“Taking It In The Shorts”: Obama Steps Up Marketing Campaign As Ocare Continues Its Slow Death Spiral

By William Teach October 17, 2016 – 7:15 am

Nothing like getting a mailer or seeing an add for a product that is going to cost you more each year while seeing the available usage decrease

(Forbes) The Obama administration is rolling out a new and broader marketing strategy to get more Americans to sign up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, taking to Instagram and sending millions more Americans direct mail.

The Obamacare marketing effort will include more than 10 million pieces of direct mail, a huge increase from 800,000 Americans targeted by mail last year, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency rolling out the law. In addition, a social media campaign will, for the first time, include images and video ads on Instagram to target millennials.

Would this be necessary if the law passed solely by Democrats was working well?

Ads promoting health coverage will move beyond traditional television and radio to social media and gaming platforms like Twitch. Ads and videos on YouTube and Facebook will also be used as they have been in the past.

As if the ads already on those sites weren’t annoying enough as it is.

Most of those who are losing coverage will have other choices. The Obama administration is confident it can build on the more than 11 million Americans who had coverage via the healthcare marketplace earlier this year by using “smarter targeting and new tactics,” Kevin Counihan, the CEO of HealthCare.gov said last week. “I’m confident our outreach campaign will give more consumers the information they need and help us continue our historic progress in reducing the number of uninsured.”

The problem here is that the law was originally deemed as being the solution to the 30-45 million Americans without health insurance. Even the scaled back 20 million number is still not being hit, all while the government spends tons of taxpayer money, even though we were told it would be “revenue neutral”. Everyone having affordable health insurance that can be used without paying through the nose is a good idea. Unfortunately, the so-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act fails.

An S&P forecast predicts that Ocare participation will shrink by 8%. I wonder if the flyers and ads will remind consumers that they could face penalties simply for being Americans without insurance? Remember, 1.4 million Obamacare participants are going to lose the plans they previously signed up for via Ocare.

Meanwhile, in the People’s Republik Of California, which utterly embraced Ocare, even the SF Chronicle can’t whitewash this turd of a law

1.4 million enrollees get some federal aid to help cover the cost of their premiums. The increases will be felt most acutely by those policyholders who make too much money to qualify for those subsidies. These are self-employed people or those who otherwise don’t get health insurance through their employers.

“I was in favor of Obamacare,” said Ted Weinstein, a self-employed literary agent in San Francisco, referring to the Affordable Care Act. “Now I’m taking it in the shorts with a 27 percent rate increase (next) year.”

Good thing this is saving families $2500 a year, ya know!

Read: “Taking It In The Shorts”: Obama Steps Up Marketing Campaign As Ocare Continues Its Slow Death Spiral »

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“Freedom Spoken Here”: NC GOP Office Firebombed, Vandalized

By William Teach October 17, 2016 – 6:49 am

Sadly, politics can over-inflame people’s passions

(Raleigh N&O) The Orange County Republican Party headquarters was firebombed overnight Saturday and graffiti was spray-painted nearby in an attack that the GOP called “political terrorism.”

A flaming bottle was thrown through a window of the office and a swastika and “Nazi Republicans leave town or else” were painted in black on the side of an adjacent building, Hillsborough officials said in a news release.

Of course, some were quick to call this a “false flag” operation. Sorry, no, it’s typically Leftists perpetrating fake hate incidents.

Governor Pat McCrory stated

“The firebombing of a local political headquarters in Orange County is clearly an attack on our democracy,” McCrory said in a statement. “Violence has no place in our society – but especially in our elections. … I will use every resource as governor to assist local authorities in this investigation.”

Hillary offered her response

to which the NC GOP thanked her. And

“The North Carolina Democratic Party strongly condemns this attack,” she said. “Violence has no place in our political system. … Our deepest sympathies are with everyone at the North Carolina Republican Party.”

Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper tweeted, “Violence has no place in our democracy and can not be tolerated. The culprits must be caught and brought to justice.”

Trump went with

Overly bombastic.

Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the state GOP, called the bombing “political terrorism.”

Later, Woodhouse said, “Whether you are Republican, Democrat or Independent, all Americans should be outraged by this hate-filled and violent attack against our democracy. … Everyone in this country should be free to express their political viewpoints without fear for their own safety.”

Thankfully, no one was hurt or killed. Here’s the kicker

The flaming bottle, which Woodhouse described as a significant Molotov cocktail, and bomb, was thrown through a window that bore the words “Freedom spoken here.”

If Democrats are lucky, the perpetrators will be folks that they can easily disassociate themselves from, some individual or group that is beyond Leftist fringe.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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If All You See…

By William Teach October 16, 2016 – 1:00 pm

…is an area flooded from carbon pollution rain, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Daley Gator, with a post on science being raaaaacist.

Read: If All You See… »

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Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach October 16, 2016 – 9:36 am

Happy Sunday! A gorgeous day in America. Hockey is back, football is in full swing, baseball playoffs are going on, Halloween is almost here, and this horrible election cycle is almost over. This pinup is by Earl Medcalf, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Moonbattery covers the unbearable whiteness of pumpkins (and one on liberals telling people to steal guns)
  2. Outside The Beltway discusses the Republican dilemma
  3. Political Clown Parade notes fans leaving the NFL
  4. Powerline has the Obamacare meltdown
  5. Raised On Hoecakes discusses Halloween costumes making people feel bad in Florida
  6. The Daley Gator covers equality or liberty
  7. The First Street Journal notes the racism of the Left
  8. The Geller Report covers how things are going in Hillary’s Libya
  9. The Hayride discusses the coming GOP civil war
  10. The Right Scoop notes Trumpites calling for revolution if Trump loses
  11. The Strata-Sphere discusses the Obamacare death spiral
  12. This ain’t Hell… covers someone whining about infantry officer standards
  13. Vlad Tepes notes feminists in Sweden supporting rapists (can you guess why?)
  14. Jihad Watch discusses Hillary’s long record of enabling global jihad
  15. And last, but not least, American Power notes Trump’s scorched earth campaign

As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page. While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your “Pinups for Vets” calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me

Don’t forget to check out all the other great material all the linked blogs have!

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. (BTW, since someone asked, the reason I leave links for the previous week up (or you might see a *) is because they are place holders for later in the day or for next weeks. Easier than rewriting all the time. Also, the listing order has to do with how they are added over time, not how good a post is. I just copy and paste from the previous week, then edit. If you see one of the *’s, go ahead and check out the blog anyhow, see if there is an update. I cannot update with my Android during the day.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

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NY Times: Trump Is Modern Day Hitler Or Stalin Or Something

By William Teach October 16, 2016 – 8:09 am

It’s invariable. Every election cycle the media works hard to elect the Democrats while painting the Republicans as wanting some sort of authoritarian regime. With George Bush, they all complained about the coming Theocracy. They had a bit more of a problem with McCain, but, they branded him a hard-core Conservative who was willing to restrict people’s rights, sliding towards a dictatorship. With Romney, much the same, with overtones of a coming Mormon theocracy. Now we get this little piece in the New York Times by Roger Cohen

How Dictatorships Are Born

“Something is happening here but you don’t know what it is, do you, Mister Jones?”

Of course Bob Dylan deserved the Nobel Prize for Literature. We’re all Mister Jones now. It’s the wildest political season in the history of the United States.

Interestingly, the song, Ballad Of The Thin Man, is seemingly about the exclusion of someone different from Dylan, rather than inclusion.

Just to make his pedigree clear, Donald Trump is now suggesting that Hillary Clinton “meets in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of U.S. sovereignty, in order to enrich these global financial powers, her special interest friends, and her donors.”

Um, he’s right. He emails and actions show this. But, of course, Trump bringing it up means he’s Hitler or Stalin

What was it the Nazis called the Jews? Oh, yes, “rootless parasites,” that’s it. For Stalin they were rootless cosmopolitans.

Just saying.

Societies slide into dictatorship more often than they lurch, one barrier falling at a time. “Just a buffoon,” people say, “and vulgar.” And then it’s too late.

Me thinks he doth protest too much. Trump is a buffoon, and, like the Democrat he used to be, he seems to love the notion of Central Government planning and control. Is he a dictator in waiting? No. Perhaps Cohen should look more towards the Democratic Party, which is backstopped by the Progressives, who are specifically pushing for an authoritarian government, not necessarily led by a single person, but embedded within it all, which would have control over everything, what is referred to as Nice Fascism. The nice doesn’t mean that they smile at you, but that they don things “for your own good” because they know better.

Perhaps Cohen should look at Obama’s use of executive orders for things he wants done, and damned are the citizens and elected legislators who represent them. Perhaps he should consider the passage of Obamacare, utterly over the wishes of The People, which gives the government greater control of health insurance, and, more importantly, health care.

Today, millions of Americans who plan to vote for Trump are apparently countenancing violence against their neighbors, people who might be different from them, perhaps Muslim or Latino. It’s easy to inject the virus of hatred: just point a gun.

Interesting. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has created a situation of extreme violence within the Black community, and do not really seem to care. Also interesting, the majority of political violence is perpetrated by Democrats against Republicans.

That Trump traffics in violence is irrefutable. His movement wants action — deportations, arrests, assassination and torture have been mooted. The most worrying thing is not that Trump likes Vladimir Putin, the butcher of Aleppo, but that he apes Vladimir Putin.

What’s wrong with deporting people who shouldn’t be here? What’s wrong with arresting those who committed crimes? What’s wrong with assassinating enemies of the United States, specifically ISIS members (Obama does this all the time with drone strikes and such, and good that he does)? A bit of water boarding of Islamic jihadis with knowledge? Liberals seem to care more about them than American citizens.

Speaking of Latinos, here’s what happened the other day to Veronica Zuleta, who was born in El Salvador and became an American citizen more than a decade ago. She was in the upscale Draeger’s Market in Menlo Park when the man next to her said:

“You should go to Safeway. This store is for white people.”

Zuleta was shocked. Never had she encountered a comment like that about her brown skin. But even the Democratic bastion of Silicon Valley is not immune to the Trump effect: Once unsayable things can now be said the world over. “Go back to where you came from” is the phrase du jour.

That’s interesting, as I cannot find one story on the ‘Net with this. If you can find it, drop it in the comments or email me at wteach@thepiratescove.us. So often, we find that these types of incidents are entirely manufactured by the person. In this case, it seems it was manufactured by Cohen.

Anyhow, it’s all interesting, because the Republicans stand for individual liberty and freedom, small government which only intrudes when it must, while Democrats stand for top down governmental dominance over all the citizens. Cohen ends with the line about Mr. Jones. Perhaps he should look within to understand the slow creep within his own party. You can call it what you want: Socialism, Marxism, Communism, Alinxyism, Progressivism. It all leads to a type of Central Government control by political elites and a bureaucracies.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: NY Times: Trump Is Modern Day Hitler Or Stalin Or Something »

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If All You See…

By William Teach October 15, 2016 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible plastic bottle causing extreme droughts and floods, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Legal Insurrection, with a post on the media destruction of Ken Bone.

Read: If All You See… »

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People Who Don’t Worry About Costs Ban Use Of HFCs

By William Teach October 15, 2016 – 11:47 am

I’ve told you here and there about the attempt to by HFCs by global elites. It has now come to pass

(France 24) In a major international step towards battling climate change, 197 nations hammered out a legally binding deal to cut back on the greenhouse gases used in refrigerators and air conditioners.

The deal – which includes the world’s two biggest economies, the United States and China – divides countries into three groups with different deadlines for reducing the use of factory-made hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases, which can be 10,000 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in contributing to climate change.

“It’s a monumental step forward,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said, as he left the talks in the Rwandan capital of Kigali late on Friday.

Will John Kerry be giving up all his appliances that use HFCs immediately? Shutting off the AC at State Department buildings? Of course not. Silly question. Warmists never practice what they preach.

Under the pact developed nations, including much of Europe and the United States, commit to reducing their use of HFC gases incrementally, starting with a 10 percent cut by 2019 that will increase to 85 percent by 2036.

Many wealthier nations have already begun to reduce their use of HFCs.

Two groups of developing countries will freeze their use of the gases by either 2024 or 2028, and then gradually reduce their use overall. India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and the Gulf countries will meet the later deadline, and are being given more time because they have rapidly expanding middle classes and hot climates. India, for example, feared undercutting its growing industries with too rapid a reduction.

As I’ve noted again and again, there are no real alternatives to HFCs at this time that aren’t very costly. Or extremely flammable. Humorously, these same global elites ramming this down the throats of citizens, who will bear the financial burden, keep yammering about the free market solving the problem. Let’s also not forget, though, that HFCs are actually potent greenhouse gases, unlike CO2. What this legally binding agreement does is put the cart before the horse. And quickly. The NY Times’ Coral Davenport (they should turn off the AC at the NY Times building) reports

The final deal will divide the world economy into three tracks. The richest countries, including the United States and those in the European Union, will freeze the production and consumption of HFCs by 2018, reducing them to about 15 percent of 2012 levels by 2036.

In other words, it appears that anything manufactured after 2018 will need to use one of the more costly and dangerous replacements, which affects you, the consumer. Over time, it will become more and more impossible, and costly, to fix your a/c, fridges, and anything else that uses HFCs. Have you ever replaced your central AC unit? It’s not cheap.

It’s also used for insulation, heating, fire extinguishing, and many other things.

Thanks, global elites running around the world in fossil fueled vehicles then sitting in rooms cooled by HFCs, eating food and drinking drinks stored in HFC cooled refrigerators.

Read: People Who Don’t Worry About Costs Ban Use Of HFCs »

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Hysteric In Chief: Honesty And Democracy Itself Is At Stake In Election!

By William Teach October 15, 2016 – 7:38 am

Alternate headline: guy who rules by executive orders and uses federal agencies to target political opponents is suddenly worried about democracy or something

(AFP) At a fiery campaign event for Democrat Hillary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio, Obama trashed Trump as a dictator-in-the-making, but also voiced concerns about how Trump’s legion of supporters might react to a possible election defeat.

Trump has in the last week declared himself free from the shackles of normal political etiquette and hurled a series of highly inflammatory accusations against Clinton and her husband.

“Civility is on the ballot” on November 8, Obama told a group of largely young voters in the swing state of Ohio.

“Tolerance is on the ballot,” he continued. “Courtesy is on the ballot. Honesty is on the ballot. Equality is on the ballot. Kindness is on the ballot. All the progress we made in the last eight years is on the ballot.

“Democracy itself is on the ballot right now.”

Obviously, Obama means this as a slight against Trump, but, he’s right about democracy, because Hillary Clinton would certainly continue Obama’s mode of refusing to work through the Constitutionally elected Legislative branch and instead expanding the power of the Executive Branch well beyond its scope. Everything he mentioned (civility, tolerance, etc) are things Obama has worked to destroy and has himself engaged in the opposite.

And, he dares mention honesty? From one of the least transparent presidencies of all time, supporting a candidate who has worked hard to hide everything from everyone?

Trump may fit the bill on some of these, but Hillary fits all to a tee. We do not really know what a President Trump would do regarding the use of the EO to force change. We know how Hillary would act.

“Obama is for democracy, so long as the voters want his policies. Otherwise, those pesky voters are just getting in the way of “a more elevated debate.””

He’s shown that he loathes democracy and self determination for others, as he jumped into the Brexit debate, blew off the Arab Spring, blew off the Iranian Green uprising, is supporting the Islamic fundamentalists in Iran, supported the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, failed to support the pro-democracy forces in Syria, Libya, Crimea, and the Ukrainian uprising. The man has no love of democracy (yes, I know, we’re a federal republic) nor The People: he loves blind, naked power as pushed through the Central Government. It’s who he is.

So, yes, perhaps democracy and all those other things are on the ballot: just not the way he thinks. It’s about restoring all those things. Not as easy with Trump, but, damned impossible with Hillary.

Read: Hysteric In Chief: Honesty And Democracy Itself Is At Stake In Election! »

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250,000 To Lose Their Obamacare Plans In NC, With Little Choice Left

By William Teach October 15, 2016 – 7:09 am

Overall, round 1.4 million Obamacare enrollees will lose their Ocare plans for 2017, as insurers bolt this idiotic Progressive plan, part of the Alinsky model to put people under control of the government. The Washington Post performs a random act of journalism

More than 250,000 people in North Carolina are losing the health plans they bought under the Affordable Care Act because two of the three insurers are dropping out — a stark example of the disruption roiling marketplaces in many parts of the country.

The defections mean that almost all of the state, from the Blue Ridge to the Outer Banks, will have just one insurer selling ACA policies when the exchanges open again for business in November. The remaining company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, agonized over whether to leave, too. Instead, it is raising its rates by nearly 25 percent.

In no other state will as many people find such limited choice. But what is happening to nearly a half-million North Carolinians epitomizes a national checkerboard of ACA haves and have-nots.

This is happening all across the country, where insurance providers are bolting the Ocare exchanges due to financial losses. Those few left are raising premiums and deductibles. If only someone had predicted that this would happen…..oh, that’s right, everyone who was against this abomination predicted this.

In its final months, the Obama administration insists the exchanges are still viable. And according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 60 percent of Americans in the marketplaces will be able to pick from three or more insurers for 2017, each selling multiple health plans.

The number was 85% in year 3. And, many of those areas with multiple insurers have those insurers only offering a small amount of plans, while also increasing premiums.

As of a week ago, Cunningham had not yet received the letter required of her current insurer, an Aetna subsidiary called Coventry, informing her that she needs to find different coverage. But she is like many residents in worrying how much insurance will cost in the coming year. Or whether they will be able to continue to see the same doctors. Or how their narrowing choice will affect the hopscotch they have been playing year to year in pursuit of a health plan they can afford.

Perhaps it is time to remove the word “affordable” from the legislation.

Rates will soar. Blue Cross raised 2016 premiums for its marketplace plans by one-third, on average, making its coverage in Greensboro and some other communities more expensive than its competitors’. It sought another 19 percent increase for 2017, then asked for more after Aetna’s decision.

Rates will soar because of the number of sicker and less healthy people who will be signing up now that BCBS will be the only provider, and the actual rate increase is 24%. And don’t forget that fewer medical facilities accept Ocare insurance. In some cases nationwide, insurance providers are capping the number of enrollees, limiting choice. Ocare enrollees will have fewer choices of insurance, fewer choices of medical facilities, and pay higher fees, all while the cost to the taxpayer goes up, because the higher premiums costs mean higher subsidies. Insurance that people can’t afford to use anyhow, due to higher deductibles.

This thing is working out great!

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: 250,000 To Lose Their Obamacare Plans In NC, With Little Choice Left »

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Warmists Declare Great Barrier Reef Dead

By William Teach October 14, 2016 – 5:00 pm

If only members of the Cult of Climastrology had given up their own use of fossil fuels. Sigh

The Great Barrier Reef announced dead, climate change kills nature’s magnificent treasure

The Great Barrier Reef is dead and none other than climate change is responsible for it. One of world’s largest living structure, it has been around for 25 millions years and now in 2016, it has been announced dead. The only living structure visible from the space, the reef was home to largest number of lives and spot for breeding of green turtles. Stretched out approximately 1200 miles along Australia’s eastern coast, the reef had largest biodiversity of organisms on Earth. (snip)

The demise of one of the greatest treasure of nature to mankind is sadly but truly comes as a result of mankind’s influence on climate change. Noting else, but human greed and it resulting into global warming is the reason, we won’t be able to cherish The Great Barrier Reef. As a result of global warming, the reef started to wither and die. With the onset of millennium, mass bleaching became a major threat. More the carbon dioxide observed by oceans, more acidic it turns into. As did Reef, it turned more acidic with time and with it started to dissolve.

Until the servers that are toast at Photobucket start working, just imagine your favorite facepalm right here, OK?

This is all just utterly absurd. So much of the Great Barrier Reef evolved and spread when it was much warmer and also live through when it was much cooler. A tiny .8C change in global temperatures in over 160 years is not going to kill it.

If only these nutballs were as concerned about actual pollution, they might be on to something. Instead, they’re whining about tiny amounts of CO2 that is having barely any effect on the climate.

Read: Warmists Declare Great Barrier Reef Dead »

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