The Affordable Boat Act

The U.S. government has just passed a new law called: "The affordable boat act" declaring that every citizen MUST purchase a new boat, by April 2014. These "affordable" boats will cost an average of $54,000-$155,000 each. This does not include taxes, trailers, towing fees, licensing and registration fees, fuel, docking and storage fees, maintenance or repair costs.

This law has been passed, because until now, typically only wealthy and financially responsible people have been able to purchase boats. This new law ensures that every American can now have a "affordable" boat of their own, because everyone is "entitled" to a new boat. If you purchase your boat before the end of the year, you will receive 4 "free" life jackets; not including monthly usage fees.

In order to make sure everyone purchases an affordable boat, the costs of owning a boat will increase an average of 250-400% per year. This way, wealthy people will pay more for something that other people don't want or can't afford to maintain. But to be fair, people who can’t afford to maintain their boat will be regularly fined. Children (under the age of 26) can use their parents’ boats to party on until they turn 27; then must purchase their own boat.

If you already have a boat, you can keep your boat (just kidding; no you cannot). If you don't want or don't need a boat, you are required to buy one anyhow. If you refuse to buy one or can’t afford one, you will be regularly fined $800 until you purchase one or face imprisonment.

Failure to use the boat will also result in fines. People living in the desert,ghetto, inner cities or areas with no access to lakes are not exempt. Age, motion sickness, inexperience, and lack of knowledge or desire are acceptable excuses for not using your boat.

A government review board (that doesn't know the difference between the port, starboard or stern of a boat) will decide everything, including; when, where, how often and for what purposes you can use your boat along with how many people can ride your boat and determine if one is too old or healthy enough to be able to use their boat. They will also decide if your boat has out lived its usefulness or if you must purchase specific accessories,(like a $500 compass) or a newer and more expensive boat.

Those who can afford yachts will be required to do so...its only fair. The government will also decide the name for each boat. Failure to comply with these rules will result in fines and possible imprisonment.

Government officials are exempt from this new law. If they want a boat, they and their families can obtain boats free, at the expense of tax payers. Unions, bankers and mega companies with large political affiliations ($$$) are also exempt.

[I don’t have an author, but it’s not me.  This is going around.  I got it from I guy I knew in high school, and also saw it on Facebook.]

Look who’s getting the blame for the President’s signature accomplishment

If you talk to a Democrat about Obama’s lies, you’ll hear the latest lie

But be careful.  Make sure you’re not talking to a friend, neighbor, or co-worker.  You’ll be called a racist homophobe who wants children to starve.

Balance and intelligent political discussion on the Daily Beast

The Beast likes to throw red meat to its regulars to gin up comments. The context is something about the NRA and Cuccinelli losing the governor’s race in Virginia, which is why Noe suggested that after defeating him, the Republicans and Tea Party people should be shot in the head.  Of course, the GOP doesn’t like the Tea Party either, and literally abandoned the Republican candidate.

If you like your plan, your insurance, your doctor, happy with what you’ve got, no matter what you’ve heard, period

until November 4, 2013, and then he changed his story, and rewrote history.

Obama’s approval rating 39%; Cruz 92%

Cradle Democrats, strong Obama supporters lose their good, affordable insurance

Recently Lee and JoEllen were notified by Kaiser they would be losing their current plan ($550 a month) as of Jan. 1.  They were shocked; and healthy, and Democrats. The author of this article decided to investigate—to see if this was “substandard” as Obama claimed.

“I asked Hammack to send me details of his current plan . It carried a $4,000 deductible per person, a $40 copay for doctor visits, a $150 emergency room visit fee and 30 percent coinsurance for hospital stays after the deductible. The out-of-pocket maximum was $5,600.

This plan was ending, Kaiser’s letters told them, because it did not meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. “Everything is taken care of,” the letters said. “There’s nothing you need to do.”

The letters said the couple would be enrolled in new Kaiser plans that would cost nearly $1,300 for the two of them (more than $15,000 a year).

And for that higher amount, what would they get? A higher deductible ($4,500), a higher out-of-pocket maximum ($6,350), higher hospital costs (40 percent of the cost) and possibly higher costs for doctor visits and drugs.

When they shopped around and looked for a different plan on California's new health insurance marketplace, Covered California , the cheapest one was $975, with hefty deductibles and copays.” http://www.propublica.org/article/loyal-obama-supporters-canceled-by-obamacare

The chickens come home to roost.  Mike Enzi tried to get this “grandfather” clause straightened out in 2010—but the Democrats demonized him—called him a fear monger.  Good grief—he was reading right out of the Federal Register, which had posted the regulations! It was all there 3 years ago.  He might have been able to save Obama’s reputation—because even by then he had said 47 times “If you like your insurance you can keep it.”

Are the media and politicians calling these critics terrorists, anarchists and unpatriotic?

“Leaders of labor unions provided the political muscle that got Obamacare through Congress. They furnished the troops at the grassroots level and in the nation’s capital to block efforts to repeal or reform the program. They declared that Obamacare is the law of the land and must not be altered or abridged.

Today some of those same union officials say that Obamacare is a disaster that will harm working people in general and union members in particular. Now—surprise!—they want Obamacare changed in ways to benefit their unions.”

https://www.capitalresearch.org/2013/11/labor-watch-the-obamacare-oops-unions-got-the-healthcare-program-passed-now-want-to-exempt-themselves

Why I switched to butter

In my living room I have a ceramic butter churn, patented in 1910 that was my grandparents. It looks like a small cement mixer and was run by a generator, or by a crank handle. My grandmother would make 5 lbs of butter in it, and they used it in a week (family of 6), but ate very little meat.

Due to advertising my mother switched to "oleo" around 1948 because she was convinced it was healthier. It was the children's job to squeese the package of white glop with the yellow dye button, because the dairy lobby prevented selling margarine that looked or was packaged like butter. But my parents lived to be 88 and 89, so I guess it didn't gum up the works too much. Just high blood pressure, colon cancer, prostate cancer and heart disease. Whether that was the margarine or the genes, we will never know.

Tastes good and contributes to ego

This morning I had a Bolthouse Farms Mango Protein Plus protein shake. I must say, it was quite delicious, and probably woke up my taste buds, which I don’t like to do. It has a lot of sugar. It claims to have 3 3/4 servings of fruit and vegetables, 30 g. of protein, 120-200% of vitamins A, B & C, 40% of dv of calcium, it's gluten free, has no preservatives, no artificial flavors, and no GM products. If I return the bottle in California, I'll get a 5 cent refund to save the environment. I am feeling strong and very self-righteous.

47 times the president promised and lied before October 1, 2010

Democrats and media complain that Republicans kept throwing up road blocks the last three years. One Republican, Mike Enzi, tried to amend that part of the law that covers Obama's lie "if you like your health plan you can keep it period," (so he wouldn't be lying). Unlike Pelosi and Reid, he had actually read the law and the regulations (about 34,000 pages) and realized how many people would lose their coverage in the federal take over. Even in 2010, the administration expected 51% of all employer plans to be terminated as a result of Obamacare. That is the mid-range estimate; the high-end estimate was 69%. So as of 2010, the Obama administration planned that most Americans with employer-sponsored health care plans would lose them, whether they liked those plans or not. Mike Enzi tried--he was called names and demonized. Even by Sept. 2010, President Obama had promised 47 times that Americans would be able to keep their health plans; perhaps the biggest lie ever perpetrated on gullible citizens.http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/11/lies-of-obamacare

More scary stuff

Brick by brick by David Robertson

Maybe a Christmas idea?

Can he stop? Can he be stopped?

What's scarier than President Obama lying about "You Can Keep Your Plan" and then yesterday saying he didn't say it? He is either a sociopath who enjoys deceiving people, even his staunchest supporters, or he is a compulsive liar who can't stop. There are at least 24 occasions capture on video (now in a montage circulating the net) of the lie he told for 3 years, and absolutely zero record of the claim he told yesterday (except when he tells the lie).

These are not the run of the mill lies or "he misspoke" we've come to expect from politicians. He makes Nixon look like a beginner. LBJ who was far more clever would be proud. Is it his abandonment as a child? His community organizer experience where he learned to lie to the poor? His abortion beliefs (what's one more life in the big picture)?  Does he have a moral core? Is there no there there?

I heard a Democrat call in to a conservative show yesterday morning to blame the Republicans for the mess Obamacare has made. His reasoning was that single payer is what everyone really needed, but they were afraid it wouldn't pass so they pushed for ACA (which only passed with one vote and no votes from Republicans). The individual mandate was Hillary's talking point in 2008, and was rejected by Obama during the campaign, edging her out. He claimed he wanted to just insure those who didn't have insurance, about 10% of the population. Another lie.

Eventually, everyone loses with Obamacare

No background check for “Navigators”

A navigator is a federal employee who helps those wanting to get insured navigate the paperwork of the new healthcare system.  It is disturbing to go to the CMS page and read about the 100 community groups with volunteer navigators, none with any background checks or the organizations with no way to do it. $67 million in grants announced 6 weeks before roll out. How were they supposed to get this set up in that time frame? In July 2013 the navigator requirements and training were still being reviewed—try searching the Federal Register and word search for "background checks."  Although it was discussed, it was not required.  http://www.gpo.gov/.../pkg/FR-2013-07-17/pdf/2013-17125.pdf

http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Republican-Staff-Report-on-Navigators.pdf

And although I haven’t made it through to the sign up screen on Healthcare.gov, for the lowest level of insurance, I have heard/seen the Navigator will also help the applicant register to vote, but not at the higher levels. I’ve looked for comment on this by Democrat state or federal elected politicians, but couldn’t find any.  Only Republicans seem to know about identity theft and the security of personal information. http://imwithmary.com/navigators.html

Our guest room TV antenna reception

I have antenna (indoor) TV in the guest room, and moved the antenna last night and rescanned. Here's what I get, but don’t know how this lines up with what others have--because each time I rescan, it is different. Also depends on the weather.

NBC 4
MeTV 4.2
ABC 6
MyTV 6.2 (THIS)
CBS 10
Antenna TV 10.2 (retro)
WCLL ? 19 (Christian?)
WTTE Fox 28
Fox Spanish 33
EBR? 33.2
SNTV Somali ? 33.3 Dalmar
Afro TV Muslim? 33.4
Guide Us Muslim? 33.5
?? 33.6  (only infomercials when I’ve seen it)
WOSU-HD 34
Ohio Channel 34.2
WOSU Create 34.3
TBN Trinity Broadcasting Network  51 Christian
TCC The Church Channel 51.2
JCTV (Christian) 51.3
? Spanish Christian 51.4
SOAC ? 51.5

I've checked some articles on the internet, but the numbers and station letters don't always match what I have.

In the original conversion, we had 2 boxes, one here and one at the lake house. (You don’t need these with new TVs).  But the one here died.  I bought one at a rummage sale for $5.  I think a lot of people just gave up and switched to cable.

All Saints Sunday

Today is All Saints Sunday at our church (Upper Arlington Lutheran Church) and at each of our 9 services names of our family and friends we want to memorialize and church members who have died during the past year will be read. It's a beautiful service. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus . . ." Hebrews 12:1

“We give thanks to you, O Lord our God, for all your servants and witnesses of time past: for Abraham, the father of believers, and for Sarah, his wife; for Moses the lawgiver, and Aaron, the priest; for Miriam and Joshua, Deborah and Gideon, Samuel and Hannah, his mother; for Isaiah and all the Prophets; for Mary, the mother of our Lord; for Peter and Paul and all the apostles; for Mary, Martha, and Mary Magdalene; for Stephen the first martyr, and all the saints and martyrs in every time and in every land. In your mercy, give us, as you gave them. the hope of salvation and the promise of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Lutheran Book of Worship, p. 46

Details on how Obamacare became the law of the land

Another thing to remember about the passage of the PPACA, aka Obamacare, is that Obama had a Democrat Congress his first term, and it passed by ONE vote. Not only did it not get a single Republican, but many Democrats saw it for what it was. One more grab of federal power. Also it was reported even before it passed that as many as 10 million might lose their insurance in the grandfather clause, which in fact was then made even stricter through the regulations added after passage of the bill. He still went on the road with the story that no one would lose their insurance or doctor, even though he knew it wasn’t true. That was not publicized before hand or he might have lost that ONE critical vote. And now it has been revealed that the contract for the failed computer system went to a classmate of Michelle Obama, plus is was a Canadian firm. Michelle’s friend,Toni Townes-Whitley, Princeton class of ’85, is senior vice president at CGI Federal, which earned the no bid contract to build the $678 million Obamacare enrollment website. How many times has Obama demonized American corporations for moving business out of the country? http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cfw/commissioners/tonitowneswhitley.htm

Transfer of wealth

Just heard a Social Security defender on Fox News say that for every $1 in benefits, Social Security payments generate $2 in the economy. What about the two workers paying in for every retiree drawing Social Security? Some working for minimum wage at Wal-Mart or McDonald’s.  How would they be spending that money taken from them? This is generational transfer from the young to the old, not drawing on an investment or "trust fund.”

Both the working poor and the upper income rich have their wealth transferred to the middle class, the group that is the beneficiary directly and indirectly of most government policies and taxes, many for the misnamed War on Poverty, (but Social Security is probably the oldest and best example). According to the catalog of federal domestic assistance, there are 2,199 Federal assistance programs and most benefit the middle class either directly, or by employment. HHS has 19 offices and 461 programs; each with its own bureaucracy. Please don't blame Obama for this, or any political party.

Does the federal government really need "To maintain and expand existing markets for dairy which are vital to the welfare of milk producers in the United States." We still have "separate but equal" when it comes to Indians and anyone who is 1/4 Indian, with federal grants galore, including Tribal Colleges and Universities. For 50 years the federal government has been funding "conciliation and mediation services" to local groups to reduce "tensions, conflicts, and civil disorders arising from actions, policies, and practices that are perceived to be based on race, ethnicity, or national origin." Imagine the community organizers who live well on that one! And yet 93% of murdered blacks are killed by other blacks, mostly young with no racial or ethnicity motives.

A tiny percentage of federal grant money goes to the poor; most goes to the middle class in the form of jobs, contracts, conferences, travel, research grants, academic salaries, indirect costs to the institution for utilities, staff, overhead (can be as high as 60% of the grant) and that doesn't even include the buildings that are required and the trades and unions who benefit. One Appalachian grant I read through (about $76,000,000 a year) supposedly was training 20,000 students a year; it’s been going on since 1965—why aren’t they all successful and free of poverty at that rate?  Because the money goes to the teachers, social workers, facilities, grant writers, conferences, etc.

I should know--I've made a very nice middle class living on special government contracts funneled through Ohio State or the state of Ohio. I have been employed on USAID funds, FIPSE money, JTPA,  Department of Aging of Ohio; I have published research funded by the state and federal government, which was then purchased by the institutions for which I worked, which were funded in part by the government; I have done some very nice travelling on your dime—Washington, DC, San Antonio, Kansas City, Seattle, Detroit and Chicago.  I also have a teacher's pension which pays far better than Social Security which non-government workers get. Don’t get me wrong--I worked hard, and you got your tax dollar’s worth, however, few poor people were lifted out of poverty.  Primarily the middle class benefited, including me.  Go to this website and type "library" or even something more exotic, like fashion or travel,  into the search window. https://www.cfda.gov/