(2) Disgrace: Shutdown Preventing Payment of Death Gratuity to Families of Fallen Troops - Hot Air - A travesty, needless to say, although it appears to be more the result of a drafting error than any sort of oversight or deliberate snub. Remember, the one exception to the Democrats’ rule about not agreeing to small GOP funding bills targeted at individual departments is the military. Congress passed a bill on the eve of the shutdown to make sure that troops continued to get paid. Per Blackfive, House Armed Services Committee chair Buck McKeon issued a statement saying that he thought the bill covered all sorts of military payments, including the roughly $100,000 “death gratuity” paid to the family of a fallen soldier. Quote: “Without question, that was our clear intent.” And no doubt it was. Why on earth would they agree to pay troops in the field but not the bereaved families of the fallen? If they’re terrified of the politics of American soldiers going unpaid, imagine their terror at the thought of wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, and above all children being left momentarily broke due to a soldier being killed in action. Read more........
Related Shutdown News:
Good News: National Mall, Ostensibly Closed due to Shutdown - was Open Tuesday for Immigration Rally. Read article.........
(3) The Death Spiral Begins - The Obamacare Software Monstrosity is Now in its 2nd Week. Read Stats on User's Experiences and Information You Need to Know About What Assets Will be Taxed - American Thinker........As a retired computer systems manager, I am always fascinated by large, complex software systems that fail -- such as the Federal ObamaCare "insurance exchange" currently being rolled out at HealthCare.gov. This software monstrosity is now in its second week, and most people trying to use it still can't get into the system, or else they can't create an account on it, or their account information is lost. I, and you, can follow this unfolding disaster at any time in the comments section on HealthCare.gov's own Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/Healthcare.gov. (You do not need a Facebook account to view this page.)......The tax to be paid in 2016 and beyond is a minimum of $695 per adult and $347.50 per dependent child per year for "household income" of $45,960 or less (in 2013 dollars) for individuals, and $94,200 or less (in 2013 dollars) for families (of 2 adults, 2 kids). For incomes above $45,960 or $94,200 (2013 dollars), the tax will be 2.5% of household income with no maximum limit. "Household income" is "adjusted gross income," as shown on Line 37 of IRS Form 1040, plus any "nontaxable" income shown on Line 8b, plus any income earned by your dependent children. Note that when the 2.5% rate cuts in, ObamaCare taxes municipal bond and other income normally exempt from income tax, and it taxes Social Security benefits, which are generally income-tax-free to retirees on limited incomes. The law also taxes "qualified dividends" which are income tax-free to families in the lower income-tax brackets. And it taxes your working kids' incomes. If this seem like a highly-regressive tax to you -- it is. Read more.......
(4) Armed Rangers Forced Senior Citizen Tourists to Stay Inside their Hotel During Yellowstone Visit Because of Shutdown - Hot Air - No one’s going to pay for this. Even if it involves a ranger with a gun warning your grandma to get back in her hotel and away from the scenery. The bus stopped along a road when a large herd of bison passed nearby, and seniors filed out to take photos. Almost immediately, an armed ranger came by and ordered them to get back in, saying they couldn’t “recreate.” The tour guide, who had paid a $300 fee the day before to bring the group into the park, argued that the seniors weren’t “recreating,” just taking photos. “She responded and said, ‘Sir, you are recreating,’ and her tone became very aggressive,” Vaillancourt said. The seniors quickly filed back onboard and the bus went to the Old Faithful Inn, the park’s premier lodge located adjacent to the park’s most famous site, Old Faithful geyser. That was as close as they could get to the famous site — barricades were erected around Old Faithful, and the seniors were locked inside the hotel, where armed rangers stayed at the door. Read more........
Related Articles - Direct Links:
(1) Priest: Obama Administration Denied Mass to Catholics - CBNk News.........
(2) Limbaugh's Scathing Reaction to Obama's 'Dead Wrong' Debt Ceiling Press Conference - Have We Ever Had a More Dishonest President? - The Blaze........
(3) Obamacare Marketplace: Personal Data can be used for 'Law Enforcement and Audit Activities - Weekly Standard......
(4) National Park Service Gone Wild - Stranding Children at Their School, Unable to Get Home - American Thinker........
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