Democrats Starting to Worry about ObamaCare

The recently announced delay of an important component of ObamaCare is raising anxiety among Democrats, according to The Hill. HHS recently announced that it was delaying for one year a provision that would allow small businesses to choose from an array of insurance plans for their employees. Most small businesses, however, won't have that option until 2015, at the earliest, and will have only one plan option to provide their employees. As a result, it will be more expensive for the businesses to comply with the law. 6 Apr 2013

Obama Budget Dismissed by Right, Left

On the campaign trail, President Obama likes to talk about his desire to "bring people together" to solve the nation's challenges. While his chosen agenda makes that nearly impossible, a budget proposal he teased Friday does seemed to have united members in Congress. Lawmakers from both the left and the right publicly dismissed his proposal to trim entitlement spending in exchange for tax hikes. 6 Apr 2013

PseudoScience: Obama Directs CDC to Research Gun Violence, Video Games

Politicians regularly employ "science" or "research" to promote their policy agendas. A "study" that finds a result consistent with a politician's bias is a time-honored way to push legislation. The tactic can even make strange-bedfellows. Last month conservative GOP Rep. Frank Wolf, convened a hearing on video game violence, featuring a researcher who also found that biblical stories make people more aggressive. President Obama, following this playbook recently directed $10 million to CDC to study gun violence and video games 5 Apr 2013

Sharp Drop in Retail Signals Consumers' Gloomy Mood

The sector hit hardest in the March jobs report was retail trade. The sector, highly dependent on consumer spending, shed 24,000 jobs last month, far more than any other part of the economy. Worse, it reversed positive trends in a sector that had been doing relatively well. Over the past 6 months, the sector had gained an average of 30,000 jobs a month. The sharp reversal is an ominous sign for the overall economy. 5 Apr 2013

Media Can't Blame Dismal Jobs Report on the Sequester

There is no way around it. The March jobs report is dismal. Economists had expected the economy to add around 200k jobs last month. The Labor Department reported this morning, however, that the economy added only 88k jobs. Democrat operatives in the media are quickly spinning the bad economic news as the fault of the sequester, i.e. automatic government spending cuts. A closer look at the data show the cuts had almost no impact on the job market. 5 Apr 2013

Economy Adds Just 88k Jobs in March

On Friday, the Labor Department reported that non-farm payrolls grew by just 88,000 in March, a number far below expectations. Just a few weeks ago, economists predicted a gain of around 200,000 jobs. The unemployment rate is at 7.6%. Average hourly earnings were flat. 5 Apr 2013

HHS Resurrects 'ACORN' Through ObamaCare

ObamaCare provides millions of dollars in grants to hire community activists and others as "navigators" to assist individuals enroll in health insurance provided by state or federal exchanges and, according to recent reports, register people to vote. In a new rule proposed Wednesday, HHS lays out numerous guidelines for these "navigators", including paying them up to $48/hour for their work. The rule, guidelines and voter registration effort are a vehicle to resurrect ACORN. 4 Apr 2013

SC Dem: Colbert-Busch 'Too Beholden to Political Left'

On Thursday, SC Democrat Ben Frasier, a former congressional candidate, endorsed Mark Sanford in his campaign for Congress against Democrat Elizabeth Colbert-Busch. Fraiser lost the Democrat primary race to Colbert-Busch in March. Frasier said she is too liberal for the district. 4 Apr 2013

Federal Prosecutor Withdraws from Texas D.A. Case over Security Fears

An assistant U.S. Attorney is Houston has withdrawn from a major prosecution against the Aryan Brotherhood. The prosecutor, Jay Hileman, sent an email to one of the Brotherhood's defense attorneys, informing him that he was no longer on the case. It is widely believed that Hileman withdrew due to concerns and his and his family's security. 2 Apr 2013

Comeback: Sanford Posts Decisive Win in SC Runoff--UPDATED

Mark Sanford has won the run-off for the GOP nomination in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. Sanford held a strong lead throughout the early returns, against former County Councilman Curtis Bostic. Sanford will now face Elizabeth Colbert Busch in the general election May 7th. 2 Apr 2013