Posted by: Sally | February 12, 2013, 11:39 pm 11:39 pm

“The only compromise that there is, is mine.” – Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

The Democrat-controlled Senate has not passed a budget in FOUR YEARS! Even when they controlled Congress! Unbelievable! They can’t plan, they can’t govern, all they can do is say “NO” to deficit reduction and otherwise act like 6 year old kids. Why don’t they just put out a coloring book and put aside all pretense of acting like grownups?

Useful idiot alert!

Posted by: Sally | February 12, 2013, 11:39 pm 11:39 pm

I live in the highest growth, most fiscally responsible county in my Midwestern state. We have a balanced budget, nearly zero crime, very low poverty, and our public schools consistently produce National Merit scholars. The county has been run by fiscally conservative Republicans for decades. Approximately 40% of our county population consists of Democrats (including me). As a result of their smart long-range planning (stockpiling tax receipts in the 1990′s and 2000′s while holding the line on spending), the recession barely affected us. Because of our stability and lower taxes, businesses are relocating here from other states, including R&D companies from California. I couldn’t be more thrilled with our leadership and their vision.

The central parts of ObamaCare don’t roll out until 2014, but the wheels are already falling off this clunker. The latest news from four federal agencies is that 1) insurance will be a lot less affordable than Americans were led to expect, 2) fewer people than promised will get insurance and 3) millions of people who have coverage through a job now will lose it, thanks to the president’s “reforms.” Oh, and children are the biggest victims.

Start with the IRS’s new estimate for what the cheapest family plan will cost by 2016: $20,000 a year to cover two adults and three kids. And that will only cover 60 percent of medical bills, so add hefty out-of-pocket costs, too.

The next surprise is for parents who thought their kids would be covered by an employer. Sloppy wording in the law left that unclear until last week, when the IRS ruled that kids won’t be covered.

Starting in 2014, the law will require employers with 50 or more full-time employees to offer coverage or pay a penalty. “Affordable” coverage, that is — meaning the employee can’t be told to contribute more than 9.5 percent of his salary. For example, a worker earning $40,000 a year cannot be required to pay more than $3.800.

But the law doesn’t specifically mandate family coverage — and now the administration says that won’t be required.

You can see why: If the lowest-cost family plan (again, two adults and three kids) is to run a whopping $20,000, and if the employee’s contribution is limited to $3,800, the employer’s tab would be $16,200 — adding about $7.40 an hour to the cost of that employee. Wisely, the IRS announced on Jan. 30 that employers won’t have to pay for dependents.

This is a top of the line administration.