Boy Scouts Update
The Boy Scouts of America said today that it is delaying its decision on whether to admit homosexuals as scouts or scoutmasters. Facing pressure from both sides of this debate, the Scouts will not vote on gay membership until the group’s annual meeting in May. The delay is an indication that your phone calls and emails are having an impact as well as ads like the one we cosponsored in USA Today.
About 70% of Scout units are sponsored by churches, most of which are conservative. The Scouts have experienced a slight drop in the number of boys participating in scouting over the last decade. Expect that number to drop even more if the Scouts decide to give in to the left and admit open homosexuals.
The Mount Rushmore of Regulation
Remember President Obama’s promise when he was selling Obamacare that if you like the insurance you have you will be able to keep it? According to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office, Obamacare will push 7 million people out of their job-based insurance plans. That’s nearly twice the original estimate.
The CBO estimates that many businesses won’t buy insurance for their employees, and will instead pay the penalty, which will total $13 billion in higher fees over the next 10 years.
Paul Bedard of the Washington Examiner reports that a new House study estimates that complying with all the new Obamacare rules and regulations will cost American businesses and families 127 million hours annually. The House report states that that’s enough time to carve out another 1,039 Mount Rushmores, which took 14 years to complete. “This is valuable time that could be used to run businesses, create jobs and grow the economy,” said Energy and Commerce Chairman Rep. Fred Upton.
Happy Birthday, Mr. President!
Ronald Reagan was born on this day in 1911. Reagan enthusiasts, wherever they are today, will raise a glass in honor of "the Gipper." We will recall all that he did to restore American confidence and remind us we were meant to be "a shining city upon a hill." We miss you, Mr. President.
Speak Up For Saeed Abedini, Mr. President.
Barack Obama has never been shy about speaking up for causes he’s passionate about. In the last week we’ve heard from the president on everything from gun rights and immigration amnesty to head injuries in football.
But there is one cause for which Obama’s words could make a world of difference but about which he has so far not found his voice: the case of Saeed Abedini.
Abedini is a Christian pastor who last week was sentenced to eight years in prison by an Iranian court. Abedini’s alleged crime? Preaching the gospel in Iran. Read more about Adedini’s story in my Human Events column.