Banking Regulations

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Are they anti-bank?  They’re certainly in the way of getting new organizations into the banking business.  The total number of banks in the US has fallen from a peak over 18,000 to under 6,900 this year.  The first new bank to be Federally chartered since December 2010 [sic], the Bank of Bird-in-Hand in Bird-in-Hand, PA, opened last week after spending 7 months in charter Hell working on getting permission to open.  Here’s a sample of what BiH had to go through to be allowed to operate as a private business.

  • [T]he backers behind the Bird-in-Hand group raised about $17 million from investors.
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A Trip for the Pivot

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Vice President Joe Biden is on a trip to Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the People’s Republic of China this week.  What’s the plan?  Is he going to help our allies deal with a newly aggressive PRC and its sea grab for the East and South China Seas?  Or with the PRC’s use of an ADIZ—normally just a warning area regarding aircraft—to seize control of the airspace over the East China Sea, triggered by the PRC’s grab for Japan’s Senkaku Islands in the southern reach of the Sea?

In Japan

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Union Leadership Greed in Illinois

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Details of a plan reached last week appear to show [Illinois] state legislative leaders are attempting to solve Illinois’ $100 billion pension crisis in part by changing workers’ retirement age, reducing automatic pension increases, and limiting their collective-bargaining privileges.

Public union leadership disagrees with this, though, and they’re turning on that Democratic Party leadership.  These union leaders consider carefully selected and targeted Democrats to be “persuadable,” and these unionists are going to do some “persuading.”

Never mind that the plan will save roughly $160 billion over 30 years, according to Governor Pat Quinn (D) and the leaders of the Democrat-controlled State Assembly.

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The Government’s Health Care Site

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HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is busily shilling HealthCare.gov as up and running smoothly—but please,

you may want to visit HealthCare.gov in off-peak hours when there is less traffic—mornings, evenings, or on weekends.

And,

Have your information ready when you log on, and comparison shop to get the best deal.

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On the NRSC’s Responsiveness to Its Donors

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Two weeks ago, as I did with the NRCC Chairman, I sent a letter to Senator Jerry Moran (R, KS), Chairman of the National Republican Senate Campaign.

16 November 2013

8432 Mesa Verde
Plano, TX 75025
[email]

Re: NRSC Survey and Contribution Request, “Monday, 8:37 AM (~4 Nov 2013)

Senator Jerry Moran
Chairman
National Republican Senatorial Committee
320 First St, SE
Washington, DC 20003

Dear Senator Moran,

I’ve received your letter requesting contributions to the NRSC, together with its enclosed survey, but I have concerns.

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Northern Korea’s Nukes

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Northern Korea has begun expanding its missile site at Tonghae, on the northeast coast, as well as its missile site at Sohae, on the northwest coast, in order to enable them to handle larger—longer-range and/or bigger payload—missiles.

Northern Korea also has restarted its plutonium reactor at Yongbyon.  Recall that the only viable product from a plutonium reactor is weapons-grade plutonium.

All of this comes against the backdrop of northern Korea’s oft-repeated claims of being willing to enter into talks about trading disarmament for food aid.

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On the NRCC’s Responsiveness to Its Donors

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Two weeks ago, I sent the following letter to Congressman Greg Walden (R, OR), Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Campaign.

16 November 2013

8432 Mesa Verde
Plano, TX 75025
[email]

Re: NRCC Contribution Request, 5 Nov 2013

The Honorable Greg Walden
Chairman
National Republican Congressional Committee
320 First St, SE
Washington, DC 20003

Dear Congressman Walden,

I’ve received your letter requesting contributions to the NRCC, but I have concerns.

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A Cost of Obamacare

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Anecdotal, certainly, but anecdotes are data, and they can accumulate into trends.  This one comes from Fox News‘ “Kelly File.”

One late-middle-aged family with two college-age children were paying $500/mo for a health insurance plan that suited their needs.  President Barack Obama’s Obamacare, though, termed that plan inadequate and so illegal: the family got one of those ubiquitous cancelation letters.  The new health “insurance” plan they got runs them $1,250/mo.

With that explosion in their pocketbook, this family did what any American family does and what the Obama administration refuses to do seriously: they budgeted.

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There Are Worse Names to be Called

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Recall the Bowie State University Obamacare kerfuffle [emphasis in the original].

Bowie State University has suspended offering health insurance for domestic students for the 2013-2014 academic year.  Due to new requirements of the Affordable Care Act which will go into effect on January 1, 2014, the cost of insurance for domestic students will increase to approximately $1800 per year [from $54/semester].  If you were covered by the university health insurance last Spring 2013, your policy will expire on August 29, 2013.

Earlier this month, BSU student Eugene Craig objected via the BSU newspaper, The Bulldog Collegian; his article had this closer:

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