Ted Cruz – In Florida – Crowds Exceed Expectations – Center Right GOP throngs to Cruz Message

Ted Cruz speaking in Sarasota, image from the Bradenton Herald

There’s just is something about Ted Cruz, the Senator from Texas – he rails against the GOP leadership, he is not concerned so much about his place in the party, rather in following what he believes to be right for his state and the U.S. overall – by the book – which is the U.S. Constitution. Therefore, as the left media (Mainstream) throws bomb after bomb, and are joined by the likes of John McCain and Mitch McConnell (the Establishment GOP), one wonders where on earth the appeal would be for Cruz by center, rather than hard-right Republicans?

In a word, he is forthright and as far as one can tell, speaks to what he believes in, not necessarily what is politically correct – he is refreshing.

When a rally was held in Sarasota for the Senator who was receiving a Statesman of the Year Award by the Sarasota GOP, they expected 200 people, 2,000 showed up. The gathering in Sarasota contained those people most likely to vote for a standard center right Republican Candidate, say a Mitt Romney; yet, they came to see Cruz, and gave, significantly, to do so. According to the article on Breitbart, it was noted by a FL GOP spokesperson that Cruz did well with those in FL most capable of donating large sums to the GOP.

This astounding Cruz popularity makes for a conundrum of sorts, since one thinks of Cruz, given the national media, as a Tea Party only Senator or a “wacko bird” in McCainian speak. Yet, he is more an everyman, which is the appeal, and why, when seen engaged in speaking (not in sound bites) he is instantly liked, even by those whose party is more progressive!

Although the media in Florida had different accounts of the crowd size (Palm Beach Post, suggests 1000,, while the ABC Affiliate in Bradenton suggests 1500, and the Sarasota Herald Tribune admits to “more than a 1000” ) it is apparent that the event was noteworthy for two reasons: one Cruz generates media, and thereby attention, and two, it was more than the anticipated 200 attendees – bearing mention.

One may hypothesize that Senator Cruz will be running for President in 2016, or perhaps, he feels so strongly about the many things that are wrong with the status quo in Washington D.C., regardless of political affiliation, that he is just out there on the stump spreading the message of standing up for what you believe in regardless of party. The bonus is that in and by doing so he is also raising money for state GOP’s. 2016 sounds more likely – and those pundits in D.C. and elsewhere that will be looking for the right meld of moderate again, will be wasting their time. Regardless of the intent of Cruz, he has a growing base of admirers – including Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where grassroots will be flooding to Manchester to hear him speak in April, 2014 and the event it sold out, with a waiting list only in case a larger venue is found or seats open up (unlikely).

Maybe, just maybe, the nation is looking for someone sincere, who doesn’t sound like Washington, and who is – simply put, unafraid and smart. The addition to the 2016 potential candidates of Senator Cruz, would make for an interesting primary, specifically if the choices include Rand Paul, and then the “old guard” – Santorum, Gingrich (no kidding), and Jeb Bush (even his mother is against that move). A more constitutionally based, Jeffersonian GOP is certainly possible, and that terrifies the left media, as well as the major political parties, who would hold less sway with a Libertarian leaning President who would not cow-tow to the right nor the left.

Historical Weather – The Farmer’s Almanac versus – NOAA – National Weather Service – Who Do You Think Nailed the Winter 2014 forecast?

A typical New England Day 2014 - photo from Bangor Daily News

If one answered the National Weather Service versus the arcane Farmers Almanac one would be wrong - In an article fromBloomberg’s Business Week, the discussion of how the use of climate forecast models, did not apparently work out so well this year for the government’s weather division:

The cause of the tough winter, as is well known by now, is the polar vortex, a strong and persistent ridge of high pressure over the eastern Pacific and the west coast of the United States. First, it’s causing California’s drought. Second, polar winds are flowing northward around the high-pressure ridge and then plunging down along the ridge’s backside.

What the Climate Prediction Center hasn’t been able to figure out is why that ridge has maintained its position so persistently. “Sometimes trying to figure out why something happened is as hard as making the forecast of what will happen,” Halpert said in a Feb. 14 interview.

(Bloomberg)

The article from Bloomberg goes on to describe the difficulties of long-range forecasts, and the ways in which these climatologists are going to use this year’s data to help with next.

One might suggest they purchase a copy of the Farmer’s Alamance as soon as it’s released in August to give them a helping hand. The Farmer’s Almanac’s 2014Long range weather forecast here was, as one might say – spot on, predicating colder than usual temps, and a ton of snow across the nation. (Farmer’s Almanac).

They rely on, as far as one is able to tell – historical weather data – for kicks one might take a trip down memory lane or through history by date on their website at www..faramersalmanac.com/weatherhistory.com where there is the ability to choose an area by zip code and specific dates going back as far as 1945. Looking at February of 2014 and comparing to February 1955, in decade increments, one finds a pattern emerge – of cooling and warming and cooling over periods of years. Go figure.

One might agree or disagree with either model, but one model has been fairly consistent since it was first published, while the other...not so much.

The bonus, there are recipes and planting tips for those so inclined, and although no one, from those using science to those using other methods can accurately predict 100% of the time what is going to happen with the weather – one has to wonder why there is such a difference between the climatologist and the historical weather forecaster. Although, to be truthful, one might add another category to the mix – those who have lived through 4 or more decades will remember cooler winters, deeper snows, hotter summers, colder summers and so on. Again a pattern emerges. –go figure.

The Affordable Obama Care Act – Government Funded Groups Use Campaign Model – Failure to enroll targeted groups in significant numbers – Enrollees still not paying premiums – Are they enrolled?

The New York Times attempt at writing a glowing piece on enrollment campaigns for Obama Care (which is the Affordable Health Care Act) is somewhat disingenuous, although the title “Obama’s Vote-Getting Tactics Struggle to Find the Uninsured”, may suggest otherwise. The story speaks to the difficulty canvassers using the Presidents’ campaign model (and prior campaign staff members) is having difficulty:

The hunt for the uninsured in Broward County got underway one recent afternoon when 41 canvassers, armed with electronic maps on Samsung tablets, set off through working-class neighborhoods to peddle the Affordable Care Act door to door. Four hours later, they had made contact with 2,623 residents and signed up exactly 25 people (New York Times)

They are using targeting, to find those individuals that most likely would “benefit’ from enrolling in the mandated plan. Many of their targets, people identified on sophisticated computer lists generated in Washington as unlikely to have health insurance, had moved away. Some were not home. Many said they already had insurance through Medicare, their parents or a job. A few were hostile at the mere mention of President Obama’s health care law. “We’re going to repeal that,” one man said gruffly as he shut the door in the face of a canvasser, Nancy Morwin, 58, a retired social worker.

New York Times

Who is running the campaign – and to what end?

The campaign is staffed by organizations deploying thousands of paid and volunteer canvassers across the country. Planned Parenthood, one of the most aggressive groups, has raised millions of dollars for the effort. It is paying about 400 workers like Ms. Morwin $12 an hour. They are knocking on an average of 18,000 doors a day in eight states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Enroll America, a nonprofit group that is trying to expand the health care rolls, has hired 266 people and recruited 14,000 volunteers to not only canvass neighborhoods but also make calls at phone banks and host events at community colleges in 11 states. The group has also spent $7 million to advertise on the Internet.(New York Times)

Therefore what we have is government funded groups paying volunteers to knock on doors in the hopes that they will increase the enrollment of a government funded plan – to date the New York Times estimates there are 3.3 million insured under the Affordable Obama Care Plan. The article continues in a hopeful vein, suggesting that the numbers will increase, yet does not mention that fact that those enrolled may have difficulty proving they have coverage at all, nor the impact on the taxpayer, many of whom have seen drastic increases in premiums or have lost their insurance altogether due to the mandates under the Affordable Obama Care Plan.

One of the difficulties in tracking enrollees is that the the plan fails to bill enrollees, simply because they never built the system (computer)to bill those that had signed up on the site to begin with! (Kaiser Health News). Therefore if one hasn’t paid a premium, is one truly insured? That seems to be the question for those attempting to receive health care.

Additionally, those most likely to benefit would be the insurance carriers themselves, due to the fact that Obama care reimburses insurance companies for any losses due to many claims as the young and healthy aren’t signing up in droves (even though one would not be able to actually be confident one was insured) – the New York Post considers this arrangement a Bailout -or another example of government – corporate collusion that has a hefty price tag that must be paid for by –the taxpayer. – More on that note from Insurance Networking News article “Obama care’s Outrageous Bailout for the Insurers -Obamacare has always depended, both operationally and politically, on an alliance between the administration and insurance companies. But that alliance is vulnerable.”worth the read.

Given the above scenario –that government funded groups, are having difficulty increasing the numbers of enrollees in a government mandated and funded plan, which said enrollees are not billed for and technically not insured, while promising the insurance companies who must pay claims once these individuals are treated, suggests a system that is beyond the pale – incompetent and costly. Which is why, there are some who believe that bigger government or government involvement into the private sector (Healthcare) is a really bad idea. The simplest fix: Those that are not able to buy insurance due to income levels should be able to enroll in Medicaid – the ridiculous limit on insurance carriers in states in general, should be removed, and a federal law (commerce clause here), instituted that allows all insurance carriers to compete nationwide – thus dropping the premiums due to an increased pool, and the laws of competition. Remove the mandates with one exception, mandatory physical exams yearly at no cost, thereby allowing insurance companies to offer “a-la-carte options for plans” that would vary in price and fit the individual consumer. There would be no need for mandated coverage, thus removing the IRS and any penalties to consumers, saving the taxpayer further and with more money in their pockets, further enhancing the economy.

That’s simplistic of course, and would work of cause, which is why it is not even remotely on the table.

There is always 2014 and 2016 – yet, in the meantime, the level of incompetence is stunning while the odds of a failing system are increasing.