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Another Broken Promise: Obama promised to strip out deals from government health care bill

John Lott — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 07:10:00 +0000

So much for a new way of doing things. Has there ever been so much deal making involving such large amounts of money?

While Democratic leaders picked up some yes votes, they remained short of the 216 needed for passage, and the bill's chance of success remained unknown Friday as lawmakers pressed for changes to the bill. Demands from wavering Democrats included boosting Medicare payments to hospitals and doctors in rural states, easing the likely burden on California agricultural producers and securing a White House commitment to retool immigration laws.

The deal-making appears to be at odds with a commitment from the White House to strip out provisions designed to benefit a particular state or special interest. The legislation has become controversial not only in the ways it would alter U.S. health care, but also because of public concern about the machinery employed to push it through the legislative process. . . .

Some of the deals

Action: New York, 10 other states and Washington DC get a total of $8.5 billion in federal funds to provide health-care coverage

Targets: members of the New York congressional delegation

Result: Most New York Democrats are voting for the legislation

Action: $100 million in federal funding to hospitals in Tennessee that provide care for poor people

Targets: Rep. Bart Gordon (D., Tenn.) and other members of the state's delegation

Result: Mr. Gordon announced his support for the legislation Thursday

Action: Additional water supplies to central California

Targets: California Democratic Reps. Dennis Cardoza and Jim Costa

Result: The lawmakers remain undecided.

Action: President Obama issues statement pledging to push for comprehensive immigration reform this year

Targets: Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D., Ill.) who opposed the healthcare bill because of a Senate provision that would it would prevent illegal immigrants from buying health insurance from the government.

Result: Mr. Gutierrez says he'll vote for the bill.

Not mentioned in the WSJ piece are deals such as allowing one bank in the nation that is located in North Dakota to keep issuing student loans.

Armed South Toledo, OH Clerk Stops Armed Robber

The LearnAboutGuns.com Author — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:01:51 +0000

As reported, a South Toledo, Ohio store clerk fatally shot a wig-wearing robber in self defense. Police say that on Sunday morning, a robber who was wearing a woman’s wig entered Bengal’s Food Mart and threatened those present with a handgun. The store clerk grabbed his self defense gun and fired, killing the robber and ending [...]

Copy of Health Care Reconciliation Bill: ‘‘Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010’’

John Lott — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:52:00 +0000

A copy of the bill is available here.

Not only is there a lot of costs left out of the CBO estimates (see here and here), but the Dems and the media are making up numbers that aren't even there.

The Medicare “fix” that Dems have promised will mean the CBO predicts a deficit

John Lott — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:03:00 +0000

Just another trick by Dems. The health care bill cuts $500 billion so that they can claim that the health care bill is in the black. Then the "fix" adds money back in separately, but they can still claim that the health care bill is in the black.

Congressional budget scorekeepers say a Medicare fix that Democrats included in earlier versions of their health care bill would push it into the red.

The Congressional Budget Office said Friday that rolling back a programmed cut in Medicare fees to doctors would cost $208 billion over 10 years. If added back to the health care overhaul bill, it would wipe out all the deficit reduction, leaving the legislation $59 billion in the red.

The so-called doc fix was part of the original House bill. Because of its high cost, Democrats decided to pursue it separately. Republicans say the cost should not be ignored. Congress has usually waived the cuts to doctors year by year.

NRA Comes Out Against Obamacare

Sebastian — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:42:23 +0000

No, not that NRA, the other NRA. No related posts. No related posts.

Florida And Washington Agree To Honor Each Other’s Concealed Carry Licenses

AmmoLand — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:27:11 +0000

The good news is that both states' concealed handgun laws are very similar...

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Florida And Washington Agree To Honor Each Other’s Concealed Carry Licenses

I love the smell of Napalm at Happy Hour - the Story of Chili Beer

Brigid — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:25:00 +0000

The desert, home of lizards the size of beagles, hard rock, and grit, all baked up to a crisp 130 degrees. Home to hardy people, an assortment of F-16 parts and a a couple dozen million rattlesnakes. A place where beer is pretty important.Chili Beer.For a man named Crazy Chilleen of Cave Creek, Arizona (Population 1328 which is said to include coyotes and cattle) beer could not be trusted to

Concealed Carry: Comfortable or Comforting?

AmmoLand — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:01:02 +0000

Firearms expert Clint Smith DVD video course entitled, “Concealed Carry Options,” is part of Smith’s highly acclaimed Thunder Ranch Training Series...

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Concealed Carry: Comfortable or Comforting?

New Fox News piece: Demonizing the Insurance Industry Is Not the Answer

John Lott — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:51:00 +0000

My newest piece with Scott Harrington starts off this way:

In a last ditch effort to cram their health care reform package through Congress, Democrats have ramped up their demonization of private health insurers. They blame an alleged lack of competition in health insurance for all sorts of ills – from higher premiums to insurers denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions or dropping people who get sick.

According to the White House blog last week: "the insurers’ monopoly is so strong that they can continue to jack up rates as much as they like." In The New York Times on Friday, Paul Krugman attacks what he calls the "vileness" of profit driven insurance companies. These arguments are echoed in Congress. In an ostensible effort to promote competition, the House recently passed legislation to exclude health insurance from the partial anti-trust exemption for the “business of insurance.” The 39 percent premium increase by Anthem Blue Cross for its individual (non-group) policyholders in California is continually touted as evidence of this monopoly power.

But what are the facts of this alleged monopoly power? Despite claims that it produces huge profits, health insurers’ profits generally average 3-5 percent of premiums. During the first nine months of 2009, profit margins were just 2.4 percent. . . .

It has been a good while..

jr — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:21:00 +0000

...since I have posted anything here, but I thought you might want to read this:

To all modern Sons of Liberty: THIS is your time...

I guess it beats Tar and Feathers, well..

Glock hiccup.

Conservative Scalawag — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:16:00 +0000

One thing I failed to mention about my range outing, is for the first time in years - the Glock hiccuped with a fail to FTE, which was rectified with a tap and rack drip. Tapped the mag - which cause the slide to go into full battery, then racked the s...

Feuding over Dogs Results in Doggie Shooting

Sebastian — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:54:09 +0000

This is a really odd story. Neighbor buys a new dog Keira, doesn’t like Coco, one of the other neighborhood dogs. Accusations fly around about which dogs are mean to the other and neighbors stop taking to each other. Keira apparently mauls Coco once, leaving Coco’s owner with 3000 in vet bills. Keira escapes and [...] Related posts:

First Bear Hunt in New Jersey Since 2005 Scheduled

AmmoLand — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:51:41 +0000

New Jersey Fish and Game Council unanimously approved a bear management policy that includes a six day bear hunt, beginning December 6 2010...

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First Bear Hunt in New Jersey Since 2005 Scheduled

Six voted from a Bannana Republic - or oligarchy

Conservative Scalawag — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:08:00 +0000

Right now we are six voted from the government taking over the health care insurance companies, which was their intent from the beginning. To remove choice,and destroy the free market system. Thus, expanding government reach into our productivity. Th...

High Demand for Conservation Reserve Program’s Reallocated SAFE Acres

AmmoLand — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:51:36 +0000

There is obviously pent up demand for available SAFE acres from farmers and ranchers. That's great news for wildlife...

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High Demand for Conservation Reserve Program’s Reallocated SAFE Acres

U.S. Bobcat Proposal Fails to Receive International Support

AmmoLand — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:43:53 +0000

Committee over rules majority vote to keep bobcats from inclusion even though USA & Canada have successfully mange bobcats for 30 years...

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U.S. Bobcat Proposal Fails to Receive International Support

“Lists” Are Dangerous To Your Liberty: Just Ask These Folks

DC Handgun Info — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:34:10 +0000

Found an interesting article online. New York City Police put a real household's Brooklyn address in their automated response system as a "test case." Guess what happened over the last few years? They were visited by police on 50 (fifty) occasions!

Lists are, by their very nature, bureaucratic creations, riddled with errors... Can everyone see the downside to this sort of thinking? How about mistaken SWAT raids? How about innocent people being killed? The Cato Institute did a White Paper on this called: Overkill, available online.

This craziness is why most gun owners are ANTI-registration. If the government knows what guns you own, they can take them away. It happened as recently in AMERICA as recently as post-Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Fight registration, fight confiscation!

Virginia State Association Of The Chiefs Of Police Says You Can’t Be Trusted With Guns

AmmoLand — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:26:11 +0000

Chief Jacocks is afraid of his own officers carrying guns and being able to drink responsibly...?

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Virginia State Association Of The Chiefs Of Police Says You Can’t Be Trusted With Guns

Speaking of Classical Music

Sebastian — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:00:32 +0000

I promise not to bore my non-classical-music-loving readers with this part of my life often, but my post yesterday comparing skills and knowledge got me thinking about piano again, so I was thinking back to some old pieces that I had started on and never finished. I have CDs of many of them so I [...] Related posts:

Unpossible

SayUncle — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:13:27 +0000

15 people shot in Chicago in six hours. No way. Guns are banned there.

Nap-time

Rio Arriba — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:11:00 +0000

Naps for me go in cycles. I'll go a few weeks with nary a one, and then one week I will sack out for a while in the afternoon almost every day.For the dogs it is a treat they relish. My bedroom opens onto the living room, where they are often sprawled ...

AWB Moving Again in Illinois

Sebastian — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:03:25 +0000

Daley and his Chicago machine are going to be eager to pass this to get back at gun owners. How dare we stand up for our rights! He’ll make the downstate rubes pay for this one! Todd Vandermyde is making the argument, and it’s a good argument, that the several firearms manufacturers that are located [...] Related posts:

Early opponents to SB239 singing the same tired song

cbaus — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:00:00 +0000

By Chad D. Baus

Many of the usual characters have come out with early opposition to SB239, Ohio's restaurant carry and car carry reform bill.

But after years of hearing the same old, tired warnings, and years of experience which prove their predictions false, I'm hopeful their predictably dire warnings, some of which are outlined below, will be given much less attention in the Statehouse this year.

What They're Saying:

Mark Drum, legislative chairman for the state branch of the Fraternal Order of Police

These new changes, Drum said, were not made with input from the FOP and will not have the union's support.

After reading this quote, from the Marion Star, Hanson, who serves as Buckeye Firearms Association's legislative chair, responded:

"I cannot recall an instance when the political leadership of the FOP has been consulted on a bill and then supported the easing of self-defense laws in Ohio. (i.e. laws that allow citizens to become less dependent upon the police for personal protection.)

"Quite the opposite," he continued. "Many of the 'poison pill' provisions that gun owners still complain about have FOP political fingerprints all over them. Fortunately, the feedback we get from the rank and file FOP members - those that actually perform police functions (versus union functions) on a day to day basis - is overwhelmingly supportive."

Drum also told the Star:

"Even if (permit holders) are not drunk, it's not a good idea to mix alcohol and guns," he said.

The Star apparently didn't ask Drum if he'd bothered to read the bill, which does not affect the current law that prohibits someone from possessing a firearm while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Toby Hoover, Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence

When the Ohio media are looking for an anti-gun viewpoint, they call Mrs. Toby Hoover, who often appears to be the Ohio gun ban lobby's one-woman show.

During the long debate over passing Ohio's concealed carry law, Hoover warned that "If we have more use of guns, then we're going to have more people who are injured and die," and "A person who has a gun sees danger. We will have more shootings, more accidents."

But she was wrong.

During the debate over Ohio's Castle Doctrine law, Hoover asked "what if a 12 year-old Girl Scout and her mother go up to someone's door, and the homeowner shoots them?", warning that "The bill would allow gun carriers to shoot first, claiming self-defense anywhere they are. Be careful how you appear to others, as you might be perceived as a threat."

But she was wrong.

Despite her lack of any credibility when it comes to predicting how firearms law will affect society, the media dutifully placed their calls to Hoover again when they learned of the introduction of SB239:

"I am sure those who want to do this will claim they will never drink and they won't when they are carrying their guns," said Toby Hoover, the [Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence] group's executive director. "But people who carry guns everyday say they will never misuse them, and they do. And then there's always the fact that someone next to them can even take their gun and use it."

The Cincinnati Enquirer, which published the above quote, apparently failed to ask Hoover to verify her assertion that license-holders misuse guns every day.

Hoover also told Toledo's CBS affiliate, WTOL:

"If I am going to take my children and my family to a restaurant then I don't want to be sitting next to people that are carrying guns."

When I'm going to the bank, I don't want to be standing next to an armed robber, either, but the fact is that with or without this law, Hoover and the rest of us have absolutely no control over who around us has a gun or any other weapon. And that is why some of us choose to be prepared.

When it comes to the proposed changes to the car carry restrictions, the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette notes that Hoover isn't sure why the current restrictions are too cumbersome for gun owners.

"We see how people drive; do we really want guns floating around in the car? And, again, what's the necessity there?" she said.

To answer her question, consider the section of the law that many women are forced to labor under to carry a handgun in their motor vehicle (from the The Ohio Guide to Firearm Laws, by Ken Hanson):

(4) in a closed case, bag, box, or other container that is in plain sight and that has a lid, a cover, or a closing mechanism with a zipper, snap, or buckle, (no Velcro!!??)
which lid, cover, or closing mechanism must be opened (i.e. the container was "closed" but not "locked") for a person to gain access to the handgun.

As Hanson notes, this is what happens when you let a committee write the definition of "purse."

Hoover also told the Dayton Daily-News the proposed changes are "a little bit ridiculous":

"This is not what people want," said Hoover. "It doesn't have anything to do with gun owners. It has to do with common sense."

But isn't it obvious that Mrs. Hoover has long-since fallen out of touch with "what people want?"

Judging by the news reports, there are also bound to be a few new faces uttering anti-gun statements.

Richard Mason, lobbyist and spokesman for the Ohio Restaurant Association

"We simply feel that alcohol and guns are not a good mix," Mason said.

After reading this quote, also from the Star article, Buckeye Firearms Association legislative chair Ken Hanson, responded, "if the Ohio Restaurant Association's members are currently serving booze to their unarmed customers to this point of intoxication - the point where the presence of a sober concealed handgun license-holder minding their own business is going to create a danger - then they should be educating their member establishments to stop serving such excessive amounts of alcohol to their unarmed patrons.

And finally there is this, from Dayton's FOX affiliate:

Barry Cobb, the manager of Milano's Restaurant on Brown Street in Dayton

"Alcohol and fireweapons (sic) never mix together well," said Cobb. "Policemen are, of course, allowed to, but I mean, that's ok."

Cobb was also quoted as saying that if the law passes, he'll just post signs letting gun owners they can't come in (i.e. he apparently doesn't want their business. And if he doesn't want our business then, why should gun owners give it to him now?)

Each time Ohio has moved to improve its self-defense laws, we are forced to endure Chicken Little predictions from the likes of Cobb, Hoover, Drum and Mason. And each and every time we overcome their objections and pass a law, the sky does not fall.

And so it shall be again.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.

GRE Round Up for Mar. 19

David Codrea — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:54:00 +0000

There's some good stuff being turned out. I hope you're availing yourself of it, and importantly, sharing these links via emails, on blogs and forums, with your local newspaper editor, etc.A common complaint is media bias and ab...

Update on Arizona Knife Law Preemption Bill

AmmoLand — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:51:36 +0000

Knife Rights has quickly grown to become America's largest grassroots knife owners organization...

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Update on Arizona Knife Law Preemption Bill

Reporting takes effort

SayUncle — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:42:43 +0000

Seen on facebook from someone at NRA: the Indy Star’s assertion that NRA did not respond to requests for comment is inaccurate. When asked for NRA reaction to the Governor’s signature, we sent him our press release, complete with quotes from Chris Cox, NRA-ILA’s executive director – stating NRA’s reaction to the Gov’s signature. [...]

International Sporting Clays.com Releases “Ask Ben” Q&A Feature

AmmoLand — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:36:23 +0000

The Ask Ben! Feature is a page where readers can ask questions directly to World Champion sporting clays competitor, instructor and target setter Ben Husthwaite...

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International Sporting Clays.com Releases “Ask Ben” Q&A Feature

Commissioners Adopt Big Game Hunting Regulations

AmmoLand — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:22:01 +0000

Nebraska Game and Parks Board of Commissioners on Friday adopted regulations designed to increase the harvest of antlerless white-tailed deer in 2010...

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Commissioners Adopt Big Game Hunting Regulations

This week’s gaffe…

Tam — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:42:00 +0000

Joe Biden, bless his heart...(h/t to Breda.)

Deputy Shoots Deputy During Training

Jay — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:33:47 +0000

A sheriff’s deputy in Deschutes County, Oregon was shot by a fellow deputy during training at a firing range. The wounded officer was treated and transported by EMS to a hospital with non life threatening injuries. Detectives are in investigating the incident but no foul play is expected. If this incident were two civilians there would be [...] Related posts: