Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Obama Lied, People Cried 

For weeks the media ignored the victims of Obamacare while continuing to spotlight victims of the government shutdown. It took them a while, but now reporters have finally realized there is a huge story to cover here.

Yesterday, Lisa Myers of NBC News reported the following: "Buried in Obamacare regulations from July 2010 is an estimate that because of normal turnover in the individual insurance market, '40 to 67 percent' of customers will not be able to keep their policy."  

Translation: The Obama Administration knew in July 2010 that millions of Americans would lose the insurance and doctors they currently have. Yet Obama repeatedly promised the exact opposite. 

In June of 2009, Obama said, "We will keep this promise to the American people. If you like your doctor you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your healthcare plan, you will be able to keep your healthcare plan. Period." Watch him here. 

Terri Flay of Manassas, Virginia, who is losing her current health insurance policy, said, "I keep playing that over and over in my head: that you can keep your health plan, period. But it isn't 'period.' They put a gun to my head saying that I have to pay more…" 

Any moment now I expect White House Press Secretary Jay Carney to say that Obama had no idea the regulations were causing millions of people to lose healthcare plans they liked. If he tries that, it would only add insult to injury. No cabinet secretary would let a president misstate facts to the American people over and over again. Her job would be on the line, and rightly so. 

The truth is clear. Despite Obama's repeated promises, millions of Americans are learning that they cannot keep their current insurance plans. 

The Left's Real Goal 

Many conservatives have argued that Obamacare is intended to hasten the slide into a full-fledged, government-run socialist healthcare system known as the single-payer system. I agree.

But here's something that many people still haven't grasped: The millions of Americans who are losing their current policies are offset by millions of previously uninsured Americans, who are essentially getting "free" insurance through the massive expansion of Medicaid or with help from generous taxpayer subsidies. 

In other words, Obamacare is another massive redistribution of wealth scheme. You don't need to take my word for it. In March 2010, the New York Times described Obamacare as "the federal government's biggest attack on economic inequality" in decades. 

It belongs in the list of programs you already know about: The explosion of food stamps; Obamaphones, which you are paying for in your current cell phone bills; the abuse of the disability program; gutting welfare reform's work requirement. 

Obamacare was largely paid for by massive new taxes on working Americans such as the individual mandate. There is a new surtax on capital gains and dividends. There are new taxes on medical devices. There are taxes on tanning beds and even some health insurance policies. All of these taxes take money from hard-working Americans and redistribute it to those the left favors. 

In 2008, long before CBS discovered Benghazi or NBC discovered Obamacare's flaws, Joe the Plumber asked a simple question about Obama's economic agenda and Obama answered, "I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." 

Obama Knew About Foreign Spying 

NBC News wasn't the only media organization questioning the credibility of the Obama Administration last night. We reported yesterday that administration officials were pushing back against reports that Obama had authorized spying on foreign leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. 

Last night the Los Angeles Times reported that the State Department and the White House approved the spying program. The L.A. Times added that "Professional staff members at the National Security Agency and other U.S. intelligence agencies are angry … believing the president has cast them adrift," by claiming he didn't know. 

Our intelligence professionals are not the only ones upset. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, blasted the president's alleged ignorance, saying, "It is my understanding that President Obama was not aware Chancellor Merkel's communications were being collected since 2002. That is a big problem." 

Countdown To Iran's Islamic Bomb 

Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons may have already "passed a point of no return." That chilling prediction was made yesterday by Olli Heinonen, a former deputy director of the International Atomic Energy Association.

According to Heinonen, Iran may need just two weeks to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a nuclear bomb. Iran's nuclear program took a huge leap forward with the recent installation of advanced centrifuges, which Heinonen says will "radically reduce the so-called breakout time." 

The "good news" is that Iran is still likely a year away from developing the ballistic missile technology needed to deliver a nuclear weapon. But the clock is ticking and time is not on our side.

Two Cheers For Britney Spears 

Now there's a headline I never imagined writing! 

Cargo ships along the east coast of Africa are having problems with Muslim pirates from Somalia. For insurance reasons, shipping companies have been hesitant to arm their crews. But they have found a secret weapon. Someone discovered that playing loud Britney Spears music keeps the pirates at bay. 

One British security expert said, "Playing loud pop songs has been proven as one of the most effective ways of fending off attackers.  As a tool against pirates, it is pretty effective." (It's also fairly effective against parents!) 

Finally something useful from Britney Spears!