Obama's Giveaway: Oil-Rich Alaskan Islands to Russia

The Obama administration, despite the nation’s economic woes, effectively killed the job-producing Keystone Pipeline last month. The Arab Spring is turning the oil production of Libya and other Arab nations over to the Muslim Brotherhood. Iraq is distancing itself from the U.S. And everyone recognizes that Iran, whose crude supplies are critical to the European economy, will do anything it can to frustrate America’s strategic interests. In the face of all of this, Obama insists on cutting back U.S. oil potential with outrageous restrictions.

Part of Obama’s apparent war against U.S. energy independence includes a foreign-aid program that directly threatens my state’s sovereign territory. Obama’s State Department is giving away seven strategic, resource-laden Alaskan islands to the Russians. Yes, to the Putin regime in the Kremlin.

The seven endangered islands in the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea include one the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. The Russians are also to get the tens of thousands of square miles of oil-rich seabeds surrounding the islands. The Department of Interior estimates billions of barrels of oil are at stake.

The State Department has undertaken the giveaway in the guise of a maritime boundary agreement between Alaska and Siberia. Astoundingly, our federal government itself drew the line to put these seven Alaskan islands on the Russian side. But as an executive agreement, it could be reversed with the stroke of a pen by President Obama or Secretary Clinton.

The agreement was negotiated in total secrecy. The state of Alaska was not allowed to participate in the negotiations, nor was the public given any opportunity for comment. This is despite the fact the Alaska Legislature has passed resolutions of opposition – but the State Department doesn’t seem to care.

The imperiled Arctic Ocean islands include Wrangel, Bennett, Jeannette and Henrietta. Wrangel became American in 1881 with the landing of the U.S. Revenue Marine ship Thomas Corwin. The landing party included the famed naturalist John Muir. It is 3,000 square miles in size.

Northwest of Wrangel are the DeLong Islands, named for George Washington DeLong, the captain of USS Jeannette. Also in 1881, he discovered and claimed these three islands for the United States. He named them for the voyage co-sponsor, New York City newspaper publisher James Gordon Bennett. The ship’s crew received a hero’s welcome back in Washington, and Congress awarded them gold medals.

In the Bering Sea at the far west end of the Aleutian chain are Copper Island, Sea Lion Rock and Sea Otter Rock. They were ceded to the U.S. in Seward’s 1867 treaty with Russia.

Now is the time for the Obama administration to stand up for U.S. and Alaskan rights and invaluable resources. The State Department’s maritime agreement is a loser – it gives us nothing in return for giving up Alaska’s sovereign territory and invaluable resources. We won the Cold War and should start acting like it.

The Obama administration must stop the giveaway immediately.

Author’s addendum, Feb. 17, 2012: This is not a new issue. In fact the Bush and Clinton administrations are directly at fault for the same inaction. A maritime agreement negotiated by the U.S. State Department set the Russian boundary on the other side of the disputed islands, but no treaty has ratified this action. Consequently, it is within the president’s power to stop this giveaway. The Alaska delegation’s failure to put pressure on the administration is inexplicable. State Department Watch, an organization that assisted with this article, has confronted each administration and is currently confronting the Obama administration — and has been met by silence. I’m hoping this piece will help reinvigorate efforts to stop this handover.

Joe Miller was the 2010 Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate from Alaska. He is a West Point graduate and decorated combat veteran from the first Gulf War. A former judge, Joe graduated from Yale Law School and was later awarded an advanced economics degree from the University of Alaska. He is presently chairman of Restoring Liberty Alaska PAC and Restoring Liberty Action Committee.

Original article at WND

Martial Law by Executive Order

This order places all resources and infrastructure, including food, water, energy, oil, transportation, and human labor under federal control. Citizens can be drafted into forced labor at any time. The government does not need a declared emergency or crisis to exercise this power. It merely has to say that it is for national defense.

We are transitioning into a fascist system and the sheople of this nation are just baaa, baaa, baaaing away.

Wake Up America!

President Obama's National Defense Resources Preparedness Executive Order of March 16 does to the country as a whole what the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act did to the Constitution in particular -- completely eviscerates any due process or judicial oversight for any action by the Government deemed in the interest of "national security." Like the NDAA, the new Executive Order puts the government completely above the law, which, in a democracy, is never supposed to happen. The United States is essentially now under martial law without the exigencies of a national emergency.

Even as the 2012 NDAA was rooted in the Patriot Act and the various executive orders and Congressional bills that ensued to broaden executive power in the "war on terror," so the new Executive Order is rooted in the Defense Production Act of 1950 which gave the Government powers to mobilize national resources in the event of national emergencies, except now virtually every aspect of American life falls under ultimate unchallengeable government control, to be exercised by the president and his secretaries at their discretion.

The 2012 NDAA deemed the United States a "battlefield," as Senator Lindsey Graham put it, and gave the president and his agents the right to seize and arrest any U.S. citizen, detain them indefinitely without charge or trial, and do so only on suspicion, without any judicial oversight or due process. The new Executive Order states that the president and his secretaries have the authority to commandeer all U.S. domestic resources, including food and water, as well as seize all energy and transportation infrastructure inside the borders of the United States. The Government can also forcibly draft U.S. citizens into the military and force U.S. citizens to fulfill "labor requirements" for the purposes of "national defense." There is not even any Congressional oversight allowed, only briefings.

In the NDAA, only the president had the authority to abrogate legitimate freedoms of U.S. citizens. What is extraordinary in the new Executive Order is that this supreme power is designated through the president to the secretaries that run the Government itself:

• The Secretary of Defense has power over all water resources;
• The Secretary of Commerce has power over all material services and facilities, including construction materials;
• The Secretary of Transportation has power over all forms of civilian transportation;
• The Secretary of Agriculture has power over food resources and facilities, livestock plant health resources, and the domestic distribution of farm equipment;
• The Secretary of Health and Human Services has power over all health resources;
• The Secretary of Energy has power over all forms of energy.

The Executive Order even stipulates that in the event of conflict between the secretaries in using these powers, the president will determine the resolution through his national security team.

The 2012 NDAA gave the Government the right to abrogate any due process against a U.S. citizen. The new Executive Order gives the government, through the Secretary of Labor, the right to proactively mobilize U.S. citizens for "labor" as the government deems necessary and to coordinate with the Secretary of Defense to maintain data to coordinate the nation's work needs in relation to national defense.

What is extraordinary about the Executive Order is that, like the NDAA, this can all be done in peacetime without any national emergency to justify it. The language of the Order does not state that all these extraordinary measures will be done in the event of "national security" or a "national emergency." They can simply be done for "purposes of national defense," clearly a broader remit that allows the government to do what it wants, when it wants, how it wants, to whomever it wants, all without any judicial restraint or due process. As Orwell famously said in 1984, "War is peace. Peace is war." This is now the reality on the ground in America.

Finally, the 2012 NDAA was hurried through the House and Senate almost like a covert op with minimal public attention or debate. It was then signed by the president at 9:00 PM on New Year's Eve while virtually nobody was paying attention to much other than the approaching new year. This new Executive Order was written and signed in complete secret and then quietly released by the White House on its website without comment. All this was done under a president who studied constitutional law at Harvard.

It is hard to know what to say in the face of such egregious disregard for the integrity of what America has stood and fought for since its founding. It is hard in part because none of us thought such encroachments would ever happen here, certainly not under the watch of a "progressive" like Obama.

At one level, the prospect for war with Iran is probably an immediate justification. But the comprehensiveness of the Executive Order, like that of the 2012 NDAA, speaks to something much deeper, more sinister. I would suggest that this Order, like the NDAA, has been in the works for some time and is simply the next step in the logic of the "global war on terror." Our political elites have come to consider democracy an impediment to effective governance and they are slowly and painstakingly creating all the democratic legalities necessary to abridge our democratic rights with impunity, all to ensure our "security." Of such measures do republics fall and by such measures tyrants emerge.

The only thing that really remains is the occasion to test the new rules of the game. Perhaps that will be war with Iran, perhaps some contrived emergency, or perhaps, as long as the public and media remain asleep, no occasion will be necessary at all. It will just slowly happen of its own accord and we, like the frog in the pot of slowly boiling water, will just sit there and be consumed by our own turpitude.

Original Article by Huff Post

Grandfather Gets Arrested for Holding Burglar at Gunpoint While Waiting for Police to Arrive

If you think you have a right to defend your person and property in this country, you might want to think again. This case involving a concerned citizen - and victim - becoming the accused is just another example of a government gone amok!

We CAN make a difference if we choose to...

Wake Up America!

Fleming: "I didn't think I could handle this guy physically, so I fired into the ground."

A New Hampshire man who fired his handgun into the ground to scare an alleged burglar he caught crawling out of a neighbor's window is now facing a felony charge -- and the same potential prison sentence as the man he stopped.

Dennis Fleming, 61, of Farmington, was arrested for reckless conduct after the Saturday incident at his 19th century farmhouse. The single grandfather had returned home to find that his home had been burglarized and spotted Joseph Hebert, 27, climbing out of a window at a neighbor's home. Fleming said he yelled "Freeze!" before firing his gun into the ground, then held Hebert at gunpoint until police arrived.

"I didn't think I could handle this guy physically, so I fired into the ground," Fleming told FoxNews.com. "He stopped. He knew I was serious. I was angry … and I was worried that this guy was going to come after me."

No one was injured in the incident, but when the police arrived, they made two arrests. Hebert was charged with two counts of burglary and drug possession. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. Fleming, meanwhile, is scheduled to be arraigned March 20 on a charge of reckless conduct, which could potentially land him a sentence similar to the one Hebert faces.

"I didn't know it was illegal [to fire into the ground], but I had to make that guy realize I was serious," Fleming said. "I've got a clean record. I really don't want to be convicted."

County Attorney Tom Velardi told Foster's Daily Democrat he will review the case and determine if the charge against Fleming is appropriate under the state statutes regarding self-defense and defense of property.

Fleming, meanwhile, is hoping to catch a break.

"I have 14 grandchildren, I don't want to be a felon and go to jail," he said. "I'm kind of wound up about it."

Fleming's collection of seven rifles and a .38-caliber handgun were seized by police. But Fleming said he's not entirely defenseless: "I've got a Louisville Slugger here, but I would call the police," he said.

Calls seeking comment from Farmington Police Department Chief Scott Roberge were not immediately returned.

Penny Dean, a spokeswoman for the Gun Owners of New Hampshire, said her organization is "absolutely outraged" by Fleming's arrest.

"This homeowner fired at the ground, from all accounts, in a safe direction and held a burglar for police and did things correctly," Dean told FoxNews.com. "The fact that this man would be charged is an outrage. Burglars in New Hampshire must know it's open season, since homeowners cannot defend themselves, as evidenced by this case. This is charging the victim."

Rick Pelkey, Fleming's longtime neighbor, said he's now worried how the "straight-forward, working-class guy" will pay legal fees associated with the arrest.

"I think it's outrageous," Pelkey told FoxNews.com. "He did the community a service here. We ought to thank him for it."

To see original article click here

Lord Monckton: "I’m No Birther," But Obama Birth Certificate "Plainly a Forgery" (Video)

If it looks like a forgery, and smells like a forgery, it IS a forgery. Obama is hiding something. What don't you get?

Wake Up America! 

On Dennis Miller’s radio show Thursday Lord Christopher Monckton, a former policy adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and an activist against global warming “alarmism,” went all-in on questioning President Barack Obama’s citizenship.

Monckton, the 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, hinted about his position on the issue in April 2010 at a tea party rally on the National Mall near the White House. But on Miller’s show, he said the birth certificate issue was far more important that combatting so-called anthropogenic global warming.

“I mean, hey you got a president who has a false birth certificate on the Internet, on the White House website,” Monckton said. “It’s not even clear where he was born. You’ve got a national debt which is rising into the stratosphere. You’ve got unemployment certainly here in California at 11 percent, 50 percent in the construction industry. These are real problems. You’ve got real environmental problems — overfishing, deforestation, pollution, not so much in the west but certainly in other countries. These are real problems which ought to be addressed. You’ve got poverty. You’ve got disease. These are again serious problems in Africa for instance, that we could be helping with. But no, we’re obsessed with making the rich even richer and making the absolute bankers richer still by going for global warming and cap-and-trade and other nonsenses of this kind.”

Miller protested by saying he disagreed with the suggestion that Obama has a fraudulent birth certificate. But Monckton dug in his heels.

“I don’t know whether he is Kenyan or not,” Monckton said. “The point is that if I were you, I would want to make absolutely sure that he was born here before allowing him to be elected. And the birth certificate that he put up on that website, I don’t know where he was born. But I do know that birth certificate isn’t genuine.”

Monckton firmly asserted that the birth certificate on the White House website wasn’t real, and claimed it could be dismantled with software.

“It appears in layers on the screen in such a way you can remove quite separately each of the individual dates,” Monckton said. “You use Adobe Illustrator and each of the individual dates is in its own separate layer. This thing has been fabricated. Sheriff [Joe] Arpaio of Arizona has had a team on this for six months. And he has now gone public and said there’s something very desperately wrong with this and of course nobody is saying anything because the entire electorate has been fooled.”

“I’m no birther, don’t get me wrong,” Monckton said. “I haven’t a clue where Obama was born and I wouldn’t want to entreat into the private grief behind investigating. But the point is, is what he has done on the White House website is he has put up a document which he is plainly a forgery and I would regard that as a very serious matter.”

ICE Admits Releasing Accused Illegal Alien Child Rapist

Obama needs to save what little face he has left and fire Director of ICE, John Morton and DHS Director Janet (The Nazi) Napolitano. They are rogue players who need to be kicked off the team - the losing team at that.

Wake Up America!

Original article

Stand With Arizona has chronicled Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) outrageous new directives, instantly removing between 300,000 and 1.4 million illegal aliens from the “enforcement priority” list – in effect granting them indefinite amnesty from deportation, without any authorization from Congress whatsoever.

The rationale given for this lawless amnesty from ICE Director John Morton is that he would  have a “sustained focus on criminal offenders“.

Instead we have chronicled one failure after another by ICE to detain or even keep track of criminal illegals and repeat offenders who present imminent risks to the public – such as  Carlos Montano – three times released by ICE after DUIs – who went on to kill a Benedictine nun while drunk driving again in Virginia in 2010.

But ICE has now made a complete mockery of its new “enforcement priorities” by releasing an accused serial child rapist in Cook County, IL:  Amado Espinosa-Ramirez, who has been charged with 42 counts of “predatory sexual acts”, including  children.

After his arrest last August, Espinosa-Ramirez was at the time charged with a 6 counts of sexual assault (the other 35 to be discovered in the weeks to come), and was given a ridiculously low $100,000 bond amount by Circuit Court Judge Maria Kuriakos-Ciesil, of the notorious sanctuary refuge for illegals, Cook County. This meant a $10,000 payment would bail him out of jail – an outrage in itself.

However, after a “friend” did in fact bail him out, ICE did in fact take possession of Espinosa-Ramirez, as is standard under “immigration detainer” regulations.

But ICE then inexplicably let him go – “released the same day pending a hearing before an immigration judge“. But like the vast majority of illegal aliens given a court hearing date, Espinosa-Ramirez vanished into thin air.

Except he was not like any other illegal alien criminals we can ever recall…

A publicly available inventory of the charges against Espinosa-Ramirez lists multiple counts of sexual relations within the family, multiple counts of sexual assault with the use of force and multiple counts of sexual assault involving a minor less than thirteen years old.

Forty-two counts of “predatory sexual acts” from this monster. And now he is on the loose once again – thanks to ICE.

When is Congress going to step in and stop the gross incompetence of this organization and its – for lack of a better term – leadership? We are still waiting for Congress to challenge the Obama/ICE virtual amnesty that – without any authorization whatsoever – canceled deportations for over a million illegal invaders.

Nor has Congress challenged DHS’ Napolitano’s unilateral decision to terminate the 287(g)  program for Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Maricopa County, AZ, and for ALL of Alabama – putting the public at increased risk in childish retaliation for their passing laws to enforce existing Federal laws against illegals.

This Administration is out of control on immigration – all in a cynical attempt to secure the Latino vote by sowing racial discord. If this latest outrage does not light a fire under the butts of Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), or Government Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA), and force them to DO SOMETHING about it – then nothing will.

---

ACT NOW: Call Congressional Leaders and demand they haul ICE Director John Morton and DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano before them and demand answers as to why serial child rapist Amado Espinosa-Ramirez was set free to victimize more children.

• House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX): (202) 225-4236 | FACEBOOK
• Government Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA): (202) 225-3906 | Email (f0rm) |  FACEBOOK
• Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA): (202) 224-3744 | Email | FACEBOOK

We would give you the contact info for Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VT), but it would be as useless as calling the Mexican President.

Ron Paul "The Only Candidate I Trust" Famed Black Swan Economist Reveals (Video)

Nassim Taleb’s book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable spent 17 weeks on the NYT bestseller list for good reason: it enlightened us to the vulnerability of, among other things, our financial system to random unpredictable events. Published in 2007, boy wasn’t that message timely, even if ignored?

This week, Taleb gave a rare interview in which he highlighted yet another timely message too many people seem to be ignoring. He warns the U.S. economy is in an even more precipitous position now, and more shockingly for such an academic, he explains, “Only one candidate, Ron Paul, seems to have grasped the issues and is offering the right remedies.”

Taleb refers to these issues as “the big four”:

1) deficits

2) the Fed

3) militarism (as opposed to defense)

4) resilience versus bailouts

On the issue of the Fed, Taleb says Paul “is going after the Fed; he’s only one with the guts to do it.”

He is quick to point out, “I am not a Libertarian, and I am not coming from a political standpoint, but from a risk-based view of the world.”

On risk, Taleb agrees with Paul: “You don’t gamble with future generations’ money, and you don’t gamble with hyperinflation.”

2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul’s economic platform of fiscal restraint, Federal Reserve skepticism, and antipathy toward self-feeding bureaucracies was praised today by one of the world’s premier risk managers, who endorsed elements of the 12-term Congressman from Texas’ path-breaking ‘Plan to Restore America.’ 

Nassim Taleb told CNBC that Dr. Paul’s fiscal Mayday in areas such as the threat of an impending hyperinflation tax that will harm low- and fixed-income Americans would further harm the nation’s overall economic standing. . . . In doing so, the best-selling author . . . praised the self-trained free-market economist Paul and said of Paul, “I’m a risk-based person. From my vantage point there’s only one candidate representing the right policies.”

Finally, Mr. Taleb said that Paul is the sole person in the American political landscape that has the courage to take on the Federal Reserve and recognizes that there is no conventional, quick fix to the ruinous financial situation.

Click here for complete article

Two Billionaires Side With Greg Smith Against Goldman

We've said it before and will continue to do so.. Lloyd (Pig Eyes) Blankfein and the rest of the Goldman Sachs gang are the devil.

Wake Up America!

After resigning from Goldman Sachs with guns blazing and ink burning, former executive Greg Smith can guarantee there will be no love lost for him on Wall Street. Smith, who published a widely-discussed op-ed in Wednesday morning’s New York Times, has been mocked and doubted.

Two of Smith’s supporters, however, are among the world’s wealthiest: billionaires Jim Clark and Stephen Jarislowsky.

Clark, who re-joined this year’s Forbes Billionaires List after dropping off for three years, tells me via email that Smith’s criticism of Goldman’s treatment of its customers is “what I experienced over the four to five years” he entrusted some of his funds with the firm’s private wealth management division.

Smith, a former executive director and head of the Goldman’s U.S. equity derivatives business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, wrote in his op-ed: “Over the last 12 months I have seen five different managing directors refer to their own clients as ‘muppets,’ sometimes over internal e-mail.”

Click here for full article

American Flag with Obama's Image - A Despicable Disgrace!

Obama's Face On The American Flag - A Despicable Disgrace!

An American flag with President Obama's image in place of the stars flew over a Florida county's Democrat headquarters long enough to enrage local veterans who called the altered banner "a disgrace."

Lake County Democratic Party officials took down the flag, which flew just below a standard Old Glory on the flagpole outside headquarters in Tavares following complaints by local veterans. But merely taking it down wasn't enough for several local veterans, who said they fought for the flag Betsy Ross made famous, not one with a politician on it.
 
"It's absolutely disrespectful," Jim Bradford, a 71-year-old veteran who participated in the Bay of Pigs Invasion told FoxNews.com. "It's totally ridiculous. To put somebody's picture there, to me, it's a disgrace to do that."

"It's absolutely disrespectful," Jim Bradford, a 71-year-old veteran who participated in the Bay of Pigs Invasion told FoxNews.com. "It's totally ridiculous. To put somebody's picture there, to me, it's a disgrace to do that."

Bradford, an organizer with the Veterans Memorial at Fountain Park in Leesburg, Fla., snapped photos of the flag and distributed them to fellow veterans and friends. By late afternoon, he and several other veterans delivered a copy of the federal flag code to Nancy Hurlbert, chairwoman of the Lake County Democratic Party.

"We read that to her, but she would not accept that," Bradford said. "The discussion finally got a little bit heated."

The flag, which had been flying for several months without complaint and is available online for $12.95, was later removed by Hurlbert.

Bradford said Hurlbert apologized for the incident, but did not offer any promises that it wouldn't fly again.

"What really upsets me is that the flag had apparently been flying for months and no one had done anything about it," Bradford said. "I've got no hard feelings toward [Hurlbert], but people will be driving by there to make sure it doesn't go up again."

Hurlbert said Tuesday's incident was the first time anyone had complained about the flag, which she received as a gift two months ago.

"It leads me to believe that it's not about the flag," she told FoxNews.com. "Certain elements cannot accept Barack Obama as president."

Hurlbert said she intends to contact an attorney regarding the matter and remained non-committal as to whether she'll fly the flag again.

"I won't say no and I won't say yes," she said. "We want to find out what our legal rights are."

Jenn Meale, communications director for Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, referred FoxNews.com to state laws that pertain to the use of flags on public lands and property when asked for clarification as to whether Hurlbert could face any penalties.

Statute 256.05, which covers improper use of state or United States flag, or other symbol of authority, reads: "No person shall, in any manner, for exhibition or display:

"(1) Place or cause to be placed any word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing or advertisement of any nature upon any flag, standard, color, ensign or shield of the United States or of this state, or authorized by any law of the United States or this state; or

"(2) Expose to public view any such flag, standard, color, ensign or shield upon which shall have been printed, painted or otherwise produced, or to which shall have been attached, appended, affixed or annexed any such word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing or advertisement."

Meanwhile, Jay Agg, communications director for AMVETS, told FoxNews.com that the American flag should never be altered.

"While we are pleased the flag in question has since been removed from public display, the reported fact that it had flown for months without protest is a clear indication that we have much work to do in educating the public of the importance of protecting our flag," Agg wrote in an email. "This issue is especially important to AMVETS' members, the men and women who have proudly worn our nation's uniform and served under her flag."

The final insult to veterans? The flag is made in China.

Fox News

Economic Martial Law & Precious Metals

Radio interview with Investment Guru Gerald Celente. He outlines how bankers (calling themselves "Technocrats") are trying to monopolize the  world under their control. He also says he is still convinced gold and silver (and some cash) are the way to go.

Video Response To Sandra Fluke's Testimony About Wanting Taxpayers To Pay For Her Birth Control

If the Sandra Fluke (is that an appropriate name, or what?) whole issue wasn't so disturbing to most rational citizens, this video would be much funnier than it already is.

Wake Up America!

Obama's Cost Estimate For Health Insurance Aid Rises By $111B

Buried deep in Obama's budget was an increase of ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN BILLION DOLLARS for his health care insurance aid program that they tried to slip in without notice. When questioned about it, Barry O's inept administration officials tried to explain away the increase as "..budget technicalities and that there are no significant changes in the program."

Since when did $111,000,000,000 of your tax payer money become "NOT significant?"

Wake Up America! 

Cost estimates for a key part of President Obama's health care overhaul law have ballooned by $111 billion from last year's budget, and a senior Republican lawmaker on Friday demanded an explanation. 

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., wants to know by Monday why the estimated ten-year cost of helping millions of middle-class Americans buy health insurance has jumped by about 30 percent. 

Administration officials say the explanation lies in budget technicalities and that there are no significant changes in the program. 

The revised numbers, buried deep in the president's budget, stumped lawmakers and some administration officials for most of the week. At a congressional hearing Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who is in charge of carrying out the health care law, indicated she was unaware of the changes. 

At issue are subsidies that will be provided under the health care law to help middle class people buy private coverage in new state insurance markets that will open for business in 2014. 

Last year's budget estimated the cost of the aid to be $367 billion from 2014-2011. This year's budget puts it at $478 billion over the same time period. 

"This staggering increase ... cannot be explained by legislative changes or new economic assumptions, and therefore must reflect substantial changes in underlying assumptions regarding the program's ... costs," Camp wrote Friday in a letter to Sebelius and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. 

Republicans say they're concerned that either the estimated cost of the insurance has gone up, or that the administration has determined many more people will be losing employer coverage and going into the new government-subsidized markets, which will be called exchanges. 

Administration officials say the big increase from last year's estimates is no cause for alarm and that the administration is not forecasting an erosion of employer coverage or higher insurance costs. 

About two-thirds of the increase is due to effects of newly signed legislation that raises costs for one part of the health care law, but still saves the government money overall. The rest is due to technical changes in Treasury assumptions about such matters as the distribution of income in America. 

"The estimates do not assume changes in what exchanges look like, the cost of insurance, or the number of Americans who will get their insurance in this new marketplace," Treasury spokeswoman Sabrina Siddiqui said in a statement Friday. 

That explanation has drawn skepticism from Ways and Means Committee Republican staff members.

Fox News

How Much is The Minimum Wage? (Video)

This funny rant by a Brit echoes what many in the US feel. 

Warning...the language is a bit rough but it only highlights this guy's passionate views.