Obamacare Enrollment Is “Absolutely Exploding” In California Or Something

By William Teach December 21, 2013 – 11:34 am

You’ll notice something is missing from this article by Brett Logiurato at Business Insider

Obamacare Enrollment Is Absolutely Exploding In California

California’s state health insurance exchange announced Thursday a huge surge in enrollment over the past three days, as more than 50,000 people signed up for private insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Covered California, the state’s official online marketplace, said in a press release that 53,510 people had selected an insurance plan from Monday through Wednesday. That’s 60% more than the number of people who signed up in the entire month of October (30,830).

Overall in November, nearly 260,000 people selected insurance plans through both federal and state exchanges. That was a significant bump from the 106,185 that enrolled in October, but still far off the pace of the Obama administration’s goal of 7 million sign-ups by March 31.

Can you guess what’s missing? I’m sure you can, because you’re smart, and understand that this is about people selecting plans, not actually paying for plans. I go to Amazon and download free previews of books to my Kindle all the time. There are 5 previews on it right now. According to Obamacarists, this means I’ve purchased the books, even though I haven’t paid a dime for them. I also put some cigars for my dad for Christmas in a shopping cart at one site, but purchased elsewhere. Under Obamacare supporter doctrine this means I’ve purchased them.

The press release from Covered California makes no mention as to whether these people, including the signups in October and November, have paid.

BTW, it’s pretty darned sad that Covered California is using Blogspot for their “news”.

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There’s Disturbing Weather In The World, Meaning This Christmas Might Be Your Last, Cause Climate Change

By William Teach December 21, 2013 – 8:48 am

Continuing the 25 Days Of Climate Christmas, some serious wackadoodleness

There’s so much disturbing weather all over the world right now

It got so hot in Denver this week that they hit a record high of 68 degrees Farenheit.

But don’t worry. Not everywhere where it’s supposed to be winter is having summer. Some places that are supposed to be having summer are having winter.

What? Yeah. It’s snowing in Vietnam. And in Cairo.

Enjoy Christmas, folks, because it could be your last. Here’s a list of recent freaky weather events that you can use against your relatives who don’t believe in climate change. Call it a cheat sheet, if you like:

Why, yes, yes, the article did just blame snow on “climate change”. Here’s the list of “disturbing weather”

  1. Snow in Vietnam
  2. Dry season not so dry (this is because it Zhanjiang, China, is getting lots of rain…because nothing should ever change on Earth)
  3. Denver hits a record high (weird that the 2000+ cold records aren’t mentioned, eh? But that would probably be attributed to “climate change”, too)
  4. Middle East meets snowmen
  5. Buenos Aires blacks out (it was hot in BA during the summer, so they lost power)

So, there you go, folks, two of 5 are about snow. One is about heavy rain, which is often associated with a reduction in solar output (a reduction means an increase in cosmic rays striking the earth, increasing cloud formation). So, Christmas might be cancelled in the future, cause mumble garble climate change.

(Photo via Vietnam News Agency/AFP/Getty Images, Ice-covered tree in Lao Cai, Vietnam)

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NY Times: Say, This Obamacare Thing Isn’t Such A Great Deal For The Middle Class

By William Teach December 21, 2013 – 8:20 am

Said NY Times article starts of with a Typical Human Interest story about a family that saw their premium skyrocket, and if they just made a little bit less they would be eligible for some sort of subsidy, then notes

The Chapmans acknowledge that they are better off than many people, but they represent a little-understood reality of the Affordable Care Act. While the act clearly benefits those at the low end of the income scale — and rich people can continue to afford even the most generous plans — people like the Chapmans are caught in the uncomfortable middle: not poor enough for help, but not rich enough to be indifferent to cost.

“We are just right over that line,” said Ms. Chapman, who is 54 and does administrative work for a small wealth management firm. Because their plan is being canceled, she is looking for new coverage for her family, which includes Mr. Chapman, 55, a retired fireman who works on a friend’s farm, and her two sons. “That’s an insane amount of money,” she said of their new premium. “How are you supposed to pay that?”

Insane. Yet, that’s just the premium. The Chapman’s haven’t even gotten to the point where they are considering the insane deductibles. But, this Times article is about premiums

An analysis by The New York Times shows the cost of premiums for people who just miss qualifying for subsidies varies widely across the country and rises rapidly for people in their 50s and 60s. In some places, prices can quickly approach 20 percent of a person’s income.

Experts consider health insurance unaffordable once it exceeds 10 percent of annual income. By that measure, a 50-year-old making $50,000 a year, or just above the qualifying limit for assistance, would find the cheapest available plan to be unaffordable in more than 170 counties around the country, ranging from Anchorage to Jackson, Miss.

Of course, let’s be honest, there are 3,007 counties in the United States. Heck, North Carolina alone has 100. But, because of Obamacare, 6% would find their premiums “unaffordable”. But a lot of this is based not just on county, but earnings, in terms of whether one would qualify for a subsidy (and let’s not forget that subsidies in those states with a federally run Marketplace are actually against the law).

The article also notes that the availability of the subsidies, and how much they are, can change dramatically from year to year based on earnings, meaning more rate shocks.

But, what the article doesn’t touch on is the notion as to what happens with those with employer based coverage. They do not qualify for subsidies. But, they might see their subsidies skyrocket, because those plans must have the same offerings of the Exchange plans. We’ll soon start seeing exactly what they are. Employer based is around 44% of the population.

Interestingly, 17.1% stated they were uninsured in 2012. I wonder what that rate will be come 2014? Of course, in reality, if you have a plan but cannot afford the deductibles, you are still essentially uninsured.

Read: NY Times: Say, This Obamacare Thing Isn’t Such A Great Deal For The Middle Class »

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Warmist Peter Gleick Offers Up A Christmas Climate Hysteria Letter To His Grandkids

By William Teach December 20, 2013 – 1:10 pm

If his grandkids are 17 or under, they haven’t actually experienced global warming, anthropogenic or otherwise. Continuing the 25 Days Of Climate Christmas

Santa Claus and Climate Change: A Letter to My Grandkids

December 2020

Dear Grandchildren,

Once upon a time, a jolly old man named St. Nick, or Santa Claus, lived at the North Pole. Every year, at Christmas, he bundled up toys made by his magic elves and flew around the world in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer, including his most famous one, Rudolph. Santa brought these presents to all the good little boys and girls in return for nothing more than cookies, milk, and unquestioned love. But he also kept a list of bad little boys and girls, who got a lump of coal in their stockings as a reminder to be better next year.

I’m sorry to have to tell you there will be no presents from Santa this year.

It’s not that you’ve been bad. Rather the world’s governments (sometimes run by bad boys and girls now grown up) have failed to address the long-worsening problem of climate change. Santa is the latest climate victim. As the last of the summer ice at the North Pole finally disappeared, Santa’s workshop sank to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. When the insurance companies cancelled most flood insurance policies, and Canada claimed the North Pole, Santa lost everything and became the latest climate refugee.

Is there any point in supplying rebuttal information to this bit of climahysteria? Perhaps we could mention Gleik’s involvement in Fakegate. Perhaps we should note that Arctic ice actually grew quite a bit in 2013 (when the Arctic was supposed to be ice free, according to several unhinged Warmists). Or that nutballs have been making predictions of a doomed Arctic back into the 1930’s (they’ve actually made the same prognostication back into the late 1800’s, but I don’t feel like searching Steven Goddard’s archive). Na. Let’s just give Excitable Peter a gift of

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If All You See…

By William Teach December 20, 2013 – 1:00 pm

…is snow that is caused by fossil fueled heat, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Victory Girls Blog, with a post on Los Federales asking Google to remove certain political ads

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Local Official Gets Sweet Payoff To Resign

By William Teach December 20, 2013 – 9:39 am

Good news: it’s not just federal and state government that’s broken

(WRAL) Eric Becoats announced his plan Thursday night to resign as superintendent of Durham Public Schools effective Dec. 31, 2013. He has been under scrutiny in recent months for financial management missteps that range from the use of a school bus to transport family and friends to the underestimate, by $15 million, of the school system budget.

Becoats, who was under contract until June 30, 2016, will get a one-time severance payment of $298,072.54.

Let me get this straight: he’s under investigation for multiple issues, one of which is using the school credit card for personal purchases (which would get one immediately fired at most private firms), yet he’s allowed to resign with a payoff of almost $300k in taxpayer money?

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Florida Rejects Satanic Temple Holiday Display

By William Teach December 20, 2013 – 7:16 am

Here’s an interesting one: one of the things I and many others have noted is that the Constitution does not restrict religion in Government nor on Government property. The 1st Amendment simply stops government from creating a national religion, along with stopping Los Federales from stopping the free practice of religion. But, we’re heading to Florida

(Tallahassee.com) The Satanic Temple will not be placing its holiday display in the Florida Capitol.

The group’s application was declined by the Department of Management Services due to its “grossly offensive” nature.

In an email Wednesday afternoon, DMS Administrative Assistant Sherrie K. Routt denied Satanic Temple spokesperson Lucien Greaves the inclusion of a kiosk adorned with an angel falling into a pit of flames and the words “Happy Holidays from the Satanic Temple” because “The Department’s position is that your proposed display is grossly offensive during the holiday season.”

One thing I and others have noted is that if a Christian display is allowed, displays from other religions should be allowed, if they want. To go with a Nativity scene at the Fla. Capital, you have one featuring the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Another for Festivus. And, of course, several from atheist groups. Because they can’t help being jerks at Christmas-time. But, Florida was waiting for a photo from the Satanic group before they would approve or deny the display. Once they saw it, they said “no!”

It even features a Bible verse from Luke: “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”

So, here’s the tough question: should the display, despite being “grossly offensive”, be included? In the header of my blog I have the quote “If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.” This would apply to expressing religion. But, here’s an interesting thing from the Florida Constitution, Article I, Section 3

Religious freedom.—There shall be no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting or penalizing the free exercise thereof. Religious freedom shall not justify practices inconsistent with public morals, peace or safety. No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.

First, that clause in bold allows for the Satanic Temple display to be rejected. Second, that is an extremely dangerous phrase when it comes to any religion. What if someone is offended by having to view crosses at public churches, and sues under that phrase? I could think of many ways that phrase could be abused. Fortunately, most people who would abuse it, primarily people on the political Left, never actually read any of the Constitutions/Bills Of Rights for the US and the States.

So, Friday question: should the display be allowed?

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11th Hour Obamacare Exemption Allows Purchase Of Catastrophic Insurance

By William Teach December 20, 2013 – 6:55 am

The unilateral President has made yet another unilateral, possibly lawless, decision

(Washington Post) The Obama administration on Thursday night significantly relaxed the rules of the federal health-care law for millions of consumers whose individual insurance policies have been canceled, saying they can buy bare-bones plans or entirely avoid a requirement that most Americans have health coverage.

The surprise announcement, days before the Dec. 23 deadline for people to choose plans that will begin Jan. 1, triggered an immediate backlash from the health insurance industry and raised fairness questions about a law intended to promote affordable and comprehensive coverage on a widespread basis.

As Fox News notes, HHS head Kathleen Sebelius was asked point blank if there were any more surprises coming, and she refused to answer

“We asked Secretary Sebelius point blank what would be the next holiday surprise, and she was silent. Yet, here we are with another major policy shift. The sad reality is that when the law takes effect come January 1, more Americans will be without coverage under Obamacare than one year ago,” Blackburn said in a statement released Thursday evening.

Back to Washington Post puff piece

This second change, prompted by a group of Democratic senators — most of whom face tough reelection campaigns next year — goes substantially further in accommodating people upset about losing their policies. The latest rule will allow consumers with a canceled health plan to claim a “hardship exemption” if they think the plans sold through new federal and state marketplaces are too expensive.

So, basically almost everyone who has seen their insurance cancelled. Hey, didn’t Obama and all their peeps say that all those cancelled plans were “substandard“? That was the talking point for a couple weeks. The catastrophic plans themselves are barely less than the bronze plans, and are not eligible for any subsidies. Furthermore, the Exchanges are mostly not set up to offer the plans. Of course, said catastrophic plans must still, according to the text of the ACA, include all the same stuff all the other plans offer. You can see the difference between the new “catastrophic” plans and Bronze plans here.

Federal health officials estimated Thursday that, of all the people whose substandard health plans have been canceled, less than half a million have not chosen new coverage. But they acknowledged that they were not certain.

That’s cute how they the article includes the substandard schtick. More interesting, somehow HHS seems to have at least some data on how many have signed up. I don’t buy it at all. More than likely, there are still millions without plans. Of course, HHS considers those with a plan in a shopping cart as “signed up”.

This is a panic move, designed to protect vulnerable Democrat Senators who are up for re-election in November, made after receiving a letter from Democrats. And, really, is just about optics, since the catastrophic plans are, as previously noted, barely less expensive than Bronze plans, and are not eligible for subsidies. And are difficult to sign up for.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Android Today: Seriously, That’s Your Ringtone?

By William Teach December 19, 2013 – 8:44 pm

I’m not making an app recommendation today. Instead, I’m suggesting that anyone caught using a ringtone that comes with their smartphone to have it taken away and replaced with an old Motorola brickphone. That’s how much default ringtones annoy me.

Seriously, folks have this super cool phone that can do things no one even considered a decade ago. I bet there’s an app to remotely flush a toilet. Yet, people insist on using a ringtone that cones with the phone.

Come on!!!!!! Look, use one of the songs that you loaded on to the memory card. Take one.of your songs and turn it into a ringtone. I have a program on my laptop that does that. Free. Been doing that for a long time. Made the ones I have now for my old iPhone. Have Jimmy Buffett’s Boat Drinks, which catches my attention. Also, Black Sabbath’s Mob Rules, which used to annoy my old boss. And a few others.

There are apps that turn songs into ringtones. But, please, for the love of all that is holy, use something other than the generic stuff that came with your phone.

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North Carolina Boy Suspended For Playing Army

By William Teach December 19, 2013 – 2:31 pm

Why? Guess

(CBS Charlotte) A 5-year-old boy was reportedly suspended from school after making a gun gesture with his hand on the playground.

His father, David Hendrix, was furious when he found out his son was issued a suspension for the gesture.

“He was playing army on the playground,” Hendrix told WBTV. “I just felt like the punishment was way too severe.”

Any punishment at all would be too severe. This has all gotten incredibly idiotic, with unhinged liberals leading the way. I’m sure I don’t even have to explain why. And if I did, liberals/progressives still wouldn’t get it.

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