No Smoking

Obama's still smoking, but that's a big No-No for you. Why does any of this matter? Well lets take a look at what has been found in the new health care law. Obamacare penalizes smokers with decidedly higher health insurance premiums.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of smokers could be priced out of health insurance because of tobacco penalties in President Barack Obama's health care law, according to experts who are just now teasing out the potential impact of a little-noted provision in the massive legislation.

The Affordable Care Act — "Obamacare" to its detractors — allows health insurers to charge smokers buying individual policies up to 50 percent higher premiums starting next Jan. 1.

For a 55-year-old smoker, the penalty could reach nearly $4,250 a year. A 60-year-old could wind up paying nearly $5,100 on top of premiums.

Nearly one of every five U.S. adults smokes. That share is higher among lower-income people, who also are more likely to work in jobs that don't come with health insurance and would therefore depend on the new federal health care law. Smoking increases the risk of developing heart disease, lung problems and cancer, contributing to nearly 450,000 deaths a year.

Insurers won't be allowed to charge more under the overhaul for people who are overweight, or have a health condition like a bad back or a heart that skips beats — but they can charge more if a person smokes.

Several provisions in the federal health care law work together to leave older smokers with a bleak set of financial options, said Pollitz, formerly deputy director of the Office of Consumer Support in the federal Health and Human Services Department.

First, the law allows insurers to charge older adults up to three times as much as their youngest customers.

Second, the law allows insurers to levy the full 50 percent penalty on older smokers while charging less to younger ones.

And finally, government tax credits that will be available to help pay premiums cannot be used to offset the cost of penalties for smokers.

Don't think that you can just lie to your doctor either. Insurers will test you to determine whether or not you are a smoker, then they will hit you with the penalties.

Keep in mind this is while there is still private insurers. What do you think will happen when the government finalizes the takeover of the health care industry?

Note: You DO NOT need to register to leave a comment.

Follow The WindUpRubberFinger on Twitter!

Bed Bath and Beyond

For all of those in favor of gun bans, read this article.

MIDDLETOWN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — Police are investigating after a woman was attacked and stabbed multiple times inside a New Jersey store Thursday afternoon.

The victim, identified by her family as 29-year-old Kerri Dalton of Keansburg, also had a baby with her inside the Middletown Bed Bath & Beyond store, when the attack occurred.

The alleged assailant, 19-year-old Tyrik Haynes, is accused of repeatedly plunging a knife into Dalton around 4 p.m., puncturing both her lungs in an apparent random attack.

A published report indicated that Haynes is being held on $1 million bail on an attempted murder charge.

Dalton was stabbed more than a dozen times and Medevaced to Jersey Shore Medical Center, where she remained in stable condition late Thursday night.

CBS 2′s Young reported that Haynes is known locally as a suspected animal abuser. Workers at the nearby Petco told Young the suspect used to come in to stare at the cats and that he is accused of adopting cats and setting them on fire.

Here's another case of some crazy person committing a violent crime. And once again, multiple people knew that this person had a propensity for violent acts.

Can anyone explain to me how a law (gun ban) could have stopped this guy from hurting people --initially? It's pretty obvious that this guy is going to jail for a while.

Let's go over a few things. Gun restrictions limit gun access only for law abiding citizens. Criminals and crazy people are not concerned with the law. Restrictive laws only effect those who obey them.

The end result of a gun ban is fewer law abiding citizens with guns.

Do we have gun related problems with law abiding citizens, or do we have gun related problems with criminals and crazy people?

Why then is the Obama administration worried about guns in the hands of law abiding citizens?

Note: You DO NOT need to register to leave a comment.

Follow The WindUpRubberFinger on Twitter!

Obama wants your money, and he wants it NOW!

All the talk about 1% or 2% is just sophistry. Obama and the Democrats want everybody's taxes to go up in the end. You have to get to the end of Obama speeches before you actually hear the truth come out. Obama knows that people pay more attention to the headline than the actual body of the speech. Take a look at this excerpt from his speech on 12/06/12.

So I’m encouraged to see that there’s been some discussion on the part of Republicans acknowledging the need for additional revenue. As I’ve indicated, the only way to get the kind of revenue for a balanced deficit reduction plan is to make sure that we’re also modestly increasing rates for people who can afford it -- folks like me. For folks who are in the top 2 percent, we can afford to have a modest rate increase. That allows us to not only reduce our deficit in a balanced, responsible way, it also allows us to make investments in education, in making college affordable, in putting folks back to work, and investing in basic research that’s important for our economy.

And I think we all recognize that there are some smart cuts we’ve got to make in government. We’re going to have to strengthen our entitlement programs so that they’re there for future generations. Everybody is going to have to share in some sacrifice, but it starts with folks who are in the best position to sacrifice, who are in the best position to do a little bit more to step up. And that’s what my plan does.

So just to be clear, I’m not going to sign any package that somehow prevents the top rate from going up for folks at the top 2 percent. But I do remain optimistic that we can get something done that is good for families like this one’s and that is good for the American economy. All right. Thank you very much, everybody.

So, "Everybody is going to have to share in some sacrifice, but it 'starts' with the top 2%." I wonder where it goes from there?

Note: You DO NOT need to register to leave a comment.

Follow The WindUpRubberFinger on Twitter!

John Boehner and Obama; Much Love

The Republican Party is in the worst shape its been in since I've been alive. The Republicans lost a presidential election to a devout and open socialist. While there are many reasons for that, I think I have pinpointed the real causes.

Blaming Romney is just like blaming a quarterback when his receivers can't catch good passes. Romney is a small part of the equation. Republicans have made promises and then backed out of them. People don't vote to send someone to Washington simply to say things and not act. They send someone up there to do what's right, what's necessary. So far, the Republicans have shown that they do not have the courage of their convictions.

Contrast that with the Democrats. Democrats have shown that they do not lack the courage of their convictions, of course I don't agree with them, but they have a spine when it comes to what they believe in. Republicans have been trying to get along to get along; all the while backing down on the Conservative beliefs that got them their in the first place. As I said before, "You attract moderates directly at the cost of the base."

Yesterday Speaker of The House John Boehner said, "If you look at the plans that the White House has talked about thus far, they couldn’t pass either house of the Congress." So, John Boehner proposes "revenue" which means tax increases which verifies the Democrat narrative of tax the rich. Now the Republicans have no argument. There is no longer any contrast between Republicans and Democrats. But the Democrats are the ones who stand to win here. There is only one way the Republicans can win on this issue only if the Democrats cave. The Democrats have no reason to cave. Democrats want higher taxes on everyone in the end, so they win on two fronts. The Democrats will have their victory delivered to them on a platter by the media who will blame the economic impact on the Republicans. Thanks to John Boehner conceding that tax increases will fix everything; the media has an easy job making the Republicans at fault.

The Republicans have become the moderate party. They have marginalized themselves by not really standing up for anything. The Republican Party is a dead platform until it can purge itself of moderates and replace them with Conservatives. The American people don't want wimpy career politicians they want people with conviction.

Tell your congressman that John Boehner does not need to be Speaker of The House any longer. It's time to send Tammy Faye Boehner packing. We need someone who will stand up to Obama in the public arena not meet in private and make deals that are unknown to the American people or the rest of the party. Not someone who will remove Conservatives from budget related committees! Someone who can articulate the differences in Conservative ideas and big government ideas.

I'm not sure who they can vote in as a replacement. I would suggest anyone that was removed from their committee position as "punishment" for not towing the line. What about Tim Huelskamp, R-Kansas., and Justin Amash, R-Michigan or David Schweikert, R-Arizona? We know that if they were removed they are Conservatives. We sent them to congress to do exactly what they did, they represented their districts!

Note: You DO NOT need to register to leave a comment.

Follow The WindUpRubberFinger on Twitter!

Thelma and Louise Going Forward

What if America has been driven over the cliff on purpose. We are in the air right now, the question is for how long. In order to answer the question you have to determine who it will benefit the most and why.

The Obama administration is looking for a way to blame things on the Republicans. The Obama administration is looking for a way to hide the negative effects of Obamacare. Going over the cliff accomplishes all of this while Democrats get everything they've been asking for. Tax increases across the board (not just on those making more than $200,000) military cuts and the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) will still be in the tax code --one of the Democrats most powerful weapons.

Here is my argument for why I think we should go over the cliff now. Democrats have been running for years on higher taxes (for those making more than $200,000) and more spending, which they refer to as "investment". If we go over the cliff there will be higher taxes on everyone, not just the "rich". What will that accomplish? I believe it will force the truth to the surface. There isn't enough money to fund the government period --even with everybody's taxes going higher! There never was; it's the same thing that happened to so many state, county and city governments. Governments made more promises than there was funding for. The money was never there, only local governments can't print their own money the federal government can.

As long as the Democrats can get Republicans to keep folding and raising the debt limit, this will never end. The Fiscal Cliff is only the beginning. The Democrats are purposely creating the largest economic bubble the world has ever seen. Only the very rich will be able to deal with this kind of economic shrinkage easily.

Then the questions start. Why would anyone do this? If Obama is so brilliant, why didn't he foresee the Republicans standing their ground and have another plan that would help to keep the economic pressure from reaching those he claims to care about? Why isn't Obama dealing to save the middle class?

The real answer is that Obama and the Democrats have wanted this for a long time, don't kid yourself.

I think we need to do this now, before the bubble gets any bigger! It's going to happen sooner or later anyway because as I explained earlier; there isn't enough money to keep up with current spending rates.

I say let it all go now, and disarm every argument the Democrats have made. Once everyone's taxes are increased and there still isn't enough revenue --what will be the next Democrat solution? So far the only argument they've had is tax increases. If tax increases are the answer let them go up, raise them now and prove the Democrats wrong.

What do you think?

Note: You DO NOT need to register to leave a comment.

Follow The WindUpRubberFinger on Twitter!