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« on: December 29, 2013, 01:28:39 AM » |
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The Patriot Post Wednesday Digest 12-04-2013
From The Federalist Patriot
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THE FOUNDATION
“Stability in government is essential to national character and to the advantages annexed to it.” –James Madison
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Mission Accomplished – or Not
The 2008 presidential campaign never really ended for Barack Obama – everything he does and says is a political calculation or stump speech, and this week is no different. He began the week by declaring “mission accomplished” with the re-relaunch of Healthcare.gov1 and traveling around to tout the amazing awesomeness of his wondrous plan. He vowed, “We’re not going back,” and insisted that repeal won’t happen “as long as I’m president.” But we already knew he’s far too narcissistic to admit defeat, so he’ll just plant the victory flag in the wreckage and press on.
And wreckage it is. After the Dec. 1 “fixed it” announcement, security experts warned that the site might be more vulnerable now than it was before. The White House boasted of 400 bug fixes and improvements, but as David Kennedy, CEO of the online security firm TrustedSec, put it, “When you recode the application to fix these 400 bugs – they were rushing this out of the door to get the site at least so it can work a little bit – you’re introducing more security flaws as you go along with it because you don’t even check that code.”
Insurers objected as well, saying that, no, actually Healthcare.gov still doesn’t work. The back end of the website, where insurers are notified of and paid for the product sold, isn’t fully functional. That’s right – insurers are not always being notified that consumers signed up for coverage, and they’re also not being paid for the policies. Not to worry though; insurers will almost surely receive a bailout for Obama’s “fixing” of policy cancellations2, as well as payment for an estimate of what’s owed3 for policies sold. That’s on top of $1 trillion in subsidies over the next decade.
As far as consumers and coverage, the 126,000 Americans who supposedly managed to navigate Healthcare.gov to obtain insurance may not have actually succeeded. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney says “there’s a joint effort to reach out to those who have enrolled to make sure that every step is being – that they know they need to take all the necessary steps to ensure that that coverage kicks in.” In other words, if you thought you signed up, you might want to double check that you actually signed up. Healthcare.gov is still generating errors with applications, duplicate applications and other assorted technical “glitches” that are preventing coverage from being secured for roughly one-third of applicants. If you like your plan you can’t keep it, and you may not even be able to replace it.
When a reporter asked Carney if it was time to declare “mission accomplished,” Carney replied, “Using that phrase is not one I would employ.” This just in! And all it took was $1 billion – before the fixes4.
ECONOMY, REGS & TAXES
Judge Okays Detroit Bankruptcy
As Mark Alexander wrote in July7, if Barack Obama had a city, it would look like Detroit. Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr to work through the city’s finances. Under Orr’s direction, the Motor City filed for bankruptcy in July in a last-ditch effort to address its $18 billion in long-term liabilities, but public unions sued to stop the proceedings in their own effort to protect their gravy train. This week, however, Judge Steven Rhodes allowed the bankruptcy to proceed, saying, “This once proud and prosperous city can’t pay its debts. It’s insolvent. It’s eligible for bankruptcy. At the same time, it also has an opportunity for a fresh start.”
According to The Heritage Foundation8, “Of Detroit’s $18.3 billion in debt, more than half is unfunded retirement benefits for public employees: $3.5 billion in pension liabilities and $5.7 billion in other post-employment benefits.” Meanwhile, the city’s population has plummeted over decades-long Democrat rule, meaning the taxpaying base is shrinking as costs explode. Public unions will never willingly agree to truly reasonable terms, but Rhodes' ruling does mean they have to share the burden of the city’s financial trouble.
Smaller bankruptcies in the California cities of Stockton and Vallejo left alone public employee pension funds because of the clout of California’s union. So as The Wall Street Journal writes9, “Detroit is the first Chapter 9 case in which the supremacy of federal bankruptcy law over state pension protections has been decisively challenged and resolved. … Judge Rhodes’s wise ruling is a warning to unions and their political bodyguards that Chapter 9 is not a pension safe harbor.” It will indeed be a good development if unions are forced to live in reality.
NATIONAL SECURITY
North Korea Detains U.S. Citizen
An 85-year-old Korean War veteran is currently being detained by North Korea. Two military officers pulled Merrill Newman off his plane on Oct. 26, and have been holding him in custody ever since without contact. His wife calls the detention a huge “misunderstanding,” but it would appear that it’s more nefarious. Newman is the seventh American detained since 2009, and in every other case so far, the North Koreans get something from the U.S. in return – including highly publicized visits by Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter in 2010.
Newman is also the second American currently being detained. Kenneth Bae, a Christian missionary and tour operator, was arrested in November 2012 and charged with “hostile acts,” which are believed to be photographing hungry children. In May, he was sentenced to 15 years hard labor after the Obama administration refused any concessions to North Korea. Perhaps Newman is dictator Kim Jong Un’s attempt to ratchet up the pressure. Kim is the third generation of his dynasty, and so far has proved every bit as unhinged as his father and grandfather. He and his rule are still young, which means he’s trying to prove himself to his people. Forcing the U.S. to come crawling would solidify his hold on power.
The U.S. must take measures to prevent what are essentially state kidnappings. In 2008, President George W. Bush removed North Korea from the State Department’s list of terror-sponsoring states in an effort to save a disarmament agreement. The move was ill-advised and should be corrected, among other possible measures. North Korea will continue to be a thorn in our side until they face consequences for their rogue behavior.
CULTURE, SCIENCE & FAITH
Another Study Links Abortion and Breast Cancer
Confirming the findings of a previous study, a new study has found that the risk of breast cancer spikes among women who have had at least one abortion and skyrockets among women who have had two or more. The study, which examined results of several other studies and was published in the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Causes and Control, found that women who had at least one induced abortion increased their risk of developing breast cancer by 44%. Women who had two abortions increased their risk by 76%, and women who had three abortions saw an 89% increase in risk. According to the study’s authors10, these results “were consistent with a previously published systematic review,” which found the risk of breast cancer increased by 30% among women who had at least one induced abortion.
Ironically, even after the original study was released, Susan G. Komen, the largest breast cancer charity and research organization worldwide, continued to fund Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the nation’s largest abortion provider. Last year, Komen briefly halted its PPFA funding but quickly caved to political pressure11 from the pro-abortion camp and restored funding to the abortion mill. Given this latest study further confirming the abortion-breast cancer link, we urge Komen to live up to its stated mission and stop funding Planned Parenthood for good. And we urge all those who claim to be pro-women to start warning women of the true risks of abortion. |
