Obama administration will spend nearly $700 million in tax dollars to ADVERTISE Obamacare

Obama administration will spend nearly $700 million in tax dollars to ADVERTISE Obamacare
That’s right! The Obama administration is gearing up to spend a staggering $680,000,000 just to advertise Obamacare.  And who is paying for all of this?  That’s right…you are.
from AP:

It will make you stronger. It will give you peace of mind and make you feel like a winner. Health insurance is what the whole country has been talking about, so don’t be left out.
Sound like a sales pitch? Get ready for a lot more. As President Barack Obama’s health care law moves from theory to reality in the coming months, its success may hinge on whether the best minds in advertising can reach one of the hardest-to-find parts of the population: people without health coverage.
The campaign won’t come cheap: The total amount to be spent nationally on publicity, marketing and advertising will be at least $684 million, according to data compiled The Associated Press from federal and state sources.
About 16 percent of Americans are uninsured, but despite years of political debate and media attention, more than three-quarters of them still know little about the law known as “Obamacare,” according to recent surveys.

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This is downright immoral, spending the better part of a BILLION dollars to advertise a welfare program and get more people hooked on the government dole.
It’s time for a full repeal, and until we get there, let’s defund the entire monstrosity, starting with this ridiculous marketing budget.

Benghazi Report: Hillary Approved Reduced Security Measures, Contradicting Previous Testimony

Guy Benson | Apr 24, 2013

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This time, "what difference does it make?" isn't going to cut it.  Despite the administration's nonchalant attitude and various efforts at suppression, the Benghazi outrage isn't going away.  Via Erika Johnsen and CBS News:

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, vulnerable by approving lax security measures, a report released Tuesday by House Republicans concluded. The 46-page report accused Clinton — a possible White House contender in 2016 — of seeking to cover up failures by the State Department that could have contributed to the attack last year that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. The report, compiled by five House panels after a seven-month investigation, said Clinton approved reductions in security levels prior to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack, contradicting Clinton’s testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Jan. 23.

CBS News ticks down the three major findings of House Republicans' interim report (numerals mine):

(1) The committees' Republicans conclude that Clinton approved security reductions at the consulate, pointing to evidence such as an April 2012 State Department cable bearing her signature. The cable was a formal request from then-U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz for more security. In her testimony before Congress in January, Clinton said, "With specific security requests they didn't come to me. I had no knowledge of them."
(2) The interim report also charges that White House and senior State Department officials attempted to protect the State Department from criticism by altering accurate talking points drafted by the intelligence community. For instance, the report says that, after a Sept. 15, 2012 meeting, administration officials removed references to the likely participation of Islamic extremists.
(3) The report also contradicts administration claims that the talking points were changed to protect classified information. None of the email exchanges reviewed ever mentioned a concern about classified information, according to the report.

The first item is the most damning, but let's work from the bottom up.  Democrats and the White House have attempted hide behind "national security" and "classified information" to block the public from hearing details about what exactly happened on September 11, 2012.  They used the same excuse to retool Susan Rice's ludicrous talking points before she appeared on five Sunday morning shows, spreading misinformation about the nature of the terrorist attack at every step.  Internal documents obtained by House investigators also reveal that the administration's contemporaneous deliberations didn't mention these concerns; instead, they lay a trail of bread crumbs down the path of political ass-covering.  The original talking points assembled by the intelligence community were accurate; they were altered by face-saving officials at State.  And if they were so worried about sensitive information and documents getting into the wrong hands, why did they allow the compound to remain unsecured for weeks?  Finally, Secretary Clinton wasn't truthful -- or at least wasn't accurate -- when she asserted that none of the requests for increased security measures in Benghazi reached her level.  She personally signed a cable that bore at least one such request.  The Hill has more:

“Repeated requests for additional security were denied at the highest levels of the State Department,” it said. “For example, an April 2012 State Department cable bearing Secretary Hillary Clinton’s signature acknowledged then-Ambassador [Gene] Cretz’s formal request for additional security assets but ordered the withdrawal of security elements to proceed as planned.”

Cretz's successor, Chris Stevens, pleaded for more resources, too, including on the day of his murder.  It's important to remember that the administration didn't merely deny "repeated" appeals for more protection, they actually reduced our security footprint on the ground, for reasons that remain a mystery.  We still don't know why the consulate's protection was so breathtakingly insufficient (despite the administration's insulting suggestions to the contrary).  The report -- which remains incomplete -- also does not explain why numerous urgent requests for immediate help went unheeded during the hours-long raid itself.  We still don't know where the President of the United States was during the bloodbath, nor is there an explanation for why zero forces or assets were deployed to help our people.  Men died because of this unjustifiable inaction.  Perhaps the "multiple" new whistle-blowers can help answer some of these critical, unanswered inquiries.  People like Patricia Smith and Charlie Woods deserve the truth.

Rep. Michael Turner Criticizes Holding of Political Prisoners in Georgia

Rep. Michael Turner Criticizes Holding of Political Prisoners in Georgia

Warns of ‘negative impact’ on U.S.-Georgia relations

Rep. Mike Turner / AP

BY: Daniel Wiser
July 24, 2013 6:15 pm
Rep. Michael Turner (R., Ohio) reiterated concerns about the ongoing crackdown on Georgia’s political opposition in a statement Wednesday after meeting with Tedo Japaridze, chairman of the Georgian Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee. Turner put forward an amendment last month that subsequently passed the House and warned of the “negative impact” the crackdown could have on U.S.-Georgian relations.
The amendment decried “democratic backsliding” in the country and criminal charges against more than 100 government officials since Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, a close Kremlin ally, was elected in October 2012.
“Georgia has many allies in Congress who expect the newly elected government to function as a strong democracy. The incidents of persecutions, abuse, and violence are very troubling,” he said.
The Ivanishvili government’s arrests have netted dozens President Mikhail Saakashvili’s allies, include the former Prime Minister Ivane Merabishvili. who was previously expected to be a leading opposition candidate in Presidential elections this fall. Saakashvili has close ties to Washington and had sent troops to support US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ivanishvili’s government recently enlisted Washington firm Patton Boggs LLP to dissuade lawmakers from withdrawing economic and military support and to push back on press reports that Ivanishvili was allowing Georgia to become a safe haven for Iranian money and interests.
Victoria Nuland, the Obama administration’s nominee for assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, also expressed unease about the alleged political motivations of the arrests at her nomination hearing.
“Nobody wants to see Georgia slide backward,” she said.

This entry was posted in Congress, National Security, Obama Administration, Politics and tagged Michael Turner, Mike Turner, Victoria Nuland. Bookmark the permalink.

Report: Two Americans Enrolled in Food Stamps for Every Job Obama 'Created'

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by Warner Todd Huston 24 Jul 2013, 4:57 PM PDT 22 post a comment

The White House has been touting the success of its economic agenda recently, claiming to have created 7.2 million jobs. But a look at the growing rolls of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shows that for every job the administration says it created, two Americans have been added to the food stamp rolls.

In January of 2009, 32,204,859 Americans received SNAP aid, but as of April 2013, there were 47,548,694 Americans taking food stamps.
"That means that more than two Americans have been added to the food stamp rolls for every one job the administration says it has created," CNSNews reports.
Fifteen million more Americans have gone on food stamps since Obama took office in 2008.
Under Obama, 1.6 million more Americans are now collecting disability insurance, while 9.5 million workers have dropped out of the labor force altogether.

Darrell Issa: Energy Department Whistleblowers Gagged

Darrell Issa: Energy Department Whistleblowers Gagged

Whistleblowers warned against cooperating with congressional investigators

Rep. Darrell Issa / AP

BY: Lachlan Markay
July 24, 2013 1:40 pm
Energy Department officials prohibited subordinates from speaking with congressional investigators about their probe into illicit hiring practices and related whistleblower retaliation allegations, according to the lead investigator.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, revealed in a letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon that the deputy secretary of energy issued the gag order following a scathing inspector general report last week.
The report revealed that the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a division of the Department of Energy (DOE), had violated DOE hiring guidelines in ways that disadvantaged military veterans.
BPA employees who cooperated with the IG’s investigation, the report found, were fired, suspended, or otherwise sanctioned.
Issa revealed in a Wednesday, July 17, letter that Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman “verbally instructed Elliot Mainzer, the individual [Poneman] chose to serve as acting administrator of BPA, that no BPA employees were to talk with anyone regarding these allegations, including congressional investigators.”
Issa suggested that such a gag order could be illegal.
“Obstructing a congressional investigation is a crime,” he noted. “Additionally, denying or interfering with employees’ rights to furnish information to Congress is against the law.”
Transparency advocates raised similar concerns.
“Any attempt to ‘gag’ employees from communicating with Congress would be a gross violation of law,” said Stephen M. Kohn, executive director of the National Whistleblower Center, in an email.
“It is highly illegal for any federal agency to attempt to prevent employees or contractors from communicating whistleblower concerns with Members of Congress or an Inspector General,” Kohn said. “If true, this conduct by government officials would be intolerable.”
Oversight Committee spokesman Ali Ahmad told the Oregonian that a senior BPA official had informed the committee of Poneman’s gag order.
Issa requested a response from Poneman by noon on Wednesday. The committee could not confirm whether it had received a response by press time.
“BPA employees have the right to talk with Congress and to provide Congress information free from interference by the Department of Energy,” he wrote. “These employees also have a right to be free from fear of retaliation for sharing information with Congress.”
A BPA spokesman referred questions to DOE’s press office, which did not respond to a request for comment.

This entry was posted in Congress, Federal Bureaucracy and tagged Darrell Issa, Department of Energy, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Bookmark the permalink.

I AM SO PROUD TO POST THIS NEWS HOPE YOU LIKE IT TOO

Jesse Jackson Busted for Looting in London Riots

By Mark Donahue

Jesse Jackson appears in court

LONDON – Because of his scandalous displays of civil disobedience during this city’s destructive riots, Reverend Jesse Jackson was arrested and charged with looting yesterday by London police. He was taken to central booking and charged with theft, destruction of public property, aggravated assault and impersonating a clergyman. Prime Minister David Cameron issued a statement condemning Reverend Jackson’s actions and former Prime Minister Tony Blair told reporters he’d suspected Jackson of stealing before.
“When Reverend Jackson visits, one is apt to keep an eye on the silverware,” Blair told reporters. “We allowed him to attend several social functions when I was in office and his presence always coincided with the puzzling disappearance of light bulbs and lavatory soap. At the last reception he attended we assigned a security detail to keep an eye on him but he outsmarted them by slipping out a lavatory window with a shower curtain and several hand towels.”
Lawyers for Reverend Jackson argue that he is being persecuted by a conservative legal system that frowns upon dissent and muffles the cries of the disenfranchised. Although multiple security cameras recorded Reverend Jackson breaking store windows, looting merchandise and assaulting an elderly woman, his lawyers claim that he was sound asleep in his hotel room the night of the alleged crimes. When a reporter pointed out that the new sneakers Reverend Jackson was wearing at the time of his arrest were the same brand a security video shows him looting from a boutique, the lawyers said that Jackson had purchased his sneakers from a blind street vendor in Calcutta where he’d recently traveled to donate a swing-set to a grade school for lepers.
The courtroom was packed with spectators when a disheveled and irritated Jesse Jackson appeared before the magistrate. When asked to respond to the charges against him, Jackson sneered and spat on the floor. That sparked rambunctious cheers and whistles from the gallery, forcing the judge to angrily pound his gavel and demand silence. When the magistrate sternly cautioned the accused against spitting in the court room, Reverend Jackson grabbed his crotch and sneered, “I got your warning right here, Sir!”
Freelance reporter Dayle “Scoop” Curtis was covering the hearing for the Huffington Post.
“When Jesse grabbed his crotch and told the Judge what he could do with his reprimand, the courtroom erupted into mayhem. It was an amazing display of defiance. The crowd began chanting Jesse! Jesse! Jesse! as guards dragged Reverend Jackson away. It was just like a 60′s protest or something.”
Reports that Jesse Jackson bit off the ear of one of the guards has not been substantiated, but his lawyer has confirmed that Jackson has taken a lover in jail.
“Reverend Jackson has needs. He makes no excuses and offers no apologies.”
Reverend Al Sharpton penned an op-ed piece in the NY Times following news of Jackson’s arrest in London:
“I stand by Reverend Jackson and I walk by him and adhere to him. I want it known without any equivocation and self doubt that if Reverend Jackson is not treated fairly that I will march. I demand Reverend Jackson get a swift trial and restitution. I offer my services to gently care for his mistresses and make sure his illegitimate children get their monthly paychecks. Jesse Jackson’s arrest and detainment is a travesty of the heinous and it will not go unheeded. I will march for a full congressional hearing and I demand that Reverend Jackson be exercised and immediately released on his own reconnaissance.”
Security camera videos appear to show Reverend Jackson at the head of a group of masked teenagers as they shatter store windows and steal merchandise. One video plainly shows Reverend Jackson wrestling what looks like a lava lamp out of the hands of an elderly woman. For several minutes the woman puts up an impressive fight before Jackson breaks her grip on the lamp by thrashing her over the head with a large toaster. Several of the teenagers arrested said that Jackson was determined to find stores that carried Giuseppe Zanotti sneakers. An anonymous source inside Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition said Jesse Jackson desperately wanted a pair of $700 Giuseppe Zanotti sneakers, but was not willing to pay the retail price.
“Last month Reverend Jackson attempted to extort the Giuseppe Zanotti company but his threats of a boycott fell on deaf ears. He was really disappointed. But when he heard about the riots in London he saw an opportunity to get some free sneakers while fighting for the underprivileged at the same time. He said it was divine intervention because God wanted him to have those sneakers.”
Many of the teenagers who conspired with Jackson feel the experience was valuable.
“Smashing store windows and looting with Jesse Jackson is something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life,” one of the teenagers remarked. “Now I know how Rosa Parks must have felt.”

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Tags: al sharpton, Calcutta, Civil Rights, Fake News, Giuseppe Zanotti, Huffington Post, humor, jesse jackson, London riots, NY TImes, parody, Prime Minister David Cameron, Rosa Parks, Satire, Spoof, The Daily Rash, Tony Blair

This entry was posted on August 16, 2011 at 8:35 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

ANOTHER OBAMA SCANDAL: DOE Secretary illegally prohibited employees from speaking to Congress

Posted by  The Right Scoop on July 24th, 2013 in Politics | 23 Comments

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This administration is corrupt from top to bottom. In this instance, the DOE Secretary prohibited employees from speaking to Congress after a ‘scathing’ inspector general report revealed that a division of the DOE “violated DOE hiring guidelines in ways that disadvantaged military veterans.”
Not only that, but employees who participated in the IG report were “fired, suspended, or otherwise sanctioned.”
FREE BEACON – Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, revealed in a letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon that the deputy secretary of energy issued the gag order following a scathing inspector general report last week.
The report revealed that the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a division of the Department of Energy (DOE), had violated DOE hiring guidelines in ways that disadvantaged military veterans.
BPA employees who cooperated with the IG’s investigation, the report found, were fired, suspended, or otherwise sanctioned.
Issa revealed in a Wednesday, July 17, letter that Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman “verbally instructed Elliot Mainzer, the individual [Poneman] chose to serve as acting administrator of BPA, that no BPA employees were to talk with anyone regarding these allegations, including congressional investigators.”
Issa suggested that such a gag order could be illegal.
“Obstructing a congressional investigation is a crime,” he noted. “Additionally, denying or interfering with employees’ rights to furnish information to Congress is against the law.”