Bakken Economy: Ground Broken On Two New Permanent ByPasses

The Dickinson Press is reporting:

State officials celebrated the groundbreaking Tuesday of two bypass projects that will relieve traffic in Williston and Alexander in North Dakota’s Oil Patch.

• Construction on a 13-mile permanent bypass around Williston will begin this spring. Final completion of the $162 million project is projected for 2015. The four-lane roadway, which will replace a temporary bypass that opened in August 2012, will help meet the forecasted traffic loads for the area
• Work is expected to be completed by fall of 2014 on a $28 million Alexander truck bypass. The 3.7-mile bypass will re-route U.S. Highway 85 to the west of Alexander.

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ObamaCare: She's Out

I haven't read the story yet, just the headline. I assume Ms Sebelius wants to spend more time with her family and Mr Obama is praising her for a job well done. [Later: I quickly read through the story -- The Daily Mail -- wow,  I wish American newspapers could report as well.]

The fact is the roll-out of ObamaCare was a disaster. She should have been fired months ago.

But the roll-out debacle was a minor side-story compared to the real disaster. Mr Obama knows the numbers. He was given the numbers well before the Fiscal Times reported them. The original "fake" goal was to have 7 million signed up. When that clearly was not going to be me, the administration moved the goal to 6 million.

And now the numbers are out. The Fiscal Times suggests that it's very likely that 2 million folks signed up. Two million previously uninsured. Folks have long forgotten all the campaign rhetoric about 36 million or 40 million uninsured Americans back in 2007 and 2008. 

Not only did the number of previously uninsured who enrolled pale in comparison the rhetoric, the sad part is the millions of folks who lost a) their physician, or b) their insurance, or, c) worse, both.

Can it get worse? Yes, when the numbers come in reporting how many have actually paid their first ObamaCare premium. The numbers in North Dakota seem to be about 50%, and one can argue that folks in North Dakota who have enrolled are more likely to pay their first premium than enrollees in other states.

Can it get worse? Yes, when the reports come in reporting it was the "high risk" who disproportionately signed up. That, again, is according to the Fiscal Times.

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By the way, does anyone care about the Masters this year now that Tiger Woods is not competing? I bet this year's Masters will have one of the lowest television ratings ever.

Jonas Blixt and Jimmy Walker are tied for fifth. If anyone cares.

I can't make this stuff up.