmax:

Small businesses can be fined up to $36,500 a year per employee by the Internal Revenue Service under a new regulation that went into effect on July 1 if they assist their workers with their health costs. 

This rule, which does not appear anywhere in the Affordable Care Act, mandates that employers who give their employees additional pay to compensate for medical expenses or health insurance purchases, but who do not offer any group health plan for their employees, will be fined $100 per day per employee, according to the National Federation of Independent Business. That adds up to $36,500 a year per employee up to a total of $500,000 in fines. 

“It’s the biggest penalty that no one is talking about,” said NFIB policy director Kevin Kuhlman. “The penalty for compensating employees for healthcare-related expenses is enough to destroy most small businesses.” 

The penalty will apply whether the reimbursement is a before-tax or after-tax contribution, according to Forbes, and the fine rises to more than 18 times greater than Obamacare’s $2,000 employer-mandate penalty for an employer who does not provide health insurance for his or her employees.

This IRS regulation has been imposed with no legal basis to do so. It is not in the Affordable Care Act or in any other law. This is clearly tyranny by bureaucratic elites.

To read more, go here.

Obamacare Penalty May Come As A Shock At Tax Time

Americans who didn't purchase health insurance last year just may be in for a very rude awakening.

As we are nearing tax reporting season, it is becoming clear that those who didn't buy health insurance, that the Obamacare law requires, may be socked with a penalty much more than the $95 touted when the law was passed.

According to the Washington Times:

The Affordable Care Act requires those who didn’t have insurance last year and didn’t qualify for one of the exemptions to pay a tax penalty, which was widely cited as $95 the first year. But the $95 is actually a minimum, and middle- and upper-income families will actually end up paying 1 percent of their household income as their penalty.

In succeeding years, the penalty will go even higher:

The penalty is designed to prod Americans to buy insurance and the penalty for not having it is scheduled to rise considerably: to a $325 minimum or 2 percent of income in 2015, and to a $695 minimum or 2.5 percent of income in 2016.

If one can afford to "eat" the penalty if their employer doesn't offer a health insurance plan or the plans offered on the state or federal exchanges are too expensive (especially if one doesn't qualify for a subsidy), the penalty may be actually cheaper in the long run. People will just have to figure what 1%, 2% and 2.5% of their incomes are.

To read more, go here.

Twelve New Laws That Take Effect In 2015

2015 does not bode well for the citizens of the crazy People's Republic of California as new laws by the left-wing socialist government led by Governor Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown will take effect. Other laws and regulations by cities and the federal government will also take effect.

According to an article in the San Bernardino County Sun, twelve of them merit special attention.

Before going into the laws, they wrote:

The gap is widening between the rich and the poor. Water is drying up. Fish are choking on plastics. Tragedies and long-term trends prompted state lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown to enact more than 900 laws in 2014 (Brown vetoed 143). Here’s a rundown of some big changes on the state, local and national level.

If there's a gap between rich and poor that is widening, it is due to the over-taxed and over-regulated environment that people of California and the rest of the country have to contend with.

A lot of these stem from not "allowing a crisis go to waste."

Here's the twelve laws:

• Banning the bag - California will be the first to ban single-use plastic bags. Los Angeles already has such a law in place and it is a major pain in the ass. 
• Saving groundwater - Allegedly spurred by the drought, this will probably put a lot of the state's farmers out of business.
• Homeowners associations - This law will prevent HOAs from fining people from watering their lawns or allowing plants to die during drought conditions or installing drought-resistant landscaping.
• Licenses for immigrants - This allows illegal immigrants to apply for drivers and get special identification cards. Gee, why don't we just roll out the red carpet for people who are violating our laws?
• Higher minimum wage - Los Angeles is implementing a higher minimum wage for hotel workers who work at hotels with more than 300 rooms. This may lead to job cuts by hotel executives. The L.A. City Council is considering a higher minimum wage across all industries. Nothing like spending other people's money.
• Paid sick leave - Companies will have to cough up (pun intended) paid sick leave for employees who call in sick (or who stay home to care for ill children). Starting July 1, California workers  who have worked 30 days or more within a year will accrue sick time.
• Gun control - Two state laws were passed. One urges law enforcement agencies to search the state’s database of gun purchases as part of routine welfare checks and the other allows police to temporarily seize guns if a court determines people are a threat to themselves or others. We all know who appoints the judges in this state, don't we? The leftists in the state legislature and the governor. How's that for fairness and violating people's Second Amendment rights?
• Yes means yes - This law will require that students give “affirmative consent” for sexual activity. How's that for "keeping government out of the bedroom" that liberals always whine about?
• Firing bad teachers - This a new state law will streamline the discipline and appeals process by expediting and prioritizing cases of serious misconduct, those involving sexual abuse, child abuse and certain drug offenses. This may not go far enough, but its a start.
• Initiative reform - The initiative system is flawed, but this "reform" law goes too far. It allows the legislature to decide on a measure's "merits" if it manages to get 25% of signatures needed. We all know who controls the legislature and what they'll do if an initiative is counter to their socialist agenda.
• ObamaCare - 2015 is  the first year taxpayers have to show that they carried health insurance on their tax returns. The Affordable Care Act’s “individual mandate” could require individuals tand families to pay a penalty. This was the tax that the Obama drones said wasn't a tax. 
• Freer farm animals - Have you noticed how the cost of eggs in California has shot up? 

Small wonder why the voters handed so many Democrats their walking papers in November. Will the Republicans in Congress have the guts to undo many crazy laws and taxes? Only time will tell. 

California is already a lost cause.

To read more, go here.

ObamaCare Fines Are Looming

As we get nearer to the end of the year, time is running out for those who are uninsured to get health insurance under the ObamaCare law (I refuse to call it by its official name, which is a big lie) or be socked with a hefty penalty at tax time. People have until February 15, 2015 to do so.

The Hill reported:

People without insurance are running out of time to avoid the hefty ObamaCare penalties that the IRS will be handing down in 2016. 

Consumers face a Feb. 15, 2015, deadline to buy insurance, after which those without coverage could be hit with fines of $325 per adult or 2 percent of family income, whichever is higher.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the penalty is a "tax," despite the Obama Administration's claims that it wasn't (a big lie) until they got before the court, everyone has to get health insurance whether they want it or not.

The other lie, "If you like your health insurance, you can keep it" was a "selling" point the Obama Administration and the Democrats in Congress told everyone. That proved to be false as people lost their coverage by the millions.

Small wonder so many Democrats lost their House and Senate seats in last month's election.

If you can get health insurance coverage through your place of employment, do so. It is a lot cheaper than though those state or federal exchanges.

To read more, go here.

Medi-Cal/ObamaCare's "Death Panel Of One" and Catch-22

Full Definition of CATCH-22

1:  a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule <the show-business catch–22—no work unless you have an agent, no agent unless you've worked — Mary Murphy>; also :  the circumstance or rule that denies a solution

           2        a :  an illogical, unreasonable, or senseless situation

b :  a measure or policy whose effect is the opposite of what was intended  

          c :  a situation presenting two equally undesirable alternatives

3:  a hidden difficulty or means of entrapment :  catch

My roomie, Jes, is facing a real-life Catch-22 with her hospitalization for liver failure brought on by the prescribed drug, methotrexate. Unless she gets a liver transplant, she only has weeks to live. She is only 33.

She was prescribed this drug due to a skin disorder three years ago. It is a very powerful drug and, as it turns out, can damage vital organs and cause nerve damage.

Her doctor said that the methotrexate caused the damaged liver, not alcohol.

Herein lies the problem. As she had a history of alcohol abuse (she had a DUI four years ago), Medi-Cal (her medical insurer) assigned a "death panel" of one, a Dr. Knealer who said that because of this (and the fact that she had two glasses of champagne on New Year's) her placement on the transplant list has to be deferred until she completes six months of Alcoholics Anonymous classes. This is despite that she completed nine months of AA classes last July. They disregard that as they consider her to have "relapsed" from drinking two glasses of champagne. This is, according to Medi-Cal, is a rule brought on by the Affordable Health Care Act (ObamaCare) that governs Medi-Cal!

Here's the Catch-22: She does not have six months. Even if she did, she is too ill to leave the hospital. Also, the hospital will not allow AA classes in her hospital room. 

So, what the hell are we supposed to do?!

At present, her doctors are appealing Dr. Knealer's ruling. Hopefully, Dr. Knealer will see the stupidity of his ruling and allow Jes to be placed on the transplant list. Keep in mind that our dispute is with Medi-Cal, not the hospital. The hospital has been nothing less than wonderful.

We are exploring other means of getting Dr. Knealer to reverse his ruling. One possibility is to go to court and get an emergency order to force Medi-Cal to put Jes on the transplant list. Another is to force them to reverse their decision through media pressure. This blog post is only the beginning. I will be contacting media representatives shortly.

In any case, we don't have any time to waste. We have been told that another patient is under the same Catch-22 problem.

Thankfully, I have an excellent attorney friend who has given us some great advice, who summed our situation up this way:

If I understand Jes' situation properly, you guys are literally betting on her living that long to see if Medi-Cal changes their bureaucratic pea-brained minds. Why should they? They have no incentive to do so without a push. It saves them money and paperwork to deny her the benefits. They don't care whether she lives or dies - she's a number to them, not a person.  Did you ever watch "Erin Brockovich?"  That took place in my area, and that is a good example of how the big companies will bank on just waiting, since they can afford to, until the person dies or whatever happens.  Jes is not one iota closer to fulfilling what they claim she needs while she is in the hospital, yet she can't come out of the hospital. That is Catch-22.  The only way in which companies give in and pay out is by pressure and repeatedly bugging them. That is not on the hospital - it is on Medi-Cal. And the more mired we become in the Obamacare state of being, the more people who will not get the help they need from here on out.

You would be a great help to our cause if you would pass on this blog post to any media contacts you may have!

UPDATE (3/12/14):
Medi-Cal denied the Jes's doctors's appeal and won't change their position on listing Jes for a transplant and there's no more appeals. We will need to go to Superior Court to get an emergency order to force them.

UPDATE (3/15/14):
I received word yesterday that Jes is "doing better" and is to be released from the hospital next week. While it is nice to have her back home again, I am concerned that this release is the hospital's way of throwing their hands up in the air as Medi-Cal refuses to approve her to be listed for a liver transplant. I will find out more this weekend. Thankfully, we have the "machinery" necessary to pursue an emergency court order to get her listed.

March Already?! We May Be Up Against A Medi-Cal "Death Panel"

Where the heck did the month of February go?

It seems like only yesterday that I was celebrating my birthday and, a few days later, I was headed off to Japan for visit number 7. I don't know how lucky the 7th visit turned out to be since I was stuck for 16 hours inside a Keisei Line train car in Chiba Prefecture due to snow. I guess it could have been worse, my fellow passengers and I could have frozen to death.

The days still went by pretty fast after I got back, only slowed by a lingering headcold that I caught from a co-worker.

March will be no less busy as I have to concentrate on two things: first, getting rid of the aforementioned cold and, second, seeing that my roomie Jes get past the hurdles Medi-Cal has thrown up so she can be listed for a liver transplant. I found out today from her father that Medi-Cal won't approve a transplant unless she takes a six-month Alcoholics Anonymous program first. WTF?! According to Jes's dad, this was told to him by a Medi-Cal doctor.

If they think we're going to roll over on this, they don't know what they're in for. As her dad said:

So the transplant surgeon is going to call that [expletives deleted] doctor at Medi-Cal to enlighten him on Jess's condition and try to change his mind.

I am so pissed off, just pissed off.  If this SOB doesn't change his mind I will try every way possible to get FOX News knocking at his door asking if he is Obama's death panel.

Alcohol has nothing to do with this matter as her doctor told her father two weeks ago that the liver failure stems from prescribed methotrexate. So this is totally bogus. (Methotrexate is one powerful and nasty drug, so I'd think hard about using it if prescribed.)

According to her father, this is directly tied to (you'd never guess) Obamacare!

Well, she doesn't have six months, she may not even have six weeks. This is totally insane! The transplant has to be done on an urgent basis.

Her father and I (as her primary caregiver) will deal with this head-on Monday. Your prayers for a successful outcome are appreciated.

UPDATE: I have already contacted several "media giants" on this matter, ones with nice, big microphones!

We Can Thank Stupid Voters For This

The American people, or at least the stupid ones, voted for Barack Obama and the Democrats in 2008 and again in 2012. Now they, and the ones who didn't, are paying a hefty price for that folly.

The Los Angeles Times reported:

After overcoming website glitches and long waits to get Obamacare, some patients are now running into frustrating new roadblocks at the doctor's office. 

A month into the most sweeping changes to healthcare in half a century, people are having trouble finding doctors at all, getting faulty information on which ones are covered and receiving little help from insurers swamped by new business. 

Experts have warned for months that the logjam was inevitable. But the extent of the problems is taking by surprise many patients — and even doctors — as frustrations mount. 

Aliso Viejo resident Danielle Nelson said Anthem Blue Cross promised half a dozen times that her oncologists would be covered under her new policy. She was diagnosed last year with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and discovered a suspicious lump near her jaw in early January. 

But when she went to her oncologist's office, she promptly encountered a bright orange sign saying that Covered California plans are not accepted.

Many of us warned that Obama and like-minded Democrats are socialistic radicals, but stupid voters didn't take heed and voted for them anyway.

All hell will break loose when people start losing their lives because of Obamacare.

To read more, go here:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-obamacare-patients-20140205,0,5417742.story#ixzz2sX4r45Nd

I'm Covered! No Ob☭m☭Care For Me!

Medical and dental insurance coverage are two things I don't have to worry about this year. At least, for a while.

It was almost like "milking a bull" in trying to get information on what coverage my "parachute" job offers and, most importantly, how much it'll cost. It turned out to be a lot cheaper than what I expected.

The lowest I found was this on the California Exchange:

My cost is about half of what the California Exchange came up with.

It is best to go through your employer, provided they are still offering medical coverage. It will be a lot cheaper!

No Ob☭m☭Care for me!