Obama Pushes ENDA, Shows He Still Has No Clue How Business Works

By William Teach November 4, 2013 – 7:47 am

Yes, the business of Government must move along with more than one issue, but, in reality, Obama jumping in on ENDA, the Employer Non-Discrimination Act, is simply red meat thrown to Democrats who have lost faith in him over the idiocy of Obamacare and NSA spying. He just tried the same thing last week with new “rules” on “climate change” (which, incidentally, vastly increased the power of the executive branch of the federal government in your lives). He’s also attempting to gin up yet another fight with Republicans

Congress Needs to Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act

Here in the United States, we’re united by a fundamental principle: we’re all created equal and every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law. We believe that no matter who you are, if you work hard and play by the rules, you deserve the chance to follow your dreams and pursue your happiness. That’s America’s promise.

Funny, because agencies under his direction are not treating American citizens equally. Also funny, because the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars discrimination based on “race, color, national origin, sex, and religion.” The Act a good chunk of Democrats opposed. And that there are many laws that bar discrimination. Including ENDA in 2007.

That’s why, for instance, Americans can’t be fired from their jobs just because of the color of their skin or for being Christian or Jewish or a woman or an individual with a disability. That kind of discrimination has no place in our nation. And yet, right now, in 2013, in many states a person can be fired simply for being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

As a result, millions of LGBT Americans go to work every day fearing that, without any warning, they could lose their jobs — not because of anything they’ve done, but simply because of who they are.

Interestingly, he fails to include one single example of people being fired for being gay or cross-dressers. I’m sure there are a tiny, miniscule number of stories of LGBT’s being terminated, some, if not most, of which are really about being a substandard employee or having engaged in misconduct rather than being LGBT. Oh, and conservatives and their groups have been singled out by the Obama regime.

That’s why Congress needs to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, also known as ENDA, which would provide strong federal protections against discrimination, making it explicitly illegal to fire someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This bill has strong bipartisan support and the support of a vast majority of Americans. It ought to be the law of the land.

Really? I doubt most have ever heard of it before or know what it does.

Business agrees. The majority of Fortune 500 companies and small businesses already have nondiscrimination policies that protect LGBT employees. These companies know that it’s both the right thing to do and makes good economic sense. They want to attract and retain the best workers, and discrimination makes it harder to do that.

So most businesses already have policies? So why is there a need for Government? And here’s where he really shows why the country is mired in economic malaise during his presidency

So too with our nation. If we want to create more jobs and economic growth and keep our country competitive in the global economy, we need everyone working hard, contributing their ideas, and putting their abilities to use doing what they do best. We need to harness the creativity and talents of every American.

He seems to think that jobs just magically appear because people are creative and because they want them. And because LGBT’s can’t be fired for being LGBT. And that increasing the power of the Federal Government will somehow increase hiring. But, then, can we really expect more from the Most Partisan President Ever, who has never run a business, never had to make a payroll, never had to deal with tough employee situations?

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: Obama Pushes ENDA, Shows He Still Has No Clue How Business Works »

Posted in Barry Obama, Economy | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

Rehashed Meme: “Climate Change” Threatens Food Supply

By William Teach November 3, 2013 – 3:02 pm

This is nothing new: Warmists have been pushing “food security” as a hotcoldwetdry meme for decades, most heavily over the past 5 years or so (along with other memes, such as biodiversity and sustainability). It crops up 2-3 times a year as a big push. Apparently this week is the week to push it again. Here’s the NY Times’ resident climahysteric, Justin Gillis

Climate Change Seen Posing Risk to Food Supplies

Climate change will pose sharp risks to the world’s food supply in coming decades, potentially undermining crop production and driving up prices at a time when the demand for food is expected to soar, scientists have found.

In a departure from an earlier assessment, the scientists concluded that rising temperatures will have some beneficial effects on crops in some places, but that globally they will make it harder for crops to thrive — perhaps reducing production over all by as much as 2 percent each decade for the rest of this century, compared with what it would be without climate change.

The warnings come in a leaked draft of a report under development by a United Nations panel, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The document is not final and could change before it is released in March.

Notice that this scenario fable of doom and gloom is sometime in the future, as do most Warmist fantasies. Probably because what we have been seeing in the “warmest decade evah!!!!!” are record crops. In honesty, some of that is due to better farming capabilities and methods. And when there are problems, they tend to be due to cold weather.

There are lots of fables which all appeared in the last few days, such as here, here, and here, mostly based on that UN report (which comes head of the big COP19 in Warsaw, Poland, where tons of Warmists will take fossil fueled travel to tell us fossil fuels are Bad).

Climate is always going to affect food production, but it tends to be much worse during cold periods. I’m tempted to write a long dissertation on this, but I’ve done it before, as have others. Warmists won’t care, they live in their own little fantasy world where Everyone Else has to be forced to change their behavior. We’re still waiting for Warmists to tell us the perfect temperature for the Earth.

Focusing on the report itself, it truly goes of the rails of reality, and we can see AP climahysteric “reporter” Seth Borenstein salivating

Warming report sees violent, sicker, poorer future

No, really, that’s the headline. Haven’t we already passed Halloween?

The report says scientists have high confidence especially in what it calls certain “key risks”:

—People dying from warming- and sea rise-related flooding, especially in big cities.

—Famine because of temperature and rain changes, especially for poorer nations.

—Farmers going broke because of lack of water.

—Infrastructure failures because of extreme weather.

—Dangerous and deadly heat waves worsening.

—Certain land and marine ecosystems failing.

“Human interface with the climate system is occurring and climate change poses risks for human and natural systems,” the 29-page summary says.

So, doom.  Tom Nelson sums it up

Read: Rehashed Meme: “Climate Change” Threatens Food Supply »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Global Warming | Comments Off on Rehashed Meme: “Climate Change” Threatens Food Supply | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach November 3, 2013 – 1:00 pm

…is an evil rising ocean that can only be stopped by the paternal hand of Government, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Classical Values, with a post on sexist Obamacare coverage.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach November 3, 2013 – 8:59 am

Happy Sunday! Another fine day in the nation of Bye Bye to your health plan. This pinup is by Zoe Mozert, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Zilla Of The Resistance has kind words for Hillary C
  2. This ain’t Hell… has surprising info on Volt sales
  3. The People’s Cube notes that Christmas came early for Comrade Sebelius
  4. The Lonely Conservative notes that Medicare money expenditures have been doing great
  5. The Last Tradition is impressed by Obamacare pricing
  6. The Gateway Pundit wonders why you’re upset about keeping your plan (sarcasm was a bit tough on this one)
  7. The Daley Gator has Liberals stuck in reality
  8. That Mr. G Guy is impressed by Karl Rove and the NRSC
  9. Lee Stranahan has the timeline on Benghaze, and loves how the media did
  10. Sister Toldjah is impressed by linking sex with voting
  11. Public Secrets marvels at how thoughtful DHS was when it came to healthcare.gov security
  12. protein wisdom loves that Obamacare isn’t about health care
  13. Powerline is impressed by the dedication of Politico to Obamacare
  14. Legal Insurrection thinks Obama costumes is a bad idea
  15. And last, but not least, No Frakking Consensus is thrilled to be mentioned in the NY Times
  16. Plus one to grow on: new addition to feedreader, Black and Right, offers up race-baiter of the day.

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.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

Posted in Patriotic Pinup | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

HHS Head Sebelius Brings Up Tickle Me Elmo In “Affordable” Care Act Discussion

By William Teach November 3, 2013 – 7:56 am

Well, she was speaking to low information voters/Democrats, so she had to keep the speech at a very simply level

(National Journal) Kathleen Sebelius brushed off questions Friday about reports saying only six people signed up for coverage on the first day of the Obamacare website’s operation.

Speaking at a library in Memphis as part of an effort to encourage healthcare sign ups in the city, Sebelius said she didn’t know where that figure came from and that the government doesn’t have “reliable enrollment figures yet.”

“I don’t pay a lot of attention to these early reports, because the system was flawed,” she said, adding that the flaws were partly because of demand. “This is month one. We’re in football season now, and this is the first quarter. A lot of folks want to declare game over. I don’t know where those figures came from, but we’ll be giving out comprehensive figures once a month.”

Think about that one: this is Obama’s signature legislation (not quite sure why, he had nothing to do with the hard work in getting this turd written and passed, other than some campaign speeches). They’ve had over three years to get ready. And they do no have any firm numbers regarding how many have signed up through healthcare.fail. But, then, no one really seems to know how much was spent developing and implementing the website. Best guess is $174 million.

I can bet if the numbers for enrollment were good, they’d be releasing them.

She told community leaders the public needs to be reminded that the website does not function like Amazon.com, where customers are used to logging on to buy a product “like a Tickle Me Elmo doll” before someone else gets it. In this case, Sebelius said, the service is constant and doesn’t run out.

She’s right, healthcare.gov isn’t like Amazon, where you can simply log on and purchase a product like Tickle Me Elmo. It’s more like one of those penny bid sites, where you all of a sudden realize that those penny bids, which cost a dollar each, have just added up to you paying more for the product than if you had purchased it straight.

When you go to Amazon, you can see the full price of the product. You can see the full details of the product. You can see what it looks like. If there are some details missing, you can most likely go to the manufacturers website or elsewhere and find more details. You can read reviews on the product. You can add it to the shopping cart and see the extras, like tax and shipping costs. You can then hit “purchase”, and be assured that there is very little chance that someone will hijack your personal information. All unlike healthcare.fail.

Wait 4 minutes…..boom, I just purchased the next book in the Dead series (really great zombie series) and tools to replace watch batteries, which includes the tool that takes the back off watches with those notches. Order confirmed. Think the Obamacare website can do that? OK, fine, it’s a bit more complicated. I spent about an hour helping my girlfriend look at Android tablets the other day. We had every detail we needed. Then she purchased. She knew exactly what she was getting before purchasing. Obamacare website can’t do that.

*yes, yes, I know, liberals will surely deem that photo as raaaaacist.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: HHS Head Sebelius Brings Up Tickle Me Elmo In “Affordable” Care Act Discussion »

Posted in Democrats, Healthcare | Comments Off on HHS Head Sebelius Brings Up Tickle Me Elmo In “Affordable” Care Act Discussion | Trackback URL

Apparently, Obama Ordered America To Prepare For Hotcoldwetdry

By William Teach November 2, 2013 – 2:17 pm

A bit of a follow up to Friday’s story regarding Obama’s release of an EO on “climate change”. Mother Jones is really thrilled, and seems to devolve into the typical fascistic cheer-leading

Obama Just Ordered the Nation to Prepare For Climate Change

Doesn’t seem too much like the authoritarianism Leftists like (for everyone else), eh?

We might not be able to stop climate change, but at least we can try to prepare for it. That’s the grim logic behind President Obama’s latest executive order on global warming. It’s intended to help “prepare the Nation for the impacts of climate change by undertaking actions to enhance climate preparedness and resilience.” To do so, Obama has created two new agencies—the Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, and the Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.

Oh, good, more Government.

Several sections of the order bear close scrutiny though. For anyone taking a holistic view of the situation, there are clear implications for energy policy, approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, and reform of fossil fuels subsidies. There’s room to reassess past actions in these areas and decisively change course, provided that we can stiffen the national resolve to tackle the problem head on.

Thanks to MJ writer Mat McDermott for highlighting a deep core issue with the EO, namely that Obama is going to look for more ways to cause the price of energy to spike.

The first test will be if the President, the Council, and the Task Force take an appropriately broad view of the situation, and then Congress follows through on the recommendations, the data, and the information created.

Sorry to tell you, Mat, Obama will, at best, attend a short meeting or two, have his peeps sound out a few directives, and then this whole thing will be relegated to the dustbin of Obama pivots. He won’t be involved. He won’t get briefings. If he can barely take an interest in his signature legislation, Obamacare, what makes you think this is more than a passing fancy, part of which is meant to get the leftist base excited?

Read: Apparently, Obama Ordered America To Prepare For Hotcoldwetdry »

Posted in Global Warming, New Climate Deniers | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach November 2, 2013 – 1:00 pm

…is heat created snow that probably burns like blacktop in summer, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is American Power, with a post skewering Obama over the healthcare.fail rollout.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | Comments Off on If All You See… | Trackback URL

Insurance Cancellation Has Always Been Baked In The Obamacare Cake

By William Teach November 2, 2013 – 10:39 am

No matter how many times (NMP) Obama stated that if you liked your plan you could keep your plan, it was always a concern. Glenn Reynolds notes and reposts this CNN article (yes, CNN)

Senate Democrats voted unanimously three years ago to support the Obamacare rule that is largely responsible for some of the health insurance cancellation letters that are going out.

In September 2010, Senate Republicans brought a resolution to the floor to block implementation of the grandfather rule, warning that it would result in canceled policies and violate President Barack Obama’s promise that people could keep their insurance if they liked it.

“The District of Columbia is an island surrounded by reality. Only in the District of Columbia could you get away with telling the people if you like what you have you can keep it, and then pass regulations six months later that do just the opposite and figure that people are going to ignore it. But common sense is eventually going to prevail in this town and common sense is going to have to prevail on this piece of legislation as well,” Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley said at the time.

“The administration’s own regulations prove this is not the case. Under the grandfathering regulation, according to the White House’s own economic impact analysis, as many as 69 percent of businesses will lose their grandfathered status by 2013 and be forced to buy government-approved plans,” the Iowa Republican said.

Senator Grassley was a bit high on his figure. Still, 51% of businesses losing their coverage due to the Obama admin’s own rules is no laughing matter.

On a party line vote, Democrats killed the resolution, which could come back to haunt vulnerable Democrats up for re-election this year.

Senate Democrats like Mary Landrieu, Jeanne Shaheen, Mark Pryor, Kay Hagan and Mark Begich – all of whom voted against stopping the rule from going into effect and have since supported delaying parts of Obamacare.

People in those states, including my own home North Carolina, home to Kay Hagan, should remember those votes as they see their health plans cancelled, followed by rising premiums, deductibles, and waiting lines to see a medical professional.

Read: Insurance Cancellation Has Always Been Baked In The Obamacare Cake »

Posted in Democrats, Healthcare | Comments Off on Insurance Cancellation Has Always Been Baked In The Obamacare Cake | Trackback URL

Bummer: Dull Leaves “Spectre Of Climate Change”

By William Teach November 2, 2013 – 8:41 am

Obviously, we’re doomed or something

(Post Gazette) Unusually warm October weather and less September rain explain why leaves failed to produce brilliant splashes of gold, orange, red and purple, with many remaining green into the first week of November.

It also raises the spectre of climate change.

Every year has seasonal variations, but some scientists say this year may be a harbinger of a more likely occurrence in coming years — warmer temperatures pushing back the peak foliage season from the third week of October to later in the month or even early November. Such a trend also forebodes duller leaf coloration.

In Warmist world, everything is harbinger of doom, all because Someone Else drove a fossil fueled vehicle and refuses to unplug ever appliance not in use from the wall outlet. If it was rainy in September, they’d complain about that. Interestingly, the article fails to note that most of the year was very cool

Warmer fall temperatures and resulting duller leaves also signal that local tree species, including sugar maples, will begin migrating northward with other plant and animal species, in search of ideal climate. More extreme temperatures, storms and droughts are anticipated.

Doooooom!

The Appalachian State University biology department has published a position paper that duller autumn colors portend problems.

“Although less brilliant fall foliage displays may not rank high on the list of concerns about global change, those muted colors could be the canary in the mine shaft telling us that these shifts could be markers for more subtle and potentially more consequential changes in our world,” states its essay, “Will Global Climate Change Affect Fall Colors?”

“A tree stressed is a symptom that something larger is wrong with our world. Our civilizations depend on healthy, functioning ecosystems for services such as clean water, erosion control and clean air, not to mention food, fiber and shelter.”

See? Doom. Something larger is wrong with our world. Because the world has never been warmer or something. There weren’t multiple warm periods going back 7,000+ years during the stable part of the Holocene. It’s not like the majority of the country was below average or something during

Are we really doomed from, at best, a 2-4 degree F anomaly for some of the country during a short period of time? Is there anything there that denotes anthropogenic “climate change”, or is this simply the way nature and natural forces work?

A good chunk is below average, some is just a bit above average. Just another year in the wacky and typical climate of the Earth. 20 years ago people would have simply complained about dull fall foliage (it’s pretty impressive around here in Raleigh, such as it has started). Now, they whine about doom from fossil fuels and plastic bottles (please recycle them).

(Data from High Plains Regional Climate Center)

Read: Bummer: Dull Leaves “Spectre Of Climate Change” »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Collapsing Science, Global Warming | Comments Off on Bummer: Dull Leaves “Spectre Of Climate Change” | Trackback URL

D.C Court Of Appeals Strikes Down Contraception Mandate

By William Teach November 2, 2013 – 8:07 am

One thing to remember, the contraception mandate isn’t really a mandate in terms of being in the law: HHS made the rule that employers must provide free contraception, sterilization, and abortifacients through their health insurance plans

(The Hill) A federal appeals court on Friday struck down the birth control mandate in ObamaCare, concluding the requirement trammels religious freedom.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals — the second most influential bench in the land behind the Supreme Court — ruled 2-1 in favor of business owners who are fighting the requirement that they provide their employees with health insurance that covers birth control.

Requiring companies to cover their employees’ contraception, the court ruled, is unduly burdensome for business owners who oppose birth control on religious grounds, even if they are not purchasing the contraception directly.

“The burden on religious exercise does not occur at the point of contraceptive purchase; instead, it occurs when a company’s owners fill the basket of goods and services that constitute a healthcare plan,” Judge Janice Rogers Brown wrote on behalf of the court.

Don’t expect this to end here, Team Obama will most likely take it to the Supreme Court

The Obama administration said that the requirement is necessary to protect women’s right to decide whether and when to have children.

2 of the 3 judges didn’t buy that argument

Brown wrote that “it is clear the government has failed to demonstrate how such a right — whether described as noninterference, privacy, or autonomy — can extend to the compelled subsidization of a woman’s procreative practices.”

Team Obama apparently feels that women are two frail, incompetent, and stupid to be able to afford to purchase condoms and birth control pills.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: D.C Court Of Appeals Strikes Down Contraception Mandate »

Posted in Constitution, Healthcare | 1 Comment | Trackback URL
Pirate's Cove