Kerry Gives Putin Monday Deadline: Secretary of State John Kerry has given Russian President until Monday to alter course in Ukraine or face “serious” consequences. Will the latest Obama administration redline be as meaningful as the others?
—
Jim Fossel on Open for Business Zones: “This is exactly the kind of reform Maine’s economy needs to make our economy more competitive. Making it easier to do business here is what will attract businesses, not recycling a plethora of big-government ideas… It would be nice if the governor had willing partners in the Legislature, from both parties, who were interested in sitting down and discussing it with him. It would be nice if legislative leadership would take a measured approach to his proposal, detailing what portions they opposed and what ideas they would consider. It would be nice if there were willing partners for the governor in Augusta who want to put job creation first and are willing to do what it takes to accomplish that.”
—
“Enemies of the Internet”: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released its yearly index of designed to track countries that monitor Internet activity and suppress online free speech. For the first time since RSF began publishing the list in 2006, the United States found a spot — thanks, no doubt, to revelations brought about by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
—
Maine Hospital Faces $27 Million Shortfall Because of Obamacare: Eastern Maine Medical Center is facing a massive $27 million shortfall as a result of the Affordable Care Act. EMMC, like other hospitals in the state, has felt the pain of Obamacare and is now looking for the benefit, i.e. Medicaid expansion. The impact of Obamacare on Maine’s hospitals, many of the largest employers in the state, is sure to affect the 2014 elections, as both U.S. Reps. Michael Michaud and Chellie Pingree supported President Obama’s troubled health care overhaul.
—
More Than 500 Economists Warn Washington Against Minimum Wage Hike: More than 500 economists have delivered a letter to Washington, D.C., warning Congressional leaders and the White House against a proposed hike of the federal minimum wage. “One of the serious consequences of raising the minimum wage is that business owners saddled with a higher cost of labor need to cut costs, or pass the increase to their consumers in order to make ends meet,” wrote the economists, including four Nobel laureates. The economists message underscores a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) which found raising the minimum wage to $10.10, as President Obama has proposed, would cost the economy 500,000 jobs by 2016. Democratic candidates Shenna Bellows and U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud have both embraced the president’s proposal.
—
Finding a Good Job: Dale Landrith conducted interviews with four Mainers lucky enough to have jobs. With a little hard-work and determination, he says, unemployment can be just a temporary stumbling block: “If I am unemployed, why should I accept an entry level job that may not pay any more than I am already receiving in unemployment benefits or public assistance benefits? In order to get that better job, it is extremely critical to have a job. Someone who is trying to better themselves is always preferred by an employer. In addition, if a person accepts some sort of government assistance as their only future, then the future is now and opportunity ceases to exist, and the prospect of increasing ones standard of living is virtually impossible. Upward mobility is alive and well in the workplace. Go for it.”
—
UBL’s Body: Why haven’t any pictures of Osama bin Laden’s deceased remains been released? A new theory has surfaced at The Blaze and Huffington Post. Stories citing sources within the special operations community say photos of UBL’s remains have not been released because members of Seal Team 6 dumped “hundreds” of rounds into his corpse.
—
Surf Bum on Food Stamps Says ‘No’ to Job Help: Jason Greenslate, a 29-year-old food stamp recipient in California, became a viral sensation after he was captured on camera buying lobster with his food stamps. Thursday night, the surfer dude declined help finding a job from Fox News’ Sean Hannity. Apparently Greenslate enjoys his work-free lifestyle.
—
Cruz Schools Reid: Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz took Democrat Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada to task for the latter’s vilification of Charles and David Koch.
—
Carpetbagger: Former Mass. Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, is expected to launch an exploratory committee in preparation for a bid to become New Hampshire’s next U.S. Senator.
—
Daily Caller Further Shreds Democrats’ Desperate Attack: DailyCaller.com reports on the Maine People’s Alliance harsh accusation that Gov. Paul LePage and GOP legislators are killers because they do not want to expand Medicaid, blowing MPA’s sources to smithereens. Chris Conover, a health policy scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, wrote the following of one of the studies MPA cites: “In light of the foregoing, I can state with great confidence that the authors have grossly overestimated any mortality gains to be had from Medicaid expansion.” As TheDC reports, the Harvard study MPA bases their claim on didn’t even look at Maine. Conover’s analysis, which did consider Maine, found “a statistically insignificant increase in mortality in Maine.” But the truth has stopped Maine Democrats from rushing to embrace MPA’s outrageous claims.