It's the culture, stupid--------Sneak attack: Pandemonium as latest Air Jordan sneakers go on sale and fights break out at stores across the country

Sneak attack: Pandemonium as latest Air Jordan sneakers go on sale and fights break out at stores across the country | Mail Online: "
Nike's latest Air Jordan sneakers were released yesterday
People lined up overnight to get their feet into a pair
Violence broke out in malls and outside stores all over the country as frenzied shoppers tried to buy the shoes
Similar scenes accompany the release of a new version each year
Last year, Joshua Woods, 22, was gunned down on his way home and robbed of the pair of sneakers he had bought"

The new "American dream"---How great is this! Free Moolah for Michiganians!

Obama's version of the "american dream".
A lawsuit victory.
Interesting spin by this reporter.
We have the most deaths.
But look at all the money we're gonna get.
Kinda sick, doncha think?
Michiganians biggest beneficiaries of $100M settlement over tainted steroids | Crain's Detroit Business:
"Michigan residents are expected to be among the biggest beneficiaries of a $100 million settlement with a Massachusetts pharmacy company linked to a nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis.

Authorities say 22 of the 64 people who died in the outbreak were from Michigan.

Attorneys for creditors of the Framingham, Mass.-based New England Compounding Center said Monday that they've reached a preliminary settlement to create a victim compensation fund worth more than $100 million."

We used to have "insurance agents" to help us with this. Now we have ACORN rejects--------Obamacare 'Deductible' Shock–Just 14% Understand Insurance Lingo

Obamacare 'Deductible' Shock–Just 14% Understand Insurance Lingo:
"A recent academic study published in the Journal of Health Economics found that just 14% of individuals who have health coverage could correctly answer all four of four basic questions about health insurance, including understanding what a “deductible” and “copay” are. 
If comprehension figures are that low for the insured, analysts worry what that portends for the uninsured, especially for a program as complex as Obamacare."

From Costa Rica's Great Balls to Death Valley's wandering rocks: The 10 bizarre phenomena that still have scientists baffled

From Costa Rica's Great Balls to Death Valley's wandering rocks: The 10 bizarre phenomena that still have scientists baffled | Mail Online:
"From Costa Rica's Great Balls to Death Valley's wandering rocks: The 10 bizarre phenomena that still have scientists baffled
Great balls of Costa Rica date back to 600AD yet their purpose is unknown
In Serbia and Japan, frogs and other wildlife are said to fall from the sky
Stones slide across the ground under a mysterious force in California.
While no one knows how vast shapes appeared in Peruvian sand"

The private sector to the rescue-Blue Cross extends deadline for off-market plans

Wasn't this supposed to be the other way around?
Blue Cross extends deadline for off-market plans | Crain's Detroit Business

Blue Cross extends deadline for off-market plans

The state's largest health insurer on Monday gave some people an extra week to buy insurance in time for coverage that would kick in on Jan. 1, saying that roughly half of those purchasing plans on their own can skip enrollment on the government's website.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan said the extension until Dec. 31 applies to consumers not qualifying for subsidized premiums on the federal insurance market. The "off-marketplace" plans are identical to those on www.healthcare.gov but only available to those making too much to receive tax credits.

The announcement came the same day the Obama administration extended by one day — until today — the deadline to sign up on the exchange for coverage that begins New Year's Day. Open enrollment ends March 31.

The tax credits will make premiums more affordable for households earning between 100 percent and 400 percent of the poverty line. That's about $11,500 to $46,000 for an individual, and roughly $23,500 to $94,000 for a family of four.

For those making more than that, "we can enroll you right away," said Terry Burke, Blue Cross' vice president for individual business. He added that consumers qualifying for premium subsidies who are interested in a Blue Cross plan can cut their call time in half by first registering at healthcare.gov.

What a mother and wife. What a woman! ----Woman gives family wonderful Christmas gift two years after her death

Yeah. This made me cry.....
Woman gives family wonderful Christmas gift two years after her death | Rare:
"Wife and mother Brenda Schmitz penned a letter to her husband two months before she lost her battle to ovarian cancer — a letter the late Mrs. Schmitz intended her husband to hear shortly before his second marriage.

“I am writing this letter to have sent to you by dear friend who has instructions to do so when it is the time,” 

16 Of The MOST CLEVER AND AMUSING Homeless Signs!!!!

As a nation of free men and women, are we lazy, ignorant, bored enough to allow this massive power grab to expand? ----------NSA Panel Member Recommends Increased Data Collection

NSA Panel Member Recommends Increased Data Collection - NationalJournal.com:
 "Michael Morell, the former acting director of the CIA and a member of President Obama's task force on surveillance, said in an interview on Sunday that a controversial telephone data-collection program conducted by the National Security Agency should be expanded to include emails.
He also said the program, far from being unnecessary, could prevent the next 9/11."

And we keep giving these morons MORE POWER? -----------------Obama can’t point to a single time the NSA call records program prevented a terrorist attack

Obama can’t point to a single time the NSA call records program prevented a terrorist attack

National Security Agency defenders, including President Obama, continue to cite the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001 when defending the program that scoops up domestic call records in bulk. But asked specifically, on Friday, if he could identify a time when that program stopped a similar attack, President Obama couldn't. That's because the program hasn't prevented a second 9/11.

At the end of the year news conference, Reuters's Mark Felsenthal asked:

As you review how to rein in the National Security Agency, a federal judge says that, for example, the government has failed to cite a single instance in which analysis of the NSA's bulk metadata actually stopped an imminent attack. Are you able to identify any specific examples when it did so? Are you convinced that the collection of that data is useful to national security to continue as it is?

But President Obama never answered the question about a specific examples. Instead he spoke more broadly and tied the program, again, back to 9/11.

What I've said in the past continues to be the case, which is that the NSA, in executing this program, believed, based on experiences from 9/11, that it was important for us to be able to track, if there was a phone number of a known terrorist outside of the United States calling into the United States, where that call might have gone and that having that data in one place and retained for a certain period of time allowed them to be confident in pursuing various investigations of terrorist threats.

The president's reliance on a 9/11 narrative is expected. The terrorist attack was a defining moment for a generation and now serves as a tragic reminder of a time when the U.S. government failed to protect its citizens. It's understandable that any president would want to be seen as vigilant in preventing another such attack.

But the reason the president can't cite a specific time the phone meta-data program stopped a similar tragedy is because it hasn't.

It's not rich vs poor. Black vs white. Old vs young. It's us American citizens vs the governing class! Until we understand that, the racket will triumph-------It's a Very Merry Christmas for Washington Insiders

Even more despicable, they successfully divide us for their benefit!
Sewing hatred for their own greed.

It's a Very Merry Christmas for Washington Insiders | Cato @ Liberty:
"Last year, while writing about the corrupt and self-serving behavior at the IRS, I came up with a theorem that explains day-to-day behavior in Washington.

Simply stated, government is a racket that benefits the D.C. political elite by taking money from average people in America"

And the democrats tell us we not paying our fair share?

Don't worry democrat voters, Barry is nice and warm in Hawaii--------230,000 in Michigan still without power after weekend ice storm

This is a national disaster.
And a national disgrace!
Imagine the outrage  if Bush was stilll...... 
230,000 in Michigan still without power after weekend ice storm | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"More than 230,000 electric customers remain without power in Michigan’s lower peninsula after this weekend’s ice storm, with about 58,000 of those out in metro Detroit, according to local energy providers.
....A total of 303,000 Consumers customers have been affected by the storms, Dodd Said. In metro Detroit, about 150,000 customers lost power after Saturday’s storm blanketed trees, roads and power lines with ice."

Oh boy------Financial Repression From The Obama Administration: How Savers May Be Forced To Buy Federal Debt

Financial Repression From The Obama Administration: How Savers May Be Forced To Buy Federal Debt - Forbes:
 "Despite the reassurance, economists and industry officials are still worried. “The runaway, unaccountable regulators at the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau would like to ‘protect’ the IRAs of U.S. citizens by making them into a $20 trillion ATM for the government,” says economist George Gilder.

Critics fear that the CFPB would claim regulatory authority over IRAs and self-employed person pensions (SEPPs) on the grounds that seniors aren’t capable of handling their accounts and are being defrauded by the firms that manage them."

.....For now, almost every dollar in America’s individual retirement accounts is invested in the private sector — which earns higher returns than government debt.
 “I wouldn’t put it past the government to go after some of that money, almost all which is invested in corporate stocks and bonds or real estate,” says Curtis De Young, founder and CEO of American Pension Services, a leading financial advisory company.

I'm thinkin' it's not his graduation photo----Suspect ID'd in fatal quadruple shooting

Suspect ID'd in fatal quadruple shooting | WOOD TV8:
"MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) - Muskegon Silent Observer is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man who prosecutors suspect was involved in the weekend shooting of four people .

Gary Ogreen III , 21, was killed and three others were wounded when police say a group of unwanted guests returned to Ogreen's home after they'd been asked to leave and opened fire.

Sheriff's officials say there was a fight before the group left the first time. They returned a short time later and one of the people in the group fired several shots, Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson said Monday evening.

An arrest warrant was issued for Deontay Demarco Black-Wickliffe, 22, but police have not been able to locate him. He is charged with open murder, three counts of assault with intent to murder, and a felony firearm charge. Authorities say he should be considered armed and dangerous."

I think I'm a nuclear power supporter.....but is man competent to operate it safely. I'm not so sure-----Thyroid Cancers Surge Among Fukushima Youths

Thyroid Cancers Surge Among Fukushima Youths | Zero Hedge:

It seems US sailors aren't the only ones who three short years after the Fukushima disaster are being stricken by cancers and other radiation-induced diseases. For once, the media blackout surrounding the Japanese nuclear power plant tragedy appears to have crumbled, and at least a portion of the truth has been revealed. Hong Kong's SCMP reports that fifty-nine young people in Fukushima prefecture have been diagnosed with or are suspected of having thyroid cancer. Notably, all of newly diagnosed were younger than 18 at the time of the nuclear meltdown in the area in March 2011. They were identified in tests by the prefectural government, which covered 239,000 people by the end of September.

History for December 24-Christmas Eve

History for December 24 - On-This-Day.com
1814 - The War of 1812 between the U.S. and Britain was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium. 






1818 - Franz Gruber of Oberndorf, Germany composed the music for "Silent Night" to words written by Josef Mohr. 









1985 - Fidel Castro, the Cuban president, announced that he was a non-smoker. 

Death wish----D.C. Council Approves Minimum Wage Increase

D.C. Council Approves Minimum Wage Increase: DCist:
"In a rather anticlimactic moment, the D.C. Council unanimously passed an increase in the minimum wage today to one of the highest levels in the country.
Council chair Phil Mendelson moved to place both the minimum wage increase and paid sick days for restaurant workers bills on the consent agenda, and that passed without any discussion.
Supporters of the bills poured out into the Wilson Building's fifth floor lobby to celebrate. 
The Council unanimously passed the bill on first reading earlier this month.
The increase will raise the minimum wage to $9.50 in July 2014, $10.50 the following year, and $11.50 by 2016, with future increases tied to the Consumer Price Index. "

Yes. There are unions that will use their power for this kind of idiocy------French pub fined for using 'undeclared labour' after customers return glasses to the bar

French pub fined for using 'undeclared labour' after customers return glasses to the bar - Mirror Online

A French pub is facing a £7,500 fine for using 'undeclared labour' after officials spotted customers taking empty glasses back to the bar.

Markya Le Floch, the owner of Mamm-Kounifl concert-café in Locmiquélic, said agents from social security body URSAFF stormed the pub before taking her into custody.

"Around half-past midnight, a customer returned a drinks tray. She passed by the bar to go to the toilets. That was when it all kicked off. My husband was pinned against the glass by a man. A woman leapt on me, showing her ID card and that’s when I realised it was a URSSAF check. They told me I had been caught using undeclared labour,” she told  Le Télégramme.

...But URSAFF maintains it is an infringement of labour laws.

Another government/union partnership "success"-----------Inalfa Roof Systems closing Grand Blanc Township plant; UAW says some jobs moving to Mexico

Inalfa Roof Systems closing Grand Blanc Township plant; UAW says some jobs moving to Mexico | MLive.com:
"GRAND BLANC TWP., MI -- A sunroof company that the state of Michigan and township lured here with big tax breaks a decade ago is closing its plant on North Holly Road and a union official says some of the work is moving to Mexico.

Initial layoffs are expected to start in January at Inalfa Roof Systems Inc. and the plant will permanently close in June or July, costing 52 workers their jobs, according to a plant closing notice filed with the state of Michigan and the UAW."

But wait. It's even more moronic that this headline-----Business owner informed by city of Houston he must fix potholes

Business owner informed by city of Houston he must fix potholes | khou.com Houston:
  "HOUSTON -- One man says when he complained about the shoulder of the road in front of his business, the city told him it was his responsibility to fix it. So the man paid his employees to fill in the holes along the 4000 block of Oates Road in northeast Houston. But thanks to the city, now he's got another problem. KHOU 11 News Reporter Tim Wetzel has the full story." 

More moronic laws that make EVERYONE a law breaker------Tax Dollars at Work: Trooper Catches Dummy in HOV Lane

Tax Dollars at Work: Trooper Catches Dummy in HOV Lane | Washington Free Beacon:
"A Seattle man was pulled over and ticketed Wednesday for driving in the HOV lane without a passenger, despite the driver’s use of a human-looking dummy, KCPQ reports.

State Trooper Anatolly Nazariya believed something was fishy and pulled the driver over, seeing that the passenger, dressed in Seattle Seahawks garb, was in fact fake.
The driver was cited with an HOV violation, a fine worth $124."

Interesting--World's Smallest Political Quiz

World's Smallest Political Quiz:

China "Fixes" Liquidity Crisis By Banning Media Use Of Words "Cash Crunch"

China "Fixes" Liquidity Crisis By Banning Media Use Of Words "Cash Crunch" | Zero Hedge:
"How do you "fix" a nations' banking system's increasingly desperate need (and dependence upon) for government-provided liquidity without giving in and just providing all the inflation-stoking liquidity the banks demand?
Simple - in China - you ban the media from discussing it.
As The FT reports, Chinese propaganda officials have ordered financial journalists and some media outlets to tone down their coverage of a liquidity crunch in the interbank market, in a sign of how worried Beijing is that the turmoil will continue.
The censors have warned reporters not to "hype" the multiple-sigma spikes in overnight-funding rates and have forbidden the press from using the Chinese words for "cash crunch.""

No cartoons of Barry pushing old people of a cliff this time------ObamaCare’s New Year’s Day Surprise: Deep Cuts to Medicare

AARP musta been asleep when this happened...... right?

.ObamaCare’s New Year’s Day Surprise: Deep Cuts to Medicare - AMAC, Inc.

As if ObamaCare’s botched website, coverage cancellations, and higher costs were not bad enough, the Obama Administration has quietly dealt yet another blow – this time striking millions of the nation’s most vulnerable seniors.  Specifically, the Obama Administration has decided to deeply cut funding for the Medicare program’s home health benefit as a way to help pay for ObamaCare.

The Administration made this announcement very quietly, waiting to do so until the very end of the last Friday before Thanksgiving, perhaps thinking that most people would not be looking.

To be sure, the timing of the Administration’s quiet announcement did keep it out of sight – for a while.  That ended on December 12^th, however, when theWashington Examiner broke the story in an article headlined “ObamaCare forcing 14 percent cut in Medicare’s home health program.”  FOX News and the Daily Caller have also picked up this story, so full attention is now being paid to this unprecedented cut – and the harm it will do to frail seniors across America.

As the Examiner’s Richard Pollock wrote, “An estimated 3.5 million poor and ill homebound senior citizens will wake up on New Year’s Day to discover ObamaCare has slashed funding for their home health care program.”  

He’s right: on January 1^st, the Obama Administration will sharply cut Medicare funding for home healthcare services.

Trust me, I'm from the government

Obama's america----Unruly Crowd Causes Commotion At Salvation Army Toy Distribution

I want it free!
And I want it NOW!
That's Barry's army today.
Unruly Crowd Causes Commotion At Salvation Army Toy Distribution « CBS Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Organizers of a Salvation Army holiday toy distribution on Pittsburgh’s North Side planned to bring in more staff today after a crowd turned unruly Friday.
It all happened just after 11:30 a.m. at the Salvation Army facility on North Avenue. 

According to police, people had been waiting in line for a while to pick up toys when they started getting angry. 

When the doors opened, officials say things turned chaotic. 

People were pushing, shoving and cutting in front of others.

Staff at the facility told police that there wasn’t enough personnel to handle the crowd, so they stopped the toy distribution and told everyone to leave. 

They planned to open back up today with additional staff. No arrests were made.

Rich liberals "Rat space for thee but not for me"-----Rise in Micro-Apartments Raises Concerns Over Mental Health

These phoney elites are no different than the worst of the French aristocrats of the French revolution.
Off with their heads!
Rise in Micro-Apartments Raises Concerns Over Mental Health | The New York Observer:
"Even though Mayor Michael Bloomberg has championed the micro-unit, some experts are concerned that living in 250 to 370 feet spaces could be risky.

“Sure, these micro-apartments may be fantastic for young professionals in their 20’s,” Dak Kopec, director of design for human health at Boston Architectural College, told The Atlantic.
“But they definitely can be unhealthy for older people, say in their 30’s and 40’s, who face different stress factors that can make tight living conditions a problem.”

According to Mr. Kopec, the space-saving trend of tiny apartments can lead to increased claustrophobia, domestic abuse, and alcoholism."

I was there just before the "volcano blow"---10 Strange 20th Century Ruins

10 Strange 20th Century Ruins - Listverse:

Plymouth, Montserrat

Photo credit: Mike Schinkel

In 1989, the quiet Caribbean island of Montserrat was struck by a devastating hurricane, which damaged more than 90 percent of the structures on the island and devastated the economy. Refusing to give in to despair, the proud Montserratian people came together to repair the damage and rebuild their country. Six years later, the island’s long dormant volcano suddenly became active again. It’s a cliché, but sometimes life really isn’t fair.

In July 1995, the capital, Plymouth, was evacuated as a precaution, but a small number of residents were allowed back a year later. Then, on June 25, 1997, a huge eruption buried the town in lava, mud, and ash. Over 15 years later, the town is still buried—the tops of houses, cars, and even red telephone boxes can be seen protruding from the ash, which has been compacted to the density of concrete. In some places the ash is thick enough that the rooves of multi-story buildings are now barely above ground level. Nineteen people died when the ash engulfed Plymouth, and much of the population of Montserrat fled the island, never to return.

Seems "Detroit" is the new synonym for disaster------The next Detroit? Atlantic City and Las Vegas facing catastrophy

The next Detroit? Atlantic City and Las Vegas facing catastrophi - New York News:
"With the closure of the recent Atlantic Club Casino Hotel, rumors of the bankrupt Revel being sold to Hard Rock, more than half of the mortgages in Las Vegas under water, casinos opening up all around the country and online gambling legislation underway in various states, it seems as if the reasons for the very existence of Atlantic City and Las Vegas are in serious jeopardy."
....With this in mind, it seems the niche that Las Vegas and Atlantic City once offered as a gambling and entertainment hub is heading toward the dustbin of history.

Time will tell if these two cities will end up like Detroit. 

However, the fact that they are losing their biggest industries to major competition, much like Detroit did, with depressed housing, casinos bankrupting/closing and businesses fleeing, makes their fate seem eerily similar.

Well, it is more powerful. Wasn't THAT the point--------100 Years Later, The Federal Reserve Has Failed At Everything It's Tried

100 Years Later, The Federal Reserve Has Failed At Everything It's Tried - Forbes:
"Under the Fed’s supervision, boom and bust cycles have continued.
Three of them have been severe: the Great Depression, the stagflationary period of 1974-82, and the current “Great Recession.”
Bank failures have occurred in alarmingly high numbers. 
Depending on what measurements are used, the dollar has lost between 95 and 98 percent of its purchasing power. 
(Amazingly, the Fed’s official position today is that inflation is not high enough, so the erosion of the dollar continues as a matter of policy.)

Using your kindness to support their greed------Michigan telemarketing firm takes huge chunk out of charity donations

Michigan telemarketing firm takes huge chunk out of charity donations | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"Associated Community Services has put its banks of script-reading phone solicitors to work for the veterans group, dialing into homes and convincing people to give up their credit card number and make a donation.

In 2011, the most recent year for which records are available, Associated Community Services raised $89,740 on behalf of the veterans group. But when the final check was cut, the charity received only $8,855 — a mere 10% — to put toward services for veterans. ACS kept the remaining $80,885 as payment for its fund-raising work, according to forms filed with the Internal Revenue Service."

"You didn't build that"-------RAUL CASTRO ISSUES STERN WARNING TO ENTREPRENEURS

News from The Associated Press:
 "Castro appeared to justify all of the recent moves to clamp down on private enterprise.

"We're not ignorant of the fact that those pressuring to move faster are moving us toward failure, toward disunity, and are damaging the people's confidence and support for the construction of socialism and the independence and sovereignty of Cuba.""

Crunch--Take off drama as British Airways jet crashes into building: Aircraft bound for London clips its wing as it taxis at Johannesburg airport

Take off drama as British Airways jet crashes into building: Aircraft bound for London clips its wing as it taxis at Johannesburg airport | Mail Online:
" the B747-400 aircraft was cleared for takeoff on Runway 03L.

It said: 'It was confirmed to the SACAA that the air crew got instructions from the Air Traffic Control to taxi using taxi way B. The crew continued onto taxi way M which is narrower resulting in the aircraft impacting on an office building behind the SAA Technical hangers."

Will fewer power plants (as Obama has declared) make this better-------Some Michigan homes, businesses could be without power through Christmas

Some Michigan homes, businesses could be without power through Christmas | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:
"Utility crews are working overtime to restore power to the tens of thousands of homes and businesses left without electricity thanks to the weekend ice storm in Michigan.

DTE hoped to have most of its customers back on line by Tuesday, but Consumers Power said it could be a powerless Christmas for some of its electric customers, especially those around Flint."

We are told (by the left) to look to Europe for "progressive" ideas------Lessons from Dutch Welfare Reform

Lessons from Dutch Welfare Reform | Cato @ Liberty:
"Welfare advocates regularly urge Americans to look to the European welfare state as a model.
At least in the case of the Netherlands, they might be on to something.

The Dutch have just announced a massive reform of their welfare system, designed to reduce dependency and put a new emphasis on work. 
For example, welfare applicants will now be required to prove that they spent at least 4 weeks actively searching for a job before they become eligible for any assistance.
And once they begin to receive benefits they will either have to work or perform volunteer community service. 
Dutch welfare recipients would be required to take available jobs even if they had to move or commute up to three hours per day."

The Unstoppable March Toward National Bankruptcy: Who's To Blame?

The Unstoppable March Toward National Bankruptcy: Who's To Blame? - Forbes:
"Who is to blame?

Let’s start by picking the low-hanging fruit: “progressives,” a.k.a, Democrats. The Dems always want more federal spending, higher taxes, more government. Indeed, there is no major area of economic activity over which they want less control. Whether it’s food, energy, housing, health care, retirement, finance, transportation, education, etc., they always want to expand the government’s scope and power.

The Democrats have led the way toward bigger government. They always succeed in getting Republicans to blink every time the debt ceiling is reached, because whereas Republicans are ambivalent and divided about Big Government, progressives are united and utterly committed to it. They do not vacillate; the Republicans do, and so they buckle."

This explains much.......

"Duh-of-the-year"---------Homebuying franchise calls Detroit one of 10 'riskiest' markets for investment

Homebuying franchise calls Detroit one of 10 'riskiest' markets for investment | MLive.com:
"DETROIT, MI - HomeVestors, a Dallas-based home-buying franchise, has named the 10 best real estate markets in which to invest, as well as the 10 riskiest, as part of its Local Market Monitor analysis.
Detroit was called one of the 10 riskiest, joining Los Angeles, Gary, Providence, Buffalo, Toledo, Cleveland, Birmingham, Ala.; and New Haven, Conn.. as "speculative" markets. "

9 REALLY inappropriate snowmen [SLIDESHOW] |

9 REALLY inappropriate snowmen [SLIDESHOW] | The Daily Caller

This is really weird-----Individual Mandate | HHS Says Obamacare Is a Hardship

These morons are officially declaring that their own proclamations have made individuals "hardship" cases worthy of another wave of their "wand".
This is like the Woody Allen movie "Bananas".
Except it's real.
Barry's in Hawaii... if you need to call....
Individual Mandate | HHS Says Obamacare Is a Hardship:
"Thus, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary is now exercising her authority to grant a “hardship” exemption to the individual mandate to purchase health insurance.
The Administration announced that those who have had their previous policies canceled will now qualify for a “temporary” hardship exemption (no exact time frame is given) from the individual mandate. 
Thus, as the law allows, those who get a “hardship exemption” are now able to purchase a catastrophic plan—typically only available to those under age 30.
This is supposed to be beneficial because catastrophic plans have cheaper premiums, as Secretary Sebelius estimates, on average about 20 percent lower than other plans available on the exchange.
Under the Affordable Care Act, however, catastrophic plans have the highest deductibles allowed—$6,350 for self-only coverage—before the plan pays benefits.
In addition, catastrophic plans are not eligible for subsidies in the exchanges."

History for December 23 - Sled, Fed, Dead. Brave, Brilliant, Doh!

History for December 23 - On-This-Day.com
1823 - The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore (" 'Twas the night before Christmas...") was published. 










1913 - The Federal Reserve Bill was signed into law by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. The act established 12 Federal Reserve Banks. 







1948 - Former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed in Tokyo. They had been found guilty of crimes against humanity. 










1968 - Eighty-two crewmembers of the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo were released by North Korea, 11 months after they had been captured. 

In 1947, John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley of Bell Laboratories unveiled the transistor. They shared the Nobel Prize for this invention, which led to a revolution in communications and electronics.

In 1975, the US Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act.

Comisars at Salon.com love Barry's "power wand"-------Crush GOP obstruction, and reduce inequality now!

Wait til his regime's end is near.
Fear for our country!
Crush GOP obstruction, and reduce inequality now! - Salon.com:
"An executive order hiking pay for federal contractors’ employees could help 2 million low-wage workers"

President Obama’s last speech on income inequality was by far his best. He linked rising inequality, and declining social mobility, to the growing low-wage work swamp, in which one in four workers makes little enough that they qualify for public assistance.

“We know that there are airport workers, and fast-food workers, and nurse assistants, and retail salespeople who work their tails off and are still living at or barely above poverty,” he said, adding, “It’s well past the time to raise a minimum wage that in real terms right now is below where it was when Harry Truman was in office.” Obama supports hiking the federal minimum wage from $7.50 to $10.10, but such a push is stalled for the time being by congressional Republicans.

Obama didn’t mention the one move he could make himself: issuing an executive order mandating that federal contractors pay their workers a higher wage. Back in August, the New York Times editorialized on behalf of such a move, pointing to new research showing that hundreds of billions in federal contracts go to firms paying low wages and offering no benefits. An estimated 2 million low-wage workers are employed by federal contractors, making the federal government the largest employer of low-wage workers in the country.

“In effect, tax dollars are being used to fuel the low-wage economy and, in the process, worsen inequality,” the Times argued.

Congressional progressives joined the clamor this month, with Reps. Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva writing a letter that Ellison personally delivered to Obama asking him to use an executive order to hike wages for these workers. “We believe the federal government should set a positive example and pay workers a living wage,” the duo wrote. “You have the ability to make a living wage a reality for millions of Americans, which will benefit their families and also spur needed economic growth.”

The Badpiper Thunderstruck

▶ The Badpiper Thunderstruck - YouTube: ""

'via Blog this'

Cracker Barrel does a 180: ‘Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores.’

Cracker Barrel does a 180: ‘Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores.’ | Twitchy:
"Message received from Phil Robertson supporters, loud and clear:

Dear Cracker Barrel Customer:
When we made the decision to remove and evaluate certain Duck Dynasty items, we offended many of our loyal customers. 
Our intent was to avoid offending, but that’s just what we’ve done.
You told us we made a mistake. 
And, you weren’t shy about it. 
You wrote, you called and you took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings. You flat out told us we were wrong.
We listened.
Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores.
And, we apologize for offending you.
We respect all individuals right to express their beliefs. 
We certainly did not mean to have anyone think different.
We sincerely hope you will continue to be part of our Cracker Barrel family.

Some of Robertson’s supporters, however, still have a question:"