The Small Business “Affordable” Care Act Bomb To Hit By Next October

By William Teach December 17, 2013 – 8:32 am

Another day, another big concern with Obamacare

(Politico) Think the canceled health policies hurt the Obamacare cause? There’s another political time bomb lurking that could explode not too long before next year’s elections: rate hikes for small businesses.

Like the canceled individual health plans, it’s another example of a tradeoff that health care experts have long known about, as the new rules for health insurance prices create winners and losers. But most Americans won’t become aware of it until some small business employees learn that their premiums are going up because of a law called — oops — the Affordable Care Act.

Some will learn the opposite, that their premiums are going down because of the law. But as we saw with the canceled individual health plans, it’s the losers who will get most of the attention.

And the timing will be terrible for Democrats: A lot of those small businesses will have to start dealing with their new prices in October — just in time for Republicans to make it an issue in their mid-term election campaigns.

As it is, small businesses are already dealing with issues such as moving employees to part-time, reticence to hire, and seeing their plans dropped.

Here’s why: Next year, small business health plans — generally those that cover less than 100 workers — will have to comply with a wide range of new rules, particularly the ones that say employees can’t be charged more if they have health problems. Their premiums will only vary based on their age, whether they have individual or family coverage, what part of the country they live in, and whether they use tobacco — and older workers won’t be able to be charged more than three times as much as younger ones.

Many companies wisely made changes early, allowing them to keep those old plans through 2014

But there will be a cluster of December renewals, industry officials say, and those small businesses will get the first look at their new prices in October — right at the height of an election that’s increasingly being framed as a referendum on the impact of Obamacare.

Obviously, Politico is Very Concerned as to how this will play out for Mr. Obama and Democrats come the midterms. That’s generally what Politico does. And they are concerned that not only will employees, mostly in those small businesses with 51-100 employees, see their premiums and deductibles spike, but that the companies will decide that it is more cost effective to dump the company health insurance offerings and pay the fine/tax/fee. But, hey, don’t worry, I’m sure that Obama will trot out his “nobody’s madder than me” line, and will surely blame Someone Else for daring to ….. bring the issue up.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Climate Anxiety Is A Real Affliction Or Something

By William Teach December 16, 2013 – 2:58 pm

It’s probably closer to adults getting anxious over ghosts. After talking about a big rain event in California, 45 years ago, causing her property line to virtually vanish, leaving a big drop down the mountain side for her home, we learn

That led to anxious nights with images in my mind of our house sliding down the slope while I slept. Although our house never went over the edge, those feelings of anxiety sometimes recur during big storms.

Well, yeah, weather can worry some people.

A little research reveals that the worst storm ever recorded in California struck on Christmas Eve of 1861. The rains continued almost nonstop until February 1862, soaking California with almost four times its normal rainfall, and creating enormous brown lakes on the normally dry plains of Southern California. In the Sierra Nevada, the deluges filled rivers, transforming them into raging torrents that swept away entire communities and gold mining settlements in the foothills.

Wait, I thought that never happened before CO2 hit 350ppm?

Then there’s drought, and I recall living through the severest drought on record for many Western states, which happened during the winter of 1976-1977. In California, this period is known as “the year with no rain.”

That would be during the time when everyone was worried about a coming ice age. Anyway, the writer wonders what the “normal climate” of California is (hint, there is no norm)

Today, I am one of a small cohort of earth scientists trying to answer that question, by searching for evidence of past droughts and floods, wildfires, periods of warmth and cold and so on, over the geologic past — the period before humans kept records in the West.

If we step back and view our climate history over a very long time period — say, hundreds to thousands of years — we begin to see the forest for the trees. We can pick out extreme events and how often they occur. This natural history is written not in paper and ink, but in the earth itself, in sediment, stone, trees, ice. Like investigators at a crime scene, we try to piece together seemingly random and unrelated clues about our past climate, and eventually, we begin to see patterns.

And this can make her and others “anxious”, especially when they find that the 1862 flood was not unusual, and happens every 100-200 years, and can be even bigger. That there were at least two prolonged droughts in the Southwest US lasting over a century each, around 650-1,100 years ago (that would be a time which would include both cool and warm periods). Decades long dry periods are normal. Seems like climate likes to do stuff, eh? Wait, here it comes

It’s unsettling to think about the implications of extreme climate events and the reality that global warming may make severe weather much more frequent and even more extreme.

These days, of course, my adult mind can provide diversions, and some people are getting quite skillful at outright denial. This might alleviate unease in the short run, but I know that the best long-term solution is for scientists to prepare everyone living in our Western states for a future of unpredictable and extreme climate change.

It could be that B. Lynn Ingram is refering to natural global warming and climate change, but I seriously doubt it. She has all the data that these things have happened before, but she seems to want to take the Warmist proposition that “climate change” will make things worse. Sigh.

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If All You See…

By William Teach December 16, 2013 – 1:00 pm

…is a statue that is certainly made of materials that cause climate change, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is House Of Eratosthenes, with a post noting young people leaving Obama.

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AP-GfK Poll: Insured Blame Obamacare For Rising Premiums And Deductibles

By William Teach December 16, 2013 – 11:31 am

Yet another bad poll for Obama, Democrats, and their horrible partisan law

(Yahoo News) Americans who already have health insurance are blaming President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul for their rising premiums and deductibles, and overall 3 in 4 say the rollout of coverage for the uninsured has gone poorly.

An Associated Press-GfK poll finds that health care remains politically charged going into next year’s congressional elections. Keeping the refurbished HealthCare.gov website running smoothly is just one of Obama’s challenges, maybe not the biggest.

The poll found a striking level of unease about the law among people who have health insurance and aren’t looking for any more government help. Those are the 85 percent of Americans who the White House says don’t have to be worried about the president’s historic push to expand coverage for the uninsured.

More fun: an Obamacare supporter, who was finally able to enroll after 50 tries on-line

Thanks to tax credits available under the law, she was able to save about $100 a month on the monthly premium for her new coverage. But she had to switch carriers because staying with her current insurer would have cost more than she was willing to pay. She hasn’t gotten an invoice yet from her new insurance company.

The premiums she found on the new insurance marketplace were “not at all” what she expected, said Dessel. “They were much, much higher.”

A supporter of Obama’s overhaul, she believes changes are needed to make the coverage more affordable.

“I think with a lot of amendments or updates, it could be very, very helpful and beneficial,” said Dessel. “I know a lot of people who don’t have insurance. My hairdresser, my plumber don’t have insurance and they’re not going to get it if it’s not affordable.”

She loves the law, but still suggests massive changes. Surprise.

Read: AP-GfK Poll: Insured Blame Obamacare For Rising Premiums And Deductibles »

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Your Old-Fashioned Christmas Tree Trimming Is Mostly Bad For Climate Change

By William Teach December 16, 2013 – 8:00 am

Continuing the 25 Days Of Climate Christmas

(TribLive) Strands of lights are ubiquitous this time of year — tangled in leafless trees, framing windows, sparkling their way to Santa’s sled. They are a beaming reminder of the warm feelings of the holiday season and the environmental costs of this time of hyper-consumption. In 2003, a paper published by the Department of Energy estimated that holiday lights accounted for 2.22 terawatt-hours of energy use per year in the United States, which roughly equals the energy consumed by 200,000 homes annually. With numbers like that, coal may be the best thing to stuff in your neighbor’s twinkling stocking. He may need it.

Fortunately, Christmas lights have gradually switched over to LED in recent years. They are up to 90 percent more efficient than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs. So, should you trash your old holiday blinkers for their LED counterpart?

Yes, the article says, because they are evil energy sucking lights, and “If you’re harboring a strand of incandescent lights, the Earth begs you to ditch it and go for the LEDs.” Begs, I tell, you, begs!

But, what about stringing your tree with popcorn?

In other words, from an environmental perspective, there’s very little difference between trimming your tree with a pound of popcorn and using a strand of LED lights. That may seem surprising, since natural, farm-raised popcorn just feels greener than manufactured lights.

So, popcorn is OK. And the very fact that these Warmists even consider this into their calculations regarding Christmas is bat-guano insane. Then, their whole cult is bad-guano insane. Something like this will probably have them gnashing their teeth

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Think Progress Not Happy NC Legislator Says Obamacare “Worse Than Nazis And Terrorists”

By William Teach December 16, 2013 – 6:53 am

Obviously, only Democrats are allowed to make those kinds of comparisons, especially comparing Republicans to terrorists for daring to want to hold federal spending in check, or when they call Republicans the Taliban. And there’s that fun phrase “Reich-wing”. Anyhow

North Carolina Legislator: Obamacare Worse Than Terrorists, Stalin, Hitler Combined

North Carolina State Senator Bob Rucho (R) tweeted Sunday that he believes the Affordable Care Act ranks as worse than the worst atrocities of the past century.

The dentist and Finance Committee Co-Chair claimed:

After several other Twitter users criticized his comment, Rucho posted a follow-up observation: “Those that tweeted, put your thinking caps back on: ‘The PEN is mightier than the SWORD.’ Edward Bulwar-Lytton,1839. But surely you knew that.”

So Rucho’s claim is a bit different than what TP is proclaiming. And is certainly over the top hyperbole. Yet, Obamacare has done enormous damage to the USA. Neither the Soviets nor the Nazis actually did much damage to our country overall. Terrorists have hurt us, but the damage is short term. Obamacare takes over 1/6th of our economy, and will cause long term damage to our health care. Millions have lost their health insurance. Tens of millions more face losing their health insurance. And they will have to look at plans with expensive premiums, and, more important, very expensive deductibles. O-care has contributed to companies shifting workers to part-time hours, along with a reticence to hire. The damage matrix from Ocare continues on and on. We certainly lost people to the Nazis, Soviets, and Islamic terrorists. We haven’t seen that with O-care. Yet.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Santa’s Dreaming Of A Green Christmas Or Something

By William Teach December 15, 2013 – 2:42 pm

Continuing the 25 Days Of Climate Christmas

(San Diego Free Press) Santa’s changing some policies at the North Pole.

You see, he’s concerned about global warming. If the polar ice caps melt, his workshop will sink into the Arctic Ocean. He’d become a climate refugee.

What’s more, our changing climate is endangering our food supply. It’s not just the hotter average global temperatures. Climate change also triggers more extreme weather.

Droughts, floods, and storms are no good for farming. And pests lacking predators and diseases that are hard or impossible to treat are already moving into new areas in some parts of the world as a result of the changing climate.

Why does Santa care? He wants his milk and cookies, of course. The world’s favorite fat man won’t look half as jolly if he loses weight due to global food shortages.

Instead of coal, because coal is bad for Hotcoldwetdry, Santa will give naughty boys and girls toothbrushes and underwear.

That means that Santa’s policy change is, at most, symbolic. He asks us to join him in reducing our carbon emissions this holiday season and beyond in order to save his home.

This holiday season, please help ensure that Santa won’t become the world’s most famous climate refugee by taking stock of your energy use and making changes where you can.

Interestingly, among the “solutions” recommended, the article fails to push Warmists to give up their own fossil fueled lifestyles. Nor does writer Jill Richardson mention whether she has gone “carbon neutral”.

Read: Santa’s Dreaming Of A Green Christmas Or Something »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Christmas, Global Warming | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 15, 2013 – 1:00 pm

…is the need to ride in a boat in a flooded drought world, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The People’s Cube, with a post noting that it is Merry Marxmas.

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Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach December 15, 2013 – 9:12 am

Happy Sunday! Another gorgeous day in America. The sun is shining, Christmas is just around the corner. This pinup is by I’m Not Sure, can’t read the signature, with a wee bit of help

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. The Other McCain discusses the political views of the Arapahoe shooter
  2. Scared Monkeys notes the problems with Obamacare signups to insurers
  3. A View From The Beach discusses how fast the zombie plague would spread
  4. American Glob wonders about the NASA Muslim outreach
  5. American Perspective has info on voter ID
  6. Capitalist Preservation discusses Christmas in Times Square
  7. Diogene’s Middle Finger has things you don’t want to see on Christmas
  8. Fire Andrea Mitchell has typical loony tunes Progressives
  9. Jammie Wearing Fools notes you can’t even get away from ObamaZombies in shoe stores
  10. Jihad Watch finds another tolerant Progressive who loves Jihad
  11. Joshuapundit notes that Team Obama can’t even get appeasement right
  12. Maggie’s Notebook notes that liberals are goose-stepping for gun control
  13. Patterico doesn’t know if Santa is white, but he’s definitely conservative
  14. Political Clown Parade has some important pre-Christmas info on the Gary Sinise Foundation
  15. And last, but not least, Sister Toldjah notes that Romney was kinda right about a lot of things.
  16. And one to grow on: Political Commentator notes a passed bill that bans investigative journalism. Wait till you get to paragraph five.

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

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.

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Poll Shows Americans Tired Of Government Telling Them What To Do

By William Teach December 15, 2013 – 8:17 am

They’re tired of Ye Olde Nanny State Of course, when it comes to something individuals are against, they’re happy to ask government to pull out the banhammer

(Daily Caller) Americans want the government to stop acting like their mother.

According to a Reason-Rupe poll, Americans do not want government to ban trans-fats, e-cigarettes, online poker, violent video games or genetic testing kits.

Many Americans are becoming frustrated with the government’s growing involvement in what they believe should be their personal decisions.

Here’s what it looks like, via the link to the poll at Reason

The only loser is making a gun with a 3D printer. But, wait, it gets better, because this is a very big poll, asking lots and lots and lots of questions. The Reason article links to another article about the survey, and we learn

  • But 55 percent of Americans say they’d prefer to go back to the health care system that was in place before the Affordable Care Act, while 34 percent prefer the current health care system.
  • …the Affordable Care Act’s troubled launch has made 47 percent of Americans less confident in government’s ability to solve problems..
  • However, 57 percent of Americans tell Reason-Rupe that the Obama administration is not the most transparent administration in history,
  • 52 percent, say they disagree with President Obama’s views about the proper size and power of government
  • Fifty-four percent of those surveyed feel government is generally a “burdensome part of society that impedes the ability of people to improve their lives,”

Sadly, for that last one, we learn that “41 percent feel “government is primarily a source of good and helps people improve their lives.”” That’s what Conservatives are up against, people who actually think Government is Good.

73% state that Congress doesn’t understand Obamacare nor how it affects Americans. 57% think Obama’s a total chump who’s doing a poor job on healthcare, 38% approve of his job performance. People think the country is headed in the wrong direction 56%-35%. People hate Obamacare 53%-47%.

People generally find it unacceptable, in many cases up in the 70-78% range, to be charged extra for all the goodies in Obamacare.

Finally, we find that the poll leans Democrat, with a sample of 34-23-34 (D-R-I). This does not bode well for Democrats, when we have samples like this and negative responses for Things Democrats Care About.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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