Ralph, your Italian investor said what I've thought for a long time. I don't have his worldwide perspective, but as I've gotten older, I've recognized the bias from all mainstream sources, including Fox. Of course, Fox is on an island as the only conservatively slanted source. The others are unabashedly liberal. It's not subtle. It's very obvious.
Palestinians Caught Faking Injuries For BBC Cameras – Update: CNN Uses Fake Footage… <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kvaUmIB87-M?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0"></iframe> Welcome to Pallywood! Via INN: Barely one day into the fighting in Hamas-run Gaza, the locals are hard at work playing the victim for the world’s press. Footage from the BBC captured by watchdog group Honest Reporting shows a heavy man lying on the ground and being carried away by residents, apparently after being injured by an Israeli attack. Moments later, that same man again fills the frame, except he is walking about and obviously unhurt. The widespread staging of such victim situations is a favored tactic of Arabs fighting Israel and has come to be known as “Pallywood.” Because Israel is stronger militarily, the Arabs cling to the underdog image of poor refugees under occupation and siege by evil Israelis, thus eliciting sympathy. UPDATE: <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cIqbZjdmtyU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0"></iframe>
(You didn’t think Obamacare was free, did you?) Home - by BigFurHat - November 17, 2012 - 22:00 America/New_York - 11 Comments Business Insider Here are just some of the taxes Obamacare will be levying. •Flexible Spending Account contributions will be capped at $2,500. Currently, there is no tax-related limit on how much you can set aside pre-tax to pay for medical expenses. Next year, there will be. If you have been socking away, say, $10,000 in your FSA to pay medical bills, you’ll have to cut that to $2,500. (ATR.org) •The itemized-deduction hurdle for medical expenses is going up to 10% of adjusted gross income. Right now, any medical expenses over 7.5% of AGI are deductible. Next year, that hurdle will be 10%. (ATR.org) •The penalty on non-medical withdrawals from Healthcare Savings Accounts is now 20% instead of 10%. That’s twice the penalty that applies to annuities, IRAs, and other tax-free vehicles. (ATR.org) • •A 40% tax on “Cadillac Health Care Plans” starting in 2018.Those whose employers pay for all or most of comprehensive healthcare plans (costing $10,200 for an individual or $27,500 for families) will have to pay a 40% tax on the amount their employer pays. The 2018 start date is said to have been a gift to unions, which often have comprehensive plans. (ATR.org) •A”Medicine Cabinet Tax” that eliminates the ability to pay for over-the-counter medicines from a pre-tax Flexible Spending Account. This started in January 2011. (ATR.org) •A “penalty” tax for those who don’t buy health insurance. This will phase in from 2014-2016. It will range from $695 per person to about $4,700 per person, depending on your income. (More details here.) •A tax on medical devices costing more than $100. Starting in 2013, medical device manufacturers will have to pay a 2.3% excise tax on medical equipment. This is expected to raise the cost of medical procedures. (Breitbart.com)
I just went through open enrollment and signed up for my normal FSA amount (much more than $2500). Maybe this happens for next year's open enrollment covering the 2014 year.
Senate Unanimously Approves New Round Of Iran Sanctions … Obama Regime Denounces… How often does Congress agree unanimously on anything and yet Obama still opposes it. Via Foreign Policy: The White House announced its opposition to a new round of Iran sanctions that the Senate unanimously approved Friday, in the latest instance of Congress pushing for more aggressive punitive measures on Iran than the administration deems prudent. On Thursday, Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced the amendmentto the National Defense Authorization Act, which the Senate passed 94-0. The new legislative language would blacklist Iran’s energy, port, shipping, and shipbuilding sectors, while also placing new restrictions on Iran’s ability to get insurance for all these industries. The legislation would also vastly expand U.S. support for human rights inside Iran and impose new sanctions on Iranians who divert humanitarian assistance from its intended purpose. “The window is closing. The time for the waiting game is over,” Menendez said on the Senate floor Thursday night. “Yes, our sanctions are having a demonstrable effect on the Iranian economy, but Iran is still working just as hard to develop nuclear weapons.” But the White House told several Senate offices Thursday evening that the administration was opposed to the amendment. National Security Spokesman Tommy Vietor sent The Cable the administration’s official position, explaining the White House’s view the sanctions aren’t needed and aren’t helpful at this time.
Pathetic: Obama Campaign Still Asking For Contributions… Via Politicker: In what he called “my last election,” President Barack Obama scored a hard-fought but comfortable victory over Mitt Romney last month, but that doesn’t mean his email list will not longer be hit up for campaign cash. To wit, Mr. Obama’s electoral operation, Obama for America, is asking their supporters to contribute after filling out a form backing his plan to increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans. “Thanks for sharing your story. The next chapter begins today. Stand with President Obama for the next four years,” a subsequent contribution form declares. Suggested donation amounts range from $15 to $1,000 and a picture of Mr. Obama is presented with the text, “Stand with me, work with me, let’s finish what we’ve started.” It’s not a surprise Mr. Obama’s operations are still moving forward in some form; his campaign manager, Jim Messina, had already publicly signaled that Obama for America would continue to exist. “The one thing I know is that people want to be involved in supporting the president’s agenda in the next four years,” he said at a POLITICO breakfast after the election. “How that looks is a discussion we have to have with our grassroots.”
It sounds like even the Democratic Senators agree with Romney's debate point, that Obama isn't doing enough to ensure Iran doesn't get Nukes.
:idea: It also sounds to me like Michelle Obama is running for president in 2016. Why else would the Obamas continue to campaign for money?
Obama Hits The Links With Buddy Busted For Soliciting A Hooker… Round number 109 in less than 4 years. Via Weekly Standard: President Barack Obama is in Hawaii for Christmas. Right now, he’s golfing with White House chef Sam Kass, staffer Marvin Nicholson, and friends Mike Ramos and Bobby Titcomb, according to the White House pool report. Titcomb was arrested in Honolulu last year for soliciting a prostitute. The fivesome is golfing at at the Kaneohe Clipper course at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii.