tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post4159266375661266542..comments2023-08-05T07:24:04.413-05:00Comments on Hope n' Change Cartoons: Well, Shutdown My Mouth!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-12701512156181997362013-10-06T22:50:40.776-05:002013-10-06T22:50:40.776-05:00David in SoCal...
Wow, a TELETYPE! Movin' on ... David in SoCal...<br />Wow, a TELETYPE! Movin' on UP, huh? Is that one of those 5G teletypes? BTW, I know why magilla wants to have a meeting with Queen Latifa. Its been discovered that she is a mixed-race woman, half black and half Indian. magilla wanted to verify that the tribe Queen Latifa claims to be part of is the Arapahoe!<br /> Bruce Bleunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-40911283633159216662013-10-06T09:36:13.506-05:002013-10-06T09:36:13.506-05:00Breaking News! Breaking News! This just came thru...Breaking News! Breaking News! This just came thru on my Teletype:<br /> "Burger King announced it will be removing their 'King' from all advertising and promotions, as a result of pressure from the Oregime. When Jay Carney was questioned about this 'scandal' he replied: "Well, uh, obviously, uh, there is only room for one, uh, 'King' in America". Shortly thereafter, King Stahlman Bail Bonds announced it will change it's name to "Serf Stahlman Bail Bonds"..........And in a related story, Moochelle Oglommer has scheduled a meeting at the Hate House with Queen Latifa, no details were given as to why........ ;-) David in SoCalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-60851806978007558042013-10-06T05:59:16.351-05:002013-10-06T05:59:16.351-05:00@David in SoCal, at the moment, "Concierge&qu...@David in SoCal, at the moment, "Concierge" practices appear to be the only "free market" aspects of "health care" that will be surviving, at least in the short-term. But I'm sure that sooner or later, the Progressives will come up with a plan to address that problem. (It's a "problem", because only the "wealthy" can afford such personal care, and that's just "unfair") Remember, 20 years ago, "HillaryCare" addressed this problem by basically outlawing all private practice of medicine. I have no doubt that something similar is planned in the wake of ObamaCare. (Except for, well, you know, "special" people, of course!)<br /><br />Also David, I suspect that your union's leaders were more than aware of the "real truth" all along; It was just in their own personal best interests to go along with it. Your well-bring was an afterthought, at best.<br /><br />Ironically, ObamaCare is having what I consider a positive effect on how we deliver health care in America; it's forcing people out of employer-provided systems and making them buy it on their own. It's always been my position that one of the biggest problems with health care in America is that since WWII, it's something that most people expect to obtain through their employers instead of on their own. This has had the unfortunate effect of insulating consumers from the actual costs of what they've been consuming, and is a large part of why their notion of what "insurance" is has become so distorted.<br /><br />Unfortunately, since it's the actual mission of ObamaCare to destroy the free market for both insurance and care itself, this is too little too late. What people will be finding available on the "exchanges" (which in itself is not a bad idea, by the way) is not what they'd find in an honest, free-market insurance exchange. All plans on the exchanges must comply with Federal and State mandates, and there is no competition over state lines.John the Econnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-53698731470258009212013-10-05T23:28:27.901-05:002013-10-05T23:28:27.901-05:00David in SoCal: I heard one doctor on Hannity expl...David in SoCal: I heard one doctor on Hannity explain his concierge plan, and I could not find a fault with it - sounds like a h*** of an answer to the medical reform. He charged $50/month for 24/7 access (you would even have his cell phone number), with home/work place/office visits included. He advocated his patients getting a catastrophic (high deductible) hospital/surgical or medical plan, but I know from having had worked in the industry, those are reasonably cheap, and putting the difference from what you would/are paying into a HSA account.<br /><br />I'm 66 and retired so I'm on my company (read union's) medicare plan with a $1200 deductible after what Medicare pays, but I'm wondering what is going to happen on the next contract negotiation. I'm afraid that the company will dump the retiree's not yet 65 onto the healthcare exchanges.Grumpy Curmudgeonhttp://grumpy52.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-46633792904469967652013-10-05T22:07:02.775-05:002013-10-05T22:07:02.775-05:00Saw an interesting segment about 'Concierge Me...Saw an interesting segment about 'Concierge Medical Programs', that are now operating in Kansas on FOXN.<br />Me thinks we can ALL agree that our Health Care System here in the once great USA needed to be 'reformed', just not 'deformed' as we are experiencing now.<br />Here is some info: http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2012/12/10/concierge-medicine-health-care<br /><br />As a Union member, my 'Super Cadillac' insurance has now become more of a 'Yugo Plan'. My Chiro and I have worked out a payment plan whereas it is cheaper for me to pay him out of pocket for one year, rather than pay my rising deductibles and co-pays thru my bitchin Union plan. Many Doctors/patients are finding this a great alternative to survive the rising costs of healthcare as a result of the Unaffordable Control Tax. I know it won't be long before my Union finds out the REAL truth about the Narcissistic lying Oshyster, and will lose their 'waiver' for health care along with all us members. I am now in the process of contacting all of our(wifey-n-mine)Doctors to see what they are going to do, and if any of them will be considering the concierge system. My wife, unfortunately has many health issues, and requires her current team of specialists which took us a VERY long time to end up with. Doubt we will be so fortunate(can you say 'pre-existing conditions, boys and girls?...Sure ya can.) with the plan Odumbo has forced upon this populous. Hoping a few States may secede from the Union, so we can move there. Thanks for allowing me to open the pressure release valve, bless you all. David in SoCalnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-60073456943583090972013-10-05T12:46:29.082-05:002013-10-05T12:46:29.082-05:00Okay, just when you think the Obama Administration...Okay, just when you think the Obama Administration and their minions in the vast bureaucracy couldn't get any sillier than the whole "monument" fiasco, this pops up:<br /><br />FEDS TRY TO CLOSE THE OCEAN BECAUSE OF SHUTDOWN<br /><br />http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/05/Feds-Try-to-Close-the-OCEAN-Because-of-Shutdown<br /><br />That's right! The ocean is now closed. As we speak, supposedly un-funded Federal agencies are working on ways to stretch 88,633 miles of yellow "DO NOT CROSS" tape across all of America's shoreline to prohibit access.<br /><br />A mere decade ago, even the most extreme right-wing satirists couldn't possibly come up with insanity like this as fiction. Now we're actually living it.John the Econnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-48248171986324706702013-10-05T11:04:02.337-05:002013-10-05T11:04:02.337-05:00@PRY, the ugly reality is that for the most part, ...@PRY, the ugly reality is that for the most part, our government today is little more than a very inefficient wealth transfer management system directed by people who are elected in place to pick one group of people's pockets to give to others.<br /><br />The sick Orwellian twist to this is that people like ourselves are the ones labeled as "greedy" simply because we neither want to pick other people's pockets, nor have other people's pockets picked on our behalf. Those who openly want to pick other people's pockets for their own behalf somehow come out as the "moral" ones.John the Econnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-24939394759042922752013-10-05T08:25:51.575-05:002013-10-05T08:25:51.575-05:00Mr. Econ, I saw an article stating that roughly 40...Mr. Econ, I saw an article stating that roughly 40 percent of the gov is actually temporarily shutdown,like you say, it is a lie.PRYnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-90441663245718551642013-10-05T06:52:32.629-05:002013-10-05T06:52:32.629-05:00On another blog elsewhere, a churnalist wished me ...On another blog elsewhere, a churnalist wished me to be impressed by the supposed fact that the "shutdown" was costing the government $300-million-a-day. Wha? In the Obama era, The Federal government has been spending well over $10-billion-a-day. So why should I be impressed when a "shutdown" is only having an effect of a mere 3%?<br /><br />Mark Steyn nailed this well yesterday when he said <i>"This week’s “shutdown” of government, for example, suffers... from the awkward fact that the overwhelming majority of the government is not shut down at all. Indeed, much of it cannot be shut down. Which is the real problem facing America. “Mandatory spending” (Social Security, Medicare, et al.) is authorized in perpetuity — or, at any rate, until total societal collapse. If you throw in the interest payments on the debt, that means two-thirds of the federal budget is beyond the control of Congress’s so-called federal budget process. That’s why you’re reading government “shutdown” stories about the PandaCam at the Washington Zoo and the First Lady’s ghost-Tweeters being furloughed."<br /><br />Nevertheless, just because it’s a phony crisis doesn’t mean it can’t be made even phonier. The perfect symbol of the shutdown-simulacrum so far has been the World War II Memorial. This is an open-air facility on the National Mall — that’s to say, an area of grass with a monument at the center. By comparison with, say, the IRS, the National Parks Service is not usually one of the more controversial government agencies. But, come “shutdown,” they’re reborn as the shock troops of the punitive bureaucracy. Thus, they decided to close down an unfenced open-air site — which oddly enough requires more personnel to shut than it would to keep it open."</i><br /><br />http://m.nationalreview.com/article/360429/shutdown-simulacrum-mark-steyn<br /><br />A national park ranger was caught publicly saying <i>"It’s a cheap way to deal with the situation... We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting."</i><br /><br />http://freebeacon.com/park-rangers-ordered-to-make-life-difficult-during-shutdown/<br /><br />Yes, it is. And just wait until they're wholly responsible for your health care.John the Econnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-11854477784254307382013-10-05T00:15:48.445-05:002013-10-05T00:15:48.445-05:00@Readers- I was unable to join in the fray of the...<b>@Readers-</b> I was unable to join in the fray of the comments here today, but <i>wow</i> - you all knocked it out of the park! <br /><br />It sounds like we're all largely in agreement about the extent to which we're screwed here: Obamacare has been designed to fail, but not before destroying our old system and preventing us from ever "going back to" the way things were. Single-payer is in our future, along with the skyrocketing taxes and disincentives to work/earn that have been so well described here.<br /><br />And this "shutdown" really does seem like a trial run for increased application of the government whip to our backs - perhaps literally.<br /><br />On a personal note to <b>Queso Grande</b> and others, please don't be too worried about my family as things are on the upswing here, although it's sometimes hard to keep my time juggled and meet all my deadlines. And if I take a day off, don't assume it means things are bad: it just might mean I've decided to enjoy a particularly <i>good</i> day!<br /><br />As always, I'm grateful and humbled by all of the support, prayers, and expressions of goodwill we've received. I can't tell you what that's meant to my whole family. Thank you.Stilton Jarlsberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14503164551782304564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-5174164121325569062013-10-04T20:18:23.895-05:002013-10-04T20:18:23.895-05:00@StiltonJarlsberg,
I'm torn between joy at yo...@StiltonJarlsberg, <br />I'm torn between joy at your comedic verbosity and concern for your family. I trust all is well.<br />That said, I cannot agree more regarding your statement about O being a financial terrorist. The D's have a long history of using that club. A strong case could be made that Chucky Schumer and his IndyMac letter started the whole debacle in 2007. <br />Democrats and economics have been inimical ever since they tied their methods of production to slavery, and they've only gotten dumber over the decades.Queso Grandenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-20067742986291139022013-10-04T16:28:50.030-05:002013-10-04T16:28:50.030-05:00Believe it or not, I think that the House of Repre...Believe it or not, I think that the House of Representatives is (finally) actually doing it's job, what we elected them to do, represent us. Close to 70% of Americans do not want the Unaffordable Health Care Act to proceed.<br /><br />Every time I hear a lib say "It's the law of the land" I think, yeah, so was slavery. And the democrats fought tooth & nail to keep it & the republicans fought even harder to repeal it.<br /><br />Some laws are just bad & need to be repealed or in this case, de-funded; until it can be repealed.<br />SCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-52688841894417768952013-10-04T14:26:52.208-05:002013-10-04T14:26:52.208-05:00John the Econ absolutley nailed the scariest part ...John the Econ absolutley <i>nailed</i> the scariest part of this regime: they think nothing of - and are happily - <i>punishing</i> citizens-at-large for no reason better than Øbama's tantrum against the GOP. And we're letting them. <br /><br />Folks, we're already living in a dictatorship, if he can get away with this. Further, his posturing around the debt ceiling belies, I think, his plan to ignore - and obviate - congress. And even if Congress and the supreme "court" DO choose to act, it will have already been too late, as it would take months and months to block legally, while all the damage it does to the economy marches forward.<br /><br />Post-constitutional USA. Scary times. Scary times...Emmentaler Limburgerhttp://pateratic.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-38886253182113828512013-10-04T14:04:57.573-05:002013-10-04T14:04:57.573-05:00Like cockroaches, The One's minions have been ...Like cockroaches, The One's minions have been skulking around in the shadows of the night, wiring all the barry-cades around the WWII Memorial together so that they can't be moved by frail 90 year old veterans. By now, they have spent more on trying to prevent these veterans from seeing their monument than they have spent all year maintaining it. But that doesn't matter, it's all for the greater good of making the people HURT. These people are lower than the stuff that comes out of a maggots butt. Let the revolution begin...Grumpy Curmudgeonhttps://www.facebook.com/grumpycurmudgeonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-20553045041172573862013-10-04T13:02:59.079-05:002013-10-04T13:02:59.079-05:00@John and @REM, I agree. Huge new taxes are going ...@John and @REM, I agree. Huge new taxes are going to be needed, a national VAT being the most destructive and economy-killing of the various tax options, so I expect that's the one Obama & Co will impose first (there will always be new ones urgently coming down the pipeline, of course). The initial MSM 'conversation' will probably pretend that a VAT will REPLACE the current tax system, but the reality is we will wind up with VAT in addition to the current IRS structure.<br />And the VAT will initially be presented as some barely bearable rate--2%, 4%, 5%--but just like Obamacare's accelerating premiums, once in place it will soon be ratcheted up to whatever DC thinks the remnants of the economy can bear--10%, 15%, 19%, who knows. Europeans (those who still have jobs) pay personal basic income tax rates anywhere from 40 to 60%, then pay a VAT in the upper teen %'s with whatever is left over. They were able to totter along that way for several decades, under special circumstances of near-zero military expenditures and a Boomer generation of workers that were able and willing to pay taxes, before sputtering out now into collapse. Of course, they didn't have a total saboteur like Obama actively sabotaging their economies.<br />Rufus T Fireflynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-79476691754928053422013-10-04T12:41:37.974-05:002013-10-04T12:41:37.974-05:00Say it's true Barry, say we are really holding...Say it's true Barry, say we are really holding a real live gun to your head. The worst you could get is a flesh wound and possibly damage those dumbo sized ear flaps. Stilton is by far the best commentator/illustrator on the foibles of this regime. God Bless and be well to you and yours Stilton.Buck O'Famahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14569242115976012413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-43297816087526570892013-10-04T11:54:31.130-05:002013-10-04T11:54:31.130-05:00As to this 'shutdown', when the EPA can de...As to this 'shutdown', when the EPA can declare as non-essential something like 93% of its workforce, then perhaps said shutdown should remain as permanent as humanly possible. After all, it's mostly good news if there are only 7% of the termites chewing at your house today as there were yesterday. And yes, this event is like no similar events of the past, namely that this administration is acting in a way that has been described as "most arrogant and vindictive".<br /><br />And now for the headline of the day:<br /><br />"Woman in DC chase may have thought Obama was stalking her, sources say"<br /><br />Yes, Miriam Carey, he most certainly is stalking us all. And though it's nothing personal, I agree that it most certainly feels that way.<br /><br />Mike Porternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-73040877055268233382013-10-04T11:44:26.861-05:002013-10-04T11:44:26.861-05:00John
I fear there will be no repeal of the 16th bu...John<br />I fear there will be no repeal of the 16th but there will be a vat or fair tax simply added on. A vat of 200% won't cover the current damage.REM1875https://www.blogger.com/profile/04847984055699795355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-43493635917152067492013-10-04T11:23:52.951-05:002013-10-04T11:23:52.951-05:00Unfortunately @Rufus T Firefly, I believe it's...Unfortunately @Rufus T Firefly, I believe it's already too late. ObamaCare is simply the final nail in a coffin that the left has been building for decades, beginning with Medicare and Medicaid. Even if the Tea Party holdouts could manage to disable ObamaCare, (always was unlikely) the damage to the old system is irreversible, and there is absolutely no way that the reforms required to restore a functional free-marketplace for health care would ever make it through a leftist-dominated Congress and media.<br /><br />I don't know about the rest of you, but the best I can hope for is to preserve my wealth and stay as healthy as possible. As "single payer" will necessarily have to at least double income taxes, it will eventually make more sense to retire than to keep working. (Remember, "the poor" don't pay income taxes) The trick to this will be being free of all debt. People who are in debt will literally be slaves.<br /><br />The next big battle for what few "conservatives" are still left will be over how the taxes will be levied to pay for this monster. Ultimately, I'm predicting a VAT-like scheme, which will be evil because of its non-transparency, and industry-killing power. (Personally, I prefer the FairTax) The left, obsessed with wealth redistribution will want both the VAT and confiscatory taxation on "the rich". (which at this point will mainly mean "anyone left with a job")<br /><br />My prediction for the next big battle on the horizon? Accepting a VAT in exchange for killing the 16th Amendment. It's not going to be pretty.John the Econnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-14081616417345073202013-10-04T11:21:06.993-05:002013-10-04T11:21:06.993-05:00So much depression....Feel God Video for today.......So much depression....Feel God Video for today....<br /><a href="http://www.blackfive.net/main/2013/10/the-sweetest-sound-wwii-vets-singing-god-bless-america-on-honor-flight.html" rel="nofollow">Mississippi Honor Flight Singing God Bless America</a>Grumpy Curmudgeonhttps://www.facebook.com/grumpycurmudgeonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-2636874824608399692013-10-04T11:18:49.802-05:002013-10-04T11:18:49.802-05:00This is not like any guv shutdown that I have witn...This is not like any guv shutdown that I have witnessed. Also, I have not witnessed this level of animosity, crossing the line of ridiculous, really that I can recall. Of course, we have never had a president quite like Hussein Obama before! Got a sinking feeling this is not going to work out well, for us and mainly our posterity! <br /><br />We'll have to stay tuned to find out, but I sure would like to change the channel!FED UP PRYnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-57726595858152426862013-10-04T11:07:17.825-05:002013-10-04T11:07:17.825-05:00Some discouraged conservatives cling to this fallb...Some discouraged conservatives cling to this fallback notion that once Obamacare is in force and the sheeple see how terrible it truly is, there will be some mass groundswell that will force repeal. <br />That is defeatist as well as escapist thinking. The reason British NHS has never been repealed--despite that every Brit knows its horribly bad, and most can tell personal horror stories of family members, usually parents and grandparents, who have been killed by NHS policies ( a cancer or cardiac patient has a high probability of dying from the disease while waiting long months for the bureaucratic red tape to even begin to approve the initial start of treatment).<br />The Brits haven't repealed it because the NHS displaced and completely destroyed the mostly excellent medical system that existed before it. With that system destroyed there is nothing to 'return to' and a new system would have to be re-imagined from scratch.<br />Also, and this is the perverse aspect of human psychology, because they pay heavy taxes into the system (just as we will) they feel some complex emotional attachment to it, warts and all. They have 'bought in'. And, just as with us, the leftist Brit MSM steadfastly pretends that NHS is a wonderful, caring, compassionate accomplishment. <br />So you get the cognitive dissonance spectacle of Brits desperately scraping together pennies to fly off somewhere to a private doctor for important treatment all the while repeating 'Not that there's anything wrong with NHS, mind you."<br />Obama and company know that once the Obamacare virus well and truly hits us--which is right now--there will be no turning back. If we lose this defunding fight, I think this will be the last principled 'shutdown'. And if we lose this, resistance may indeed be futile.Rufus T Fireflynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-74436783423139599882013-10-04T10:39:26.948-05:002013-10-04T10:39:26.948-05:00@REM1875, I'm afraid you are correct. We will...@REM1875, I'm afraid you are correct. We will be slaves to big government once they take over health care.<br /><br />Consider this as an example of where we are going: By the 1970s, Great Britain was in far worse shape than the US is today; nearly all large industry was nationalized. The lights were literally going out as coal miners were on strike, literally holding the country hostage for even higher wages. Britain actually had to borrow money from the IMF like a turd-world hell-hole to get by.<br /><br />This was the country inherited by Margaret Thatcher, who put an end to the strikes, liquidated the failing, nationalized industries, and restored Britain's national and fiscal standing. Politically, what she achieved was an order of magnitude greater than what Reagan did here. (Which is why even today, she is even more hated by Reagan by the left)<br /><br /><b>But consider this: The one thing that even Margaret Thatcher could not touch was the NHS.</b> It survived Thatcher unscathed. Once established, such entitlements will never, ever go away.John the Econnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-75078188913678217262013-10-04T10:20:42.712-05:002013-10-04T10:20:42.712-05:00How important is this?
If zerocare is put in plac...How important is this? <br />If zerocare is put in place this will be our (conservatives) last shutdown and this tool will be removed from us when we hold house or senate. The left wing with the help of a willing msm will make sure that the masses know their 'free' health care will be cut next shut down. If an imaginary threat to soc security can bring such hell from seniors what do we think an imaginary threat to 'every ones' govt sponsered 'free' medical will do?<br />Talk about a third rail in politics.REM1875https://www.blogger.com/profile/04847984055699795355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8993108951931633758.post-36462870362654035932013-10-04T10:07:32.427-05:002013-10-04T10:07:32.427-05:00@John, excellent points all. This IS the State pun...@John, excellent points all. This IS the State punishing its insect subjects beneath it. As you have pointed out, this is the game plan. And right now in the Beta testing stage it's petty insults--denying access to parks, gratuitously spending manpower to close websites , etc. 'Mean girl' level trial tactics.<br /> Denial of services and the assertion that public spaces and taxpayer-paid parks and monuments belong not to the People, but to the State. Obamacare has many evil goals, and the creation of an absolute State monopoly over life and death by denying/withholding medical care to the citizenry is among the most dangerous and oppressive.<br />Expect the tactics to escalate if this drags on and the timid opposition in Congress does not come to heel in the timeframe the Dems view as optimal to discredit the GOP and acclimatize the low-info voters to the notion that the President just HAS to rule by decree because those darn mean Republicans are so obstructive.<br />Offhand I would expect they are kicking around plans to impact commercial passenger travel by, say, furloughing all FAA air traffic personnel on Tuesdays, Thursdays and alternating Saturdays, closing Amtrak on a rotating basis, suspending postal deliveries on some random day of the week. Options abound, when the intent is to harm as many and as openly and arrogantly as possible.<br />As many have pointed out, the 47% have not elected some misguided, incompetent leftist. <br />They have elected a saboteur.Rufus T Fireflynoreply@blogger.com