This may or may not be off topic but why is something like gay rights more important than a persons right to choose how they spend the money they work for? It seems to me that this point is too easily overlooked, money is an emotional topic and I believe I can manage my earnings better than any bureaucrat. I believe it is my right to keep the money I work for.

It depends on what you call a right. If you mean gay rights in that gay people should not be discriminated against simply because they are gay, well that's a basic human right and IMO it's more important than anything. If you mean gay "rights" to marry and have that "marriage" considered the same as any other marriage or to adopt children then you may have a point.

BTW, I'm not picking on you gay folks here on the marriage thing. If heterosexual couples marry with a prenup agreement I don't think they should have the same rights either.

The view from across the pond:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100216779/why-barack-obamas-imperial-presidency-is-imploding/

The view from across the pond:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100216779/why-barack-obamas-imperial-presidency-is-imploding/

It's 'A' view from across the pond and certainly wouldn't count for many.

"Just a point of order. Congressman Johnson is a registered Democrat.

It is rumored he voted for Obama and believes in global warming."

The quality of science understanding among the Republican and Democratic US Congressman is nothing more than another

Can of Worms, a well known state of affairs.

There are a few Republicans and one or two Democratic members who have any respect for science, such as

Roscoe the Republican. Good men such as he are not the norm, but droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.

Roscoe the Republican holds a PhD in physiology according to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roscoe_Bartlett

Who knows what such a degree as this might be good for these days other than being a US Senator.

Now if you do not mind, I think I will just go back to watching my Congressman Hank

Fool with his johnson and

Also watch how difficult it obviously was for anyone like those Generals and Admirals who were listening that day to keep a straight face.

This is IMHO the funniest saddest political Youtube video I have ever viewed,
And should not be forgotten by voters everywhere.

"It's 'A' view from across the pond and certainly wouldn't count for many."

Views from across the pond I do prefer, they are normally more studied than those shared by the Republican voters in Bedlam.

Even to those who prefer The Guardian, normally we find that the views expressed from many in the UK are more accurate than ours.

Maybe we should just ask the UK voters to do our voting for us, so that we could just stay away from the polls for a few decades and see if things turn out better.

"This may or may not be off topic but why is something like gay rights:....."

Gay rights is never off topic here.

Is the right for a workering person to choose where his/her money is spent as equal to all other rights?

Is the right for a workering person to choose where his/her money is spent as equal to all other rights?

Not really. That right was delegated to your representatives, which you have the right to vote for.

There is a 95% probability that he will.

Without the confidence interval expressed on this forum.

The "odds" I mean.

I mean the original topic of discussion as outlined by the OP

Somewhere above.

Is the right for a workering person to choose where his/her money is spent as equal to all other rights?

Not really. That right was delegated to your representatives, which you have the right to vote for.

But I never delegated my rights to any representative.

I want all my rights back, as I disagree with all the greedy, lying, self-promoting politicians who vie for my vote.

I do not, neither have I ever had, the choice to retain my rights to my own benefit.

Is the right for a workering person to choose where his/her money is spent as equal to all other rights?

Not really. That right was delegated to your representatives, which you have the right to vote for.

But I never delegated my rights to any representative.

I want all my rights back, as I disagree with all the greedy, lying, self-promoting politicians who vie for my vote.

I do not, neither have I ever had, the choice to retain my rights to my own benefit.

I disagree with them too, so I find workarounds. I never pay more in taxes than I think I should. At least not since I was once hit with the American "Alternative Minimum Tax". It helps if you can shunt money elsewhere. I think you have a Filipina wife and child?

I disagree with them too, so I find workarounds. I never pay more in taxes than I think I should. At least not since I was once hit with the American "Alternative Minimum Tax". It helps if you can shunt money elsewhere. I think you have a Filipina wife and child?

Yes, I do. But that's a 100% tax rate on everything.

"Why keep an old fart like me alive when its time for me to go, like Jimmy D."

When it is time to go, go!

Healthcare needs fixing.

About Jimmy D.?

I thought you'd never ask:

Jimmy Durante 'Did You Ever Have the Feeling '

I realize Obamacare isn't an impeachable offense, but, folks, the train wreck is coming and it's going to hit the Left Coast hard.

If Obamacare isn't a "high crime and misdemeanor", I don't know anything that is.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rate Shock: In California, Obamacare To Increase Individual Health Insurance Premiums By 64-146%

Angela Braly, then-CEO of WellPoint, testified before Congress about allegations that its California unit, Anthem Blue Cross, was raising premiums on some customers by more than 30 percent. Last week, California announced that the Affordable Care Act would increase non-group insurance premiums by as much as 146 percent. (Image courtesy U.S. House of Representatives)

One of the most serious flaws with Obamacare is that its blizzard of regulations and mandates drives up the cost of insurance for people who buy it on their own. This problem will be especially acute when the law’s main provisions kick in on January 1, 2014, leading many to worry about health insurance “rate shock.”

Last week, the state of California claimed that its version of Obamacare’s health insurance exchange would actually reduce premiums. “These rates are way below the worst-case gloom-and-doom scenarios we have heard,” boasted Peter Lee, executive director of the California exchange.

But the data that Lee released tells a different story: Obamacare, in fact, will increase individual-market premiums in California by as much as 146 percent.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/05/30/rate-shock-in-california-obamacare-to-increase-individual-insurance-premiums-by-64-146/

Tick tock tick tock the Obama bomb will self destruct very soon.

I can see smoke coming from under his lectern.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/06/demand-obamas-impeachment-now/

One can only hope that these issues gain traction although with Biden in the wings it goes from bad to worse

Here's the latest estimate coming out of Ohio on the impending train wreck known as Obamacare. It ain't pretty, folks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ohio Dept. of Insurance: Obamacare To Increase Individual-Market Health Premiums By 88 Percent

Avik Roy, Contributor

Democrats continue to try to dismiss the evidence that Obamacare will dramatically increase the cost of insurance for people who buy it on their own. But on Thursday, the Ohio Department of Insurance announced that, based on the rates submitted by insurers to date, the average individual-market health insurance premium in 2014 will come in around $420, “representing an increase of 88 percent” relative to 2013. “We have warned of these increases,” said Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor in a statement. “Consumers will have fewer choices and pay much higher premiums for their health insurance starting in 2014.”

The rates that Ohio reported are proposed rates; the Department of Insurance still has to formally approve them. “A total of 14 companies proposed rates for 214 plans to the Department. Projected costs from the companies for providing coverage for the required [by Obamacare] essential health benefits ranged from $282.51 to $577.40 for individual health insurance plans.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/06/10/ohio-dept-of-insurance-obamacare-to-increase-individual-market-health-premiums-by-88-percent/?partner=yahootix

Here's the latest bit of malfeasance from this White House. Just a little trip to Africa and what it entails. Cost is estimated between $60 and $100 MILLION. What sequester, we ask.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Document: Major resources needed for Obama Africa trip

By Carol D. Leonnig and David Nakamura, Published: June 14

Washington — When President Obama goes to sub-Saharan Africa this month, the federal agencies charged with keeping him safe won’t be taking any chances.

Hundreds of U.S. Secret Service agents will be dispatched to secure facilities in Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. A Navy aircraft carrier or amphibious ship, with a fully staffed medical trauma center, will be stationed offshore in case of an emergency.

Military cargo planes will airlift in 56 support vehicles, including 14 limousines and three trucks loaded with sheets of bullet­proof glass to cover the windows of the hotels where the first family will stay. Fighter jets will fly in shifts, giving 24-hour coverage over the president’s airspace, so they can intervene quickly if an errant plane gets too close.

More here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obamas-trip-to-africa-poses-special-challenges-enormous-costs/2013/06/13/29d9270a-cd29-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html?hpid=z1

56 vehicles, including 14 limos?????

[/Americans being stupid]

I read his popularity among the youth voter has dropped 17 points so who knows maybe they are no longer young and dumb. 6 months into the second term and the trend is moving towards an awakening, by year end Obama will be hard pressed to find a safe hiding place.

The lying criminal is selling arms to jihadists now.

And he can't be bothered to learn the first names of the people he has to do business with ('Geoffrey' to George Osborne, for instance).

And he repeated JFK's blunder over "Ich bien (ein) Berliner" although he must have been told about it. So is he a curried sausage, a secret muslim or just a <deleted>?

The lying criminal is selling arms to jihadists now.

And he can't be bothered to learn the first names of the people he has to do business with ('Geoffrey' to George Osborne, for instance).

And he repeated JFK's blunder over "Ich bien (ein) Berliner" although he must have been told about it. So is he a curried sausage, a secret muslim or just a <deleted>?

Someone will be by shortly to call you a racist or a "raceaphobe" for stating factual information that is obvious to everyone.

Nothing to do with race. I dislike the man simply because he has never offered a comprehensive range of policies, merely sold himself to a gullible public.

He is a snake-oil salesman who has seriously affected the lives of all on this planet.

I have myself known what it is to be a member of a minority within the greater society and have accepted it and adjusted my life to accept this - which is something I cannot change. Make the most of one's assets and turn one's differences into assets.

I appreciate that you were not implying any racist label, but others on this forum may not interpret your words correctly.

Nothing to do with race. I dislike the man simply because he has never offered a comprehensive range of policies, merely sold himself to a gullible public.

He is a snake-oil salesman who has seriously affected the lives of all on this planet.

I have myself known what it is to be a member of a minority within the greater society and have accepted it and adjusted my life to accept this - which is something I cannot change. Make the most of one's assets and turn one's differences into assets.

I appreciate that you were not implying any racist label, but others on this forum may not interpret your words correctly.

Truth is the new hate speech, you would find that out if you lived in the U.S. Even some bloggers have been paid a visit by the authorities just because they wrote something uncomplimentary about Obama. As for his return to Berlin.

http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/06/19/Embarrassing-Photo-Compares-Obama-s-Berlin-Crowds

Nothing to do with race. I dislike the man simply because he has never offered a comprehensive range of policies, merely sold himself to a gullible public.

He is a snake-oil salesman who has seriously affected the lives of all on this planet.

I have myself known what it is to be a member of a minority within the greater society and have accepted it and adjusted my life to accept this - which is something I cannot change. Make the most of one's assets and turn one's differences into assets.

I appreciate that you were not implying any racist label, but others on this forum may not interpret your words correctly.

Truth is the new hate speech, you would find that out if you lived in the U.S. Even some bloggers have been paid a visit by the authorities just because they wrote something uncomplimentary about Obama. As for his return to Berlin.

http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/06/19/Embarrassing-Photo-Compares-Obama-s-Berlin-Crowds

If I am not mistaken, wasn't his first speech in Berlin made during a break in a massive free rock concert provided and paid for by the Obama campaign committee?

It was all stage managed as I recall.

The two photographs demonstrate quite graphucally the difference between (1) the promise of hope for the future and (2) the grim reality that followed.

In the earlier photo he was a candidate, walking around on an open stage in front of a vast cheering crowd.

In the second shot (oops, should I say that?) he is behind a bullet-proof screen in front of a selected and screened audience.

You folks ready for another massive bureaucratic foulup by the US government, and not JUST the IRS this time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IRS Sent $46,378,040 in Refunds to 23,994 ‘Unauthorized’ Aliens at 1 Atlanta Address

June 21, 2013 - 4:18 PM

By Terence P. Jeffrey

(CNSNews.com) - The Internal Revenue Service sent 23,994 tax refunds worth a combined $46,378,040 to “unauthorized” alien workers who all used the same address in Atlanta, Ga., in 2011, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

That was not the only Atlanta address theoretically used by thousands of “unauthorized” alien workers receiving millions in federal tax refunds in 2011. In fact, according to a TIGTA audit report published last year, four of the top ten addresses to which the IRS sent thousands of tax refunds to “unauthorized” aliens were in Atlanta.

The IRS sent 11,284 refunds worth a combined $2,164,976 to unauthorized alien workers at a second Atlanta address; 3,608 worth $2,691,448 to a third; and 2,386 worth $1,232,943 to a fourth.

- See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/irs-sent-46378040-refunds-23994-unauthorized-aliens-1-atlanta-address#sthash.Plri6Njm.dpuf

How, you ask. after getting your breath back, could the IRS possibly send nearly 24,000 checks to different people at the same address and not notice it.

My question goes a little deeper.

How is it possible the US Postal Service mail carrier for this address didn't notice something might be a teensy bit amiss when all these checks started showing up and not report it to his/her supervisor?

The entire US government is a joke.

You fail to see the bigger picture mate. Obama wanted universal too but it was politically impossible. If you were more honest, you would admit the same, it was 100 percent politically impossible. But one big thing has changed. Health care is now almost a right for all Americans. BECAUSE of Obamacare. The system isn't fit to provide that yet, but the concept and law of the RIGHT is being cemented. Obamacare is a bridge at this point. It is deeply flawed but it has set the precedent. Further change MUST happen, we can all agree on that, but it will be in the context of the health care RIGHT for ALL Americans.

The right wing, enemies of the poor, were passionately against this RIGHT being set in stone. They are still fighting but soon it will be too late.

Again, you fail to accept political realities and fail to see the truth of Obamacare as a STEP.

Political realities are not the only realities. There are economic realities too. If the insurance companies are not eradicated (at least for universal basic coverage) the price will just continue to escalate. It is already too much now, so what will happen is those "rights" you talk about will be the right to healthcare that is substandard at a high price.

The insurance companies rights are the only thing that has been cemented into the process so far. Everything else can be eroded. It's not what you think and I'm not giving you the Republican line. It's a Trojan horse.

Well, that didn't take long to self destruct.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/03/us-usa-healthcare-reform-idUSBRE96213M20130703

Not much of a legacy there. I guess you got all your gay stuff but that was really a state's rights/constitution issue.

Still it's not impeachable except for all the NSA stuff which hasn't got sufficient momentum yet.

You fail to see the bigger picture mate. Obama wanted universal too but it was politically impossible. If you were more honest, you would admit the same, it was 100 percent politically impossible. But one big thing has changed. Health care is now almost a right for all Americans. BECAUSE of Obamacare. The system isn't fit to provide that yet, but the concept and law of the RIGHT is being cemented. Obamacare is a bridge at this point. It is deeply flawed but it has set the precedent. Further change MUST happen, we can all agree on that, but it will be in the context of the health care RIGHT for ALL Americans.

The right wing, enemies of the poor, were passionately against this RIGHT being set in stone. They are still fighting but soon it will be too late.

Again, you fail to accept political realities and fail to see the truth of Obamacare as a STEP.

Political realities are not the only realities. There are economic realities too. If the insurance companies are not eradicated (at least for universal basic coverage) the price will just continue to escalate. It is already too much now, so what will happen is those "rights" you talk about will be the right to healthcare that is substandard at a high price.

The insurance companies rights are the only thing that has been cemented into the process so far. Everything else can be eroded. It's not what you think and I'm not giving you the Republican line. It's a Trojan horse.

Well, that didn't take long to self destruct.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/03/us-usa-healthcare-reform-idUSBRE96213M20130703

Not much of a legacy there. I guess you got all your gay stuff but that was really a state's rights/constitution issue.

Still it's not impeachable except for all the NSA stuff which hasn't got sufficient momentum yet.

Action conveniently taken before the upcoming 2014 congressional elections, with the mandate to resume/begin/take effect on 1 January 2015.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obama Gets Last Laugh on Health Law

By Chris Stirewalt

Published July 03, 2013

"Without an enforcement mechanism, there is no mandate. It's just a political talking point."

-- Then-Sen. Barack Obama quoted by NBC News attacking Sen. Hillary Clinton’s health-insurance proposal in a press briefing in Littleton, N.H., Nov. 26, 2007.

With midterm elections shaping up as another disaster for Democrats, President Obama has ordered another delay in the implementation of his signature health law.

And in keeping with his policy and political aims, the president has ordered another helping of dessert before the vegetables are served.

Obama has opted to give employers another year to dump health-insurance for workers before federal penalties built into his 2010 health law go into effect.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/03/obama-gets-last-laugh-on-health-law/#ixzz2Y3IpGbFL

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

...and then there is this...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hours before delaying Obamacare, Sebelius spent $32 million on it

BY PAUL BEDARD | JULY 3, 2013 AT 3:25 PM

In the hours leading up to the administration's surprise decision Tuesday to delay implementation of Obamacare, the president's team gave no indication of the course reversal, in a way hiding it by spending $32 million on children's health care and announcing plans to expand the PR campaign.

One example: three and a half hours before notifying the public of the change in a Treasury Department blog post, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius held a conference call with reporters to announce a $32 million spending program to enroll poor and immigrant kids into the Children's Health Insurance Program.

"Every child in America should have access to the quality health care that they need," she said, giving no hint that Obamacare, which supplied the $32 million, was about to be sidelined.

What's more, she talked about how Obamacare's insurance exchanges were going to kick in on time "this fall."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/hours-before-delaying-obamacare-sebelius-spent-32-million-on-it/article/2532679