How the AARP Made $2.8 Billion By Supporting Obamacare's Cuts to Medicare

How the AARP Made $2.8 Billion By Supporting Obamacare's Cuts to Medicare
"...Obamacare cuts $716 billion from Medicare in order to pay for its $1.9 trillion expansion of coverage to low-income Americans. 
It’s one of the reasons why seniors are more opposed to the new health law than any other age group. 
So why is it that the group that purports to speak for seniors, the American Association of Retired Persons, so strongly supports a law that most seniors oppose? 
According to an explosive new report from Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.), it’s because those very same Medicare cuts will give the AARP a windfall of $1 billion in insurance profits, and preserve another $1.8 billion that AARP already generates from its business interests.
Here’s how it works. 
AARP isn’t your every-day citizens’ advocacy group. 
The AARP is also one of the largest private health insurers in America. 
In 2011, the AARP generated $458 million in royalty fees from so-called “Medigap” plans, nearly twice the $266 million the lobby receives in membership dues...
...But the AARP aggressively, and successfully, lobbied to keep Medigap reforms out of Obamacare, because AARP receives a 4.95 percent royalty on every dollar that seniors spend on its Medigap plans. 
Reform, DeMint estimates, would have cost AARP $1.8 billion over ten years..."
Read it all!
They bad!

AM Fruitcake

History for July 31

History for July 31 - On-This-Day.com
S.S. Kresge 1867 - Founder of S.S. Kresge Company (renamed Kmart Corporation in 1977 and later Sears Holding Corporation), Milton Friedman 1912 - Economist, Curt Gowdy 1919 - Sportscaster, longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox


Wesley Snipes 1962 - Actor, J.K. Rowling 1965 - Author ("Harry Potter" series), Zac Brown 1978 - Country music singer and musician


1790 - The first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins for his process for making potash and pearl ashes. The substance was used in fertilizer.


1928 - MGM’s Leo the lion roared for the first time. He introduced MGM’s first talking picture, "White Shadows on the South Seas."


1932 - Enzo Ferrari retired from racing. In 1950 he launched a series of cars under his name.


1948 - U.S. President Truman helped dedicate New York International Airport (later John F. Kennedy International Airport) at Idlewild Field.


1964 - The American space probe Ranger 7 transmitted pictures of the moon's surface.


1971 - Men rode in a vehicle on the moon for the first time in a lunar rover vehicle (LRV).


1989 - A pro-Iranian group in Lebanon released a videotape reportedly showing the hanged body of American hostage William R. Higgins.


1991 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

Vladimir Putin Expels 755 US Diplomats from Russia

Vladimir Putin Expels 755 US Diplomats from Russia:

"Russia has retaliated against new US sanctions by ordering 755 American diplomats to leave – a move than will create a fresh crisis in the relationship between the two countries.

Days after the both houses of the US Congress voted almost unanimously to impose new sanctions on Moscow, Vladimir Putin said he was responding to “unlawful” behavior by Washington, The Independent reports."

Watch: Trey Gowdy explodes at GOP for refusing to repeal Obamacare after 7 years of promises – TheBlaze

Watch: Trey Gowdy explodes at GOP for refusing to repeal Obamacare after 7 years of promises – TheBlaze:

"A frustrated Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) tore into his own party Friday after the Republican Party again failed to make good on a promise they have been making for seven years.

Ever since Obamacare became law in 2010, Republicans nationwide have been winning elections promising to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a consumer-centered, free market solution. Now that the GOP controls both Congress and the White House, it appeared that the repeal and replace would finally happen."

The way we were-----Dionne Warwick I Say A Little Prayer 1967 Original Million Seller

Articles: 'Collusion' Collapses: Dem Congressional Espionage Ring Takes Center Ring

Articles: 'Collusion' Collapses: Dem Congressional Espionage Ring Takes Center Ring:

"In truth, the Russians “colluded” through GPS Fusion to harm, not help, Trump and the evidence of that is coming out. It’s time to repeal the Special Counsel law which has now been used twice to hamstring two Republican Presidents, has dubious constitutional authority, and will never result in the indictment of a prominent Democratic politician.

Under the Constitution there are three ways to deal with official corruption: the ballot box, impeachment, or criminal prosecution. Instead, in recent years we have tried two different means:"

Rising Seas Spark Tobacco-Style Lawsuits in California | Climate Central

Rising Seas Spark Tobacco-Style Lawsuits in California | Climate Central
"Several flood-prone municipalities in California filed first-of-their-kind lawsuits against fossil fuel companies this week as they attempt to recoup the cost of coping with rising seas.
The suits point to indisputable climate science and decades of industry efforts to mar that science. 
Experts likened the legal complaints to those brought against the tobacco industry in decades past, which succeeded by alleging the use of anti-science tactics to mask the dangers of their products.
High tide flooding in the city of Sausalito in California's Marin County, which is suing energy companies over rising seas.
The new lawsuits come as 21 young Americans pursue a federal case in Oregon that alleges the U.S. government is violating their rights by failing to take far-reaching measures against global warming..."

Transgender Surgeries Would Cost Pentagon $1.3 Billion

Transgender Surgeries Would Cost Pentagon $1.3 Billion:
"Taxpayer-funded sex-change surgeries would cost the Pentagon $1.3 billion over 10 years.
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that transgender individuals will not be eligible to serve in the military, with the White House citing cost and military readiness concerns.
Internal data provided to the Washington Free Beacon from Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R., Mo.), a leading opponent of taxpayer-funded sex changes, show that even by using a conservative estimate, the costs associated with 0.7 percent of the military population is great.
Hartzler's office provided a detailed calculation that shows estimates of the current number of transgender service members, and the number likely to seek a taxpayer-funded gender transition...
Thirty percent will likely seek surgeries, or 4,473 transgender troops.
The average cost per surgery is $132,000, which is a combination of the average cost of male to female ($140,450) and female to male ($124,400) surgeries.
The cost to taxpayers for these surgeries would be $590 million, and $770 million with a 3 percent inflation rate by 2027.
...The costs of active duty transgender surgeries and those of new recruits over a 10-year period total $1.349 billion.
It is likely even more transgender service members would seek sex reassignment surgeries if they are taxpayer-funded..."

How Trump can win the ObamaCare fight: End the friends and cronies exemption for Congress | Fox News

How Trump can win the ObamaCare fight: End the friends and cronies exemption for Congress | Fox News:

"With a mere stroke of his pen, President Trump could end the exemption that President Obama gave members of Congress and their staffs that makes them the only participants in the ObamaCare exchanges to receive generous subsidies from their employer (the American people) to pay for their health insurance. Nothing would better focus Congress’ attention on changing ObamaCare than being trapped in it just like other Americans."

Senate stonewall: 23% Trump picks OK'd vs. 69% of Obama's

Senate stonewall: 23% Trump picks OK'd vs. 69% of Obama's:

"Putting numbers behind his claim that Senate Democrats have stonewalled his agenda and creation of a Republican government, President Trump today charged that he's only been able to get approval of 23 percent of his top picks compared to former President Obama, who had 69 percent confirmed at this stage of his first term.
In a long and detailed accounting of the effort to block his administration, the White House today said, "Less than a month away from the August recess, the Senate has confirmed only 23 percent of President Trump's 216 nominations. 

By the first August recess during President Obama's first term, the Senate had confirmed 69 percent of his 454 nominations."...

Read on!

SOMETHING THAT CAN’T GO ON FOREVER, WON’T: ● Shot: Illinois state workers highest paid in n…

Instapundit » Blog Archive » SOMETHING THAT CAN’T GO ON FOREVER, WON’T: ● Shot: Illinois state workers highest paid in n…:
SOMETHING THAT CAN’T GO ON FOREVER, WON’T:

● Shot: Illinois state workers highest paid in nation. Cost of Living Gives Illinois State Workers Top Stop.
—Newsalert, today.
● Chaser: Moving out: Illinois has country’s worst outbound rate in 2016.
—Illinois Policy, January 3rd, 2017.
Posted at 4:44 pm by Ed Driscoll  

Lunch video-----Why Did the Democratic South Become Republican?

Noon-toon

Where The Scandals Really Are | The American Spectator

Where The Scandals Really Are | The American Spectator:

"Because as Washington scandals go, Trump And The Russians doesn’t even make it out of Double-A ball. What Goodlatte and the Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee want is a special counsel to take us up to the Triple-A or major league scandal level, because there are opportunities for playing time available.

The unmasking issue still has a lot of undiscovered meat on its bones; we’ve already seen a little evidence of that. The Lynch-Comey-Phoenix Airport nexus deserves a lot more scrutiny than it’s received, as do those immunity grants. And the leaks without a doubt deserve a full investigation, and some smug SOB’s from the Deep State surely deserve lengthy prison terms.

But the Fusion GPS business — and the long-simmering and now-burgeoning Awan brothers scandal — are monsters hiding in D.C.’s closet."

Gonna affect your internet?-----P&G Cuts More Than $100 Million in ‘Largely Ineffective’ Digital Ads - WSJ

P&G Cuts More Than $100 Million in ‘Largely Ineffective’ Digital Ads - WSJ:
"Procter & Gamble Co. said that its move to cut more than $100 million in digital marketing spend in the June quarter had little impact on its business, proving that those digital ads were largely ineffective.
Almost all of the consumer product giant’s advertising cuts in the period came from digital, finance chief Jon Moeller said on its earnings call Thursday.
The company targeted ads that could wind up on sites with fake traffic from software known as “bots,” or those with objectionable content.
“What it reflected was a choice to cut spending from a digital standpoint where it was ineffective, where either we were serving bots as opposed to human beings or where the placement of ads was not facilitating the equity of our brands,” he said.
Chief Executive David Taylor said in an interview that the digital spending cuts are part of a bigger push by the company to more quickly halt spending on items -- from ad campaigns to product development programs -- that aren’t working..."
Read on!

So sad-----Sears store photos - Business Insider

Sears store photos - Business Insider: 
"Sears says it's in the process of a transformation that will lead the company back to profitability after years of declining sales. 
But conditions inside some of Sears' stores tell a different story.
Several employees have told Business Insider that they are seeing signs of decay in their stores, which have included a rat problem, collapsing ceilings, empty shelves, and a lack of working toilets, as Business Insider reported last week..."
More at link.
Read on!
The tools department appeared to be suffering from a severe inventory shortage.

Business Insider/Hayley Peterson

#1 This day 1973-----Maureen McGovern - "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure 1973

This is real!-Not the Onion!-----Steve Russo - Baltimore Residents Asked To Temporarily Stop...

Steve Russo - Baltimore Residents Asked To Temporarily Stop..
"Baltimore Residents Asked To Temporarily Stop Killing Each Other For One Weekend... ‘Nobody Kill Nobody’ ...Or Else

"Is that at all possible?

BALTIMORE, Maryland (MSM News Bureau) - A grassroots group has initiated a campaign urging Baltimore citizens to stop killing each other for a few days.

Seasefire Baltimore's message is "Nobody Kill Nobody" from August 4th through the 6th.

"We are asking our residents to get their killing done before that Friday and do other kinds of crimes for a few days. God willing, we are going to have 72 hours of peace, then look the f*ck out," organizer Prophet Rev. Shawanna Dee Dee Jackson told reporters.

Posters have been going up all over Baltimore for the last few weeks. http://www.baltimoresun.com/…/bs-md-ci-ceasefire-20170718-s…

I guess all the gun free zone signs aren’t working?

I remember when America was a civilized nation, where we didn't have to ask people not to murder each other. Most Americans just knew it was wrong to kill... I miss that civilized America."

You ought to know!

A top FBI lawyer is allegedly under an investigation for leaking classified information to the media

A top FBI lawyer is allegedly under an investigation for leaking classified information to the media :

"FBI General Counsel James A. Baker is purportedly under a Department of Justice criminal investigation for allegedly leaking classified national security information to the media, according to multiple government officials close to the probe who spoke with Circa on the condition of anonymity.

FBI spokeswoman Carol Cratty said the bureau would not comment on Baker and would not confirm or deny any investigation."

Doomed!!--Saturday 17 January 2009--------President Obama 'has four years to save Earth' | Environment | The Guardian

President Obama 'has four years to save Earth' | Environment | The Guardian
"US must take the lead to avert eco-disaster
Saturday 17 January 2009 19.01 EST
Barack Obama has only four years to save the world.
That is the stark assessment of Nasa scientist and leading climate expert Jim Hansen who last week warned only urgent action by the new president could halt the devastating climate change that now threatens Earth. 
Crucially, that action will have to be taken within Obama's first administration, he added.
Soaring carbon emissions are already causing ice-cap melting and threaten to trigger global flooding, widespread species loss and major disruptions of weather patterns in the near future. 
"We cannot afford to put off change any longer," said Hansen.
"We have to get on a new path within this new administration.
We have only four years left for Obama to set an example to the rest of the world.
America must take the lead..."
Read on for more drivel!

AM Fruitcake

History for July 30

History for July 30 - On-This-Day.com
Thornstein Velben 1857, Henry Ford 1863, Casey Stengel 1890


Thomas Sowell 1930, Arnold Schwarzenegger 1947, Lisa Kudrow 1963 - Actress ("Friends")


1942 - The WAVES were created by legislation signed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The members of the Women's Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service were a part of the U.S. Navy.


1945 - The USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The ship had just delivered key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian. Only 316 out of 1,196 men aboard survived the attack.


1956 - The phrase "In God We Trust" was adopted as the U.S. national motto.


1965 - U.S. President Johnson signed into law Social Security Act that established Medicare and Medicaid. It went into effect the following year.


1974 - The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Nixon for blocking the Watergate investigation and for abuse of power.


1990 - In Spring Hill, TN, the first Saturn automobile rolled off the assembly line.


2001 - Lance Armstrong became the first American to win three consecutive Tours de France.


2003 - In Mexico, the last 'old style' Volkswagon Beetle rolled off an assembly line.