Obama Care: Jun 21, 2013

Friday, June 21, 2013

ObamaCare's Free Preventive Services Aren't Free

Credit: National Institutes of Health Library / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

As public support for ObamaCare slumps into a post-election decline, the Department of Health and Human Services is trying to convince people that they ought to like the law by noting that it’s already given free stuff to a whole bunch of people. An HHS news release this week brags that the “Affordable Care Act extended free preventive care to 71 million Americans with private health insurance” as well as 34 million Medicare Advantage beneficiaries—free benefits the agency says are giving Americans “more value” for their health dollars.

The problem is that the benefits in question are neither “free” nor likely to produce valuable savings. ObamaCare’s rules eliminated individual cost-sharing for a number of preventive services, but, as the administration admitted a few months after the law passed, at the cost of higher insurance premiums on average. It’s like a gym that suddenly makes all the drinks and snacks at its café “free”—but raises the price of membership. It’s not free. You’re just paying in a different way.

It’s not cost-saving as public policy either, despite initial Democratic hopes that it would be. In fact, most evidence shows that it increases health spending. That’s because eliminating cost-sharing increases utilization of preventive services; when there’s no immediate price to pay for using a service, people tend to use more of it. And as the Congressional Budget Office reported back in 2009, “the evidence suggests that for most preventive services, expanded utilization leads to higher, not lower, medical spending overall." In general, the CBO noted, researchers have found that “the added costs of widespread use of preventive services tend to exceed the savings from averted illness.”

For preventive services to have the largest benefits relative to costs, the CBO explained, the prevention efforts need to be narrowly targeted at only a few people who are likely to develop a particular ailment. The HHS claim that 105 million people took advantage of ObamaCare’s “free” services suggests that there was not much targeting involved. Instead, the law took a broad-brush approach that likely raised insurance premiums for many and perhaps most of the individuals affected. But I suppose “Affordable Care Act shifts costs and raises premiums for 71 million Americans with private health insurance” doesn’t make quite as good a press release.

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Sanofi says MS Lemtrada drug gives long-term benefit

PARIS, March 21 (Reuters) - The effects of Sanofi's

experimental multiple sclerosis drug Lemtrada continue to benefit the majority of patients long after they have completed their treatment, the French drugmaker said on Thursday.

In an extension trial sponsored by the company that followed up patients who had taken part in two late-stage studies, more than half did not experience any relapses in the first year after completing a two-course treatment with Lemtrada.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system and can lead to numbness, paralysis and loss of vision. It affects 2.5 million people worldwide and has no cure.

Lemtrada, which is given via an intravenous drip for five days and then for three days a year later, has the potential to re-programme the immune system and could potentially change the long-term progression of the disease.

"When you think about therapies to treat MS you think of therapies that are taken chronically, that when you stop them their effects are gone," Michael Panzara, therapeutic area head for MS and neurological research at Sanofi's rare disease unit Genzyme, told Reuters.

"What you have here is a change in the immune system and a prolonged effect."

The study showed that more than 80 percent of patients did not require a third course of Lemtrada in the first year after treatment, while more than 70 percent of patients showed improved or stable disability after three years.

"These findings are important because they suggest that the benefits of Lemtrada as observed in phase III studies are maintained, even though most patients did not receive further dosing," said Edward Fox, director of the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic of Central Texas, who presented the results at a medical congress in San Diego, California.

Lemtrada is under review by the European Medicines Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which are expected to give their feedback by the end of 2013.

In addition to Lemtrada, Sanofi has developed MS pill Aubagio to boost growth after the patent loss on its ageing blockbusters and further its ambition to become a major player in this market.

Aubagio was launched in the U.S. in October, generating sales of 7 million euros ($9 million) in the last quarter of 2012.

The European Medicines Agency is due to give its verdict on the drug by the end of the month.

Shares in Sanofi, which have risen around 8 percent in the last month in the run-up to EMA's decision, closed at 77.32 euros on Thursday.

($1 = 0.7722 euros)

(Reporting by Elena Berton; editing by Keiron Henderson)

((elena.berton@thomsonreuters.com)(+33149495226)(Reuters

Messaging: elena.berton.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: SANOFI LEMTRADA/

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Insurers Limit Doctors, Hospitals In State-Run Exchange Plans

California's health insurance rates for a new state-run marketplace came in lower than expected this week, but one downside for many consumers will be far fewer doctors and hospitals to choose from.

People who want UCLA Medical Center and its doctors in their health plan network next year, for instance, may have only one choice in California's exchange: Anthem Blue Cross. Another major insurer in the state-run market, Blue Shield of California, said its exchange customers will be restricted to 36% of its regular physician network statewide.

And Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, one of Southern California's most prestigious and expensive hospitals, said it's not included in any exchange plans at the moment.

Those types of exclusive arrangements, increasingly tight networks and outright exclusions are becoming more common as insurers and government officials search for ways to hold down rising medical costs.

The vast majority of Californians get their health coverage through their employers and won't be immediately affected by these limitations in the state-run market. But private companies are pursuing similar changes to shave costs. More employers have been adopting these narrower networks and the government's overhaul of the individual insurance market is accelerating the trend.

Some consumer advocates express concern that insurers will go too far and deprive patients of meaningful choices. State officials sought to blunt that criticism this week, pointing out that the 13 health insurers selected will offer access to about 80% of California's practicing physicians and hospitals.

"If we want to keep costs down, something has to give," said Betsy Imholz, special projects director for Consumers Union. "At first blush, it seems like Covered California has negotiated some good deals, but in any given community we will see how this network issue plays out."

Covered California, the state agency implementing the federal healthcare law, said these trade-offs are necessary in many cases to keep premiums reasonable for California's families. Officials said they took steps to ensure that health plans offer an adequate number of quality medical providers and have measures in place for expanding their networks in the event that more people than expected sign up.

More than 5 million Californians are expected to be eligible for coverage in the exchange, and about half of them could qualify for federal premium subsidies.

Details on these insurance networks aren't known yet as insurers and providers wrap up their contracts and await regulators' review in the coming weeks. It's possible some medical groups and hospitals could be added.

Health Net Inc., another exchange option in Southern California, said it expects to seek state approval to use its existing network, which includes both UCLA and Cedars-Sinai, for one of its exchange plans.

Once all those decisions are finalized by early July, Covered California said it will help consumers find out online whether particular doctors and hospitals are in a health plan's network. Enrollment in the exchange opens Oct. 1 for policies that take effect in January, when most Americans must have health insurance or pay a penalty.

"When people come to choose their plan, we will have a directory so they can make sure Dr. Ramirez is in these three plans, for instance," said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California. "Consumers care about that information."

Meanwhile, some insurance agents said it's hard to judge these proposed prices in the state exchange without knowing what's on the menu in terms of available providers.

"Trying to determine whether these rates are low or high without knowing the provider networks is like trying to tell the value of a car when you can only see the tires — you don't know if you are looking at a Ferrari or a Yugo," said Bruce Jugan, an insurance agent in Montebello and president of Benefitscafe.com, which sells health insurance to individuals and businesses.

Paul Markovich, chief executive of Blue Shield, said renegotiating with hospitals and physician groups for lower reimbursements was a key factor for insurers in holding down rates. Medical providers are sometimes willing to accept lower payments in return for higher patient volume from these narrow networks.

Markovich said premiums for Blue Shield's existing individual policyholders will rise 13% next year on average for coverage under exchange plans.

That marked an improvement from earlier predictions of even bigger rate hikes. The state issued a report in March that estimated premiums for many consumers could go up 30%, on average.

Premiums are generally rising to reflect the federal law's requirements for richer benefits and guaranteed coverage regardless of people's medical history.

"The physicians and hospitals that signed up for our network have agreed to accept lower reimbursement specifically to make the exchange more affordable," Markovich said.

Blue Shield's exchange network in the Los Angeles area doesn't include UCLA or Cedars-Sinai. Instead, it features hospitals such as Keck Hospital of USC, Long Beach Memorial and St. John's Health Center. Blue Shield said its statewide network for exchange policies will include about 24,000 physicians, compared with 66,000 doctors in its full preferred provider organization roster.

In Los Angeles County, state officials expect 1.6 million people to be eligible for coverage in the exchange. Premiums will vary based on a person's age, location and level of coverage.

For instance, in the north Los Angeles County region, the rates for a 40-year-old purchasing a Silver plan range from $222 a month for Health Net to $294 a month for Kaiser Permanente. There will still be other individual policies for sale outside those offered through Covered California, but federal subsidies can be used only inside the exchange.

Health Net sees growing acceptance of these narrower networks. The Woodland Hills insurer said enrollment among employers in California, Arizona and Oregon in those smaller networks has grown 37% in the last year.

chad.terhune@latimes.com

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Statement by President Obama on Turkey and Israel

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For Immediate Release March 22, 2013 Statement by President Obama on Turkey and Israel

I welcome the call today between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister Erdogan. The United States deeply values our close partnerships with both Turkey and Israel, and we attach great importance to the restoration of positive relations between them in order to advance regional peace and security. I am hopeful that today's exchange between the two leaders will enable them to engage in deeper cooperation on this and a range of other challenges and opportunities.

Blog posts on this issue March 22, 2013 11:55 AM EDTAffordable Care Act at 3: Looking Forward and Expanding Access

Secretary Kathleen Sebelius lays out the path going forward with the Affordable Care Act and the new healthcare marketplaces.

March 22, 2013 11:20 AM EDTFirst Lady Michelle Obama Visits Military Families at the Fisher House and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

First Lady Michelle Obama Visits Military Families at the Fisher House and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

First Lady Michelle Obama (and First Dog Bo) celebrate an early Easter with military families

March 22, 2013 11:01 AM EDTLloyd Austin to Lead U.S. Central Command

The general becomes the first African-American in the post.

En español Accessibility Copyright Information Privacy Policy Contact USA.gov Developers Apply for a Job

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"Memorial Day 2013: How it was. What it will be" by Bishop Bert [1]

1960s liberalism is not only financially unsustainable, but its champions are a dying breed.[2]

Understanding gold market dynamics.[3]

Evolutionary racism directed towards an accomplished footballer puts a sour note on a football game.[4] Why are so many liberals racists?

When a republic turns into a democracy, it will surely fail. [5]

Remembering a fallen police officer in Phoenix, Arizona. [6]

Media bullying alert: the lamestream media spend all day picking on undefeated conservative Michele Bachmann, who repeatedly won in a liberal district. Rather their cheap criticism, the media should be asking why they could never defeat her.

Wikipedia continues to lose influence in the world in 2013.[7] Also, interest in Project 200 plus keeps expanding.

Undefeated five-term congressman Michele Bachmann announces that she will retire from her position, and may run for higher office. [8] The liberal machine was never able to defeat her in a Dem state.

22 - 29 young people reading the second draft of the Question evolution! campaign book for middle school students. Also, more creationist groups are interested in joining Project 200 plus.[9]

Professor attacked by liberals. His "crime"? Teaching students to think for themselves. [10]

Judge-Shopping, or, How Eric Holder Got Away With Spying On A Reporter's Emails: [11]

The liberal nanny mayor of New York City doesn't like street cafes now. [12]

The IRS scandal that the news is not covering, because it's tied in with Obamacare: [13]

Eric Holder now faces investigation for perjury before Congress. Is Barack Hussein Obama paying attention? [14]

France struggles to find a strategy to turn around their economy even though it is right under their nose.[15] The Bible, Adam Smith and Friedrich Hayek

Many things happen in life that cannot be explained by science or philosophy. Atheists and agnostics self intellectually cripple themselves and are clueless about much of reality.[16]

Example of how modern conservatism is more conservative than Republicans from yesteryear: Bob Dole, Republican nominee in 1996, admits that "Reagan couldn't have made it. Certainly, Nixon couldn't have made it .... We might've made it, but I doubt it." [17]

A United States Senator finally says it: Barack H. Obama is throwing away his moral authority to lead. But in fact he never had legal authority to lead, either. [18]

Conservapedia pauses in prayer (not a liberal "moment of silence") in honor of Memorial Day.

RichardDawkins.net keeps getting smited! Has a plague of locusts eaten Richard Dawkins' daily website visitors?[19]

How long will you refuse to humble yourself before the Lord, Richard Dawkins?

Vox Day and a supporter of the Question evolution! campaign agree: The speed at which the secular left is collapsing is happening at an unexpectedly fast rate. [20]

6 bellwethers showing liberal know it all-ism is unravelling. This will seriously affect Darwinism.[21]

Google USA estimates 101,000,000 search results for the search "Evolution and just so stories".[22]

Question #12 of the Question evolution! campaign has a LOT of potential when it is spread widely in 2013.[23][24]

A Middle East voice calls Barack Hussein Obama one of the weakest presidents in U.S history.[25] It doesn't look like the "liberal chosen one" is going to bring peace to the Middle East during his presidency.

The website of the American Atheists has been smited.[26]

Do you see what happens when you gnaw on the trouser legs of Christianity? Like an unruly drunkard and glutton, you get tasered and laughed at. See: American Atheists and their challenges with overweight leadership personnel and Decline of atheism

"President Obama forgets to salute," but the lamestream media downplay gaffes by liberals. [27]

A Tea Party activist urges Congress to seize the moment, now that Obama's luck seems to have run out. [28]

Another study finds that obesity may decrease brain function.[29] See also: Atheism and obesity and Lesbianism and obesity

Have liberal policies destroyed Sweden? "Stockholm rioting continues for fifth night." [30]

The inventor of the concept "Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder" admitted, before he died, that he made the whole thing up. Think about that when the school district tells you to drug your kids. [31]

Dems admit they lack the votes to pass their amnesty-for-illegal-aliens bill, where 60 votes are the minimum needed in the U.S. Senate. [32]

The cold temperatures this spring have even hurt the sale of sporting goods. [33] Yet liberal denial about the cold weather persists, in order to perpetrate a fictional global warming.

World's most popular site devoted to atheism/agnosticism sees a massive loss of global market share according to Alexa. Also, new Question evolution! campaign group leader expected to be installed in June of 2013.[34]

Obama's paternalistic, sexist reference Thursday to a heckler as a "young lady" is no problem for the liberal media, [35] but an Hispanic golfer's offhand racial quip about Tiger Woods is unforgivable.

7 creationist groups have now joined Project 200 plus. Also, 7 ways the Question evolution! campaign is strengthening itself.[36]

An IRS official takes the Fifth Amendment. Or does she? Besides botching her plea, she shows hypocrisy in claiming a freedom she does not grant to others. [37]

Liberal double standard: racist remarks by Joe Biden are no problem, but the lamestream media and Tiger Woods make a big deal about an offhand joke by an Hispanic golfer. [38] Will media bullying enable Tiger Woods to end nearly 5 years without his winning a major?

The BBC News opened a story with this nonsense: “A study of Neanderthal skulls suggests that they became extinct because they had larger eyes than our species.”[39] Why does Darwinism spawn such lame just so stories?

Thomas Sowell recommends parents having their children read the book The New Leviathan which has a number of essays which debunk various liberal sacred cows.[40]

Barack Hussein Obama's "I am an idiot" defense about his recent scandals undermines his "cult of expertise" and statist redemption fantasies that he has been peddling.[41]

Ask yourselves right now: is this still America? Representative Mike Kelly asked that of IRS Acting Commissioner Miller. We should ask it of ourselves. [42]

Contrast the regal behavior of Barack Hussein Obama with the humble behavior of George Washington. [43]

Expert says that the discovery of a 20-year long rainfall in Ireland points to the Great Flood of the Bible being historical.[44]

Why do so many faux Christians deny the Great Flood and try to turn it into a non-Great Flood?[45] Did Jesus, Peter and Moses lie?[46]

Animals are where they are today, not because they evolved there, nor yet because of continental drift, but because they went there after the Great Flood. [47]

A description of "Common Core Education," the harm it can do, and a list of New Jersey primary candidates pledged to stop it. [48]

15 young people are volunteering to read the second draft of the Question evolution! campaign book for middle school students. Also, a Christian is going into full time creation vs. evolution ministry in June of 2013 and is interesting in volunteering for the campaign.[49]

Outspokenly Christian Kevin Durant gives $1 million to the tornado victims. Durant uaually outscores LeBron, but the liberal media do not promote outspoken Christians.

Why does Glenn Beck, who loves to chart conspiracies on his famous chalkboards, ignore a conspiracy right under his nose? [50]

28 million Americans will be caught in a "massive game of health coverage pingpong" under ObamaCare, and even the liberal media are beginning to panic about this. [51]

Classic communist tactic by the Obama Administration: it files a document in court alleging that a reporter at Fox News is a possible co-conspirator in the "crime" of informing the public. [52] In fact this goes back further – to Henry II. Are we all Thomas Becket now? [53]

Teen awarded for improved capacitor - Intel gave a $50,000 scholarship to a girl whose titanium dioxide capacitor can store almost three times as much electrical energy as previous capacitors and is intended as a battery alternative. [54]

Most mainstream media got the story wrong, claiming incorrectly that her invention can charge a cell phone battery in 30 seconds. (Charging a battery too quickly reduces its life, which is why Motorola and Samsung and the rest keep the amperage low.)

Franklin Graham, one of America's most prominent evangelical Christians, says the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service included two of his ministries.[55]

Are many evangelical Christian churches primarily growing in America due to birth rates or due to evangelism?[56]

"Quiverfull" evangelical Christianity, which does not believe in contraception, is now spreading in the UK.[57] In the past 30 years, the number of Anabaptists in North America, including the Amish, has grown significantly, from 313,000 baptized members in 1978 to more than 535,000 in 2010. [58]

Unfortunately for militant atheists, secularist philosophy breeds sub-replacement levels of fertility. See: Decline of atheism

Obama says black men cannot use racism to explain away their failures. [59]

CDC says the number of children being diagnosed with mental disorders has been steadily growing. [60]

Reuters reports: "Europe is in the midst of its longest recession since it began keeping records in 1995 — even surpassing the calamity that hit the region in the financial crisis of 2008-2009."[61]

Biblical creationism is growing in Europe and its growth rate will accelerate amidst Europe's economic woes.[62]

The UK has experienced one lost economic decade, and it's about to enter a second. [63] When is the UK going to remove Charles Darwin off its currency?[64]

Turkey, a world leader in anti-evolutionism, had its Moody’s credit rating upgraded to investment-grade quality. [65][66]

Imagine how it would be doing if it adopted Christian creationism over Islamic creationism.[67] See: Protestant work ethic

More Question evolution! campaign news from Canada. The stomachs of Darwinists are going to be tied into knots in 2013. [68]

Question evolution! campaign book draft is off to California student readers tonight. Also, new proof and evidence that 2013 is a better year for creationism.[69]

In addition, an atheist wiki still appeals to atheist nerds.

What is the real IRS scandal? It's the tax code itself. [70]

Government-promoted "powerball" gambling exploits and takes millions from the poor, but does not fool conservatives.

A video was recently produced on the topic "Why Christianity and the Bible are true." [71]

Abortion: an indispensable right or violence against women?[72]

A New Jersey activist promotes the primarying of a RINO State Senator. See his side-by-side of a typical RINO and his challenger. [73]

The first rule of grassroots anti-evolution social movements: What's behind us in inane evolutionist commentary is NOT important![74]

Is the Question evolution! campaign entering a new phase? If so, what new tactics are being employed by a Question evolution campaign group?

Bradlee Dean has this scathing commentary on Minnesota's gay "marriage" law. [75]

The Great Flood gained an astronomical fix today. A veteran creation scientist teams up with a veteran CP administrator to use comets to vindicate the Bible – and settle the Biblical chronology dispute. [76]

One reason why Darwinism loving liberal Christianity and the agnosticism/atheism population are headed towards a collapse of their own doing.[77]

The Obama IRS problem just keeps getting bigger.

The director of the tax-exempt determinations office is an Obama donor: [78] IRS agents did what the bosses ordered: [79] IRS denied tax-exempt status of pro-life group on behalf of Planned Parenthood: [80] IRS refused tax-exempt status for pro-Israel and Christian groups; approved it for Muslim organizations: [81] IRS agents illegally seized 60 million medical records: [82] Did the IRS give Mitt Romney's tax returns to Harry Reid? [83]

New amber fossil finds further debunk evolution.[84] "They’re dead ringers for (modern) gall mites" — researcher David Grimaldi

Overrated Sports Star David Beckham was not even good enough to play on Britain's pathetic Olympic soccer team, yet he insists that he is "playing at the highest level" as he announces his retirement. [85] Now he can devote full time to being promoted by the lamestream media.

News update from a Question evolution! campaign blog: "May 15, 2013 was a very BAD day for Darwinism!"[86]

Also, as of today, a Question evolution! blog received 427,864 page views.

A major supply line to Darwinism just suffered a major reversal - college bubble is finally bursting. The infrastructure of Darwinism, atheism, agnosticism and liberalism is crumbling.[87]

Like many second term presidents, Barack Hussein Obama is having scandals arise and he is losing control of events.[88]

A new theory of why secularization occurs.[89]

Liberal politics = massive financial disaster for many California cities, with more bankruptcies expected. [90]

When you have RINOs in the way of real reform, primary them! [91]

The IRS scandal now includes nine Senators, and a liberal outfit that got sensitive information from the IRS on 31 conservative groups. Time for a serious look at tax reform: why do we even need an IRS? [92]

Al Gore still hypes his liberal alarmism: "Our very way of life" is at stake, he insists, "now more than ever before." [93] So why did he sell his TV station for big profits to Big Oil??

The "creationist blogspot squint" repeatedly defeats a timid agnostic and evolutionist who is afraid of debating the creationist biology student VivaYehshua. [94]

An evolutionist has been wildly swinging his rhetorical punches into the air, but he has been hitting thin air. Why is he so afraid of debating VivaYehshua?

Obama, Tyranny, and the Tax Man [95]

Drunken atheist Trekkie makes a bigger fool of himself. Yes, there is something lamer than an atheist who threatens a Bible believer with hellfire.[96]

5 things that will give atheists ulcers.[97]

What "Dr." Kermit Gosnell did in his house-of-horrors clinic is not an anomaly in the abortion industry; it is practice. [98]

A Tea Party activist writes an open letter to State legislators who vote away Second Amendment rights. [99]

PZ Myers, how will we know when atheism has a full-blown nerd crisis? [100]

Myers recently said that atheism is on the "cusp of crisis." Is there a full-blown atheist nerd crisis?

Atheist wiki continues to lose global market share. Also, many of their atheist nerd editors still lose ladies to creationist men![101]

The media already in bed with Obama simply cannot ignore this new scandal: The Obama Administration secretly seized phone records from the Associated Press just prior to the 2012 election. [102][103]

The chilly spring continues to prove the hoax of global warming: "Protect those plants, widespread chance of frost and freeze in N.J. tonight." [104]

Kermit Gosnell stands convicted. But how many others share his guilt? Mainstream Media, maybe? [105]

The scandal at the IRS gets wider every time. This could be the biggest scandal of all. [106]

"Orde Wingate and the Night Raiders: Bring 'em He...Heaven" by Bishop Bert [107]

Another amazing breakthrough for Adult stem cells: Growing Teeth. [108] Still no breakthroughs for immoral Embryonic stem cells.

The IRS is now caught red-handed, in targeting conservative, Tea Party, and pro-Israel groups – and lying about it. But did the Obama administration throw out this chum to distract people from the Benghazi affair? [109]

The homosexual agenda is being pushed into the immigration bill, and it is likely that Dems will cave to the gay demands. [110]

"Sergio Garcia rips Tiger Woods," observing that "he's not the nicest guy on tour." Yet the liberal media continue to cover for Woods, and even lash into Garcia for criticizing him. [111]

Talking animals in the Old Testament. Also, does Leviticus mention dinosaurs?[112]

5 truths that cause evolutionists and atheists to fly into uncontrollable bursts of rage. [113]

Is their anything more lame than an atheist threatening a Bible believer with hellfire?

5 reasons why Christian evangelism is more thoughtful and effective than Darwinist and atheist evangelism efforts. [114]

7 reasons why the growth prospects of the egotistical, socially challenged, atheist nerd population is bleak.[115]

We knew it all along, and now the Internal Revenue Service admits: the IRS plays favorites among applicants for tax exemptions. And a few "un-favorites" besides. [116]

A Tea Party activist asks: did Barack Obama and his administration commit manslaughter and obstruction of justice in the Benghazi affair? [117]

Sociologists say that the American Christian Right are the potters and American atheists are the clay. Also, get three coffins ready. [118]

The families of several Navy SEALs killed in action reveal some stunning – and criminal – acts by the Obama administration. [119]

The Benghazi affair blows up in the Obama administration's collective face. ABC News admits: the State Department sanitized what the CIA told them about it. The White House squirms. [120]

Andrew Schlafly speaks out against ObamaCare.[121]

Is the unborn child a person? What do the obstetricians think?[122]

Atheist wiki hit the socially challenged, atheist nerd ceiling! Their global market share has fallen in 2013.[123]

Christian winners vs. atheist losers. Who is going to win? [124]

The latest in ultrasound technology will benefit the Pro-life cause: 3-D holograms of children in the womb. [125]

A two front war on atheism? [126]

Are biblical creationists picking up the pace of their evangelism?[127]

Is a pack of ravenous biblical creation dire wolves on the prowl ripping big chunks of meat out of their Darwinist bunkum prey?

CBS News doesn't like one of its own making a thorough investigation into the Benghazi affair: [128]

Let's see how liberal pro-choicers spin this absolute insanity: [129]

Cal Thomas writes about the taxation of internet sales and the Marketplace Fairness Act bill being proposed. [130]

Violent video games, which liberal websites defend and promote despite the games' obvious connection with the Newtown massacre, continue to rack up billion-dollar profits. [131]

Ruth Bell Graham once said that if God does not judge America, He must apologize to Sodom. Apart from whether a man (or woman) can judge God, Mrs. Graham had a point. [132]

3 humorous creation vs. evolution events. [133]

Liberal "psychic" Sylvia Browne, the perennial guest of the Montel Williams Show, predicted in 2004 that Amanda Berry was dead. Yet she clams up after Amanda is rescued from a house of horror a couple days ago. [134]

Uh oh, liberal claptrap at HuffPost is not so great after all for AOL: "AOL Inc. (AOL), the digital publisher that owns the Huffington Post and TechCrunch, fell the most in five months after reporting first-quarter profit that missed estimates." [135]

The biblical creation attack dog is metamorphosizing into a fierce and tenacious dire wolf predator. Darwinism will be ripped to shreds. [136]

WHat does "honoring the office" of President of the United States mean, when the current officeholder behaves dishonorably? Theodore Roosevelt had an answer. [137]

Does Barack Obama love being a "divider-in-chief"? Or has he laid a deeper plan? A Tea Party activist examines all the actions of this de facto President and sees an ominous parallel. [138]

Will the Benghazi attack hearings change the game for Barack Obama? Or for Hillary Clinton? [139]

Liberal double standard, as they held Mitt Romney to a different standard than Al Gore, despite how the global warming alarmist Gore is now richer than Romney.[140]

Thomas Paine once made a ringing call to leadership. Where are the conservative leaders of today? [141]

"The 'House of David': Don't be quick to fault the Bible!" by Bishop Bert [142]

Tamerlan Tsarnaev died from "blunt trauma to his head and torso," presumably by being driven over by his own fleeing brother. [143] Yet still no word about drugs that were likely found in pot-smoker Dzhokhar's system.

Is school choice impossible in some States? Only if the voters let it stay that way. [144]

If you are not a biblical creationist, you are behaving illogically.[145]

"Even if all the data point to an intelligent designer, such an hypothesis is excluded from science because it is not naturalistic". - Evolutionist Dr. Scott Todd [146]

Naturalistic/atheistic thinkers, no matter how much they would like to think that it has lasted forever, inevitably come up against the fact that the very laws of the universe point to a supernatural beginning.[147]

Notice that the arguments for evolution amount to logical fallacy—and censorship, not true science. [148]

RINO Backer "Paul Ryan flip-flops, now supports gay adoption." [149] The Republican House leadership moves closer to quietly accepting same-sex marriage.

A Tea Party activist does some sober stock-taking on the battle for American liberty. [150]

Liberals will continue making billions by invading people's privacy, and block a California bill that would have protected the public: "Silicon Valley uses growing clout to kill a digital privacy bill." [151]

Traitors among us, in the United States Senate, who voted for the UN Arms Trade Treaty (which failed – so far). [152]

Overrated Sports Star "Kobe Bryant in court battle with mother over memorabilia." [153] His mother has been paying $1,500/mth to store it, but now the liberal-promoted player tries to stop his own mom from cashing in!

Record-setting May snowstorm blankets several states, further disproving the liberal hoax that there is a crisis of global warming. [154]

Free speech for Christianity wins, and Mikey Weinstein loses. The Pentagon announced today that service members will not be punished for sharing their religious faith. "Members of our military should not be denied the very freedoms they fight to defend. Freedom of religion and speech are paramount among those freedoms," said ADF Legal Counsel Joseph La Rue. [155]

"How to Not stone a Rebellious Son: Reforming according to the Word of God" by Bishop Bert [156]

After Barack Hussein Obama invoked God at a Planned Parenthood event, an activist sharply reminds him: had Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, had her way, he would not exist. [157]

The Ides of May 2013 is definitely going to be nightmare for evolutionists.[158]

British Darwinists, brace yourselves for the grand announcement of May 15, 2013 to be given at 5:00pm Greenwich Mean Time. You will not want to miss it!

A hate-filled atheist wants Christians stopped from sharing the Gospel in the military, under penalty of court-martial for "sedition and treason". [159] Could this be what Obama wants done? [160]

Theistic evolutionists are sleeping with the enemy and getting "fleas of doubt".[161] Leading theistic evolutionist says: "My belief in God is tinged with doubts...".

The New York Times says that the pro-evolution website Wikipedia has a sexism problem. Is there a nerd crisis at Wikipedia?[162]

Compare Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama side by side. Who is the elitist? [163]

Return of the Twinkies - No, they're not the flying monkeys from "The Wizard of Oz." The Hostess company is going back in business, after union demands forced them into bankruptcy last year. (WashTimes)

Which country was among those which tied for last place as being among the most corrupt countries in the world? An atheism and evolution loving country of course - North Korea.[164]

Give it up, liberals: "Arizona lawmakers pass bill making silver, gold legal tender." [165]

Young people love anti-evolution and pro-creation tracts, magazines and books. Darwinism indoctrination is stale and boring. [166]

The NFL has become just another politically correct, liberal organization, as it ostracizes the outspokenly Christian Tim Tebow. Why should the public approve paying for NFL stadiums, as in the upcoming vote in Miami?

Is the soul of America in jeopardy? Why is the military cleaning itself of Judeo-Christian influence? [167]

Obama administration threatening Benghazi whistleblowers (Washington Times, April 30, 2013)

Three of the Doolittle Raiders hold their last reunion on the base where they trained. [168]

Olé! Olé! Olé! Hispanic American creationism is winning mucho battles over Hispanic American Darwinism.[169]

Evolutionists, you will have a lot of splainin' to do on why you can't answer the 15 questions for evolutionists satisfactorily.

Time magazine reports that theological liberalism gained ground during sexual revolution, but conservative Christians are winning now through higher procreation and re-evangelization of West.[170]

Victory! Liberals are now openly admitting defeat! And they have no plan to turn things around!

China's atheist leaders are still panicking and trying to use heavy-handed measures to stop the explosive growth of Chinese Christianity.[171]

A fascinating look at an area in China with 70,000 hills from a global flood perspective.[172]

Liberal global warming scam is proven false, again: "more than 1,100 snowfall records and 3,400 cold records have been set across the nation so far in April." [173] That's not the global warming crisis that Al Gore and other liberals claimed.

Why won't the Republican Party of New Jersey even adopt the national Republican platform? A Tea Party activists sounds a RINO alert. [174]

Volunteers spent thousands of dollars on a successful Question evolution! campaign event and pro-biblical creation outreach. [175]

Kermit Gosnell's trial may go to the jury this week. But does he really do anything that abortion advocates would not want to see done? [176]

"Man stabs 4 choir members during Sunday mass at Albuquerque Catholic church." [177] It's unfortunate that parishioners did not have loaded guns to stop the stranger.

More bad news for liberals, pro-aborts and Darwinists - religioustolerance.org has lost a LOT of web traffic![178]

Why do people still believe what Barack Obama says? [179]

The ricin letters case has taken a strange new twist. Previous suspect (a Democrat) cleared; current suspect (a Republican) charged. Is there a personal feud between the two? [180]

Give it up, liberals: Kansas has the most conservative legislature in its history, and it's not going back to its "moderate", less successful past. [181]

A call back to God for Christians of every stripe, after the Boston Marathon Bombings. [182]

Secular Belgium is crumbling. A golden age of Belgium creationism is dawning.[183]

Also, North American creationism will continue to expand. Will the Harvard University evolutionary biology department, which was disgraced in 2011, be able to stop this?

Conservative trouncing of the liberal incumbents in Iceland in early election returns, pointing to a landslide repudiation of the ruling party and an end to plans to join the EU. [184]

An apologetic for Genesis 1-11, based on the best scientific models available. [185]

God's intelligent design is on display in the sky this weekend: "Saturn at its biggest and brightest Saturday." Many people cannot believe it when they see Saturn's rings for the first time through a telescope. [186]

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky showed how abysmally stupid politicians often are. Here's the latest evidence on Barack Hussein Obama's true identity, the significance of which McConnell totally missed. [187]

Why is there only one God? [188]

"Comprehensive immigration reform" is a tool of fundamental change of America – a thing Barack Obama wants. [189]

Earth's core is proven to be as hot as the Sun, contradicting atheistic theories. [190] Biblical scientific foreknowledge predicted this, as Earth and heat were created prior to the Sun.

A new Black Robed Regiment forms in New Jersey, as pastors re-create a previously un-sung influence in the American Revolution. [191]

Lamestream media proven wrong again: "Economic growth, at 2.5%, falls below expectations." [192]

One more chapter to go before the newly revised Question evolution! campaign book for middle school students is sent to a second group of student reviewers. [193]

"In Turkey, a Muslim Lady fights for the Rights of Israel" (the Scientific Creationist Pro-Jewish movement and Al Qaeda in Collision) by Bishop Bert: [194]

Quickly, the Obama Administration and the liberal media try to change the subject from the Boston Marathon bombing to what Syria is allegedly doing halfway around the world. [195] Isn't Boston more important to America than Damascus??

"Yeah, I wanted to kill the people in the building and then smear a Chicken-fil-A sandwich on their face." It's the liberal Southern Poverty Law Center that's been credited by a liberal terrorist for providing the information for his attack on the Family Research Council. [196]

Education reform: a do-it-yourself guide. [197]

Liberals gotta love this one: Tamerlan Tsarnaev had trained himself to be an American-killing terrorist while getting welfare benefits at the same time. [198]

A Tea Party activist lays it on the line: Executive Orders are unconstitutional. [199]

Dem #6 announces his retirement from the U.S. Senate, rather than face reelection. [200] If liberal ideology is so great, then why are so many like Max Baucus quitting its political efforts?

A home schooling family from Germany will defend their rights to home school — in a United States court. The case of Romeike v. Holder comes before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals today. [201]

The sometimes conservative Koch Brothers cause angst on the Left by considering buying liberal newspaper failures like the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. [202]

The Boston Marathon bombers were firm believers in liberalism ... meaning that the gun laws so championed by the left wing don't apply to them. [203]

Does that Saudi national know more about the Boston Marathon Bombing than he's telling? Why is the government spiriting him out of this country like a carrier of typhoid fever? Congress wants answers. Glenn Beck threatens to drop a bombshell today or tomorrow. [204] UPDATE: Glenn Beck drops the bombshell, and he's not the only one. Details: [205]

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev drove over his brother Tamerlan, which was possibly the real cause of his death. [206] Was Dzhokhar on drugs?

Evil does exist: alleged Young Mass Murderer Dzhokhar Tsarnaev tweeted after the bombing, "Ain't no love in the heart of the city, stay safe people." [207]

Pro-evolution UK government is producing many second-rate secondary school graduates. [208]

Also, a 2012 study found that more and more U.S. liberal arts colleges are reforming themselves or are closing. See: Worst college majors

"The Binding of Isaac, the 'Akedah', and Jesus Christ" by Bishop Bert [209]

Two geneticists admit: life could never have become as complex as it is today, even in a long age of the earth. So they say life began before the earth! Why don't they just accept creation? [210]

College enrollment shows signs of slowing which means less post high school evolutionary indoctrination. Also, the ever shrinking role of tenured evolutionist professors and evolutionary biologists.[211] See also: Professor values

Secular humanist Paul Kurtz vs. the Christian Francis Schaeffer - Schaeffer wins hands down in the legacy department.[212]

Atheist Paul Kurtz's book The Turbulent Universe - a zero Amazon rating. The book Atheism for Dummies has a 4.5 Amazon star rating.[213] Are atheists smarter?

Also, another reason the so-called expansion of atheism is merely bluster and a mirage. See: Global atheism

More and more American public officials want creationism and/or anti-evolution material in schools. 7 reasons why 2014 will see an increase in anti-evolution legislation.[214]

Attended class and partied on Wednesday: the 19-year-old Boston bombing suspect fit right in on the atheistic, public college campus. [215]

The Obama Administration was informed at least two years ago about the danger posed by Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the leader of the Boston Marathon bombing, and supposedly had him under surveillance. "They knew what my son was doing," says his mother. [216]

Ancient astronomers kept a 360 day calendar for thousands of years. Why? Could it be because the earth did have a 360 day year once? Find out how. [217]

The atheist and evolutionist PZ Myers throws out Darwin. [218]

The intelligentsia know that an atheist wiki is vastly inferior to Creation.com.[219]

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the United Kingdom's long-term foreign and local currency issuer default ratings (IDR) to 'AA+' from 'AAA'.[220] How long will the British keep Charles Darwin on their currency?

Heavy metal conservative Bradlee Dean warns: governments often use terrorism to their own advantage. [221]

Violent video games likely played a key role in the development of the Boston Young Mass Murderers, but liberal censorship is working overtime to avoid mentioning it.
Meanwhile, video game companies announce profit increases. [222]

Boston Marathon Bombing: 1 suspect dead, another on the run, and yet another casualty. And the Obama administration has some explaining to do. [223]

The sister of the two young Boston bombing suspects stated that she has "no idea what's gotten into them." [224] Perhaps it was submersion into violent video games by the young men?

Leading website analyzer thinks atheist wiki editors produce low quality work.[225] It's time to renew your library cards atheists!

How many Americans are shot and killed each year by government agents?

The same 1994 law that temporarily banned the sale of assault weapons also required the federal government to compile data on police shootings nationwide. However, neither the Justice Department nor most local police departments have bothered to tally such occurrences. Jim Bovard, Washington Times

RINOs rule in New Jersey, and now the Tea Party will make New Jersey their test case. [226]

Impressive animated Christian children's tracts. Are animated dinosaur biblical creation tracts next?[227]

More shocking, unusual violence in Boston: an MIT campus police officer "was shot multiple times" and killed, and the murderer escaped. [228] We pray for the victim.
Yet Massachusetts has strict gun control and very harsh penalties for violations.
UPDATE: The two suspects in the Boston Marathon Bombings did that deed. One is dead; the other is still at large.

The agenda is more important to liberals than saving lives. It's why a monster named Gosnell was allowed to operate an abortion factory where born babies were murdered, and why the media chose to ignore it. [229]

How to reform education in this country: think outside the box. Meaning: don't let the government box you in to their schools. [230]

"US Senate Rejects Expanding Gun Background Checks." Defeated, sore loser Obama responds with liberal style by calling his opponents liars. [231] Hint: he is the liar, not they. [232]

Liberal media headline: "Let’s hope the Boston Marathon bomber is a white American" [233] If the bomber turns out to be part of some international terrorist conspiracy, then the USA might respond appropriately, and the article would rather blame white Americans. Separately: are they going to arrest someone or aren't they? [234]

America, will you follow the Nazi route? Remembering Martin Niemöller, John Adams, and Noah Webster as the attack on American values continues. [235]

British socialism drops to a new low: "Protesters along the funeral route turned their backs on Baroness Thatcher's coffin as it passed on its way to St Paul's Cathedral." [236]

LIBERAL DENIAL: an eyewitness reportedly tackled the suspect and turned him over to the police, but officials and the media now pretend they have no idea who committed the heinous crime at the Boston Marathon. [237] The public may never be told the truth, and certainly not soon, in order to avoid political embarrassment.

Was God's finished creation perfect? What did Augustine say about man's ability not to sin before the fall of man?[238]

Barack Obama's plan to destroy America was hatched at Columbia University. [239]

Evil is real, and tragic: 3 were killed, including an 8-year-old boy, and more than 130 hurt, many severely, in the Boston Marathon bombing. [240] Investigators are searching for a foreign-accented suspect seen in the vicinity of the crime.

May God help the victims. [241]

Once again, the leftists infesting the liberal media couldn't wait for the victims to be taken to hospitals before they blame the Boston bombing on the "right wing." [242][243]

Gold bubble bursts - After rising exponentially for a dozen years from $200 to nearly $1,800, the price for a troy ounce of gold dropped to $1,400 this month. [244] [245] [246]

The discovery of fossilized cells in north-west Scotland has forced a dramatic rewrite of the supposed evolutionary history of life on Earth.[247]

All those evolutionists who claimed to know how old life is on earth, must now admit they were very wrong. There are at least 101 reasons why the earth is young.[248]

The third Noah's Ark replica is being built by Hispanics near Miami, who hope the Pope will attend the inauguration. [249] Evidently the falsehoods of atheism continue to be rejected by many.

The National Secular Society says that aggressive French religious lobbies are in a sustained attack on French secularism.[250]

Message to the captain of the SS Secularism: Your ship is taking on more and more water and the waves are going to be bigger and more frequent.[251]

Are liberals going to go after marijuana smoke with the same gusto they have with tobacco smoke? [252]

Liberal teacher in a public school tells fourth-graders to give up Constitutional rights. [253]

Who wants Sheriff Joe dead? [254]

Statutory rape: the missing legal problem in abortion that now has the attention of a bunch of lawyers. [255]

"A Turkish delight: they think so in Israel too!" by Bishop Bert [256]

Russia calls American politicians "Russophobic", in apparent mockery of how liberals push their homosexual agenda on "homophobic" Russia. [257] Try "Biblophobic", a Best New Conservative Word.

Nanny State update: a busybody calls 911 to report a jogger who was running backwards, and the cops in Democrat Miami give him a ticket ... even though he's jogged backwards safely for six years. [258]

Congressman Chris Smith on liberal censorship: "Why the censorship" of the Philadelphia abortionist's "Jeffrey Dahmer-like murder trial?" [259]

Looking for things to see and do? See a beautiful landscape which Questions Evolution! Also, public library science books with Question evolution! campaign tracts placed inside them.[260]

A Tea Party activist sends an open letter to Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania: Your bill looks good, but could be better. He suggests seven specific "fixes." [261]

The liberal media continue their attempt to drive conservative athlete Tim Tebow out of New York City, even for a voluntary off-season practice. "Get rid of Tim Tebow," shouts the headline. [262] Many liberals would rather lose than win with a conservative leader.

Message to PZ Myers and friends: Re-positioning the decades long "atheist nerd brand" is going to be close to impossible. Also, "golden age of internet atheism" is coming to an end. [263]

Without Darwin, some of the atrocities connected with evolution might not have been. But people of faith might have grown complacent, too. [264]

Liberal double standard: when Republicans tape-record Democrats (e.g., Watergate), there is media outrage, but not when Democrats tape-record Republicans, despite a Dem statement that a liberal group probably taped a GOP meeting. [265]

News from the land of atheism: "Margaret Thatcher death celebrations" sweep the faithless Great Britain. [266]

An article on the possible relationship between school shootings and violent video games was censored by the Huffington Post. [267]

The most famous "heavy metal conservative activist" warns: the Homosexual Agenda is real, and is destructive. He offers some explicit examples. [268]

Liberal logic: Hugo Chavez's successor promises, if elected, to hold a special investigation into whether Chavez was "inoculated with cancer cells," and hints that he suspects the "American Empire" was responsible. [269] The liberal media played into this accusation by promoting the fake claims and photo of Chavez's purported good health.

Vive la French Creationnisme! Long live French creationism! French creationists are coming aboard the Question Evolution! Campaign.[270]

"Texas student stabs at least 14 at Lone Star College." [271] Because of gun control, students were unarmed and unable to stop the attack sooner.

A Question evolution! campaign blog is rapidly approaching 400,000 page views. Christian blogosphere will soon be turbocharged via blog marketing expertise.[272]

Biola University posts the Christian apologist William Lane Craig vs. atheist philosopher Alex Rosenburg debate. [273]

Why did the atheist Alex Rosenburg appear to drink so much water in the debate relative to Dr. Craig? Dry mouth nervousness?

Margaret Thatcher, RIP. [274]

Dr. William Lane Craig beats the atheist philosopher Alex Rosenburg in a landslide debate victory.[275]

Why does Duke University still employ this atheist, nutjob professor? See: Professor values

An analysis of Walt Brown’s Flood model (hydroplate model of Noah's Flood). [276]

States are moving in very different directions politically on abortion and other fundamental issues. [277] But people are migrating to the conservative states and away from the liberal ones.

How the hockey stick crumbled. Like it or not, liberals, global warming is a proven farce: [278]

More bad news for liberal public schools: "Virtual learning bills gain momentum in Florida Legislature." [279]

Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore rejects liberal advice for women not to raise their own children: "Unfortunately, I was raised in this, like, generation of, like, 'Women can have it all,' and I don't think you can. I think some things fall off the table, the good news is, what does stay on the table becomes much more important" [raising children]. [280] Will Drew become a homeschooler?

Barack Hussein Obama tosses some pork to Florida with plans to capture an asteroid and bring it to orbit around the Moon. If the de facto President wants to worry about a big natural disaster, let him look closer to home. Details: [281]

"Le flop!" Overrated Sports Star David Beckham is "given 3/10 rating" by a candid French press, observing that the Brit "left fellow holding midfielder ... 'to fight for both of them.'" [282]

Massive cable ratings for "The Bible" miniseries on the History channel - much higher than CNN and the Fox News Channel. [283] So why does the lamestream media ignore the Good Book so much?

Can liberty win under seemingly long odds? It did before. A modern activists asks Americans to remember their history, and compare their strength now to their strength during the American Revolution. [284]

A Tea Party activist asks: are politicians really as stupid as they seem concerning the Second Amendment? Or do they have an agenda to deprive us of our rights under it? [285]

Jobs report is below expectations by more than 100,000, and "the participation rate in the workforce is the lowest since May 1979." [286] This is what the liberals told us would be an economic recovery???

How creation was reborn: the three lines of counterattack. [287]

When the American Civil Liberties Union says a new law by a Democrat threatens privacy, the Democrats know they have problems. The ACLU raises strong concerns about the latest gun control law in the Senate. [288]

Overrated Sports Star -- and longtime favorite of the liberal media -- Lance Armstrong is forced out of a swimming meet because of his past conduct. [289]

Self-centered liberals cannot let go of what they think is power: "Obama presses donors to help return Pelosi to speakership." [290]

How the long age view of the age of the earth gained credence. Offers clues to how to reverse that misconception. [291]

Liberal double standard: "Conservatives Shouldn't Own Newspapers?" [292]

The Department of Defense victimizes our fallen heroes, in the name of political correctness. [293]

Oh dear, it appears about 5-7% of American evolutionists believe that "shape-shifting alien reptilian people control our world by taking on human form".[294]

A 15 year-old girl leaves an anti-gun legislature speechless: [295]

"Guns are not the problem; people are." Gun control will not remove guns from society but rather make it harder for people to protect their lives.

What we get as as teachers when liberals control the education: A Weather Underground radical who once served two decades for an armed robbery that killed two cops and a guard is now a professor at Columbia University. [296]

The global warming hoax continued. In fact, it's entirely groundless: [297]

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Agencies should treat discrimination as a misuse of federal funds

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Agencies should treat discrimination as a misuse of federal fundsBy Harper Jean Tobin, National Center for Transgender Equality-03/22/13 10:50 AM ET !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

The reauthorization this month of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was a milestone, because, among many other reasons, for the first time Congress expressly banned discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. These protections are critical for victims of violence who have often faced barriers to life-saving services. But while we should celebrate this historic step, we should not wait for a gridlocked Congress to secure critical new protections when federal agencies already have the power to establish them.

We often think of nondiscrimination in terms of rights that belong to individuals and are created by legislators. But when people are excluded from opportunities based on personal traits, it also exacts a cost on society. Employers lose out on the contributions of skilled employees, for example, and the economy suffers from needless displacement and reduced productivity.

This dynamic is starkest in programs that serve the public, using public funds. VAWA’s long-standing programs were created and funded to serve all those who need counseling, support, and advocacy. For grantees to cut off eligible victims from these services because of bias defeats the goal of the program. As Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) the lead author of VAWA, often said, “A victim is a victim is a victim.” That is why Congress wisely wrote into VAWA an explicit ban on discrimination.

But this ban did not need to come from Congress – it could have come from the Department of Justice (DOJ). Like most laws governing federal grants, VAWA already authorized DOJ to adopt “such rules, regulations, guidelines, and procedures as are necessary” to carry out the program. Under this authority, the department could have adopted explicit, LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination requirements for grantees, without waiting for Congress. More importantly, DOJ has the authority to do the same now for other programs it manages, such as those that serve victims of other crimes.

The Obama administration has done this before. In 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) adopted regulations prohibiting hospitals receiving federal funds from discriminating in visitation. They didn’t have to stop there – it could, and should, prohibit all forms of anti-LGBT discrimination by hospitals that take federal funds. And in early 2012, the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a rule banning anti-LGBT discrimination in all federal housing programs. Advocates have long urged President Obama to apply the same principle to job discrimination by federal contractors via an executive order.

Mandating nondiscrimination through rulemaking has its limits, and there is still an undeniable need for new civil rights legislation. Most obviously, without new legislation agencies can’t ban discrimination by private entities – like most employers – that don’t receive federal funds. Legislative protections send a stronger message, and create stronger remedies for victims of discrimination. Nevertheless, regulatory protections have real legal and social force.

Let’s celebrate the passage of an explicitly LGBT-inclusive VAWA as a milestone that creates real protections. But let’s not wait years for further protections from a gridlocked Congress. The administration can adopt real protections now for critical programs that impact millions of people.

Nondiscrimination can be included in regular updates to existing rules– but we shouldn’t stop there. Whether in grants or contracts or healthcare payments, federal funds should be used responsibly to implement federal programs, employ the best talent, and serve all people in need – not to irrationally discriminate.

Tobin director of Policy at the National Center for Transgender Equality.

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