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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

What’s the Point of Obamacare Then?

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  October 7th, 2010 at 10:21 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

To stop all the fussing by major American corporations about the devastating effects of Obamacare, the Obama administration is going to give a bunch of waivers to major corporations so they don’t have to comply with the law.

What’s the point of the law then?

The reality here is that this will perpetuate Obama policies in furtherance of John Edwards’ two Americas — those with the connections and power to get out from under the yoke of the law and those that cannot.

The law and the waivers will pit entrepreneurs against armies of well paid lobbyists giving a competitive advantage, yet again, to big businesses.

That’s Obama’s America.

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COMMENTS

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  • jaykali

    It’s all ab your friends in Washington…

  • http://www.reddogreport.com reddogreport

    It will just make Obamacare’s repeal that much easier.

  • acat
  • http://www.laborunionreport.com LaborUnionReport

    When men are caught in the trap of non-objective law, when their work, future and livelihood are at the mercy of a bureaucrat?s whim, when they have no way of knowing what unknown ?influence? will crack down on them for which unspecified offense, fear becomes their basic motive, if they remain in the industry at all?and compromise, conformity, staleness, dullness, the dismal grayness of the middle-of-the-road are all that can be expected of them. Independent thinking does not submit to bureaucratic edicts, originality does not follow ?public policies,? integrity does not petition for a license, heroism is not fostered by fear, creative genius is not summoned forth at the point of a gun.

    Non-objective law is the most effective weapon of human enslavement: its victims become its enforcers and enslave themselves.

    Ayn Rand

  • smitch61

    I find it completely irresponsible that the GOP candidates are not touting ads about this. Unbelievable.

  • acat

    If the big companies decide that their ability to get waivers makes them more competitive, Obama may just have bought some large allies… or at least their silence….

    (imagine, if you will, the nobles from ‘Braveheart’ with corporate logos…)

    Mew

  • nepanyrush

    The biggest exemption went to the 350,000 strong United Federation of Teachers Welfare Fund, the union providing coverage for city teachers.

    The bottom line: the government now has great power to reward favors to whoever they wish to reward, such as labor unions. Toe the party line and your company may be okay. This will only get worse.

  • Common_Cents

    Shocking right? Union gets the biggest waiver! Those that probably voted for the big zero and health care now get a waiver.

    What’s more shocking is the media reports. Most stories mention McDonalds and nothing about the union waiver being the largest.

    Bloomberg’s Headline:
    McDonald’s, 29 other firms get health care coverage waivers

    In the LAST paragraph the bloomberg article mentioned, oh yeah, the teachers union of 350,000+ got a waiver too.

    Umm, wouldn’t the LARGEST recipient be the most headline newsworthy?

  • Tbone
  • http://www.libertytreehugger.com reverelth

    that McDonalds and Jack in the Box are not exactly the darlings of Obama’s caloric Stasi.

    So McDonald’s lobs this story out there about cutting loose health insurance for hourly workers, not really in-your-face, but an iron fist in a velvet glove. They sort of retract it, and a couple days later, voila, the back channel corporate cronyism brings it home.

  • http://theminorityreportblog.com Repair_Man_Jack
  • http://theminorityreportblog.com Repair_Man_Jack

    Perhaps LUR can start tracking who gets and does not get waivers based on the extent to which their shops are unionized. This could interesting if Big Labor decides to pressure Obama into using this as a weapon against non-union shops.

  • texasgalt

    and picking winners. That’s how these thugs see government. If the Dems can break the back of small business, conservatives are done.

  • Raven

    Are the ones placing requirements and restrictions on individuals.

    I thought the Dems were uut to “get” Wall Street? Doesn’t this rather let them off scott free?

  • http://theminorityreportblog.com Repair_Man_Jack

    Your man in DC will determine the extent to which ObamaCare is inflicted upon your @$$!!

  • http://theminorityreportblog.com Repair_Man_Jack

    Just wait until large unions get their exemptions and then lobby Obama not to give exemptions to non-unionized industries…

  • msctex

    . . .from a functional, helpful system? The only sort of system companies would demand to be excluded from would be a damaging system, which clearly will do no good for anyone.

    Whatever could they be thinking.

  • http://www.laborunionreport.com LaborUnionReport

    As companies are re-negotiating their insurance costs for 2011 now, then again mid-year, the system will crash in on itself sooner than you think.

    Unions who have multi-employer health & welfare funds are also seeing their costs go up, but if they are in mid-contract, the employer is under no obligation to re-open their contract and, therefore either the workers will pay more…or lose their insurance.

    [Be careful what your unions ask for, 'cause you might just get stuck with it.]

  • bobmontgomery

    …..didn’ they get a waiver? Isn’t that favoring a religion? Can’t seem to find a definitive statement about Muslims anywhere. Don’t know if not having to buy health insurance is a great recruiting tool for religious groups, but notice more and more young people whose parents don’t have insurance are starting to grow beards and wear those black hats, or to wear burqas. Is there an exemption if you are a New Black Panther?

  • sundesy

    Obamacare is nothing but power grab. Obama is following the third world political model. The first thing is to create programs that are dictated solely by the fancy of the government. Then use that power to control the market, fund raising, lining the pocket and so on.

    Get it America.

  • heir2freedom

    IN A RELATED STORY:

    McDonald’s announced today that they will recall over 12 million “Shrek” glasses under intense pressure form the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for supposedly containing the metal cadmium, which according to USCPSC makes Happy Meals not so happy.

    This announcement comes a week after it was leaked that Micky D’s cut a deal with Kathleen Sebelius of Secretary of HHS that would grant McD’s a “waiver” after the WSJ leaked McD’s was threatening to drop healthcare coverage for its employees.

    What’s next? FLOTUS’s Anti-Fatty-Fat Fast Food regulatory legislation? Can’t wait to see how McD’s weasels out of that one. Carrot sticks instead of french fries? Or maybe they’ll change their store colors to purple and yellow.

    Ain’t union thuggery grand?

    We @ http://heir2freedom.blogspot.com/

  • uselogic

    We, your betters, wil run your life for you.

  • JSobieski

    Its all quite standardless and subjective. Who are you are matters more than what you want to do, because if you don’t have connections, there is always a basis for turning to you down. Whenever the law is filled with pure discretion and unfettered exceptions, its a legal and moral morass.

    Those issues are also relevant in evaluating the propriety of the GZM.

    I.e. the GZM is just a McD’s health plan waiver that no mom and pop shop is ever going to get.

  • rdelbov

    of the teachers union who pushed for Obamacare asked to get a waiver out of being part of the new reform plan.

    say What?

  • grandma

    WHY aren’t the GOP candidates singing loudly and more loudly about this. If the government allows opting out, it’s called a waiver. If a small company who isn’t favored by the administration does opts out on their own accord, it will land them into huge fines because they “broke the law.”

    Give us a break already. Do the Republicans have the testosterone to call this as it is loudly, and often?

  • qixlqatl

    America is done as viable economic entity. The consequences of that …

  • http://www.linkedin.com/in/bdpaasch Brian Paasch

    Completely irresponsible? Check.
    Completely predictable? Double check.

  • http://www.linkedin.com/in/bdpaasch Brian Paasch

    is how much money did the MikyD’s PAC (or whatever it is called) commit to dumping into Dem candidates’ campaign coffers in exchange for this waiver?

    And the main point, that Micky can get a waiver and the lone entrepreneur, Joe’s Burgers, can’t, is beyond infuriating. Way beyond.

  • http://www.linkedin.com/in/bdpaasch Brian Paasch

    I just sent this to McDonald’s through their corporate contacts web page. I assume I’ll hear nothing in reply but we’ll see….

    “I would like to know what commitment(s) McDonald’s (and any group(s) or individual(s) affiliated with McDonald’s) made in exchange for the recently publicized federal healthcare waiver(s) granted to the company. Did McDonald’s commit money to Dem candidates’ campaigns? Commit to withholding money to Rep candidates’ campaigns? Promise verbal support to some or all of the Obama agenda? Promise silence on some topics?

    What exactly was the quid pro quo agreement?

    Thank you for your time and attention.”

  • AceInTX

    You support out opponents…you’ll never get out from under our thumb.

    Oh…and we’re just doing it all in the name of the “Common Man”

    Such is the rule of the despot. Huey Long could only dream of such power!

  • AceInTX

    Do the Republicans have the testosterone to call this as it is loudly, and often?

  • AceInTX

    and the new slogan has gone from:

    “You can’t fight city hall”

    Which was the refrain when the power was closer to the people…to

    “You can fight Uncle Sam”

    Now that power has been centralized in far of never never land…otherwise known as Foggy Bottom

  • chbroussard

    This most recent healthcare debacle is a gift wrapped in solid gold with a big, fat bow on top. Come on, guys. Man up and use this gift. Seems to me that most of the testosterone in the Republican Party now flows thru the veins of the female members of the party.

  • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine