Union uses Obamacare to defraud taxpayers of $1.3 million

From Fox News:

A Texas union’s dirty laundry -- aired out in court when workers charged they were cheated out of overtime pay – also shows the labor organization ripped off taxpayers under a $1.3 million contract to sign people up for ObamaCare, a watchdog group is claiming. 

Non-profit group Southern United Neighborhoods got a $1.3 million federal grant in 2013 to serve as a "navigator," enrolling people in Affordable Care Act coverage. The group subcontracted with United Labor Unions Local 100, which, according to Cause of Action, paid members less than it billed the government and, in some cases, paid them to recruit union members. The watchdog group discovered the alleged discrepancy in court papers filed by union workers suing the labor organization for unpaid overtime.  

“Southern United Neighborhoods and ULU Local 100, both rebranded ACORN entities, present a risk of violating the law – this time by potentially misusing over $1.3 million of taxpayer dollars for union activities instead of enrolling individuals in the Affordable Care Act,” Daniel Epstein, executive director for Cause of Action said to FoxNews.com. 

Epstein and his group sent a letter to the federal Health and Human Services Inspector General this week asking that SUN and the union be investigated for fraud. . . .

Taxpayers pay for this "nonpolitical" speech by Obama

Here is the transcript from Obama's talk at Northwestern Unversity:

Now, I am not on the ballot this fall.  Michelle is pretty happy about that.  (Laughter.)  But make no mistake:  These policies are on the ballot -- every single one of them.  This isn’t some official campaign speech, or political speech, and I’m not going to tell you who to vote for -- although I suppose it is kind of implied.  (Laughter and applause.) . . . 

There’s a reason fewer Republicans are preaching doom on deficits . . .  There’s a reason fewer Republicans you hear them running about Obamacare . . . Republicans in Congress actually had to take a stand on policies . . . at least one top Republican in Congress said . . . 

Of course, since this was a non-political talk to the students, Obama was able to get taxpayers to pay for his trip out to Chicago so that he could to this $50,000-a-head fundraiser for the Illinois Governor.  

Despite Obama's efforts to hide the coming health insurance spike until after the election, word is starting to leak out

President Obama has pushed back the dates for health insurance renewal until after the election, but still some information is going to come out before the election.  Will people be as clear of the implications as they would be if they actually saw the bills before the election?  Undoubtedly "no."  But still some information is starting to get out.  From The Hill newspaper:

Alaskans buying health insurance through their state exchange can expect a price spike of more than 30 percent on average, news that could hurt Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), who voted for ObamaCare, 

Alaska Public Media reports that the two health insurance companies supplying plans on the state exchange will dramatically increase their plans' average costs next year. 

Republicans have long predicted that a spike in insurance costs driven by ObamaCare's state exchanges would occur this fall, and while that prediction has failed to materialize in many states, in Alaska, it looks like they were prescient — and that it might hurt Begich's campaign. . . .

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Obama White House again promises Telemundo that there will be amnesty for illegal aliens after the election

Possibly this would have gotten more attention if this promise had been made on the English networks and not on a channel for Spanish speakers.  From The Hill newspaper:

President Obama will “make good” on his promise to implement eexecutive actions on immigration by the end of the year, press secretary Josh Earnest said Sunday. . . . 

“This is a promise the president will keep,” Earnest said during an appearance on Telemundo’s “Enfoque con Jose Diaz-Balart.” “The president has tasked his team with looking at the law and determining what kind of executive authority he can use to try to address the problems of our broken immigration system. They've come up with some good solutions. They will be finalized before the end of the year and the president will announce them before the end of the year.” . . . 

The White House has seen a sharp drop in Latino support following his decision to punt on immigration reform. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll earlier this month showed just 47 percent of Hispanic voters approve of the president's performance, down 15 percentage points from April, 2013. Fewer than 3 in 10 Latino voters described themselves as "very positive" about Obama. . . .

Gas station employee successfully uses gun to defend himself against three armed robbers

19 Action News|Cleveland, OH|News, Weather, Sports

When the station's owner was asked about his employee carrying a gun, the owner said what do you expect since Canton is a dangerous place.  The article at Action News 19 in Canton is available here.

The Canton Police Department has released surveillance video and 911 calls connected to Monday night's deadly robbery attempt at a Marathon gas station. Two of the suspects were killed, but one is still on the run. . . .
Police say two of the suspects, identified as Antonio Garcia, 23, and Ronnie Lawson, 21, were shot and killed by a clerk at the location.
The shooting followed an attempted robbery and a scuffle with the clerk.
The clerk was shot in the hip and leg during the melee. His injuries are non-life-threatening. The gas station manager says the clerk is recovering well in the hospital.
Police are still searching for a third suspect. He is described as being either black or Hispanic with a thin to medium build. He is the one wearing the white mask in the surveillance picture. Police do not know if he was injured in the shooting. . . .
The clerk has not been charged. . . .

Sensible Swiss: 62 percent of voters reject replacing private health insurance with public system

From Agence France-Presse:

Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a plan for a seismic shift from the country's all-private health insurance system to a state-run scheme. 

Referendum results showed that almost 62 percent of voters had shot down a reform pushed by left-leaning parties which say the current private system is busting the budgets of ordinary residents. 

The results also underlined the national divisions over the hotly-contested issue as the country's German-speaking regions voted against the plan, while their French-speaking counterparts were in favor. . . . 

"Our health system is among the top performers in the world. Competition between health insurers and freedom of choice for clients play a major role in this," it added. . . .

Good thing that there is no such thing as vote fraud: CT State Rep. Christina Ayala arrested on 19 voting fraud charges

It is pretty amazing how many different places within the state that this state representative votes.  But this isn't unusual.  for other examples of vote fraud see here or here.  From the New Haven Register:

State Rep. Christina “Tita” Ayala, D-Bridgeport, was arrested Friday on 19 voting fraud charges. 

Ayala, 31, is accused of voting in local and state elections in districts she did not live, the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office said in a press release. 

The arrest warrant affidavit also alleges Ayala provided fabricated evidence to state Election Enforcement Commission investigators that showed she lived at an address in a district where she voted while actually living outside the district, according to the release. 

Ayala, who represents the 128th District, was elected in 2012, replacing her cousin, Andres Ayala, who was elected to the state Senate. She chose to run for reelection earlier this year, despite the voting fraud investigation, but lost a four-way primary in August.
The Elections Enforcement Commission referred the case to the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in October 2013, recommending criminal charges. 

Ayala allegedly voted in various Bridgeport Democratic Town Committee elections, a municipal primary election and a state primary election between 2009 and 2012 in districts inconsistent with the location of her residence, according to the release. She is also accused of voting in the Bridgeport state general election in 2012 in a district where she didn’t live. . . .