Calculate ObamaCare’s Cost with Kaiser’s Cool Calculator

Posted on September 29, 2013 by museman

Barring any shutdown of the Federal Government on October 1st, 2013 (or, apparently, regardless of any shutdown), the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as “ObamaCare” will require Americans to select health insurance coverage or else face a tax penalty which increases for each year of non-coverage. This year, the ObamaCare enrollment period ends February 28, 2014, but in future years will end sooner (December 7th, or “Pearl Harbor Day”…really?!?).

After figuring out what kind of insurance and subsidy you’re eligible for (here’s a handy chart, courtesy of Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn), if you’re classified as poor (ie: making less than 138% of the Federal Poverty Line if single, or less than 400% FPL if a family, and under 65 yrs old – and, there’s a lot of you, and a lot more since 2008), and your state is participating in ObamaCare*, then congratulations: You’re not only insured, but hard-working taxpayers will pay for all or part of your insurance!

Otherwise, you’re going to have to pay more for your insurance by making less money – either directly (if self-employed) or indirectly (if employed by a company). Not only will you have to pay for your own coverage, but also for the new ObamaCare coverage now given to all of the previously-uninsured, including those that private market insurers wouldn’t cover due to pre-existing conditions. Now, while I’m rumored to be a Rocket Scientist, it certainly doesn’t take one to realize that more people getting more healthcare services from the same number of doctors (actually, probably fewer…but, I digress), all now being monitored by an expanding Federal Government healthcare bureaucracy and additional red tape (source) will result in longer wait times, less quality of care, and higher costs (read a full report on rising physicians’ costs here).

But, why continue with sobering preface about your promised decreasing health care premiums under ObamaCare? Instead, why not take the suggestion of Erin Hannigan of Organizing for Action’s “Truth Team” and use the “Cool Subsidy Calculator” from the Kaiser Family Foundation to determine just how much money you’ll save?

*While this chart comes from a Facebook page claiming to be “Politically Neutral” in their reporting of ObamaCare news, the writer(s) are unknown and all of the news on the site is in favor of ObamaCare… so I call “BS” on their claim.

(A tip of the (Red Sox) Cap to PJMedia for pointing out Erin Hannigan’s suggestion)

Thanks for reading!

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CT’s Biggest Flea Looks Just Fine to me

Posted on September 12, 2013 by museman

It was a great day last Sunday, so I revved up the convertible and pointed it down towards some twisty roads in Connecticut, where I found myself in the little town of Mansfield, CT, located just down a bit from the University of Connecticut at Storrs (oops, I guess it’s now called “UCONN“, which, frankly, might smack of irony…but, I digress) and right next door to Willimantic.

Seems that every Sunday from March to November the Mansfield Drive-in Theater & Marketplace hosts the state’s largest Flea Market. With about 50-100 vendors plying their wares on any given Sunday you’re bound to see everything from treasures to detritus, all for a modest admission fee (I paid $2). It’s a great way to relax and socialize as you peruse through society’s tchotchkes and craft goods in pursuit of a pearl of great price.

Words do faint justice in describing this big flea, so I stopped to take a 360-degree panorama of the flea market:

(Hey...where's my panoramic photo?!?)
(CT's biggest Flea – click to access a larger image)

Spinning around with my camera appeared to concern a vendor selling “authentic-looking” goods, who apparently didn’t know it isn’t illegal to sell “gray market” goods.

Of course, their main business is as a Drive-in Theater, where aging bobby-soxers can reminisce, amorous teens can fog up the car windows as they turn biology theory into practice, and (perhaps) one, hypothetically, could surreptitiously take advantage of Connecticut’s relaxed drug law while enjoying a double feature on one of Mansfield’s three big screens.

But, you’d better hurry: Their season only runs through November. More disturbingly, in this age of “cloud storage”, YouTube, and broadband internet the Drive-in is quickly being driven into extinction and relegated to nostalgia – the Mansfield Drive-in is only one of three left in Connecticut and about 360 in the United States. And, with eBay, craigslist, and “pickers” as convenient as your nearest keyboard, the traditional American Flea Market may soon join them.

Thanks for reading!

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Dope Headline of the Day

Posted on August 28, 2013 by museman

…and by “dope” I’m not referring to the urban slang adjective.

From the Seattle Weekly, of Washington state:

“I Bought Weed at Hempfest During the ‘No Weed Sales’ Speech” – By Steve Elliott Tue., Aug 27 2013 at 06:33PM

Apparently, this intrepid, resourceful, but undoggered* Seattle reporter was able to score and smoke both a “dime bag” and an “eighth” of marijuana of unadulterated marijuana at the Fair directly in front of the main stage, whose speaker was reminding fans it was illegal to do so.

And what was his point? “Prohibition doesn’t work as long as there is demand for a product.”

Hmmm… I’ll have to remember that should I ever find myself driving intoxicated down the highway at 30 mph over the speed limit without a driver’s license, vehicle registration, and seat belt, my cell phone in one hand, a drink in the other, and the steering wheel firmly braced by my thigh, on my way to a dog fight serving moonshine and Cuban cigars: After all, there’s must certainly be a demand for all those things… right?

*now I am using the urban slang definition.

Thanks for reading!

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Taco Bell Sauce Packets You’ll NEVER See

Posted on August 27, 2013 by museman

Today, as I practice my “Taco Bell Tuesday” tradition of enjoying a sumptuous repast of pre-seasoned, pre-cooked “Mexican-like” food in the “luxurious dining room” of my local Taco Bell, I noticed the cute sayings on their sauce packets and wondered about possible sayings their Advertising Department rejected. (Click an image to enlarge)

Enjoy!

Where's this packet?
Where's this packet?
Where's this packet?
 Where's this packet? Where's this packet?
Where's this packet?
Where's this packet?
Where's this packet?
 Where's this packet? Where's this packet?
Where's this packet?
Where's this packet?
Where's this packet?
 Where's this packet? Where's this packet?

Legal stuff: Taco Bell, “Think Ouside the Bun”, the Taco Bell Logo, and sauce packet designs are Registered Trademarks (®) of, and the sauce recipes Copyright (©) of, the Taco Bell Corporation, whose rights are acknowledged by the Author. Oh, and if you’re Taco Bell and you like these I’d love to discuss a royalty for “Derivative Work” ;-)

Thanks for reading!

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Infographic: Is Someone Listening?

Posted on August 26, 2013 by museman
Domestic Spying
Source: SecurityDegreeHub.com		 Cara Delany, who describes herself as “…a full-time marketing intern with a passion for infographics and social media sharing”, sent me this infographic in response to comments I made about the NSA’s top secret PRISM electronic surveillance program (illegally) leaked by Edward Snowden.

(Click the image for a much larger version).

While I’m not a graphics artist (unless you count Mechanical Drafting, which I’ve never seen in museums… but, I digress), I think she’s put together an excellent chart that’s both informative and visually pleasing.

In fact, it got me thinking about some other facts that might have been nice to include if she had a much longer piece of paper:

• The NSA claims they only “touch” about 1.6% of all internet traffic (still a huge amount)… but, apparently, that includes 75% of all US internet traffic. (Anyone want to take odds that it’s probably 100%?)

• The first President ever to secretly record their meetings was Democrat President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), starting in  1940. In fact, every President from 1940 to 1973 used wiretapping at the White House.

• The Nixon Tapes, which revealed just how competitive, vindictive and paranoid this very intelligent statesman was, were recorded on wiretapping equipment secretly installed by Democrat President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

• Unlike George W. Bush, who supported the Patriot Act from it’s inception, President Barrack Hussein Obama promised to repeal the Act (as a Senatorial candidate in 2003), then voted to reauthorize it (as a US Senator, in 2006), then promised to restrict it (as a Presidential candidate, in 2008), then expanded and extended it (as President, in 2010), then signed a four year extension of the Act (in 2011 – using an “autopen” while he was in France), and, finally, promised to investigate the NSA’s surveillance activities and appointed James Clapper – who previously testified to Congress that the NSA wasn’t collecting any information on US Citizens – to head the investigation. (See: here, here, and here)

By the way, this is only one of a number of informative infographics Cara Delany has created: More of her extensive work can be seen at visualizing.org And, Cara, if you’re reading this, how about creating a nice infographic on Obama’s crony capitalism? ;-)

Thanks for reading!
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Liberal Hypocricy Unmasked

Posted on August 17, 2013 by museman

Why is it OK to…

BUT, when there is…

Perhaps another (in)famous leader already provided the answer to this question (which is admittedly rhetorical, although you’re welcome to comment below):

“The Liberal State is a mask behind which there is no face; a scaffolding behind which there is no building.”  - Benito Mussolini

Thanks for reading!

Posted in Are You Kidding me?, History, Media, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment