Gunman Kills TSA Officer at Los Angeles International Airport #LAX

At the Wall Street Journal, "TSA Worker Killed in LAX Shooting; Suspect in Custody: FAA Curtails Planes Following Incident."

And at the Los Angeles Times, "LAX shooting: Gunman left anti-government note, targeted TSA."



I'll have more on this.

Meanwhile, follow Dana Loesch Dana Loesch for the latest developments on the Piers Morgan gun control angle.

Morgan Stanley Bearish on Holiday Shopping Season

I don't know.

Seems like things are actually picking up lately. Besides, didn't Morgan Stanley get an Obama bail out after the 2008 crash? Moral hazard and all that. Who's can trust 'em?

Well, as Kathleen Sebelius would say, "whatever."

At LAT, "Holiday-season retail sales look bleak, Morgan Stanley predicts":

Count on coal this Christmas.

That's what researchers at Morgan Stanley are saying in the first major forecast of a decidedly dour holiday season. Retailers hoping for a respite from a year of so-so shopping can instead expect the worst Thanksgiving-to-Christmas sales since 2008, the financial services firm said Thursday.

Five years ago, the industry was free-falling into recession. This year, a new collection of worrisome economic conditions looms as stores gear up for a period that can sometimes account for 40% of annual revenue.

Shopper confidence is low. The recent federal government stalemate and shutdown was a damper. The window for holiday shopping is six days shorter than it was last year.

At the same time, consumer spending, which makes up more than two-thirds of economic activity, is actually getting a boost. Gasoline prices are lower, and net worth is rising because of higher real estate values and a stock market upswing, Morgan Stanley said in a report.

But instead of shoveling extra money into gifts, many Americans are plowing it into big-ticket items such as cars, appliances and home improvement goods.

The report anticipates that during the fourth quarter, retailers will see a scant 1.7% increase in sales at stores open at least a year. Such same-store sales are an important indicator because they eliminate the effect of opening and closing outlets during the previous 12 months.

Strip out struggling J.C. Penney Co., which researchers predict will roll out deep discounts early in the season, and projected sales growth slips to 1.6%.

That's less than half of last year's 3.5% expansion, according to Morgan Stanley...

Nah. It's gonna be fine.

Indeed, the piece continues, "the National Retail Federation said it expected holiday sales to rise 3.9% to $602.1 billion." That's what I'm talking about!

Ethnic Studies Programs Crash and Burn at Cal State University

Hey, it was good while it lasted, right?

At LAT, "Cal State's ethnic studies programs falter in changing times":

In the 1960s, California college campuses were hotbeds of civil rights and free speech activity, where student protests resulted in the nation's first ethnic studies programs at San Francisco State and UC Berkeley, among others.

Ethnic studies became a sought-after major and a safe setting in which to examine the influence of the state's diverse population of Latinos, African Americans, whites and Asians, among others.

In recent years, however, some of those programs have been cut back, particularly in the California State University system. Today, students — and faculty — are once again protesting: this time to save ethnic studies majors.

At such campuses as San Jose, Stanislaus, Bakersfield, Long Beach and elsewhere, professors aren't being replaced, classes are being reduced and majors could be eliminated or subsumed into other liberal arts programs. The moves have reignited old debates — and wounds —- about Cal State's commitment to social and cultural diversity.

Educators and others say that as campuses look to trim costs, ethnic studies programs are bearing the brunt and could be seen as irrelevant.

Administrators counter that many programs are not attracting enough students to fill classes.

The programs also face stiff competition as students of all ethnicities focus more on obtaining degrees with immediate job prospects.

"A discipline like ethnic studies lays itself wide open to the critiques of what the hell do you do with this, can you run a corporation or fly a plane with this?," said Ron Scapp, president of the National Assn. for Ethnic Studies, which is conducting a national survey on the status of such programs.

But Scapp and others said that debates over immigration, the election of the country's first black president and the aftermath of the shooting death of black teenager Trayvon Martin by a white man show the nation is still grappling with issues of race and cultural diversity. Ethnic studies programs, he said, offer a forum to tackle these topics.

The initial intent of the programs was to increase the numbers of students and professors of color and expand historical perspectives, including those of Native Americans, women, gays and lesbians.

But it was also divisive, with some critics arguing that the disciplines lacked academic rigor. In 2010, Arizona banned school districts from offering ethnic studies programs determined to be radical or fostering racial resentment.

A recent move to reduce the status of the Africana Studies Department at Cal State Long Beach led the state Assembly to adopt a resolution urging that it and other such programs be maintained. Cal State Chancellor Timothy White put the changes on hold until the campus finds a permanent replacement for former President F. King Alexander...

Oh the humanities!

Hey, speaking of the humanities, it's hard times all around. At the New York Times, "As Interest Fades in the Humanities, Colleges Worry."

Suddenly, Obama Loves Mitt Romney as He Walks Back His Keep-Your-Health-Plan Promise

A smashing editorial at the Wall Street Journal, "A President Manqué":

Voters may recall Mr. Romney as the Republican candidate the Obama campaign said was responsible for the death of a Missouri steelworker's wife, among many other White House inventions. But on Wednesday Mr. Obama cited Mr. Romney as a political model who did "the right thing on health care" and built "this template of proven, bipartisan success."

Mr. Romney responded more rapidly than his Presidential campaign usually did and issued a statement saying that "a plan crafted to fit the unique circumstances of a single state should not be grafted onto the entire country" and disavowing the "frustrating embarrassment" of ObamaCare.

The Boston trip is classic example of the Obama political method and why his Presidency is floundering only a year into his second term. Amid a crisis of government execution and policy design, Mr. Obama doesn't address the flaws or take responsibility.

Instead he hits the campaign trail to blame Republicans once again for a failure they had nothing to do with—and to spin new political fables to replace the old ones that even he can no longer utter with a straight face. On his current behavior, the only time Mr. Obama is going to act as if he's President is when he no longer is.

RTWT.

#ObamaCare’s Ugly Authoritarian Problem

From David Harsanyi, at the Federalist, "Obamacare’s Ugly Authoritarian Problem":

It’s almost as if some people believe lying is acceptable – even preferable — if the political outcomes are morally pleasing to them [progressives]. Many Obamacare supporters, in fact, are beginning to sound like they couldn’t care less about process, the law, order, competence, or anything that undermines the goal of putting your health-care choices into more capable hands.

Yeah.

Almost acceptable. Hilarious, isn't it? Hardy-har-har.

Continue reading.

U.S. Military Wants 'Iron Man' Suit

At LAT, "U.S. military wants to create 'Iron Man suit'."

Obama's Polls Plunge

From Andrew Malcolm:

Obama's approval plummets with this fellow and millions of others http://t.co/kUMAeXmTl6 #TCOT pic.twitter.com/76AV9sC0Lx

— Andrew Malcolm (@AHMalcolm) October 31, 2013

NewsBusted — Most Americans Think #ObamaCare Should Be Delayed...

Via Woodsterman's:

President George W. Bush Trick-or-Treating With His Granddaughter

At Twitchy, "Adorable: George W. Bush trick-or-treats with ‘tiny astronaut’ Mila."

Healthcare Mash

Funny thing is, I heard "Monster Mash" when I pulled into the college today, and then again on the way home.

This is good, via Instapundit.

President Defends #ObamaCare at Boston's Faneuil Hall

Defending the indefensible.

Nothin' but lies, it's so bad.

At AoSHQ, "Obama Doubles Down on His Big Lie":

The most breathless claim in his speech, I thought, was the lie that only those making $250,000 per year or more are being "asked to pay a little more."

This is a lie. Anyone making over $48,000 or so will get the doubled or tripled premiums (and often doubled deductibles to boot!) and no subsidies.

Jonah Goldberg wrote earlier of Obama's Big Lie.

I would say I'm shocked, but that would be a lie. I think I am too emotionally deadened to Obama's constant lies to even have a reaction. I'm just numb.

RELATED: At LAT, "Obama: GOP critics of Obamacare should follow Romney example."

Mitt's having none of it, "Mitt Romney blasts president on Obamacare rollout."

BONUS: "Obama Heckled During Healthcare Speech in Boston."

'She Talks to Angels'

Foghat's "Fool for the City" came on yesterday just when I was pulling up at my apartment. For the life of me I can't recall hearing that song in decades --- and that's saying something, considering how much I play classic rock on the radio.

It's not necessarily one of my favorites, however. Just weird hearing it. Reminded me of high school.

Here's the drive-time lineup yesterday afternoon:

Fool for the City - Foghat 3:29 PM

White Room - Cream 3:24 PM

Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith 3:20 PM

Love Her Madly - The Doors 3:11 PM

867-5309 / Jenny - Tommy Tutone 3:07 PM

It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) - R.E.M. 02:56 PM

The Black Crowes were on a bit earlier,  at 2:00, when I was heading out for coffee after classes. I'll leave you with that, as is my preference:

Victoria's Secret Holiday 2013

Via Theo Spark.

Why Obama Made His 'Keep Your Plan' Lie

At IBD, "The Biggest Lie? 'Keep Your Plan'":

Deception: In the face of millions of cancellation notices, Democrats want to downplay the president's "keep your health plan" pledge as standard political hyperbole. It was, in fact, a calculated lie that got ObamaCare enacted.

To understand why, let's freshen up on a little health care reform history.

Back in 1994, when Bill Clinton was pushing his own version of "comprehensive health reform," the insurance industry launched its infamous "Harry and Louise" ads to deliver a simple message: The Clinton plan would force families to give up their own health plans.

In one of these, the middle-class couple pours over a pile of documents at the kitchen table, while a narrator intones about how "things are changing, and not all for the better," and how "the government may force us to pick from a few plans designed by government bureaucrats."

"Louise" then complains that "having choices we don't like is no choice at all," and the ad concludes with the couple saying, "They choose, and we lose."

The campaign was devastating. Even though Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress, Clinton's bill never made it out of congressional committees.

So when President Obama decided to take another stab at health care, he was determined to avoid that pitfall. He endlessly promised in the most emphatic way possible that under his plan, Harry and Louise would have nothing to worry about.

"Let me be exactly clear about what health care reform means to you," the president said at a July 2009 rally in New Jersey. "First of all, if you've got health insurance, you like your doctors, you like your plan, you can keep your doctor, you can keep your plan. Nobody is talking about taking that away from you."

Later he said that "When I say 'If you have your plan and you like it,' ... what I'm saying is the government is not going to make you change plans under health reform."

He promised this after the law passed, and throughout the 2012 election campaign.

Of course, Obama knew it wasn't true when he said it. He just couldn't admit it if he wanted to convince enough Democrats to vote for the bill.

And now that millions of people are finding out that ObamaCare is, in fact, forcing them to pick from a few plans designed by government bureaucrats, Democrats and the liberal press are desperate to explain Obama's promises away.

More at the link.

Obama's Approval at All-Time Low in Latest NBC News Poll

He's a lying dick-hole

At NBC, "NBC/WSJ poll: Obama approval sinks to new low":

President Barack Obama’s approval rating has declined to an all-time low as public frustration with Washington and pessimism about the nation’s direction continue to grow, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Just 42 percent approve of the president’s job performance, which is down five points from earlier this month. By comparison, 51 percent disapprove of his job in office -- tied for his all-time high.

The NBC/WSJ pollsters argue that no single reason explains Obama’s lower poll standing. Rather, they attribute it to the accumulation of setbacks since the summer -- allegations of spying by the National Security Agency, the debate over Syria’s chemical weapons, the government shutdown and now intense scrutiny over the problems associated with the health care law’s federal website and its overall implementation.

More at the link.

PREVIOUSLY: "Majority Says #ObamaCare Needs 'Major Overaul' or 'Should Be Eliminated'."

Majority Says #ObamaCare Needs 'Major Overaul' or 'Should Be Eliminated'

Well, it's not all good news for Republicans. The biggest thing that sticks out for me is the "pox on both your houses" sentiment that comes through in some of the preference polling.

At NBC News, "Poll: Majority think health law needs overhaul or elimination." (The PDF survey is here.)

Sixty-three percent said that a "new person" should be elected to Congress, rather than "giving your representative a chance." Also, when thinking about "how you might vote for Congress next year," support for an independent candidate is at 30 percent, up from 25 percent in September. Again, Republicans have a lot to be worried about in these numbers, as they hold the House majority, but Democrats certainly can't rest easy, since they'll be defending Obama's clusterf-k on the campaign trail next year. For that reason alone --- as well as the national redistricting picture which is said to advantage Republicans --- I seriously doubt the Democrats have a chance of taking the House in 2014.

In any case, leftist assholes can stop with the stupid meme about how approval of ObamaCare just keeps going up:

A majority of Americans – 52 percent – believe the health care law needs either a major overhaul or to be completely eliminated, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds.

Forty-four percent think it either needs minor modifications or that it’s working well as is.
The Obama administration maintains that the health insurance exchange website can be fixed, but acknowledges major problems.

“In these early weeks, access to Healthcare.gov has been a miserably frustrating experience for way too many Americans,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday in testimony on Capitol Hill.

President Barack Obama addresses the issues facing healthcare.gov Wednesday during a speech at Boston's Faneuil Hall.

The number of respondents who said the law was a good or bad idea was relatively unchanged from earlier this month. But support for the law has slipped with one key group – women, who traditionally rank health care as a higher priority than men, and who are seen as an important plank in selling the law.

Americans called it a bad idea by a 47-37 percent margin – a shift from 43-38 percent earlier this month. But among women, a group President Barack Obama won by 11 points in 2012, just 38 percent think it’s a good idea, while 45 percent do not. That’s down from early October, when most women said the law was a good idea by a 41-39 percent margin.

More at Memeorandum.

Kathleen Sebelius Testimony: 'Whatever'

Oh boy.

This is going viral on steroids to infinity!



More at iOWNTHEWORLD, "It’s all in the face."

Kathleen Sebelius Congressional Testimony on #ObamaCare Catastrophe

She's the face of criminal despotism.

And the hits can't keep coming fast enough, lol.

At the Hill, "Annoyed Obama demands fix":

An agitated President Obama has expressed frustration to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about the faulty ObamaCare enrollment website.

A visibly annoyed Obama behind closed doors has made clear to Sebelius that it’s her responsibility to fix what has become an unwanted second-term blunder, according to senior administration officials.

White House officials say the strong words from Obama don’t mean Sebelius is necessarily in the doghouse but that she’s responsible for fixing the problem.

In the words of one senior administration official, “She’s in a tough spot. She’s on the hook.”

She needs to be fired, the damned hack.

More at Memeorandum.

There's going to be all hell breaking loose today on Capitol Hill. Republicans are fired up on this.

Also at WaPo, "Kathleen Sebelius acknowledges ‘frustrating’ problems with health-care Web site."

You can't keep your insurance because Democrats don't want you to control your own health-care spending

From Holman Jenkins, at WSJ, "The Outrage Arrives":

Democrats at least are consistent. Back in 1993, during the fight over HillaryCare, Mrs. Clinton explained Democratic reasoning to then-House GOP Leader Denny Hastert. If Americans are allowed too much discretion over how they spend their health-care dollars, Mrs. Clinton said, "We just think people will be too focused on saving money and they won't get the care for their children and themselves that they need . . .

"The money has to go to the federal government because the federal government will spend that money better."

Not only was it deliberate ObamaCare policy to make sure plans millions of Americans like would no longer be available, forcing them to buy more coverage than they want or need. NBC reports that the White House—as Mr. Obama was promising Americans they could keep their current plans—was estimating at least seven million people would not be allowed to keep their current plans.

In drafting rules to put ObamaCare into effect, the Health and Human Services department under Kathleen Sebelius tightened the grandfathering eligibility to make sure even more people would be forced to switch to the excessively costly policies that Mr. Obama wants them to buy. Mr. Obama says he cares about your incentive to get preventive care or tests that you may not get if they don't appear to involve a free lunch.

But the truth is, he wants you to pay for coverage you'll never use (mental-health services, cancer wigs, fertility treatments, Viagra) so the money can be spent on somebody else.

RTWT.

Angry Seniors Losing Coverage, Doctors Over #ObamaCare

I was watching this the other night and tweeted.

My god. Elderly losing their doctors on @MegynKelly. #FoxNews

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 29, 2013

And now Lonely Con has it, "Video: Seniors Losing Their Doctors."

More at Fire Andrea Mitchell, "Elderly New Yorkers losing doctors because of ObamaCARE."