Now We See What The Effects of Medicaid Expansion

It turns out that expansion of Medicaid coverage for lo-income Americans increases rather than decreases visits to hospital emergency rooms.

According to a study, increased ER visits as result of expanded Medicaid coverage increased spending by $120 per covered individual!

We now face another huge and costly error in the assumptions that built and brought us Obamacare.

So far, providing “free” government health care through Medicaid has been attracting far more new enrollees than individuals signing up on the exchanges. Estimates show there are almost 2 million new enrollees through the exchanges and about 4 million new enrollees into Medicaid.

The Congressional Budget Office projects the number of enrollees in Medicaid to reach 91 million by 2023. And CBO projects annual growth in expenditures on Medicaid to be 8 percent per year, or more than double the expected growth rate of the American economy.

In order to bribe states to expand their Medicaid programs to cover these individuals, the federal government (translation: us taxpayers) will cover 100 percent of the costs of expansion for three years, and then 90 percent thereafter.

The bottom line is Medicaid is becoming a back door to get an increasingly large percentage of the American population on a single-payer government health care system and an increasingly large percentage of the American population on welfare.

Pa. town latest to force drivers over and ask for cheek swabs for federal study

Drivers in a southeastern Pennsylvania town were forced off a local street and into a parking lot, so a federal contractor – aided by local police --could quiz them about their road habits and ask for a cheek swab, in a replay of an incident last month in Texas.

The checkpoint, in downtown Reading, was one of several conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, which was hired by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Although the questioning and cheek swab were voluntary, local residents said they were directed by police to pull over, and that the questioning was persistent, according to the Reading Eagle.

"I feel this incident is a gross abuse of power on many levels."

- Ricardo Nieves, Reading, Pa.

"I feel this incident is a gross abuse of power on many levels," Reading resident Ricardo Nieves told City Council Monday, three days after being stopped.

Last month, the police chief in Fort Worth, Texas, apologized after allowing his officers to take part in a similar federal survey in which random drivers were pulled over and asked to submit breath, saliva and even blood samples. The drivers were also asked to pull into a parking lot, where they could give a cheek swab and volunteer for a blood or breath test, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Those who agreed were paid $10 to $50. Those who declined were briefly interviewed and allowed to leave.

"We realize this survey caused many of our citizens frustration and we apologize for our participation," Fort Worth Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead said.

Reading Police Chief William Heim told the Reading Eagle the federal agencies are trying to see what can be done about crashes and injuries, and the swabs were not to get DNA samples but to test for the presence of prescription drugs. He said police were there for site security only and did not pull drivers over or ask questions.

"In the grand scheme of things, I think it's a pretty innocuous and minor issue," Heim said.

An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said such checkpoints are legal only if designed to protect public safety.

"A car driver or passenger cannot be required or pressured into providing a DNA sample and, in fact, can't be stopped at all except on suspicion of a crime or for a properly conducted sobriety checkpoint," Mary Catherine Roper, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, told the Reading Eagle.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducts similar surveys every 10 years or so to determine the prevalence of alcohol and drug use by drivers. Checkpoints to collect samples have been set up in 30 cities nationwide, and samples remain anonymous, according to federal officials.

But law enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions have taken measures to ensure that motorists know it is a "paid volunteer survey," and that they do not have to pull over.

Connecticut citizens must register certain weapons or face felony prosecution

Legal gun owners in Connecticut are now forced under the state's new gun control laws to register their "assault weapons" and ammunition.

Hundreds of Connecticut residents lined up Monday to make sure
 their weapon where registered..

The queue of citizens seeking to register their weapons stretched around the State Department of Public Safety in Middletown on Monday, in a scene that must warm the hearts of gun control advocates everywhere.

Mike Lawlor, the governor's undersecretary for criminal justice said,

"If you get caught with a banned assault weapon after tomorrow night then you're going to be prosecuted as a felon."

Lawlor is not kidding. In New York, were similar laws were passed, CBS News reported this week that "arrest data show more than 1,000 gun possession charges in New York City were boosted from misdemeanors to felonies because of the changes."

Times have changed since the Connecticut state constitution declared,

"Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state."

The "controversial, wide-ranging" laws passed in April in the wake of the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary school. This, in a state where gun control laws were already among the strictest in the country, yet failed to deter Adam Lanza, 20, who clearly was not concerned about laws when he killed twenty children and six adults last year.

Twin Cities reported in the wake of the mass killing that "Connecticut’s laws are strict by comparison to many other states, but they still fall short of what many gun control advocates want."

Lawlor continued to say,

"The goal of the law is to have fewer of these assault weapons in circulation in the years to come..."

The law-abiding residents who are forced to undergo this exercise are not among those committing crimes, as noted by one resident, who said,

"Anybody who's going to bring their assault rifles here to register them aren't criminals...The criminals are the people sitting at home hiding them in their closet right now."

Number of cops killed by gunfire in 2013 dips to 33, lowest since 1887

The number of law enforcement authorities killed by gunfire dipped to 33 in 2013, the lowest total since the Wild West days of 1887, according to a report from a law enforcement advocacy group.

The number of police officers felled by bullets around the nation has been trending downward in recent years, but the 125-year low reported by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund was welcome news for the nation's peacekeepers. Experts also noted that overall line-of-duty deaths of federal, state, local, tribal and territorial officers dropped to 111, the lowest total since 1959.

“The only good news is zero deaths, but this very significant drop in law enforcement fatalities the past two years is extremely encouraging,” said Craig Floyd, chairman and CEO of the fund. “Our organization, in partnership with others, is working hard to create a new culture of safety in law enforcement that no longer accepts deaths and injuries as an unavoidable part of the job. This year’s officer fatality report is strong evidence that this intensified effort to promote law enforcement safety is making a difference.”

Floyd's organization this week put out its annual report chronicling the improved numbers, noting that increased use of body armor could bring shooting deaths of police down even further.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page — which also tracks police deaths dating back to 1822, but had 2013 numbers that were slightly different from those of the NLEOMF — automobile accidents were the second-biggest killer of police officers, claiming 26 lives, followed by seven deaths due to being struck by a vehicle. One police officer in Detroit died six months after being struck by accidental gunfire.

The annual report from NLEOMF credited an increased culture of safety among law enforcement agencies, including increased use of bulletproof vests, that followed a spike in deaths in 2011. Since that time, officer fatalities across all categories have decreased by 34 percent, and gun deaths have fallen by 54 percent.

Among law enforcement officers killed by gunfire last year, just two were women: Police Officer Patricia Parete of the Buffalo (N.Y.) Police Department, who died on Feb. 2; and Santa Cruz (Calif.) Police Department Det. Elizabeth Butler, who died on Feb. 26 while investigating a sexual assault.

The Officer Down Memorial Page tally also includes four police dogs, including Koda of the Leon County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, Kilo of the Indiana State Police, Ronin of the Glendale (Arizona) Police Department and Ape, who was fatally shot in March just three weeks after completing his FBI training, according to the website.

The most recent gunfire death among law enforcement officers occurred last week when Sgt. Kevin “Gale” Stauffer, 38, of the Tupelo Police Department was shot on Dec. 23 as he responded to a bank robbery in Mississippi. Stauffer, a nine-year veteran who previously served with the Louisiana Army National Guard, was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant and is survived by his wife and two young children.

Conversely, the gunfire-related death of Police Officer Kevin Tonn of the Galt (Calif.) Police Department on Jan. 15 marked the first among law enforcement officers in 2013, according to the website. The 35-year-old U.S. Army veteran was killed as he responded to a burglary in progress.

Among the 105 total line-of-duty deaths tallied by the website last year, 13 occurred in Texas, followed by 10 in California and 7 in Mississippi. Nine were federal law enforcement officers whose deaths occurred in various locations. The overwhelming majority — 101 — were men and their average age was 42. The median tour of duty among the fallen officers exceeded 13 years, according to the website. February was the deadliest month, with 14 fatalities, followed by September (13) and December (12).

In 2012, 47 of the 123 line-of-duty fatalities were classified as death by gunfire, with an additional two accidental fatalities. In 1887, a total of 44 law enforcement officers were killed, 30 of whom succumbed to gunfire. Another two officers were killed by accidental gunfire, according to the website.

States Passing Bills to cripple the implementation of the Affordable Care Act

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.,  Later this month, the Missouri Senate will consider a bill which would effectively cripple the implementation of the Affordable Care Act within the state.

 Following the lead of South Carolina, where lawmakers are fast-tracking House Bill 3101 in 2014, and Georgia, where HB707 was recently introduced by Rep. Jason Spencer, Missouri State Senator John T. Lamping (R-24) pre-filed Senate Bill 546 (SB546) to update the Health Care Freedom Act passed by Missouri voters in 2010. It passed that year with more than 70% support.

 SB546 would ban Missouri from taking any action that would “compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in any health care system.” That means the state would be banned by law from operating a health care exchange for the federal government.

 1). http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/mikeshedlock/2013/12/29/obamacare-showdown-missouri-bill-to-gut-obamacare-ban-penalties-ban-healthcare-exchange-n1769439

 2). http://blog.showmeprogress.com/diary/8910/sb-546-res-judicata

13 hospitalized after building explosion in Mnneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS - Authorities say at least 13 people are hospitalized following a building explosion and fire in Minneapolis Wednesday morning.

The reported address of the incident is 514 Cedar Avenue South. Robert Ball of Hennepin County EMS tells NBC Affliate  KARE 11 that 13 people have been injured and rushed to a number of local hospitals. He describes the injuries as ranging from burns to trauma suffered while falling or jumping from windows.

MPR reports that 6 of the victims are currently listed in critical condition.

A check on Google Maps indicates that the main floor of the structure houses a business called the Otanga Grocery, with the upper two floors consisting of apartments.

Firefighters are swarming the scene after the call was elevated to three alarms. Unconfirmed reports say the second and third floors of the structure have collapsed. The frigid weather conditions are making things both challenging and dangerous for crews trying to put down the blaze.

2 Trains derail simoultaneously in North Dakota

Was this a terror attack? A small North Dakota city was being evacuated Monday night after a two-train derailment caused several oil tankers to explode and burn, authorities said.

A small North Dakota city was being evacuated Monday night after a two-train derailment caused several oil tankers to explode and burn, authorities said.


A westbound train carrying grain jumped the tracks just west of Casselton, near Fargo, and crashed into an eastbound train hauling oil, a Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokeswoman said. The cause of the derailment is under investigation.