Follow the Money – States Opt out of “Obamacare”, Individuals Opt Out for Religion, the Penalty and Who will Pay.

Where you State Stands – image from: Avalere Health

According to Forbes States that Opt out of the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare), are doing so because it is a fiscal incentive. The premise of Obamacare is that states must set up insurance exchanges allowing consumers to buy at all levels, including those on Medicaid (the expanding Medicaid). Once a State is signed on, and has an exchange operational, the Federal government may supplement the costs for Medicaid participants, and, if for some reason the Fed’s can’t or won’t cover the bill, those states are obligated to do so.(Forbes)

The States opting out to date: Wisconsin, Maine, Ohio, Texas, Alabama, Nebraska, Louisiana and Alaska. Those on the Fence: Florida, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. The balance of the states will be setting up exchanges and those who don’t, will allow the Federal Government to do so (there really isn’t a choice, or Health and Human Services. Avalere Health is the consultant. (Huffington Post)

Some, according to MSNBC will be able to opt out of the mandate including : objections for religion reasons, financial hardship, American Indians, those without coverage for less than three months, undocumented immigrants, and incarcerated individuals. . Those opting out without the benefit of an excuse, but not holding coverage will pay the penalty which, according to MSNBC

In 2014, the most you’d pay for not having health insurance is 1% of your taxable income; 2% in 2015; and after 2016, the maximum penalty will be “increased annually by the cost-of-living adjustment,” according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

So which is makes less of a dent in your wallet—the penalty or the plan?

The average employer-funded plan costs about $2,200 a year. So for those making $100,000 or less, it’s technically cheaper to go with the penalty. As for plans not funded by an employer, those average about $4,300 a year.

Welcome to Massachusetts!!

So where does that money go? No one can tell you for sure, however, it is estimated that six million individuals will be paying fines to the Feds.(Huffington Post)

In Massachusetts fines are paid directly to the State Department of Revenue. One would think that these collective fines would be used to pay down the deficit, fund something, similar to Health Care – yet – there are no answers to that question.

Obamacare, with the loads of regulations on employers and taxes that will affect businesses tied to Health Care, and individuals who are caught in a public plan (Medicaid expansion), Public (watch those premiums skyrocket), or paying the piper for lack of insurance (giving a large donation to the Federal Government) should be taken back to the drawing board – post haste.

Pope Benedict XVI on Twitter – First Tweets December - 12-12-12 – Twitter Handle “Potifex” Confuses “The Masses”. - The Reason and the Translation.

The Pope who visited several nations last year, with the glaring exception of the U.S. - gave a mass in Cuba, calling for religious freedom - the article:The Pope at Mass Calls for Full Religious Freedom in Cuba Image and article at the National Catholic Reporter

CNET headlined “Holy Tweet the Pope Comes to Twitter With @ Pontifex and the rest of the world is waiting for his first official Tweet, which will take place on the twelve of the twelve month of 2012. Several questions, amid the “hate” tweets, have arisen the meaning of the Pope’s handle “Pontifex”. The reason for the confusion is that the word is Latin, a language that is no longer taught in public schools, but reserved for those who are in a private or parochial school. Latin, one of the root languages of all languages allows on to study historical documents as well as lays the foundation for language studies. Of course, the education level in the U.S. is on a par with most third world nations, so it is no wonder that adults who went through the education system in the U.S. after the teachers unions invaded via Philadelphia in the 1970’s know little if anything. (There is a study out of the University of Wisconsin that draws the distinction between that even and the free-fall of test scores over the following years.).

The Latin “Pontifex” translated literally means Bridge Builder. That is something to ponder for the Pope is the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the Head of the Vatican State, a nation in its own right.

Which, as the masses in the U.S.(using their Progressive name, as those who are not Elite, or those that are but have been dummied down to the point where they have no critical thinking skills) are under the impression that anything religious must be dangerous, or derided, or what-have you. The problem lays in the fact that they know of the Pope, however, as an anti-cool, anti-fun individual. They also cannot recognize or do not know the following people: Their State Senator, their state Congressional Rep, the Vice President of the U.S. the Speaker of the House, the Senator Majority Leader , or any number of prominent individuals in the U.S., except for the President. They do know however, every five minute actor or actress or artist that is currently spewing garbage as music or art.

What would they know of the Pope then? The answer is obviously – nothing

What would they know about the significance of the Vatican and its historical archives? – Again, nothing.

Would their brilliant teachers who cannot even pass a test, have taught them that without a monk, Patrick, traveling against all odds across Europe to the further reaches of the Roman Empire, the British Isle’s where he set the impossible task of crafting – the Bible into Latin. That became, besides bits of scribbling on scrolls, the books that defined history and the world’s “enlightenment” through some very dark ages.

One could be completely secular or anti-Catholic for that matter and not fail to appreciate the fact that the center for learning was the Holy Roman Church and without it, man would have taken much longer to get to a point of knowledge where science was even a possibility. This is, of course, Europe, that advanced society so superior to the U.S. (from the progressive point of view).

Therefore it is not unusual for a Head of State to take to Twitter, and considering he is there to build bridges (generally a peaceful approach), and then it is a grand Pope that Catholics enjoy. Pope Benefit VXI, is one that is not without a bit of political wisdom at that. Some of those who are on Twitter “spewing hate’ might be shocked to learn that the United States has an ambassador installed at Vatican City Miquel Diaz, is the Ambassador, which as most of Spanish decent are also Catholic.

The first tweet, to build bridges of understanding , will again, take place on 12-12-12 and to follow Pope Benedict XVI merely go to his Twitter Account” go to https://twitter.com/Potenfix

As to the significance of the Date:

Through the power of the associated gateways held open by the Archangels at the 11:11, a new force of the Christ Consciousness will be made available during the 12:12:12 Activation. The power of this awakening energy enables each person to have the experience of the Christ Light at the moment of the 12:12:12 Coding. Once experienced you will not fall back into old ways, as the Golden Christ Light literally expunges from your being frequencies that no longer serve you. Transformed by Light, the cells awaken to the coding embedded by your soul. This activation has been held in abeyance until the earth consciousness would support mass awakening. Awareness and preparation are key signatures for the transformation available through the Christ Light. That time is Now.... Read More

2016 Speculation: Palin, Cruz, Clinton, Bush, Warren, and the Race to the top.

Sixteen of the potential GOP 2016 Candidates imagined by Politico - image Politico.com

The 2016 Presidential election may seem as if it is too far in the future for speculation to begin as to who will run in both parties, and to whom the two major political parties will “anoint” as the eventual winner, regardless of primaries. The speculation began before the first votes were cast in the 2012 election, as President Obama, as was the case with Bill Clinton and George Bush, will not be eligible to run for a third term (regardless of the rumors to the contrary regarding President Obama). Generally speaking those who appear in the early lists generally don’t throw their hats in the ring when it comes down to the wire (see Palin, Huckabee, and Jindel for example in 2011-2012), but for giggles, the early list:

From Politico: : Bobby Jindel (R-Governor of Louisiana) , John Kasich (R-Governor of Ohio), Bob McDonnell (R-Governor of Virginia), Martin O’Malley (D-Governor of MD), Vice President Joe Biden (D) Gov. Rick Perry (R-Governor of Texas) Mark Warner (D-Senator from Va.), Rick Santorum (R-2012 GOP Candidate), Rick Scott (R-Governor of Fl.), Jan Brewer (R-Governor of AZ),Scott Walker (R-Governor of Wisconsin, Susanna Martinez, (R-Governor of New Mexico) Hillary Clinton (D) and Andrew Cuomo (D-Governor of NY), Brian Schweitzer (D-Governor of Montana)(Washington Post), Ted Cruz (R-Senator TX) (Fox News), Sarah Palin (R)(Baltimore Sun), Jeb Bush (R), Marc Rubio (R-Senator FL), Rand Paul (R-KY), Bob Portman (R- Senator Ohio), Kelly Ayotte (R-Senate NH) (The Tacoma News Tribune) Mike Pence (R-Governor Indiana), Paul Ryan (R-Congress (WI), Brian Sandoval (R- Governor of NV), John Thune (R-Senate SD), Michelle Bachman (R-Congress MN), Chris Christie (R-Governor of NJ)(Politico), Julian Castro (D-Mayor of San Antonio) (USA Today), Newt Gingrich (R) (Politico) ,Elizabeth Warren (D-MA Senate)(Boston Magazine) - That’s the list for now.

If one were to consider that the GOP has a habit of nominating a candidate (or more to the point, appearing to push a candidate that has lost in a previous election (See John McCain, Bob Dole, Mitt Romney), then logic would dictate that the most likely of the bunch would be Rick Santorum or Sarah Palin or Newt Gingrich), however, there’s Jeb Bush in the ring, so one may bet they’ll go the way of the dynasty. (Also consider that neither of the aforementioned would fit the GOP moderate mold.)

On the Democrat side, Hillary Clinton is already ahead in the buzz, however, the Democrats are going to need a hook, and they are going to focus, as they did in 2006-2008, on a little known woman, with little experience and very little national exposure – that’s Elizabeth Warren, darling of the Progressives.

That doesn’t stop the press from seeing a matchup between two political dynasties in a Bush vs. Clinton 2016 match-up(CNN).

What is interesting to this feminist is the fact that there are so many woman and much speculation as to 2016 Presidential runs on the GOP side: Bachman, Palin, Ayotte, Martinez, and Brewer, while on the DNC side one has Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren. Of the women listed, one can see Palin, Brewer, and Martinez going the distance (basing this on experience as Governors and having as far as having a grassroots base in place the tow at the top would be Brewer and Palin). However, to have the party that generally get’s the women’s vote (silly, $9.00 worth of Birth Control is more important somehow than fiscal sanity – which is contrary to feminism as most women must support themselves and their families, being independent of the male), has only two females that are mentioned, Hillary who would fall into the “owe a Presidency” (if she were in the GOP) column, and Elizabeth Warren – who with zero experience, and one slogan (Billionaires!) will be the most likely nominee and one can see a 2008 Democrat convention all over again (where Clinton would be robbed a second time!).

Names no on the list: Huckabee, Huntsman, and those who have yet to crawl out of the political woodwork.

The bigger question, in the course of the next two years, is will a third party emerge, along with a third party candidate, that will fit the bill enough to give the major parties a run for their money. On the GOP: side, there are several that have Tea Party Connections that are strong enough to carry an independent bid, Palin, Perry, Rand Paul (son of perennial Libertarian-Republican candidate, Ron Paul). There is only on one that would hold an Independent party on the DEM side, and that would be Elizabeth Warren, the Progressive Party (should they decide to go that route, which is highly unlikely). It would be healthy for the nation however, to see the large political parties split, as now there is a schism in both (although that argument is rarely framed), the Progressive Socialists who are driven by Unions, versus, the other “groups” that belong to the Democrats, and on the GOP side, the moderate do anything, say anything to get elected semi-fiscal conservatives, versus the social and fiscal conservatives – who would be either an Independent or Tea Party.

In any event, start watching late night TV in February, for who shows up on Letterman, and Leno, and of course, starts making the rounds of all the talk shows – fundraisers aside, (which is how Politico judges who may or may not throw hats into the ring), it is face time with the public in general that usually is a hint of what is to come.. .and the beat goes on.