My OWN experience with the new healthcare plan:

My OWN experience with the new healthcare plan:

I have been researching the "Affordable" Healthcare law (aka Obamacare) for several hours now. (Well actually for several years...) I have posted comments from others who have signed up for, or tried to sign up for, the "coverage." Sadly, many people dispute the evidence when it is given to them on a silver platter. If you really want to know, why can't you research for yourself? I am not being paid to cover this story right now. I am doing this on my own, for myself, and for my friends. So here is what I know for a fact:
1 - It is almost impossible for anyone to even get on the website at healthcare.gov. Once you are there, you can see many comments from people screaming in protest at how UNaffordable it really is. 
2- The healthcare plan will be the hardest for middle class to afford. Low income citizens will have provisions to make theirs cheaper. Ironically, high income citizens will as well. I saw this with my own eyes as I watched an employee on the healthcare.gov's Facebook page answer questions. Some people were even suggesting that people should lie and report a HIGHER income than they actually make in order to qualify for these provisions. The employee admitted that you can be punished for reporting a lower income, but said that as of now, there is nothing on the site referring to reporting a higher income. I personally would not advise this. 
3- Those states, such as Georgia, which refused to expand their Medicaid and comply with Obamacare will be punished for this. There will be no provisions for these citizens. How dare our governor stand up for what we want!
4- For me, a middle aged woman with no pre-existing conditions reported, I can expect to pay about as much as a house payment...with at least a $2000 to $5000 deductible. I will never get that deductible paid, so I will be paying the monthly premium for nothing. I have been to the doctor ONCE in the last 2 years. It cost me $80. That's $40 a year. I would be much better off choosing to opt out of Obamacare, but as a "FREE" American citizen, I do not have that option.
5- The punishment for remaining uninsured is more than $95. The minimum amount — per person — will be $695 once the tax is fully phased in. But it will be less to start. The minimum penalty per person will start at $95 in 2014, the first year that the law will require individuals to obtain coverage. (That is MINIMUM....if you have a JOB it WILL be more!) And it will rise to $325 the following year. (STILL MINIMUM)
Starting in 2017, the minimum tax per person will rise each year with inflation. And for children 18 and under, the minimum per-person tax is half of that for adults.
However, the minimum amount per family is capped at triple the per-person tax, no matter how many individuals are in the taxpayer’s household. So, for example, a couple with one child over 18 (or two children age 18 or under), and no coverage, would pay a minimum of $285 in 2014, $975 in 2015 and $2,085 in 2016. And that would be the minimum no matter how many uninsured dependents a taxpayer has.
The tax would be more for persons with higher taxable incomes. When phased in, it will be 2.5 percent of household income that exceeds the income threshold for filing a tax return. For 2011, those thresholds were $9,500 for a single person under age 65, and $19,000 for a married person filing jointly with a spouse. So, to give a rough calculation, a couple with $100,000 of income might pay a tax of $2,025 if they choose to go without coverage.
But the penalty can never exceed the cost of the national average premiums for the lowest-cost “bronze” plans being offered through the new insurance exchanges called for under the law. We have no way of knowing what that average rate might turn out to be in 2014, but there is reason to think it could be quite high. For example, the total cost of a basic Government Employees Health Association plan currently offered through the Federal Employee Health Benefit program (the model for the state insurance exchanges) totals $9,459 per year for a family plan, and $4,159 for individual coverage.
6- Many are disputing a man who said that he was told that the government could take his driver's license, put a lien on his property, etc if he refused to pay for Obamacare. The actual punishment for refusing to enroll is listed above at #5. BUT, if your taxes become so high that you cannot pay, then YES, the IRS CAN put a lien on your property, seize property, and in some states take your license, put you in prison, and more for tax evasion. So YES, you can face these punishments if you absolutely refuse to pay for Obamacare in any way. I do have links to prove this for those who cannot research for themselves.

As I said, I researched this myself...this is NOT hearsay. And I am not a happy camper at the moment. If you voted for this....please go see for yourself, and then....DO NOT come commenting to me...I told you so.
Angela Kaye Mason is an online researcher, writer, and editor. She may be reached at angelakayemason@gmail.com. Follow Angela on Twitter. Find her on Facebook.

Sandersville Woman Arrested: Freedom of Speech, or Terroristic Threats?

(Photo Courtesy of: http://www.41nbc.com )

So, has the removal of our freedom of speech come to Sandersville? The headline reads, "Sandersville Woman Arrested for Violent Facebook Comments. "  This one hits a little home for me since I consider Sandersville to be my home town. Before the flood of angry comments starts here, please read to the end.

Before I even write this, I am aware that many will disagree with me...that's nothing new. If I let that stop me, I'd never write again. I understand this woman said horrible things. I know that some of the people she said them against are even my Facebook friends. I have written many similar postings before, but never involving people I knew, and honestly, that frightens me a bit, so before I even get started, let me say I do NOT agree with what she did at all...however:

This is America. We have freedom of speech. How many of us have stood and protested when Facebook started censoring the things we DO agree with? How many of us have typed out our dismay when someone was fired over a Facebook posting? SO freedom of speech only applies when we like what was said?

Don't get me wrong...if her comments were threatening, then terroristic threat charges may be in order. But, for a charge like that to stick, she has to have threatened...there is a difference between threatening and making demeaning comments. “I hate purple people. Purple people should all die,” is a demeaning comment, and is not illegal. It is actually covered by freedom of speech. “Dear Purple Person, I am going to kill you and your purple kids next time I see you,” is a threat, and is illegal. For such a comment, the charge should be terroristic threat.

The article does not explain what she said. If she DID threaten to harm anyone, especially special needs children, then she should have been arrested for sure. This is a very fine line. A teenager in Texas spent 5 months in jail after posting a comment during an argument on Facebook. He is out on bail, but is facing felony terrorism charges for something he said in a spat over a video game. Groups all over the country protested to have him released. An anonymous donor posted a $500,000 bond to get him out. FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. He is a teenager. I have seen murders have lower bonds.

When something like this happens, it is easy for us a to stand up and cheer that the alleged perpetrator has been arrested...justice has been served, and we can all go on with our lives. My issue with this is that once we fight for one person to go to jail over a Facebook comment, then we can all expect the same. Once this becomes common practice, we will see more and more people going to jail because their opinion does not agree with what the government or others may want us to say. It is already happening in America's streets...preachers are actually being arrested for preaching against homosexuality, abortion, etc. Whether we agree with what they say or not the Constitution defends their right to say it.

It is just like the Westboro Baptist Church thing. I am disgusted with them for standing to protest military funerals, the funerals of children, etc. Absolutely disgusted. I have seen many people screaming for the government, for the authorities to stop them. Do we not understand that if the law stops them, then we lose our right to protest as well?? Same here. I am disgusted that anyone would in any way degrade, demean, or wish harm on any child, especially a special needs child. Absolutely disgusted. However, let's tread this fine line very carefully.

If she made threats, arrest her for the threats. But you cannot arrest someone in America for saying disgusting things, or for writing something we don't like. Do I think she should not have been arrested? I do not have enough evidence to say. I do not know what her comments were, whether they were actually threatening, or just disgusting and demeaning. All I am saying is...if she DID threaten, arrest her for the threats...but as far as being arrested for Facebook comments that we find shockingly horrifically disgusting...we have laws against that.

Angela Kaye Mason is an online researcher, writer, and editor. She may be reached at angelakayemason@gmail.com. Follow Angela on Twitter. Find her on Facebook.