Drastic Measures

Taxing
In the budget proposal that Mr. Hickenlooper released Wednesday, his office said the state could collect about $134 million in taxes from recreational and medical marijuana for the fiscal year beginning in July. He proposed to spend $99 million on programs including substance-abuse treatment, preventing marijuana use by children and teenagers, public health and law enforcement. (New York Times, 2/21/2014)

Only Democrats could come up with this: legalize dope; collect $134 million in taxes on dope: spend $99 million on anti-dope programs. It defies common sense, but that is what Dems do.


Limiting
Cities, counties, public schools and community colleges around the country have limited or reduced the work hours of part-time employees to avoid having to provide them with health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, state and local officials say. (New York Times, 2/20/2014)

Wonder why this was not the front page headline of every paper and website? 

Answer: When the public sector mimics the private sector it is not good news for Democrats.


Lesser
President Obama will drop from his latest budget request a plan to use a less-generous measure of inflation when calculating Social Security cost-of-living increases, according to White House officials. (Washington Post, 2/20/2014)

How serious are Democrats about entitlement reform? 

Answer: Not at all.


Ruler
A Nebraska judge ruled Wednesday that the state violated its constitution when it allowed the governor to approve the route of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, a decision that could significantly delay the $5.3 billion project. (Washington Post, 2/19/2014)

Liberal judges ruining America. Gives Obama cover though, doesn't it?


Discord
The United States informed its NATO allies this month that Russia had tested a new ground-launched cruise missile, raising concerns about Moscow’s compliance with a landmark arms control accord. (New York Times, 1/29/2014)

Why did Putin stick it to Obama? 

Answer: He knows him.


Flex
The Obama administration said it would postpone enforcement of a federal requirement for medium-size employers to provide health insurance to employees and allow larger employers more flexibility in how they provide coverage. (New York Times, 2/11/2014)

Next in line for an Obamacare delay: employers in-between "medium-sized" and "larger."


Untimely
For Obama, now is not the time for defensiveness. His current difficulties owe less to Obamacare’s early problems than to a broader alienation fostered by the Republicans’ ability to block government efforts to ease widespread economic stress. (E.J. Dionne, Jr., Washington Post, 1/26/2014)

Question for Dionne. How out-of-touch does an op-ed writer have to be to say that Obama's low popularity is NOT the fault of Obamacare, but rather is the fault of Republicans?

An honest writer might say the following:

It is not only that the president’s political support is diminished; it is diminished, in large part, because of his main political achievement, the Affordable Care Act. Because of the way the law was sold — “you can keep your plan” — Americans have questions about Obama’s credibility. Because of the way it has been implemented — “the system is down at the moment” — they have questions about his competence. In a recent Quinnipiac University poll, a plurality of American voters doubts that Obama is “honest and trustworthy,” and a majority believes the Obama administration is not competent at running the government. (Michael Gerson, Washington Post, 1/27/2014)


Finding
Former Mayor C. Ray Nagin of New Orleans was found guilty on Wednesday of accepting payoffs for city contracts, becoming the first leader in the city’s history to be charged and convicted of corruption. (New York Times, 2/12/2014)

President George W. Bush will now accept your apologies for all criticism directed at him in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Tossed Upon Cloudy Seas

Barry v. Bill
Even after Mr. Obama named Mrs. Clinton as secretary of state, seemingly binding the wounds from their hard-fought 2008 primary campaign, the book says, he still could barely endure spending much time with the often-exhausting Bill Clinton. 
...
Mr. Obama succinctly expressed his view of Mr. Clinton to an aide after coming off the course at Andrews Air Force Base. “Obama grimaced and replied, ‘I like him ... in doses,’ ” the authors write.
...
“Clinton held Obama captive in the presidential limo” outside a fund-raiser at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, the authors write, grabbing Mr. Obama’s hand as he reached for the door. Instead of having a one-on-one meal together that night, as was planned, Mr. Obama, unable to “handle any more undiluted Clinton,” invited aides from both of their staffs to join the dinner and talked to them about their children, rather than talking about politics with his predecessor. (NYT, 11/1/2013)

Once Obama is no longer politically relevant (which could be any time starting now until the end of his term) Bill Clinton is going to avenge Obama's slights. It is going to be great fun to watch him unload with an exhaustive catalog of his advice and warnings, all of which were ignored by Obama. 


Road Trip
Abortion clinic owners and women’s health advocates said the decision would have catastrophic effects because as many as 13 of the 36 clinics providing abortions in the state would have to stop doing so immediately, forcing women in large swaths of Texas to travel several hours on at least two days to obtain abortions. (NYT, 11/1/2013)

People routinely travel several hours for surgery and other medical care. Liberals are upset because the Texas law makes it more difficult to site an abortion clinic on every corner. War on women!


The Best of Obamacare Funnies
“I don't think the website not being able to sign up six people is a problem with Republicans not liking Obamacare,” Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Friday on MSNBC. “It has to do with incompetency at HHS and a president who is totally aloof, doesn't know what's going on, and finds out his news at the same time you and I do. That's the problem.” (NBCNews.com, 11/1/2013)

... it is not politically insignificant that the largest recent expansion of government should exactly confirm the worst stereotypes of government. (Michael Gerson, Washington Post, 10/31/2013)

Gerson goes on to describe the Obamacare roll-out as a "face plant." 

That is a funny line!

“Obama lied and the individual market died.” (Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post, 10/31/2013)

Also good!

Escape Plan
The (IPCC) report also finds other sweeping impacts from climate change already occurring across the planet, and warns that these are likely to intensify as human emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise. The scientists describe a natural world in turmoil as plants and animals colonize new areas to escape rising temperatures, and warn that many could become extinct. (NYT, 11/2/2013)

Wow, plants and animals colonizing new areas! Those things have never happened before. 

Oh wait, yes they have.