I should warn you that this is a very difficult video to watch.
It was made last year in memory of the Fogel family of Itamar HY"D (May God Avenge their blood). I don't recall seeing it before.
Let's go to the videotape.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
U.S. Civil Service: How Progressives Prostituted Their Own Child
One of the more important levers of political power is the appointment of supporters to run the government. That's inherently corrupt, since it puts loyalty over both ability and the public interest, setting up the maintenance of that loyalty by mutual favors.
China's Emperor Wu figured that out around twenty-three hundred years back, inviting a hundred young scholars who weren't hereditary nobility to a imperial competitive examination. He subsequently used the top men (no girls -- he was already henpecked) in his government, thereby inventing the Professional Civil Service, though he likely didn't know that.
A professional civil service is intended to deliver good government through two salient characteristics: able bureaucrats are selected by competitive examination, and tenure protects workers from political interference in doing their jobs. In the first half of the twentieth century, civil servants commonly eschewed political activity and usually were paid less than private-sector workers, though security and good pensions balanced that. Such systems tended to minimize corruption, keep government employment costs reasonable, and maintain stability. They did not, however, please the elected politicians, whose hands they remove from that particular lever of political power.
Though America's Founders followed Emperor Wu by some two thousand years, they didn't see fit to embed a professional civil service into the Constitution, resulting in use of the even more ancient spoils system for manning government....
China's Emperor Wu figured that out around twenty-three hundred years back, inviting a hundred young scholars who weren't hereditary nobility to a imperial competitive examination. He subsequently used the top men (no girls -- he was already henpecked) in his government, thereby inventing the Professional Civil Service, though he likely didn't know that.
A professional civil service is intended to deliver good government through two salient characteristics: able bureaucrats are selected by competitive examination, and tenure protects workers from political interference in doing their jobs. In the first half of the twentieth century, civil servants commonly eschewed political activity and usually were paid less than private-sector workers, though security and good pensions balanced that. Such systems tended to minimize corruption, keep government employment costs reasonable, and maintain stability. They did not, however, please the elected politicians, whose hands they remove from that particular lever of political power.
Though America's Founders followed Emperor Wu by some two thousand years, they didn't see fit to embed a professional civil service into the Constitution, resulting in use of the even more ancient spoils system for manning government....
Fear the 'Mandate Only' Ruling
A lot of reasonable musing has been done as to whether or not Barack Obama is advantaged politically by the Supreme Court striking down or upholding ObamaCare. But it is plausible that the ultimate liberal goals for the nation are advanced the farthest by a split decision -- i.e., the much-discussed scenario where the Court strikes down only the individual mandate, while leaving the rest of the law in place.
Certainly the mandate -- as drawn up in ObamaCare -- is the most blatantly unconstitutional part of the bill, and therefore it is rightfully considered the low-hanging fruit of legal opposition. But it is far from the most malignant part....
Certainly the mandate -- as drawn up in ObamaCare -- is the most blatantly unconstitutional part of the bill, and therefore it is rightfully considered the low-hanging fruit of legal opposition. But it is far from the most malignant part....
Eric Holder In Three Words
As we’ve covered extensively here at Twitchy, the Attorney General, Eric Holder, scurried under President Obama’s protective skirt as he declared controversial Fast and Furious documents to be under executive privilege. That declaration did not stop the House Oversight Committee from putting Holder’s contempt vote through to the floor of the House. All this action prompted Twitter to describe #EricHolderInThreeWords.
The results, as usual, don’t disappoint.
The results, as usual, don’t disappoint.
Liveblog from #tomorrow12 The Tomorrow's Borders of Israel
This is a liveblog of the 'Tomorrow's borders' panel. The list of panelists and their bios are here.
Government’s Proper Role Regarding Tuition Rates for “Illegal” Immigrants
Why is government involved in setting college tuition rates?
NBC-MSNBC hack Melissa Harris-Perry who is 39 years old claims her grandmother was a lifelong slave, says God is pretty pitiful (Video)
Wait. Didn’t slavery end in 1865? Oh that’s right. Progressive liberal hacks, like NBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry are so used to living on the liberal plantation and playing the victim card, that even her grandmother was a slave. I’m going to assume Perry’s granny wasn’t around in the mid 1800s. Therefore, she wasn’t a slave. She could have certainly faced discrimination back in the 50′s and 60′s, but that doesn’t mean she was a slave. NBC should really be proud of their “talent” and editing skills. Maybe Melissa Harris-Perry decided to “edit” her grandmother’s age.
On Taxing Pixie Dust and Unicorn Farts
Quick quiz: What is a Progressive Politician’s favorite form of energy?
A. Cold Fusion
B. Pixie Dust
C. Unicorn Farts
D. Cellulosic Biofuel
E. All of the Above
Careful. It’s kind of a trick question. Answer below the fold....
A. Cold Fusion
B. Pixie Dust
C. Unicorn Farts
D. Cellulosic Biofuel
E. All of the Above
Careful. It’s kind of a trick question. Answer below the fold....
Obama’s Blatant Disregard for the Constitution is Appalling
In order to become President, Barack Obama had to swear to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. But three years later, I am disgusted with the disregard that the President continues to show to our Constitution. Has he forgotten about the separation of executive, judicial and legislative branches found in our founding document? Our founders gave us a system of checks and balances so that one person could never seize more power than was provided in the Constitution.
President Obama’s actions demonstrate that he thinks he’s above the law. When he doesn’t get his way, he creates new policies to his liking...
President Obama’s actions demonstrate that he thinks he’s above the law. When he doesn’t get his way, he creates new policies to his liking...
But it’s okay: it’s universal health care
Although this might be stretching the definition. Just a little:
Top doctor’s chilling claim: The NHS kills off 130,000 elderly patients every year
The bullet points:
Professor says doctors use ‘death pathway’ to euthenasia [sic] of the elderly
Treatment on average brings a patient to death in 33 hours
Around 29 per cent of patients that die in hospital are on controversial ‘care pathway’
Now here’s the story:
Top doctor’s chilling claim: The NHS kills off 130,000 elderly patients every year
The bullet points:
Professor says doctors use ‘death pathway’ to euthenasia [sic] of the elderly
Treatment on average brings a patient to death in 33 hours
Around 29 per cent of patients that die in hospital are on controversial ‘care pathway’
Now here’s the story:
Obama's Mama was into B & D, S & M, #FETISHES, He's Frank Marshall Davis's bastard
Dreams From His Real Father?
No wonder Obama appears to be a little screwed up. Who wouldn’t be, given the milieu that produced him?
Background:
Racy photos of Barack Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, have recently surfaced in vintage fetish and bondage magazines. The photos, taken at Frank Marshall Davis’ house in Honolulu, appeared in Bizarre Life, Exotique, Secret Pleasures, and Battling Babes. They help illustrate the intimate relationship between Dunham and Davis.
Frank Marshall Davis, a pro-Soviet Union communist (as was the official Barack Obama Senior), has been acknowledged as Obama’s adolescent mentor. Some theorize that their relationship was closer still. Davis was also a swinger and self-described bisexual who boastfully confessed to raping a 13-year-old.
On tips from J and Artfldgr.
By Dave Blount
No wonder Obama appears to be a little screwed up. Who wouldn’t be, given the milieu that produced him?
Background:
Racy photos of Barack Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, have recently surfaced in vintage fetish and bondage magazines. The photos, taken at Frank Marshall Davis’ house in Honolulu, appeared in Bizarre Life, Exotique, Secret Pleasures, and Battling Babes. They help illustrate the intimate relationship between Dunham and Davis.
Frank Marshall Davis, a pro-Soviet Union communist (as was the official Barack Obama Senior), has been acknowledged as Obama’s adolescent mentor. Some theorize that their relationship was closer still. Davis was also a swinger and self-described bisexual who boastfully confessed to raping a 13-year-old.
On tips from J and Artfldgr.
By Dave Blount
Hollywood Set To Vomit Forth New Blasphemous Movie About Christ
Get ready for another religious controversy. Filmmaker Paul Verhoeven has announced that he will begin shooting a film that is sure to inflame Christians. He is the perfect guy to handle the sacred life of Jesus Christ on film, after creating such holy movies as Showgirls and Basic Instinct:
Verhoeven’s take on the life of Jesus Christ discounts all the miracles that inform the New Testament...
Obama Swiss Banker, Bundler Robert Wolf demoted by UBS
One of the biggest banks in the world wants the president’s favorite banker muzzled.
The banker, Robert Wolf, a top UBS executive in New York, is among President Obama’s leading fund-raisers, building more than more than $500,000 for his re-election so far this year.
A regular presence at big campaign fund-raisers, Mr. Wolf, who is 50, golfs and vacations with Mr. Obama and is known for e-mailing friends photos of himself with the president...
Democrats: Investigate Radical Christians
"People who see the hearings and never hear about the hearing on the radicalization of Christianity have to ask themselves, ‘Why is this missing?’" said Green. "Why don’t we go to the next step and ask, how is that a blue-eyed, blonde-haired, white female in the United States of America can become radicalized to the point of wanting to do harm to this country? We don’t have that type of hearing." Long Island's King, meanwhile, remained unapologetic about singling out Muslims, notes the Star-Ledger. “To deny that there’s any correlation between the Muslim faith and the biggest threat to this country today defies credulity," said the chair of the Homeland Security panel at one point....
Democrat's Cover up Trumps Conscience... Murdered White Border Agent’s Family Says President Obama ‘Compounding This Tragedy’
The family of slain U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, who was killed with guns tied to the Fast and Furious program, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon accusing President Obama of compounding their family tragedy by invoking executive privilege.
President Obama invoked executive privilege to shield the Justice Department from having to release documents sought by House Republican investigating the secret law enforcement program, wherein weapons smugglers were permitted to buy guns so law enforcement could trace them to drug cartels. Law enforcement lost track of hundreds of the guns, which began showing up at crime scenes, most tragically in December 2010, where Terry was killed.
Terry family attorney Pat McGroder on Wednesday released the following statement from Terry’s parents Josephine Terry and Kent Terry Sr.: “Attorney General Eric Holder’s refusal to fully disclose the documents associated with Operation Fast and Furious and President Obama’s assertion of executive privilege serves to compound this tragedy. It denies the Terry family and the American people the truth....”
Resolved: The Problems of the Future are Too Great for the Entrepreneurs of Today
Resolved: This House believes that the problems of the future are too great for the entrepreneurs of today....
Documents: ATF used "Fast and Furious" to make the case for gun regulations
Documents obtained by CBS News show that the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discussed using their covert operation "Fast and Furious" to argue for controversial new rules about gun sales.
In Fast and Furious, ATF secretly encouraged gun dealers to sell to suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels to go after the "big fish." But ATF whistleblowers told CBS News and Congress it was a dangerous practice called "gunwalking," and it put thousands of weapons on the street. Many were used in violent crimes in Mexico. Two were found at the murder scene of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
ATF officials didn't intend to publicly disclose their own role in letting Mexican cartels obtain the weapons, but emails show they discussed using the sales, including sales encouraged by ATF, to justify a new gun regulation called "Demand Letter 3". That would require some U.S. gun shops to report the sale of multiple rifles or "long guns." Demand Letter 3 was so named because it would be the third ATF program demanding gun dealers report tracing information.
On July 14, 2010 after ATF headquarters in Washington D.C. received an update on Fast and Furious, ATF Field Ops Assistant Director Mark Chait emailed Bill Newell, ATF's Phoenix Special Agent in Charge of Fast and Furious:
"Bill - can you see if these guns were all purchased from the same (licensed gun dealer) and at one time. We are looking at anecdotal cases to support a demand letter on long gun multiple sales. Thanks..."
In Fast and Furious, ATF secretly encouraged gun dealers to sell to suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels to go after the "big fish." But ATF whistleblowers told CBS News and Congress it was a dangerous practice called "gunwalking," and it put thousands of weapons on the street. Many were used in violent crimes in Mexico. Two were found at the murder scene of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
ATF officials didn't intend to publicly disclose their own role in letting Mexican cartels obtain the weapons, but emails show they discussed using the sales, including sales encouraged by ATF, to justify a new gun regulation called "Demand Letter 3". That would require some U.S. gun shops to report the sale of multiple rifles or "long guns." Demand Letter 3 was so named because it would be the third ATF program demanding gun dealers report tracing information.
On July 14, 2010 after ATF headquarters in Washington D.C. received an update on Fast and Furious, ATF Field Ops Assistant Director Mark Chait emailed Bill Newell, ATF's Phoenix Special Agent in Charge of Fast and Furious:
"Bill - can you see if these guns were all purchased from the same (licensed gun dealer) and at one time. We are looking at anecdotal cases to support a demand letter on long gun multiple sales. Thanks..."
Weird… MO GOP Senate Candidate Donated To Radical Animal Rights Group
Republican US Senate candidate John Brunner appears to have once supported a radical animal rights group. According to the Brunner Foundation’s 2008 form 990-PF , the Foundation donated $10,000 to the Humane Farming Association (HFA). John Brunner and his wife serve as the two trustees of that foundation, so, does Brunner support the leftist agenda of HFA?
HFA is a radical animal rights group based in California. They work to limit or even outlaw the use of antibiotics and pesticides by ranchers and farmers. From their website:
HFA’s goals are to protect farm animals from cruelty and abuse, to protect the public from the misuse of antibiotics, hormones, and other chemicals used on factory farms, and to protect the environment from the impacts of industrialized animal factories.
The Brunner Campaign released this statement later today.
"Chicago Family" Tradition: FBI arrests ex-fund-raiser for Jesse Jackson Jr.
He once picked up a $7,500 unpaid tab for a Rod Blagojevich fund-raiser, and more notably, paid to fly a “social acquaintance” of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. across the country at Jackson’s request.
Nayak would wine and dine politicians, at times held fund-raisers at his home and for years poured money into numerous politicians’ campaigns, from Barack Obama to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to Gov. Pat Quinn...
Nayak would wine and dine politicians, at times held fund-raisers at his home and for years poured money into numerous politicians’ campaigns, from Barack Obama to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to Gov. Pat Quinn...
Pelosi: Obama Should Raise Debt Limit Directly, Go Around Congress
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has changed her public position on an issue that divided Democrats during the fight over raising the debt ceiling last summer. She now says that President Obama should use the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling by fiat — to preserve the country’s credit rating and avoid another economically harmful brinksmanship over the country’s borrowing limit...
Do the Newly Amnestied 30-under Illegal Aliens get Affirmative Action status?
I was upset all weekend as Obama gave 1.5 million lawbreakers a work permit in front of the millions of unemployed Americans, pandering for the Mexican vote, obviously.
My question is this: Do those given work permits, as many are Hispanic, and thus a protected class/minority, do they also get a leg up on Whites because of racial set-asides and/or Affirmative Action?
So, not only do the break the law and jump the line, they also get a side door into colleges and jobs?
Has anyone explored this question?
My question is this: Do those given work permits, as many are Hispanic, and thus a protected class/minority, do they also get a leg up on Whites because of racial set-asides and/or Affirmative Action?
So, not only do the break the law and jump the line, they also get a side door into colleges and jobs?
Has anyone explored this question?
EU: Markets bet Germany will be dragged down with everyone else
Nobody ever got rich shorting Japanese government bonds, it is often said. Are those now aggressively shorting German bunds about to fall into the same trap?
The bund short is therefore effectively a bet on the euro crisis being further patched up in a manner which halts the flight of capital into Germany by making Germany at least partially liable for everyone else's debts. Photo: AFP
The bund short is therefore effectively a bet on the euro crisis being further patched up in a manner which halts the flight of capital into Germany by making Germany at least partially liable for everyone else's debts. Photo: AFP
Executioner-In-Chief Rejects ACLU and NY Times Requests For "Kill List" Info
..."Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this Presidency"...
Lukewarm support for EU super-president (Obama after relection loss?)
BRUSSELS - A German-led report shows lacklustre support for the creation of a powerful new EU leader.
The eight-page paper - circulated to press on Wednesday (20 June) - is a snapshot of current thinking in German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle's reflection group on the future of the Union.
It says that: "Some foreign ministers suggested to examine the creation of a double-hatted post of President of the [European] Commission and President of the European Council..."
The eight-page paper - circulated to press on Wednesday (20 June) - is a snapshot of current thinking in German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle's reflection group on the future of the Union.
It says that: "Some foreign ministers suggested to examine the creation of a double-hatted post of President of the [European] Commission and President of the European Council..."
(EU) Financial crisis is boom time for mafia
BRUSSELS - Struggling banks in the EU and beyond are becoming more willing to launder dirty cash for organised crime.
Italy's anti-mafia prosecutor Pietro Grasso drew attention to one of the lesser known aspects of the crisis at a hearing in the European Parliament's new anti-mafia committee on Tuesday (19 June).
He told press: "The current economic crisis is making criminal groups even more powerful because they've got liquid cash, they've got ready money ... and not just in Europe, but in other countries where there are fragile economies and they can influence politicians..."
Italy's anti-mafia prosecutor Pietro Grasso drew attention to one of the lesser known aspects of the crisis at a hearing in the European Parliament's new anti-mafia committee on Tuesday (19 June).
He told press: "The current economic crisis is making criminal groups even more powerful because they've got liquid cash, they've got ready money ... and not just in Europe, but in other countries where there are fragile economies and they can influence politicians..."
The federal budget for fiscal year 1960
"United States Federal, State and Local Government Spending"
"Fiscal Year 1960"
"GDP: $526.4 billion(1)"
"Amounts in $ billion"
"","Fed","","Gov. Xfer","","State","","Local","","Total",""
"Pensions","11.7","a","0.0","","0.7","a","0.6","a","13.0","a"
"Health Care","1.5","a","0.0","","1.9","a","1.9","a","5.2","a"
"Education","1.6","a","-1.0","a","3.4","a","15.3","a","19.4","a"
"Defense","53.3","a","0.0","","0.0","","0.0","","53.3","a"
"Welfare","3.0","a","-2.4","a","5.0","a","3.0","a","8.6","a"
"Protection","0.2","a","0.0","","0.2","a","2.6","a","3.0","a"
"Transportation","4.4","a","-2.9","a","6.2","a","4.6","a","12.3","a"
"General Government","0.7","a","0.0","","0.7","a","1.5","a","2.9","a"
"Other Spending","9.6","a","-0.7","a","3.2","a","6.7","a","18.8","a"
"Interest","7.7","a","0.0","","0.5","a","1.1","a","9.3","a"
"Balance","3.5","a","0.0","a","0.4","a","1.5","a","5.4","a"
"Total Spending","97.3","a","-7.0","a","22.2","a","38.8","a","151.3","a"
"Federal Deficit","-2.5","a","0.0","","0.0","","0.0","","-2.5","a"
"Gross Public Debt","290.5","a","0.0","","18.5","a","51.4","a","360.5","a"
"Legend:"
" a - actual reported"
"source: usgovernmentspending.com"
"Fiscal Year 1960"
"GDP: $526.4 billion(1)"
"Amounts in $ billion"
"","Fed","","Gov. Xfer","","State","","Local","","Total",""
"Pensions","11.7","a","0.0","","0.7","a","0.6","a","13.0","a"
"Health Care","1.5","a","0.0","","1.9","a","1.9","a","5.2","a"
"Education","1.6","a","-1.0","a","3.4","a","15.3","a","19.4","a"
"Defense","53.3","a","0.0","","0.0","","0.0","","53.3","a"
"Welfare","3.0","a","-2.4","a","5.0","a","3.0","a","8.6","a"
"Protection","0.2","a","0.0","","0.2","a","2.6","a","3.0","a"
"Transportation","4.4","a","-2.9","a","6.2","a","4.6","a","12.3","a"
"General Government","0.7","a","0.0","","0.7","a","1.5","a","2.9","a"
"Other Spending","9.6","a","-0.7","a","3.2","a","6.7","a","18.8","a"
"Interest","7.7","a","0.0","","0.5","a","1.1","a","9.3","a"
"Balance","3.5","a","0.0","a","0.4","a","1.5","a","5.4","a"
"Total Spending","97.3","a","-7.0","a","22.2","a","38.8","a","151.3","a"
"Federal Deficit","-2.5","a","0.0","","0.0","","0.0","","-2.5","a"
"Gross Public Debt","290.5","a","0.0","","18.5","a","51.4","a","360.5","a"
"Legend:"
" a - actual reported"
"source: usgovernmentspending.com"
Acxiom Corp: The 'faceless organization that knows everything about you'
An Arkansas company you've probably never heard of knows more about you than some of your friends, Google, and even the FBI — and it's selling your data..
$9 Billion in ‘Stimulus’ for Solar, Wind Projects Made 910 Final Jobs -- $9.8 Million Per Job
(CNSNews.com) – The Obama administration distributed $9 billion in economic “stimulus” funds to solar and wind projects in 2009-11 that created, as the end result, 910 “direct” jobs -- annual operation and maintenance positions -- meaning that it cost about $9.8 million to establish each of those long-term jobs.
At the same time, those green energy projects also created, in the end, about 4,600 “indirect” jobs – positions indirectly supported by the annual operation and maintenance jobs -- which means they cost about $1.9 million each ($9 billion divided by 4,600).
Combined (910 + 4,600 = 5,510), the direct and indirect jobs cost, on average, about $1.63 million each to produce.
As explained in a report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (“economic stimulus”) of 2009 included Section 1603, a grant program run through the Treasury Department......
At the same time, those green energy projects also created, in the end, about 4,600 “indirect” jobs – positions indirectly supported by the annual operation and maintenance jobs -- which means they cost about $1.9 million each ($9 billion divided by 4,600).
Combined (910 + 4,600 = 5,510), the direct and indirect jobs cost, on average, about $1.63 million each to produce.
As explained in a report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (“economic stimulus”) of 2009 included Section 1603, a grant program run through the Treasury Department......
PELOSI: 'I could have arrested Karl Rove on any given day'
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi attacked House Republicans for pursuing contempt of Congress charges against Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday.“I could have arrested Karl Rove on any given day,” Pelosi said on Wednesday, The Huffington Post reports. “I’m not kidding. There’s a prison here in the Capitol. If we had spotted him in the Capitol, we could have arrested him.”
“Oh, any number” of charges could have been brought against Rove, Pelosi said. “But there were some specific ones for his being in contempt of Congress...”
Excessive-Compulsive Presidency
Obama Spends More Than He Raises
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, since becoming his party’s presumptive nominee, is now taking in cash from donors who had backed his onetime rivals, campaign finance reports show...
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, since becoming his party’s presumptive nominee, is now taking in cash from donors who had backed his onetime rivals, campaign finance reports show...
DOJ secretly drops terrorism charges in Taliban case
The Department of Justice (DOJ) refuses to explain why it has abruptly dropped terrorism charges against a member of a Middle Eastern family indicted in south Florida last year with providing material support for the Pakistani Taliban.
In all, six people were charged with sending tens of thousands of dollars to the terrorist organization, which is associated with Al-Qaeda and has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against American interests, including a 2009 suicide bombing at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan. The ringleader in this case is a Pakistani imam (Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan) who ran a mosque in Miami. The others include his sons, daughter and grandson...
In all, six people were charged with sending tens of thousands of dollars to the terrorist organization, which is associated with Al-Qaeda and has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against American interests, including a 2009 suicide bombing at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan. The ringleader in this case is a Pakistani imam (Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan) who ran a mosque in Miami. The others include his sons, daughter and grandson...
Professor fired after expressing climate change skepticism
Oregon State University chemistry professor Nicholas Drapela was fired without warning three weeks ago and has still been given no reason for the university’s decision to “not renew his contract.”
Drapela, an outspoken critic of man-made climate change, worked at the university for 10 years...
Drapela, an outspoken critic of man-made climate change, worked at the university for 10 years...
School Union Asks For Members Bank Account, Credit Card Numbers to Guarantee Dues Payments
Plymouth-Canton cafeteria association wants to ensure payment from 'voluntary' members
BUSH DID IT! Holder retracts claim Bush team knew about Fast & Furious
In a second major retraction over its version of the the gun-walking scandal, the Justice Department has retracted Attorney General Eric Holder's charge in a hearing last week that his Bush administration predecessor had been briefed on the affair...
Issa pushes ahead with Holder contempt vote despite Obama Trump Card
Issa also accused the Justice Department of trying to compel the committee to close its investigation in exchange for documents it hasn't yet seen. "I can't accept that deal. No other committee chairman would," he said...
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
There's A Triple Tax Increase In Your Future
Imagine if your taxes tripled — literally overnight.
The so-called Bush tax cuts are set to expire at the end of the year. That means that all of the current income tax rates will rise to pre-2001 levels overnight. The lowest rate will jump from 10% to 15% and the highest from 35% to 39.6%. Although Congress extended all of the cuts at the end of last year, some Democrats have pledged to let the tax cuts expire for the "rich" — individuals making $200,000, and $250,000 for families.
Pre-2001, dividends had been taxed at workers' income tax rate. The Bush tax cuts dropped the rate on dividends and capital gains to 15%. Thus, if the Bush tax cuts expire, the dividend tax for high-income workers will jump to 39.6%.
But there's more. The health care law imposes a new 3.8% tax on passive income, including dividends and interest. So the effective dividend tax rate for those at the upper end of the income scale would nearly triple, to 43.4%. Happy New Year!
And don't forget that dividends have already been taxed as corporate profits — so they're taxed twice.
Although proponents claim that these tax increases will only affect the wealthy, this looming tax grab will also have a significant impact on middle-class Americans who don't have to pay it directly. And the impact could weaken America's fragile financial markets further and unintentionally erode the value of the savings of millions of Americans.
Dividend taxes in the U.S. are already high. A recent study by the accounting firm Ernst & Young looked at the integrated cost of corporate taxes and dividend taxes. The study found the U.S. currently has the fourth-highest integrated dividend tax rate among the 34 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations. Without congressional intervention, U.S. dividend taxes would be "significantly higher than all other countries measured," according to the study. Sometimes it's best to let someone else be No. 1.
Companies looking to expand their operations and create jobs, of course, are likely to think twice before doing so in high-tax locales.
Heightened dividend taxes won't just hamstring overall economic growth. They'll also hit individual investors where it hurts — in their pocketbooks. Dividend income for some investors could drop by 33%. And it won't affect only the high-income workers.
For starters, higher dividend taxes will make stocks that pay dividends less attractive to investors. So those who currently hold dividend-paying stocks — everyone from middle-class folks with 401(k)s to union pension funds to non-profit foundations — would see the value of their investments decline substantially.
Further, higher dividend taxes will likely cause companies to cut dividends in favor of deploying their cash in other ways, like re-purchasing their own stock. So individuals counting on their share of a company's profits for their income — which they'd normally receive via cash dividend — could find themselves out of luck.
Would Apple, Inc., which has been very aggressive in minimizing tax obligations, have paid its first dividend recently had the dividend tax already tripled?
That would be particularly bad news for retirees, many of whom depend on dividends as a staple of their fixed incomes. According to the IRS, more than half of dividend payments go to Americans over age 65 — and almost 75% go to those over age 55.
"This is the first generation in history to retire depending primarily not on defined benefit plans but rather on contribution plans that are disproportionately comprised of dividend income," notes former New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg.
"It will be a bitter pill to swallow for a lot of people whose only pathway to adjusting to their reduced income will be through a commensurate reduction in their standard of living."
Even though the dividend tax hike has yet to take effect, there are already signs that it's hurting American companies. That's because the stock market looks six months into the future.
"If we are to believe that investors value investments on an after-tax basis, then high dividend-paying stocks presumably get less attractive" as a result of the tax increase, says Dan Greenhaus of the investment firm BTIG. "Perhaps this is one reason that dividend paying names have trailed the broader market thus far in 2012."
A dividend tax hike would take a big bite out of all Americans' savings — even those who aren't supposed to pay it. Congress must step in to stave it off — before the public and the economy pay the costs.
• Matthews is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation in Dallas, Texas.
The so-called Bush tax cuts are set to expire at the end of the year. That means that all of the current income tax rates will rise to pre-2001 levels overnight. The lowest rate will jump from 10% to 15% and the highest from 35% to 39.6%. Although Congress extended all of the cuts at the end of last year, some Democrats have pledged to let the tax cuts expire for the "rich" — individuals making $200,000, and $250,000 for families.
Pre-2001, dividends had been taxed at workers' income tax rate. The Bush tax cuts dropped the rate on dividends and capital gains to 15%. Thus, if the Bush tax cuts expire, the dividend tax for high-income workers will jump to 39.6%.
But there's more. The health care law imposes a new 3.8% tax on passive income, including dividends and interest. So the effective dividend tax rate for those at the upper end of the income scale would nearly triple, to 43.4%. Happy New Year!
And don't forget that dividends have already been taxed as corporate profits — so they're taxed twice.
Although proponents claim that these tax increases will only affect the wealthy, this looming tax grab will also have a significant impact on middle-class Americans who don't have to pay it directly. And the impact could weaken America's fragile financial markets further and unintentionally erode the value of the savings of millions of Americans.
Dividend taxes in the U.S. are already high. A recent study by the accounting firm Ernst & Young looked at the integrated cost of corporate taxes and dividend taxes. The study found the U.S. currently has the fourth-highest integrated dividend tax rate among the 34 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations. Without congressional intervention, U.S. dividend taxes would be "significantly higher than all other countries measured," according to the study. Sometimes it's best to let someone else be No. 1.
Companies looking to expand their operations and create jobs, of course, are likely to think twice before doing so in high-tax locales.
Heightened dividend taxes won't just hamstring overall economic growth. They'll also hit individual investors where it hurts — in their pocketbooks. Dividend income for some investors could drop by 33%. And it won't affect only the high-income workers.
For starters, higher dividend taxes will make stocks that pay dividends less attractive to investors. So those who currently hold dividend-paying stocks — everyone from middle-class folks with 401(k)s to union pension funds to non-profit foundations — would see the value of their investments decline substantially.
Further, higher dividend taxes will likely cause companies to cut dividends in favor of deploying their cash in other ways, like re-purchasing their own stock. So individuals counting on their share of a company's profits for their income — which they'd normally receive via cash dividend — could find themselves out of luck.
Would Apple, Inc., which has been very aggressive in minimizing tax obligations, have paid its first dividend recently had the dividend tax already tripled?
That would be particularly bad news for retirees, many of whom depend on dividends as a staple of their fixed incomes. According to the IRS, more than half of dividend payments go to Americans over age 65 — and almost 75% go to those over age 55.
"This is the first generation in history to retire depending primarily not on defined benefit plans but rather on contribution plans that are disproportionately comprised of dividend income," notes former New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg.
"It will be a bitter pill to swallow for a lot of people whose only pathway to adjusting to their reduced income will be through a commensurate reduction in their standard of living."
Even though the dividend tax hike has yet to take effect, there are already signs that it's hurting American companies. That's because the stock market looks six months into the future.
"If we are to believe that investors value investments on an after-tax basis, then high dividend-paying stocks presumably get less attractive" as a result of the tax increase, says Dan Greenhaus of the investment firm BTIG. "Perhaps this is one reason that dividend paying names have trailed the broader market thus far in 2012."
A dividend tax hike would take a big bite out of all Americans' savings — even those who aren't supposed to pay it. Congress must step in to stave it off — before the public and the economy pay the costs.
• Matthews is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation in Dallas, Texas.
Texas man won't face charges for killing daughter's assailant
SHINER, Texas (AP) — A young Texas father who beat to death with his fists a man molesting his 5-year-old daughter will not be charged, authorities said Tuesday as they released a dramatic 911 tape of the dad frantically pleading for help before the hired ranch helper died...
Obama's Lawless Presidency Close To Totalitarianism
The Obama Record: The chief executive who swore to faithfully execute the nation's laws picks those he'll ignore and makes up others through regulation and executive order. He sees no need for a Congress or Constitution...
How Barack Obama avoids prison
A political deal will be struck to save the Democrat Party from total collapse and protect the Republican Party from revelations of complicity in the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on the American people.A growing number of Americans are now learning that Barack Obama, according to Article II, Section I, Clause 5 of the U. S. Constitution, is an illegal President. The law requires a candidate for the Presidency to be a "natural born citizen," that is, a second generation American, a U.S. citizen, whose parents were also U.S. citizens at the time of the candidate's birth.
Obama's father was a citizen of Kenya and a British subject at the time of his birth, which made him forever ineligible for the Presidency.
Practically speaking, that issue is not a problem for Obama because the Republican Party also wants to violate the Constitution. Many Republicans are aggressively advocating Florida Senator Marco Rubio as Mitt Romney's Vice Presidential candidate. Rubio is ineligible because, even though he was born in the United States, his parents were Cuban citizens at the time of his birth.
Since 1975, both Democrat and Republican politicians have been trying unsuccessfully to amend Article II, Section I, Clause 5 of the U. S. Constitution. The election of Obama has allowed them to do so, not legally, but by fait accompli.
According to the wishes of Democrat and Republican politicians, Anwar al-Awlaki, killed by a drone strike on September 30, 2011, was eligible to be President because he was born in New Mexico of Yemeni parents. Al-Awlaki was the "spiritual leader" of al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula, whose sermons at the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia were attended by two hijackers who carried out the 9/11 attacks, Nawaf al-Hamzi and Hani Hanjour. Likewise, accused Fort Hood shooter and alleged al-Awlaki disciple, Nidal Malik Hasan, is eligible to be President because he was born in Virginia of Palestinian parents.
There are also persistent questions about the authenticity of Obama's birth certificate, Selective Service registration and his use of a Social Security number not issued to him, all serious crimes with the potential for lengthy prison sentences.
The law, however, is not a problem for Obama because any serious investigation would implicate far too many Democrat and Republican politicians. That is why the political establishment and the media are suppressing every effort to uncover the truth about Obama's personal history because it would expose their own corruption and hypocrisy.
The greatest danger to Obama is the potential collapse of the Democrat Party from the failed policies engineered by his Administration and the Party's progressive wing.
The Clinton faction and other Democrats outside of Obama's circle of supporters now fear he may be leading the Party, not only to certain electoral defeat, but to political oblivion. They are actively working behind the scenes, likely with the collusion of Republicans, to ensure Obama's defeat or, perhaps, even quietly to force him out of the 2012 Presidential contest. They all have a vested interest in maintaining the balance of power of the political status quo, which an Obama victory would permanently alter.
An Obama win would, for example, forever eliminate Clinton Democrats as a political factor and nullify all the Republican economic arguments, which represent the core of the Romney campaign.
In general, however, politicians' concern for the well-being of country exists only in the context of the power they wield and the health of their financial portfolios and that is the essence of the Obama threat that they perceive.
Much can happen between now and November to determine whether or not the non-Obama Democrat and Republican coalition will succeed. Will Attorney General Eric Holder be forced to resign paving the way for other investigations? Will there be selective leaks to embarrass Obama? Will the financiers and liberal media turn against him? Will Obama be privately blackmailed or promised a pardon?
The fate of Obama has already been determined, not by voters, but by powerbrokers using tactics that will unfold over the coming months.
There is one thing, however, that is certain. Regardless of who wins in November, Obama's alleged crimes will never be fully investigated and his personal history will never be exposed by either Democrat or Republican politicians. Their involvement in a conspiracy of silence is unmistakable and their protection of Obama stems solely from political self-interest.
Barack Obama has been issued a "get out of jail free" card by a corrupt political establishment and a dishonest media.
New Scalia book: Landmark Supreme Court decision in 1942 expanded Commerce Clause “beyond all reason”
Via TPM, which is aghast at the possibility that the ObamaCare bomb that’s set to drop later this week or next might be even more powerful than Court-watchers have anticipated. Right now people are expecting the judicial equivalent of a grenade aimed squarely at the mandate, but depending upon how the Court sees the severability issue, there’s a chance that we’ll see a cruise missile that takes out the entire statute.
But what about something bigger? What about a Commerce Clause atomic bomb?
But what about something bigger? What about a Commerce Clause atomic bomb?
Results of Agenda-based Education: Key Issues For Young Voters In November Election
Joy Garcia is just one of the young Panhandle voters that's worried about the future. Unemployment topped the list with young voters I spoke with, but that's not the only issue that came up......
King Barry MO: Underpaid, underemployed and barely making ends meet
Many Americans are stuck in jobs with low wages and lousy benefits
Throughout the Great Recession and the not-so-great recovery, the most commonly discussed measure of misery has been unemployment. But many middle-class and working-class people who are fortunate enough to have work are struggling as well, which is why Sherry Woods, a 59-year-old van driver from Atlanta, found herself standing in line at a jobs fair this month, with her résumé tucked inside a Bible.
She opened it occasionally to reread a favorite verse from Philippians: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ.”
Ms. Woods’s current job has not been meeting her needs. When she began driving a passenger van last year, she earned $9 an hour and worked 40 hours a week. Then her wage was cut to $8 an hour, and her hours were drastically scaled back. Last month she earned just $233. So Ms. Woods, who said that she had been threatened with eviction for missing rent payments and had been postponing an appointment with the eye doctor because she lacks insurance, has been looking for another, better job. It has not been easy.
“I’m looking for something else, anything else,” she said. “More hours. Better pay. Actual benefits.”
These are anxious days for American workers. Many, like Ms. Woods, are underemployed. Others find pay that is simply not keeping up with their expenses: adjusted for inflation, the median hourly wage was lower in 2011 than it was a decade earlier, according to data from a forthcoming book by the Economic Policy Institute, “The State of Working America, 12th Edition.....”
Throughout the Great Recession and the not-so-great recovery, the most commonly discussed measure of misery has been unemployment. But many middle-class and working-class people who are fortunate enough to have work are struggling as well, which is why Sherry Woods, a 59-year-old van driver from Atlanta, found herself standing in line at a jobs fair this month, with her résumé tucked inside a Bible.
She opened it occasionally to reread a favorite verse from Philippians: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ.”
Ms. Woods’s current job has not been meeting her needs. When she began driving a passenger van last year, she earned $9 an hour and worked 40 hours a week. Then her wage was cut to $8 an hour, and her hours were drastically scaled back. Last month she earned just $233. So Ms. Woods, who said that she had been threatened with eviction for missing rent payments and had been postponing an appointment with the eye doctor because she lacks insurance, has been looking for another, better job. It has not been easy.
“I’m looking for something else, anything else,” she said. “More hours. Better pay. Actual benefits.”
These are anxious days for American workers. Many, like Ms. Woods, are underemployed. Others find pay that is simply not keeping up with their expenses: adjusted for inflation, the median hourly wage was lower in 2011 than it was a decade earlier, according to data from a forthcoming book by the Economic Policy Institute, “The State of Working America, 12th Edition.....”
When Touting Obamacare, Obama Prefers to Spend Taxpayers’ Money
As the Los Angeles Times reports, for every $1 that President Obama’s campaign has spent in support of Obamacare, his administration has spent another $65 in taxpayers’ money. The Times writes that the Obama administration has spent $46 million of taxpayers’ money in support of Obama’s centerpiece legislation, while the Obama campaign has spent only $703,000. That’s a 65-to-1 ratio of matching funds, with taxpayers doing the matching...
Excuse me, but it is the time for questions
On Friday, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that "certain young people who were brought to the United States when they were "under the age of 16" and are currently below "the age of 30" will no longer be deported.
Hours later, at a press conference in the White House Rose Garden, Daily Caller reporter Neil Munro had the audacity to question President Barack Obama about his administration's controversial decision.
"Why'd you favor foreigners over American workers?" Munro shouted.
"Excuse me, sir," Obama snapped, "but it's not time for questions."
Excuse me, sir, but when the president of the United States circumvents Congress to unilaterally change American immigration law, it is precisely the time for questions.
Hours later, at a press conference in the White House Rose Garden, Daily Caller reporter Neil Munro had the audacity to question President Barack Obama about his administration's controversial decision.
"Why'd you favor foreigners over American workers?" Munro shouted.
"Excuse me, sir," Obama snapped, "but it's not time for questions."
Excuse me, sir, but when the president of the United States circumvents Congress to unilaterally change American immigration law, it is precisely the time for questions.
Your EBT Card Has Been Denied... At The Spearmint Rhino
America's welfare state is about to suffer a double whammy of epic proportions. On one hand, extended unemployment benefits are now running out at a pace of 100,000+ per week, as more and more American's lose eligibility for Komrade Samov's 99-week sponsored vacation, meaning millions of Americans heretofore sitting comfortably on their couch playing Call of Duty and collecting $400 a week will now start having to think for a change - never a good thing for any regime that relies on its electorate to be docile as drunk and fat Hindu cows. And now this: "New York would prohibit welfare recipients from spending their tax-funded benefits on cigarettes, alcohol, gambling, and strip clubs under a bill passed overwhelmingly by the state Senate on Tuesday. "I understand that people need food stamps," said Republican Sen. Thomas Libous, a Broome County Republican. "What I don't understand is why they need to go to strip clubs, buy lottery tickets, go to a 'racino' or buy alcohol." Wait, you mean you can't spend other people's money to pay for a lap dance? What crazy form of inhumane austerity is this. And isn't spending taxpayer dollars at the Spearmint Rhino one of the amendments to the post-Obama constitution? But perhaps the scariest implication is that New Yorkers actually do spend their EBT money at the Spearmint Rhino right off the card, being ripped off with the traditional 15% plastic surcharge instead of just paying cash. Now that is really stupid.More on the "Public Assistance Integrity Act"
Joe Biden calls Jerry Brown 'smartest guy in American politics'
Vice President Joe Biden was in town this afternoon. Here's The Bee's pool report from the event....
Courageous Republican Senators Won't Call Obama's Illegal Alien Ploy Amnesty
WASHINGTON (AP) -- When it comes to President Barack Obama's new immigration policy, Senate Republicans are quite sure they don't like it. They just don't want to say if it amounts to amnesty, at least not yet, while they await guidance on the politically charged issue from presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
"If it leads to citizenship as a reward for some kind of illegal entry, I think it could be argued" to be amnesty, said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who normally is one of Obama's most plainspoken critics.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia said the president's announcement last Friday could be called "amnesty light," if not the real thing.
"It all depends on how you define `amnesty,' and I'm not going to get into that debate," added Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, second-ranking party leader and another frequent critic of Obama.
"I wouldn't use the A-word to describe this. ... That's a word that gets used a lot," said Sen. John Cornyn....
Read rest here...
Like a lamb London surrenders London Metal Exchange
Hong Kong Exchange & Clearing has paid £1.4bn for the London Metal Exchange, a company which makes £11.2m operating profit - a multiple of more than 124 times.
Even Facebook only managed a multiple of 76 times when it floated and look what's happened to that.
Clearly HKEx is desperate to buy LME, which is very good at what it does, and has basically agreed to pay any price necessary. Why?
Even Facebook only managed a multiple of 76 times when it floated and look what's happened to that.
Clearly HKEx is desperate to buy LME, which is very good at what it does, and has basically agreed to pay any price necessary. Why?
New bill looks to increase minimum wage to $10
Minimum wage has been a topic of debate ever since the creation of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. Just this month, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. of Illinois has attempted to once again bring the discussion into a modern context. Jackson introduced a bill to Congress that calls for an immediate raise of the federal minimum wage up to $10 from its current standing of $7.25, according to the New York Times...
Prince of Handouts
Quite a lot has been said about what Obama's instant amnesty scheme means in the purely procedural sense -- that it's illegal and unconstitutional on its face, all of which is undeniable. What we haven't heard discussed is what it's actually for. It's being taken for granted that it's of a piece with general Democratic corruption at the voting booth -- ACORN, Black Panthers swinging nightsticks, phantom voters, Eric Holder defending the voting rights of the deceased, and so forth.
But in fact, it's much more straightforward than that. Obama's amnesty ukase is simply Chicago writ large.
While Chicago-style machine politics is the politics of the deal, it's also the politics of the handout. Chicago Democrats have retained power for generations not only by trading favors with their peers, but by carefully parceling out favors to the canaille -- aka, the voters. These can range from a city job for Junior after high school to a contract for a small business owner to the traditional holiday food basket handed out to the desperately poor by local precinct bosses. Such practices have been central to big-city politics since the heyday of Tammany and Boss Tweed, and they still exist in most cities, though seldom as blatantly and primitively as in Chicago. In the Windy City, it essentially stands as an outgrowth of old-world social mores, in which the peasant acts as a client to the local landlord or padrone, promising loyalty in exchange for crumbs. Chicago, almost uniquely, has extended it straight into 3rd millennium.
Obama is attempting to translate this sociopolitical anachronism to the national stage as the next step in identity politics. His amnesty is in effect a huge food basket given to illegal immigrants in hopes that the entire community -- and this includes legal and even native-born Hispanics as well -- will cast their votes for the padrone, in this case Barack Obama....
But in fact, it's much more straightforward than that. Obama's amnesty ukase is simply Chicago writ large.
While Chicago-style machine politics is the politics of the deal, it's also the politics of the handout. Chicago Democrats have retained power for generations not only by trading favors with their peers, but by carefully parceling out favors to the canaille -- aka, the voters. These can range from a city job for Junior after high school to a contract for a small business owner to the traditional holiday food basket handed out to the desperately poor by local precinct bosses. Such practices have been central to big-city politics since the heyday of Tammany and Boss Tweed, and they still exist in most cities, though seldom as blatantly and primitively as in Chicago. In the Windy City, it essentially stands as an outgrowth of old-world social mores, in which the peasant acts as a client to the local landlord or padrone, promising loyalty in exchange for crumbs. Chicago, almost uniquely, has extended it straight into 3rd millennium.
Obama is attempting to translate this sociopolitical anachronism to the national stage as the next step in identity politics. His amnesty is in effect a huge food basket given to illegal immigrants in hopes that the entire community -- and this includes legal and even native-born Hispanics as well -- will cast their votes for the padrone, in this case Barack Obama....
Longstanding Court Precedent Clearly Supports Putting Voter ID on the Ballot
The Legal Requirements for Putting a Question on the Ballot
Lifestyles That Are Taboo In The US, But Are Okay In Other Countries
We like to believe America is a free country, but there are some instances where what is illegal and taboo in the USA is perfectly legal and allowed other countries. Check out a few of the lifestyles we frown upon even though other places don't, and catch the new season of “Taboo,” which looks closer at things that we look away from, Sundays at 10PM on the National Geographic Channel...
Misreporting Boehner's Fast & Furious Stance
Once again the media is reporting supposed facts about Speaker John Boehner without actually confirming them. This time Fox News’s William La Jeunesse states Speaker Boehner is putting pressure on Chairman Darrell Issa to drop contempt charges against Attorney General Eric Holder in relation to the ongoing investigation of Operation Fast and Furious...
State Bar says let illegal immigrant practice law
An illegal immigrant who passes the bar exam and demonstrates good moral character should be eligible to practice law, the State Bar has declared in a court filing.The bar, which oversees California's 225,000 lawyers, told the state Supreme Court on Monday that federal law leaves regulation of the legal profession largely up to the states and does not appear to prohibit Sergio C. Garcia, 35, of Chico from obtaining an attorney's license....
Americans for Prosperity launches six-state, $3M Senate ad buy
The conservative outside group Americans for Prosperity has launched a $3 million ad campaign against Democratic Senate candidates in six states, the group's spokesman told The Hill.
The targets: Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Reps. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D).
EU studying links between Italian mafia and Somalian pirates
BRUSSELS - The EU special envoy for Somalia is looking into a fresh report that pirates are in business with Italian gangsters on toxic waste...
Elderly patients 'helped to die to free up beds', warns doctor
NHS hospitals are using end-of-life care to help elderly patients to die because they are difficult to look after and take up valuable beds, a top doctor has warned.
Mrs. Alan Greenspan airs full Romney remarks
On her show today, MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell responded to criticism of the network's decision to run an edited tape of Mitt Romney's remarks about the Wawa convenience store chain, but the network has not clarified why it ran the edited version of the tape.
"We ran clips of Mitt Romney in Cornwall, Pa., talking about his trip to a Wawa," Mitchell said. "Well, the RNC and the campaign both reached out to us saying that Romney had more to say about that visit — about federal bureaucracy and innovation in the private sector. We didn't get a chance to play that, so here it is now."
Mitchell's response did not satisfy many critics, especially those on the right, who saw it as a non-apology.
Meanwhile, MSNBC did not respond to requests — before and after Mitchell's segment — for an explanation as to why the network aired the edited tape.
UPDATE: An MSNBC spokesperson emailed the following at 4:30 on Tuesday afternoon:
“MSNBC did not edit anything out of order or out of sequence and at no time did we intend to deceive our viewers.”
"We ran clips of Mitt Romney in Cornwall, Pa., talking about his trip to a Wawa," Mitchell said. "Well, the RNC and the campaign both reached out to us saying that Romney had more to say about that visit — about federal bureaucracy and innovation in the private sector. We didn't get a chance to play that, so here it is now."
Mitchell's response did not satisfy many critics, especially those on the right, who saw it as a non-apology.
Meanwhile, MSNBC did not respond to requests — before and after Mitchell's segment — for an explanation as to why the network aired the edited tape.
UPDATE: An MSNBC spokesperson emailed the following at 4:30 on Tuesday afternoon:
“MSNBC did not edit anything out of order or out of sequence and at no time did we intend to deceive our viewers.”
PERMISSION DENIED: UN Official Declares Western Nations 'Don't Need More Cars, More TVs'
Environmental concerns have caused one high-ranking UN official to declare that “the West” does not need more cars, televisions, and other consumer luxuries...
The Twisted Liberal Chronicles: Lawrence O'Donnell Mocks Ann Romney for Riding Horses to Combat Multiple Sclerosis
With each passing day, the Obama-loving media stoop to new lows in attacking the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and his family.
On MSNBC's The Last Word Monday, host Lawrence O'Donnell mocked Ann Romney for having the nerve to combat her multiple sclerosis by riding horses (CLICK HERE for transcript and commentary):
On MSNBC's The Last Word Monday, host Lawrence O'Donnell mocked Ann Romney for having the nerve to combat her multiple sclerosis by riding horses (CLICK HERE for transcript and commentary):
Tax Shelters: Why Israel Could Be the Next Switzerland
It looks like Israel is going to be the next Switzerland — at least as far as the Department of Justice’s investigation into offshore tax avoidance is concerned. On June 14, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against three American tax preparers for helping clients avoid taxes by moving money to Israel...
Romney to speak at NAACP next month
Turner told AFP he expects Romney to "address civil rights" during his speech, "as they are in line with our mission."
Anti-Romney Protesters Say They're Paid To Heckle
DeWitt, Mich. — The protesters popping up at Mitt Romney's rallies throughout Michigan Tuesday look like run-of-the-mill grassroots liberals — they wave signs about "the 99 percent," they chant about the Republican's greed, and they describe themselves as a loosely organized coalition of "concerned citizens."
They're also getting paid, two of the protesters and an Obama campaign official told BuzzFeed...
EXCLUSIVE: Secret Service agents partied like rock stars on Obamas' Vineyard Vacation
Trashed rental homes, bad behavior and barroom brawls that have required the local police to step in have some disgusted Martha’s Vineyard homeowners vowing never to rent out to the Secret Service again...
Woman accused of groping TSA agent
FORT MYERS -
A lot of people get peeved about TSA pat downs. But a Bonita Springs woman is accused of groping an agent at Southwest Florida International Airport and it's all on tape!
It happened on her way to Cleveland, Ohio. Airline passenger Carol Price says while going through security to catch her flight, a TSA agent groped her.
In response, the video shows Price put down her carry-on bags, turn to a TSA supervisor and grab her - allegedly without permission - to show the supervisor what Price says she went through.
"It was a customer complaint of an extremely inappropriate search," said Price's defense attorney John Mills.
Mills says another TSA agent first groped Price's genitals and breasts.
"She did not touch the supervisor as intrusively as she was touched," Mills said.
Price says the TSA agent wasn't following protocol - and she should know.
Price is a former TSA agent who worked at the airport until a few years ago. She got along with some, but not all of her co-workers, and says her pat down was personal.
"She's obviously been through training and knew this lady," Mills said.
But Mills admits Price was already emotional that day.
"She was going to her brother's funeral," he said, adding that she did not make it.
Instead, Price was removed from the flight, taken to jail and now faces misdemeanor battery charges.
She has pleaded not guilty
"Ms. Price just wants her name cleared," Mills said.
The TSA says: "The pat down was conducted correctly in accordance with our procedures. Violence against our officers who work every day to keep the traveling public safe is unacceptable."
A Lee County jury will decide in July.
North Rowan teacher in video controversy will keep job
The North Rowan High School teacher who told students it’s criminal to speak ill of the president will keep her job with the Rowan-Salisbury School System....
Harry Reid Shuts Down Reporter: ‘That’s A Clown Question Bro’
In a press availability with reporters this afternoon Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shot down a reporter’s question using some rather colorful language...
Romney says Rubio is being vetted for VP
Mitt Romney told reporters in Michigan that Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is being looked at as his possible running mate, adding that a news story out today about the Tea Party favorite not being vetted was "entirely false.""Marco Rubio is being thoroughly vetted as part of our process," Romney said during a campaign stop in Holland, Mich...
Warren won't meet with Cherokee delegation
Four outraged Cherokee activists who say Elizabeth Warren’s campaign has ignored their emails and phone calls will trek to Boston this week in hopes they can force a meeting with the Democratic Senate candidate over her “offensive” Native American heritage claims.
“It’s almost becoming extremely offensive to us,” said Twila Barnes, a Cherokee genealogist who has researched Warren’s family tree. “We’re trying to get in contact and explain why her behavior hurts us and is offensive, and she totally ignores that. Like we don’t exist.”
“It’s almost becoming extremely offensive to us,” said Twila Barnes, a Cherokee genealogist who has researched Warren’s family tree. “We’re trying to get in contact and explain why her behavior hurts us and is offensive, and she totally ignores that. Like we don’t exist.”
Why is Obama delaying trial of Fort Hood killer?
Beard gets Fort Hood suspect barred from court
FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — An Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood was barred from military court by the judge Tuesday because he still has a beard.
Maj. Nidal Hasan was told that he couldn't attend any more hearings or his upcoming murder trial unless he shaves. The judge, Col. Gregory Gross, initially warned Hasan that he was violating Army regulations at a hearing earlier this month. That was the first time Hasan showed up in court sporting a beard.
Lead defense attorney Lt. Col. Kris Poppe told the judge that Hasan grew the beard as a "deeply sincere" expression of his faith and because he has a premonition he will die soon. Poppe quoted an imam who said growing a beard is mandatory or strongly encouraged for men of Islamic faith...
FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — An Army psychiatrist charged in the deadly 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood was barred from military court by the judge Tuesday because he still has a beard.
Maj. Nidal Hasan was told that he couldn't attend any more hearings or his upcoming murder trial unless he shaves. The judge, Col. Gregory Gross, initially warned Hasan that he was violating Army regulations at a hearing earlier this month. That was the first time Hasan showed up in court sporting a beard.
Lead defense attorney Lt. Col. Kris Poppe told the judge that Hasan grew the beard as a "deeply sincere" expression of his faith and because he has a premonition he will die soon. Poppe quoted an imam who said growing a beard is mandatory or strongly encouraged for men of Islamic faith...
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Obama's Post-Constitutional Wingmen
Access, bias, herd mentality in Munro incident -- the corruption of the White House press corps.
The Futility of European Elections
The Greek vote has settled nothing. In fact, it may not even lead to the formation of a government; the last election failed to produce a government and forced this election...
9 Tall Tales From Barack Obama's Memoir
1. Hussein Onyango, Barack's grandfather, wasn't really imprisoned and tortured by the British.
2. The father of his Indonesian stepfather, Soewarno Martodihardjo, wasn't killed by Dutch soldiers in the fight for independence.
3. Regina, a friend at Occidental who Obama writes about as a symbol of the authentic African-American experience turns out to be based on Carolina Boss, who is white. Regina was the name of her Swiss grandmother.
KEEP READING>>
2. The father of his Indonesian stepfather, Soewarno Martodihardjo, wasn't killed by Dutch soldiers in the fight for independence.
3. Regina, a friend at Occidental who Obama writes about as a symbol of the authentic African-American experience turns out to be based on Carolina Boss, who is white. Regina was the name of her Swiss grandmother.
KEEP READING>>
Top Immigration Enforcement Official Arrested After Allegedly Hiring Illegal Aliens to Clean Her Home
Boston - A top Homeland Security official in Boston has been accused of repeatedly hiring illegal immigrants to clean her home.
Lorraine Henderson, the regional director of Homeland Security, Customs, and Border Protection, was arrested Friday at her home in Salem. She was expected to appear in federal court later Friday.
Henderson is responsible for stopping illegal aliens from entering the country through the Port of Boston.
But according to an affidavit, for several years Henderson employed a Brazilian housekeeper who was an illegal immigrant. She also allegedly hired two other illegal immigrants, even after fellow agents warned her it was against the law...
Lorraine Henderson, the regional director of Homeland Security, Customs, and Border Protection, was arrested Friday at her home in Salem. She was expected to appear in federal court later Friday.
Henderson is responsible for stopping illegal aliens from entering the country through the Port of Boston.
But according to an affidavit, for several years Henderson employed a Brazilian housekeeper who was an illegal immigrant. She also allegedly hired two other illegal immigrants, even after fellow agents warned her it was against the law...
Mission triple shooting NOT being classified as attempted "honor killing"
Authorities are saying that they are not treating the shooting of three people in Mission as an attempted “honor killing.”
The suspect Talal Nimer is facing attempted murder charges after shooting his estranged wife, their daughter and their daughter’s boyfriend.
Mission police the gunman's Muslim faith did not play a role in their investigation.
But when quizzed on why he did it, the Lebanese man admitted that he didn't like that his daughter was dating someone who's not Muslim....
The suspect Talal Nimer is facing attempted murder charges after shooting his estranged wife, their daughter and their daughter’s boyfriend.
Mission police the gunman's Muslim faith did not play a role in their investigation.
But when quizzed on why he did it, the Lebanese man admitted that he didn't like that his daughter was dating someone who's not Muslim....
Romney Refuses to Take Media's 'Illegal' Bait
While our presumptive nominee Mitt Romney has criticized Obama's cynical, politically-timed power grab, he has yet to say whether or not he would repeal President Obama's executive decision to no longer enforce our laws with respect to somewhere around one million Mexican illegals. Instead, first thing this morning, the Romney campaign went right back to talking about Obama's failed economy:
A number of my fellow conservatives, many of whom I admire, are hitting Romney for not taking a stand on this, but what exactly is Romney supposed to do? This entire story is, quite obviously, a coordinated trap set up by both the Obama campaign and their White House Media Palace Guards to change the subject and gum Romney up in divisive identity politics for the next ten days...
A number of my fellow conservatives, many of whom I admire, are hitting Romney for not taking a stand on this, but what exactly is Romney supposed to do? This entire story is, quite obviously, a coordinated trap set up by both the Obama campaign and their White House Media Palace Guards to change the subject and gum Romney up in divisive identity politics for the next ten days...
Now we learn Obama raised in Singapore?
1990 Vanity Fair article contradicts Indonesia narrative
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – On the heels of the discovery of a 1991 publicity brochure stating Barack Obama was born in Kenya comes the unearthing of a 1990 Vanity Fair article stating Obama grew up in Singapore, not in Indonesia.
In both instances, the question immediately arises: Who was the source of the information that contradicts Obama’s accepted narrative?
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – On the heels of the discovery of a 1991 publicity brochure stating Barack Obama was born in Kenya comes the unearthing of a 1990 Vanity Fair article stating Obama grew up in Singapore, not in Indonesia.
In both instances, the question immediately arises: Who was the source of the information that contradicts Obama’s accepted narrative?
SOROS-FUNDED GROUP SET TO NAIL BISHOPS
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:June 21 marks the beginning of the “Fortnight for Freedom” events, the campaign for religious liberty being conducted by the nation’s bishops. Fair-minded persons may disagree with this effort, but there is something unseemly going on when those who work for a George Soros-funded group are quietly providing talking points to the media.
John Gehring is an official at Faith in Public Life, and it is his organization that lives off the bounty of the left-wing atheist billionaire, Mr. Soros. On June 7, Gehring sent a memo to his buddies in the media (a copy of which was generously leaked to me—click here) instructing them on how to handle the bishops. They should begin by questioning the prelates why the Obama “accommodation” wasn’t good enough. “You have to ask why the bishops can’t take yes for an answer,” he wrote...
Grand jury indicts illegal immigrant who allegedly tried to rape and kidnap a 67-year-old woman in Saratoga Springs
BALLSTON SPA — A grand jury has indicted the man accused of trying to rape and kidnap an elderly woman last month in downtown Saratoga Springs, the county’s top prosecutor said Monday.
Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said Antonio Lopez-Bautista, 18, of South Federal Street in Saratoga Springs was in the country illegally when he allegedly pulled a 67-year-old woman from her car near Congress and South Franklin streets in the early morning hours of May 22 and began assaulting her.
The woman defended herself and called for help, prompting someone who lived nearby to call police. Officers located Lopez-Bautista hiding in nearby bushes and arrested him, booking him on felony charges including second-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree attempted rape and second-degree assault.
A grand jury heard evidence in the case and indicted Lopez-Bautista on those charges Monday. The grand jury also returned new charges of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, second-degree robbery and first-degree sexual abuse, Murphy said.
Full Story >>
Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said Antonio Lopez-Bautista, 18, of South Federal Street in Saratoga Springs was in the country illegally when he allegedly pulled a 67-year-old woman from her car near Congress and South Franklin streets in the early morning hours of May 22 and began assaulting her.
The woman defended herself and called for help, prompting someone who lived nearby to call police. Officers located Lopez-Bautista hiding in nearby bushes and arrested him, booking him on felony charges including second-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree attempted rape and second-degree assault.
A grand jury heard evidence in the case and indicted Lopez-Bautista on those charges Monday. The grand jury also returned new charges of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, second-degree robbery and first-degree sexual abuse, Murphy said.
Full Story >>
The Life and Ideology of The New Terrorists
“This is war, not a game of cards”. Militant enthuses: “They got the guns out in Greece. It was great”. Institutions and “peace-loving” reformers targeted
Glenn Beck Drops GBTV Moniker, Renames Entire Online Operation The Blaze
Big changes are afoot in the Glenn Beck empire– his online television network, Glenn Beck Television, will no longer exist as we know it– in its stead, the entirety of Beck’s operations will be known as The Blaze, like his current online publication, with the focus more on a variety of media.
Nice Try Shrum, but Obama Ain't Truman, and this Ain't 1948
Democrat political consultant Robert Shrum tried paint Mitt Romney yesterday as another Thomas Dewey, who lost to Harry Truman in 1948 after being favored going into the fall.
In the Daily Beast, Shrum calls Romney “the little man on the wedding cake,” “stiff” and a few other things that look like a Hail Mary designed to paint Mitt as out of touch.
But more important than who is Thomas Dewey in 2012 is the question who, in this scenario, will play the part of the no-nonsense Truman in a “Dewey Defeats Truman” reprise.
Because it ain’t Obama.
Obama’s all nonsense all the time...
In the Daily Beast, Shrum calls Romney “the little man on the wedding cake,” “stiff” and a few other things that look like a Hail Mary designed to paint Mitt as out of touch.
But more important than who is Thomas Dewey in 2012 is the question who, in this scenario, will play the part of the no-nonsense Truman in a “Dewey Defeats Truman” reprise.
Because it ain’t Obama.
Obama’s all nonsense all the time...
The End of Free Money
Regardless of whether the Fed ends its bond-buying program this summer, experts say, investors need to prepare for rising rates...
7 Examples of People Who Are Not Victims
No matter how unfairly you're treated specifically because you're a white male, a Christian, a conservative, or a Republican, very few people are going to accept the idea that you're a victim. That may be unfair, but on the whole, it's a good thing. America is already awash in people who falsely believe they're victims and it's not a pretty sight to see: the blaming, the whining, the mediocrity, the sea of jackasses who believe their horrific behavior is justified because they're "victims." It’s time they learned that they’re not victims in any real sense....
Unless Washington acts now, the costs of eldercare will drain the federal budget. Plus: How to manage your Social Security payout.
For years, politicians and retirees could safely ignore the crisis facing America's Social Security system. The problems lay in a distant, hazy future, far beyond the next Election Day and the next round of golf. That is now changing; the ground is starting to shake. The first of America's 78 million baby boomers are turning 66, which means they're eligible for full Social Security benefits. Last year, this same group began to qualify for Medicare, whose enrollment age is 65. A goodly number of boomers have been receiving reduced Social Security benefits since 2008, when the oldest turned 62. Nearly a third of all Americans turning 62 in 2010 opted for early Social Security.
In short, the future has arrived, and it doesn't look pretty...
In short, the future has arrived, and it doesn't look pretty...
No One Left to Pander To
Not even Obama can buy the votes of over half the country.
Shaken by the polls, and unable to tout his accomplishments in office, the president has instead targeted giveaways to particular constituencies of the Democratic party. We’ve gone from soaring to squalid. Women got free contraceptives and the invitation to believe that the Republicans had launched another war of choice — against women. College students got more subsidies for their loans. Gays got support for same-sex marriage. And Hispanics got the dubiously legal decision to forgo deportations for certain illegal immigrants. Blacks and Jews haven’t been bribed yet, but perhaps that’s what comes of voting too reliably Democratic. (Supporters of Israel have long since been disappointed in this White House.)
Still, not even Barack Obama can successfully buy the votes of 50 percent plus one of the American people. His argument to win over the unpurchased thus goes as follows: “Sure the economy is worse than it could be. But if you vote Republican, you will be endorsing the very policies that brought on the recession and caused our current troubles.” The policies President Obama most often cites as having caused the “mess” we’re in are (1) the Bush tax cuts, and (2) “letting Wall Street write its own rules.”>>>
Shaken by the polls, and unable to tout his accomplishments in office, the president has instead targeted giveaways to particular constituencies of the Democratic party. We’ve gone from soaring to squalid. Women got free contraceptives and the invitation to believe that the Republicans had launched another war of choice — against women. College students got more subsidies for their loans. Gays got support for same-sex marriage. And Hispanics got the dubiously legal decision to forgo deportations for certain illegal immigrants. Blacks and Jews haven’t been bribed yet, but perhaps that’s what comes of voting too reliably Democratic. (Supporters of Israel have long since been disappointed in this White House.)
Still, not even Barack Obama can successfully buy the votes of 50 percent plus one of the American people. His argument to win over the unpurchased thus goes as follows: “Sure the economy is worse than it could be. But if you vote Republican, you will be endorsing the very policies that brought on the recession and caused our current troubles.” The policies President Obama most often cites as having caused the “mess” we’re in are (1) the Bush tax cuts, and (2) “letting Wall Street write its own rules.”>>>
The Progressive-Traditionalist War
The main weapon that progressives wield against traditionalists is their ability to break down the values that make up their worldview by challenging norms of behavior and thought, with the goal of using cultural friction to slowly replace traditional values and mores with their own...
America’s Ten Leading Purveyors of Hate
The Southern Poverty Law Center has a new “Intelligence Report” titled “30 New Activists Heading Up The Radical Right.” It includes well-known conservative figures like Frank Gaffney, Pamela Geller, and David Yerushalmi, lumping them in with members of the New Black Panthers, the Ku Klux Klan, and neo-Nazis. It’s a shameless attempt at shutting up those with whom the left most strenuously disagrees. And it’s no surprise. In the past, the SPLC has labeled Family Research Council a hate group simply because FRC doesn’t buy into the left-wing social agenda...
What Obama’s Quick Illegal Immigrant Fix Ignores
Obama’s accompanying rationale for this decision, moreover, was full of unexamined assumptions and sentiments. “These are young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods, they’re friends with our kids, they pledge allegiance to our flag. They are Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper,” Obama said. They “face the threat of deportation to a country that [they] know nothing about, with a language that [they] may not even speak.” They “for all intents and purposes, are Americans. They’ve been raised as Americans, understand themselves to be part of this country.” All those statements are loaded with begged questions that point to the bigger problem we have with immigration both legal and illegal––the question of national identity and national loyalty...
Homosexual Activist, Leftist Judge Move to Silence Free Speech
“The homosexual movement is now using local liberal judges to go after pro-family activists.
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