The damage has already begun

The damage has already begun - NYPOST.com
"Repeal of ObamaCare can't come soon enough -- as several damaging provisions are set to take effect this year.
For starters, it has effectively stopped the construction of physician-owned hospitals throughout the country.

Section 6001 of the health-care law required physician-owned hospitals to obtain their Medicare certification by the end of last year. Without it, they can't treat Medicare patients.
And the facilities needed to be open to get that certification.

So construction halted at 45 hospitals as the New Year arrived. Work on countless others will never start, having been effectively banned by ObamaCare. This will limit competition in the health-care marketplace, driving up costs for patients."

Hawaii governor can't find Obama birth certificate

Hawaii governor can't find Obama birth certificate
"Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie suggested in an interview published today that a long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate for Barack Obama may not exist within the vital records maintained by the Hawaii Department of Health."

Disaster! Rick Snyder, Public-Sector Benefits

Rick Snyder, Public-Sector Benefits [Mackinac Center]
"Early indications are that our new governor is acting boldly and wisely in his attempt to right size Michigan’s fiscal ship.
That’s good news, and he should be applauded, in part due to the fact that he will need the moral support.
Why?
The budget is in worse shape than even he and members of the media have probably fathomed.

I’m not the first budget analyst to notice this, but I may be the first to say it out loud.

With the year’s first state revenue estimating conference scheduled for Jan. 14, it is time to flesh out a few important issues.

First, it could be argued that the widely reported and official state deficit estimate for the fiscal 2012 General Fund/General Purpose budget is understated by at least $200 million."

Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses

Amazon.com: Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses
"In spite of soaring tuition costs, more and more students go to college every year.
A bachelor’s degree is now required for entry into a growing number of professions.
And some parents begin planning for the expense of sending their kids to college when they’re born.
Almost everyone strives to go, but almost no one asks the fundamental question posed by Academically Adrift: are undergraduates really learning anything once they get there?

For a large proportion of students, Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa’s answer to that question is a definitive no.
Their extensive research draws on survey responses, transcript data, and, for the first time, the state-of-the-art Collegiate Learning Assessment, a standardized test administered to students in their first semester and then again at the end of their second year.
According to their analysis of more than 2,300 undergraduates at twenty-four institutions, 45 percent of these students demonstrate no significant improvement in a range of skills—including critical thinking, complex reasoning, and writing—during their first two years of college."

States Warned of $2 Trillion Pensions Shortfall

States Warned of $2 Trillion Pensions Shortfall - CNBC
"The severe US economic recession has cast a spotlight on years of fiscal mismanagement, including chronic underfunding of retirement promises.
“States face cost pressure, most prominently from retirement benefits and Medicaid [the health programme for the poor],” Orin Kramer told the Financial Times.
“One consequence is that asset sales and privatisation will pick up.
The very unfortunate consequence is that various safety nets for the most vulnerable citizens will be cut back.”"

Those who voted to spend us into local bankruptcy will be correctly blamed.
Those who trusted our local leaders to protect them will be betrayed.

The College Kids Aren't All Right, They're Depressed

The College Kids Aren't All Right, They're Depressed - ParentDish
"another recent study, conducted at Northwestern University, finds one out of every four or five students who visits a university health center for a routine cold or sore throat turns out to have undiagnosed depression"

Well duh.
Graduating with a worthless degree, no job prospects and owing tens of thousands of dollars.
Who wouldn't be depressed?
Government employees, university employees...and those nifty college counselors.
Oh yeah!

Woman from Fruitport allegedly used a fish to attack two men ice fishing in Norton Shores

Woman from Fruitport allegedly used a fish to attack two men ice fishing in Norton Shores MLive.com
"Gale said officers were called to the lake by one of the men who claimed they were assaulted by “a female wielding a fish.”"

This Is No Reason For Reform

This Is No Reason For Reform - Investors.com
"Over and over we were told Washington had to take over health care because so many Americans lack insurance due to pre-existing medical conditions.

So how many fall into this category?
Try 8,000.
You read that right: In this nation of nearly 311 million, the Democrats overhauled the world's best health care system to benefit 8,000 people."

Qanta A. Ahmed: Fulfilling Our Duty as Muslim-Americans

Qanta A. Ahmed: Fulfilling Our Duty as Muslim-Americans - WSJ.com

"According to Islamic law, Muslims are obligated to three entities: the self, God and society.
This last has been overlooked too often by Muslims and their adopted societies."

Balance from a bracelet? All in your head

Balance from a bracelet? All in your head The Australian
"SHAQUILLE O'Neal swears by them.
The Power Balance bracelet, he says, gives him a competitive edge on the court.
It's no gimmick, he says.
It's for real.
It may be for him, but Australian authorities say the California-based company behind the wildly popular wristbands and pendants has no business claiming that they improve balance, strength and flexibility.
And they even got Power Balance to admit it.
The company wrote: 'We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims.'
It also agreed to give refunds to customers who believe they were cheated."

YWCA drops the word Christian from its historic name to call itself Platform 51

YWCA drops the word Christian from its historic name to call itself Platform 51 Mail Online
"One of the country’s best-known charities has changed its name, losing the clearest link to its Christian roots.
The Young Women’s Christian Association has dropped its historic title after 156 years because ‘it no longer stands for who we are’.
Instead the organisation – which is mainly funded by legacies left by Christian supporters over 15 decades – will be known as ‘Platform 51’."

Electric Cars May Accelerate Global Warming

Electric Cars May Accelerate Global Warming - William Pentland - Clean Beta - Forbes
"The results, which appeared in a paper published in Energy Policy last Fall, found that for countries with dirty power supplies – like India and China – widespread adoption of electric vehicles could lead to more – not less – CO2 emissions compared to widespread adoption of gasoline based vehicles, unless dramatically less CO2 intensive."