Happy Fourth of July

AAA its a tax

What’s New Today

Story #1 lists the winners and loser in the Obamacare Law.  It seem lefties can’t think of any losers.  #2 shows that in a poll of likely voters by Newsweek, Obama comes in 42 out of 43 Presidents.  #3 has another sign that BHO is in trouble as he has cancelled his August vacation.

Today’s Thought

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." Ronald Reagan

1.  Winners and losers with Obamacare

In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. "Obamacare"),NPR’s  "Talk of the Nation" held a seminar of sorts at the Aspen Institute's legendarily pretentious Ideas Festival. Someone in the audience asked NPR health policy correspondent Julie Rovner this question: "Today's decision is a positive decision for the estimated 50 million uninsured Americans. Who are the losers today?"

Rovner seemed to struggle to find losers. She came up with insurance companies that want the so-called individual mandate — now a punitive tax according to the Supreme Court — to be much more punitive. After thinking through her answer, she later added that another group of losers might be the citizens of states whose governors opt to not participate in the law's expansion of Medicaid….

… for the record, there are losers under Obamacare. Here's a short list: 1) taxpayers who will carry the load of what the Congressional Budget Office says will be a $2-trillion price tag when the law is fully implemented; 2) the CBO also says it's likely that at least a few million workers will be pushed off their current insurance coverage, even though the president insists you can keep your existing insurance if you like it; 3) innumerable and unknowable numbers of sick people who will not be screened for various diseases because some bureaucrats' protocol says it's too expensive; 4) Roman Catholic and other religious institutions forced to violate their values; 5) a few million so-called freeloaders who don't want to buy health insurance for perfectly rational reasons….

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-goldberg-obamacare-losers-20120703,0,1624572.column

 It is amazing that the left cannot fathom the reasons people are opposed to Obamacare (with the exception of the lefties who are opposed because it isn’t single payer).  This is another losing issue for Obama.


2.  Obama drops to 42^nd in poll of Presidents

According to a Newsweek /Daily Beast poll of likely voters, Barack Obama now rates behind Jimmy Carter in the pantheon of great presidents.  The poll asked likely voters to list the two best and the two worst presidents the history of the United States.  Here are the tallies, based on net results:

1.Abraham Lincoln, +27 points (28 percent place in top-2, 1 percent place in bottom-
2. Ronald Reagan, +25 points (31 percent place in top-2, 6 percent place in bottom-2)
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt, +22 points (23 percent place in top-2, 1 percent place in bottom-2)
4. John F. Kennedy, +19 points (19 percent place in top-2, 0 percent place in bottom-2)
5. (tie) George Washington, +15 points (16 percent place in top-2, 1 percent place in bottom-2)
5. (tie) Bill Clinton, +15 points (28 percent place in top-2, 13 percent place in bottom-2)
7. Thomas Jefferson, +6 points (6 percent place in top-2, 0 percent place in bottom-2)
8. (tie) Teddy Roosevelt, +5 points (5 percent place in top-2, 0 percent place in bottom-2)
8. (tie) Harry S. Truman, +5 points (5 percent place in top-2, 0 percent place in bottom-2)
10. Dwight D. Eisenhower, +4 points (5 percent place in top-2, 1 percent place in bottom-2)

The worst presidents

33. (tie) Andrew Johnson, -2 points (0 percent place in top-2, 2 percent place in bottom-2)
33. (tie) Warren G. Harding, -2 points (0 percent place in top-2, 2 percent place in bottom-2)
33. (tie) Calvin Coolidge, -2 points (0 percent place in top-2, 2 percent place in bottom-2)
36. (tie) Lyndon B. Johnson, -3 points (1 percent place in top-2, 4 percent place in bottom-2)
36. (tie) Gerald Ford, -3 points (1 percent place in top-2, 4 percent place in bottom-2)
38. Herbert Hoover, -4 points (0 percent place in top-2, 4 percent place in bottom-2)
39. George H.W. Bush, -9 points (4 percent place in top-2, 13 percent place in bottom-2)
40. Jimmy Carter, -20 points (5 percent place in top-2, 25 percent place in bottom-2)
41. Richard Nixon, -24 points (2 percent place in top-2, 26 percent place in bottom-2)
42. Barack Obama, -25 points (11 percent place in top-2, 36 percent place in bottom-2)
43. George W. Bush, -39 points (4 percent place in top-2, 43 percent place in bottom-2)

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/likely-voters-carter-was-better-president-obama_648085.html

Barack Obama is next to last and below both Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter.  On the up side for Democrats is Bill Clinton’s position tied with George Washington at number 5. 

3.  The Obama’s cancel their August vacation

President Barack Obama and his family will not be vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard this summer as the presidential campaign becomes a bigger concern as Election Day approaches, The Boston Globe reports.

The White House travel office canceled security preparations as well as the Obama’s housing accommodations on the island.

“The word I have is that they are not coming this year,” said State Police Sergeant Thomas Medeiros, who said that the update came from the Secret Service.

Nancy Gardella, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, is disappointed about the Obamas’ withdrawn visit, “I think the fun and the curiosity and the buzz that comes with this will be missed, quite frankly.”

Gardella said the White House had booked lodgings for the famous family for August but canceled those plans in May.  She said not having the Obamas on the island will add a little flexibility to their end-of-summer economy, including the number of rooms available and additional income they can generate.

The cancellation will lessen any inconvenience on other visitors; For example, it will be easier to schedule tee times on the golf courses, meals will not be interrupted, and there will be less traffic without Secret Service putting a halt on other visitors’ plans….

http://dailycaller.com/2012/07/03/obama-family-cancels-summer-vacation-to-marthas-vineyard/#ixzz1zeN8GdH1

Another sign Obama is in trouble.