If All You See…

By William Teach October 14, 2013 – 1:00 pm

…is an evil bad weather creating plastic bottle of water, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Victory Girls, with a post on how CNN treated the Million Vets March.

Read: If All You See… »

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Schoolkids Won’t Know What On-Time Snow Looks Like

By William Teach October 14, 2013 – 11:57 am

Won’t someone please think of the children?

It was temporary chaos in southern Germany on Friday after as much as 40 centimeters (15.7 inches) of snow fell in some areas. The early winter weather has toppled trees and downed power lines in Bavaria, leaving about 12,000 people without electricity, and authorities told school children and drivers to stay home. In the Austrian province of Tyrol alone, nearly 30,000 people were lacking power.

It’s also some sort of record. All because you had sausage with your breakfast this morning.

 (The Local) According to the latest forecast from the Swedish weather agency (SMHI) snow will hit Umeå in the north of the country along with Mora and Östersund in central Sweden on Thursday.

Residents living in the capital can expect sleet and possible wet snow on Friday as a result of chilly winds blowing down from the north of the country.

The snow is arriving about a month earlier than normal but weather experts said there is no correlation between an early snowfall and a particularly harsh winter.

Well, there’s obviously a correlation between snow and GHGs, so Warmists tell us. Sadly, it isn’t even hard to find these nuts

Whether it is a freak, sudden blizzard that kills off tens of thousands of cows, or heat waves that seem to never end or storms and floods that drown a community or wildfires that consume miles of trees and countryside in large ravenous bites, our climate is changing.

Sigh.

Read: Schoolkids Won’t Know What On-Time Snow Looks Like »

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

Keller: Republicans Should Be Cheering The “Affordable” Care Act

By William Teach October 14, 2013 – 9:33 am

Here’s the NY Times’ Bill Keller with The Rest Of The Story

Unless you’ve been bamboozled by the frantic fictions of the right wing, you know that the Affordable Care Act, familiarly known as Obamacare, has begun to accomplish its first goal: enrolling millions of uninsured Americans, many of whom have been living one medical emergency away from the poorhouse. You realize those computer failures that have hampered sign-ups in the early days — to the smug delight of the critics — confirm that there is enormous popular demand. You have probably figured out that the real mission of the Republican extortionists and their big-money backers was to scuttle the law before most Americans recognized it as a godsend and rendered it politically untouchable.

Just because people access a website doesn’t mean they’re going to purchase the product. And, they aren’t really purchasing the product. The Miami Herald has upgrade enrollees to “urban legand“. Yes, eventually people will sign up. They really do not have a choice. They’ll pay a fine/tax, otherwise. We do want people with health insurance, so that the rest of us aren’t paying for them. What they’re finding out is that it’s not particularly affordable.

What you may not know is that the Affordable Care Act is also beginning, with little fanfare, to accomplish its second great goal: to promote reforms to our overpriced, underperforming health care system. Irony of ironies, the people who ought to be most vigorously applauding this success story are Republicans, because it is being done not by government decree but almost entirely with market incentives.

Did Bill miss the point that these “market incentives” derive from government mandates and requirements? Sure looks like it. That’s not free market in the least.

Using mainly the marketplace clout of Medicare and some seed money, the new law has spurred innovation and efficiency. And while those new insurance exchanges that are now lurching into business will touch roughly 1 in 10 Americans (the rest of us are already covered by private employer plans or by government programs like Medicare), these systemic reforms potentially touch every patient, every taxpayer.

After telling us that we should be applauding these “market incentives”, which derive from government, he tells us that these “market incentive” actually derive from government and will touch virtually every single American. Why wouldn’t Conservatives love that?

Since the Affordable Care Act was signed three years ago, more than 370 innovative medical practices, called accountable care organizations, have sprung up across the country, with 150 more in the works. At these centers, Medicare or private insurers reward doctors financially when their patients require fewer hospital stays, emergency room visits and surgeries — exactly the opposite of what doctors have traditionally been paid to do. The more money the organization saves, the more money its participating providers share. And the best way to save costs (which is, happily, also the best way to keep patients alive) is to catch problems before they explode into emergencies.

There’s a lot of discourse regarding these ACOs, and whether they will work or not. Some say yes, some say no. Some say they will lead to substandard care, and cause people who should be referred to be left without the care they need. Time will tell. What this does do is insinuate The Government into more of our personal health care choices, meaning the decision is between the doctor and the government, not the doctor and the patient.

There’s no doubt that reducing ER visits can reduce health insurance costs. But people who should be heading to the hospitals may not be sent. That is dangerous. And based on Government interference. Anyhow, sure, there are some good parts to Obamacare. They’re the tasty pretzel bun covering the guano-patty. Said guano-patty is the Governmental interference in our lives, the increased control of our health care by Government, the increased costs, etc, you know the hit list. Just obtaining health insurance through the Exchanges involves a huge smattering of governmental agencies. Hugely complicated just to sign up.

One reason you may not have heard much about this part of the Obamacare story is that it is numbingly complicated.

The hell you say!

But I suspect another reason is partisan spite. The Democrats were passionately in favor of enrolling the uninsured, but many would have preferred a government-run program, or at least a public option. What Obamacare has wrought is the kind of market-driven reformation that Republicans pretend to believe in. Which makes you wonder how much of their opposition rests on the merits, and how much is just a loathing for anything associated with Barack Obama.

Got that? Liberal Bill Keller thinks a government driven program that’s incredibly complicated and involves a huge amount of government agencies enforcing a huge amount of government mandates is “free market.” But, we don’t like it cause of Obama. Right. Here’s free market principles in action

In order to fully appreciate that chart, you have to see it in full. Check at Rep. Kevin Brady’s website, where that is enlarged to 9000 x 7000. Yes, that big in order to understand all the connections. Which looked like this before passage of the ACA.

BTW, if Keller thinks the way the ACOs operate is great, having incentives to reduce costs, why don’t we try and do that for Government itself?

Read: Keller: Republicans Should Be Cheering The “Affordable” Care Act »

Posted in Government, Healthcare, Liberal World | 7 Comments | Trackback URL

Shutdown Theater: Um, Maybe Los Federales Spend Too Much

By William Teach October 14, 2013 – 8:52 am

Obviously, so many of the Shutdown Theater stories from the left leaning media are designed to tug on the heartstrings, as well as say “those evil mean Republicans are hurting the economy and businesses. But, this tells me something different

(WRAL) Finding work in a sputtering economy is difficult, especially for people with disabilities.

Four out of five disabled adults are unemployed, and their prospects for landing a job are getting slimmer now that the government shutdown has idled the people who train them for jobs and help them stay employed through coaching and support.

Greg Lazo’s vocational rehabilitation position is federally funded, and he was told this week to stop working, leaving his clients on the job without support.

Getting beyond the notion that there are lots and lots of unemployed who are suffering during the Obama Economy, this story is meant to yank on those heart strings. Let’s look deeper: the federal government is funding this program. Why? Before we answer (and someone calls me heartless), let’s see a few more (these all come from the Raleigh N&O while I was looking for the last excerpt)

(Raleigh N&O) A company that makes solar panels for the Department of Defense has no orders to fill.

A consulting firm recently named one of America’s fastest-growing companies has been forced to tap cash reserves without its No. 1 client: the federal government.

(N&O) Illinois is scaling back on certain hospital and nursing home inspections because of the partial federal government shutdown, state officials said.

The Illinois Department of Public Health gets about $1.3 million a month to pay for inspections of medical facilities, but that money’s been stopped because of the shutdown, according to a report (http://bit.ly/18UuKXa ) by the Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers.

(Cary News) For many months, I have been preparing to move to Denver, Colo., for Americorps, a federal program that allows young people to do service projects in the U.S. and receive an education award to go toward college or student-loan debt.

Less than one week before my departure date, the government shut down, leaving me with no options.

(N&O) Deanna Osmond, a soil scientist at N.C. State University, recently got the good news she’d been hoping for: a $450,750 research grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Her project is a three-year test of a tool that may help corn farmers adjust nitrogen fertilizer levels during the growing season, rather than guessing at the right amount. The research has practical implications for corn yields in North Carolina and elsewhere.

Then came the bad news: Because of the partial shutdown of the federal government, Osmond was told that her team can’t get the money or start the research. The clock is ticking to launch the study in time for the next corn growing season.

These are just a smattering of stories about the Reliance On Federal Funds. The Helping Hand Of The Federal Government. Your tax dollars, taken at the point of a barrel, well, jail cell. From a federal government that is far away and typically unresponsive to the taxpayer him/herself. These programs themselves are necessarily bad or wasteful, but would be best funded from a more responsive state or local government, or from the private sector. The use of federal money for programs continues to increase yearly, as do the expenditures. And once established, it is darned near impossible to get rid of. If you oppose this use of money, you are heartless, hate science, hate people, are a scrooge, are mean.

Look at that last one: Almost $451k may seem like a drop in the bucket when the federal budget is almost $4 trillion, but it all ads up. Why fund this through the USDA? People have been farming for most of modern human history. If this was really great research, wouldn’t some private company step up, seeing a return on investment?

There are all sorts of waste lists. Consider a few from Zero Hedge‘s 66 ways government wastes your money

  • The IRS is about to pay out 70 million dollars in bonuses to employees even though discretionary bonuses are supposed to be cancelled due to the sequester.
  • The NIH plans to spend $509,840 on a study that “will send text messages in ‘gay lingo’ to methamphetamine addicts to try to persuade them to use fewer drugs and more condoms.”
  • The National Science Foundation has given $384,949 to Yale University to do a study on “Sexual Conflict, Social Behavior and the Evolution of Waterfowl Genitalia”.  Try not to laugh, but much of this research involves examining and measuring the reproductive organs of male ducks.
  • During 2012, $25,000 of federal money was spent on a promotional tour for the Alabama Watermelon Queen.
  • The U.S. government spent $505,000 “to promote specialty hair and beauty products for cats and dogs” in 2012.
  • During fiscal 2012, the National Science Foundation gave researchers at Purdue University $350,000.  They used part of that money to help fund a study that discovered that if golfers imagine that a hole is bigger it will help them with their putting.

I play golf a few times a month (skinned the ever-loving hell out of my knee a few weeks ago…long story, did not involve alcohol, surprisingly), and, wow, that last one was dumb. Tom Coburn should be releasing his 2013 waste list soon. Here’s his 2012. It’s time to reduce the dependency on Los Federales, and reduce this pork and waste. Sure, we would like to help disable folks prepare for jobs and find them, we’re a damned charitable, caring country. So many of these programs are funded not because of caring, but because elected officials want to get re-elected by giving Someone Else’s money away. Where does it end?

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: Shutdown Theater: Um, Maybe Los Federales Spend Too Much »

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Warmists Tell Us Exactly What They Want To Do

By William Teach October 13, 2013 – 3:25 pm

Well, what they want for Everyone Else, since they are mostly not doing this for themselves (via Tom Nelson)

((Progressive) Universe Today) Toward the end of this 900-page report, the IPCC looked toward our future, focusing on the climate after the year 2100. Here, Universe Today, explores two extreme scenarios for the Earth by 2100.

1.) Embracing the Challenges of Climate Change

The conclusions reached by climate scientists at the end of the 21st Century were undeniable. We embraced climate change by investing heavily in renewable energies. Both large-scale companies and individuals bought energy drawn from the sunlight, wind, and geothermal heat. (shouldn’t that read “were forced to buy drastically increasing the cost of business and life?)

Homes across the world became more sustainable. Their total square feet shrunk, as home owners learned to live with less. It was not uncommon to dress a roof with plants or solar panels. Even the layout of homes changed. They rested partially underground, taking advantage of geothermal heat, and faced South (in the case of the Northern hemisphere) to take advantage of the warm sunlight. (so, smaller homes and we have to do with less because no one can afford it and innovation has been stifled by high taxation. Oh, and we’re apparently turning into Morlocks)

We now eat far less meat than we did in the early 21st Century to cut the emissions generated from livestock farming. Pastures have been replaced with booming forests – helping to absorb CO2. We also eat more locally. (OK, forced vegetarian Morlocks. Looks like even soylent green is out)

The world followed in China’s footsteps and restricted couples to a certain number of children, reducing our overall population. (funny how Warmists mostly consider to have more than 1 child themselves. They’d be surprised as hell when the fascistic government child decrees effected themselves.)

We live in small compact cities where we drive hybrid cars and take public transport to work. Carbon offsets must be purchased when taking long trips. Most families vacation in their own backyard – exploring all that nature has to offer in the nearby vicinity. (We take staycations because no one has any money because everything is super expensive, and unemployment is about 50%, plus there are few in the younger generation to pay for all the promised social safety nets. Oh, and all the nature of urban gangs do what they do at our tiny homes because personal protection will surely be banned in this Progressive utopia)

Aren’t you thrilled with the way Warmists envision the future?

Read: Warmists Tell Us Exactly What They Want To Do »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Beyond Moonbat, Global Warming, Liberal World | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach October 13, 2013 – 1:00 pm

…is a watering hole that has obviously been dried up from Someone Else preparing chili for football Sunday, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Nice Deb, who has coverage of today’s million vet march.

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Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach October 13, 2013 – 11:24 am

Happy Sunday! Another gorgeous day in the Once And Future Nation of America. This pinup seems to be by F.M. Clough, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Legal Insurrection notes that Senate Republicans are fighting against House Republicans
  2. Raised On Hoecakes has a Darwin Award nominee
  3. Public Secrets asks if you want to know why Obamacare will collapse
  4. Smitty (The Other McCain) discusses term limits
  5. The Gateway Pundit notes that Sarah Palin will be in DC today for the Million Vet March
  6. The Strata-Sphere discusses what we can learn from shutdown theater and Obamacare rollout
  7. Jo Nova notes that solar models beat IPCC models
  8. Watts Up With That? notes a study that says the pause will last another decade
  9. Atlas Shrugs wonders about the response from American Muslims to jihad
  10. DaTechGuy says Baseball is the perfect Conservative sport
  11. Fire Andrea Mitchell digs into the WSJ Republican doom poll
  12. Gay Patriot mentions how to discuss shutdown and debt rationally
  13. House Of Eratosthenes discusses why this (shutdown) all went the way it did
  14. Jihad Watch discusses whether the Kenya mall attack could happen in America. The answer will surprise you
  15. And last, but not least, Maggie’s Notebook discusses the destruction of “Let’s Move” stamps

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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Surprise: Obama Wants Increased Revenue For Debt Deal

By William Teach October 13, 2013 – 9:46 am

The question is, is Mr. “I won’t negotiate” Obama using the notion of increased revenue as a way of blunting the demands from Republicans (and the American People who hate Obamacare), or is he simply demanding new revenue, ie, taxation, like he’s done before? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter. We’ve seen multiple times that when a deal is almost in place President Stompy Foot demands much more, scuttling the deal

(NY Times) Be skeptical. Be very, very skeptical.

That was the reaction from nearly all corners to the talk of convening yet another round of bipartisan negotiations to reduce the nation’s long-term debt. The idea has resurfaced as a way of resolving the standoff between President Obama and the Republican-controlled House over reopening the government and increasing its legal borrowing limit, perhaps for months or even just weeks.

But even if the current talks soon resolve the immediate impasse, which did not look likely on Saturday, any renewal of negotiations for a long-term fiscal plan will run into the same underlying problem that has doomed efforts for the past three years.

Republicans refuse to raise additional tax revenue, and until they do, Mr. Obama will not support even his own tentative proposals for reducing spending on fast-growing social benefit programs, chiefly Medicare. During a White House meeting with Senate Republicans on Friday, he reiterated that the two go hand in hand, according to people who were there.

There you have, the NY Times, the “paper of record”, has said it. Obama’s default position is “increase taxes”. Though writer Jackie Calmes does write something silly about “Mr. Obama and Democrats say some of that revenue must be used to pay down the debt.” Would that be the almost $7 trillion in debt they’ve run up in….counting…less than 5 years since Obama took office? They have no intention of using increased taxation to do anything but fund pet projects and interest groups, along with increasing dependency on Government. Debt reduction? Good luck with that.

Read: Surprise: Obama Wants Increased Revenue For Debt Deal »

Posted in Barry Obama, Taxation | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

“Climate Change” Will Cause Lots Of Snow And Cold Misery

By William Teach October 12, 2013 – 8:04 pm

What with all the early snow and cold, we’re entering the psychoneurotic/bat guano insane time of where they blame GHGs. Sadly, lots of people actually believe this crap

Climate change misery: Snow and deep freeze spell disaster for livestock

Midwestern ranchers recently dealt with the shock of losing vital livestock in aftermath of a historic blizzard. Climate change has claimed millions of herd animals in the recent past and will again in the future.

Due to the government shutdown, ranchers who lost thousands of cattle in last week’s catastrophic snowstorms across parts of the Midwest won’t get any immediate federal funding to help with their loses, but for the short term, most are simply consumed with the grim and heartbreaking task of burying thousands of cows on family ranches.

The loss of livestock and food crops will only continue as experts predict increasing weather extremes. Changing climate has already left few places on Earth untouched by anomalous weather.

The United Nations climate report recently released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that climate change may have already passed the tipping point and scientists are 95 percent certain that human activity is the cause.

Read: “Climate Change” Will Cause Lots Of Snow And Cold Misery »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach October 12, 2013 – 1:00 pm

…is horrible heat induced snow (why else would they be wearing bikinis unless it was hot?), you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Lonely Conservative, with a post on a union potentially striking over Obummercare.

Read: If All You See… »

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