Anticipating the looming battle over funding the government and defunding Obamacare, Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 47 stations) by reiterating what a mess is being created over a program that involves 1/6 of our government spending.
“As if the news isn’t bad enough, now the IRS admitted that they can’t account for $67 million in Obamacare funding. Then Obama admitted that he had underestimated the tax load that Obamacare would put on every American. And finally, Nancy Pelosi reported that there is nothing left to cut out of the $4 trillion federal budget, and that the cupboard is bare. Is it any wonder that a new poll found that sixty-two percent of Americans say they lack the information needed to understand the changes that will take effect as the Affordable Care Act, and that barely one in ten thinks the federal government, their state government or the health insurance industry is fully prepared to implement the law?” asked Neal.
Made in America welcomed first-time guest Sharon Stiller, a partner and director of the Employment Law Practice at Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara & Einiger, LLP.
Continuing the discussion on Obamacare, Stiller noted that there is a tremendous amount of information out there on Obamacare, but it’s too much for most people to digest and understand. Adding to the confusion is that there have been many delays in implementation, including the employer shared responsibility part of the law.
“Then you have to sift through all the exemptions, such as those going to religious organizations, Native American tribes, those seeking a short coverage gap, hardship, those in incarceration, and illegal aliens. Not to mention redefining the criteria for large and small companies,” proposed Stiller.
She explained that large companies are those with 50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent employees, while small companies are those with less than 50 employees.
“While there this talk that full-time employees are being turned into part-time employees, we haven’t seen a great deal of this. Anything like this is confined to those businesses with fewer than 50 employees,” concluded Stiller.
Neal and co-host Dr. Rich Roffman continued the discussion on Obamacare and its ultimate cost for most Americans.
“Obamacare is an incredible intrusion into our lives for a program that nobody wants or believes that the government is ready to implement. A family of four will be paying $7,500 more per year for health insurance. It’s really going to be a burden for younger employees who choose not to pay for health insurance until they had the financial resources. Now they are being forced into it and after one year will be paying four-times what they are paying now,” predicted Neal, who added the program will add even more debt to a government already drowning in debt.
“We are seeing that $43,000 in debt is being put on the backs of every American. And now the government is adding more debt. The irony of Obamacare is that while promises have been made, it is clear that most people won’t be able to keep their current doctor or plan and their costs will go up. But the final insult is that many Americans won’t be able to keep their job—or at least the number of hours they need to support their family,” suggested Dr. Roffman.
Returning to Made in America was Brian McNicoll, Senior Communications Director at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who outlined the enormous amount of money the government is spending on questionable subsidies.
“It’s already costing every American 42 cents for every dollar the government spends on programs like crop insurance, which no longer goes to the small farms for which it was intended, but to rich people with clout, to the tune of $9 billion a year. Then there’s the $1.3 billion given to Amtrak for routes that are so unprofitable that it loses money on every ticket it sells. It would be cheaper just not to run the routes at all,” proposed McNicoll.
He also noted that $156 million is being given to 22 government employees whose only job is to whip up support for unions. The office of the first spouse, presently run by Michelle Obama, gets more than $1 billion in operating funds.
“The biggest waste is the billions being allocated to ethanol, which eats up 40 percent of American corn production and 1/7 of the world’s corn crop. Yet, although not enough ethanol is being produced for energy companies to use in their refining (as prescribed by law) and even with this shortage—refiners are being fined for non-compliance,” added McNicoll. “The bottom line? There’s not enough product available!”
The final guest on Made in America was return guest Horace Cooper, an adjunct fellow with the National Center for Public Policy Research, Co-Chairman of the Project 21 National Advisory Board, and a legal commentator.
Cooper wants to see the economy exist without people being abused by unions.
“Let people make their own choices when it comes to union membership. They see what unions are doing and don’t like it. Unions are supporting candidates that they don’t like, who have a left-wing agenda that runs counter to their own beliefs. They don’t want Obamacare even though unions helped push it through. People want unions to be pushed aside so they can see what they can accomplish for themselves without union interference,” said Cooper.
Cooper sees ominous signs of desperate unions going to any measure to gain new members, including trying to push through the unpopular card check to force people to join. The latest example is in Wisconsin, which voted to become a Right to Work State, but that didn’t stop unions from going after casinos operated by Native American tribes that are exempt from the state’s rulings.
Neal and co-host Dr. Rich Roffman concluded the show by returning to the topic of cronyism and its impact on enriching friends of the White House.
“We are seeing what happens when one party tries to take over government. Obama didn’t get a single Republican on the Democrats’ latest push to launch Obamacare October 1. Even George Bush got some Democratic votes when he went to war against Iraq – even from Hillary Clinton. When we have one party rule, it’s the recipe for unchecked cronyism,” said Neal.
Dr. Roffman returned to the Department of Energy, his favorite organization that unashamedly doles out billions of dollars to friends of the Obama administration.
In this case, Lanza Tech has been awarded a $4 million grant by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). While this reflects Obama’s push for bio-fuels, it ignores the fact the LanzaTech, which is actually based in New Zealand, is funded by a large Democratic fundraiser who recently raised $432,000 at an Obama fundraiser.
This prompted a Dr. Roffman tongue-in-check suggestion for people who want government money to hold a couple of barbecues, give a few bucks to the Democratic Party, and then ask for some federal money.
“It’s another indication that one party rule is dangerous. It leads to cronyism and government waste. Detroit is the perfect example of what can happen during one-party rule,” concluded Neal.
Each week Neal Asbury’s Made in America provides Neal’s insights into the week’s top news stories and their impact on the worlds of entrepreneurship, small business ownership and the overall economy. Neal’s analysis, together with co-host Dr. Richard Roffman, a veteran 30-year publisher with extensive domestic and international experience, takes a non-biased approach based on real life experience in business as an American manufacturer and exporter. Made in America airs nationally each Saturday from 7-8:00 PM on Radio America. Link to Made in America at http://www.nealasburysmadeinamerica.com.
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