Are Conservatives Evil?

Conservatives around the nation are constantly berated.  Even with acts of kindness, personal attacks are commonplace.  Why is this?  Why does the left feel the need to attack individuals who are politically different?  Public figures are regular targets of the left, yet the same happens in every social setting.  Conservatives are attacked at a personal level. 

David Koch (half of the famed Koch brothers) recently donated $100 million to New York-Presbyterian Hospital.  This, along with other donations, will go to building a new wing named after David Koch.  For most people, this would be viewed as a great gesture towards helping take care of our sick.  However, when your name is David Koch, this is not the case.  Tom Steyer, a billionaire liberal, was recently interviewed by Men's Journal Magazine and suggested that David Koch will go down as a "famously evil person".

Government Advertising

Why should a government be allowed to advertise services to the people?  After all, it takes taxpayer money to fund the advertising and costs more money when people use the services.   Sure, people need to be informed of services available to them in times of need.  But, most of the services advertised would only be missed by people living under rocks.

First, there is the advertising of Healthcare.gov. Really, do we need advertising to promote this? Do you know anyone that does not know about the ACA, aka Obamacare?

What about the cost?  It is no secret that many government plans cost taxpayers excessive amounts.  Just how much is being spent to advertise the handouts?  It is hard to say, since the numbers are so deeply buried in line items that it

Biden Embarks on Top Secret Pot Run to Colorado; Brings Back Good News to Democrats

(Please, excuse the sarcasm which is perpetuated throughout the ENTIRE piece!)

Vice President Joe "Gaffe" Biden opened his mouth and, naturally, lies came flying out again.  It is not surprising that "Say it ain't so, Joe" is creating his own reality again.  But, would you trust him under his leadership?  Do Democrats really believe the things that he says?  One can only wonder, but we don't have to sleep at night after saying these things.

"For the first time in my career, on every major issue, the American people agree with the Democratic party," Biden said while speaking at the House Democrats' annual retreat at the Hyatt Regency on Maryland's Eastern Shore, BuzzFeed reports. 

Really? That is not what most of us are hearing out in the real world, let alone in polls.  The Democrat Party is sinking faster than the Titanic and the only thing that can save them, and probably will, is the "Republican" Party.

Obamacare: Reinforcing Income Inequality

It appears that Obamacare is geared to increase income inequality in our country.  Is it any surprise that the Democrats would encourage "free time, less work, etc."?  After all, they are the masters of creating a problem that "only government can solve."  Those in the know, are acutely aware of the Democrat platform for upcoming elections; income inequality.  Amazingly (sarcasm), the CBO report exposes the talking point rather well.  Is there any doubt that the discussion and reinforcement of income inequality is intentional?  

This week, the Congressional Budget Office released their report on the impact of Obamacare on the deficit.  Contained within the report, was the following statement regarding employment:

“The estimated reduction stems almost entirely from a net decline in the amount of labor that workers choose to supply, rather than from a net drop in businesses’ demand for labor, so it will appear almost entirely as a reduction in labor force participation and in hours worked relative to what would have occurred otherwise rather than as an increase in unemployment (that is, more workers seeking but not finding jobs) or underemployment (such as part-time workers who would prefer to work more hours per week).”

Is Anybody Out There?

How out of touch are Americans? Despite partial implementation of Obamacare and the continuous talk about it, public knowledge has changed little.  It appears that some prefer to walk around in a cloud of cluelessness, regardless of the impact on their life.  If there was one piece of legislation that one should be familiar, it would be Obamacare. After all, this is the largest piece and impact legislation in a LONG time.  

Rep Keith Ellison on Obamacare-Related Job Losses: Americans Work Too Much Anyway

What is this country coming to?

Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison, again, embarrassed his home state with a spin like no other.  Ellison stated that Obamacare will allow mom's to make dinner, people to work less, and more.  This is not all too surprising from a party that now believes in punishing hard work and rewarding less work and initiative.  Others on the round table could not help but laugh at the statements.  See the rest and the video below.

Rep Keith Ellison on Obamacare-Related Job Losses: Americans Work Too Much Anyway

Obamacare: You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

Obamacare will impact jobs and our economy in negative ways.  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report, recently released, shows just how much it will impact.  No matter the economic viewpoint held, it becomes clear that this legislation will devastate the American family and our economy.  Whether one believes that economic growth spurs from consumers keeping money in their pockets or lower spending of the government, both are losers in this case.  

Furthermore, the CBO report only looks at the impact of Obamacare on the budget.  It does not account for shortfalls or further reaching effects on our budgeting and economic outlook.  In other words, it does not weigh the impact on our already failing systems of Medicare, Disability or any of the Social Security programs that already struggle.  The biggest of these impacts is Medicare.

Medicare Impact and Result

Medicare enrollment is projected to increase from 34 Million (pre-ACA) to 47 Million by 2023.  This represents a 38% increase in enrollment.  This increase represents a cost of $710,000,000,000 over this same period, if funded by increased taxes.  As of 2013, Medicare (HI) was projected to be depleted by 2026.  It is unclear whether or not the increase in Medicare enrollment was accounted in the Trustee's Annual Report of 2013.  However, it is clear that the Trustee's use a baseline of the current year for their calculations.  With the increases in Medicare enrollee's hitting hardest in 2014, it is likely we will see ugly numbers come 2015.

KEY DATES FOR THE TRUST FUNDS

	OASI	DI	OASDI	HI
Year of peak trust fund ratioa	2011	2003	2008	2003
First year outgo exceeds income excluding interestb	2010	2005	2010	2018
First year outgo exceeds income including interestb	2022	2009	2021	2021
Year trust funds are depleted	2035	2016	2033	2026

Employer Based Insurance

11,000,000 people will lose their employer based insurance by 2019, according to the CBO.  However, it is believed that 4,000,000 of these individuals will obtain coverage through the exchanges.  By 2023, the average subsidy will reach $7,900 per individual.  

What happens to the other 7 Million people who will lose their employer based insurance?  It is believed that these people will fall into one of two categories; Medicare or uninsured.  

The Net Effects

The CBO report offers more insight into what they believe will be occurring over the next few years.  The net effects are hard to predict, due to the size and scope of this legislation.  Throughout the report, assumptions are made in order to measure the effects in a statistical analysis.  

• It is projected that the non-elderly uninsured will decrease from 55,000,000 to 31,000,000 by 2016.  This still leaves a lot of people uninsured, which was the point of this legislation. According to the report, only 2-3% of these individuals are illegal immigrants.  One finds it hard to believe there are only this many illegal immigrants, or we can conclude that they are being covered by Obamacare.  
• Costs will grow astronomically from 2014 through 2023.  While the total impact on the deficit is $49,000,000,000 in 2014, it grows to $170,000,000,000 by 2023.  This is in addition to our already burdensome $17,500,000,000,000 deficit we currently have at this time.
• Costs extend beyond the deficit; they also impact individuals and families.  All spending is taxation, and therefore, the true impact of the legislation can also be measured in the total cost on Americans.  Table 2 shows more than the impact on the deficit, it also measures the overall net effect on Americans.  In order to do this, we must add the gross cost of the coverage, plus all the taxes and penalties incurred on the people, directly and indirectly.  By 2023, (assuming our population grows to 320 Million) the cost to Americans will be $520,000,000,000 per year or $1,625 per individual per year!  This means, the average family of 4 will be impacted with an additional tax bill of $6,500 per year.  Keep in mind, this is Obamacare only; it does not include the other spending we are currently doing as a country.  

If individuals (320 million of them) have $1,625 less to spend each year, is it not hard to believe that our economy will tank?  If the government spends more than it takes in already, then we add an additional $1.4 Trillion over the next 10 years, won't it paralyze us?  

Furthermore, we still do not know the net impact of health care costs on individuals and families under this plan.  Both sides continue to cherry pick stories of horror and success, but what is the net effect?  It is not surprising that there are winners and losers under this legislation; that is how government intervention works.  This net effect on premiums, etc. will not be known until the law is fully implemented, which is a moving target.  

As is widely known, this legislation is political in nature.  Is it any wonder that the implementation was initially scheduled for 2014 (before mid term elections), but has now been delayed for its' highest impact in 2016?  And, as shown by the information passed along by the CBO, the strongest impact is the implementation of the employer mandate.  This has been repeatedly delayed and is now slated for 2015.  

Liberal Lies: Choice

Liberals claim to be the party that promotes choice, yet we do not see choices in Liberalism.  Choices are limited to the "approved" remedy of the bureaucracy and belief systems in Liberalism.  Choice implies freedom, yet, Liberalism always destroys freedom and choice.

As an aside, I now realize how odd the word choice looks when typing it repeatedly.  That is my random thought for the day!

Pro-Choice

Liberals consistently talk about the greatness of being pro-choice. After all, it is the mother's choice that matters, not the unborn child, right?

Let me ask this, what is more important in our society; a mother's choice or the right to life?  A mother's choice is nothing more than a decision to be made with horrific consequences, in this case.  God endowed us with the ability to procreate and our right to life.  We protect life on earth as being sacred in many ways; we even protect the rights of animals through cruelty legislation, etc.  Yet, how is an unborn child (a human nonetheless) less protected in the pro-choice argument?   

“No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother.”
― Margaret Sanger

The choice has been made prior to the point of choosing whether or not to be a mother.  The choice was made when a person decides to have sex with a partner.  That was when the freedom of choice occurs, not after the fact.

“The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts--a child--as a competitor, an intrusion and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the dependent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters. And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners.”
― Mother Teresa

Where is the choice of that unborn child?  Liberals also claim to be the protectors of the weak, poor, and innocent children (but, only if they are born first).  The hypocrisy of this position is scathing and yet, no liberal will actually admit to the choice that was already made.

At least Liberalism gave one choice, the choice of birth control.....

Healthcare Choices

The Affordable Care and Patient Act (aka Obamacare) did not increase choice, it limited it.

Many young adults used to choose whether or not to carry health insurance.  This decision was made based upon their finances and other factors.  Yet, with the passing of Obamacare, they no longer have this choice.  This freedom has been stripped away in one fellow swoop of the pen by our Liberal leadership and Liberals in Congress.

Undoubtedly, our choices in insurance plans have also been limited.  Why? You might ask.  Insurance companies are not stupid; they will offer plans that conform to the requirements (no choice) of Obamacare in minimal terms to limit the cost to consumers.  You see, economically speaking, insurance companies want to earn our business by keeping rates as low as possible.  The only way to keep rates low for the healthy is to limit what is covered, especially when other stuff is unnecessary.  Men are going to be forced to pay for ob/gyn appointments and women to pay for prostate exams under this bill.  This is a requirement, not a choice.

"If you like your plan, you can keep it. Period." - President Obama

Sounded like a great choice.  Again, proven profoundly wrong.  No discussion needed and end of story.

At least we get to choose our doctor, right?  Again, no.  Our choice of doctor may or may not be available through Obamacare.

Yes, the choice has been made to not expand this section any further.  You see, this is my choice and I am making it.  To put it bluntly, there are few freedoms in Obamacare and therefore no choices.  I am certain that I could write a 2700+ page book on Obamacare, but this is not the place for it.

Religious Choice

Ah, the Phil Robertson section....yes, it is my choice.  But, it goes further than the recent explosion between Phil Robertson, A&E and the Liberal choosers.

One of the core foundations of our country is the Freedom of Religion.  This infers the right to choose a religion and follow its practices as well.

John Adams Letter to Benjamin Rush Date: 1812

"Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion."

Liberalism, through Obamacare, attempted to squash religious choice in implementing the law.  Catholics, who do not allow contraception in practice, were forced to provide birth control through their insurance plans.  Religious institutions appealed this requirement and were told it was a requirement, not a choice.  Thankfully, appeals to this requirement are slowly being upheld by the courts and should be overturning the requirement in time.  Nonetheless, it was an attempt by Liberals to destroy religious freedom and the practice thereof.

It is not just Catholics under attack.  Christians are regularly the targets of Liberal outcries for religious oppression.  Phil Robertson was attacked for his Christian view on gay marriage by the left.  It was A&E's decision to suspend him and that was their choice, which is not the argument here.  However, the fact that GLAAD (a LIBERAL group) would demand he be silenced is the attack on religious freedom.

In reality, all religious denominations have been under attack by some form of Liberalism in our country.  The examples, again, are so numerous that a book could be written.  Muslims, Islamists, etc. it doesn't matter; they are all being attacked by the Liberals.  Conservatives do not care what your religion is, you have every right to practice it, preach it, and show it.

The only "religions" that seem to be omitted from these attacks are Atheists and Climate Change worshipers.  Of course, they tend to be almost exclusively Liberals, so that explains a lot.

Economic Choice

Financial choices should be up to an individual or family.  Liberals force many things to not be choices when it comes to economics. Again, only the tip of the iceberg will be hit upon.

Individuals used to have the choice to spend their money on healthcare.  As aforementioned above, this choice has been retracted by Obamacare.

Taxes are government force, not a choice.  By forcing the top 40% to pay 106.9% of the tax burden (discussed in The Welfare State: Increasing Government Dependency), this economic choice has been removed.  Liberals are for a highly progressive tax code which steals from the "rich" and gives to the poor.

From the obscene to the absurd;

Once January 1st hits, it will officially be illegal to manufacture or import traditional incandescent light bulbs in the United States.  It is being projected that millions of Americans will attempt to stock up on the old light bulbs before they are totally gone from store shelves.

Nope, you don't have a choice to buy the lightbulb you want either.

Education Choice

Liberals are ALL about government control and NO freedom when it comes to school choice.  If you can not afford a way out, you are stuck with public schools.  Public schools are failing on the education front in so many ways, they are too numerous to list here.

Educational choices have been repeatedly proposed, yet they are shot down by Liberals.  Whether it is a voucher system, tax credits, or other means of allowing school choice, Liberals flatly oppose them.  Yet, we are continually falling behind the rest of the world in education.

Charity Choice

The Liberal "charity" continues to be our government.  Again, forcing people to pay taxes into a charity of Liberal persuasion does not allow for choice.  People have the right to do with their property (money) as they choose.  This choice should include giving to the charities of their liking.  This is not to mention, government is inefficient in actually helping the intended recipients.  Private charity is MUCH more efficient in helping those in need.  The split is astounding; 70% of private charity reaches the intended recipient while government only sends 30%.

Speech Choice (Freedom of Speech)

This is so obvious to me that it needs little said about it.  Here is the gist: Liberals do not believe in freedom of speech unless it supports their position.  They seek to silence any opposition to their worldview and attempt to do so every day.

For more information please read my friend's exceptional piece, showing how absurd this has gotten: Liberals Are Now The Freedom Of Speech Police.

My choice to conclude

While Liberals will argue that they offer choice in other arenas, one has the right not to choose those topics.  Granted, there are so many choices on the limiting of choices by Liberals, it is astounding.  To say the choices are endless (until my speech is censored) is an understatement.  All in all, it is a lie to claim to be Liberal and pro-"choice".

The Welfare State: Increasing Government Dependency

The welfare state is not just the state of our country, but the people who live in it and several actual states.  Many people rely upon these benefits for good reason (disabled, elderly, children, etc.) and no one argues that point. Welfare has spiked the last five years unlike any other time in the history of our country.  Not only are large amounts of people on it, but the duration and amount being received have gotten excessive.  For many, it has become a way of life, not just a helping hand in a time of need.  This is the state of welfare, as we now know it.

Unemployment spiked in 2008 due to the financial and housing meltdown.

Five years later, we still have high unemployment and much more debt to boot.  Government reporting standards have changed in order to sugar coat the real numbers, especially under President Obama.  The true measure of unemployment is the U6 measure; it is defined as:

• U-6, total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part-time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers.

Thus, it accounts for the unemployed and under employed.  This measure still has our unemployment rate at 13.2% today as opposed to the 7% being reported by the administration.

Welfare pays out too much, taking away the incentive to find a job.

A  2012 report highlighted how people on welfare are now taking in more than the median household in America.  Why work if you can live better than the median family in America?

+Walt Armour may have summarized this situation better than anyone, he stated:

Based on data from the Congressional Research Service, cumulative spending on means-tested federal welfare programs, if converted into cash, would equal $167.65 per day per household living below the poverty level. By comparison, the median household income in 2011 of $50,054 equals $137.13 per day. Additionally, spending on federal welfare benefits, if converted into cash payments, equals enough to provide $30.60 per hour, 40 hours per week, to each household living below poverty. The median household hourly wage is $25.03. After accounting for federal taxes, the median hourly wage drops to between $21.50 and $23.45, depending on a household’s deductions and filing status. State and local taxes further reduce the median household’s hourly earnings. By contrast, welfare benefits are not taxed.

SNAP is one form of welfare given out by the states. It is meant to supplement people's incomes for food.

An analysis shows that the average individual received $133.08 in monthly welfare from the program for 2013. In 2009, this amount was $125.31; an increase of 6% over that time. A family of four, on SNAP welfare, would receive $532.32 per month!  This program is meant to SUPPLEMENT people's income, not pay entirely for their grocery bill. At $0.39 per Ramen noodle container, it would cost approximately $140.40 to feed a family of four, three meals a day.  So, it is not like people are going to starve on this amount.  SNAP is just one of the many welfare programs, keep in mind.

During this same time period, the Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation in goods and services rose 7.97%. The numbers are below, for those who will argue inflation the rest of this article:

Series Id:    SUUR0000SA0
Not Seasonally Adjusted
Area:         U.S. city average
Item:         All items
Base Period:  DECEMBER 1999=100

Download:

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2009	122.095	122.598	122.803	123.053	123.427	124.485	124.293	124.620	124.706	124.791	124.788	124.544	123.850
2010	124.987	124.972	125.442	125.620	125.678	125.521	125.536	125.756	125.830	125.969	125.920	126.143	125.615
2011	126.778	127.363	128.585	129.483	129.999	129.846	129.983	130.351	130.635	130.373	130.196	129.844	129.453
2012	130.363(U)	130.829(U)	131.649(U)	131.993(U)	131.902(U)	131.819(U)	131.614(U)	132.203(U)	132.702(U)	132.699(U)	132.212(U)	131.896(U)	131.823(U)
2013	132.272(I)	133.188(I)	133.506(I)	133.430(I)	133.652(I)	133.925(I)	133.944(I)	134.086(I)	134.257(I)	133.964(I)	133.724(I)
U : InterimI : Initial

As previously discussed in BASE-LESS…BOEHNER SHOWS HIS TRUE STRIPES,  the AVERAGE tax bill for the lower 47% of income earners is -9.1%.  Most people would love a 9% bonus annually on tax day.  This welfare system is what we call our current tax code.  It steals from the top and gives to the bottom.

In 2014, Obamacare will further the welfare tax laws to benefit the bottom 47%, yet again.

The 9% refund, previously discussed, is before these credits begin in our tax law. Much of the discussion, thus far, is prior to this monstrosity being in full effect.  Statistics will show, after 2014, the massive wealth redistribution and welfare program we are now running.  Families USA, a liberal organization, charted the welfare package included in Obamacare.  The known part of this welfare package is enormous.  And, keep in mind, no one knows all the impacts of this legislation as of yet.  We only know the general outcomes from common sense and what is already known.

The Brenner Brief recently posted a great article on the state of welfare, and its impact on America.   Welfare Dependency Destroying America takes a little different look at welfare dependency and offers much insight into this lifestyle.

One cannot possibly cover all the welfare programs in a single article.

After all, the state of our welfare system has grown to epic proportions and programs.  Much like Obamacare, we just didn't know what was in it until we read it.  The charges that Republicans or any other group seeking to reduce spending on welfare programs is simply crap.  These programs provide more than just an assist; they are a way of life.  With the recent economic downturn, it will not be surprising to see many maintain their lifestyle on welfare.  Welfare is just like feeding the animals at the zoo; once they taste it, they are addicted and will come back.