Why The Latest GOP Health Care Plan Is The Best One Yet

The Federalist

Health-care federalism would give states the chance to reduce the cost of health care with market-based reforms. Not all states would take it, but some would.

 "Contrary to much of the media coverage this week, the push by congressional Republicans to do something about Obamacare isn’t a desperate last-ditch effort or a “health care zombie.” On the contrary, it might be the best health-care reform idea GOP leaders have come up with yet.

"The bill, authored by senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, would address a woeful imbalance in our health-care system by returning much of the authority for regulating health insurance back to the states, where it belongs. In its current form, the legislation keeps most of Obamacare’s funding in place (except for the individual mandate tax penalties and medical-device taxes) but states would be able to apply for grants that allow them to more or less pursue whatever health-care policies they want with those funds and waive some key parts of Obamacare like the individual mandate and coverage for preexisting conditions.

"In short, Graham-Cassidy represents a kind of health-care federalism, in which states like New York and California would end up with very different systems than states like Texas and Florida. Of course, that’s already true to some extent, and it was true even before Obamacare. But where Obamacare sought to make states more uniform according to rules written by bureaucrats in Washington, Graham-Cassidy would allow states to go their own way." . . .

'I'm sorry he doesn't understand': Republican senator called a liar by Jimmy Kimmel over Obamacare replacement plan hits back

Oh, that rotten cotton. Next to go, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas?

Rick Moran: Six degrees of separation from slavery  "The war against the symbols of racism took a surreal and bizarre turn in the last week as social justice warriors took to social media to complain in two separate incidents of a hugely disturbing phenomenon.

"Who would have guessed that cotton was a trigger?

"First, Hobby Lobby made the mistake of offering for sale cotton stalks in a vase as an item to be used in home decor. Innocuous, right? Not for SJW's desperately seeking something - anything - to attack as "racist.' " . . .

Trigger warning:

She writes: This decor is WRONG on SO many levels.
There is nothing decorative about raw cotton...
A commodity which was gained at the expense
 of African-American slaves. A little sensitivity
goes a long way. PLEASE REMOVE THIS "decor".

. . . "You can see where this is headed.

1. Sugar will be removed from restaurant tables because it is a reminder of the sugar cane harvest by slaves.2. SJW's will accost people smoking or chewing tobacco, berating them for using a product grown by slaves.3. There will be a movement to outlaw rum because of it's involvement in the "Triangle Trade" during the 1800s.

"Could never happen, right? Come back and visit in a few years. What surreal attacks we can imagine will pale in comparison to the reality of how the tragically diseased minds of these snowflakes work. "

Even Hobby Lobby Cotton Is Racist These Days   "Leftists are probably wondering why no one takes claims of racism seriously anymore. After all, isn't being racist the worst thing someone can be? Yet, they scream "racism!" and no one blinks an eye. Why is that?"

"Probably because everything is racist these days. " . . .

Activist in Seminar: All White People Are Racist and Always Will Be

. . . "Please tell me how that's different than telling someone to get to the back of the bus because of the color of their skin.

"Allow me to save you the effort. It's not. Not at its core. In both cases, it's pure, unadulterated racism.

"If I were to write that all blacks were criminals in waiting, how long do you think I'd still have a job? Anywhere. I'd last fifteen minutes after it was published. Maybe."

Netanyahu: Trump's UN Speech Was the Most Courageous in 30 Years

Katie Pavlich   "President Trump is receiving applause for his strong words at the United Nations Tuesday morning from foreign allies and Republicans alike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with the president at the UN on Monday afternoon, is praising Trump's speech as the most courageous he's seen in 30 years.

 In over 30 years in my experience with the UN, I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech. — Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu)

September 19, 2017 President Trump spoke the truth about the great dangers facing our world — Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu)

September 19, 2017 and issued a powerful call to confront them in order to ensure the future of humanity. — "Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) September 19, 2017 

"In addition to meeting with Trump, Netanyahu also met with Egyptian President Abdel el-Sisi and a number of other world leaders. The meeting with el-Sisi was especially notable given the complicated politics of the Middle East. " . . .

Trump Hits Home Run for America in UN Speech   . . . "But the bottom line is that for the first time in years, an American president went before the UN and in plain words spelled out some vital truths about America, the UN, and the world. Whatever the UN General Assembly might make of it, once it recovers from the shock, that's a good thing for the world, and a very good thing for America."

National Review: "‘Holy Sh**’: Trump at the U.N."  . . . "All things considered and given the alternatives, it was a fine speech. It wasn’t really an “America First” speech — it defended the world order and even had warm words for the Marshall Plan — but in its signature lines about North Korea, it was thematically a very Jacksonian speech. What exactly this means in terms of policy remains to be seen. But everyone is paying attention, if they weren’t before."

North Korea defector saw 11 musicians 'blown to bits' by anti-aircraft guns then 'ground into dirt' by tanks

"Hee Yeon Lim, 26, fled the country and risked her own life to lift the lid on dictator's brutal regime"

UK Mirror

"A defector who fled Kim Jong-Un’s inner circle has told how she witnessed first hand the brutality the dictator unleashes on his oppressed people. 

"Hee Yeon Lim risked her own life to lift the lid on the paranoid North Korean leader who casually orders the ­executions of anyone he deems to have crossed him or his party.

"The 26-year-old spoke out as crazed Jong-Un heads on a dangerous nuclear collision course with Donald Trump over his provocative missile testing that could end in all-out war.

"Hee Yeon lived a life of privilege in the capital Pyongyang as she was the daughter of an army colonel– but her closeness to the regime did not protect her from being exposed to the horrors the despot dished out." . . .

Former Agent: Secret Service Lowered Standards In Pursuit Of Diversity

Sensing this would be a sensitive topic, Bongino addresses his apprehension of discussing the subject in the book. He writes he hesitated to include this information in his book “because whenever someone mentions the term ‘diversity’ and discusses the real-world implications of applying such a loosely defined term to a specific job description, he or she runs the severe risk of character assassination by extreme partisan actors who don’t care a bit about the real-world ramifications of their ideological crusades.”

The Daily Caller  "The lowering of standards has been ongoing since at least “the early 2000s,” according to the book.

“ 'Sadly, and for many years, the Secret Service has been sacrificing mission-readiness at the altar of political correctness,” Bongino writes in “Protecting The President: An Inside Account of the Troubled Secret Service in an Era of Evolving Threats,” out Tuesday.

"Bongino worked for the Secret Service from 1999 to 2011. He has since run for the U.S. Senate, and twice for the U.S. House. He was an instructor at a training academy from 2002 until 2006, when he became part of the U.S. Presidential Protection Division.

“ 'The Secret Service’s attachment to quota-based hiring was so intense that they hired applicants for the special agent and Uniformed Division officer positions that could barely meet basic physical fitness standards upon their commission as agents or officers,” the book contends.

"Bongino’s insider account cites recent security breaches at the White House as the fault of the agency’s hiring practices." . . .

Calif. Lady Moves to Red State, Suddenly Sends Unexpected Message to Lib Friends Back Home

Liberal obsession with diversity often shuns true multiculturalism — a variety of opinions, thoughts and political stances — and instead focuses on the “feel good” categorization of irrelevant traits like skin color.

Benjamin Arie   "Flyover country. Bible belt. Middle America. Coastal elites in liberal cities have all sorts of terms for “red states,” but they all seem to convey one message: Conservative areas of the country are somehow backward and should be avoided. 

"That’s the impression one California writer had about America’s heartland. Leah Singer never imagined that she would end up in Trump Country… but when she moved to Indiana not long ago, her entire perception changed. 9/20/2017 Calif. Lady Moves to Red State, Suddenly Sends Unexpected Message to Lib Friends Back Home  

"In an editorial piece published last weekend in the Indianapolis Star, the author sent a clear message to liberal friends back in California and throughout the country: You might be wrong about “red states.” 

“ 'I used to say I’d never move to a red state. And then I did. And it’s changed my life for the better,” Singer admitted. 

"As a “California girl,” the writer explained that the le-leaning west coast sees itself as a bastion of “diversity,” but Singer hinted that it was less of a paradise for anybody who didn’t parrot the liberal talking points. “I was raised in California, where we like to believe diversity is applauded and opportunities abound,” she explained.

 “ 'In many ways, California’s blue state bubble can be a very safe place to live if you subscribe to the popular liberal politics.”

" In other words, it was diverse only if you thought and talked the same as everyone else, which kind of defeats the point. Regardless, Singer was a bit apprehensive about starting her new life in a conservative region. " . . .
Hat tip to Jeff Hayden; Plano, TX

California Gov. Brown says Trump supporters “resemble troglodytes”

Legal Insurrection

Meanwhile, Brown continues his Climate Change Crusade and is poised to sign the Sanctuary State bill

 

"California’s glitterati are plumbing new depths in their hatred of President Donald Trump.

"This weekend, Hollywood elites spent 3-hours deriding Trump and his supporters during the Emmys. Then, the state’s leading, elite politician decided to weigh in with an insulting description of myself and a good portion of the state’s tax-paying population.

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) ripped President Trump for his recent remarks on North Korea and compared Trump’s supporters to “people who dwell in deep, dark caves.”

Speaking at a climate change event in New York City, Brown criticized Trump for his weekend tweet aimed at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“Everything he’s doing is … stupid and dangerous and silly. I mean, come on, really, calling the North Korean dictator ‘Rocket Man’?” Brown said, according to Politico. “He is accelerating the reversal through his own absurdity.”

Brown also mocked supporters of Trump, saying they most resemble “troglodyte[s].”

“You should check out the derivation of ‘Trump-ite’ and ‘troglodyte,’ because they both refer to people who dwell in deep, dark caves,” Brown said.

"Brown is continuing to lead the “Cultural Civil War” in his role of “Commander-in-Chief” of California. He is trying to inspire other politicos to join him on his climate change crusade, with the level of sobriety and decorum we have come to expect from “Governor Moonbeam”." . . .

cartoon added by TD

From Political Insider: California Governor Jerry Brown Compares Trump Supporters to ‘People Who Live In Caves’   . . . "Brown, who earned the nickname Governor Moonbeam, has lashed out against Trump supporters with growing frequency. He recently claimed taxpayers who didn’t want to see tax hikes in California are “freeloaders.' ” . . .

James Woods Nails CNN With Three Story Headlines About Wiretapping Trump Team. Fake news or what?

Weasel Zippers

Trump draws APPLAUSE at the UN for blasting Iran's 'murderous regime' and warning that Tehran's mullahs are still working on nuclear missiles

UK Daily Mail   "Donald Trump unleashed broadside after broadside against Iran on Tuesday at the United Nations, warning that the 'rogue state' is still racing toward the completion of a nuclear weapon that would destabilize the entire Middle East.

" 'Major portions of the world are in conflict, and some in fact are going to hell,' he said, in a speech to the General Assembly that included direct attacks on Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba.

"The Obama administration entered into an agreement with Tehran and five other world powers in 2016, which it said would prevent Iran's rise as a nuclear military power."

Where did they go? Seats allocated to North Korea were empty

during the speech. One junior diplomatic aide stayed behind to hear 

Trump but sat elsewhere.

. . . "He also attacked Iran, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria.

"But his stinging condemnation of North Korea hung heaviest in the air as Kim Jong-Un's authoritarian government continues a path toward building a nuclear missile.

"Tho[s]e ambitions have already led to two rounds of economic sanctions via the UN Security Council.

"Trump also blasted Kim for running a country beset where poverty and torture are the norm.

" 'No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well-being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea,' he said.

" 'It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans. And for the imprisonment, torture, killing and oppression of countless more.' "

 Read more 

Barack Obama Raking in Six-Figures for Wall Street Speeches

CDN  "Former President Barack Obama is following the lead for another Democrat – Bill Clinton – as he looks to cash in big time now that he has served out his second term.

"Barry talked big back when he was running for office, especially after the great Wall Street-triggered recession that led to the 2008 bailout and the favoritism of his administration to the high-rollers over ordinary Americans who were wiped out by bad bets by gamblers.

"Not one of the banksters who were responsible for crashing the economy ended up being punished by Obama’s Justice Department which was headed by one of the most jackleg crooked fixers of the modern era in Attorney General Eric Holder.

"Holder eventually left office and returned to his old job as a highly paid lawyer for the big banks and now Obama is reaping the rewards for services rendered by giving six-figure speeches to firms engaged in money-changing. It’s a perfect example of the golden revolving door between Washington and Wall Street that whirls non-stop as corrupt politicians rush to get paid by their true constituents." . . .

Blowing Up One Of North Korea’s Missiles Suddenly Not Sounding So Crazy

Jazz Shaw

. . . "Therein lies the rub. If we do shoot down one of Kim’s ICBMs it’s an impressive show of force and a reminder that he probably couldn’t hit us anyway. The attack would be futile and followed by his annihilation in a bloody and catastrophic but probably fairly short war. But if we miss we’ve got egg on our faces and Kim has the bragging rights to continue his nuclear program full speed ahead.

"It’s a tough call."

And Antifa will riot in support of the fat dictator just as the left cheered for Ho Chi Minh during the Vietnam War.

The Idiot Caucus Has Now Declared War On Cotton

The Hayride

"One of the more difficult things to stomach in this new age of the Social Justice Snowflake Warrior is the perpetual search for new things to be outraged and unhinged about, and the constant pell-mell retreat by normal human beings in the face of the outraged and unhinged. We bring you a pair of incidents showing the extremes the social justice crowd is finding in their attempts to destroy civil society – with the new front being, believe it or not, cotton stalks used as decorations in white people’s houses.

"First, to Lipscomb University in Tennessee…

" 'Got that? The president of the university invited a bunch of students to his home, and his wife has set up a centerpiece at the dining room table made up of cotton stalks – which has been a Southern decorative thing forever – and this is a celebration of slavery. Or something. So naturally there would be a row over such a centerpiece when black students come out to the house." . . . Read more.