Health Care Bill Fact of the Day: Creating Another Federal ‘Czar’

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 14th at 07:00 AM  | 

The “Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009,” the House health overhaul bill, creates the position of Health Choices Commissioner, or “Insurance Czar.” The Insurance Czar would be appointed by the President to oversee the Health Choices Administration. This would be the 33rd federal ‘czar’ appointed by President Obama since his January 20, 2009 inauguration. The appointee would be responsible for establishing and regulating geographically-based Health | Read More »

Spokesman for Obama White House: ‘People are Showing Up to Events with Swastikas, Dressed Up as Hitler’

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 13th at 01:30 PM  | 

See it for yourself below, as Bill Burton, a spokesman for Barack Obama’s White House, says: I don’t think that Speaker Pelosi was just claiming that people were wearing swastikas [at health care town hall meetings]; people are showing up to events with swastikas, dressed up as Hitler, with signs invoking Nazi Germany, so that’s not something that’s being made up. Video: The DC Examiner‘s | Read More »

5 Liberal Myths About Health Care ‘Reform’

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 13th at 08:00 AM  | 

The debate over health care reform — what constitutes it and what public opinion of such reform really is — has become more polarizing as the summer has gone on. Below are five key liberal talking points about health care “reform” and an accompanying dose of truth their peddlers so desperately need to hear. 1. Republicans, who either believe the health care status quo is | Read More »

Health Care Bill Fact of the Day: Creating the Highest Federal Tax Rates in 20 Years

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 13th at 07:00 AM  | 

The “Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009″ imposes a “surtax,” or income tax increase, on all Americans making $280,000 a year or more. Under the bill, those making $280,000 ($350,000 for couples) will have their taxes increased by 1 percentage point, those making $400,000 ($500,000 for couples) by 1.5 percentage points, and those making more than $800,000 ($1 million for couples) by 5.4 percentage points. | Read More »

The Federal Government Should Clean Up its own Medicare Mess Before Taking on the Entire Health Care System

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 12th at 01:24 PM  | 

The New Testament book of Matthew contains a well-known allegorical tale known as the “Parable of the Ten Talents.” In this story, Jesus told of a man who entrusted his property to three servants while he was away. One servant was given five silver talents; another two; and a third one. The first two servants put that which their master had given them to good | Read More »

Health Care Bill Fact of the Day: Billions in Pork Barrel Spending for ‘Community Transformation’ and ‘Beautification’

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 12th at 07:00 AM  | 

Under the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s “Affordable Health Choices Act,” local governments can apply for “community transformation” grants to build jungle gyms, sidewalks, bicycle paths, and grocery stores, to install streetlights, and to establish new farmers’ markets. The dollar amount of these grants, and of the total “community transformation” earmark program, is left to the discretion of the Obama administration. Cities can | Read More »

To Channel Michael Dukakis: I Seriously Can’t Believe We Lost to This Guy

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 11th at 04:59 PM  | 

I don’t know if I’ve seen a worse public speaker in my lifetime more lionized for his public speaking ability than President Barack Obama (D-IL). The homage paid to him by pundits and anchors across the country for his supposedly unique combination of intelligence and eloquence is shown almost by the day to be as misplaced as effusive praise for Vice President Joe Biden’s (D-Slave | Read More »

Rasmussen: Support for Obama’s Government-Centric Health Care Overhaul Down to 42%

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 11th at 03:19 PM  | 

The latest report from Rasmussen shows only 42% of Americans now support Congressional Democrats’ and President Obama’s proposal for a government-centric overhaul of the American health care system. This poll shows that the decline in support for the President’s plan, which began in earnest in late June, has continued unabated. Two months ago, support for the Obama/Kennedy/Pelosi health care overhaul stood at 50%; in July, | Read More »

Health Care Bill Fact of the Day: Providing Businesses With an Incentive to End Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 11th at 10:30 AM  | 

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s “Affordable Health Choices Act” contains an “employer mandate,” or a legal requirement that all American businesses with 25 or more employees offer health insurance to their workers. The penalty for failing to comply with this mandate to offer employees health insurance is a $750 fine per full time worker per year. In 2008, employer-provided insurance policies averaged | Read More »

Obama campaign flooding legislators’ offices with supporters in effort to give appearance of public support for unpopular health overhaul

By: Jeff Emanuel (Diary)  |  August 9th at 03:00 PM  | 

As ordinary citizens across the country continue to ratchet up their level of interest and activity in the legislative process, President Obama and his campaign arm, Organizing (formerly “Obama”) For America, are struggling to cope with the tufts of grass sprouting up in the midst of their carefully astroturfed national field. Last week, in what may have been the first instance of an American government | Read More »