THE FOUNDATION
"[T]he present Constitution is the standard to which we are to cling. Under its banners, bona fide must we combat our political foes -- rejecting all changes but through the channel itself provides for amendments." --Alexander Hamilton, letter to James Bayard, 1802TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
ObamaCare in Five Years
Researchers from the University of Minnesota studied the state of ObamaCare a few years down the road, and the picture isn't pretty. They estimate the number of uninsured will climb by a half million in five years, while insurance premiums will increase by $1,375 for an individual plan and $4,198 for a family plan. "Estimating the trajectory of health plan prices and enrollment is critical to informing ongoing health care policy debate. Decisions regarding the delayed implementation of the qualified health plan requirements, the delayed enforcement of the employer mandate, and the scheduled termination of the temporary reinsurance and risk corridor programs are estimated to have dramatically impact on insurance prices and enrollment by 2017." Again we see the rosy picture Democrats are painting of the rollout is a BIG Lie. More...Comment | Share
A Reagan Recovery
What difference does a leader make? In 1982, the American economy also went through a recovery. At that time, however, the nation was led by President Ronald Reagan, and the economy grew at a 4% rate. Fast-forward to Barack Obama's "recovery," and the economy pulled itself up at a rate of 1.9% in 2013. Stephen Moore, chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, writes, "The Obama expansion is now $2 trillion short of where we would be if growth in this recovery had matched the Reagan recovery that started in 1982. That is to say the average family would have about $5,000 more income each year to spend if it were not for this slow recovery." In other words, the negative economic growth we experienced in the first quarter of 2014 wasn't because of the snow; it was because of Barack Obama's incompetent leadership. More...Comment | Share
NYT Pans West Point Address
"President Obama and his aides heralded his commencement speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Wednesday as a big moment, when he would lay out his foreign policy vision for the remainder of his term and refute his critics," The New York Times editorial board writes. "The address did not match the hype, was largely uninspiring, lacked strategic sweep and is unlikely to quiet his detractors, on the right or the left." That's not all, the editors say. "[H]e provided little new insight into how he plans to lead in the next two years, and many still doubt that he fully appreciates the leverage the United States has even in a changing world. Falling back on hackneyed phrases like America is the 'indispensable nation' told us little." Coming from his water carrying pals at the Times, this one's gotta hurt. More...Comment | Share
GOP Donors 'In the Shadows'
Thanks to Harry Reid's incessant attacks on the "evil" Koch brothers, many Republican donors have been forced "into the shadows," as The Washington Post puts it, to avoid the same fate. According to the Post, "Republican donors [are giving] more money to groups that keep their supporters' names secret. Several prominent pro-Republican advocacy groups say they are benefiting from a burst of cash as some donors -- fearful of harsh public attacks such as those aimed at the Kochs -- turn away from political committees that are required by federal law to reveal their contributors." It's not "in the shadows" to want to give anonymously, especially after, for example, the head hunts against Prop 8 proponents in California. And it's ironic that Reid's demented crusade is increasing donations to conservative groups. More...Comment | Share
ICE's Greyhound to America
Recently, the U.S. Border Patrol has had a new way to deal with the illegal immigrants that they catch crossing the border. When caught, Immigration and Customs Enforcement flies illegal aliens to Arizona where the agency charged with keeping the border secure drops them off at the Greyhound Bus stop in Phoenix or Tucson in hopes the immigrants take the bus headed south. Spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform Ira Mehlman said, "This is a huge concern. This is exactly the incentive for people to cross the border illegally." What's to stop those aliens from taking the next bus to, say, New York or Chicago? Even advocates for illegal immigrants say the ICE's move is a monstrous because the aliens were left with no money or food. ICE started giving the detainees lunches for the road, but that's putting lipstick on a pig. The issue isn't hunger, it's Rule of Law. More...Comment | Share
For more, visit Right Hooks.
|
RIGHT ANALYSIS
New Obama-Backed EPA Regs Promise Economic Hardship
|
This isn't just a war on coal; it's a war on the entire U.S. economy.
While the regulations haven't been released for public comment, the speculation is that they will focus on initiatives already in place, such as one in several northeastern states establishing a modified cap-and-trade system for utilities doing business there. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has promoted the transfer of nearly $1.7 billion from utilities and other purchasers to governments in the 10 states that have been a part of the RGGI. (Current membership is nine states, as New Jersey withdrew from the pact in 2012.)
It's generally agreed that the elimination of coal-fired power plants is the target of these new EPA regulations. By doing so, 40% of our current electricity production will be taken offline with little to replace it. Natural gas can take up some portion of the slack, but its extraction, too, continues to be opposed by environmentalists.
At a time when first-quarter GDP was revised to show a decline for the first time in three years, the prospect of losing even more economic ground is particularly worrisome. While this quarterly retreat was (predictably) blamed on harsh winter weather in several parts of the country, coming higher heating costs will create a real headwind for future winters -- all to pursue the vanity of fighting global climate change. (For an example of this vain effort, consider that the rest of the world will outweigh our decrease in emissions with an increase five times the size.)
The Chamber of Commerce estimates compliance costs will total $480 billion by 2030. Sean Hackbarth of the Chamber writes, "To put this into perspective, at an annual cost of $9.6 billion annually, the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) is EPA's most-expensive regulation on power generation. Potential EPA carbon regulations could be 'nearly triple that amount, at $28.1 billion annually' from 2014-2030, the report finds."
Oh, and by the way, the EPA's Inspector General warned in a report Thursday, "The EPA lacks a due diligence process for potential fraudulent environmental data." And existing processes for eliminating bad data are "out of date or unimplemented." So they're going to wage war on the economy using made-up numbers.
Unfortunately, the Obama administration seems to look at these effects through rose-colored glasses, and the coming public comment period for these regulations is more for show than anything else. Barack Obama is bound and determined to establish his legacy, part of which will be that energy prices will "necessarily skyrocket" thanks to his climate change agenda.
Comment | Share
We're All in the VA Now
|
Read the rest of the story here.
For more, visit Right Analysis.
|
|
|
TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
- Mona Charen: Why VA Service Won't Improve
- Charles Krauthammer: Emptiness at West Point
- George Will: Ignoring the Path to Recovery
- Michelle Malkin: The Data-Mining Body Monitors in Our Schools
- Tony Perkins: Dems Push for Constitutional Re-Do
OPINION IN BRIEF
Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527): "Because just as good morals, if they are to be maintained, have need of the laws, so the laws, if they are to be observed, have need of good morals."Columnist Mona Charen: "After the press loses interest in the Veterans Affairs scandal, after the investigations have been completed and one or two officials have resigned, nothing will change. Is this cynicism? Not really. It comes down to one's view of how much government can achieve by bureaucratic, top-down management. ... Even if Obama were the best manager in the world, the problems with efficient service delivery by government would continue -- because the government is too large, too unwieldy and too lacking in incentives for efficiency to yield much, if at all, to management. A business that fails to deliver services will be crushed by its competitors. Government can never go out of business. ... No central authority can make a system like the VA or the IHS or Britain's National Health Service run efficiently. Competition is the only system that gives the power to consumers to reward good service and punish bad. But progressives cannot shed their faith that more government is the answer to bad government, so this story is sure to be repeated."
Comment | Share
Columnist Charles Krauthammer: "What is the world to think when Obama makes the case for a residual force in Afghanistan ... and then announce a drawdown of American forces to 10,000, followed by total liquidation within two years on a fixed timetable regardless of circumstances? The policy contradicts the premise. If you want not to forfeit our terribly hard-earned gains ... why not let conditions dictate the post-2014 drawdowns? Why go to zero -- precisely by 2016? For the same reason, perhaps, that the Afghan surge was ended precisely in 2012, in the middle of the fighting season -- but before the November election. A 2016 Afghan end date might help Democrats electorally and, occurring with Obama still in office, provide a shiny new line to his resume. Is this how a great nation decides matters of war and peace -- to help one party and polish the reputation of one man?"
Comedian Argus Hamilton: "The White House released the CIA station chief's name on Obama's flight to Afghanistan. A reporter saw it and tipped off the president. It was the first time the president could say that he learned of a White House scandal from the press with any zeal and credibility."
Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform -- Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen -- standing in harm's way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.
No comments:
Post a Comment