Next Obamacare crisis: Small-business costs?

Larry Klayman in huge CNN smackdown

Immigration’s next hurdle: Obamacare

If the government can’t build a website, how can it be trusted to correctly process millions of undocumented immigrants and require every employer to verify the status of their workers? 
I think this is a question that many Americans are asking themselves. This article talks about how the struggles of Obamacare have altered White House plans of an immigration reform, which seemed very promising coming into 2013. 

Senate poised to pass budget deal

This article discussed the two year bipartisan budget deal that was recently passed by both the House and the Senate.  After the Senate voted to advance it on Tuesday, it is pretty much guaranteed for final passage. I found this article to be quite interesting because although the deal only covers one issue of the issues our nation faces today, it shows that the government is beginning to work together and make compromises.

Paul Ryan wants House tax-writing gavel in 2015

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/paul-ryan-ways-and-means-committee-2014-101256.html
This article states that Paul Ryan will try his best to become the next chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. This will give him a chance to have a strong say in tax and entitlement reforms. He has wanted this for a long time. You will also read some other people's thoughts and goals for Paul Ryan in this article. Enjoy it. Multiple times. Everyone.

Government blatantly wastes $30 billion this year

Government blatantly wasted $30 billion this year
This was actually a very interesting article highlighting some of the ways the government wasted 30 billion dollars. It was not only enlightening, but it was also funny at points so everyone should enjoy it. It gives many examples from Tom Coburn's annual "Wastebook". Some of the expenditures that do not help most taxpayers include a 3-D pizza printer for NASA, and a football field sized blimp that was ever used. Enjoy. Learn. Government!

In North Korea, Water Is Thicker Than Blood

The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, is making headlines again for ordering the execution of his uncle, Jang Song Thaek. Thaek was not a direct blood relative to Un, only connected through marriage. Thaek, until recently, was considered to be a very powerful figure in North Korea. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is quite worried by these recent events, warning that the execution is an "ominous sign" of instability and danger. Of course, many Americans already know the situation in North Korea is unstable and potentially dangerous, but this execution of Un's own relative is even more unsettling. Un is showing he will not hesitate to kill those who threaten his power, no matter who they might be.

A Nation Wages War Over Gun Control

A year after the tragic school shooting of Sandy Hook Elementary School, not much has changed. Soon after the tragedy, intense debate over gun control spread through the nation, but a year later, not even expanded background checks have come into fruition. Instead, some legislators are now turning their focus on improved mental health care. Many of these people believe that if mental health services are improved, the number of these great tragedies will decline. There's no question a change is needed, and hopefully for the sake of innocent people these changes come sooner rather than later.

Obama Sees a Rebound in his Approval Ratings

The President's approval ratings, which hit an all-time low last month at a 37% approval rate, have risen.  The newest New York Times/CBS News poll has Obama at a 42% approval rating.  Although this isn't a very impressive rate, the rise shows that the political fallout that the President received from the Obamacare website debacle has passed.  The approval rating for the Affordable Care Act has also risen from 31% to 39%.  These numbers, while not staggering, show that the rough reception given to the new law may be fading.

Republicans Moving to Overhaul 2016 Primary Process

Republican party officials are trying to streamline the nominating process for President in 2016 after critics said that the GOP Primary in 2012 was chaotic and damaging to their campaign for the White House.  Closed-door meetings have taken place between RNC members and chairman, Reince Priebus, to hash out the details for a plan that would condense the nominating calendar.  One change being discussed is holding less debates and having more control over how the debates are run.  Another possible change is having an earlier convention date (many within the party believe that the 2012 primary dragged on too long).  The Republicans are trying to modify their tactics in hopes of winning the next Presidential election, where they have lost two in a row.

Budget deal aims to avert another shutdown

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/10/politics/budget-negotiations/index.html?hpt=po_t1

I was glad to see that our divided government can still work together. Congressional negotiators have reached a bipartisan budget deal that would stop another government shut down from occurring. Both sides gave in a little bit to compromise, which is what we need right now. The proposal will raise spending for the next full fiscal year to $1.012 trillion. This deal would save $85 billion, while "Eliminating $63 billion in forced spending cuts to the military and other programs through sequestration to achieve total deficit reduction of $23 billion". President Obama even called this deal "A good first step".

Democrats not named Clinton also eye presidential bids

This article addresses possible Democratic candidates who have thought about running for President in 2016. The article highlights five candidates; Joe Biden, Andrew Cuomo, Amy Klobuchar, Martin O'Malley, and Brian Schweitzer. Before I read the article, I had only heard of two of the possible candidates. And the article mentions that even though the candidates may not win, some would like to use the 2016 election as a way to get their name out there. Do you think that any of these new possible opponents can compete with Hillary Clinton? Do you think that Clinton will even run in 2016?

House to vote Thursday on budget deal

This article is about the new two year budget deal that is waiting to be approved by the House. The deal assures the American people that until 2015, there will not be another shutdown. However, some outside conservative groups are against this deal which has caused some tension in the Republican Party. What do you think of the conservative groups' opposition? Do you think that the House will approve the deal? If not, do you think the Party leaders can come up with a new deal?

White House gun control goals fade as Newtown anniversary nears

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/10/white-house-gun-control-fade/

I thought this article was interesting. As the anniversary of the tragic, Sandy Hook elementary school shooting nears, the Obama administration has little to show for gun control laws. Instead of putting bans on the actual weapons and ammunition itself, the White House has been focusing on a different way of dealing with it. They are putting their focus on the mental health of citizens in the U.S, hoping to have a correlation with a lower number of shootings.

GOP tries to deal with damage done with women

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/06/politics/gop-house-women/index.html

The Republicans have a problem: they aren't attracting the female vote. House Speaker John Boehner  thinks the solution is that Republican candidates need to be more "sensitive" to female voters. After Missouri GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin referred to "legitimate rape" and Richard Mourdock in Indiana suggested rape was "something God intended to happen," I agree that the republicans are facing a bit of a PR problem. Therefore, the National Republican Congressional Committee is teaching male candidates who are running against women how to respond to specific questions about rape as part of the NRCC's overall media training it conducts each cycle. 

"Rand Paul: Extending jobless benefits a 'disservice' to workers"

"Rand Paul: Extending jobless benefits a 'disservice' to workers"

Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky and a probable presidential candidate for the  2016 election said Sunday that "extending unemployment benefits past what the U.S. federal government has already paid would be a 'disservice' to workers." To defend this statement, Paul pointed to a study showing that employers are less likely to hire the long-term unemployed. The White House and Democrats say "evidence shows that jobless benefits don't stop people from trying to find work." In his weekly address, Obama cited the Department of Labor and the Council of Economic Advisers and said "failing to extend benefits could cost businesses 240,000 jobs." It is certainly an interesting argument on Paul's side but I disagree with him and believe that cutting unemployment rates would only hurt those already struggling. 

Boehner Rejects 'Do Nothing' Label For This Congress

This article talks about the pathetic efforts the House and the Senate to try and blame each other for the lack of bills passed this year. I think the article, although short, points out many of the flaws regarding Congress. For one, the ridiculously small number of weeks the House and Senate actually work in any given year. It seems that they are on vacation for most of the year, and when they are actually in session all they can do is blame others for their inability to accomplish anything. People are obviously fed up with Congress, considering their dismal popularity, and yet this doesn't seem to change anything at all.

5 Ways Life Changes in the Senate After Nuclear Option on Filibusters

This article discusses the changes that will occur in Senate now that the "Nuclear Option" has passed in the senate. It is actually very limited as to what it applies to. It does not apply to legislation, only to appointments and nominations. Senators felt that this was a needed measure considering the fact that there have been 168 nomination filibusters in Senate history, and half of them have occurred during the Obama administration. This number is preposterous and hopefully this change in rules, though only effecting a small window of what goes through the senate, will make it easier for the Senate to do it's job. The Nuclear Option will also allow for more judges and cabinet members to be appointed. It will also allow for the heads of agencies such as the EPA and Health and Human Services to more easily to there jobs.

President Obama Rallies Support for Healthcare

President Obama Rallies Support for Healthcare

Obama said that it is time to "refocus" on improving the american healthcare system following the plethora of negative publicity it has recently received. He started by recounting the millions of success stories with Obamacare, but he went on to say that millions still needed to be helped.

"The bottom line is the law is working, we are not repealing it as long as I am president."

In order to do this, the Obama administration has revamped the website; the now once glitch-frenzied website is now clean.

US Army Halts Shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan

US Army Halts Shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan

The US army has very recently halted shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan because of the increased risk to truck drivers due to the greater protests of drone strikes by Pakistanis. The United States is doing more than their fair share of helping to rebuild that sector of the world; for me this raises a question, "Should we continue to help rebuild if middle eastern citizens aren't going to appreciate it?" The United States is there to hunt terrorists and sustain troubled governments, I feel that this all comes down to a matter of oil dependency. If the United States can find a substitute for our need for oil, then we can finally put this problem behind us.

Case Over Gun-Safety Ads Fosters Unlikely Alliance

This article discusses a recent case in the Arizona State Legislature based on an ad stating "Guns Save Lives." The city of Phoenix wanted the ads removed, but the business (offering gun-safety lessons) which posted the ad claims this violated their First Amendment rights. Although the First Amendment debate always offers interesting discussion, the more important factor in this article is the unlikely groups which have come together because of this case. Groups with different ideologies rarely see eye to eye as we know, for our two-party system is so divided, but this case seems to be different. The article continues discussing details of the ad, and history in court cases with similar themes, but it will be interesting what the verdict will be.

Underachieving Congress Appears in No Hurry to Change Things Now

This article tells of how our current Congress, the 113th Congress, is the most unproductive in history. I found this to be fascinating, but also predictable, considering the ridiculous, uncooperative behavior Congress has had recently. Numerous bills are mentioned throughout the article, all which might (or probably won't) get passed. The most significant of these bills is the Farm Bill, which Democrats and Republicans, as usual, are very torn. Democrats are putting Republicans on blast, trying to ease them away from the opinionated Tea Party wing of their party. All in all, this article reinforces how broken Congress is today, an idea we've discussed often in class.

US reportedly frees Iranian amid secret talks, but American trio still held

US reportedly frees Iranian amid secret talks, but American trio still held --This is the link

The Obama Administration has faced criticism recently over their releasing of an individual who has allegedly played a role in Iran’s development of nuclear weapons without securing the release of one of at least three Americans who are believed of being detained. They are also taking criticism for not securing the release as part of the nuclear deal—to which they responded with “The P5+1 talks focused exclusively on nuclear issues.” This, however, is contradictory to some allegations that the Iranian’s release was tied to the talks: “the reported release of Atarodi [the Iranian supposedly released] came after those exchanges, and seems more closely aligned to the nuclear talks.”

This instance reminds me a lot of the individuals who said with regard to the Soviet Union “better red than dead.” This is exactly what is being done by the Obama administration—they are simply appeasing Iran without seeking to cripple their nuclear weapons capacity. As Ronald Reagan says, this strategy “gives no choice between peace and war, only between fight or surrender.”

White House launching new ObamaCare push, as GOP sees 2014 opening

White House launching new ObamaCare push, as GOP sees 2014 opening

Amidst plunging poll numbers for the Democratic Party as a whole, President Obama will be “launching a campaign on Tuesday to once again sell the benefits of ObamaCare to the public, and try to head off a backlash in 2014. This comes, however, at a time when the president is losing his influence—Ed Rendell has been quoted as saying that he does not “know any Democrat running for governor [who] would like the president involved.”

This past weekend we saw the ObamaCare website’s relaunch—a drastically important moment for Democrats. While initially starting out well, performance got worse with time, and a queue system was introduced in order to allow current shoppers to complete their purchase. The website’s success has been tied to the Democrats’ degree of success in the 2014 midterms.

It does not come as a surprise that I am vehemently opposed to ObamaCare and this website is only indicative of a far larger issue. If the federal government cannot so much as manage a website, why should we expect it to competently manage our health care system? As Ted Cruz has recently said, there is only one solution: full repeal.