460) Spent $1.5 million to help women in Brazil quit smoking
In August 2013, it was reported that the Obama administration would be spending $1.5 million to help women in Brazil quit smoking.
461) “NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds”
In August 2013, the Washington Post reported:
NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds
The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents.
Most of the infractions involve unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the United States, both of which are restricted by statute and executive order.
The NSA audit obtained by The Post, dated May 2012, counted 2,776 incidents in the preceding 12 months of unauthorized collection, storage, access to or distribution of legally protected communications.
462) Announced plans to illegally regulate greenhouse gas emissions without approval from Congress
In August 2013, the Obama administration announced that it planned to regulate greenhouse gas emissions without approval from Congress. Without approval from Congress, Obama’s actions would be illegal.
463) Refused to answer question about whether or not people who don’t buy insurance should be put in jail
The Obama administration argued in front of the Supreme Court that the Obamacare mandate was a tax. Obama hired 16,500 new IRS agents to run Obamacare. In this video, ABC News asked Obama whether or not he thinks that people who don’t buy insurance should be put in jail. Obama refused to answer the question. Even after the interviewer asked Obama the question a second time, Obama still refused to answer it.
464) An estimated 70% of California doctors will not participate in Obamacare
In December 2013, the California Medical Association estimated that 70% of California doctors would not be participating in Obamacare.
465) California’s Obamacare website gave out the contact information of tens of thousands of people without their permission
In December 2013, it was reported that California’s Obamacare website had given private insurance agents the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of tens of thousands of people without their permission.
466) Made it easy for a future Republican President to give every U.S. citizen a permanent Obamacare waiver, without approval from Congress
The President does not have any legal authority to change the law without those changes first being approved by Congress. However, this list contains many examples of Obama making changes to Obamacare without approval from Congress. Some of these changes involve Obama giving Obamacare waivers to unions who supported the passage of Obamacare. Other changes include Obama delaying certain parts of Obamacare. Obama made these changes illegally, because they were not approved by Congress. With a small number of exceptions, Democrats have not criticized Obama for doing this.
Therefore, in the future, if a Republican President were to give permanent Obamacare waivers to every U.S. citizens without approval from Congress, the vast majority of Democrats would be hypocrites if they objected to it.
467) Obamacare encourages patients to rig the system to rip off doctors, repeatedly, year after year after year
In November 2013, Forbes reported:
Obamacare has… a 90-day grace period. This means people can buy an Obamacare policy, have costly procedures done and then cancel the policy within 90 days. If the cancellation comes during the first 30 days, the insurer is responsible for trying to collect payment, but after that, doctors are on their own. They would have to spend time and money chasing patients for payments. California Healthline reported that deadbeats “would not receive a fine, a premium rate increase or a repayment order. They also would not be barred from purchasing another subsidized plan during the next enrollment period.” No other type of health insurance has a 90-day grace period like this.
468) Tech experts said that a properly working Obamacare website should not have cost more than $10 million, whereas the defective version built by Michelle Obama’s incompetent Princeton classmate had actually cost $634 million
Instead of hiring competent programmers to create the Obamacare website, Obama hired CGI Federal, a company that was run by Toni Townes-Whitley, who attended Princeton University with Michelle Obama. When the defective Obamacare website went online on October 1, 2013, it had already cost $634 million.
However, David Kennedy, president of the technology firm TrustedSec, said that even if the Obamacare website had worked properly, it should not have cost more than $10 million. Luke Chung, president and founder of the technology firm FMS, said he agreed with Mr. Kennedy.
469) Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer, and several other Democratic Senators who voted for Obamacare, have exempted their own staff from Obamacare
In December 2013, Yahoo News reported:
Harry Reid exempts some of his Senate staff from Obamacare exchanges
One of the biggest public supporters of the Affordable Care Act has reportedly decided that some of his staff should be exempted from the new law.
CNN reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the only top congressional leader to exempt some of his staff from having to buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Yahoo News has reached out to the offices of all 100 U.S. senators to see if any other members have exempted committee staff from the federal exchange. So far, the offices of 42 senators have responded to our inquiry, with 37 saying that the senator and their entire staff will switch over to the exchanges in January.
The offices of Ron Wyden, Tim Johnson, Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray and Thomas Carper, all Democrats, said they were exempting some of their staff. Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, has not responded.
470) In a contest for videos to promote Obamacare, the Obama administration gave first prize to a video called “Forget About the Price Tag”
The Obama administration held a contest where it asked people to make videos to support Obamacare. The Obama administration awarded first prize to a video called “Forget About the Price Tag.” The video can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpRNAkG-Nx0
471) Broke his promise to have the Obamacare website fixed by November 30, 2013
On October 25, 2013, White House spokesman Jeffrey Zients said:
“By the end of November, the vast majority of consumers will be able to successfully and smoothly enroll through Healthcare.gov”
However, on December 1, 2013, the New York Times reported:
Insurers Claim Health Website Is Still Flawed
The problem is that the systems that are supposed to deliver consumer information to insurers still have not been fixed. And with coverage for many people scheduled to begin in just 30 days, insurers are worried the repairs may not be completed in time.
“Until the enrollment process is working from end to end, many consumers will not be able to enroll in coverage,” said Karen M. Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group.
The issues are vexing and complex. Some insurers say they have been deluged with phone calls from people who believe they have signed up for a particular health plan, only to find that the company has no record of the enrollment.
472) Democratic aides who supported the passage of Obamacare said their new Obamacare premiums are “simply unacceptable”
In December 2013, Politico reported:
Older Hill aides shocked by Obamacare prices
Veteran House Democratic aides are sick over the insurance prices they’ll pay under Obamacare, and they’re scrambling to find a cure.
“In a shock to the system, the older staff in my office (folks over 59) have now found out their personal health insurance costs (even with the government contribution) have gone up 3-4 times what they were paying before,” Minh Ta, chief of staff to Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), wrote to fellow Democratic chiefs of staff in an email message obtained by POLITICO. “Simply unacceptable.”
In the email, Ta noted that older congressional staffs may leave their jobs because of the change to their health insurance.
473) Members of Congress and their staff are exempt from the income limits for Obamacare subsidies that apply to everyone else
Most people are eligible for Obamacare subsidies only if their income is no more than 400% of the poverty level. For a family of four, 400% of the poverty level is $94,200. A family of four with income higher than that amount it not eligible for an Obamacare subsidy.
However, members of Congress and their staff are exempt from this limit. Members of Congress are paid $174,000 a year. Because of their special exemption, a middle aged member of Congress who is married and has children, will get a special Obamacare subsidy of $10,000.
474) Obamacare website often doesn’t tell insurance companies about customers who “bought” insurance
On December 1, 2013, the New York Times reported:
Some insurers say they have been deluged with phone calls from people who believe they have signed up for a particular health plan, only to find that the company has no record of the enrollment.
475) Obama’s nominee to head the IRS has “little tax experience”
In December 2013, Reuters reported:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Senate panel hearing on President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Internal Revenue Service was set to resume Wednesday after it was abruptly halted on Tuesday at a Republican senator’s request, committee aides said.
John Koskinen, a 74-year-old lawyer with little tax experience chosen by Obama to take over the beleaguered IRS, traveled up to Capitol Hill to face the Senate Finance Committee, but the session did not last long.
476) Obama said we should raise the minimum wage, but barackobama.com advertised for “unpaid” interns
In February 2013, Obama said:
“Tonight, let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour. This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets. In fact, working folks shouldn’t have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here’s an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: let’s tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.”
However, barackobama.com advertised for “unpaid” interns. The bolding is mine:
https://my.barackobama.com/page/s/organizing-for-action-hq-internship—chicago
HQ Internship Opportunity:
OFA is now accepting applications for full-time and part-time HQ Interns for the Spring 2014 and Summer 2014 HQ Internship Programs in Chicago, IL. HQ Interns will have the unique opportunity to work closely with staff in advancing the President’s agenda. Departmental placements available include Grassroots Organizing, Training, Issue Campaigns, Digital, Press and Finance. Please include your departmental placement preferences in your cover letter. Accepted HQ Interns will be paired with departments based on their stated interest, qualifications and availability. This is a 14-week, unpaid internship program.
Please note that our Washington, D.C. location is not our primary location and has a limited number of staff and, accordingly, internship positions available. As a result, we are no longer considering candidates for this location.
The ideal candidate is a highly motivated individual with a strong desire to learn and a deep commitment to OFA’s mission. Requirements of the candidate include:
Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills
Strong desire to learn and work in the field of public service, grassroots organizing, and political engagement
Strong project management skills
Detail oriented, thinking critically and creatively
Ability to work efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced environment
Strong commitment to changing the world
Spring Program Dates: January 2014 – May 2014
Summer Program Dates: May 2014 – August 2014
If you are interested in volunteering in your state, consider applying to the Organizing for Action Organizing Fellowship Program.
Organizing for Action is an equal opportunity employer.
477) Falsely said that he had never lived with his drunk driving, illegal alien uncle
In 2011, the Obama administration said that Obama had never lived with his drunk driving, illegal alien uncle. However, in December 2013, it was reported that Obama actually had lived with him.
478) In New York City, thousands of Obama voting, well educated, upper class professionals complained about losing their insurance because of Obamacare
In December 2013, the New York Times reported:
With Affordable Care Act, Canceled Policies for New York Professionals
Many in New York’s professional and cultural elite have long supported President Obama’s health care plan. But now, to their surprise, thousands of writers, opera singers, music teachers, photographers, doctors, lawyers and others are learning that their health insurance plans are being canceled and they may have to pay more to get comparable coverage, if they can find it.
“I couldn’t sleep because of it,” said Barbara Meinwald, a solo practitioner lawyer in Manhattan.
Ms. Meinwald, 61, has been paying $10,000 a year for her insurance through the New York City Bar. A broker told her that a new temporary plan with fewer doctors would cost $5,000 more, after factoring in the cost of her medications.
Roy Lyons, managing director of Marsh U.S. Consumer, an insurance brokerage, said he had heard complaints from physicians, lawyers, pharmacists and optometrists.
Among those affected are members of the Authors Guild; the Advertising Photographers of America; the Suzuki Association of the Americas, a music teachers organization; the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators; the New York City Bar Association; and the New York County Medical Society.
It is not lost on many of the professionals that they are exactly the sort of people — liberal, concerned with social justice — who supported the Obama health plan in the first place. Ms. Meinwald, the lawyer, said she was a lifelong Democrat who still supported better health care for all, but had she known what was in store for her, she would have voted for Mitt Romney.
It is an uncomfortable position for many members of the creative classes to be in.
“We are the Obama people,” said Camille Sweeney, a New York writer and member of the Authors Guild. Her insurance is being canceled, and she is dismayed that neither her pediatrician nor her general practitioner appears to be on the exchange plans. What to do has become a hot topic on Facebook and at dinner parties frequented by her fellow writers and artists.
“I’m for it,” she said. “But what is the reality of it?”
479) Washington state’s Obamacare website stole money from people’s checking accounts
In December 2013, KGW reported that the Obamacare website for Washington state had stolen money from people’s checking accounts.
480) Illegally ordered insurance companies to cover “customers” who had never paid any premiums
In December 2013, Obama ordered insurance companies to cover “customers” who had never paid any premiums. Obama’s action was illegal because it violated the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment. It was also illegal because he did not have approval from Congress.
481) Millennials who voted for Obama and supported the passage of Obamacare did not want to purchase Obamacare insurance for themselves
In December 2013, it was reported that most of the Millennials who had voted for Obama and had supported the passage of Obamacare did not want to purchase Obamacare insurance for themselves.
482) Obamcare website violated federal security laws
In December 2013, it was reported that the Obamacare website was in violation of federal security laws.
483) Refused to answer questions about how many of Obamacare’s so-called “enrollees” had actually paid their first month’s premium
On December 11, 2013, more than two months after the Obamacare website had gone online, the Obama administration still refused to answer questions about how many of Obamacare’s so-called “enrollees” had actually paid their first month’s premium. Instead, the Obama administration was still fraudulently counting as “enrollees” people who had put Obamacare policies into their shopping cart without actually paying for them. No legitimate online retailer counts unpaid items left in the shopping cart as sales.
484) Illegally delayed Obamacare’s online SHOP enrollment by one year
In November 2013, it was reported that Obama had delayed Obamacare’s online SHOP enrollment by one year. Because Obama did this without approval from Congress, his action was illegal.
485) Ten different Obamacare “customer service” representatives refused to let cancer survivor Lynn Baklor sign up for Obamacare
Lynn Baklor lives in Maryland, and is a survivor of breast cancer. Over a period of two months, she spoke on the phone with ten different “customer service” representatives from Obamacare, and none of them allowed her to sign up for Obamacare. The Obamacare website was not working either. A WBAL news report on her situation can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F79acewkZ78
486) Obama’s nominee to head the defense department said he did not know much about the military
In January 2013, Chuck Hagel, Obama’s nominee to head the defense department, said he did not know much about the military.
487) Federal judge said Obama’s bulk collection of phone records was unconstitutional
In December 2013, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon said that Obama’s bulk collection of phone records violated the fourth amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable searches. It was Edward Snowden, a former NSA employee, who had first revealed to the public that Obama had been engaging in this unconstitutional activity.
488) Gave out even more illegal Obamacare waivers
On December 19, 2013, Obama gave exemptions from the Obamacare mandate to people whose insurance had been canceled due to Obamacare. Because Obama gave out these exemptions without approval from Congress, his action was illegal.
489) Obamacare creates a new 2% tax on every insurance plan
Obamacare creates a new 2% tax on every insurance plan. This breaks Obama’s promise that he would not raise taxes on families making less than $250,000 per year.
490) Obamacare requires some people to pay 19% of their income for premiums
In December 2013, the New York Times reported:
A 60-year-old living in Polk County, in northwestern Wisconsin, and earning $50,000 a year, for example, would have to spend more than 19 percent of his income, or $9,801 annually, to buy one of the cheapest plans available there.
491) Six Democratic Senators who voted for Obamacare complained that it was causing voters in their districts to lose insurance
In December 2013, six Democratic Senators who had voted for Obamacare wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, complaining that Obamacare was causing voters in their districts to lose insurance.
492) Admitted that the so-called “Affordable” Care Act was actually “unaffordable” for some people
In December 2013, the Obama administration admitted that the so-called “Affordable” Care Act was actually “unaffordable” for some people.
493) 53% of people without insurance disapprove of Obamacare
In December 2013, the New York Times reported:
Americans who lack medical coverage disapprove of President Obama’s health care law at roughly the same rate as the insured, even though most say they struggle to pay for basic care, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
Fifty-three percent of the uninsured disapprove of the law, the poll found, compared with 51 percent of those who have health coverage. A third of the uninsured say the law will help them personally, but about the same number think it will hurt them, with cost a leading concern.
494) Under certain circumstances, Obamacare recipients between the ages of 55 and 64 can have their homes seized by the government after they die
Under certain circumstances, when someone between the ages of 55 and 64 participates in Obamacare, then after they die, the government can seize their home, preventing their children from inheriting it.
495) PolitiFact repeatedly changed its rating of Obama’s promise that people could keep their insurance, based on how many Presidential elections he still had left
PolitiFact is a left wing organization that rates the truthfulness of statements made by politicians. Regarding Obama’s promise that people could keep their insurance, PolitiFact has given out three different ratings.
In October 2008, when Obama still had two Presidential elections coming up, PolitiFact rated his statement as “true.”
In June 2012, when Obama only had one more Presidential election coming up, PolitiFact rated his statement as “half true.”
In December 2013, when Obama could no longer run for President ever again, PolitiFact rated his statement as “lie of the year.”
In all three of these cases, PolitiFact was rating the exact same statement. So why did they keep changing their rating? The best explanation that I can think of is that as Obama had fewer and fewer Presidential elections coming up, they were willing to be more and more accurate in their ratings. So only when he was no longer able to run for President again, were they finally willing to admit the truth about his statement.
496) Obamacare supporters at Democratic Underground later complained about it
For some really hilarious displays of shock and outrage by supporters of Obamacare at how it’s harming people, check out these threads at Democratic Underground: one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven.
497) Commander-in-Chief Obama adopted lower military standards so unqualified women could serve in combat
In December 2013, NPR reported:
Starting Jan. 1, every woman in the Marines Corps was supposed to meet a new physical standard by performing three pullups. But that has been put off.
The three pullups is already the minimum required for all male Marines. Now the Marine Corps has postponed the plan, and that’s raising questions about whether women have the physical strength to handle ground combat, which they’ll be allowed to do beginning in 2016.
Why does this matter?
Well, the same NPR article continued:
The Marine Corps has been using it to test upper body strength for men for more than 40 years. And that upper body strength, they say, is necessary to serve in ground combat: to pull yourself out of a canal in Afghanistan, to climb over a mud wall, to carry an ammunition box.
And a CNS News article on the subject stated:
Pull-ups have been used to test Marines’ upper body strength for over 40 years. The ability to pull-up one’s own body weight over a bar shows the upper body strength that, in combat, is needed to lift fallen comrades, pull one’s self over a wall, and carry heavy munitions. Combat Marines also carry a pack that weighs around 90 pounds, with gunners carrying an additional 50 or 60 pounds.
In other words, this qualification is by no means trivial. On the contrary, this involves skills that are necessary in combat – necessary for saving the soldier’s own life, as well as for saving the lives of other soldiers.
Obama, who is Commander-in-Chief of the military, is saying that he’s perfectly OK with allowing unqualified women to go into combat, even if it means that their lack of qualifications could end up killing them, as well as killing other U.S. soldiers who depend on them.
498) Had double standard for hate crime laws
When someone participated in the so-called “knockout game,” the Obama administration filed hate crime charges when a white person attacked a black person, but not when a black person attacked a white person.
499) Tried to prevent federal judge from ruling on NSA surveillance
In December 2013, the Obama administration tried to prevent a federal judge from ruling on NSA surveillance efforts.
500) Illegally tried to avoid disclosure of a foreign aid directive that he had signed
In December 2013, a federal judge ruled that Obama’s attempt to avoid disclosure of a foreign aid directive that he had signed in 2010 was illegal
