Change: Police departments having trouble finding ammo

When the government meddles in things, there are always unintended consequences... 

Via CNS:

The nationwide shortage of ammunition has left many police departments scrambling to get their hands on the necessary rounds – with some even bartering among each other.
Meanwhile, Rep. Timothy Huelskamp (R-Kansas) says the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has failed to respond to multiple members of Congress asking why DHS bought more than 1.6 billion rounds in the past year.

Police Chief Cameron Arthur of Jenks, Oklahoma says, “Ammunition and assault weapons in general have skyrocketed…In addition to the fact, not only is it a lot more expensive, but the time to get it could be six months to a year, or in some cases even longer.”

Arthur says he is waiting on an order placed last October and that many departments have begun to trade and barter with each other because of the high demand.

“Most police departments are having a very difficult time even getting the necessary ammunition for handguns, shotguns and especially rifles,” Arthur said.

“With the delay in ammunition, some departments are limiting the number of rounds they carry in their handgun because of the shortage of ammunition. We get to the point where it is difficult to have enough ammo to train and also equip the officers.”

Keep on reading…

Another democrat shows off his stimulus...

This time it's a Massachusetts State Representative and he, reportedly, used a government computer...

Via The Daily Mail:

A state representative in Massachussetts is being investigated after allegedly sending pictures of his genitals to a government computer.

The investigation is ongoing and the committee has not formally reprimanded the individual in charge, but it is being widely reported that Democratic State Representative John Fresolo is the one behind the scandal.

He allegedly sent ‘lascivious photos of his privates’ to a computer at the State House, and an aide complained to the Ethics Committee to start the investigation.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo has not confirmed any accusations in the case except that he did say there was ‘sufficient cause’ for an investigation.

‘In order to protect the integrity of the Ethics Committee investigation, Speaker DeLeo will have no further comment on this matter,’ spokesman Seth Gitell said.

Local blogs and radio hosts have taken the case further, saying that it was definitely Fresolo who sent the salacious pictures.

Though he was curt and dismissive when a reporter from The Republican newspaper called him, he did not deny the claims.

Keep on reading…

That $2500 Obamacare insurance savings may actually be a 116% rate hike...

The more we learn what is in Obamacare, the more we hate it...

Via WSJ:

Health insurers are privately warning brokers that premiums for many individuals and small businesses could increase sharply next year because of the health-care overhaul law, with the nation’s biggest firm projecting that rates could more than double for some consumers buying their own plans.

The projections, made in sessions with brokers and agents, provide some of the most concrete evidence yet of how much insurance companies might increase prices when major provisions of the law kick in next year—a subject of rigorous debate.[...]

The individual market includes about 15 million people, and around 18% of the roughly 149 million with employer coverage were at small companies, according to 2011 figures from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The individual market is expected to grow to around 35 million people by 2016 as a result of the law.

In a private presentation to brokers late last month, UnitedHealth Group Inc.,  the nation’s largest carrier, said premiums for some consumers buying their own plans could go up as much as 116%, and small-business rates as much as 25% to 50%. The company said the estimates were driven in part by growing medical costs not directly tied to the law. It also cited the law’s requirements that health status not affect rates and that plans include certain minimum benefits and limits to out-of-pocket charges, among other things.

Obamacare to cost small businesses 3.2 million full-time jobs

Well, now we know part of what's in it....Job losses...

Via The Examiner:

Over one-third of the 9.1 million full-time jobs among America's diverse business franchises could be cut back or eliminated by Obamacare as small businesses struggle to maintain profitability while coughing up money to pay for Washington-mandated health care coverage, according to the International Franchise Association.

The threat of hitting 3.2 million full-time workers as the Affordable Care Act takes effect next year is prompting the owners of fast food restaurants, service companies and other franchises to urge Congress to make significant changes in Obamacare.

To help their cause, the association on Friday released a new state-by-state breakdown on the potential impact on jobs in the bull's eye of Obamacare, which declares that a 30-hour week is full-time, not the industry accepted 40 hours. That 10-hour difference has thousands of franchise owners scrambling to either fund healthcare for those working 30 hours, or cut hours back to below 30 hours. Keep on reading...

BTW, Democrats claimed Obamacare would create jobs...

VP Joe Biden one night in Paris: $585,000.50...

Still no WH tours for kids...

Via The Weekly Standard:

As it turns out, Vice President Joe Biden’s London stay in February was not the most expensive part of his trip. A government document released on February 14, 2013 shows that the contract for the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand came in at $585,000.50.

Funny Political Cartoon of the Day...

twitter.com/FoolishReporte…
— Hugh Briss (@FoolishReporter) March 22, 2013

Your tax dollars at work: Obama gifting $200 million to Jordan...

The White house is still closed to children's tours...

AMMAN, Jordan — President Barack Obama said he and King Abdullah II haven’t reached an answer about what to do on Syria, but he promised $200 million in new humanitarian aid Friday to help the government here manage the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees from Bashar al-Assad’s regime who’ve entered the country.

Reiterating that he sees the question of Assad’s toppling as a when, not if, he also warned about the possibility of anti-American, terrorist forces taking power in the aftermath.
“I am very concerned about Syria becoming an enclave for extremism. Because extremists thrive in chaos, they thrive in failed states, they thrive in power vacuums,” Obama said during his joint press conference with the Jordanian leader. “They don’t have much to offer when it comes to actually building things.”

The violence in Syria has been “heartbreaking,” Obama said , adding that the continued loss of civilian life, “should compel all of us to say, ‘what more can we do?’”
Noting that he was waiting to see the results of a United Nations investigation into whether Assad’s military had used chemical weapons, Obama reiterated that if so, this would constitute the crossing of a red line which would require a change in American involvement.

Surprise" Al Gore thinks it's time for a carbon tax...

There you have it. The Goracle has spoken...

“Time has come” for a carbon tax — Al Gore

Last weekend, the Financial Times published a must-read editorial on the need for a national carbon tax:

“Taxes are always a regrettable necessity, but some are less regrettable than others. A tax that strengthens energy security and cuts pollution, while minimising the damage done to employment and investment, is one of the least regrettable of all.”

“Yet a carbon tax, which has all those characteristics, is struggling to find support from the US administration or in Congress. It deserves much wider enthusiasm.”

“One of the few uncontroversial conclusions of economics is that it is better to tax “bads” than “goods”. Wages and profits are desirable objectives, and governments have no good excuse for obstructing them. They are taxed largely for reasons of convenience, at the cost of disincentives to wage-earning and profitmaking that are a drag on the economy.”

“Energy consumption, on the other hand, is not an objective for anyone. Indeed, the negative externalities of energy use, including local pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, mean that, other things being equal, an economy that burns less fuel is better off.”