- From the “Graccus Gambit” Department – Senator Rand Paul got a surprisingly warm reception when he addressed a group at the University of California at Berkeley. The primary topic of his speech was the ongoing government surveillance scandal. He specifically brought up the recent revelation that the CIA may have been actively spying on Congress, but also asserted that the government has no business knowing what private citizens do with their cell phones. I wish the good senator luck. I agree that our intelligence organs are out of control, and it’s going to take a lot of political clout and guts to rein them in.
- From the “Security Theater” Department – A teenager in New York snuck past security at the new World Trade Center and found his way to the top floor. Apparently he was able to get through a fence, climb some scaffolding, and get past a ‘distracted’ guard before making his ascent. It’s good to see that all that money and effort we’ve expended in securing high value targets over the past decade and a half is working.
- From the “Slap On the Wrist” Department – The Army general, who was charged in connection with an adulterous affair he had with a subordinate, was sentenced today after accepting a plea bargain. Instead of being reduced to the lowest possible rank and being confined to a disciplinary barracks until the end of his days, he is being reprimanded and fined $20,000. Apparently a plea from his wife asking for leniency so that she and her children wouldn’t lose out on his retirement checks worked. Instead of competing to be let out of his cell to do yard work at Fort Leavenworth, he is going to be allowed to retire, although it is possible he will not get full pay for a Brigadier General. If that happens, he will make a little over $5000 a month, rather than a little over $7000 a month. How horrible.
- From the “If You Can’t Say Anything Nice” Department – Fred Phelps, Democrat politician and leader of a religious group that has gained notoriety for protesting at funerals, died today. I will not eulogize him, for I do not believe that he deserved it. I will also refrain from condemning him, because he deserves that no more than I do. We will all stand before our creator someday, and I will not add to my extensive list of sins by dwelling on the evil that others do. Jennifer puts it very eloquently in her post about Mr. Phelps’ passing.
- From the “Own It” Department – The American Medical Association, which supported passage of the Affordable Care Act, has put out advisories to doctors on not falling into one of the many traps of Obamacare. It seems that it is quite possible, even likely, that doctors will be on the hook for the cost of treating patients after their insurance has lapsed. You see, an insurance company must now, by law, give a patient 90 days to get caught up if they fall behind in their insurance premiums. Additionally, even if they cancel a policy after 90 days of non-payment, the insurance company must pay for any care done in the first 30 days of the grace period. That means that if I had an Obamacare policy and stopped paying, my insurance company couldn’t cancel my coverage for 90 days. Whether they can tell doctors about my possible change in status seems to be a matter of debate. So, if the insurance company covers me for 90 days, but only pays for 30, who do you think is going to foot the bill for the remaining 60 days? If only the AMA had actually read the bill before they threw their prodigious weight behind its passage.
- From the “Doing It Right” Department – The city of Richmond, California, has passed an ordinance that raises the minimum wage in the city to over $12.00 an hour. I know there has been a lot of talk recently about raising the national minimum wage, and I’m against that. But if a state or city wants to raise their local minimum wage, I’m all for it. If California wants their minimum wage to be $15, but Kentucky wants to stay at $7.25, that’s OK. Just don’t force employers in Louisville to pay their workers at levels more appropriate to New York or Los Angeles, and vice versa. Hey, if you’re going to have to work and live in a shithole like Richmond, you probably deserve $12.30 an hour.
- From the “Nuke It From Orbit” Department – A woman in Great Britain got a bit of a fright when an aggressive tropical spider, complete with an egg sack full of the rest of her invasion force, hitched a ride from Africa to London. Reports are that the spider and her brood are safe at the London Zoo instead of being served up medium rare to the office cat. You know, things like this are exactly how a lot of horror movies start.
News Roundup
Posted by daddybear71 on March 20, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/03/20/news-roundup-214/
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2 Comments
DaddyBear
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oldnfo
/ March 20, 2014A bunch of strange ones today… sigh
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daddybear71
/ March 21, 2014There are others who do a better job discussing the major things that are going on. I try to look for things that get lost in the weeds.
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