President Obama, The Debt and Foreign Policy Aside, Health Care Act Costing Jobs, 50% Premium Up-charge for Smokers (the Obese are Next) Public Employees Cheating – Which Headache to Deal with First!

When the majority is against a piece of legislation that has not been read by everyone of those voting on it - there just might be a reason - image cbsNews

The President certainly has his hands full, with the “Fiscal Cliff” looming (Chances are he’ll extend the Bush Tax Cut and further, has mentioned cutting the corporate tax rate for manufacturers – that’s also a possibility.), The rascally Palestinians continue to fire on Israel, who had agreed to a truce, but for how long? –In a pragmatic manner, the President has given Israel the Green Light to defend itself, that and additional aid for Israel to attempt a truce in the first place, cements the long –standing between the U.S. and Israel. Now, however, the President also has some fixing to do on the home front.

First his signature health care bill – The Affordable Health Care Act, also dubbed “Obamacare” – Mitt Romney knows how things can get totally out of control when one has a great idea, then hands it over to a bunch of legislators to hobble together, and that idea blossoms into a nightmare – only Romney never admitted, that yes, the idea was fantastic, but left in the hands of the Massachusetts Legislature, it became an inconvenient truth – the biggest problem – those that cannot afford the States “Commonwealth Care – rather pay the Sates Department of Revenue, and go without healthcare at all.

Those writing the rules are often coming up with ways in which to further the “health of the Nation”, while finding ways to pay for the program (watch for so many mandates on insurance carriers, that premiums, not unlike Massachusetts, will average 20 to 40% upticks annually.) and they are starting with those that smoke, premiums for the elderly, etc. Please note these are proposed measures, however, in Massachusetts those proposed are generally law, and the national program does not have a checks and balance systems, run by bureaucrats rather than legislators or even those in the medical field.

Smoking: According to the Washington Post, smokers or their employers will see a 50% or greater rise in health care premiums, unless they quit smoking.

Higher Deductibles - Again, someone has to give the insurance plans a break – so the administration agreed to higher deductibles – up to $2,000 for per individual – or chump change if one is making six figures (Washington Post).

Throwing Grandma and Grandpa off the Fiscal Cliff: Those age 65 plus will be seeing the largest increases in premium coverage simply because it is now managed by tiers grouped by age.

That’s just three the administration friendly Washington Post uncovered.

One has to ask: if health is the issue, how long will it be before we see Obesity – the number one health care problem in the country – going the way of “smokers” – those not losing 200, 50 20, 10 pounds, will find their insurance premiums adjusted upward, or their employees. And that will result in less income or loss of a job.

Case in Point: The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that they are no longer hiring individuals who smoke to avoid the higher premiums associated with smokers on the new rules.

If one is not overly fond of flu shots (what with the mercury and tie in to Alzheimer’s), one might be losing one ‘s job WLWT, Cincinnati, has reported that 150 employees were fired for not having a flu shot.

So far, with the new Less Affordable by the Minute Health Care Act, employees and the elderly will see increases in health premiums, and deductibles, while losing their job if the y smoke, or have other health ailments such as obesity, and of course, will be forced to have immunizations or lose their job.

One has to ask, with the economy not on firm ground, how long the President will let this nonsense go unchecked. Obviously he cannot read every single article , however, one can bet he will be made aware of this type of situation, and ask it to be modified – or have additional bodies, not paying taxes, (on both tobacco products as well as income tax) on unemployment.

The Teachers Unions, both of them, have backed the president to the hilt, however, the rules governing teachers, and tenure, need to be addressed as the nation is completely dummied down, and it is obvious that we, as nation, will so be unable to compete with nations that have no education system at all (the aforementioned is sarcasm). The latest craze – since the Teachers Licensing and Testing is well, not the hardest of the tests one might consider taking (they have example tests one can take on line – just visit your state’s teachers licensing site. Choose the most politically correct multiple choices, and, no matter how ridiculous it appears, it is a correct answer). Which begs the question, a Progressive, a good Progressive, would certainly be able to take the test and not fail! – Not True. Apparently the dummying down also applies to 4 year colleges and Masters Degree Programs. NBS is reporting that via AP:

It was a brazen and surprisingly long-lived scheme, authorities said, to help aspiring public school teachers cheat on the tests they must pass to prove they are qualified to lead their classrooms.

For 15 years, teachers in three Southern states paid Clarence Mumford Sr. — himself a longtime educator — to send someone else to take the tests in their place, authorities said. Each time, Mumford received a fee of between $1,500 and $3,000 to send one of his test ringers with fake identification to the Praxis exam. In return, his customers got a passing grade and began their careers as cheaters, according to federal prosecutors in Memphis.

If teachers , for 15 years, have been finding stand in’s (most likely those 8th grade parochial students) to take their exams for them in tree Southern States, imagine how many have done that and more to cheat in the rest of the country – and then they receive tenure, are not only poorly trained, but are collecting salaries (and if one lives in Massachusetts – unemployment for times not spent in the classroom – or double dipping the state), and due to the unions in place, they cannot be fired!

There is much that can be fixed immediately – now that the President is a “lame duck” for the most part, and does not have to worry about reelection, and his base.

1. Get together with those rascally Republican’s and any blue-dog democrats left, and force a vote on a new Affordable Health Care Act, leaving in attractive provisions such as preexisting condition clauses, and of course, the student coverage up to age 26, and then open it up to competition across state borders. Offer subsidies to those who cannot even afford basis coverage – in other words, he needs Mitt Romney’s suggested plan.

2. Pare down the Department of Education and invest in the nation’s education by demanding that a) teachers are cable of taking a test, and b) tenure is conditional upon performance and a spotless arrest record.

In Realty, the nation would benefit broadly and the President would be given accolades by that 67% of the populace that is not fond of the health are mandate, as well as the parents of students who repeatedly fail, while finding out their teacher cannot pass a test.

One now understands why Romney looks relaxed, disheveled, and comfortable – he dodged a bullet, the Presidency. That also explains why in a recent interview, the President suggested getting Romney’s opinion on certain issues. One might believe that both men, who love the country, might be able to come up with a solution to please everyone (well the majority) – what’s more, drive both bases out of their minds – it’s a win-win situation.