If someone can make my links clickable; I'm on a mac now and I dont know how to do it with Safari
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDl8ZPm3GrU
LRG
littlerockguy
JoinedPosts by littlerockguy
-
38
Join me on my psychodelic adventure--(Pssst. This is a music, psychodelic appreciation thread.)
by FlyingHighNow ini just found this brilliant psychodelic instrumental cover of incense and peppermints.
it is the epitomy of groovy.. yeah and share you psychodelic favorites and covers please.
pictures of psychodelic and mod people, cars and fashion would be pretty hip to share.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiczue5iwu4.
-
-
-
170
Welfare Queen Asks For Too Much
by Bangalore inwelfare queen asks for too much.. http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/129629/welfare_queen_asks_for_too.
bangalore.
.
-
-
littlerockguy
Press Release
</form>Congressional Working Group Releases Investigative Report on Unsustainable CLASS Act
September 15, 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The bicameral Repeal CLASS Working Group today issued “CLASS’ Untold Story: Taxpayers, Employers, and States on the Hook for Flawed Entitlement Program,” a report detailing the insolvency of a massive new entitlement program included in the new health care law called the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act.
Documents obtained through a bicameral Congressional investigation reveal that the Obama Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was acutely aware that the program was unsustainable and suppressed this information from Congressional leaders and the American people prior to the passage of the law, all in the effort to achieve phony savings to offset the bill’s massive spending and taxpayer-funded price tag.
The Repeal CLASS Working Group is comprised of Republican leadership in both the House and Senate charged with overseeing implementation of the new health care law.
The Working Group’s key findings include:
-Senior HHS officials publicly pronounced the CLASS program solvent in the fall of 2009, even as their own employees were calling CLASS “a recipe for disaster” in internal emails.
-Secretary Sebelius and other HHS officials have claimed through much of 2011 that the Department has sufficient authority to modify the CLASS program to make it solvent, yet internal HHS documents from 2010 cast significant doubt on those assertions.
-HHS has already discussed requiring employers to participate in CLASS as a remedy for low participation, which forces a fiduciary responsibility on employers to collect premiums that could open the door to a blizzard of litigation.
-In addition to the $118 billion in unfunded Medicaid mandates from the health care law, the administration of the CLASS program will largely fall on the shoulders of the states.
"It is no secret that the CLASS program is fiscally unsound and was used as a budget gimmick in the health care law. However, 'CLASS' Untold Story' reveals that during the program's development, high-level officials within HHS were already aware the program was likely to collapse and privately expressed their own doubts, but continued to publicly tout the program's benefits and savings," said Rep. Fred Upton (Mich.-06), co-chair of the Working Group.
“This report is further confirmation that the Obama Administration willfully chose to ignore the fiscal insolvency of the CLASS program in order to achieve a political victory by pushing the president’s health care bill through Congress,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), co-chair of the Working Group. “The CLASS Act is a ticking time bomb that will place taxpayers’ money at risk due to fatal flaws in the entitlement program’s design and structure. The American people had a right to know the information revealed in our report before they were put on the hook to pay for this massive new entitlement program.”
“The CLASS Act is an ocean liner that was put to sea with a giant hole in the hull,” said Rep. Joe Pitts (Pa.-16), co-chair of the Working Group. “This report clearly shows that the authors of last year’s health care bill were aware of the flaws, and launched the program anyway. What we see here is legislative malpractice. When the CLASS program fails, the taxpayer will be left to foot the bill. The time to terminate this program is now, before it begins enrolling participants and taking premiums. The government has to stop making promises that it can’t keep.”
“The CLASS report reveals that the American people are not the only ones skeptical of the president's health care reforms, so are officials at HHS,” said Rep. Cliff Stearns (Fla.-6), co-chair of the Working Group. “According to the 185 pages of internal emails we've uncovered, HHS officials expressed numerous concerns about the structure and viability of the CLASS program. And still, they continued to claim it would result in deficit savings. This is yet another example of a less-than-transparent administration burdening the American taxpayer with a new, unfunded entitlement program.”
“While President Obama's health care law is full of new government programs, budget tricks and accounting gimmicks, the CLASS Act may take the cake for government at its worst,” said Rep. Denny Rehberg (Mont.-AL), co-chair of the Working Group. “As if creating a massive new health entitlement at a time when we’re struggling to save Medicare and Medicaid isn’t enough, there’s evidence to suggest the program was created with full knowledge that it was unworkable and unsustainable. The CLASS Act’s sole purpose appears to have been a budget gimmick. In a nut shell, hard working Americans are being forced to pay into the CLASS Act program for five years - to the tune of $70 billion – and then their money is immediately taken out to be spent elsewhere. This kind of boiler-room trick shows exactly how out of touch Washington is with the American people.”
“This report on the CLASS Act demonstrates the Obama administration’s willingness to inflict harm on taxpayers and the economy in order to advance its political agenda,” said Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala). “It is particularly troubling that the administration wants to start a new and unsustainable entitlement when we are already struggling to put existing programs and our national finances on the path to stability.”
“To advance the president’s healthcare agenda, it appears a deliberate effort was made by administration officials to hide CLASS’s true cost from lawmakers and the public,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.). “The deception exposed in this report paved the way to imposing additional financial burdens on taxpayers, businesses, and cash-strapped states—at a time when they can least afford them. The unsustainable CLASS program should be immediately repealed and, without a doubt, this troubling evidence warrants further inquiry.”
“The CLASS Act is billed as an insurance program for long-term care, but really it's just a huge and very costly government accounting trick,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “Remember Enron accounting? Well, I believe even Enron executives would be embarrassed by the accounting gimmicks created by the CLASS Act."
“The CLASS Program was one of the many ill-advised provisions contained in President Obama’s health care law,” said Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.-49). "The Chief Actuary at CMS and numerous private sector actuaries publicized their belief that CLASS would suffer from severe adverse selection and place taxpayers at risk of a substantial bailout. This report provides evidence that the Administration was well aware of their concerns, but ignored them for political reasons as it pushed the health care law through Congress.”
“The Working Group’s report will further exacerbate the public’s lack of trust in their government,” said Rep. Trey Gowdy (S.C.-04). “The Obama Administration continues to ignore reality. The American people deserve to know the facts behind this expansive entitlement.”
“There is near unanimous agreement among experts that the CLASS programs will add billions to our nation’s debt in the coming years. Congress should repeal CLASS before implementation. Our children and grandchildren cannot afford another unfunded entitlement program,” said Rep. Charles Boustany, Jr., M.D. (La.-07). “The Obama Administration and Senator Harry Reid disregarded independent actuaries' concerns when slipping the flawed CLASS program into the new health law. They did so knowing revenue from CLASS premiums could be diverted to fund unrelated parts of the law.”
“The CLASS Act was a budgetary deception included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as an attempt to mask the actual cost of the law,” said Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (Texas-26). “From the beginning we knew this program was structured in a way that would not allow the program to be properly paid for and would only add even more to the deficit. Complaints about the insolvency of the program have come from both sides of the aisle as well as from the administration’s own Chief Actuary. Instead of focusing on reducing the costs of long term care insurance for Americans, the president’s health care law exploits tax payer confidence through creating another program that is poorly structured and will cost taxpayers even more money.”
“This report proves that the CLASS Act is nothing more than a new entitlement nightmare created by ObamaCare,” said Rep. Phil Gingrey, M.D. (Ga.-11). “Adding another entitlement is the last thing we should do, especially when we are struggling to maintain programs already in place, like Medicare and Medicaid. The CLASS Act is wholly irresponsible and blatantly ignores the economic crisis our country is in. By eliminating this program, we will prevent an unnecessary bureaucratic ordeal from further burdening the American taxpayer.”
The Working Group’s full report can be found HERE. -
170
Welfare Queen Asks For Too Much
by Bangalore inwelfare queen asks for too much.. http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/129629/welfare_queen_asks_for_too.
bangalore.
.
-
-
littlerockguy
When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
It could not be any simpler than that. -
113
The US Will Become a Police State (not a joke)
by metatron inhttp://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/behind-closed-doors-congress-trying-force-indefinite-detention-bill-americans.
this is not some made up, exaggerated joke.
the bill of rights may be effectively canceled in the next few months.. metatron.
-
-
littlerockguy
NewChapter:
In some respects I think we are and that some of our personal freedoms are being taken away. Where I grew up in my formative years my personal freedom was restricted in where I could not buy alcohol in the county in which I lived.
If it looks like I do not have my seatbelt on a cop can pull me over and give me a ticket. If I was honest I could not join in any branch of the military (thanks Clinton) and if I was in a relationship with someone I love I wouldn't have some of the same legal protections as other couples since they automatically get those with their relationship in marriage (thanks for DOMA again Clinton). So I say in some respects, yes. I'm not saying we are exactly a police state but we are inexorably headed that way.
LRG
-
113
The US Will Become a Police State (not a joke)
by metatron inhttp://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/behind-closed-doors-congress-trying-force-indefinite-detention-bill-americans.
this is not some made up, exaggerated joke.
the bill of rights may be effectively canceled in the next few months.. metatron.
-
-
littlerockguy
NewChapter:
I remember one time when I was 10 years old my parents allowed me to attend a Christian church meeting. Of course it was underground and quiet and I dont remember having a Bible, at least we didn't since they weren't allowed in the country. I don't know what would have happened if it were found out. So I do have freedom of/from worship here that they don't have; and I wouldn't be put to death here being gay, as I would there.
LRG
-
113
The US Will Become a Police State (not a joke)
by metatron inhttp://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/behind-closed-doors-congress-trying-force-indefinite-detention-bill-americans.
this is not some made up, exaggerated joke.
the bill of rights may be effectively canceled in the next few months.. metatron.
-
-
-
113
The US Will Become a Police State (not a joke)
by metatron inhttp://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/behind-closed-doors-congress-trying-force-indefinite-detention-bill-americans.
this is not some made up, exaggerated joke.
the bill of rights may be effectively canceled in the next few months.. metatron.
-
-
littlerockguy
NewChapter:
I lived in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia from 1976-1979 - Is that close enough?
-
13
Do Movie Ratings Make Any Sense to You?
by TD inmy wife and i have a "movie night" once a week where we watch two movies.
she picks one and i pick one.
here's the two movies we watched tonight and their ratings.. .
-
-
littlerockguy
Part's of the made-for-TV movie Born Innocent (1974) with Linda Blair had to be edited out (the all-girl rape scene which Linda Blair's character was raped with a broom handle) in future airings on TV after public outcry. Probably wouldn't be a big deal now if it was aired on TV originally intact.
LRG
-
57
Music that's sooooooo gay
by littlerockguy inyou know what i mean, that gay music that you may like that you know that's got to be in every gay man's music collection, lol.
i think i just outted myself on facebook posting this one i used to hear in the clubs years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym6ptlnkvp4 .
-
-
-
57
Music that's sooooooo gay
by littlerockguy inyou know what i mean, that gay music that you may like that you know that's got to be in every gay man's music collection, lol.
i think i just outted myself on facebook posting this one i used to hear in the clubs years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym6ptlnkvp4 .
-
-