The Obama administration has admitted that it cannot move forward with a major feature of Obamacare, its long-term care insurance program, due to the fact that it contains a critical design flaw.

The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program, known as CLASS, a pet program of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D- Massachusetts), was to have been sponsored by the federal government but maintained as a voluntary plan to which healthy, younger, working Americans would contribute in the event they became disabled later on in life. Participants would have paid a monthly premium that ranged widely between $235-$3000, depending on income, during their employment years, and then collected a daily cash benefit of at least $50 if they became disabled.

The tragic flaw in the plan is that unless large numbers of healthy people are willing to sign up for the program during their working years, the cost of the program would become prohibitive due to the needs of the disabled who would benefit from the plan. Unlike the purchase of long term care insurance in the private sector, CLASS did not offer lower premiums to healthier participants. Thus, the program attracted those who were already disabled in some way, yet able to work to some extent, and who anticipated the need for long term care in the future. Without healthy subscribers paying into the system, these individuals would not likely be able to afford the steep premiums. (more…)

There was a time when Chevy built cars and trucks. The Corvette and Camaro were legendary sports cars, and the Impala offered full size comfort a middle class price. But that was before Change came to town.  The brand that used to compare itself to Baseball, Hot-Dogs, and Apple Pie is no longer content to just make reliable vehicles, it is now as green as a wheatgrass and algae smoothie.

For instance, in the following commercial: Chevy isn’t just building cars anymore, it’s “investing” in windmills, and planting trees.

This is the kind of business model that you get when Leftists take over. Before 2008, GM just tried to make cars that people would buy, for a little more money than they cost to build. Now, they have to plant a forest.

It’s for reasons like this that General Motors is never expected to fully pay back the bailout money. According to the Congressional Oversight Panel, Taxpayers will lose about 19 billion dollars on the General Motors bailout.

That’s a lot of green. You can’t really blame General Motors. When you have an extra 19 billion to play with, why not plant windmills and trees? It seems like the corporate suites, are working on a bigger Buzz than the one they hired to do the voice-over. A more rational voice might ask about the forest that had to be cut down to print all that money.

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From AFP:

Troubled US mortgage firm Freddie Mac reported Monday a second quarter net loss of six billion dollars and sought another 1.8 billion dollars from the Treasury to contain the red ink.

The government-backed company said its strategies to boost business and “sustainable homeownership” were taking hold but cited high unemployment posing “very real challenges” for the already embattled housing market.

Freddie Mac suffered a 6.009 billion dollar net loss attributable to common stockholders in the April-June period from a loss of 7.980 billion dollars in the first quarter and 840 million dollars in the year ago period.

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As the Greek Debt Crisis continues, President Obama needs to stand firm: American tax dollars should not be used to bail out Greece – or any country – that engages in reckless government spending and deficits.  And yet, a bailout paid for by U.S. taxpayers remains a real possibility.

This week, leaders of the European Union will be meeting to consider aid for Greece. But instead of using their own money to bail out Greece, it’s more likely the EU will adopt Germany’s proposal to use money from the International Monetary Fund. That way U.S. taxpayers – not just the European Union – will be on the hook for an international bailout.

U.S. tax dollars already pay for 17% of the IMF’s liquidity. And any bailout by the IMF would have to be approved by the U.S. government. According to the IMF’s rules, major decisions require an 85% supermajority. And the U.S. is the only country with the power to block a supermajority on its own.

Therefore, President Obama has the power to either approve or reject a bailout of Greece. So far, he has been quiet. But instead of waiting while storms gather, the President should be vocal that U.S. taxpayers will not bail out Greece. The European Union may be tempted to pass the buck to the U.S. by requesting IMF “help.” If the Presidents tells them ahead of time that such “help” will not be forthcoming, he will make it more likely that the E.U. will meet its responsibilities.

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The U.S. Postal Service lost $3.8 billion last year

Winery receives federal stimulus grant

Musicians more effective communicating in noisy environments than non-musicians, according to findings of a National Science Foundation study

Only 20 percent of Americans hold positive view of government

Research company receives millions of dollars of congressional earmarks and has nothing to show for it

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