Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Jay Carney: Benghazi email was not about Benghazi
With the release of damaging emails that prove the Obama White House orchestrated the Susan Rice lies about the cause of the Benghazi attacks, watch the Obama minister of propaganda try to dance around a question.
Carney: Email was not about Benghazi | TheHill
Carney: Email was not about Benghazi | TheHill
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
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Monday, April 28, 2014
3 Faith-Based Films Top $150M at Box Office
Three films with a strong Christian message have scored remarkably well at the domestic box office so far in 2014.
"Heaven Is For Real" took in $13.8 million over the weekend, bringing its two-week total to $51.9 million. It finished No. 3 at the box office.
"God's Not Dead" was No. 11 at the box office, earning $2.8 million over the weekend, bringing it's six-week total to $52.7 million. (The film cost a mere $2 million to make, giving it the distinction of being the most profitable film of 2014.
And let's not forget "Son of God," which has been out for nine weeks and has earned $59.5 million at the box-office, another remarkable feat, considering the movie is a re-edited version of the TV mini-series, "The Bible."
Meanwhile, the much-hyped "Noah" will turn out to be one of the biggest flops of 2014, unable to earn back its $125 million production costs. That's what you get when an atheist director decides he can twist a biblical tale to meet his liberal fantasies.
Perhaps the heathens who run Hollywood will take notice that faith-based films have a place in American society.
"Heaven Is For Real" took in $13.8 million over the weekend, bringing its two-week total to $51.9 million. It finished No. 3 at the box office.
"God's Not Dead" was No. 11 at the box office, earning $2.8 million over the weekend, bringing it's six-week total to $52.7 million. (The film cost a mere $2 million to make, giving it the distinction of being the most profitable film of 2014.
And let's not forget "Son of God," which has been out for nine weeks and has earned $59.5 million at the box-office, another remarkable feat, considering the movie is a re-edited version of the TV mini-series, "The Bible."
Meanwhile, the much-hyped "Noah" will turn out to be one of the biggest flops of 2014, unable to earn back its $125 million production costs. That's what you get when an atheist director decides he can twist a biblical tale to meet his liberal fantasies.
Perhaps the heathens who run Hollywood will take notice that faith-based films have a place in American society.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
GOP salivating at the prospect of Allyson Schwartz as the Dem nominee for Pa. gov
Allyson Schwartz, a far-left Obama acolyte and former abortion clinic owner, would be the easiest Democratic opponent for Gov. Tom Corbett to beat this November.
Schwartz makes waves in primary race for governor
Schwartz makes waves in primary race for governor
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Conservatives in Hollywood: Celebrities who lean right
Check out this photo gallery of 30 Hollywood celebrities who are not afraid to proclaim their conservative views in Liberal La-La Land.
Conservatives in Hollywood: Celebrities who lean right - Photos - Washington Times
Conservatives in Hollywood: Celebrities who lean right - Photos - Washington Times
Friday, April 25, 2014
Newspaper: 2.7M Obamacare Enrollees Still Unaccounted For
There are some serious questions the mainstream media is not asking about Obamacare enrollment numbers.
From Investor's Business Daily:
President Obama has for a while been bragging that 8 million people have signed up for ObamaCare. But the administration still hasn't released the state-by-state numbers to back up that number. You'd think that with such good news, the administration would want to put out as many details as possible, as soon as possible. But judging by previous months, the latest Health and Human Services enrollment report is now nearly two weeks behind schedule. As a result, we still don't know where 2.7 million ObamaCare enrollees came from.Read the full editorial here.
Bipartisan push to eliminate school property taxes in Pa.
From the Senate Republican Communications Office:
Senate sponsors and supporters of a bill to eliminate school property taxes will hold a media availability on Monday, April 28 in Room 14 East Wing at 3:30 p.m. in the state Capitol to outline a comprehensive amendment.Senators David G. Argall (R-29), Mike Folmer (R-48), Judy Schwank (D-11), John Yudichak (D-14) and Jim Brewster (D-45) will discuss their comprehensive amendment to Senate Bill 76. David Baldinger, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations, and Kim Skumanick, President of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, will also be on hand to discuss their support of the amendment.Senate Bill 76 was drafted by over 70 grassroots taxpayer advocacy groups known as the Pennsylvania Coalition for Taxpayer Associations, who asked the Senators to introduce the legislation on behalf of taxpayers across Pennsylvania.The legislation would eliminate school property taxes by increasing the state's Personal Income Tax rate and increasing and expanding the state's Sales and Use Tax.The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the amendment on Wednesday, April 30 at 9:30 a.m. in Hearing Room No. 1 of the North Office Building at the state Capitol.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Pa. business group endorses Tom Quigley for state House seat
HARRISBURG — PEG PAC, the affiliated political action
committee of the Pennsylvania Business Council and the state's oldest
pro-business PAC, has endorsed former state Rep. Tom Quigley in the
Republican race for the 146th House District.
The former mayor Royersford, Quigley held the 146th House seat from 2005 to 2012, when he lost to Democrat Mark Painter.
Quigley is seeking the GOP nomination on May 20 to run in November against Painter, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Also seeking the Republican nomination is Harvey Friedland, a Trappe attorney.
Also seeking the Republican nomination is Harvey Friedland, a Trappe attorney.
Quigley will be a strong pro-business voice in the state House, said Pennsylvania Business Council President & CEO David W. Patti, who noted that endorsed candidates also received a financial contribution from PEG PAC.
The Primary Election is Tuesday, May 20.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Republican Ryan Costello leads Trivedi in fundraising by 3-1 margin
Not only is there an enthusiasm gap for Democrats, they're also having a tough time raising money.
In the race to fill the seat of retiring Rep. Jim Gerlach in the 6th Congressional District, Chester County Republican Costello has so far out-fundraised his Democrat opponent, Manan Trivedi, by a 3-to-1 margin, reports the Reading Eagle.
Costello leads Trivedi in fundraising in first quarter | NEWS
In the race to fill the seat of retiring Rep. Jim Gerlach in the 6th Congressional District, Chester County Republican Costello has so far out-fundraised his Democrat opponent, Manan Trivedi, by a 3-to-1 margin, reports the Reading Eagle.
Costello leads Trivedi in fundraising in first quarter | NEWS
Monday, April 21, 2014
Rep. Joe Pitts: The IRS is out of control
Guest columnist
The Washington Post recently told the story of how Mary Grice's tax refund was claimed for an old debt. One that she apparently incurred when she was just 4 years old.
When she wasn't even in elementary schools yet, Mary's father passed away and her family received Social Security survivor's benefits along with her mother and the rest of her siblings. At some point, Social Security figured out that they had overpaid someone in the Grice family. They didn't know who, but they determined that Mary would be the one to pay. The government wants $2,996 dollars from Mary or one of her younger siblings.
When the Washington Post tried to find out why the IRS and the government was trying to claim these old debts, the finger-pointing started but no one ever claimed responsibility. Republican members of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax policy, demanded that the IRS and Treasury explain why Mary and many other taxpayers suddenly find themselves having to pay decades old debts to the government.
They shouldn't hold their breath while waiting for a straight answer. In recent years, we've seen a number of demonstrations of just how powerful the IRS can be and just how unaccountable IRS leaders are to the American people.
Perhaps the clearest breach of ethics and likely breach of the law has been the targeting of conservative and Tea Party groups that were seeking tax exempt status. Lois Lerner, the former head of the tax exempt unit, has plead the Fifth in two separate hearings of the House Oversight and Investigations Committee and has been referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution by the House Ways and Means Committee.
Now that the Ways and Means Committee has recommended that Lerner be held accountable for crimes, we understand a little more why she resorted to pleading her Fifth Amendment right not to testify.
The IRS is not supposed to engage in political actions. In the 1970s, when President Nixon tried to use the agency to target his political enemies, Commissioner John Walters refused to do so. He took no action when handed a list of Nixon's enemies and eventually gave it to Congressional investigators when it was requested.
Lerner's actions stand in stark contrast. After the Supreme Court struck down limits on campaign speech on First Amendment grounds, President Obama publicly attacked the decision. His allies in Congress wrote letters to the IRS urging investigations of conservative groups. Liberal interest groups and media outfits echoed the calls of the President and Democratic Senators.
Instead of following the example of Walters and refusing to engage in politics, Lerner interfered in the work of the Cincinnati office in charge of approving tax exempt status and worked to deny an exemption to a top conservative group, Crossroads GPS.
As the Treasury Inspector General began to investigate why conservative applications were being held up, Lerner prepared a cover story. Even with the IG actively investigating, Lerner kept meeting with liberal pressure groups and kept pushing for Crossroads to be audited. She made inquiries that were against IRS regulations and that may have broken the law.
When her actions started to come to light last May, Lerner then blamed lower level IRS agents in Cincinnati even though she had been orchestrating the targeting of conservative groups for years.
It's now up to the Justice Department to bring charges against Lerner. Again, don't hold your breath. Lerner was doing exactly what the President and his allies wanted, try to shut down their political opponents.
It seems unlikely that Attorney General Holder will try to hold anyone at IRS accountable for the targeting of conservative groups. Just as no one will probably be held accountable for trying to make Mary Grice pay thousands of dollars for payments made under her dead father's Social Security number.
With a complex tax code spanning thousands of pages and more than 90,000 employees, it's nearly impossible to hold anyone at IRS accountable when taxpayers get abused. We need potent tax reform that every American can understand. Only a simpler, fairer tax code can reduce the IRS power over our lives.
Rep. Joe Pitts is a Republican who represents Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District in parts of Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties.
Stuck in 1999 with M. Night Shyamalan
Since then, he has made four of the worst movies of all time: "Lady in the Water" in 2006, "The Happening" in 2008, "The Last Airbender" in 2010 and "After Earth" in 2013. Not only have the last four movies been critical failures, but they've also bombed at the box office. The trend is clear and it's been downhill for the Philadelphia-area director over past decade.
So why would Philadelphia Magazine put the director/writer on its most recent cover, which it dubbed the "power issue" along with several other prominent Philadelphia-area power brokers? It appears the editors of the magazine are stuck in 1999. If the guy can't sell tickets to his movies, what makes the editors think he's going to sell magazines? Not only has Shyamalan's influence declined rapidly in Hollywood, but another clunker at the box-office and he might be filming infomercials in the near future.
I point to an article by Kyle Buchanan about Shymalan's rapid decline as a filmmaker:
Ten years ago, M. Night Shyamalan was on top of the world, touted as “the next Spielberg” by Newsweek and fresh off a string of successes including the Oscar-nominated smash The Sixth Sense, the Bruce Willis superhero origin story Unbreakable, and the alien thriller Signs, which would be Mel Gibson’s last studio hit. But things have changed: The filmmaker who could once open a movie on his moniker alone has a new film coming out today, the sci-fi story After Earth, where his name doesn’t appear in the key marketing materials at all. It’s only the latest setback for Shyamalan, whose career woes have been compounded by giddy press reports chronicling his fall from grace, including a memorable round of media attention in 2010 when audiences supposedly booed his title card in the trailer for the horror film Devil, which Shyamalan produced. Where did it all go wrong?
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'Heaven Is For Real' earns $21.5M over Easter weekend
"Heaven Is For Real" is the latest hit, earning $21.5 million over the Easter weekend. The film opened in the middle of last week and has a total domestic gross of $28.5 million in its first five days. With a production budget of $12 million, "Heaven Is For Real" has already recouped its money.
"God's Not Dead" continued to score with audiences, earning $4.8 million over the Easter weekend, bringing its five-week total to $48.3 million. That's a remarkable showing for a film that cost just $2 million to make and has had little publicity. But audiences are finding it.
Another remarkable box-office story is "Son of God," the re-edited version of the History Channel's "The Bible" mini-series. "Son of God" has earned $59.4 million over the past eight weeks.
And then there's "Noah" which cost $125 million to make but has grossed just $93.2 million in four weeks. So much for anti-Christian Hollywood bragging that this film was directed by an atheist and it avoided mentioning the word "God" at any point.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom
If anyone is a grateful servant, let them, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord.
If anyone has wearied themselves in fasting, let them now receive recompense.
If anyone has labored from the first hour, let them today receive the just reward.
If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let them feast.
If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let them have no misgivings; for they shall suffer no loss.
If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let them draw near without hesitation.
If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let them not fear on account of tardiness.
For the Master is gracious and receives the last even as the first; He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has labored from the first.
He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one He gives, and to the other He is gracious.
He both honors the work and praises the intention.
Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward.
O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy!
O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day!
You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today!
The table is rich-laden: feast royally, all of you!
The calf is fatted: let no one go forth hungry!
Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness.
Let no one lament their poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn their transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the Saviour's death has set us free.
He that was taken by death has annihilated it!
He descended into Hades and took Hades captive!
He embittered it when it tasted His flesh! And anticipating this, Isaiah exclaimed: "Hades was embittered when it encountered Thee in the lower regions".
It was embittered, for it was abolished!
It was embittered, for it was mocked!
It was embittered, for it was purged!
It was embittered, for it was despoiled!
It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!
It took a body and came upon God!
It took earth and encountered Ηeaven!
It took what it saw, but crumbled before what it had not seen!
O death, where is thy sting?
O Hades, where is thy victory?
Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life reigns!
Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!
For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the first-fruits of them that have slept.
To Him be glory and might unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
Over 35,000 Cases of 'Double Voting' Found in North Carolina
From the Capitalism Institute:
Opponents of voter ID laws will often claim that voter fraud is nonexistent, maybe occurs in small and insignificant numbers, and that there is absolutely no evidence of it being widespread and rampant. However, investigations have been occurring in the swing states after the 2012 election. Both Florida and Ohio have discovered numerous cases of illegally registered voters, dead voters, illegal immigrant voters, and other discrepancies that taint the integrity of the voting system.BOMBSHELL: Over 35,000 Cases of "Double Voting" Found in North Carolina
Χριστός Aνέστη – Christ Is Risen Αληθώς Aνέστη – Truly He Has Risen
Χριστός ανέστη – Christ is Risen. Αληθώς Aνέστη – Truly He has Risen.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
Harry Reid blasts Bundy ranch supporters as 'domestic terrorists'
With leaders like Harry Reid, the Democratic Party may want to change its name to the Lunatic Fringe Party.
Harry Reid blasts Bundy ranch supporters as 'domestic terrorists' - Washington Times
Harry Reid blasts Bundy ranch supporters as 'domestic terrorists' - Washington Times
New reports question PA AG Kane's version of corruption sting
Something doesn't smell right when a Democratic attorney general pulls the plug on a corruption sting involving fellow Democratic politicians allegedly caught on tape accepting bribes.
New reports question Kane's version of "the sting"
New reports question Kane's version of "the sting"
Thursday, April 17, 2014
New emails show IRS coordinated Tea Party targeting with Justice Department, FEC and liberal political activists
This is worse than Watergate, but no special prosecutor assigned to the case. No Woodward and Bernstein, either. Today, the news media is helping Obama with the cover-up instead of exposing it.
New emails show IRS coordinated Tea Party targeting with Justice Department, FEC and liberal political activists | WashingtonExaminer.com
New emails show IRS coordinated Tea Party targeting with Justice Department, FEC and liberal political activists | WashingtonExaminer.com
Faith-based films top $100M at box-office
Two movies with Christian themes have sold a combined $100 million in tickets at the box-office so far in 2014. (And we're talking about 'Noah' a film written and directed by an avowed atheist who never mentions the word "God" in the movie.)
"Son of God" has earned $59.1 million going into the Easter weekend. "God's Not Dead" has earned $42.8 million going into the Easter weekend.
"Son of God" has earned $59.1 million going into the Easter weekend. "God's Not Dead" has earned $42.8 million going into the Easter weekend.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Pennsylvania's oldest pro-business PAC makes 2014 Primary endorsements
We must be getting close to Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania.
PEG PAC, the affiliated political action committee of the Pennsylvania Business Council and the state's oldest pro-business PAC, issued the following press release endorsing seven incumbent members of the state House for re-election – three Republicans and four Democrats.
PEG PAC, the affiliated political action committee of the Pennsylvania Business Council and the state's oldest pro-business PAC, issued the following press release endorsing seven incumbent members of the state House for re-election – three Republicans and four Democrats.
PEG PAC endorsed:
•
GOP incumbents
Mike Fleck (81st) of Huntingdon County,
Seth Grove (196th) of York County and
Karen Boback (117th) of Luzerne County; and,
• Democratic incumbents
Margo Davidson (164th) of Delaware County,
Patty Kim (103rd) of Dauphin County,
Jake Wheatley (19th) of Allegheny County and Jim Roebuck (188th) of Philadelphia.
"These
seven House members all supported both the recent Transportation
overhaul legislation and the 'Apology' bill, a tort reform measure which
prohibits plaintiffs from
using most physician apologies against them in court," said PBC
President & CEO David W. Patti.
All but Fleck are engaged in competitive primaries – his primary opponent was recently removed from the May ballot.
All but Fleck are engaged in competitive primaries – his primary opponent was recently removed from the May ballot.
In addition, PEG PAC backed three GOP candidates
in House districts across the state:
•
Republican
Jason Ortitay,
a small business owner and member of the Burgettstown Area Community
Development Corporation, from the 46th District in Washington and
Allegheny counties who is vying to take on incumbent Rep.
Jessie White;
•
East Marlborough Township Supervisor and former Chairman of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission, Republican
Cuyler Walker, business owner and Partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP, running in the open 158th District in southern Chester County; and,
•
Former Rep. Tom Quigley, running to reclaim his seat in the 146th District in Montgomery County.
"We
believe Ortitay, Walker and Quigley will be strong pro-business voices
in the state House," said Patti, who noted that all of the candidates
also received a financial
contribution from PEG PAC.
More about PEG PAC: Since
its founding in 1972, PEG PAC has worked to build a better Pennsylvania
by electing candidates for office who offer the best capacity to create
and sustain a better
Pennsylvania. PEG PAC supports candidates who are best for the business
community without regard to political party membership. PEG PAC
supports candidates for office with financial contributions, campaign
consulting, and grassroots action.
Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania is Tuesday, May 20.
Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania is Tuesday, May 20.
Allyson Schwartz pitch for Pa. governor: Vote for me because I'm a girl
Ultra-liberal Allyson Schwartz, the former abortion clinic owner running for Pennsylvania governor, is trying to separate herself from the tax-and-spend crowd seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Gov. Tom Corbett. But all Schwartz can think of is Pennsylvania has never had a female governor and she should be the first one.
Schwartz ad pledges to 'break through' boys club
Schwartz ad pledges to 'break through' boys club
You Call This Property Tax Relief? Average Pa. Homeowner To See $200 Savings From Casino Revenues
Pennsylvania Budget Secretary Certifies More Than $779 Million for Statewide Property Tax Relief (via PR Newswire)HARRISBURG, Pa., April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Budget Secretary Charles B. Zogby today certified that more than $779 million in gaming revenue will be available for property tax relief in 2014. The 2006 Taxpayer Relief Act established the…
PA DEP awards 26 counties $2.1M to combat West Nile Virus
DEP Awards 26 Counties Nearly $2.1 Million in West Nile Virus Grants (via PR Newswire)HARRISBURG, Pa., April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced it is awarding nearly $2.1 million in West Nile Virus (WNV) Control Program Grants to 26 counties. "These county grants ensure…
Pa. gambling revenues up slightly in March
PA Table Games Revenue Up In March (via PR Newswire)$67.9 million in revenue highest single month to date HARRISBURG, Pa., April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Revenue from the play of table games at Pennsylvania's casinos rose 1% during March, producing the highest level of revenue, $67.9 million…
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Editorial: Federal taxes too high, too complex
The Orange County Register: The 74,000-page tax code has Americans spending 6 billion hours trying to comply.
Editorial: Federal taxes too high, too complex - The Orange County Register
Editorial: Federal taxes too high, too complex - The Orange County Register
Monday, April 14, 2014
4 Dead, 31 Wounded In Weekend Shootings in Obama's Hometown of Chicago
One would think that Obama's hometown, run entirely by Democrats and with one of the toughest gun control laws in the nation, would be a safer place to live. Another glaring example of how Democrats have ruined this country.
Four Dead, 31 Wounded In Weekend Shootings « CBS Chicago
Four Dead, 31 Wounded In Weekend Shootings « CBS Chicago
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
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Democratic Nev. Official Tells Rancher's Supporters They 'Better Have Funeral Plans'
Liberal fascism is on the rise in Obama's America.
Rancher's Supporters Told They 'Better Have Funeral Plans'
Rancher's Supporters Told They 'Better Have Funeral Plans'
Columnist: The Fourth Estate's repugnant double dichotomy
Columnist Colin McNickle raises an interesting question about freedom of the press in an age when the liberal media works in conjunction with the White House to spread propaganda:
Why is it that a free press claiming to work so assiduously to protect its constitutionally guaranteed right — and that of its first cousin, speech — appears to be working so unremittingly to undermine both?The Fourth Estate's repugnant double dichotomy
Guest Column: My Obamacare Plan is Failing Me
Guest columnist
Tuesday is the last day to sign up for health insurance on the Obamacare exchange. Luckily, I’ve already purchased an exchange plan. But barely one month into my new health care coverage, I’ve started running into serious roadblocks.
I battle fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition that forces me to work from home many days. My need to see specialists and try expensive prescriptions makes affordable health insurance crucial to softening the financial sting. This longtime uninsured, sickly gal ought to be happy.
Plaster my picture on Healthcare.gov now, right?
But this victim — who knows intimately the pressures of no health coverage — can’t get over how damaging the Affordable Care Act is across the nation. Must we really destroy jobs, inflate others’ health costs, and enact countless new taxes and fees just to help people like me?
Worse yet, Obamacare isn’t even keeping its promise to provide quality health insurance to people with pre-existing conditions. On top of higher premiums or deductibles, critical drugs may not be covered at all, and the costs patients incur by buying them with cash won’t count against out-of-pocket caps or deductibles.
As Pennsylvania moves to shift 6,960 people from its high-risk pool to Obamacare, more people will discover how limited their new coverage really is.
Information about covered drugs on Obamacare exchange plans is hard to find and in some cases doesn’t appear to be available at all. Restrictions on covered drugs are nothing new, but the limits are more widespread in exchange plans to keep premiums low.
Only one brand-name drug that works on the nervous system has helped me keep the pain at bay over the years. Getting it on my Obamacare plan has proven a challenge.
Without insurance or discounts, the drug costs $400 per month. But I couldn’t simply refill my regular prescription — my new insurance company required pre-authorization for the drug. Just last week, my exchange plan insurer told me they will not cover the drug. For now, I’m surviving by driving 50 miles to pick up free samples from my doctor’s office. This isn’t the affordable, quality care I was promised.
Many Americans sicker than me are doing much worse. Take Lupus patient Emilie Lamb. Her state-subsidized plan was cancelled because it didn’t provide enough coverage — a “junk” plan according to President Obama. Lamb’s premium jumped from $52 to $373 a month, forcing her to get a second job so she can still see her doctors and buy medicine.
Fifteen-year-old Michigan twins Austin and Micheala Davert, suffer from a bone disease called osteogenesis imperfecta. They lost their primary insurance due to Obamacare’s mandates. Their parents, after failing to resolve technical issues on Healthcare.gov, purchased an exchange plan directly from an insurer with a similar premium plus a nearly $8,000 deductible increase.
Their mother noted, “The only other plan that had a lower out of pocket maximum was a plan that’s not accepted by their doctors.”
With the health conditions I face, my $176 per month premium for a silver exchange plan is almost inconceivable. Before, all I could get in Pennsylvania after multiple denials was a $476 per month premium with a high deductible.
Don’t get me wrong: I know the country desperately needed health care reform — and still does. But millions of canceled plans, special exemptions, and countless extensions show that Obamacare is incapable of ensuring all Americans can access quality and affordable care.
However, real health care reform could reduce skyrocketing costs on everything from doctor visits to MRIs. It could promote visible pricing, which would allow people to plan and pay for much more of their own routine health care.
For people with pre-existing conditions, like me, who couldn’t get individual health insurance, expanding state high-risk pools would have been a better option. They give the “uninsurable” an affordable option by offering subsidized coverage comparable to private plans, rather than restructuring the entire insurance marketplace.
It’s the states, not Washington, that have the real solutions to our health care crisis. There was — there is — a better way than Obamacare. Even on my most pain-filled days, I know that.
# # #
Priya Abraham is a senior policy analyst for the Commonwealth Foundation (CommonwealthFoundation.org), Pennsylvania’s free market think tank.
Bill O'Reilly: No accountability for Obama and the big spending liberal movement
From Bill O'Reilly's latest column, "The Tax Collector Knocketh" -
The problem for President Obama and the big spending liberal movement is accountability. The former boss of Medicare candidly admitted that about 30% of all payments are wasteful, with the health care money either stolen or used for unnecessary treatments. You may have seen the news this week that Florida ophthalmologist Dr. Salomon Melgen billed Medicare for $21-million in 2012. That's $21,000,000! We might add that, coincidentally or not, Melgen is a close pal and wing man of Democratic Senator Robert Menendez.Read the full column here.
President Obama continues to expand the federal government, and the Democratic Party wants more of our pay diverted to them so they can give it to those not earning very much. But the Obama administration, like others before it, refuses to watch how the money is dispatched. Therefore, tens of billions of dollars are abused every year. Even as federal debt nears $17-trillion, government waste continues to climb right along with the red ink.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
The Perfect Person to Replace Sebelius
I nominate Susan Rice to replace Kathleen Sebelius as HHS secretary. We know for a fact that Rice is an accomplished liar (see Benghazi), so she would be the perfect person to continue the Obama Administration's propaganda campaign for Obamacare.
Annual Report on Casino Gaming's Impact on PA's Horse Racing Industry Released by Gaming Control Board
Annual Report on Casino Gaming's Impact on PA's Horse Racing Industry Released by Gaming Control Board (via PR Newswire)HARRISBURG, Pa., April 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today released its seventh annual Racetrack Casino Benchmark Report. Since its first release in 2008, this annual report has concentrated on the impact…
Wednesday, April 09, 2014
House kills Obama budget 413-2
Who says there's no more bipartisanship left in Washington? The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly defeated President Obama's proposed budget for fiscal year 2015 by a vote of 413-to-2. The two "yes" votes came from Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Jim Moran (D-Va.), who is retiring. Moran is the same idiot who is pushing for a pay raise for members of Congress.
House kills Obama budget 2-413 | TheHill
House kills Obama budget 2-413 | TheHill
Lowman S. Henry: A Taxing Tale
By Lowman S. Henry
Guest Colimnist
President
Obama's claim that "If you like your health care plan you can keep your
health care plan" was dubbed by pundits as the 2013 lie of the year. Fast
forward to this year's gubernatorial campaign and two lies are competing for
top honors. Take your choice between: Governor Tom Corbett has slashed
spending on public education; and Marcellus Shale gas drillers, unlike other
states, are not paying high enough taxes.
Pollsters
for the four remaining Democratic candidates for governor seem to have all
discovered that education funding has surpassed unemployment and the melting
polar ice caps as the main issue concerning likely voters in the upcoming
primary. Thus a happy convergence of the two lies has occurred. The
candidates can promise voters their cake - more education spending - and they
can eat it too because they will tax the robber baron gas drillers to pay for
it.
Setting
aside the fact more state dollars are being spent on public education than at
any time in the history of the commonwealth, let's focus on whether or not
companies drilling in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale reserve are paying their
fair share. One candidate claims on his website that we are giving
". . . away our state's valuable resources without generating revenue for
critical investments like schools . . . " His television ads point
out that gas drillers in Penn's Woods do not pay a severance tax as do companies operating in every other state in the union.
That is
a true, but misleading statement. Pennsylvania does not levy a severance
tax, which is a tax applied on gas as it leaves the well, but the commonwealth
does charge gas companies - as it does all other businesses - both a Corporate
Net Income Tax and a Capital Stock & Franchise Tax. We are the only
state in the nation that levies both of those taxes. That alone would
place Marcellus shale drillers on an equal footing with the 49 other states.
But, it
doesn't stop there. Act 13 of 2012 imposed an impact fee on natural gas
wells in Penn's Woods. It is called a fee because Republicans supporting
the measure did not want to be accused of raising taxes. A rose by any
other name, however, is still a rose. The dictionary defines the word tax
as "a sum of money demanded by a government for its support, or for
specific facilities or services." Thus, the Marcellus Shale impact fee is,
by definition, a tax.
The
impact tax is levied based upon the price of natural gas traded on the market
and on the age of the wells. Thus the amount of revenue generated each
year fluctuates depending on market performance and number of wells
drilled. According to the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy in Pittsburgh,
the impact tax generated $204.2 million in revenue in 2011 and $202.5 million
in revenue in 2012. Less was generated in 2012 because the market price
of the gas had decreased.
So, to
put this into perspective, an industry that supposedly is not paying its fair
share over the past two years paid every tax every other business in the state
paid plus an additional $406.2 million. What sort of outrage would there
be if, for example, we asked farmers to pay an impact tax? They use natural resources
- soil and water - to produce their product. Or, perhaps to make it fair
we should enact a "success tax" - in addition to Corporate Net and
Capital Stock & Franchise taxes - on any business in Pennsylvania that
expands rapidly and reaps higher profits?
The
current political debate focused on adding another layer of tax on Marcellus
Shale drillers implies, and in some cases outright states, that the gas
companies are taking a natural resources and we are left with no benefit.
But the Allegheny Institute's analysis of where dollars from the impact tax
have gone shows that a wide range of state agencies, county and local
governments have received revenue from the tax. These funds have gone to
repair and replace local bridges, improve water and sewer projects, clean up
acid mine drainage, pay for green space initiatives and watershed projects.
Money has been set aside in the Environmental Stewardship Fund to pay for any
future problems which may arise, and into community and economic
development. Counties - all 67 of them - have shared in over $21 million
in revenue.
As in
most political campaigns truth is the first casualty. Candidates can
certainly propose higher taxes, but they should at least not mislead voters.
Instead they should tell the whole story and not just those parts of it that
fit their campaign narrative.
Lowman S. Henry is Chairman & CEO
of the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research and host of the weekly Lincoln Radio Journal. His
e-mail address is lhenry@lincolninstitute.org.
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