CALIFORNIA YANKEE

Democrats' taxpayer-funded Obamacare mega-bureaucracy blueprint

“This is the blueprint for a taxpayer-funded mega-bureaucracy.” -- House Republican Leader John Boehner

The House Republican staff of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) has created the following blueprint for The Democrats' taxpayer-funded Obamacare mega-bureaucracy:

You can access a larger version of the chart here.

The new chart is a revision of the one the JEC House Republican staff created earlier this year created a chart mapping the bureaucratic complexity of Speaker Pelosi’s original health care proposal (H.R. 3200). The revised chart details new additions to the health care bureaucracy contained in Plosi's latest Obamacare bill  (H.R. 3962).

Speaker Pelosi is determined to force a vote today on the Democrats' $3 trillion, 2,032-page Obamacare bill. The vote is now expected at about 6:00 p.m. Democrats control 258 seats and need 218 votes for passage. No Republicans are expected to support the Democrats' taxpayer-funded Obamacare bill that will create 111 new federal Obamacare bureaucracies.

Unemployment breaks 10% - true unemployment at 17.5%

The Labor Department reports the unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent in October, from 9.8 percent in September.

According to Market Watch, an alternative gauge of unemployment, which includes discouraged workers and those forced to work part-time, rose to 17.5%, the highest on record dating to 1995.

The jobless recovery is an indication that President Obama's boondoggle stimulus bill was not properly targeted.

No Obama Afghan troop decision until Thanksgiving?

It has now been 66 days since General Stanley A. McChrystal's report, in which he requests more troops, was issued at the end of August.

Unable to make a decision for months, President Obama continues to indecisively dither about whether to send more troops to Afghanistan to fight what he correctly calls a "war of necessity."

Obama has one excuse after another:

• Too busy golfing to decide.

• Too busy trying to save the failing Deeds and Corzine gubernatorial campaigns to decide.

• Waiting for the the conclusion of the never ending Afghan election to decide

• Too busy fund raising to decide.

On NBC Nightly News, Chuck Todd reports the long delayed Obama decision on Afghan troops may not come until Thanksgiving.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

It is time for Obama to man up and make his decision.

Congressman Pence: Let Your Voice Be Heard

"This Is Your Moment, Now Is Your Time, Let Your Voice Be Heard" -- Congressman Mike Pence

Congressman Mike Pence urges Americans to make their voices heard regarding the Democrats' latest Obamacare legislation -- Pelosi's 1,990-page, trillion dollar health care plan, which creates 111 new federal  bureaucracies:



Full transcript of Congressman Mike Pence's address:

As President Ronald Reagan said: "Since the American founding, we have been a people with a government, not the other way around."

Now comes the Pelosi plan for a government takeover of health care. It is a freight train of runaway spending, bloated bureaucracy, mandates and higher taxes.

If the liberals in Washington have their way, they will forever change the relationship between the government and ‘we the people.'

If the Pelosi plan for a government takeover of health care passes, we will each become dependent on the political class in Washington for the provision of services of the most urgent and personal nature.

Illness, our own, or more importantly the illness of a parent, or a spouse, or a child, has the capacity to suspend our priorities.

What was important before the crisis grows dim in the harsh light of disease affecting a loved one.

The Pelosi health care plan targets us when we are most vulnerable.

The Pelosi health care plan makes us dependent on the state at the most urgent moment in the life of our family.

Their hope: that little by little, we'll yield our freedoms and our resources to the ever-growing appetite of the federal government.

After years of runaway federal spending, borrowing, bailouts and takeovers, it's easy to give way to despair; but I assure you: there is a remnant that still cherishes freedom, personal responsibility and limited government all across this land.

I have seen it in the faces of ordinary Americans who have traveled to rallies, town halls and tea parties. I have read it in my mail. I have heard it from friends and neighbors who have lost their jobs but not lost their faith in America.

The time has come for those who still cherish our ideals-the ideals of our founding: life, liberty and the pursuit of the American dream-to arise.

Wherever you are, whoever you are, let your voice be heard.

Republicans in Congress who are standing in the gap, cannot do this alone.

I often tell my colleagues that a minority in Congress plus the American people equals a majority.
"We the people" have the power to stop out-of-control spending at the federal level.

"We the people" have to power to stop the Pelosi health care plan, in its effort to take over one-sixth of the American economy.

And "we the people" have the ability to protect the finest health care system this world has ever known and demand real health care reform that will reduce the cost of health care without growing government.

I appeal to you not as Republicans or Democrats, liberals or conservatives, but as Americans.

You cherish freedom, you fear the crushing weight of big government and debt that Congress and this Administration are leaving to our posterity, and you still believe that the strength of this nation is in the character and courage and ingenuity of the American people, and not the politicians and the bureaucrats.

This is your moment, now is your time, let your voice be heard.

Democrats poised to lose first electoral referendum on the Obama presidency

Today, voters in New Jersey, an upstate New York's Congressional District (NY-23) and Virginia will participate in the first electoral referendum on the Obama presidency.

All three races, the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial and the NY-23 Congressional elections were nationalized by Obama and the Democrats.

In New Jersey, Democrat Governor Corzine could not tie himself any closer to President Obama. Obama campaigned for Corzine multiple times. Even former president Clinton was brought in to help. The latest polls suggested a trend toward Republican Christie, but it will be close and dependent upon turnout.

In Virginia, the Democratic Party spent more than $10 million to elect Craig Deeds. President Obama also campaigned for Deeds multiple times. Despite those efforts, Republican Bob McDonnell has held a comfortable double digit lead for weeks. 

In New York's 23rd Congressional District, team Obama sent Vice President Biden to campaign for the Democrat and the former Republican candidate also endorsed the Democrat. Nevertheless, Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman has a slight lead in the closing polls.

Facing a huge electoral defeat only a year after winning the presidency, the White House has already started spinning that the Democrats' pending losses will not have any significance. At Friday's press briefing, Press Secretary Gibbs said, "But I don't think it portends -- quite honestly, whatever the results are I don't think they portend a lot in dealing with the future." The effort President Obama and the Democrats put into these three races belies Gibbs claim of insignificance.

Pelosi's health care bill creates 111 new federal Obamacare bureaucracies

The House Republican Conference has compiled the following list of the 110 new Obamacare boards, bureaucracies, commissions, and programs created in H.R. 3962, Speaker Pelosi’s legislation for a government takeover of health care:

1.     Retiree Reserve Trust Fund (Section 111(d), p. 61)

2.     Grant program for wellness programs to small employers (Section 112, p. 62)

3.     Grant program for State health access programs (Section 114, p. 72)

4.     Program of administrative simplification (Section 115, p. 76)

5.     Health Benefits Advisory Committee (Section 223, p. 111)

6.     Health Choices Administration (Section 241, p. 131)

7.     Qualified Health Benefits Plan Ombudsman (Section 244, p. 138)

8.     Health Insurance Exchange (Section 201, p. 155)

9.     Program for technical assistance to employees of small businesses buying Exchange coverage (Section 305(h), p. 191)

10.   Mechanism for insurance risk pooling to be established by Health Choices Commissioner (Section 306(b), p. 194)

11.   Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund (Section 307, p. 195)

12.   State-based Health Insurance Exchanges (Section 308, p. 197)

13.   Grant program for health insurance cooperatives (Section 310, p. 206)

14.   "Public Health Insurance Option" (Section 321, p. 211)

15.   Ombudsman for "Public Health Insurance Option" (Section 321(d), p. 213)

16.   Account for receipts and disbursements for "Public Health Insurance Option" (Section 322(b), p. 215)

17.   Telehealth Advisory Committee (Section 1191 (b), p. 589)

18.   Demonstration program providing reimbursement for "culturally and linguistically appropriate services" (Section 1222, p. 617)

19.   Demonstration program for shared decision making using patient decision aids (Section 1236, p. 648)

20.   Accountable Care Organization pilot program under Medicare (Section 1301, p. 653)

21.   Independent patient-centered medical home pilot program under Medicare (Section 1302, p. 672)

22.   Community-based medical home pilot program under Medicare (Section 1302(d), p. 681)

23.   Independence at home demonstration program (Section 1312, p. 718)

24.   Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research (Section 1401(a), p. 734)

25.   Comparative Effectiveness Research Commission (Section 1401(a), p. 738)

26.   Patient ombudsman for comparative effectiveness research (Section 1401(a), p. 753)

27.   Quality assurance and performance improvement program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 1412(b)(1), p. 784)

28.   Quality assurance and performance improvement program for nursing facilities (Section 1412 (b)(2), p. 786)

29.   Special focus facility program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 1413(a)(3), p. 796)

30.   Special focus facility program for nursing facilities (Section 1413(b)(3), p. 804)

31.   National independent monitor pilot program for skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities (Section 1422, p. 859)

32.   Demonstration program for approved teaching health centers with respect to Medicare GME (Section 1502(d), p. 933)

33.   Pilot program to develop anti-fraud compliance systems for Medicare providers (Section 1635, p. 978)

34.   Special Inspector General for the Health Insurance Exchange (Section 1647, p. 1000)

35.   Medical home pilot program under Medicaid (Section 1722, p. 1058)

36.   Accountable Care Organization pilot program under Medicaid (Section 1730A, p. 1073)

37.   Nursing facility supplemental payment program (Section 1745, p. 1106)

38.   Demonstration program for Medicaid coverage to stabilize emergency medical conditions in institutions for mental diseases (Section 1787, p. 1149)

39.   Comparative Effectiveness Research Trust Fund (Section 1802, p. 1162)

40.   "Identifiable office or program" within CMS to "provide for improved coordination between Medicare and Medicaid in the case of dual eligibles" (Section 1905, p. 1191)

41.   Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Section 1907, p. 1198)

42.   Public Health Investment Fund (Section 2002, p. 1214)

43.   Scholarships for service in health professional needs areas (Section 2211, p. 1224)

44.   Program for training medical residents in community-based settings (Section 2214, p. 1236)

45.   Grant program for training in dentistry programs (Section 2215, p. 1240)

46.   Public Health Workforce Corps (Section 2231, p. 1253)

47.   Public health workforce scholarship program (Section 2231, p. 1254)

48.   Public health workforce loan forgiveness program (Section 2231, p. 1258)

49.   Grant program for innovations in interdisciplinary care (Section 2252, p. 1272)

50.   Advisory Committee on Health Workforce Evaluation and Assessment (Section 2261, p. 1275)

51.   Prevention and Wellness Trust (Section 2301, p. 1286)

52.   Clinical Prevention Stakeholders Board (Section 2301, p. 1295)

53.   Community Prevention Stakeholders Board (Section 2301, p. 1301)

54.   Grant program for community prevention and wellness research (Section 2301, p. 1305)

55.   Grant program for research and demonstration projects related to wellness incentives (Section 2301, p. 1305)

56.   Grant program for community prevention and wellness services (Section 2301, p. 1308)

57.   Grant program for public health infrastructure (Section 2301, p. 1313)

58.   Center for Quality Improvement (Section 2401, p. 1322)

59.   Assistant Secretary for Health Information (Section 2402, p. 1330)

60.   Grant program to support the operation of school-based health clinics (Section 2511, p. 1352)

61.   Grant program for nurse-managed health centers (Section 2512, p. 1361)

62.   Grants for labor-management programs for nursing training (Section 2521, p. 1372)

63.   Grant program for interdisciplinary mental and behavioral health training (Section 2522, p. 1382)

64.   "No Child Left Unimmunized Against Influenza" demonstration grant program (Section 2524, p. 1391)

65.   Healthy Teen Initiative grant program regarding teen pregnancy (Section 2526, p. 1398)

66.   Grant program for interdisciplinary training, education, and services for individuals with autism (Section 2527(a), p. 1402)

67.   University centers for excellence in developmental disabilities education (Section 2527(b), p. 1410)

68.   Grant program to implement medication therapy management services (Section 2528, p. 1412)

69.   Grant program to promote positive health behaviors in underserved communities (Section 2530, p. 1422)

70.   Grant program for State alternative medical liability laws (Section 2531, p. 1431)

71.   Grant program to develop infant mortality programs (Section 2532, p. 1433)

72.   Grant program to prepare secondary school students for careers in health professions (Section 2533, p. 1437)

73.   Grant program for community-based collaborative care (Section 2534, p. 1440)

74.   Grant program for community-based overweight and obesity prevention (Section 2535, p. 1457)

75.   Grant program for reducing the student-to-school nurse ratio in primary and secondary schools (Section 2536, p. 1462)

76.   Demonstration project of grants to medical-legal partnerships (Section 2537, p. 1464)

77.   Center for Emergency Care under the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (Section 2552, p. 1478)

78.   Council for Emergency Care (Section 2552, p 1479)

79.   Grant program to support demonstration programs that design and implement regionalized emergency care systems (Section 2553, p. 1480)

80.   Grant program to assist veterans who wish to become emergency medical technicians upon discharge (Section 2554, p. 1487)

81.   Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (Section 2562, p. 1494)

82.   National Medical Device Registry (Section 2571, p. 1501)

83.   CLASS Independence Fund (Section 2581, p. 1597)

84.   CLASS Independence Fund Board of Trustees (Section 2581, p. 1598)

85.   CLASS Independence Advisory Council (Section 2581, p. 1602)

86.   Health and Human Services Coordinating Committee on Women's Health (Section 2588, p. 1610)

87.   National Women's Health Information Center (Section 2588, p. 1611)

88.   Centers for Disease Control Office of Women's Health (Section 2588, p. 1614)

89.   Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Office of Women's Health and Gender-Based Research (Section 2588, p. 1617)

90.   Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Women's Health (Section 2588, p. 1618)

91.   Food and Drug Administration Office of Women's Health (Section 2588, p. 1621)

92.   Personal Care Attendant Workforce Advisory Panel (Section 2589(a)(2), p. 1624)

93.   Grant program for national health workforce online training (Section 2591, p. 1629)

94.   Grant program to disseminate best practices on implementing health workforce investment programs (Section 2591, p. 1632)

95.   Demonstration program for chronic shortages of health professionals (Section 3101, p. 1717)

96.   Demonstration program for substance abuse counselor educational curricula (Section 3101, p. 1719)

97.   Program of Indian community education on mental illness (Section 3101, p. 1722)

98.   Intergovernmental Task Force on Indian environmental and nuclear hazards (Section 3101, p. 1754)

99.   Office of Indian Men's Health (Section 3101, p. 1765)

100.Indian Health facilities appropriation advisory board (Section 3101, p. 1774)

101.Indian Health facilities needs assessment workgroup (Section 3101, p. 1775)

102.Indian Health Service tribal facilities joint venture demonstration projects (Section 3101, p. 1809)

103.Urban youth treatment center demonstration project (Section 3101, p. 1873)

104.Grants to Urban Indian Organizations for diabetes prevention (Section 3101, p. 1874)

105.Grants to Urban Indian Organizations for health IT adoption (Section 3101, p. 1877)

106.Mental health technician training program (Section 3101, p. 1898)

107.Indian youth telemental health demonstration project (Section 3101, p. 1909)

108.Program for treatment of child sexual abuse victims and perpetrators (Section 3101, p. 1925)

109.Program for treatment of domestic violence and sexual abuse (Section 3101, p. 1927)

110.Native American Health and Wellness Foundation (Section 3103, p. 1966)

111.Committee for the Establishment of the Native American Health and Wellness Foundation (Section 3103, p. 1968)