The ShutDown is ABSOLUTELY a #GOPShutDown
My Previous reports on GOP and economy
GOP and food stamps
GOP ""small govt"" see War On Drugs
GOP--debt reduction NOT THEIR GOAL---its GOVT reduction
Romney and BAIN versus Obama and Solyndra
Congress is the one on Welfare and Food Stamps
Norquist's REAL goal
Filibuster Reform
the TEA Party
GOP on the economy
REMEMBER THE RECESSION
GOP on taxes
THE TRUTH ABOUT TAXES (NOT MINE, just a great source that shows differences between tax rates and revenues)
Our ""immoral debt""
Martin Gross on Government Waste
Top 10
I've got This Version from 1992
The Govt Racket--Waste from A to Z
Govt Racket--Waste from A to Z, from 2000 and beyond
Article on Gross' works
Book review larger version
Obituary Martin Gross
CSPAN video interview Clip
CSPAN FULL INTERVIEW
The GOP and Tea Party have been for small government as their ideology forever-----that is their party goal----small government, less taxes to pay for government, give more to the states, take away power from the federal government, etc.
So now the Tea Party and GOP shut down the government, with Ted Cruz's FAUXlibuster, Boehner and the House refusing to appoint members to a conference committee on the Senate Budget since April, screaming against Obamacare and Obama since he was the nominee in 2008!!! and now they try to blame the DEMOCRATS for the #GOPShutDown??!!! I'd laugh if it was funny----but it's outrageous.
2010---Tea Party runs on shutting down government link here
The federal shutdown this week represents the culmination of a sustained attack by a group of conservative Republicans on the size and scope of government that has been years in the making.
A core group of House Republicans elected in the tea party wave of 2010 has largely succeeded in its aim of scaling back federal spending, despite fervent opposition from President Obama and the Democratic controlled Senate.
House Blocked Senate Budget Bill Since April, called for Conference at last minute link here
July 1st, Just a few months ago, Republicans were eager to go to conference, but once they got what they wished for, Republican leadership ran as fast as they could in the other direction. Over the past 100 days, Republican leadership has followed a Tea Party-backed strategy of obstruction, and has offered up excuse after excuse for blocking conference and ignoring regular order.
link here
As of midnight, the federal government shut down after Congress was unable to come to an agreement and pass a continuing resolution to keep it funded. After the House passed a slew of funding bills with amendments attached to delay and defund Obamacare, the lawmakers switched gears right before recessing for the evening and formally requested a budget conference with the Senate. A conference would mean convening a group of bipartisan lawmakers from both houses, or a conference committee, to work out a compromise between their competing visions for what a government budget should look like.
But House Republicans have had an opportunity to conference with the Senate since April. That’s when lawmakers in the Senate, led by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), passed a budget and opened the door to create a committee to hash out the differences between that bill and the House budget, which it passed in March. Republicans had made the lack of a Democratic Senate budget
a talking point for three years, arguing that Congress should return to “regular order” by passing budgets in both chambers and conferencing to work out the differences. Yet after the Senate passed a bill and the opportunity to do so became real,
Senate Republicans blocked Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) from creating a conference committee.
September 20 The House votes to eliminate financing for the Affordable Care Act--the back and forth that led to ShutDown---STARTING with GOP House and vote to defund Obamacare
link here
80 Tea Party members write letter to Boehner to defund Obamacare and include in spending bill
letter here article here
Meadows was not pleased with how Boehner and his fellow Republican leaders in the House were approaching the September fight over spending. The annual appropriations to fund the government were scheduled to run out on October 1st, and much of it would stop operating unless Congress passed a new law. Meadows wanted Boehner to use the threat of a government shutdown to defund Obamacare, a course Boehner had publicly ruled out.
By the Way---""Other organizations"" targeted by IRS means LIBERAL ones GOP letter link here link here
House is in GOP control, but not because Americans voted that way link here
Republicans Stand their ground on Obamacare link here
GOP on ShutDown---we're happy, we got what we wanted link here (and PLEASE ignore all the Nuclear Energy ads in between the article----Ugh, Wow)
MORE PROOF this is the #GOPShutDownlink hereRand Paul and Mitch McConnelll Open Mic During the brief exchange, Paul suggested that Republicans would sound more reasonable if they struck a conciliatory tone on government funding than Democrats, who maintain that they won’t alter Obamacare as a condition of reopening the government.
“I think if we keep saying, ‘We wanted to defund it, we fought for that, but now we’re willing to compromise on this,’ Paul said. “I know we don’t want to be here, but we’re going to win this I think.”
Congressional HealthCare Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP)
CRS report
There are 230 different health plans available in FEHBP for the 2013 plan year.
Out of the 230 plans available through FEHBP, an enrollee’s choice is typically limited to 10 to
15 different plans, depending on where the individual resides
All FEHBP plans cover a range of benefits, including hospital, surgical, physician, mental health,
prescription drug, catastrophic, and emergency care. There are variations in the amount the plans
pay for each benefit, the coverage of specific services, and the extent to which they protect
enrollees from the risk of catastrophic medical bills.
The federal government and enrollees share the cost of the premiums for FEHBP plans. The
government’s contribution to premiums is set at 72% of the weighted average premium of all
plans in the program, not to exceed 75% of any given plan’s premium.
The percentage of premiums paid by the government is calculated separately for individual and family coverage, but each uses the same formula. Annuitants and active employees pay the same premium amounts, although active employees have the option of paying premiums on a pre-tax basis.
Govt Pays Employee Pays Total Premium
Self $184.06 $80.74 $264.80
Family $410.92 $178.24 $589.16
As FEHBP is the largest employer-sponsored health insurance program in the United States, it is
difficult to compare FEHBP to health benefits offered by other employers. Any comparison must
be limited to large employers in the private sector and state and local governments.
large firms with more than 200 employees, 55% offered one plan, 37% offered two plans, and 8% offered three or more plans. For firms with more than 5,000 employees, a subset of the aforementioned group of large firms, 26% offered one plan, 49% offered two plans, and 25% offered three or more plans.
large firms, on average employers paid 82% of the premium for single plans and 75% of the premium for family plans for current employees
state and local government employers of all sizes, on average employers paid 88% of the
premium for single coverage and 76% of the premium for family coverage for current
employees.
Dental and vision benefits are available to active federal employees and annuitants through the
Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program.
Enrollees are responsible for 100% of the premiums. To continue or obtain FEDVIP coverage in retirement, an employee does not have to participate in FEDVIP prior to retirement.
The [Affordable Care Act, Obamacare]
exchanges will not be insurers, but will
provide a marketplace for eligible individuals and small businesses to purchase private health insurance plans. For more information on the exchanges, see
CRS Report R42663,
Health Insurance Exchanges Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), by Bernadette Fernandez and Annie L. Mach.
Darrel Issa pushes Obamacare----secretly
So Darrel Issa has been tweeting ""Replace Obamacare with FEHBP"" BUT in fact Obamacare will be replacing FEHBP---so why is he pushing a program that's ending???
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