Health care ruling could leave poorest Americans at greatest risk
Former
Medicaid and Medicare director Donald Berwick says few states were
likely to reject the Medicaid funds despite the court's decision.
Updated at 7:04 p.m. ET: Now that the Supreme Court has upheld President Barack Obama's health care initiative, will Congress have to rewrite it from scratch?
It's not a paradoxical question. The court signed off on
nearly all of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but it
struck down one provision, and in doing so — whether it knew it or not —
it may have put the poorest Americans at the greatest risk of being
left without any health insurance.
Chief Justice John Roberts said as part of the 5-4 decision that states can't be penalized for refusing to join the law's expansion of Medicaid eligibility. Health law experts said that had the practical effect of flipping an all but mandatory program into one a state can choose not to join.
Here's the problem: The ACA creates state health insurance "exchanges," providing tax credits to eligible residents to buy affordable, state-certified health insurance. But the poorest Americans aren't in that eligible pool, because the law assumes they'll be covered by the expansion of Medicaid, which is no longer a given.
In states that reject the expansion, poor residents could be left without either form of coverage — as many as 15 million if all 50 states opt out, a circumstance that former Medicaid director Donald Berwick said was highly unlikely.
The White House didn't address the issue in a long Q&A it issued on the court's decision. The statement touted every provision of the act but one: Medicaid expansion.
Medicaid currently covers only some low-income people, primarily parents with children, pregnant women, people with severe disabilities and senior citizens. Adults without disabilities or children, in other words, aren't generally covered. That's the group the Medicaid expansion was supposed to help the most.
Supreme Court upholds health care mandate
Obama calls ruling victory for US; Romney vows to repeal
After the ruling: Lots left to do on health reform
Full ruling from the court
If their states opt out, young working adults below the poverty line could be in a Catch-22, because "they may not get Medicaid, and they may not be eligible to purchase insurance through the exchange," said Christina S. Ho of the Rutgers University School of Law, who was a member of President Bill Clinton's Domestic Policy Council.
It works this way:
The insurance tax credits are targeted at people with incomes between 100 percent and 400 percent of the poverty line as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Congress sought to compel the states to cover everyone under the line through Medicaid.
The federal government promised to fully cover all expenses for the expanded coverage before eventually pulling back to cover 90 percent after a few years. The states would have to pick up the extra 10 percent eventually.
States aren't required to take part, but if they don't, the law as enacted would have turned off the flow of all Medicaid funding from Washington.
That enforcement mechanism is what the court invalidated Thursday, meaning there's no penalty for a state that says, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Twitter reactions to the ruling
Because states haven't had time to consider yet whether they will opt in or out. it's difficult to say how many people could be affected.
But about half of the nearly 50 million uninsured Americans have incomes below the new eligibility thresholds, according to the latest report, in October, from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. And about 6 in 10 of them are adults without dependent children — the primary beneficiaries of the program's expansion.
If you do the math, roughly 15 million Americans could be in the newly created gray area. In 2010, when the act was passed, the Commonwealth Fund, an independent health care policy foundation, similarly calculated that the Medicaid expansion would benefit 12 million of the 15 million uninsured Americans under the poverty line.
Donald Berwick, former head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which administers the two programs, said few states were likely to take that risk.
"Those people are still living in your state, They're still poor. They're going to come to your emergency room. They're going to be operated on, and they're going to have diseases that get worse, and you're going to have to pay for that. That will come from the state — free care pools and charity in the state," Berwick said in an interview on MSNBC-TV.
"I think what's going to happen is the states are going to be under pressure from providers of care who say: 'Why are you leaving this money on the table? Let's join in with the federal dollars.'"
But Judy Solomon, vice president for health policy at the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, agreed with Ho that the decision means low-income adults could lose the promise of Medicaid coverage "even while people with somewhat higher incomes will be eligible for premium tax credits."
Writing on the center's policy blog, Solomon said: "The poorest adults — primarily parents and other adults working for low wages — will be left out in the cold."
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Updated at 7:04 p.m. ET: Now that the Supreme Court has upheld President Barack Obama's health care initiative, will Congress have to rewrite it from scratch?
Chief Justice John Roberts said as part of the 5-4 decision that states can't be penalized for refusing to join the law's expansion of Medicaid eligibility. Health law experts said that had the practical effect of flipping an all but mandatory program into one a state can choose not to join.
Here's the problem: The ACA creates state health insurance "exchanges," providing tax credits to eligible residents to buy affordable, state-certified health insurance. But the poorest Americans aren't in that eligible pool, because the law assumes they'll be covered by the expansion of Medicaid, which is no longer a given.
In states that reject the expansion, poor residents could be left without either form of coverage — as many as 15 million if all 50 states opt out, a circumstance that former Medicaid director Donald Berwick said was highly unlikely.
The White House didn't address the issue in a long Q&A it issued on the court's decision. The statement touted every provision of the act but one: Medicaid expansion.
Medicaid currently covers only some low-income people, primarily parents with children, pregnant women, people with severe disabilities and senior citizens. Adults without disabilities or children, in other words, aren't generally covered. That's the group the Medicaid expansion was supposed to help the most.
Supreme Court upholds health care mandate
Obama calls ruling victory for US; Romney vows to repeal
After the ruling: Lots left to do on health reform
Full ruling from the court
If their states opt out, young working adults below the poverty line could be in a Catch-22, because "they may not get Medicaid, and they may not be eligible to purchase insurance through the exchange," said Christina S. Ho of the Rutgers University School of Law, who was a member of President Bill Clinton's Domestic Policy Council.
It works this way:
The insurance tax credits are targeted at people with incomes between 100 percent and 400 percent of the poverty line as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Congress sought to compel the states to cover everyone under the line through Medicaid.
The federal government promised to fully cover all expenses for the expanded coverage before eventually pulling back to cover 90 percent after a few years. The states would have to pick up the extra 10 percent eventually.
States aren't required to take part, but if they don't, the law as enacted would have turned off the flow of all Medicaid funding from Washington.
That enforcement mechanism is what the court invalidated Thursday, meaning there's no penalty for a state that says, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Twitter reactions to the ruling
Because states haven't had time to consider yet whether they will opt in or out. it's difficult to say how many people could be affected.
But about half of the nearly 50 million uninsured Americans have incomes below the new eligibility thresholds, according to the latest report, in October, from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. And about 6 in 10 of them are adults without dependent children — the primary beneficiaries of the program's expansion.
If you do the math, roughly 15 million Americans could be in the newly created gray area. In 2010, when the act was passed, the Commonwealth Fund, an independent health care policy foundation, similarly calculated that the Medicaid expansion would benefit 12 million of the 15 million uninsured Americans under the poverty line.
Donald Berwick, former head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which administers the two programs, said few states were likely to take that risk.
"Those people are still living in your state, They're still poor. They're going to come to your emergency room. They're going to be operated on, and they're going to have diseases that get worse, and you're going to have to pay for that. That will come from the state — free care pools and charity in the state," Berwick said in an interview on MSNBC-TV.
"I think what's going to happen is the states are going to be under pressure from providers of care who say: 'Why are you leaving this money on the table? Let's join in with the federal dollars.'"
But Judy Solomon, vice president for health policy at the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, agreed with Ho that the decision means low-income adults could lose the promise of Medicaid coverage "even while people with somewhat higher incomes will be eligible for premium tax credits."
Writing on the center's policy blog, Solomon said: "The poorest adults — primarily parents and other adults working for low wages — will be left out in the cold."
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- Stolen Valor Act struck down
- Miss.'s only abortion clinic sues over new law that could shut it down
- Brother of lesbian teen shot in head: She's 'fighting'
- Lying about military service? These bloggers have you in their sights
- Army veteran campaigns to adopt Diego the bomb-sniffing dog
- Video: Teacher who slammed student in blog is fired
Obamacare: massive additions to taxpayer funding of abortion
I know you've heard the bad news that the Supreme Court upheld Obama's health insurance mandate this morning.
And with it, massive additions to taxpayer funding of abortion.
Even as I'm writing this to you, the abortion lobby is cheering. The so-called National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) president Nancy Keenan celebrated, declaring the Supreme Court's decision to be a "tremendous victory."
After all, Obamacare gives abortion providers like Planned Parenthood more than 7 billion in tax dollars under the guise of funding "community health centers."
Now that the Supreme Court has sided with Obama, it's more important than ever we take the fight to the Senate.
Click here to sign the petition to repeal Obamacare mandates and taxpayer funding of abortion.
In 2010, politicians paid a political price for their radical pro-abortion agenda with their support of Obamacare.
With your help, pro-lifers were able to take back the House. And we've already seen the fruits of our success with the House having already passed a bill to repeal Obamacare.
The only roadblock remaining is Harry Reid's hold on the Senate and Barack Obama.
And with the Supreme Court's decision this morning bringing Obamacare to the front of everyone's minds once again, it is time to strike while the iron is still hot.
There's never been a better time to hold the politicians' feet to the fire and hold them accountable for their abortion-on-demand agenda.
It's vital that we immediately give every member of congress a choice: either vote to repeal the Obamacare mandates and federal funding of abortion . . . or face tens of thousands of angry pro-life voters back home.
That's why it's vital you return your emergency petition at once. And why I hope you'll chip in with a special contribution of $10, $15, $25 or more.
For Life,
Martin Fox, President
National Pro-Life Alliance
P.S. If you can, please chip in with a contribution by clicking here. Your National Pro-Life Alliance is entirely dependent on voluntary contributions to keep our vital programs running. We receive no government funding.
Ron Paul: Put Washington on Notice
You know as well as I do that Washington is out of control!
Every day, we see politicians caving in to special interests, ignoring the Constitution and selling our Liberty down the river.
Washington has run up sixteen trillion dollars in debt, saddled us with job killing red tape and regulations, destroyed the protection of both the first and fourth amendments, tried to take over our healthcare, weakened our national defense and ceded our sovereignty to international bodies like the UN.
And that's not even a full list of their mischief!
We need to put Washington on Notice: stop destroying our country and obey the Constitution or get out of the way!
The only way we are going to do that is to elect good people who share our beliefs in Liberty, individual responsibility and limited government and send THEM to Washington instead.
That is why I am proud to support Kurt Bills for the United States Senate and hope you will too.
Kurt is the kind of leader we need in these difficult times.
He is a family man, a teacher, a coach and a man of integrity.
And, he has rock solid principles and the backbone to stand up to the big-government politicians and put them in their place!
You see, Kurt is not a typical politician.
He is a high school economics teacher who simply could not look his students in the eye any longer when they asked how our country could ever pay off the ballooning national debt.
Kurt was elected State Representative and is now the official endorsed Republican Candidate to take on an entrenched Big Government Democrat this fall.
And let me tell you, on the issues, Kurt is tremendous. Kurt will:
• Introduce legislation like my Restore America plan or my son Rand's Revitalize America plan that actually
cuts spending and balances the budget;
• Fight for a real and
thorough audit of the Federal Reserve;
• Stand up to
union bosses and pass National Right to Work Legislation, and do so as a member of the Teachers Union;
• Knock back any threat to our Second or Fourth Amendment rights.
Kurt Bills' race for United States Senate is one of the most
important in the country this year. And, he has an important deadline
coming up.June 30th is the last day of the fundraising quarter, and everyone will be watching to see how much money Kurt can raise.
If the number is strong, it will send a message to Washington and the establishment that Kurt's campaign is for real and he is a force to be reckoned with and can win in November.
That is why I am asking for your help today.
We are trying to raise an additional $100,000 for Kurt in the final days of the quarter.
I have already sent him the maximum contribution from Liberty PAC, and hopefully you can do even more.
Please consider chipping in $50, $100, $250, $1,000 or even the maximum amount allowable of $2,500 right now.
We need Kurt Bills in the United States Senate. If we come together and support him now, we can put Washington on notice that we are here, Kurt Bills is one of our champions, and we can win in November.
In Liberty,
Ron Paul
P.S. The Establishment will be keeping an eye on our efforts!
Your contribution of $50, $100, $250, $1,000 or even the maximum allowable $2,500 will immediately register on Kurt's website and show the big spenders, the special interests and the statists that we mean business!
Click here to chip in now.
Paid for by Liberty PAC.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. www.Libertypac.com |
The SPLC has declared Public Advocate to be a "hate group"
This battle has never been about "equality."
This has always been about silencing you and anyone else who disagrees with the Homosexual Agenda.
And with Independence Day soon upon us, it's time for you and I to take back our freedom of speech.
You see, the Homosexual Lobby has recently stepped up the pressure to silence Public Advocate for good.
They demand you and I cease all communications... that I step down from all public roles... that I stop talking about the radical Homosexual Agenda altogether...
It wasn't long ago the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) launched an online petition to have Public Advocate banned from all communications on the internet.
Then the Homosexual Lobby upped the ante with another front group, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
You see, the Washington Times calls the SPLC "a fabulously wealthy bully used by the Left to apply the 'hate' stamp to people and groups with whom the left disagrees."
The SPLC has declared Public Advocate to be a "hate group" and blacklisted us with many mainstream media outlets.
On top of that, they've unleashed the wrath of thousands of radical activists across the nation to silence me personally.
I've recieved death threats and endless hate mail -- even been harassed in public by hecklers!
Obama's activist website, Change.org, has launched an online petition with public attacks against me in my hometown.
Every day, more and more of the people and organizations I've worked with for years are cutting off all contact.
They claim the pressure is just too high...
...that the threats and intimidation from radical homosexuals put themselves and their businesses at an unacceptable risk of violent attack.
Will you let the Homosexual Lobby steal away our right to speak?
Next week marks the most important date in our nation's history, the Fourth of July.
236 years ago, our Founders fought for our precious freedoms -- first among those being our freedom of speech.
And I can think of no better day to begin our counter attack against the political correctness and liberal bullying.
I have worked up a plan to blast our pro-Family message across the internet, proving that we cannot be silenced.
But this campaign will not be cheap.
You and I must raise $80,000 by midnight on July 4th.
And in addition to sending this clear message, your contribution of $10, $15, or even $25 will allow me to spread our warnings about the Homosexual Lobby even further.
We are going to fight this battle because I trust in God and believe we can win, but I can't win without you.
I'm reminded of the late Cardinal Spellman's wise advice:
"Pray as if it all depends on God, but act as if it all depends on you."
Public Advocate must unite a larger force than ever before or the Homosexual Lobby will succeed in its campaign to silence the Family and outlaw our voices.
This is not a fight we can afford to lose.
Without Public Advocate standing watch at the gates, there will be little to protect against radical homosexuals who seek to inject their "lifestyle" into every aspect of our lives.
The Homosexual Lobby's lapdogs in Congress will be free to ram the entire Homosexual Agenda into law:
* The Homosexual Classrooms Act
which they will use to push their agenda into our schools.
Children will be taught homosexuality is
moral, natural and good. High school students
will learn perverted sex acts as part of "safe sex" education.
* Special job rights for
homosexuals. Businesses will be forced to adopt hiring quotas to
protect themselves from lawsuits.
Every homosexual fired or turned down for a job
becomes a potential federal civil rights lawsuit.
* Same-sex marriages and
adoptions. Wedding gown-clad men smooching
before some left-wing clergyman or
state
official is just the beginning. To avoid "discrimination" lawsuits,
adoption agencies will push aside
truly married couples for homosexual applicants.
I know the
thought makes you as sick as it makes me.That's why you must act right away! Your continued support of Public Advocate is critical to taking back our voices.
I can't do it without you.
Will you help me reach my goal by making a generous contribution of $10, $15, or even $25?
With the growing fights for real marriage in Maryland, Washington and California -- it's not only our fights at the federal level that are at risk.
Your Public Advocate is the last line of defense in some of these states. One after the other, fellow pro-family groups have folded under the pressure.
And if they break our lines, the flood gates will open and the Homosexual Agenda will flow like sewage throughout our entire country...
That's why I need your help today.
If we reach my goal of $80,000 by midnight on Independence Day, I will fully implement the plan to launch our pro-Family message nation-wide.
By bypassing the mainstream media, your contribution will help me spread our message even further than before.
For example, a contribution of $25 will buy 6,250 banner ad placements on WorldNetDaily.
And $10 will pay for 5,800 banner ads on Catholic.org, $50 will pay for 7,150 banner ads on Newsmax, and $100 will buy 15,000 banner ad placements on Drudgereport.
So can I coun't on you to make a generous contribution of $10, $15, or even $25?
You and I are not a fringe minority.
In fact, we both know the majority of Americans are still committed to moral virtue and defeating those who seek to tear it down.
But if you and I don't fight back against the censorship and political correctness today, none of us may be able to publicly speak out in future battles.
That's why I have to ask, will you please send a generous contribution to save our freedom of speech?
The Homosexual Lobby will stop at nothing to tear down Traditional Values across our nation -- and silencing your Public Advocate is the first step.
Public Advocate's best hope is to show the Homosexual Lobby we will not be intimidated. Your generous contribution will give me the resources necessary to do just that.
So will you please contribute $10, $15, or even $25 to keep your Public Advocate strong?
The fact is every dollar is critical to reach our $80,000 goal by July 4th.
We will not be silenced.
We have to show them that this country will be true to the principles it was founded on.
Eugene Delgaudio
President, Public Advocate of the United States
P.S. This fight isn't about
equality.
The Homosexual Lobby wants to silence everyone who may disagree with the Homosexual Agenda. And they are winning.
I've created a plan that will smash any illusion they had of intimidating the pro-Family Movement into silence.
Will you help me raise $80,000 by midnight on July 4th?
Can you chip in a contribution of $10, $15, or even $25 right away?
Let us stand together this Independence Day.
The Homosexual Lobby wants to silence everyone who may disagree with the Homosexual Agenda. And they are winning.
I've created a plan that will smash any illusion they had of intimidating the pro-Family Movement into silence.
Will you help me raise $80,000 by midnight on July 4th?
Can you chip in a contribution of $10, $15, or even $25 right away?
Let us stand together this Independence Day.
The Cowboy Byte
|
| June 28, 2012 News and Thoughts for the day |
WND News Alerts
| Monckton tells lords: Obama presidency at risk |
| In a 20-page report, a former aide to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher warns his hereditary peers in the U.K. the Obama presidency is in danger of falling because of evidence he considers conclusive that Obama’s birth certificate is a forgery. “Mr. Obama’s legitimacy is now in doubt,” Lord Christopher Monckton concludes in the report. |
| Read the latest now on WND.com. |
| Plus! |
| Would Congress send the sergeant-at-arms for Attorney General Eric Holder? |
| Click here for details. |
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Americans Are Being Prepared For Full Spectrum Tyranny
Brandon Smith
Totalitarian governments, like persistent forms of cancer, have latched onto the long history of man, falling and then reemerging from the deep recesses of our cultural biology to wreak havoc upon one unlucky generation to the next. The assumption by most is that these unfortunate empires are the product of bureaucracies gone awry; overtaken by the chaotic maddening hunger for wealth and power, and usually manipulated by the singular ambitions of a mesmerizing dictator. For those of us in the Liberty Movement who are actually educated on the less acknowledged details of history, oligarchy and globalized centralism is much less random than this, and a far more deliberate and devious process than the general unaware public is willing to consider.
Unfortunately, the final truth is very complex, even for us…
One cannot place the blame of despotism entirely on the shoulders of globalists. Sadly, the crimes of elites are only possible with a certain amount of complicity from subsections of the populace. Without our penchant for apathy and fear, there can be no control. That is to say, there is no power over us but that which we give away. We pave the road to our own catastrophes.
In the end, a tyrant’s primary job is not to crush the masses and rule out of malevolence, but to obtain the voluntary consent of the citizenry, usually through trickery and deceit. Without the permission of the people, subconscious or otherwise, no tyranny can survive.
As with the oppressive regimes of the past, America has undergone a dramatic transformation, heavy with fear and ignorance. Our tradition of elections has been corrupted and negated by the false left/right paradigm, and the leaderships of both defunct parties now seek only to elevate a select minority of men bent on globalization. Our Constitutional liberties have been dismantled by legal chicanery. Our principles have been diluted by intellectual games of rationalism and moral relativism. Our country is ripe for conquest.
Americans battle over whose side is most to blame; Democrat or Republican, while ironically being disenchanted with both entities. For some people, the thought of holding each party equally accountable, or accepting that they are essentially the same animal, never crosses their minds.
While this irrelevant farce of a debate rages on, the true culprits plotting the demise of our Republic gain momentum, and implement policy initiatives that the public should and must take note of. In the past year alone, many blatant steps towards the Orwellian gulag have been openly administered. A carnival of peddlers and freaks and greasy popcorn overwhelms our senses, but the stench of this cheap circus still tickles our noses, and if we use our eyes for even a moment, certain dangerous trends reveal themselves. Here are just a few recent events that bear a dire warning; the ultimate assault on freedom in this nation grows near…
Acclimation To Subservience
Every totalitarian state worth its salt has its own goon squad. The Nazi’s had the “Brownshirts”, the Soviets had the “Militsiya” and the “Voluntary People’s Brigade”, the Communist Chinese have the “Chengguan”, etc. In America, however, all tyrannical measures are given innocuous bureaucratic labels to mislead and distract the masses. In this country, we have the Transportation Security Administration…
The TSA has become the most hated alphabet agency in the U.S. in perhaps the fastest time on record. It has violated the personal rights of more people on a daily basis in my view than the IRS, DEA, and the ATF combined. Clearly, this slobbering demon child of the Department of Homeland Security is being molded for something quite terrible and grand.
When confronted by the public on the use of irradiating and intrusive naked body scanner technology, the agency responded by allowing their blue handed ghoul army with to molest our nether-regions. When confronted by state and local governments on their absurd tactics, the TSA threatened economic blockades and airport shutdowns. The organization then began expanding its jurisdiction to bus and train stations and even our highways when it introduced the VIPR program and implemented random roadside checkpoints in Tennessee last year. But, this behavior is nothing compared to what is next on the horizon: a compromise…
Beware of government agencies bearing gifts. The TSA along with the International Air Transport Association has announced a new methodology of “less intrusive” passenger screening measures, in order to address the concerns of the public over pat downs and irradiating naked body scanners. This SOUNDS like a step in the right direction, and a proper response to the grievances of the citizenry. Instead, it turns out to be a refined example of totalitarianism in motion, and a perfect lesson in how the masses can be duped into handing over their inherent freedoms.
Revamped security protocols call for biometric data collection, including fingerprint and retina scans, and a tunnel which combines multiple detection systems into one area (who knows how radioactive this will end up being):
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/story/2012-06-19/Faster-better-airport-security-checkpoints-not-that-far-off/55693916/1
The mainstream article above makes this development sound like a win/win scenario for everyone, painting biometric data collection as a matter of convenience, but it also reveals the true design of the system; to illicit voluntary subservience:
“The key to speeding up checkpoints and making security less intrusive will be to identify and assess travelers according to the risks they pose to safety in the skies. The so-called riskiest or unknown passengers would face the toughest scrutiny, including questioning and more sensitive electronic screening. Those who voluntarily provide more information about themselves to the government would be rewarded with faster passage…”
They enforce destructive anti-personal rights policies then pretend to acquiesce by replacing them with a technocratic nightmare grid which requires the cataloging of our very genetic essence in order to function. The only remaining injustice left would be to apply this grid to the rest of the country outside of the airports and train stations, which I assure you, they plan to do.
Militarization
Last week, I covered the disturbing use of armored vehicles (APC’s or urban tanks) in open training regiments on the streets of St. Louis by the U.S Army, despite the fact that all of their exercises could have easily been accomplished on any number of military bases across the country. The action is an obvious attempt to condition the American populace to the sight of military units operating in a policing capacity:
http://www.alt-market.com/articles/866-military-tanks-on-st-louis-streetsbut-why
I received multiple letters from current serving military who stated that in all their years in the armed forces they had never seen such a brash mishandling of public relations or an overstepping of bounds when it came to the restrictions of Posse Comitatus. It was encouraging to hear from military men and women who did not agree with or condone this kind of psyop activity on the part of our government.
Though the St. Louis event is not isolated, I believe it does represent an escalation.
Remember the controversy over the Mayor of Toledo and his refusal to allow 200 Marines to conduct urban combat drills on the public streets of his city in 2008? The media clamored to crucify this public official; one of the few who had any sense whatsoever in his head:
http://voices.yahoo.com/toledo-mayor-faces-backlash-ousting-marines-896105.html
Or the tactical exercises using helicopters and combat troops over LA and Chicago early this year?
http://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/news_view/50045
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/04/17/city-black-hawk-helicopter-flights-were-just-a-training-exercise/
During each one of these events, city officials and local media attempted to inoculate the public with claims that they were “simply exercises”. This argument misses the point entirely. Whether or not these are “exercises” is not the issue. The issue is that this training could be done ON BASE. Using public streets and running drills within cities is absolutely unnecessary given the vast resources already available to the military, unless, of course, the goal is to BE SEEN by the public and to influence them to view the sight of armed troops around them as “normal”.
Add to this the fact that many of these military training exercises are being conducted in tandem with local police department, and you have a recipe for the utter militarization of our society, turning peace officers into combat soldiers, and combat soldiers into law enforcement mechanisms; a juxtaposition that will soon lead to unmitigated disaster.
Arms Race Against the People?
When a country is quietly preparing for war, the first signs are usually revealed by a disclosure of armaments. If stockpiling is taking place without a warranted threat present from a legitimate enemy, there is a considerable likelihood of aggression on the part of that nation. America has gone well beyond the psychological process of militarization and has begun the extensive arming of particular agencies whose primary purpose revolves around the domestic.
The DHS, for instance, placed an order for over 450 million rounds of hollowpoint .40 cal ammunition in April of this year:
http://rt.com/usa/news/dhs-million-point-government-179/
And it placed an order for over 7000 new semi-automatic combat rifles chambered in .223 (5.56 by 45mm NATO) immediately after:
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=d791b6aa0fd9d3d8833b2efa08300033&tab=core&tabmode=list&=
While local police through federal programs (like the 1033 Program) are being given millions of dollars in free military equipment, including body armor, night vision equipment, APC's, aircraft, first aid supplies, weapons, surveillance equipment, Kevlar helmets, gas masks and filters, vehicles, etc.:
http://www.ogs.state.sc.us/surplus/SP-1033-index.phtm
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/06/cops-military-gear/all/
All of this equipment, though issued to state agencies, is still heavily tracked and regulated by the federal government, making it clear that these “gifts” come with strings attached:
http://www.newsherald.com/articles/program-103291-state-law.html
And finally, new FAA regulations will soon allow the dispersion of tens of thousands of predator drones with armament capability in the skies of the U.S. over the course of the next few years:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/7/coming-to-a-sky-near-you/
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/10/nation/la-na-drone-arrest-20111211
Now, anyone with any logic would ask who it is that the government is arming itself and local police to fight against? Al Qaeda? Let’s not be naïve…
The passage of the NDAA and its provisions for the indefinite detainment of ANY person, even an American citizen, under the laws of war has ended the debate over government intent in terms of domestic action. FBI Director Robert Mueller’s admission that he “did not know” if assassination programs would be used against American citizens also heaped evidence on the matter. The bottom line? Our government wishes to label and treat citizens as enemy combatants. Of course they would then organize armaments to follow through on their policy.
Pulling The Trigger
All despotic systems have another distinct similarity; they each began with a series of trigger events which opened the door to tighter controls over the population. The most immediate trigger event for the U.S. is the looming peril of a collapsing economy followed by inevitable civil unrest. With the EU currently in debt shambles, global markets are on the verge of a considerable breakdown. The Federal Reserve response will be predictable; QE3 and massive stimulus all around to mitigate the crisis. This time, though, the go-to Keynesian quick fix will not work in the slightest. In fact, it will make matters more untenable by placing the world reserve status of the dollar at risk.
Everything that has happened so far in the markets this year has been easy to foresee. Alt-Market predicted the economic slowdown around the world and the collapse of overall demand using the Baltic Dry Index as a gauge back in January:
http://www.alt-market.com/articles/540-baltic-dry-index-signals-renewed-market-collapse
We also predicted the accelerated turmoil in the EU in light of the recent election results in France and Greece:
http://www.alt-market.com/articles/765-economic-alert-if-youre-not-worried-yetyou-should-be
If alternative economic analysts can predict these developments despite the manipulated statistics spewed out by the government every month, then I think the government and our central bank has a tremendously transparent view of what is coming down the road in terms of financial distress. I believe the establishment is very well aware of a potential crisis event, economic or otherwise, that is barreling down upon the U.S. I believe the evidence shows that they are preparing for this eventuality in a command and control fashion, without alerting the public to the coming implosion. I believe they will use the despair that flows forth from the fiscal wreckage as an excuse to institute martial law.
Call it "crazy". Call it “conspiracy theory”. Call it “coincidence”. Call it "fear mongering". Whatever you like. I find it far more insane to shrug off the strange and twisted behavior of our power structure, and simply hope that it’s all irrelevant to the future. Whenever I run into starry eyed historical romanticists who look back in astonishment at the tyrannies of the past and wonder out loud, “How could those people have not known where their country was headed?!!”, I think of where we are today…
You can contact Brandon Smith at: brandon@alt-market.com
Alt-Market is an organization designed to help you find like-minded activists and preppers in your local area so that you can network and construct communities for mutual aid and defense. Join Alt-Market.com today and learn what it means to step away from the system and build something better.
To contribute to the growth of the Safe Haven Project, and to help us help others in relocating, or to support the creation of barter networks across the country, visit our donate page here:
http://www.alt-market.com/donate
Do you have enough Non-GMO seeds in case of economic collapse? Seeds are the OTHER alternative currency, and if you aren't stocked, then you aren't prepared. To buy top quality non-GMO seeds at a special 10% discount, visit Humble Seed, and use the code Alt10
Totalitarian governments, like persistent forms of cancer, have latched onto the long history of man, falling and then reemerging from the deep recesses of our cultural biology to wreak havoc upon one unlucky generation to the next. The assumption by most is that these unfortunate empires are the product of bureaucracies gone awry; overtaken by the chaotic maddening hunger for wealth and power, and usually manipulated by the singular ambitions of a mesmerizing dictator. For those of us in the Liberty Movement who are actually educated on the less acknowledged details of history, oligarchy and globalized centralism is much less random than this, and a far more deliberate and devious process than the general unaware public is willing to consider.
Unfortunately, the final truth is very complex, even for us…
One cannot place the blame of despotism entirely on the shoulders of globalists. Sadly, the crimes of elites are only possible with a certain amount of complicity from subsections of the populace. Without our penchant for apathy and fear, there can be no control. That is to say, there is no power over us but that which we give away. We pave the road to our own catastrophes.
In the end, a tyrant’s primary job is not to crush the masses and rule out of malevolence, but to obtain the voluntary consent of the citizenry, usually through trickery and deceit. Without the permission of the people, subconscious or otherwise, no tyranny can survive.
As with the oppressive regimes of the past, America has undergone a dramatic transformation, heavy with fear and ignorance. Our tradition of elections has been corrupted and negated by the false left/right paradigm, and the leaderships of both defunct parties now seek only to elevate a select minority of men bent on globalization. Our Constitutional liberties have been dismantled by legal chicanery. Our principles have been diluted by intellectual games of rationalism and moral relativism. Our country is ripe for conquest.
Americans battle over whose side is most to blame; Democrat or Republican, while ironically being disenchanted with both entities. For some people, the thought of holding each party equally accountable, or accepting that they are essentially the same animal, never crosses their minds.
While this irrelevant farce of a debate rages on, the true culprits plotting the demise of our Republic gain momentum, and implement policy initiatives that the public should and must take note of. In the past year alone, many blatant steps towards the Orwellian gulag have been openly administered. A carnival of peddlers and freaks and greasy popcorn overwhelms our senses, but the stench of this cheap circus still tickles our noses, and if we use our eyes for even a moment, certain dangerous trends reveal themselves. Here are just a few recent events that bear a dire warning; the ultimate assault on freedom in this nation grows near…
Acclimation To Subservience
Every totalitarian state worth its salt has its own goon squad. The Nazi’s had the “Brownshirts”, the Soviets had the “Militsiya” and the “Voluntary People’s Brigade”, the Communist Chinese have the “Chengguan”, etc. In America, however, all tyrannical measures are given innocuous bureaucratic labels to mislead and distract the masses. In this country, we have the Transportation Security Administration…
The TSA has become the most hated alphabet agency in the U.S. in perhaps the fastest time on record. It has violated the personal rights of more people on a daily basis in my view than the IRS, DEA, and the ATF combined. Clearly, this slobbering demon child of the Department of Homeland Security is being molded for something quite terrible and grand.
When confronted by the public on the use of irradiating and intrusive naked body scanner technology, the agency responded by allowing their blue handed ghoul army with to molest our nether-regions. When confronted by state and local governments on their absurd tactics, the TSA threatened economic blockades and airport shutdowns. The organization then began expanding its jurisdiction to bus and train stations and even our highways when it introduced the VIPR program and implemented random roadside checkpoints in Tennessee last year. But, this behavior is nothing compared to what is next on the horizon: a compromise…
Beware of government agencies bearing gifts. The TSA along with the International Air Transport Association has announced a new methodology of “less intrusive” passenger screening measures, in order to address the concerns of the public over pat downs and irradiating naked body scanners. This SOUNDS like a step in the right direction, and a proper response to the grievances of the citizenry. Instead, it turns out to be a refined example of totalitarianism in motion, and a perfect lesson in how the masses can be duped into handing over their inherent freedoms.
Revamped security protocols call for biometric data collection, including fingerprint and retina scans, and a tunnel which combines multiple detection systems into one area (who knows how radioactive this will end up being):
http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/story/2012-06-19/Faster-better-airport-security-checkpoints-not-that-far-off/55693916/1
The mainstream article above makes this development sound like a win/win scenario for everyone, painting biometric data collection as a matter of convenience, but it also reveals the true design of the system; to illicit voluntary subservience:
“The key to speeding up checkpoints and making security less intrusive will be to identify and assess travelers according to the risks they pose to safety in the skies. The so-called riskiest or unknown passengers would face the toughest scrutiny, including questioning and more sensitive electronic screening. Those who voluntarily provide more information about themselves to the government would be rewarded with faster passage…”
They enforce destructive anti-personal rights policies then pretend to acquiesce by replacing them with a technocratic nightmare grid which requires the cataloging of our very genetic essence in order to function. The only remaining injustice left would be to apply this grid to the rest of the country outside of the airports and train stations, which I assure you, they plan to do.
Militarization
Last week, I covered the disturbing use of armored vehicles (APC’s or urban tanks) in open training regiments on the streets of St. Louis by the U.S Army, despite the fact that all of their exercises could have easily been accomplished on any number of military bases across the country. The action is an obvious attempt to condition the American populace to the sight of military units operating in a policing capacity:
http://www.alt-market.com/articles/866-military-tanks-on-st-louis-streetsbut-why
I received multiple letters from current serving military who stated that in all their years in the armed forces they had never seen such a brash mishandling of public relations or an overstepping of bounds when it came to the restrictions of Posse Comitatus. It was encouraging to hear from military men and women who did not agree with or condone this kind of psyop activity on the part of our government.
Though the St. Louis event is not isolated, I believe it does represent an escalation.
Remember the controversy over the Mayor of Toledo and his refusal to allow 200 Marines to conduct urban combat drills on the public streets of his city in 2008? The media clamored to crucify this public official; one of the few who had any sense whatsoever in his head:
http://voices.yahoo.com/toledo-mayor-faces-backlash-ousting-marines-896105.html
Or the tactical exercises using helicopters and combat troops over LA and Chicago early this year?
http://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/news_view/50045
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/04/17/city-black-hawk-helicopter-flights-were-just-a-training-exercise/
During each one of these events, city officials and local media attempted to inoculate the public with claims that they were “simply exercises”. This argument misses the point entirely. Whether or not these are “exercises” is not the issue. The issue is that this training could be done ON BASE. Using public streets and running drills within cities is absolutely unnecessary given the vast resources already available to the military, unless, of course, the goal is to BE SEEN by the public and to influence them to view the sight of armed troops around them as “normal”.
Add to this the fact that many of these military training exercises are being conducted in tandem with local police department, and you have a recipe for the utter militarization of our society, turning peace officers into combat soldiers, and combat soldiers into law enforcement mechanisms; a juxtaposition that will soon lead to unmitigated disaster.
Arms Race Against the People?
When a country is quietly preparing for war, the first signs are usually revealed by a disclosure of armaments. If stockpiling is taking place without a warranted threat present from a legitimate enemy, there is a considerable likelihood of aggression on the part of that nation. America has gone well beyond the psychological process of militarization and has begun the extensive arming of particular agencies whose primary purpose revolves around the domestic.
The DHS, for instance, placed an order for over 450 million rounds of hollowpoint .40 cal ammunition in April of this year:
http://rt.com/usa/news/dhs-million-point-government-179/
And it placed an order for over 7000 new semi-automatic combat rifles chambered in .223 (5.56 by 45mm NATO) immediately after:
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=d791b6aa0fd9d3d8833b2efa08300033&tab=core&tabmode=list&=
While local police through federal programs (like the 1033 Program) are being given millions of dollars in free military equipment, including body armor, night vision equipment, APC's, aircraft, first aid supplies, weapons, surveillance equipment, Kevlar helmets, gas masks and filters, vehicles, etc.:
http://www.ogs.state.sc.us/surplus/SP-1033-index.phtm
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/06/cops-military-gear/all/
All of this equipment, though issued to state agencies, is still heavily tracked and regulated by the federal government, making it clear that these “gifts” come with strings attached:
http://www.newsherald.com/articles/program-103291-state-law.html
And finally, new FAA regulations will soon allow the dispersion of tens of thousands of predator drones with armament capability in the skies of the U.S. over the course of the next few years:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/7/coming-to-a-sky-near-you/
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/10/nation/la-na-drone-arrest-20111211
Now, anyone with any logic would ask who it is that the government is arming itself and local police to fight against? Al Qaeda? Let’s not be naïve…
The passage of the NDAA and its provisions for the indefinite detainment of ANY person, even an American citizen, under the laws of war has ended the debate over government intent in terms of domestic action. FBI Director Robert Mueller’s admission that he “did not know” if assassination programs would be used against American citizens also heaped evidence on the matter. The bottom line? Our government wishes to label and treat citizens as enemy combatants. Of course they would then organize armaments to follow through on their policy.
Pulling The Trigger
All despotic systems have another distinct similarity; they each began with a series of trigger events which opened the door to tighter controls over the population. The most immediate trigger event for the U.S. is the looming peril of a collapsing economy followed by inevitable civil unrest. With the EU currently in debt shambles, global markets are on the verge of a considerable breakdown. The Federal Reserve response will be predictable; QE3 and massive stimulus all around to mitigate the crisis. This time, though, the go-to Keynesian quick fix will not work in the slightest. In fact, it will make matters more untenable by placing the world reserve status of the dollar at risk.
Everything that has happened so far in the markets this year has been easy to foresee. Alt-Market predicted the economic slowdown around the world and the collapse of overall demand using the Baltic Dry Index as a gauge back in January:
http://www.alt-market.com/articles/540-baltic-dry-index-signals-renewed-market-collapse
We also predicted the accelerated turmoil in the EU in light of the recent election results in France and Greece:
http://www.alt-market.com/articles/765-economic-alert-if-youre-not-worried-yetyou-should-be
If alternative economic analysts can predict these developments despite the manipulated statistics spewed out by the government every month, then I think the government and our central bank has a tremendously transparent view of what is coming down the road in terms of financial distress. I believe the establishment is very well aware of a potential crisis event, economic or otherwise, that is barreling down upon the U.S. I believe the evidence shows that they are preparing for this eventuality in a command and control fashion, without alerting the public to the coming implosion. I believe they will use the despair that flows forth from the fiscal wreckage as an excuse to institute martial law.
Call it "crazy". Call it “conspiracy theory”. Call it “coincidence”. Call it "fear mongering". Whatever you like. I find it far more insane to shrug off the strange and twisted behavior of our power structure, and simply hope that it’s all irrelevant to the future. Whenever I run into starry eyed historical romanticists who look back in astonishment at the tyrannies of the past and wonder out loud, “How could those people have not known where their country was headed?!!”, I think of where we are today…
You can contact Brandon Smith at: brandon@alt-market.com
Alt-Market is an organization designed to help you find like-minded activists and preppers in your local area so that you can network and construct communities for mutual aid and defense. Join Alt-Market.com today and learn what it means to step away from the system and build something better.
To contribute to the growth of the Safe Haven Project, and to help us help others in relocating, or to support the creation of barter networks across the country, visit our donate page here:
http://www.alt-market.com/donate
Do you have enough Non-GMO seeds in case of economic collapse? Seeds are the OTHER alternative currency, and if you aren't stocked, then you aren't prepared. To buy top quality non-GMO seeds at a special 10% discount, visit Humble Seed, and use the code Alt10
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