Fwd: Small Businesses Still Left Empty-Handed

May 18, 2010 Small Businesses Still Left Empty-Handed One of the great promises of Obamacare, you'll recall, was that it would give folks working in small businesses better access to affordable care. "It works for small business owners," Nancy Pelosi announced, "providing access to affordable group rates and creating a tax credit for them to help them insure their employees." This sounded like it would be a huge help, because small firms struggle to find affordable coverage for their workers. Unfortunately, the Obamacare small-business tax credit just doesn't get the job done, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation's largest small-business advocacy group. NFIB reports that provisions aimed at expanding small-business-sponsored coverage will have little real impact—though their cost will be all too real. Dr. Bob Graboyes writes, "The new Small Business Health Insurance Tax Credit probably won't induce many businesses to offer insurance to their employees. Firms that qualify for the credit ought to take it, but most who do will be firms who were going to offer coverage anyway…" Qualifying for the credit is the real sticker. Maximum eligibility applies only to employers with 10 or fewer workers, whose average wages are less than $25,000 a year. For these firms, the credit would cover 35 percent of insurance premiums—but firms so small would likely struggle to cover the rest of the cost of offering health insurance even with this level of assistance. Further provisions whittle down eligibility for the credit.  Businesses must cover at least half of the premium costs. Otherwise, no credit. What if they add an 11th employee?  Bye-bye credit. Raise average wages above $25K… adios credit. Even offering better insurance policies than the average small firm would reduce the value of the tax credit received. Bottom line: qualifying for the small-business tax credit isn't easy. If you do qualify, you'll have to limit hiring and employee compensation to keep it. And, even then, the credit is only a temporary help. After six years, the business and its workers have to pick up the whole tab. When it comes to helping small business expand health coverage, Obamacare offers much less than meets the eye.  But the bill is still eye-popping. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the small-business credit will cost taxpayers $37 billion over the next 10 years. RECENT ENTRIES Fewer Flippin' Hamburgers at White Castle What's a Medical Expense? Higher Premiums from Adult "Children" on Parents' Health Plans Get Ready to Change Your Insurance  Share Today's Side Effects Facebook Myspace Digg Linkdin Twitter   Facebook Twitter YouTube Kindle Flickr Support our work by becoming a member with your gift of $25 or more. The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002-4999 Call us at (202) 546-4400 Add newsletters@heritage.org to your address book to ensure that you receive emails from us.

Fwd: Obama Administration Commiserates With China About Human Rights Violations in Arizona

Today's Headlines Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Obama Administration Commiserates With China About Human Rights Violations in Arizona (CNSNews.com) - In a "candid and constructive" human rights dialogue with Chinese officials last week, Obama administration officials brought up Arizona's new immigration-enforcement law, telling the Chinese Communists it was an example of a "troubling trend" in the United States and an indication of "discrimination or potential discrimination" in American society. Ironically, the State Department's most recent report on human rights in China indicates that the government there restricts the internal travel of its own citizens. White House: Kagan Broke No Law Restricting Military Recruiters at Harvard Washington (CNSNews.com) – The White House will not explore whether Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan violated the law when she did not allow military recruiters at Harvard Law School. A conservative advocacy group, however, says Kagan's refusal to comply with federal law by cooperating with military recruiters at Harvard is reason enough for the Senate to reject her nomination as Supreme Court justice. If Confirmed to Supreme Court, Kagan May Have To Recuse Herself in Health Care Cases (CNSNews.com) – If confirmed to the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan may have to recuse herself if the health care reform law comes before the high court. That's because as solicitor general of the United States in the Obama administration, Kagan may have helped craft a legal defense of the law or given advice to Congress or the White House on how to draft the statute. Historically, Supreme Court justices recuse themselves from hearing cases in which they have previously been involved. White House Health Czar Repeats False Claim of Lower Health Costs (CNSNews.com) – White House health care czar Nancy-Anne Deparle repeated the claim that the health care reform law signed by President Obama will result in lower health care costs despite a well-known government report to the contrary. Kagan Advocated Campaign Restrictions While Serving as Clinton Adviser (CNSNews.com) – Before arguing to uphold government restrictions on campaign speech as U.S. solicitor general, Elena Kagan had advocated such limits while serving in the Clinton administration. Pelosi: Obama's Budget a 'Blueprint for Economic Stabilization' for America, Designed To 'Reduce the Deficit' (CNSNews.com) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) recently said that President Barack Obama's fiscal year 2010 budget of $3.6 trillion was a "blueprint for economic stabilization for our country." The Treasury Department, however, has reported that the United States posted a budget deficit for the month of April nearly four times the $20.91 billion shortfall registered in April 2009. Sen. Rockefeller Tells Neil Armstrong: 'I Am a Substantial Skeptic of Human Spaceflight' and America's Drive to Explore is Not All 'Glorious' (CNSNews.com) - Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman John D. Rockefeller (D-W.V.) says he is "a substantial skeptic of human spaceflight" and that not all outlets for American exploration are "glorious." Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, Gene Cernan: Obama's NASA Plan a 'Blueprint for a Mission to Nowhere' (CNSNews.com) - Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, Jim Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13, and Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan, the last man on the moon, have determined that President Barack Obama's plan to cut funding for NASA's Constellation manned space program is a "blueprint for a mission to nowhere" -- a message Armstrong and Cernan pointedly delivered in person to a Senate committee last week. Napolitano Admits She Hasn't Reviewed 'In Detail' Arizona Immigration Law She's Criticized (CNSNews.com) - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who has been a vocal critic of the new Arizona immigration law, told Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Monday that she had not reviewed the law in detail, but nevertheless repeated criticism she made in April on ABC's "Good Morning America" that the law is a "bad law enforcement law." Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder told a House panel he had not read the ten-page law, either. Fuel Swap Deal Does Not Address Core Issues of Iranian Nuclear Dispute (CNSNews.com) – Heritage Foundation senior research fellow James Phillips said the Obama administration must reject and denounce the nuclear fuel swap agreement signed in Tehran on Monday "as yet another Iranian ploy to stall efforts to impose further sanctions, without addressing the core problem of Iran's drive for nuclear weapons." Turkey-Brazil-Iran Nuke Deal May Put More Pressure on Israel (CNSNews.com) – Following his success in helping to broker a nuclear fuel swap agreement with Iran, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will likely add to the pressure currently facing Israel over its undeclared nuclear arsenal, according to a leading Turkish commentator. Israel, which has yet to respond formally to the agreement signed in Tehran on Monday, has long been troubled by Ankara's increasingly outspoken criticism of Israeli policies on one hand and its warming relations with Israel's foes – including Iran, Syria and Hamas – on the other. CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO Rachael Ray Backs 'Uniform,' 'Level Playing Ground' for Public School Cafeterias (CNSNews.com) - 'Some of the public schools I've been to, they're eating baked chicken and dark leafy greens and fresh fruits and vegetables, and then other schools, they don't even have the equipment, or the funds, or the ability to offer any of those products,' celebrity chef Rachel Ray told CNSNews.com. OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Social Security Needs Small 'Tweaks,' New Congressional Report Says White House Seeks Distance Between Obama and Newly Minted Democrat Arlen Specter U.S. Commerce Secretary Leads Trade Mission to China Obama Heads to Ohio on Economic PR Mission: Says Things Are Getting Better Kagan Courts Potential Republican Ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham Auto Dealers Fight to Avoid New Regulations Supreme Court Rejects Appeal of 'Must-Carry' Rule Ex-Obama Pastor Jeremiah Wright Says 'Obama Threw Me Under the Bus' Warmest April on Record, Climate Agency Reports Arizona Immigration Law Divides Police Across U.S. Obama Administration Faces Questions on Oil Spill Federal Government Begins Review of New Orleans Police Arab-Americans Delight in Miss USA Victory Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP: Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) to resign over affair with female aide In San Francisco, a new attempt to let non-citizens vote Obama White House is limiting, if not blocking, access to the Kagan's family Texas doctors fleeing Medicare in droves; Frustrated by reimbursement cuts 'Smart' electricity grids prompt privacy concerns Afghan suicide bomb kills at least 18, including 5 Americans Conn. AG Richard Blumenthal, now running for U.S. Senate, never served in Vietnam FAA determines Cape Cod wind farm is 'no hazard'; Says project won't hamper radar White House seeks missing health bounce Amid concern, White House speeds up health care benefits Michelle Obama applauds food industry group's pledge to trim calories Mention of God on the Playseum Web site results in school canceling field trip Ex-Harvard student accused of living a lie, conning his way into university Restaurant tests human nature with donation boxes; No one has to pay for anything R.I. Health Dept. gets 15 applications to run marijuana 'compassion centers' COMMENTARY Will the PIGS Blow Up Europe? By Patrick J. Buchanan The European Union is imperiled. Forcing Europe's most indebted nations to surrender their economic independence or be expelled from the European Monetary Union, the PIGS—Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain—may rebel. Many have predicted that economic nationalism would one day tear apart the European Union. The hour may be at hand. A Well-Oiled Cycle By Ed Feulner It's highly doubtful that heaping more regulations on the oil industry is the only way—much less the best way—to prevent another accident. We need to develop more on-shore oil fields, including ANWR in Alaska and the shale oil deposits in Colorado. And we need to focus on safety while we keep developing offshore fields.

Fwd: Morning Bell: The New START Threat to Missile Defense

05/18/2010 The New START Threat to Missile Defense On March 26 the White House released a fact sheet on the New START Treaty. It claimed that the agreement signed by President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev "does not contain any constraints on testing, development or deployment of current or planned U.S. missile defense programs." But the Russians seem to have a different interpretation of the document they signed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on April 6th that Russia would exit the treaty if "the U.S.'s build-up of its missile defense strategic potential in numbers and quality begins to considerably affect the efficiency of Russian strategic nuclear forces. … Linkage to missile defense is clearly spelled out in the accord and is legally binding." So which is it? Does New START place limits on U.S. missile defense or not? While an April 8th State Department fact sheet on "Ballistic Missile Defense and New START Treaty" mirrored the March 26th language, an "updated" April 21st State Department fact sheet showed significant movement towards the Russian position. It says, "The New START Treaty does not constrain the United States from deploying the most effective missile defenses possible." Notice the change? The Obama administration has backtracked from "does not contain any constraints on testing, development or deployment of current or planned U.S. missile defense programs" to "does not constrain the United States from deploying the most effective missile defenses possible." So are only the "most effective missile defenses" allowed by New START? As determined by whom? By the Russians? By Obama's nominee to be Associate Director for the National Security and International Affairs, Office of Science and Technology Policy Philip Coyle? Coyle, by the way, has made a name for himself by questioning whether missile defense is technically possible, despite a proven track record of repeated successes by the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency. If a new U.S. President who actually believes in missile defense is elected, would that Commander in Chief be constrained by what President Obama and anti-missile defense advocates like Coyle thought qualified as "effective missile defense"?