179) Asked Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate himself for lying under oath

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder lied under oath. He said that he had nothing to do with monitoring the emails of Fox News reporter James Rosen. But it turns out that it was Holder’s own signature on the search warrant.

Even the liberal Huffington Post said that Holder should be fired over this.

Holder could get five years in prison.

So, did President Obama fire Holder?

Of course not!

Instead, Obama asked that Holder be investigated – not by an independent investigating committee – but by Holder himself!

I can see it now…

Obama: “Did you lie?”

Holder: “No.”

Obama: “OK. That’s good enough for me. You’re cleared of any wrongdoing.”

180) Used Obamacare to illegally give the IRS additional powers without approval from Congress

In May 2013 the Washington Post wrote:

The law allows the Department of Health and Human Services to set up federal health exchanges in the holdout states. But the statute makes no mention of the IRS providing credits and subsidies through federal exchanges.

The IRS resolved this conundrum by denying its existence. In a May 2012 regulatory ruling, it asserted its own right to provide credits outside the state exchanges as the reasonable interpretation of an ambiguous law. But the language of the law is not ambiguous. And health scholars Jonathan Adler and Michael Cannon, in an exhaustive recent analysis, find no justification for the IRS’s ruling in the legislative history of Obamacare. “The statute,” they argue, “and the lack of any support for the IRS rule in the legislative record put defenders of the IRS rule in the awkward position of arguing that it was so obviously Congress’ intent to offer tax credits in federal exchanges that despite a year of debate over the PPACA, it never occurred to anyone to express that intent out loud. A better explanation is that the PPACA’s authors miscalculated when they assumed states would establish exchanges.”

So: The IRS seized the authority to spend about $800 billion over 10 years on benefits that were not authorized by Congress. And the current IRS scandal puts this decision in a new light. What was the role of politics in shaping this regulatory decision? What pressure was applied?

181) Used environmental regulations to shut down an ambulance while it was taking a patient to the hospital

In May 2013 the Washington Post reported:

A Wednesday shootout on the streets of Washington Highlands left a cop injured and a carjacking suspect dead. But before the suspect expired, he went on an unusual ambulance ride that involved moving him from one vehicle to another on the shoulder of Interstate 295. While this might appear to be another story of Fire and Emergency Medical Services dysfunction, the story is rather more complicated. As WUSA-TV explains, newer-model diesel engines are required by federal regulations to have emission-control features that, in some circumstances, require the motor to shut down for “regeneration” — a process in which the exhaust system burns off trapped soot. The need for regeneration can be unpredictable. The transfer to a second ambulance delayed 34-year-old Nathaniel McRae’s arrival at a hospital by seven minutes. FEMS insists the wait did not play a role in his death.

182) Had “a serious management problem” with his refusal to fire bad workers

A 2011 USA Today article on federal employees states:

“The federal government fired 0.55% of its workers in the budget year that ended Sept. 30 — 11,668 employees in its 2.1 million workforce.”

“White-collar federal workers have almost total job security after a few years on the job. Last year, the government fired none of its 3,000 meteorologists, 2,500 health insurance administrators, 1,000 optometrists, 800 historians or 500 industrial property managers.”

Wow! Those must be excellent workers, right?

Actually, no. The article also says:

“San Francisco State University management professor John Sullivan, an expert on employee turnover, says the low departure rates show a failure to release poor performers and those with obsolete skills. ‘Rather than indicating something positive, rates below 1% in the firing and layoff components would indicate a serious management problem,’ he says.”

A serious management problem?

So who exactly is the highest ranking manager of the federal government?

It’s President Obama.

183) Illegally solicited donations from health insurers

In May 2013, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius solicited donations from health insurers to help pay for Obamacare. Such soliciting is illegal.

184) Chose an economic advisor who wanted roads and bridges to be built by unqualified workers

Obama chose to have Robert Reich be his economic advisor. Regarding Obama’s stimulus, Reich said:

“I am concerned, as I’m sure many of you are, that these jobs not simply go to high skilled people… And therefore, in my remarks I have suggested to you, and I’m certainly happy to talk about it more, ways in which the money can be — criteria can be set so that they money does go to others…  people who are not necessarily construction workers or high-skilled professionals.”

185) Pressured unions to reduce the amount of health insurance coverage for their employees

In May 2013, the New York Times reported:

Say goodbye to that $500 deductible insurance plan and the $20 co-payment for a doctor’s office visit. They are likely to become luxuries of the past.

Expect to have your blood pressure checked or a prescription filled at a clinic at your office, rather than by your private doctor.

Then blame the so-called Cadillac tax, which penalizes companies that offer high-end health care plans to their employees.

Although the tax does not start until 2018, employers say they have to start now to meet the deadline and they are doing whatever they can to bring down the cost of their plans. Under the law, an employer or health insurer offering a plan that costs more than $10,200 for an individual and $27,500 for a family would typically pay a 40 percent excise tax on the amount exceeding the threshold.

Tom Leibfried, a legislative director for the A.F.L.-C.I.O., one of the unions whose plans are vulnerable to the tax, says the demands that workers pay more for their care is a perennial aspect of labor negotiations. “We’re very concerned about the hollowing out of benefits in general,” he said. “What the excise tax will do is just fuel that.”

186) Falsely said “We believe in the free market”

In June 2013, Obama said,

We don’t think that top-down solutions are the right way to go.  We believe in the free market.  We believe in a light touch when it comes to regulations. – See more at: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-we-dont-want-tax-all-busi... believe in the free market.  We believe in a light touch when it comes to regulations.

“We believe in the free market.”

Obama was lying. The free market means that in the business world, it is the customers, not the government, who pick winners and losers. But this list contains a huge number of instances where Obama tried to  use the government to pick winners and losers in the business world.

187) Falsely said “We believe in a light touch when it comes to regulations”

In June 2013, Obama said, “We believe in a light touch when it comes to regulations.”

He lied. For example, after Obamacare was passed, Obama added 20,000 extra pages of regulations to to it.

188) Said Catholic schools are “divisive” but did not say the same thing about other religious schools

In June 2013, Obama said:

“If towns remain divided – if Catholics have their schools and buildings and Protestants have theirs, if we can’t see ourselves in one another and fear or resentment are allowed to harden – that too encourages division and discourages cooperation.”

I can understand why a person might criticize religious schools in general – although I myself happen to think that religious schools are a superior alternative to public schools. But for Obama to single out one religion in particular as being divisive, while not saying the same thing about all religious schools in general, is a double standard.

189) Favored a new tax on Christmas trees so the money could be used to subsidize Christmas trees

In November 2011, Obama proposed a new tax on Christmas trees, so that the money could be used to subsidize Christmas trees. If this had been a Rube Goldberg cartoon it would have been funny. But to suggest it as an actual government policy is absurd.

190) Betrayed the people of the city that helped him launch his political career

As part of his effort to get Obamacare passed, Obama repeatedly promised that people could keep their current health insurance if they liked it.

More than any other city, the people of Chicago helped to get Obamacare passed. Chicago is where Obama chose to live when he first got into politics. The people there launched his political career and voted him into office.

And this is how Obama repays them. In May 2013, the Chicago Tribune reported:

Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to start reducing health insurance coverage next year for more than 30,000 retired city workers and begin shifting them to President Barack Obama’s new federal system.

The move is aimed at saving the city money

Once the phaseout is complete, those retired workers would have to pay for their own health insurance or get subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The city-subsidized coverage is particularly important to retired workers who aren’t yet eligible for Medicare

Henry Bayer, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, said the uncertainties of the Affordable Care Act and the state insurance exchanges they would create make the city’s plan hard to assess.

“This uncertainty will cause anxiety and fear for tens of thousands of seniors who gave their working lives to public service — men and women whose retirement savings are already under attack in the name of ‘pension reform.’” Bayer said.

191) Proposed military interventionism in Syria

In June 2013, Obama proposed that the U.S. get involved in Syria’s military conflicts.

192) Planned to use military snipers to shoot innocent lions and cheetahs in the wild

In June 2013, Obama was planning to use military snipers to shoot innocent lions and cheetahs in the wild.

However, after the media reported on his plans, Obama got embarrassed, and cancelled his plans.

193) Refused to fire or prosecute more than 1,000 IRS employees who illegally used their IRS credit cards for their own personal use

During Obama’s first term, more than 1,000 IRS employees illegally used their IRS credit cards for personal purchases, but Obama refused to fire or prosecute them.

194) Defended intelligence chief who lied under oath

In March 2013,  James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, falsely stated under oath that the NSA was not gathering data on millions of U.S. citizens. In June 2013, after it was reported that Clapper had lied under oath, Obama defended him, instead of firing him.

195) Had the Secret Service visit a law abiding citizen who had criticized his policies on Twitter

In April 2013, Obama sent the Secret Service to visit the home of Tom Francois, a law abiding citizen who had criticized Obama’s policies on Twitter.

The Secret Service admitted that Francois had not made any threats against Obama.

196) Had the IRS grant special, illegal favors for his brother’s so-called “charity”

In May 2013, the Dailer Caller reported that the IRS had taken the “unprecedented” step of approving a non-profit application within just one month. In this particular case, the application was from the Barack H. Obama Foundation, a so-called “charity” which was headed by Malik Obama, Barack Obama’s brother.

In addition, the IRS  illegally gave retroactive approval for the organization’s tax exempt status. Prior to getting this approval, the organization had illegally solicited tax deductible donations even though it did not have legal approval to do so.

197) Raised the interest rate on student loans to pay for Obamacare

Obamacare raised the interest rate on students loans from  5.3% to 6.8%. The money is used to fund Obamacare.

198) Refused to fire or prosecute 15 IRS agents who illegally seized the medical records of 10 million people

In March 2011, 15 IRS agents illegally seized the medical records of 10 million people without a warrant. Obama refused to fire or prosecute them.

199) Hired 16,500 new IRS agents to run Obamacare

In June 2013, it was reported that Obama had hired 16,500 new IRS agents to run Obamacare.

200) Tried to reward wasteful IRS spending with an increase in funding

In June 2013, Danny Werfel, Obama’s new nominee to head the IRS, asked Congress for an increase in funding. At the same time, NPR reported on this waste of taxpayer money at an IRS conference:

Some of the 2,600 attendees received benefits, including baseball tickets and stays in presidential suites that normally cost $1,500 to $3,500 per night. In addition, 15 outside speakers were paid a total of $135,000 in fees, with one paid $17,000 to talk about “leadership through art,” the committee said.

Considering how the IRS wasted all that money on luxury hotel rooms and worthless speeches, Werfel really had some nerve asking Congress for more money. By proposing to reward wasteful spending with a budget increase, Werfel proved that he is incompetent to head the IRS. The fact that Obama nominated such an incompetent person does not surprise me one bit.

201) Illegally bypassed Congress to delay Obamacare’s employer mandate

As the Obamacare law was written, the employer mandate was to begin in January 2014. This is what the law said when it was passed by the House and Senate, and signed by President Obama.

However, in July 2013, Obama delayed the employer mandate part of Obamacare until January 2015. Obama did this without approval from Congress.

For Obama to change a law that was passed by Congress, without first getting approval from Congress, is a violation of the Presidential oath that Obama took to uphold and defend the Constitution.

What Obama did here is an action of a dictator, not an action of a President whose power is limited by a written constitution.

If Obama can get away with this, then it sets a horribly dangerous precedent, and means that the President can arbitrarily make any change to any law that has been passed by Congress, without first getting approval from Congress.

202) Made it too hard for some doctors to continue their practices

In July 2013, ABC News reported that some doctors were shutting down their practices in response to Obamacare.

Dr. Robert WcWilliams, an obstetrician/gynecologist with more than 5,000 patients, said:

“It’s going to be run by bureaucrats – and it’s going to be run by politicians – who have no idea what is in your best interests, then I’m getting out.”

203) Falsely told Africans that contaminated water is a smaller problem than global warming

In July 2013, while speaking in Johannesburg, South Africa, President Obama said that global warming was “the biggest challenge we have environmentally” and that it was worse than “dirty water, dirty air.”

However, according to the World Health Organization, while global warming kills 140,000 people each year, air pollution kills 3 million people per year.

According to UNESCO, each year, contaminated water causes 4 billion cases of diarrhea, 120,000 cases of cholera, 300 million cases of malaria, 12 million cases of typhoid, 6 million cases of trachoma, 200 million cases of schistosomiesis, and more than 1 billion incidents of intestinal parasites.

You know what’s worse than global warming? How about living your entire life without ever having access to a toilet?

The World Health Organization says that dirty water is “the leading cause of disease and death around the world.”

That Obama would downplay these problems shows how scientifically illiterate he is.

That he would do so while giving a speech in Africa, which has the highest rate of water borne illness of any continent, shows how thoughtless and insensitive he is.

204) Spent $630,000 to get more Facebook “likes”

In July 2013, it was reported that Obama had spent $630,000 of taxpayers’ money in order to get more Facebook “likes.”

205) Declared that hacking was an act of war, then hacked the EU

In 2011, the Obama administration issued a statement which said that when one country hacked another country’s computers, the hacking constituted an “act of war.”

In July 2013, it was reported that the Obama administration had hacked computers which were owned by the European Union.

206) Said “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon”

In Florida, after a school security camera showed Trayvon Martin marking graffiti, a search of his backpack showed that it contained 12 pieces of women’s jewelry, including silver wedding rings, and earrings with diamonds. The backpack also had a screwdriver, which is often used as a tool by burglars. Martin said that the jewelry belonged to a friend, but refused to say who that friend was.

Why would a teenage boy bring a backpack full of silver wedding rings and diamond earrings to school? Do Martin’s millions of defenders really think that he was not a burglar?

The fact that Martin was in possession of stolen jewelry at school is perfectly in line with George Zimmerman’s claim on the 911 call that Martin was acting suspiciously. And there had been quite a few burglaries in the area recently.

Also on the 911 call, Zimmerman had said that Martin was acting as if he was on drugs. Martin’s autopsy showed that there was THC in his system. And while other parts of marijuana can stay in the system for weeks after it’s smoked, the THC only stays in the person’s system for a few hours. Therefore, Martin was indeed high when Zimmerman saw him.

So Trayvon Martin was a burglar, used illegal drugs, broke Zimmerman’s nose, and smashed Zimmerman’s head against the concrete.

And how does Obama respond to all of this?

Obama said:

“If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”

207) Falsely said that Secretary of State John Kerry had not been on his yacht during the regime change in Egypt

In July 2013, the Obama administration falsely said that Secretary of State John Kerry had not been on his yacht during the regime change in Egypt.

Evan after CBS news presented the Obama administration with photographic evidence that Kerry had been on his yacht during that time, the Obama administration still continued to falsely claim that Kerry had not been on his yacht.

CBS News reported:

On Thursday night, CBS News obtained a photo of Kerry on his boat and sent it to the State Department, asking whether they still stand by their denial that Kerry was on a boat.

The response: “Yes.”

208) Said “the planet will boil over” if African citizens adopt a first world standard of living

In July 2013, Obama said “the planet will boil over” if African citizens adopt a first world standard of living.

“the planet will boil over

209) “Among those who Strongly Approve of the president, more fear the Tea Party than radical Muslims.”

In June 2013, Rasmussen conducted a poll to find out what people considered to be the “nation’s top terror threat.”

Reporting on the results of the poll, Rasmussen wrote:

“Among those who Strongly Approve of the president, more fear the Tea Party than radical Muslims.”

210) Illegally forced 2,200 privately owned auto dealerships to close, which destroyed 120,000 jobs

In 2009, Obama illegally forced 2,200 privately owned auto dealerships to close. These dealerships had employed 120,000 people.

211) Subsidized the production of alcoholic beverages

In June 2013, Breitbart reported:

The USDA Rural Development agency also touted a program to subsidize the Wine Barn LLC in “marketing and increasing production of its Kansas produced wine.” That cost $25,000. The USDA Rural Development also said it would hand $300,000 to the Mackinaw Trail Winery in Michigan, $100,000 for the Appleton Creek Winery in New York, $162,500 for the Old Westminster Winery in Maryland, and tens of thousands of dollars to wineries in Nebraska and Iowa.

Liquor is the name of the game for the USDA, apparently – they’re also subsidizing the production of vodka in North Carolina, Bloody Mary mix in West Virginia, and hard cider in Virginia.

212) Gave 23,994 tax refunds worth a total of $46,378,040 to illegal aliens who all used the same address

In 2011, the IRS gave 23,994 tax refunds worth a total of $46,378,040 to illegal aliens who all used the same address in Atlanta, Ga.

213) Sued private businesses for using “racist” criminal background checks to screen employees

In June 2013, the Obama administration filed lawsuits against Dollar General and BMW for using criminal background checks to screen employees. The Obama administration claimed that such background checks were “racist.”

214) Used tax money to pay federal employees to organize protests against George Zimmerman

In March and April of 2012, Obama used tax money to pay federal employees to organize protests against George Zimmerman.

215) Illegally continued giving foreign aid to Egypt after it had a coup

Federal law requires that U.S.  foreign aid to Egypt be ended if and when Egypt has a coup. However, after Egypt had a coup in July 2013, the Obama administration said that it would continue giving foreign aid to Egypt.

216) Broke promise to end Bush’s surveillance of U.S. citizens who were not suspected of committing a crime

In August 2007, Obama promised that he would end Bush’s surveillance of U.S. citizens who were not suspected of committing a crime. However, in June 2013, such surveillance was still being conducted.

217) Spent $3 million to study the health risks of dating Mexican prostitutes

In July 2013, it was reported that the Obama administration had spent $3 million to study the health risks of dating Mexican prostitutes.

218) Lied about the cost of IRS conferences

In June 2013 it was reported that the Obama administration had lied about the cost of IRS conferences. While the actual cost was $50 million, the Obama administration had claimed that the cost was only 1% of that mount.

219) Spent $890,000 per year on service fees for bank accounts that had no money

In April 2013, it was reported that the Obama administration was spending $890,000 each year on service fees for bank accounts that did not have any money in them. At the time, the government had 13,712 empty accounts which it was supposed to have closed, but which it had kept open anyway.

220) Spent $34 million to construct a new military headquarters in Afghanistan after U.S. military commanders said they did not want it

After U.S. military commanders said in 2010 that they did not want a new headquarters in Afghanistan, the Obama administration spent $34 million to build it anyway.

221) Falsely said that his scandals were “phony”

In July 2013, Obama said

“With an endless parade of distractions, political posturing and phony scandals, Washington has taken its eye off the ball.”

These scandals are not “phony.” I have cited a huge number of sources in this list to show that these scandals are real.

222) Falsely guaranteed that people could keep their doctor

Before Obamacare was passed, Obama said:

“Here is a guarantee that I’ve made… If you’ve got a doctor that you like, you will be able to keep your doctor.”

However, in July 2013, the Obama administration said that people “may” be able to keep their doctor.

223) Falsely said the auto bailouts prevented Detroit from going bankrupt

Obama falsely stated that the auto bailouts prevented Detroit from going bankrupt.

224) Illegally seized a privately owned gun from a law abiding citizen

After a jury found George Zimmerman not guilty, the Obama administration announced that it would seize his gun. This violated the double jeopardy clause of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the takings clause of the fifth amendment.

225) Broke his promise to have real time verifiability of Obamacare subsidies

In July 2013, Investor’s Business Daily wrote:

Meanwhile, the administration tacitly admitted last week that its promise of real-time verification of a consumer’s eligibility to buy subsidized coverage at an ObamaCare exchange wasn’t exactly panning out.

Under ObamaCare, only those who don’t have access to “affordable” insurance at work can buy coverage in an exchange, and only those below certain income levels are eligible for tax subsidies.

Rather than a high-tech instant check, the administration told states they could simply take the applicants’ word for it when it comes to their employer-provided coverage, as well as their “projected annual household income,” without the need for “further verification.”

226) Signed health care reform whose rules contradicted each other

Obamacare allows insurance companies to charge higher premiums for smokers. At the same time, it prohibits insurance companies from charging more than three times as much for older people as it does for younger people. In June 2013, Obama’s computer programmers said that they had been unable to write a computer program that simultaneously agreed with both of these rules.

227) Signed a health care reform plan that is so horrible that even the IRS agents who run it don’t want to participate in it

Obama hired 16,500 new IRS agents to run Obamacare.

But Obamacare is so awful that even the IRS agents who run it don’t want to participate in it.

In July 2013, the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents the IRS employees who will be running Obamacare, provided a form letter to its members to send to their Congressmen. The letter stated:

“I am very concerned about legislation that has been introduced by Congressman Dave Camp to push federal employees out of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and into the insurance exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act.”

When asked about this, IRS chief Daniel Werfel responded by saying:

“I don’t want to speak for the NTEU, but I’ll offer a perspective as a federal employee myself and a federal employee at the IRS. And that is, we have right now as employees of the government, of the IRS, affordable health care coverage. I think the ACA was designed to provide an option or an alternative for individuals that do not. And all else being equal, I think if you’re an individual who is satisfied with your health care coverage, you’re probably in a better position to stick with that coverage than go through the change of moving into a different environment and going through that process. So I think for a federal employee, I think more likely, and I would — can speak for myself, I would prefer to stay with the current policy that I’m pleased with rather than go through a change if I don’t need to go through that change.”

228) Tried to tax small businesses at a higher rate than corporations

Obama raised the top tax rate on small businesses to 39.6%, and tried to lower the top tax rate on corporations to 28%.

229) Illegally prevented individual employees of small businesses from choosing their own plan during the first year of Obamacare

Obamacare requires that individual employees of small businesses be allowed to choose their own insurance plan during the first year of Obamacare. However, in March 2013, the Obama administration announced that it would not be allowing them to make this choice during the first year.

230) Falsely said that Obamacare had not hurt jobs

In July 2013, the Obama administration said that Obamacare had not hurt jobs.

However, in the real world, in response to the medical device tax that is part of Obamacare, some medical device manufacturers have announced plans to layoff employees, including Welch Allyn (275 planned layoffs), Stryker (1,170 planned layoffs), and Medtronic (1,000 planned layoffs). In December 2012, Al Franken, Elizabeth Warren, John Kerry, and 15 other Democrats who supported the passage of Obamacare wrote a letter to Harry Reid, asking him to delay the tax on medical devices, claiming that the tax would hurt job creation in their districts. The New York Times reported that Obamacare “sharply penalizes full-time employment in favor of part-time employment.” In response to the employer mandate of Obamacare, some restaurants have announced plans to switch some of their employees from full time to part time, including some franchises of Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, White Castle, and Fatburger. Community College of Allegheny County switched 200 professors and 200 other employees from full time to part time in response to Obamacare. Clint Benjamin, an English professor at Community College of Allegheny County, said that this would reduce his own monthly pay by $600. Also in response to the employer mandate of Obamacare, other colleges have announced plans to switch some of their employees from full time to part time, including Florida’s Palm Beach State College, Ohio’s Youngstown State University, and New Jersey’s Kean University. In Virginia, thousands of government employees had their hours reduced because of Obamacare. The Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh reduced the hours of 48 of its employees in response to Obamacare. Regal Entertainment Group, the largest chain of movie theaters in the country, announced that it would be switching thousands of its employees from full time to part time in response to the Obamacare mandate. Utah’s Granite School District reduced the hours of 1,200 of its employees in response to Obamacare. In response to Obamacare, many Wal-Mart stores have stopped hiring full time workers. In July 2013, leaders of the Teamsters, UFCW, and UNITE-HERE sent a letter to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi which said that Obamacare will “destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class… the law creates an incentive for employers to keep employees’ work hours below 30 hours a week. Numerous employers have begun to cut workers’ hours to avoid this obligation.”

231) Falsely said that health insurance premiums would be reduced by $2,500 per family by the end of his first term

In February 2008, Obama said:

“We are going to work with you to lower your premiums by $2,500. We will not wait 20 years from now to do it, or 10 years from now to do it. We will do it by the end of my first term as president.”

However, by the time his first term was over, family premiums had gotten bigger, not smaller. The increase was $3,065 per family.

232) Illegally gave Obamacare waiver to Massachusetts

In August 2013, Obama gave an Obamacare waiver to Massachusetts.

This waiver was illegal for two reasons. First, the waiver was not approved by the U.S. Congress. Second, the U.S. Constitution requires that the federal government treat all states the same.

233) Betrayed the unions that helped him to get elected

In January 2013, the Wall Street Journal reported:

Some Unions Grow Wary of Health Law They Backed

Labor unions enthusiastically backed the Obama administration’s health-care overhaul when it was up for debate. Now that the law is rolling out, some are turning sour.

Union leaders say many of the law’s requirements will drive up the costs for their health-care plans and make unionized workers less competitive. Among other things, the law eliminates the caps on medical benefits and prescription drugs used as cost-containment measures in many health-care plans. It also allows children to stay on their parents’ plans until they turn 26.

Some 20 million Americans are covered by the health-care plans at issue

Top officers at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the AFL-CIO and other large labor groups plan to keep pressing the Obama administration to expand the federal subsidies to these jointly run plans, warning that unionized employers may otherwise drop coverage. A handful of unions say they already have examined whether it makes sense to shift workers off their current plans

“We are going back to the administration to say that this is not acceptable,” said Ken Hall, general secretary-treasurer for the Teamsters, which has 1.6 million members and dependents in health-care plans. Other unions involved in the push include the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and Unite Here

Sheet Metal Workers Local 85 in Atlanta, which has about 1,900 members. Next year it must lift the $250,000 annual cap on the amount it will pay for medical claims. The law’s requirements will add between 50 cents to $1 an hour to the cost of members’ compensation package

234) Illegally changed Obamacare to benefit members of Congress and their staff

Obamacare was passed by the House and Senate, and signed by President Obama.

Three years later, members of Congress and their staff complained that Obamacare was going to cost them a lot of money, and said that this would likely cause a brain drain among their staff. In response to this, Obama made changes to Obamacare so that these things would not happen. However, Obama’s actions were illegal, because he made these changes without Congress voting on them first.

235) Told General Mills to stop making true claims about Cheerios

For quite some time, advertisements for the breakfast cereal Cheerios made the true and accurate claim that eating Cheerios lowers a person’s cholesterol.

However, even though this claim is true and accurate, in May 2009, the Obama administration ordered General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, to stop making this claim in its commercials.

236) Illegally avoided enforcing the required income verification of people who receive subsidies for Obamacare exchanges

Even though Obamacare requires the government to verify the income of people who receive subsidies for Obamacare exchanges, in August 2013 it was reported that Obama would not be verifying their incomes.

237) Placed a 40% tax on so-called “Cadillac” insurance plans

Obamacare includes a 40% tax on so-called “Cadillac” insurance plans. In August 2013, unions that supported the passage of Obamacare complained about this tax.

238) Made medical care for special needs children more expensive

In August 2013, it was reported that Obamacare would make it more expensive for the parents of special needs children to pay for their children’s medical equipment and specialized private schools that cater to their medical needs.

239) Responded to the Benghazi attack by going back to bed, and then later got up and headed off to Las Vegas for a fundraiser

In September 2012, after Obama found out that U.S. citizens were being killed in Benghazi, Libya, he went back to bed. After he got up in the morning, he went off to Las Vegas for a fundraiser.

240) Illegally delayed the caps on out of pocket health care payments without Congressional approval

As it was passed by the House and Senate and signed by Obama, Obamacare sets caps on the out of pocket payments that people pay for health care, and these caps were legally required to take effect in January 2014.

However, in August 2013, Obama delayed these caps until January 2015.

Because Obama imposed this delay without it first being approved by Congress, Obama’s action was illegal. The President does not have the legal authority to change an Act that was passed by Congress, without that change first being approved by Congress. What Obama did here is not the act of a President whose power is limited by a written constitution, but is, instead, the action of a dictator.

241) Holds a double standard when it comes to supporting “gun free” zones

In December 2012, a petition at whitehouse.gov stated:

“Eliminate armed guards for the President, Vice-President, and their families, and establish Gun Free Zones around them”

“Gun Free Zones are supposed to protect our children, and some politicians wish to strip us of our right to keep and bear arms. Those same politicians and their families are currently under the protection of armed Secret Service agents. If Gun Free Zones are sufficient protection for our children, then Gun Free Zones should be good enough for politicians.”

The Obama administration rejected the proposal.

242) Outlawed the low-premium, high-deductible health insurance that some people prefer

In August 2013, it was reported that Obamacare would bring an end to the low-premium, high-deductible health insurance that some people prefer.

243) Lied about how many people he had helped to protect from mortgage fraud

In August 2013, it was reported that less than one month before the 2012 election, the Obama administration had lied about the number of people that it had helped to protect from mortgage fraud, as well as the total amount of money involved. In August 2013, when the truth was revealed, Newsbusters reported:

“Thus, the number of defendants fell by 80% from what DOJ claimed less than a month before the presidential election. The number of victims fell by 76%. The amount of losses involved dropped by over 90%.”

244) Falsely said the NSA review was being conducted by an “independent” body

In August 2013, Obama said that he would establish an “independent” investigation of NSA surveillance.

However, three days later, it was reported that this so-called “independent” investigation would be run by James Clapper, who had falsely testified to Congress that the NSA was not collecting information on U.S. citizens.

245) Used tax money to pay for a separate flight just for his dog

In August 2013, Obama forced taxpayers to pay for a separate airplane flight just for his dog Bo.

246) Closed off public roads so he could buy books

In August 2013, Obama had public roads closed to the public so he could go to a bookstore. Why didn’t he just order the books online?

247) Gave illegal EPA exemption to one oil refinery, and would not say which refinery it was

The EPA has a very expensive ethanol mandate that applies to all oil refineries.  However, in August 2013, it was reported that Obama had given one oil refinery an exemption from this mandate.

This exemption is illegal for two reasons. First, the exemption was not approved by Congress. And secondly, the Constitution requires that federal laws apply equally to everyone.

In addition, Obama refused to say which refinery it was that received this exemption, which is completely contrary to his repeated promises of “transparency.”

248) Created new fines for charitable hospitals that give treatment to uninsured people

In August 2013, it was reported that Obamacare creates new fines for charitable hospitals that give treatment to uninsured people.

249) Blamed poverty on zip codes instead of on behavior

In July 2013, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said:

“Unfortunately, in too many of our hardest-hit communities, no matter how hard a child or her parents work, the life chances of that child, even her lifespan, is determined by the ZIP Code she grows up in. This is simply wrong.”

However, let’s consider two groups of people in the U.S. The first group has a poverty rate of 2%. The second group has a poverty rate of 76%.

The first group consists of people who followed all three of these steps:

1) Finish high school.

2) Get a full-time job.

3) Wait until age 21 and get married before having children.

The second group consists of people who followed zero of those three steps.

Among people who follow all three of these steps, the poverty rate is 2%.

Among people who follow zero of these steps, the poverty rate is 76%.

(My source for that information is this article, which refers to this PDF, and the relevant data is on page 15 of the PDF. The study uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau.)

250) Nominated a telecommunications lobbyist and Obama fundraiser to head the FCC

In May 2013, Obama nominated Tom Wheeler to head the FCC. Wheeler had previously been the head of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, which is a lobbying organization for the cable TV industry. He had also been the head of CTIA, a lobbying organization for cellphone carriers. In addition, he had also been a fundraiser for Obama.

251) Tried to violate defendants’ right to a fair trial

In August 2013, Reuters reported:

A secretive U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration unit is funneling information from intelligence intercepts, wiretaps, informants and a massive database of telephone records to authorities across the nation to help them launch criminal investigations of Americans.

Although these cases rarely involve national security issues, documents reviewed by Reuters show that law enforcement agents have been directed to conceal how such investigations truly begin – not only from defense lawyers but also sometimes from prosecutors and judges.

The undated documents show that federal agents are trained to “recreate” the investigative trail to effectively cover up where the information originated, a practice that some experts say violates a defendant’s Constitutional right to a fair trial. If defendants don’t know how an investigation began, they cannot know to ask to review potential sources of exculpatory evidence – information that could reveal entrapment, mistakes or biased witnesses.

“I have never heard of anything like this at all,” said Nancy Gertner, a Harvard Law School professor who served as a federal judge from 1994 to 2011. Gertner and other legal experts said the program sounds more troubling than recent disclosures that the National Security Agency has been collecting domestic phone records. The NSA effort is geared toward stopping terrorists; the DEA program targets common criminals, primarily drug dealers.

“It is one thing to create special rules for national security,” Gertner said. “Ordinary crime is entirely different. It sounds like they are phonying up investigations.”

252) Threatened internet service providers with contempt of court if they did not install surveillance software

In August 2013, it was reported that the Obama administration had pressured internet service providers to install surveillance software, so that it could monitor internet traffic without a warrant. Internet service providers who did not cave in to this pressure were threatened by the Obama administration with contempt of court.  This violated the Constitution’s ban on warrantless searches. In addition, the executive branch does not have the legal authority to declare contempt of court, as this power is reserved exclusively for the judicial branch.

 

 

http://danfromsquirrelhill.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/obama-252/