The Patriot Post Friday Digest 01-03-2014

________________________________________
The Patriot Post Friday Digest 01-03-2014
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Beginning today, we’re embarking on the final phase of our six-month long project to bring grassroots Patriots better content that’s both more timely and reader friendly.

We’re rolling each day’s content into one Digest of the best news analysis and opinion on the Internet. The result will be a time-saving daily dose of Right thinking on the most pressing issues – in just one email. It’s the same great content you have come to expect from The Patriot Post over the last 17 years, only in a more concise and timely format. We know you’ll love it!

As always, you can easily manage your subscription preferences here1.

THE FOUNDATION

“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.” –Thomas Paine

RIGHT HOOK
Phil Can Keep Filming

Just before Christmas, A&E announced it was “suspending” Phil Robertson2 from “Duck Dynasty” over comments he made about homosexuality in a GQ interview. The move was clearly a bow to the homosexual agenda and political correctness, as we recounted at the time. It wasn’t long, however, before A&E realized their cash cow was in jeopardy and reversed its decision. And Phil didn’t even miss any filming. A&E didn’t completely concede, though, instead seizing the opportunity to plan a new PSA campaign about “tolerance.” We can hardly wait.

13 Tax Hikes in 2013

Now that 2013 is history, here’s a recap of some of the taxes that went up last year: Payroll tax (from 4.2% to 6.2%); payroll taxes on those earning more than $250,000 rose another 0.9% on top of the other rate increase; top marginal rate (from 35% to 39.6%); personal exemptions began phasing out for couples earning more than $300,000; ditto for itemized deductions; capital gains and dividends tax increased from 15% to 20%; the death tax on estates larger than $5 million rose from 35% to 40%; taxes on business investment increased; the ObamaCare surtax of 3.8% kicked in for those earning more than $250,000 per year; medical device manufacturers now pay 2.3% excise tax on their products; the deduction for medical expenses was reduced; the corporate deduction for Medicare Part D subsidy expenses was eliminated; and health benefits deductions for corporate executives were limited.

(Hat Tip: Heritage Foundation3)

DNC’s Fake ‘Impeachment’ Scare

The DNC emailed supporters just after the Winter Solstice to rustle up some year-end cash. The “urgent” message? Don’t let Republicans impeach Barack Obama! Given that such an event is less likely than Al Gore renouncing his climate alarmism, we say to conservatives: Don’t bite on this hoax. The DNC’s message is a bait-and-switch attempt to change the subject from the Obama/Democrat epic FAILS this year to “impeachment.” Any political capital devoted to any such effort will go down the same rat hole as all the capital wasted on the “birth certificate” charade.

Convicts Vote Democrat

According to a new study in The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, most convicted criminals register as Democrats4. In fact, Breitbart reports, “The study found that felons registered Democratic over Republican by a six-to-one margin in some states, including New York, where 61.5% are Democrats and only 9% GOP. Another fact discovered was that 73% of the felons who would vote would vote Democrat.” They add, “The study said there are 5.8 million eligible voters in jail,” the majority of which are young black males. There’s one thing the Left can always count on: support from criminals. Because pickpockets have to stick together.

Cold Hard Facts

It may be summer in Antarctica, but a group of scientists on a global warming expedition were dealt an ironic twist after their ship became stranded due to exceptionally thick sea ice. Several ships were forced to avert rescue attempts after also running into adverse conditions. A helicopter was finally deployed in a last-ditch effort to pick up the 52 passengers stranded for 10 days. All this embarrassment could have been avoided if the crew had simply looked at the cold hard facts: Antarctica continues to mount record after record5 for sea ice expansion, and the globe is cooling6 – a development not projected by climate models. But environmental alarmists don’t hinge their efforts on facts.

For more, visit Right Hook7.

RIGHT ANALYSIS
ObamaCare: Some Things Never Change

It seems that 2014 will be the same as 2013 in at least one respect: The Obama White House will keep lying to us, particularly about its crowning “achievement,” ObamaCare. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius claimed on Tuesday that, as of Dec. 28, “2.1 million people have enrolled in a private insurance plan” via ObamaCare. Recall, however, that one is not “enrolled” until the first premium is paid, and the administration refused to provide figures on how many people made it through the Healthcare.gov gauntlet and managed to pay their premium.

According to The Wall Street Journal8, “As of Monday, however, only about half of enrollees billed for plans offered by more than 100 insurers in 17 states had paid their first month’s premium.” The deadline for paying those premiums has been extended, in some cases as late as Jan. 31.

Moreover, even if 2.1 million are enrolled, that doesn’t outweigh the five million policies that have been cancelled because of ObamaCare. That isn’t to say that three million people are without insurance; many of those five million rolled into other policies. But it also doesn’t diminish the size of Obama’s BIG lie9 that “if you like your plan, you can keep your plan.” Undaunted, the White House spun it this way in an email this week: “Americans across the country have new health insurance that starts today, thanks to the Affordable Care Act.” That’s because they lost their old insurance because of the “Affordable” Care Act! No wonder the chief operating officer of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is retiring.

In the end, however, the problem for Democrats isn’t the failed website rollout or even the mass cancellations, it’s the fact that from here forward every American suffering anything from a hang nail to a heart attack will blame Democrats for wantonly destroying the health care system.

Another Spin Cycle for Benghazi

With the 2012 elections long past, one would think The New York Times would take a breather from its pro-Obama campaign rhetoric. One would be wrong. Faithful to toe the line for Barack Obama’s narrative, the Times last week came out with an article all but absolving al-Qaida of the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attack that killed four Americans, including the ambassador. Instead, the Times blamed – you guessed it – the now-infamous YouTube video. According to the article10, “Months of investigation … turned up no evidence that Al Qaeda or other international terrorist groups had any role in the assault.” As we reported extensively last year11, however, this directly contradicts the CIA’s conclusion – or, at least, the CIA’s conclusion before the Obama administration rewrote its talking points – that “Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qaida participated in the attack.”

Nevertheless, defending its tale against accusations of political motivation, the Times claimed that “there was no editorial/newsroom conspiracy of any kind.” (If this is true, it may be a first in recent history for the Times). Meanwhile, the State Department continues to regurgitate the spin that it has “no indication that core al-Qaida … directed or planned what happened in Benghazi.” Apparently, the date of the attacks, September 11, doesn’t qualify as an indication. We have a feeling there are four dead Americans who might disagree.

For more, visit Right Analysis7.