Saturday, September 22, 2012

Weekend Newsbites: Sat. & Sun., September 22 & 23, 2012



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5 comments:

William R. Barker said...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444032404578010542901722834.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop

The House voted Thursday to block the Obama Administration's unilateral weakening of welfare's work requirements, and political reporters are writing it off as a partisan primal scream if they notice at all.

Oh?

Nineteen Democrats — one-tenth of the Democratic caucus — joined with every voting Republican to overrule the White House.

* BUT, BOTTOM LINE... THE MSM IS STILL TOWING THE OBAMA LINE. THIS ISN'T A NATIONAL DEBATE AS IT SHOULD BE. THE MSM IS PROVIDING ALL THE COVER IT CAN TO OBAMA... AND... IT'S WORKING.

* FOLKS... UNDERSTAND... THE MSM IS GONNA DO EVERYTHING WITHIN IT'S POWER TO SEE OBAMA IS RE-ELECTED. UNDERSTAND THIS!

The 250-164 rout shows that at least some Democrats prefer the 1996 welfare reform the way it was, thank you. But the more notable number may be the 164 Democrats who voted with the White House, which shows how far the party's center of political gravity has shifted.

Workfare reform was one of the great New Democrat achievements, but now the party's dependency caucus is resurgent.

* LET'S NOT GET CARRIED AWAY. CLINTON VETOED THE BILL TWICE (OR WAS IT THREE TIMES?) BEFORE FINALLY SIGNING IT. GINGRICH IS THE ONE DUE MOST OF THE CREDIT FOR WELFARE REFORM.

Liberals say the Administration has made no substantive changes, or that the changes are designed to make aid recipients do more work. Well, then why not bring the House bill to a vote in the Senate and put the likes of Jon Tester (Montana) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio) on the record?

Republicans are trying to override the work waiver via the Congressional Review Act, which allows 30 Senators to sign a petition and force a vote on an executive regulation under an expedited process. On Wednesday Utah's Orrin Hatch made a motion to proceed but was blocked by Democrats. That means the earliest the bill could be debated is October 1 . . . when, conveniently, the Senate will be out of session until after the election.

* DISGUSTING.

The pity is that after claiming that President Obama "gutted" welfare reform, and even running ads on it, Mitt Romney's campaign doesn't seem to have noticed this Capitol Hill intrigue.

(*SIGH*)

September 22, 2012 at 9:56 AM
William R. Barker said...

http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/21/report-more-than-200-coal-fired-generators-slated-for-shutdown/

Earlier this week, coal company Alpha Natural Resources announced it would be laying off 1,200 workers and closing eight coal mines to face two new challenges: cheap natural gas and “a regulatory environment that’s aggressively aimed at constraining the use of coal.”

“These lost jobs aren’t random events — they are the direct result of the policies and actions of the Obama Administration — these are the outcomes of their regulatory war on coal,” said Washington Republican Rep. Doc Hastings on the House floor Thursday.

* JUST TO BE CLEAR... I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH CHEAP NATURAL GAS DISPLACING COAL. LET THE MARKETS WORK! WHERE I HAVE A PROBLEM IS THE MISUSE OF REGULATORY AUTHORITY TO DELIBERATELY TARGET A MAJOR AMERICAN INDUSTRY OUT OF EXISTENCE IF THEY CAN!

Within the next three to five years, more than 200 coal-fired electric generating units will be shut down across 25 states due to EPA regulations and factors including cheap natural gas, according to a new report by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE).

“This is further evidence that EPA is waging a war on coal, and a war on affordable electricity prices and jobs. EPA continues to ignore the damage that its new regulations are causing to the U.S. economy and to states that depend on coal for jobs and affordable electricity,” said Mike Duncan, president and CEO of ACCCE, in a statement.

ACCCE notes that EPA policies may have played a role more than 4,800 megawatts of announced closures not included on in their report which would bring total shutdowns to 241 coal generator in 30 states — more than 36,000 MW of electric generation or 11% of the U.S. coal fleet.

The most affected states include Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, which will see a combined 103 coal-fired generators shut down.

“Actually our utility rates are higher and the impact is such that it’s going to interfere with the quality of life that a lot of individuals have in my community,” said John McNeil, mayor of Red Springs, N.C., in an ACCCE video — one of the heavily affected states.

According to ACCCE, coal provides more than half of North Carolina’s power. Poorer areas, like Red Springs, where a number of residents are on fixed income or live below the poverty line, are adversely affected by higher electricity bills because they eat up a greater portion of their income.

“During my lifetime, Red Springs has gone through some fairly significant changes. We don’t have the large textile plants which provide employments opportunities for many people. We’ve just shifted away,” said John Roberts of John’s Fuel Service, also in Red Springs.

“Most people, their income is fixed,” Roberts continued. “They can’t say ‘hey, I need fourteen dollars an hour as compared to twelve an hour to offset my energy price,’” he argued.

On Friday, the coal industry caught a slight break as the [Republican controlled] House voted 233 to 175 to stop the Obama administration’s so-called “war on coal,” passing a bill that would limit the EPA’s regulatory authority over greenhouse gases and limit the Interior Department’s ability to issue coal mining rules.

* COM'ON... WE KNOW THE BILL WILL GO NOWHERE IN THE SENATE AND THAT EVEN IF IT DID OBAMA WOULD VETO IT.

(*SMIRK*)

“Since taking office, the Obama Administration has waged a multi-front war on coal — on coal jobs, on the small businesses in the mining supply chain, and on the low-cost energy that millions of Americans rely upon,” said Hastings.

* AND HE'S RIGHT!

September 22, 2012 at 1:29 PM
William R. Barker said...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CNN_STEVENS_DIARY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-09-23-05-22-33

CNN reported on the personal journal of slain American ambassador Christopher Stevens over objections from his family, a State Department spokesman said Saturday.

* FIRST OF ALL, I HOPE WE'VE LEARNED TO NEVER TAKE ANYTHING THE STATE DEPARTMENT (OR INDEED ANY BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT... OR CORPORATION... OR UNION... OR INDEED INDIVIDUAL) AT FACE VALUE WITHOUT SOME CONFIRMATION. I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM "THE FAMILY" DIRECTLY. IN ANY CASE... (KEEP READING...)

The channel said in the story online that it took "newsworthy tips" from Stevens' diary and confirmed them with other sources. Citing an unidentified source "familiar with Stevens' thinking," CNN said that the ambassador was concerned about security threats in Benghazi and a "rise in Islamic extremism."

"CNN did not initially report on the existence of a journal out of respect for the family, but we felt there were issues raised in the journal which required full reporting, which we did," the channel said.

The public has a right to know what CNN learned from "multiple sources" about fears and warnings of a terror threat before the Benghazi attack, the channel said, "which are now raising questions about why the State Department didn't do more to protect Ambassador Stevens and other U.S. personnel."

* GOOD... FRIGGIN'... QUESTION...

In a statement Saturday, CNN defended its use of the journal's contents and asked "why is the State Department now attacking the messenger."

* I'M PRETTY SURE WE KNOW WHY...

(*SMIRK*)

* MY FRIEND ROB SAYS "HE'S NOT CONVINCED YET" THAT OBAMA, CLINTON et al. LIED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN LIBYA... LIED FOR DAYS...

* MY RESPONSE TO ROB: "WELL BUDDY, IT'S EITHER THEY DELIBERATELY LIED SO AS TO AVOID THE SORTS OF QUESTIONS THAT EVEN THE MAINSTREAM AMERICAN OBAMA-LOVING PRESS IS NOW ASKING... OR... SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON IS SO FUCKING INCOMPETENT THAT SHE SHOULD BE FIRED AND FOREVER DISGRACED BY THE BLOOD SHE HAS ON HER HANDS. IT'S ONE OR THE OTHER, ROB."

In its online story, CNN said it found the journal on the "floor of the largely unsecured consulate compound where he was fatally wounded."

* AGAIN... INCOMPETENCE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER! WHY WASN'T THE CONSULATE SECURED? WHY HADN'T MILITARY CID (CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE SERVICE) TEAMS OR FBI OR BEEN OVER THE SITE WITH A FINE TOOTH COMB?

The diary was first mentioned on-air Friday by Anderson Cooper, following previous CNN reports that Stevens feared he was on an "al-Qaida hit list" but did not mention the journal. Cooper said that some of the information in the reports was based on Stevens' personal journal, which he said CNN came across in its reporting.

Asked to comment on CNN's report that Stevens was concerned about a "hit list," Reines referred to a news conference last Thursday at which Clinton was asked about it.

"I have absolutely no information or reason to believe that there's any basis for that," Clinton had said.

* AGAIN... LIES OR INCOMPETENCE, ROB? WHICH IS IT?

September 23, 2012 at 10:17 AM
William R. Barker said...

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/city_schools_plan_UoW7ke5l2KRwg43nHzt97H

* UNDERSTAND, FOLKS... YOU'RE DEALING WITH WHAT AMOUNTS TO THE THIRD WORLD.

About 28% of NYC students entering ninth grade have already had sex...

* NAH. THE COUNTRY AIN'T FALLING APART. IT'S ALL MY IMAGINATION...

The NYS Department of Education is giving morning-after pills and other birth-control drugs to students at 13 high schools, The NY Post has learned.

(*SARCASTIC CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*)

“We can’t give out a Tylenol without a doctor’ s order,” said a school staffer. “Why should we give out hormonal preparations with far more serious possible side effects, such as blood clots and hypertension?”

* GOOD QUESTION. (OR IT WOULD BE IF WE WERE STILL LIVING IN A SANE COUNTRY...)

School nurse offices stocked with the contraceptives can dispense “Plan B” emergency contraception and other oral or injectable birth control to girls without telling their parents — unless parents opt out after getting a school informational letter about the new program.

* BUT NO ASPIRIN! NO TYLENOL!

* HEY... WHO'S PAYING FOR THIS...???

(*SMIRK*)

* YEAH... RHETORICAL QUESTION.

While Big Apple high schools have long supplied free condoms to sexually active teens, this is the first time city schools have dispensed hormonal birth control and Plan B...

* GOTTA LUV THE "FREE" CONDOMS. YEAH. LIKE THE CONDOM MANUFACTURERS JUST GAVE 'EM AWAY!

So far, during an unpublicized pilot program in five city schools last year, 567 students received Plan B tablets and 580 students received Reclipsen birth-control pills, the city Department of Health told The Post.

* "...UNPUBLICIZED..."

This fall, students can also get Depo-Provera, a birth-control drug injected once every three months, officials said.

* BREAKFAST... LUNCH... DINNER... BIRTH CONTROL... MAYBE IT'S ALL FREE...?!?!

Oral and injectable contraceptives require prescriptions, which, in the CATCH program, are written by Health Department doctors.

* WORKING FOR... er... FREE...???

* HEY... DO THESE DOCTORS ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY EXAMINE THE CHILDREN...?

[S]tudents can tell a trained school nurse they had unprotected sex. The student will then get a test to see if she is already pregnant; if not, the prescription is issued and she can walk out with the pill.

* SO I GUESS THAT ANSWERS THAT QUESTION - NO... THESE CHILDREN ARE NOT EXAMINED BY THE DOCTORS WHO WRITE THE PRESCRIPTIONS THAT ARE REQUIRED BY... OH, YEAH... LAW.

Plan B is typically sold as an over-the-counter medication, but those under age 18 need a prescription.

(*SHRUG*)

September 23, 2012 at 2:39 PM
William R. Barker said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/business/medicare-billing-rises-at-hospitals-with-electronic-records.html?_r=0

When the federal government began providing billions of dollars in incentives to push hospitals and physicians to use electronic medical and billing records, the goal was not only to improve efficiency and patient safety, but also to reduce health care costs.

But, in reality, the move to electronic health records may be contributing to billions of dollars in higher costs for Medicare, private insurers and patients by making it easier for hospitals and physicians to bill more for their services, whether or not they provide additional care.

* OOPS...

Hospitals received $1 billion more in Medicare reimbursements in 2010 than they did five years earlier, at least in part by changing the billing codes they assign to patients in emergency rooms, according to a New York Times analysis of Medicare data from the American Hospital Directory. Regulators say physicians have changed the way they bill for office visits similarly, increasing their payments by billions of dollars as well.

* THE GOVERNMENT CREATED THESE CODES. THE GOVERNMENT CREATED THIS WHO FUCKING SYSTEM!

Over all, hospitals that received government incentives to adopt electronic records showed a 47% rise in Medicare payments at higher levels from 2006 to 2010, the latest year for which data are available, compared with a 32% rise in hospitals that have not received any government incentives, according to the analysis by The Times.

* OH, WELL...

(*SMIRK*)

The higher coding has captured the attention of federal and state regulators and private insurers like Aetna and Cigna. This spring, the Office of Inspector General for the federal Health and Human Services Department warned that the coding of evaluation services had been “vulnerable to fraud and abuse.”

* THEY MEAN THE CODING CREATED BY... (*DRUM ROLL*)... THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ITSELF.

When Methodist Medical Center of Illinois in Peoria rolled out an electronic records system in 2006, Dr. Alan Gravett, a former emergency room physician, quickly expressed alarm. He said the new system prompted doctors to click a box that indicated a thorough review of patients’ symptoms had taken place, even though the exams were rarely performed, while another function let doctors pull exam findings “from thin air” and include them in patients’ records.

* FOLKS... THINK OF THE CHECK-OFF FORM YOU GET WITH A FULL-SERVICE OIL CHANGE FROM WALMART OR WHEREVER. ISN'T EVERYTHING ALWAYS CHECKED OFF? THAT'S THE FUCKING DEFAULT! IT'S NOT NECESSARILY REALITY! I KNOW I'VE CAUGHT 'EM ON THAT SORT OF SHIT NUMEROUS TIMES!

September 23, 2012 at 2:54 PM

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