The
Illiana Toll Road reveals, by its very name, that it will harm rather
than help local economies. An expressway with off and on-ramps that
would lure travelers to gas stations, motels and other local businesses
like restaurants would be helpful to Lake County. A toll road that penalizes drivers for getting off and on will simply funnel traffic right past Lake County businesses. Who benefits then? Not us!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, back at the Obama Ranch, the disaster continues to grow!!!
From The Patriot Post (PatriotPost.US)
"Of those
men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have
begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people, commencing
demagogues and ending tyrants." --Alexander Hamilton in Federalist No. 1
(1787)
Three weeks into the laughably catastrophic failure of Barack Obama's signature ObamaCare portal, Healthcare.gov, he proclaimed, "The Affordable Care Act is not just a website. It's much more."
This week, in congressional testimony about that failure, Marilyn Tavenner, who's responsible for overseeing the ACA technology, reiterated, "It's important to remember that the Affordable Care Act is more than just a website."
Indeed, it is much more, all of which poses an ominous threat to Essential Liberty, but for the moment, all eyes are on the cascading failures of ObamaCare.
The Lies and Cancellations:
In a 2009 health care reform speech before a joint session of Congress, Obama said, "If you misrepresent what's in this plan, we will call you out." This pathetic narcissist won't admit his own lies and duplicitous deceptions, so we'll call him out.
On 26 September, five days before the O'Care rollout, he declared, "I want to speak plainly, clearly, honestly, about what [ObamaCare] means for you and for the people you care about. Let's start with a fact. About 85% of Americans already have health insurance. If you're one of these folks, it's reasonable that you might worry that health care reform includes changes that are a problem for you, especially when you're bombarded with all sorts of fear mongering. So the first thing you need to know is this. If you already have health care you don't have to do anything."
Of course, we all now know that his oft-repeated lie -- "If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period." -- was a subterfuge to help push ObamaCare through the Democrat-controlled House and Senate.
To date, more than 4.1 million Americans have had their insurance policies cancelled. Worse yet, the Obama administration knew in 2010 that more than 90 million policies would be at risk of cancellation.
At present, Obama is fabricating new lies in an effort to cover up the old lies. Of his prevarications, National Journal's Ron Fournier, a long-time Obama acolyte from the Associated Press, wrote: "It might not seem possible that Obama could do more harm to his credibility ... than misleading Americans about health insurance reform. But he can. The president is now misleading the public about his deception."
Fournier also
took note of Obama's pronoun substitution. In the first round of lies, it was
all "I." But in the lies about lies, he has shifted to
"We."
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) offered his assessment of Obama's lies: "You know, the president already has a Nobel Prize for peace; I think he's shooting for one in fiction." Indeed, if he wins a Pulitzer for fiction, it will be because he actually earned it this time.
The
Sticker Shock and Awe:
Obama promised, "We're gonna lower your premiums by $2,500 per family per year."
Well, not quite. For the truth about O'Care policy replacement costs, this interactive map illustrates how the so-called "Affordable Care Act" will alter health insurance premiums. The latest report concludes that premiums will increase in 41 states, with some increases exceeding 100%.
The Security Breaches:
John McAfee, founder of the world's largest computer security company, offered this assessment of the scope of the Healthcare.gov failure: "Glitch is a minor annoyance. This is a catastrophic failure, not a glitch. There was no security testing, no quality assurance and no system emigration." McAfee notes that there are now more than 700 look-alike sites successfully scamming those pour souls who think they're at Healthcare.gov -- giving up lots of personal information. But it's not just the scammers that folks need to worry about. The information they'll be providing to the ObamaCare portal itself is at great risk of compromise.
In addition to the current O'Care debacles, I contend that there are very consequential political silver linings beyond all the lies, cancelations, price increases and security issues.
The real DemoCare liability is this: From October 1 forward, and with increasing frequency, Americans of every political stripe who have any issue with health care, whether a hangnail or heart transplant, a delay in a doctor's office or in critical care for a loved one, will tie blame for their discontent like a noose around the necks of Obama and his fellow Democrats, who were and remain solely responsible for forcing this abomination upon the American people.
So what's the success story for Obama?
The fact is,
O'Care is
achieving Obama's most coveted political objectives -- both the redistribution
of wealth and the centralizing control and regulation of the U.S. economy, as
outlined by his Marxist mentor, Saul Alinsky.
Despite the "glitches" plaguing the web launch, and other notable issues undermining whatever credibility Obama has left, his macro agenda for the so-called "Affordable Care Act" is on track to become the largest wealth redistribution scheme in American history, and a crushing burden upon the shoulders of free enterprise.
Obama's ACA is the Socialist Democrats' crowning achievement for "fundamentally transforming the United States of America" -- the greatest domestic threat to Liberty since Franklin Roosevelt's despotic regime.
As for the two most significant objections to ObamaCare -- the increasing cost of insurance coverage and the forcing of millions of people into part-time employment so employers can avoid the mandates -- Obama will roll out two solutions.
First, once enough people have lost their existing insurance, he will launch a populist proposal to substantially increase "subsidies."
Second, he will unilaterally create even more regulatory measures to redefine part-time employment as it pertains to avoiding O'Care mandates.
Both of these measures will be wrapped up in his rhetoric about "fighting for the middle class," his incessant vows to protect the average American from the ravages of free enterprise, and his efforts to ensure "economic justice."
Regarding objections from his union constituency, HHS quietly announced this week a planned reinsurance tax exemption for big union insurance plans.
Obama has already succeeded in swelling the rolls of those who are government dependents.
According to the latest census data, while there are 125 million Americans who depend primarily on earnings, there are now 100 million Americans who depend on the government for subsistence. Some 82 million receive Medicaid welfare (and that number is going up as a result of O'Care), almost 50 million receive food and shelter subsidies, and 5 million receive unemployment checks. (Note, these figures do not include the 50 million Americans who receive earned assistance in the form of Social Security, Medicare and Veteran's benefits.)
ObamaCare adds
millions to his government-dependent constituency through insurance subsidies.
ObamaCare expands the ranks of unionized government employees, much as was the case when the Transportation Security Administration forged its alliance with the Democratic Party.
ObamaCare greatly inflates IRS power and scope.
ObamaCare hugely increases the expense burden on small businesses -- punishing entrepreneurs and their employees for engaging in free-market capitalism and supporting conservative principles.
ObamaCare massively expands the Medicaid entitlement, which will cost taxpayers trillions more.
Oh, and did I mention that ObamaCare is going to be a conduit for new (and fraudulent) voter registrations? Indeed, within ObamaCare's application for insurance subsidies is a checkbox for voter registration.
Now, it's not out of the realm of possibility to substantially amend or revoke ObamaCare.
In 1988, with the support of the AARP, Democrats in the House passed the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act by a vote of 328 to 72. A year later, Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL), Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, literally had to flee an angry mob of unhappy constituents. The law was repealed 16 months after passage by a vote of 360 to 66.
However, the only hope of rolling back ObamaCare is by way of a coalition of conservative and moderate Republicans who can win controlling majorities in the House and Senate in 2014 and the White House in 2016. That means a cease-and-desist order regarding all the self-defeating Republican infighting.
In the meantime, we must do everything possible to contain Obama's overt and covert expansion of the ACA.
Pro Deo et Constitutione -- Libertas aut Mors
Semper Fortis Vigilate Paratus et Fidelis
Pair of elected officials urge NIRPC to reject Illiana highway
By Carrie Napoleon
Post-Tribune correspondent
November 7, 2013 8:20PM
A sign reads "No Illiana Toll
Road" in front of a home on Lake Julia on 163rd Avenue in Crown Point,
Ind. Wednesday June 6, 2012. INDOT's preferred route for the Illiana
roadway would greatly impact the area. The southern end of the preferred
route would cut through the lake's dam, according to neighbors. |
Stephanie Dowell~Sun-Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: November 8, 2013 2:00AM
CROWN POINT — Two elected officials
representing south Lake County residents have come out against the
proposed Illiana tollway, saying they have yet to see the benefit to the
region. They are asking members of the Northwestern Indiana Regional
Planning Commission to do the same.
State Rep. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, and Lake County
Councilman Eldon Strong, R-Crown Point, came together at a news
conference Thursday to say it was time they took a stand against the
project that will negatively impact the constituents they represent and
will serve only to benefit neighboring Illinois.
They
are asking NIRPC members to listen to their concerns and not put the
Illiana project in the agency’s 2040 plan, a necessary step for the
roadway to move forward. NIRPC is set to vote on the plan in December.
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning last month approved placing
the roadway in its 2040 plan.
Niemeyer said he has been an elected official ever
since efforts to build the highway began, first as a trustee, then a
county councilman and now a state representative. Throughout the process
he has asked how the roadway will benefit Indiana and to this day, he
said, there has been no clear answer.
“I cannot see the benefit for this area, for the state of Indiana or for Northwest Indiana,” Niemeyer said.
Strong said the highway as it is proposed, a
tollway, will do nothing to create long-term jobs for the region.
Motorists use tollways to get from one place to the next and will not
stop to shop.
“Development along a tollway is not beneficial. Any
future development on the east end of this project will be costly as
there are no nearby sewer and water utilities,” Strong said.
Money would be better spent to repair and improve
the region’s aging infrastructure instead of investing money into
something that will not benefit the region.
“Let’s fix what we have before we make new,” Strong
said, adding money would be better spent on the Gary airport expansion,
bridge repairs and revitalization of lakefront communities.
“I urge NIRPC to vote no on the Illiana and bring real jobs to Indiana,” Strong said.
Both men said they understand there often is
not-in-my-back-yard resistance for major projects, but when the project
benefits the greater good sometimes it must go forward.
“NIMBY is not the No. 1 driving issue on our stance,” Niemeyer said.
He said it might be different if this were an
interstate project, but the tollway takes land from its current owners
and turns it over to a private entity that will make a profit on it as a
tollway.
Niemeyer said they, as public officials, have a
responsibility to current residents as well as future residents. He
described growth figures for south Lake County used in the Illiana
studies as “so exaggerated.”
“It seems like they are pushing the investment in
future growth and not taking into consideration the people who live here
now,” he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, back at the Obama Ranch, the disaster continues to grow!!!
From The Patriot Post (PatriotPost.US)
O'Care Success? Unfortunately Yes.
Obama's ACA Agenda Moving Forward
By Mark Alexander ·
November 7, 2013 
 |
Three weeks into the laughably catastrophic failure of Barack Obama's signature ObamaCare portal, Healthcare.gov, he proclaimed, "The Affordable Care Act is not just a website. It's much more."
This week, in congressional testimony about that failure, Marilyn Tavenner, who's responsible for overseeing the ACA technology, reiterated, "It's important to remember that the Affordable Care Act is more than just a website."
Indeed, it is much more, all of which poses an ominous threat to Essential Liberty, but for the moment, all eyes are on the cascading failures of ObamaCare.
The Lies and Cancellations:
In a 2009 health care reform speech before a joint session of Congress, Obama said, "If you misrepresent what's in this plan, we will call you out." This pathetic narcissist won't admit his own lies and duplicitous deceptions, so we'll call him out.
On 26 September, five days before the O'Care rollout, he declared, "I want to speak plainly, clearly, honestly, about what [ObamaCare] means for you and for the people you care about. Let's start with a fact. About 85% of Americans already have health insurance. If you're one of these folks, it's reasonable that you might worry that health care reform includes changes that are a problem for you, especially when you're bombarded with all sorts of fear mongering. So the first thing you need to know is this. If you already have health care you don't have to do anything."
Of course, we all now know that his oft-repeated lie -- "If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period." -- was a subterfuge to help push ObamaCare through the Democrat-controlled House and Senate.
To date, more than 4.1 million Americans have had their insurance policies cancelled. Worse yet, the Obama administration knew in 2010 that more than 90 million policies would be at risk of cancellation.
At present, Obama is fabricating new lies in an effort to cover up the old lies. Of his prevarications, National Journal's Ron Fournier, a long-time Obama acolyte from the Associated Press, wrote: "It might not seem possible that Obama could do more harm to his credibility ... than misleading Americans about health insurance reform. But he can. The president is now misleading the public about his deception."
 |
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) offered his assessment of Obama's lies: "You know, the president already has a Nobel Prize for peace; I think he's shooting for one in fiction." Indeed, if he wins a Pulitzer for fiction, it will be because he actually earned it this time.
Obama promised, "We're gonna lower your premiums by $2,500 per family per year."
Well, not quite. For the truth about O'Care policy replacement costs, this interactive map illustrates how the so-called "Affordable Care Act" will alter health insurance premiums. The latest report concludes that premiums will increase in 41 states, with some increases exceeding 100%.
The Security Breaches:
John McAfee, founder of the world's largest computer security company, offered this assessment of the scope of the Healthcare.gov failure: "Glitch is a minor annoyance. This is a catastrophic failure, not a glitch. There was no security testing, no quality assurance and no system emigration." McAfee notes that there are now more than 700 look-alike sites successfully scamming those pour souls who think they're at Healthcare.gov -- giving up lots of personal information. But it's not just the scammers that folks need to worry about. The information they'll be providing to the ObamaCare portal itself is at great risk of compromise.
In addition to the current O'Care debacles, I contend that there are very consequential political silver linings beyond all the lies, cancelations, price increases and security issues.
The real DemoCare liability is this: From October 1 forward, and with increasing frequency, Americans of every political stripe who have any issue with health care, whether a hangnail or heart transplant, a delay in a doctor's office or in critical care for a loved one, will tie blame for their discontent like a noose around the necks of Obama and his fellow Democrats, who were and remain solely responsible for forcing this abomination upon the American people.
So what's the success story for Obama?
 |
Despite the "glitches" plaguing the web launch, and other notable issues undermining whatever credibility Obama has left, his macro agenda for the so-called "Affordable Care Act" is on track to become the largest wealth redistribution scheme in American history, and a crushing burden upon the shoulders of free enterprise.
Obama's ACA is the Socialist Democrats' crowning achievement for "fundamentally transforming the United States of America" -- the greatest domestic threat to Liberty since Franklin Roosevelt's despotic regime.
As for the two most significant objections to ObamaCare -- the increasing cost of insurance coverage and the forcing of millions of people into part-time employment so employers can avoid the mandates -- Obama will roll out two solutions.
First, once enough people have lost their existing insurance, he will launch a populist proposal to substantially increase "subsidies."
Second, he will unilaterally create even more regulatory measures to redefine part-time employment as it pertains to avoiding O'Care mandates.
Both of these measures will be wrapped up in his rhetoric about "fighting for the middle class," his incessant vows to protect the average American from the ravages of free enterprise, and his efforts to ensure "economic justice."
Regarding objections from his union constituency, HHS quietly announced this week a planned reinsurance tax exemption for big union insurance plans.
Obama has already succeeded in swelling the rolls of those who are government dependents.
According to the latest census data, while there are 125 million Americans who depend primarily on earnings, there are now 100 million Americans who depend on the government for subsistence. Some 82 million receive Medicaid welfare (and that number is going up as a result of O'Care), almost 50 million receive food and shelter subsidies, and 5 million receive unemployment checks. (Note, these figures do not include the 50 million Americans who receive earned assistance in the form of Social Security, Medicare and Veteran's benefits.)
 |
ObamaCare expands the ranks of unionized government employees, much as was the case when the Transportation Security Administration forged its alliance with the Democratic Party.
ObamaCare greatly inflates IRS power and scope.
ObamaCare hugely increases the expense burden on small businesses -- punishing entrepreneurs and their employees for engaging in free-market capitalism and supporting conservative principles.
ObamaCare massively expands the Medicaid entitlement, which will cost taxpayers trillions more.
Oh, and did I mention that ObamaCare is going to be a conduit for new (and fraudulent) voter registrations? Indeed, within ObamaCare's application for insurance subsidies is a checkbox for voter registration.
Now, it's not out of the realm of possibility to substantially amend or revoke ObamaCare.
In 1988, with the support of the AARP, Democrats in the House passed the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act by a vote of 328 to 72. A year later, Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL), Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, literally had to flee an angry mob of unhappy constituents. The law was repealed 16 months after passage by a vote of 360 to 66.
However, the only hope of rolling back ObamaCare is by way of a coalition of conservative and moderate Republicans who can win controlling majorities in the House and Senate in 2014 and the White House in 2016. That means a cease-and-desist order regarding all the self-defeating Republican infighting.
In the meantime, we must do everything possible to contain Obama's overt and covert expansion of the ACA.
Pro Deo et Constitutione -- Libertas aut Mors
Semper Fortis Vigilate Paratus et Fidelis
