Editorial: Not A Great 2012 To Look Forward To - Galganov.com
Howard Galganov Editorial: Not A Great 2012 To Look Forward To-- I know that at this time of the year, we’re all supposed to be looking at the coming year through rose-colored glasses - just like Pollyanna. BUT I CAN’T. I have NEVER written a New Year’s Message that does NOT look forward to the New Year. But, with heavy heart and serious concerns, I cannot see how 2012 will be a better year than was 2011, which in itself has been a disaster. What is making me more pessimistic of the coming year than just somewhat, are several odious probabilities . . .
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Audit of the Federal Reserve Reveals $16 Trillion in Secret Bailouts--unelected.org--
The first ever GAO(Government Accountability Office) audit of the Federal Reserve was carried out in the past few months due to the Ron Paul, Alan Grayson Amendment to the Dodd-Frank bill, which passed last year. Jim DeMint, a Republican Senator, and Bernie Sanders, an independent Senator, led the charge for a Federal Reserve audit in the Senate, but watered down the original language of the house bill(HR1207), so that a complete audit would not be carried out. Ben Bernanke(pictured to the right), Alan Greenspan, and various other bankers vehemently opposed the audit and lied to Congress about the effects an audit would have on markets. Nevertheless, the results of the first audit in the Federal Reserve’s nearly 100 year history were posted on Senator Sander’s webpage earlier this morning.
CONTINUED:
http://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/10.11/gaoaudit.html
CONTINUED:
http://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/10.11/gaoaudit.html
“We Don’t Need No Stinking Voter IDs!”
The Justice Department on December 23 blocked a South Carolina law that requires voters to present a photo ID that prove they are who they say there are. The Justice Department says that voter fraud is rare.
Go that? Voter fraud is rare. Has anyone at the Justice Department ever heard of Cook County, Illinois? Back in 1960, Black comedian Dick Gregory said this. “I love Cook County. That’s where my vote really counts . . . and counts . . . and counts.” It has not changed.
CONTINUED:http://teapartyeconomist.com/2011/12/30/we-dont-need-no-stinking-voter-id/
ObamaCare will effectively end Medicare as we know it. How?
https://subscribe.ncpa.org/v.aspx?SI=315126&E=peggylou%40suddenlink.net&S=1&N=5048&ID=5133&NL=918
Go that? Voter fraud is rare. Has anyone at the Justice Department ever heard of Cook County, Illinois? Back in 1960, Black comedian Dick Gregory said this. “I love Cook County. That’s where my vote really counts . . . and counts . . . and counts.” It has not changed.
CONTINUED:http://teapartyeconomist.com/2011/12/30/we-dont-need-no-stinking-voter-id/
ObamaCare will effectively end Medicare as we know it. How?
https://subscribe.ncpa.org/v.aspx?SI=315126&E=peggylou%40suddenlink.net&S=1&N=5048&ID=5133&NL=918
Website of the Day: Feet to the Fire
Does it insult your intelligence to see a politician claim to agree with the core values of the Tea Party in the home district only to vote with the establishment once back inside the beltway? Further, have you found it difficult to effectively keep up with what your representative actually does in your name?
Feet to the Fire was created to be a one-stop-shop for conservatives seeking a clear view of what our members of Congress actually do, as opposed to what they say. To accomplish this, the site presents a clear and concise ranking showing which representatives adhere to the core values of the Tea Party movement. All bills, amendments, and votes from this session of Congress are easily accessible and are updated regularly throughout the day. Further, the site includes tens of thousands of frequently updated news stories related to members of Congress and to specific pieces of legislation. All of these items are easily searchable.
http://feettothefire.org/
Feet to the Fire was created to be a one-stop-shop for conservatives seeking a clear view of what our members of Congress actually do, as opposed to what they say. To accomplish this, the site presents a clear and concise ranking showing which representatives adhere to the core values of the Tea Party movement. All bills, amendments, and votes from this session of Congress are easily accessible and are updated regularly throughout the day. Further, the site includes tens of thousands of frequently updated news stories related to members of Congress and to specific pieces of legislation. All of these items are easily searchable.
http://feettothefire.org/
Carlton’s Corner: Hail Bev
We thank you dear leader for your wonderful belated Christmas gift of the soon-to-be-implemented 3.9 % gasoline tax hike. This gift will quite nicely compliment the 4.5% Fed hike per gallon imposed to cover financing of the ethanol green 'force feed' program designed to reduce the life of our auto engines while reducing the effective horsepower as we patiently wait for corn and corn product prices to launch into high orbit.
You are lauded for your aptness as a most astute student of graft under the slickest of all mentors--your previous boss.
May your coffers continue to swell from such revenues so that you will be able to buy a real airplane like your Idol Nancy P. for your future jaunts rather than having to suffer the humiliation and degradation of flying on one paid for by illegal contributions.
Your loyal subjects
Carlton Melvin
You are lauded for your aptness as a most astute student of graft under the slickest of all mentors--your previous boss.
May your coffers continue to swell from such revenues so that you will be able to buy a real airplane like your Idol Nancy P. for your future jaunts rather than having to suffer the humiliation and degradation of flying on one paid for by illegal contributions.
Your loyal subjects
Carlton Melvin
AAPS News January 2012 - ObamaCare: More Power Means More Corruption
Jan 1, 2012
Volume 68, no. 1 January 2012
Once big government reaches a critical mass, it may be impossible to turn back. It picks the winners and the losers.
The elite in both parties have accepted the premises of the welfare state, central planning, and fiat currency—and in medicine, third-party payment. Being contrary to the laws of economics (human nature), these ideas are historical losers, leading always and everywhere to corruption, oppression, poverty, and death.
Beware of the “repeal and replace” mantra—the result might simply be a reshuffling of special interest groups, the temporary winners, while Americans lose their Republic.
Craig Cantoni suggests a frightening analogy: “Unfortunately, voters are now like capos in a Mafia family. Knowing that the other party, or family, is headed by a ruthless don, they feel they have no choice but to elect an even more ruthless don to protect their family from being plundered by the other family.” This has been the pattern throughout history, he notes, as republics “morphed into empires and then into theft rings.”
Republican and Industry Complicity
Republicans and Democrats, or industry (including the AMA) and government may do a lot of mutual finger-pointing, but the current system is based on bipartisan legislation and on public-private partnerships (a.k.a. fascism). These include the private fiscal intermediaries that administer the Medicare program, and the managed-care companies that use Medicaid as a cash cow.
The sustained growth rate (SGR), the prime target of multi-million dollar AMA lobbying efforts, is from a bipartisan (Clinton-Gingrich) deal. The Texas Medical Association, in ads reminiscent of Al Gore’s scary cartoons with greenhouse gas villains beating up on poor Mr. Sun, feature a little girl’s voice worrying about how Big Bad SGR Man is going to hurt her grandma (http://tinyurl.com/8x5ez4n). In the background we see mathematical formulas and the weird equation “beets + clock = wagon,” reminiscent of the logic behind the resource-based relative value scale (RB-RVS), implemented through AMA’s lucrative coding monopoly and secretive “RUC” committee.
Leading Republican Presidential contenders Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are trying to distance themselves from ObamaCare, but both are big-idea, big-government men (“visionaries”) and have some inconvenient history.
CONTINUED:http://www.aapsonline.org/index.php/site/article/aaps_news_january_2012_-_corruption/?newsletter=off
Volume 68, no. 1 January 2012
Once big government reaches a critical mass, it may be impossible to turn back. It picks the winners and the losers.
The elite in both parties have accepted the premises of the welfare state, central planning, and fiat currency—and in medicine, third-party payment. Being contrary to the laws of economics (human nature), these ideas are historical losers, leading always and everywhere to corruption, oppression, poverty, and death.
Beware of the “repeal and replace” mantra—the result might simply be a reshuffling of special interest groups, the temporary winners, while Americans lose their Republic.
Craig Cantoni suggests a frightening analogy: “Unfortunately, voters are now like capos in a Mafia family. Knowing that the other party, or family, is headed by a ruthless don, they feel they have no choice but to elect an even more ruthless don to protect their family from being plundered by the other family.” This has been the pattern throughout history, he notes, as republics “morphed into empires and then into theft rings.”
Republican and Industry Complicity
Republicans and Democrats, or industry (including the AMA) and government may do a lot of mutual finger-pointing, but the current system is based on bipartisan legislation and on public-private partnerships (a.k.a. fascism). These include the private fiscal intermediaries that administer the Medicare program, and the managed-care companies that use Medicaid as a cash cow.
The sustained growth rate (SGR), the prime target of multi-million dollar AMA lobbying efforts, is from a bipartisan (Clinton-Gingrich) deal. The Texas Medical Association, in ads reminiscent of Al Gore’s scary cartoons with greenhouse gas villains beating up on poor Mr. Sun, feature a little girl’s voice worrying about how Big Bad SGR Man is going to hurt her grandma (http://tinyurl.com/8x5ez4n). In the background we see mathematical formulas and the weird equation “beets + clock = wagon,” reminiscent of the logic behind the resource-based relative value scale (RB-RVS), implemented through AMA’s lucrative coding monopoly and secretive “RUC” committee.
Leading Republican Presidential contenders Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are trying to distance themselves from ObamaCare, but both are big-idea, big-government men (“visionaries”) and have some inconvenient history.
CONTINUED:http://www.aapsonline.org/index.php/site/article/aaps_news_january_2012_-_corruption/?newsletter=off
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Former SNL Actress Victoria Jackson: ‘Muslim Brotherhood Has Infiltrated Our Highest Positions in Gov’t’
Former “Saturday Nigh Live” actress Victoria Jackson is facing some criticism over recent comments she made on “Politichicks,” a web talk show she co-hosts. During a recent episode, Jackson contended that the Muslim Brotherhood — the same Islamist group that has been winning Middle Eastern elections — has infiltrated the American government at its highest levels.
“I just went to a briefing in Washington D.C., across the street from the Capitol, at the Longworth building at 8:30 am two days ago and it changed my life,” she said. “For six hours, I saw pictures and names and dates and facts and Islamic law books and Korans, Surahs for six hours and they proved to me… that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated our highest positions in government and this is serious.”
Watch these comments, below:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/former-snl-actress-victoria-jackson-muslim-brotherhood-has-infiltrated-our-highest-positions-in-govt/
“I just went to a briefing in Washington D.C., across the street from the Capitol, at the Longworth building at 8:30 am two days ago and it changed my life,” she said. “For six hours, I saw pictures and names and dates and facts and Islamic law books and Korans, Surahs for six hours and they proved to me… that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated our highest positions in government and this is serious.”
Watch these comments, below:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/former-snl-actress-victoria-jackson-muslim-brotherhood-has-infiltrated-our-highest-positions-in-govt/
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Did Holder Create OKC Bombing to Steal Americans’ Liberty?
When Salt Lake City attorney Jesse Trentadue filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Clinton Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Prisons in 1997, he had no idea that the scraps of information grudgingly released by the federal government would be the first in a 15 year trail of evidence [...]
http://www.exposeobama.com/2011/12/27/did-holder-create-okc-bombing-to-steal-americans-liberty/
http://www.exposeobama.com/2011/12/27/did-holder-create-okc-bombing-to-steal-americans-liberty/
Tad DeHaven: Sen. Coburn's 2011 Gov't Wastebook
The office of Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has released the 2011 edition of its annual “Wastebook.”
The document spotlights 100 particularly ridiculous expenditures of taxpayer money from the past year. From an entertainment standpoint, it’s pure gold. But it’s also infuriating, depressing, and a painful reminder of what happens when politicians and bureaucrats spend other people’s money.
CONTINUED:
http://townhall.com/columnists/taddehaven/2011/12/27/sen_coburns_2011_govt_wastebook
The document spotlights 100 particularly ridiculous expenditures of taxpayer money from the past year. From an entertainment standpoint, it’s pure gold. But it’s also infuriating, depressing, and a painful reminder of what happens when politicians and bureaucrats spend other people’s money.
CONTINUED:
http://townhall.com/columnists/taddehaven/2011/12/27/sen_coburns_2011_govt_wastebook
INDOCTRINATION: PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE DECLINE OF CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA (DVD)
Nearly 90% of Christian children attend a public school. Their families have a vested interest in all that happens there. Join Scottish filmmaker Colin Gunn, a homeschool father of seven, on the field trip of a lifetime. Driving an old school bus, Colin and family travel across America, asking questions about the origins and social impact of American's public education system. Colin asks:
•Who established the American public school system?
•Are my kids physically and morally safe in the schools?
•Are the public schools religiously neutral?
•Should Christians try to be “salt and light” in public schools?
•Can the public school system be fixed or redeemed?
Featuring interviews with whistleblower teachers, administrators, students, parents, and others, this film is part documentary, part testimonial, and totally captivating. Above all it is both an encouragement and challenge to the millions of Christians who need to know what God's Word says about the discipleship and training of the next generation.
•Who established the American public school system?
•Are my kids physically and morally safe in the schools?
•Are the public schools religiously neutral?
•Should Christians try to be “salt and light” in public schools?
•Can the public school system be fixed or redeemed?
Featuring interviews with whistleblower teachers, administrators, students, parents, and others, this film is part documentary, part testimonial, and totally captivating. Above all it is both an encouragement and challenge to the millions of Christians who need to know what God's Word says about the discipleship and training of the next generation.
THE BLAZE: House GOP Members Calls on IRS to Investigate AARP Tax-Exempt Status
REMEMBER, AARP SOLD OUT SENIORS IN ORDER TO PROFIT FROM OBAMACARE!
House Republicans have called on the IRS to reexamine how the nonprofit seniors group AARP is able to retain a tax-exempt status despite being in contract with private insurance companies who pay AARP royalties in return for an endorsement, while holding a considerable authority over the structure of the plans it endorses.
Three House Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service last week asking the agency to take a closer look at AARP contracts with two specific businesses that suggest the nonprofit group’s relationship is much more than an agreement to license the AARP name. The Republican lawmakers allege that the seniors’ group effectively holds “day-to-day control” over private firms with the AARP stamp of approval, yet shields millions of dollars from tax levies thanks to their nonprofit status:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/house-gop-members-calls-on-irs-to-investigate-aarp-tax-exempt-status/
House Republicans have called on the IRS to reexamine how the nonprofit seniors group AARP is able to retain a tax-exempt status despite being in contract with private insurance companies who pay AARP royalties in return for an endorsement, while holding a considerable authority over the structure of the plans it endorses.
Three House Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service last week asking the agency to take a closer look at AARP contracts with two specific businesses that suggest the nonprofit group’s relationship is much more than an agreement to license the AARP name. The Republican lawmakers allege that the seniors’ group effectively holds “day-to-day control” over private firms with the AARP stamp of approval, yet shields millions of dollars from tax levies thanks to their nonprofit status:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/house-gop-members-calls-on-irs-to-investigate-aarp-tax-exempt-status/
Monday, December 26, 2011
Media Forgets To Mention Judge Who Blocked S. C. Immigration Law Is Obama Appointee
One of the Old Media’s favorite ways of attempting to hide the ideological track of a story is to somehow forget to mention which party someone in the news hails or to whom they owe their fealty. In this case, it is what they don’t report that misleads. This week we find a classic what-they-don’t-say story concerning the judge that blocked sections of South Carolina’s new immigration law. For those unaware, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel temporarily blocked segments of South Carolina’s new immigration laws because he claimed that some of its provisions impinged on federal prerogatives, things over which the state has no jurisdiction. The South Carolina law was opposed in court by Obama’s left-wing, activist Department of Justice headed by Eric “Fast And Furious” Holder and a gaggle of civil rights groups. Judge Gergel agreed with these attackers and issued an injunction to stop implementation of the provisions in question.
http://cowboybyte.com/2764/media-forgets-to-mention-judge-who-blocked-s-c-immigration-law-is-obama-appointee/
http://cowboybyte.com/2764/media-forgets-to-mention-judge-who-blocked-s-c-immigration-law-is-obama-appointee/
MORNING BELL: Faith in America—Matt Spalding, December 26, 2011
"The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time," Thomas Jefferson once wrote. "The hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them." Among the American Founders, there was a profound sense that faith and freedom were deeply intertwined.
Nowadays, we are often told that religion is divisive and ought to kept away from politics for the sake of liberty. Religion somehow is opposed to liberty, and so liberty requires a diminution of religion in the public square.
The view long consistent with our historical practice, though, is that of America's Founders, who advanced religious liberty so as to strengthen religious faith and its influence on American self-government. All had a natural right to worship God as they chose, according to the dictates of their consciences. At the same time, the Founders upheld religion and morality--to paraphrase Washington's Farewell Address--as indispensable supports of good habits, the firmest props of the duties of citizens, and the great pillars of human happiness.
Religious liberty neither settles nor dismisses the claims of reason and revelation to teach the most important things for human beings to know. But it does create a practical solution--after thousands of years of failed attempts--at the level of politics and political morality. It established a form of government that is sanctioned by human nature and open to moral reasoning, the legitimacy of which does not depend on the truth of any particular religious denomination.
This solution is possible because the American Founders recognized general moral precepts that are understandable by human reason and no less agreeable to faith in the form of a general revelation of creation. This morality common to both natural reason and divine revelation, usually termed natural law, is the philosophical ground of the American Founding.
We can see this agreement of reason and revelation in the Declaration of Independence. The liberties recognized in it are deduced from a higher law to which all human laws are answerable and by which they are limited. This higher law can be understood by man's practical reason--the truths of the Declaration are held to be "self-evident"--but also by the revealed word of God. There are four references to God in the document: to "the Laws of Nature and Nature's God"; to all men being "created equal" and "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"; to "the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions"; and to "the protection of divine Providence." The first term suggests a deity that is knowable by human reason, but the others--God as creator, as judge, and as providence--are more biblical, and add (and were assuredly intended to add) a theological context to the document.
From the perspective of religious faith, the basic principles of the Founding, at the level of political principles, were understood to be in essential agreement with the core precepts of the Bible. That this is the case can be seen throughout the many church sermons published from the founding era. While we have never been and should not try to become a nation defined by a particular or official religious denomination, we must never forget that, as the Supreme Court said in 1952 (and reiterated in 1963, and again in 1984), "We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being."
CONTINUED:
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/12/26/morning-bell-faith-in-america/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell
Nowadays, we are often told that religion is divisive and ought to kept away from politics for the sake of liberty. Religion somehow is opposed to liberty, and so liberty requires a diminution of religion in the public square.
The view long consistent with our historical practice, though, is that of America's Founders, who advanced religious liberty so as to strengthen religious faith and its influence on American self-government. All had a natural right to worship God as they chose, according to the dictates of their consciences. At the same time, the Founders upheld religion and morality--to paraphrase Washington's Farewell Address--as indispensable supports of good habits, the firmest props of the duties of citizens, and the great pillars of human happiness.
Religious liberty neither settles nor dismisses the claims of reason and revelation to teach the most important things for human beings to know. But it does create a practical solution--after thousands of years of failed attempts--at the level of politics and political morality. It established a form of government that is sanctioned by human nature and open to moral reasoning, the legitimacy of which does not depend on the truth of any particular religious denomination.
This solution is possible because the American Founders recognized general moral precepts that are understandable by human reason and no less agreeable to faith in the form of a general revelation of creation. This morality common to both natural reason and divine revelation, usually termed natural law, is the philosophical ground of the American Founding.
We can see this agreement of reason and revelation in the Declaration of Independence. The liberties recognized in it are deduced from a higher law to which all human laws are answerable and by which they are limited. This higher law can be understood by man's practical reason--the truths of the Declaration are held to be "self-evident"--but also by the revealed word of God. There are four references to God in the document: to "the Laws of Nature and Nature's God"; to all men being "created equal" and "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"; to "the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions"; and to "the protection of divine Providence." The first term suggests a deity that is knowable by human reason, but the others--God as creator, as judge, and as providence--are more biblical, and add (and were assuredly intended to add) a theological context to the document.
From the perspective of religious faith, the basic principles of the Founding, at the level of political principles, were understood to be in essential agreement with the core precepts of the Bible. That this is the case can be seen throughout the many church sermons published from the founding era. While we have never been and should not try to become a nation defined by a particular or official religious denomination, we must never forget that, as the Supreme Court said in 1952 (and reiterated in 1963, and again in 1984), "We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being."
CONTINUED:
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/12/26/morning-bell-faith-in-america/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell
WallBuilders: Free to Speak—Religious Freedom Sunday
From time to time, WallBuilders is involved with a number of groups and cooperates with them in worthy culture-changing efforts. Here is one such upcoming event: Religious Freedom Sunday.
Parents, educators, youth group leaders, and students, this is your chance to speak up by joining the movement to keep faith in public schools! Religious Freedom Sunday (January 15, 2012) is a day to honor teachers and educate students and parents regarding the rights of religious expressions in the public schools.
Religious Freedom Sunday is a preparation for Religious Freedom Day, declared to be January 16th since 1993, when a resolution passed in Congress set this day apart, purposely choosing January 16th to honor The Virginia Act For Establishing Religious Freedom. This act was written by Thomas Jefferson and passed by the Virginia legislature in 1786.
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=24ff978071728b002d42f126f&id=85f997c3b9&fblike=true&e=82b2973156
Parents, educators, youth group leaders, and students, this is your chance to speak up by joining the movement to keep faith in public schools! Religious Freedom Sunday (January 15, 2012) is a day to honor teachers and educate students and parents regarding the rights of religious expressions in the public schools.
Religious Freedom Sunday is a preparation for Religious Freedom Day, declared to be January 16th since 1993, when a resolution passed in Congress set this day apart, purposely choosing January 16th to honor The Virginia Act For Establishing Religious Freedom. This act was written by Thomas Jefferson and passed by the Virginia legislature in 1786.
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=24ff978071728b002d42f126f&id=85f997c3b9&fblike=true&e=82b2973156
John Ransom: Obama’s Top Boners of 2011
Sure, limiting the list to the nine worst mistakes of the Obama administration in a year that saw so many of them was a tough proposition. But in the spirit of Christmas, I decided to be merciful and not pile on. Plus, you know, I have company coming over. So for now, nine will have to do.
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2011/12/26/obamas_top_boners_of_2011
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2011/12/26/obamas_top_boners_of_2011
Washington Times, Robert Knight: Our Trojan Horse president
Good fiction must ring true to life - this narrative is incredible. I was thinking about writing a novel about what might happen if a man who hates America and wants to bring it down is somehow elected president. What would he do?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/22/our-trojan-horse-president/
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/22/our-trojan-horse-president/
TPN--Obama’s Former Auto Bailout Czar Is Rewriting History
What’s a Barack Obama Administration multi-billion dollar boondoggle without a Czar to oversee it?
For the automobile industry bailout, the Lord Overseer was Car Czar Steven Rattner.
This is the same Steven Rattner who late last year reportedly paid a $6.2 million Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fine and accepted a two-year ban from associating with broker-dealers or investment advisers. For an alleged “pay-to-play” New York state pension fund kickbacks scheme he orchestrated after leaving Washington and his Czar-ship.
DC-Wall Street nexis, anyone? Crony Socialism, anyone?
His current gig – besides being a (shocker) MSNBC Morning Joe “Economic Analyst?" Managing New York Mayor – and 1%-er billionaire – Michael Bloomberg’s personal and philanthropic assets.
DC-Wall Street nexis, anyone? Crony Socialism, anyone?
Ex-Czar Rattner was last week out and about – rewriting large swaths of the history of our $82 billion sinkhole auto “investment.” If this publicity run is any indication – and it undoubtedly is – Ex-Czar Rattner’s book on same may not quite be worth the price of admission.
Let’s take a look at some of what he said.
CONTINUED:
http://www.teapartynation.com/profiles/blog/show?id=3355873%3ABlogPost%3A1729936&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_post
For the automobile industry bailout, the Lord Overseer was Car Czar Steven Rattner.
This is the same Steven Rattner who late last year reportedly paid a $6.2 million Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fine and accepted a two-year ban from associating with broker-dealers or investment advisers. For an alleged “pay-to-play” New York state pension fund kickbacks scheme he orchestrated after leaving Washington and his Czar-ship.
DC-Wall Street nexis, anyone? Crony Socialism, anyone?
His current gig – besides being a (shocker) MSNBC Morning Joe “Economic Analyst?" Managing New York Mayor – and 1%-er billionaire – Michael Bloomberg’s personal and philanthropic assets.
DC-Wall Street nexis, anyone? Crony Socialism, anyone?
Ex-Czar Rattner was last week out and about – rewriting large swaths of the history of our $82 billion sinkhole auto “investment.” If this publicity run is any indication – and it undoubtedly is – Ex-Czar Rattner’s book on same may not quite be worth the price of admission.
Let’s take a look at some of what he said.
CONTINUED:
http://www.teapartynation.com/profiles/blog/show?id=3355873%3ABlogPost%3A1729936&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_post
Obama Gives Socialist Latin American Group $13 Million
Based in two socialist Latin American countries, a group dedicated to helping indigenous populations in that region just got a generous $13 million grant from the U.S. government to combat “exploitative child labor” in Peru. The allocation comes on the heels of a similar, $10 million grant by the same agency—the Department of Labor (DOL)—to fight child labor in Ethiopia. In that case the African country’s notoriously corrupt government, recently exposed for illicit financial flows in the billions, will likely handle some of Uncle Sam’s money. Corruption, kickbacks and bribery are on the rise in Ethiopia, according to a new report issued this week by a research group that aims to curtail the cross border flow of illegal money.
CONTINUED:http://patriotupdate.com/16227/obama-gives-socialist-latin-american-group-13-million
CONTINUED:http://patriotupdate.com/16227/obama-gives-socialist-latin-american-group-13-million
ACORN leaders ramp up White House visitations
Author: Strategy developing to tilt elections to Democrats--Operatives of the radical left-wing ideology of ACORN appear to be working with the Obama administration on a strategy to tilt the 2012 elections in favor of Democrats, according to award-winning investigative reporter Matthew Vadum. ACORN leaders have made multiple visits to the Obama White House and the Department of Justice, new evidence shows. Their goal is to get the government to spend more money on registering welfare recipients and the poor, who are typically Democratic voters, said Vadum, author of the explosive new book "Subversion Inc.: How Obama's ACORN Red Shirts are Still Terrorizing and Ripping Off American Taxpayers."
CONTINUE READING:http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=379041
CONTINUE READING:http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=379041
Obama to ignore 20 policy riders in omnibus funding bill
Obama in 2008 on Bush signing statements:
“That’s not part of his power, but this is part of the whole theory of George Bush that he can make laws as he goes along. I disagree with that. I taught the Constitution for 10 years. I believe in the Constitution and I will obey the Constitution of the United States. We’re not going to use signing statements as a way of doing an end-run around Congress,” then-Senator Obama said as a presidential candidate in 2008.
This is the Obama White House today on signing statements:
President Obama said Friday he will not be bound by at least 20 policy riders in the 2012 omnibus funding the government, including provisions pertaining to Guantanamo Bay and gun control.
After he signed the omnibus into law Friday, the White House released a concurrent signing statement saying Obama will object to portions of the legislation on constitutional grounds.
Signing statements are highly controversial, and their legality is disputed.
CONTINUED:
http://patriotupdate.com/16243/obama-to-ignore-20-policy-riders-in-omnibus-funding-bill
“That’s not part of his power, but this is part of the whole theory of George Bush that he can make laws as he goes along. I disagree with that. I taught the Constitution for 10 years. I believe in the Constitution and I will obey the Constitution of the United States. We’re not going to use signing statements as a way of doing an end-run around Congress,” then-Senator Obama said as a presidential candidate in 2008.
This is the Obama White House today on signing statements:
President Obama said Friday he will not be bound by at least 20 policy riders in the 2012 omnibus funding the government, including provisions pertaining to Guantanamo Bay and gun control.
After he signed the omnibus into law Friday, the White House released a concurrent signing statement saying Obama will object to portions of the legislation on constitutional grounds.
Signing statements are highly controversial, and their legality is disputed.
CONTINUED:
http://patriotupdate.com/16243/obama-to-ignore-20-policy-riders-in-omnibus-funding-bill
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Twas the Night Before Liberal Christmas 2011
‘Twas the night before liberal Christmas, and all ‘cross the land,
The mood on the left was somber, their rhetoric quite bland.
Children they huddled in town squares with hands out,
The Occupy protestors beat cops and did shout.
Few were still listening to their rants and their cries,
But shout them they would, and promote their Big Lies.
While I was all snuggled, tightly wrapped up in my bed,
I really couldn’t care less of the things that they said.
CONTINUED:http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43466
The mood on the left was somber, their rhetoric quite bland.
Children they huddled in town squares with hands out,
The Occupy protestors beat cops and did shout.
Few were still listening to their rants and their cries,
But shout them they would, and promote their Big Lies.
While I was all snuggled, tightly wrapped up in my bed,
I really couldn’t care less of the things that they said.
CONTINUED:http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/43466
The Hill: Obama says he's not bound by Guantanamo, gun-control provisions
President Obama said Friday he will not be bound by at least 20 policy riders in the 2012 omnibus funding the government, including provisions pertaining to Guantanamo Bay and gun control.
CONTINUED:http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/201245-obama-says-he-wont-be-bound-by-guantanamo-gun-control-portions-of-omnibus
CONTINUED:http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/201245-obama-says-he-wont-be-bound-by-guantanamo-gun-control-portions-of-omnibus
WASHINGTON TIMES EDITORIAL: Firing back at gun control
The Obama administration's anti-gun agenda, which has been sneaking into the federal bureaucracy in recent years, was blasted by Congress last week. Republicans used the $1 trillion omnibus bill for 2012 to shoot back at the sneaky use of federal funds for gun control.
CONTINUED:http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/22/firing-back-at-gun-control/
CONTINUED:http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/22/firing-back-at-gun-control/
Congress To Fund Massive Expansion Of TSA Checkpoints
Fears over burgeoning police state increase after passage of NDAA
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Friday, December 23, 2011
Congress is set to give the green light on funding for a massive expansion of TSA checkpoints, with the federal agency already responsible for over 9,000 such checkpoints in the last year amidst increased fears America is turning into a police state following the passage of the ‘indefinite detention’ bill.
The increase in funding has nothing to do with the TSA’s role in airports – this is about creating 12 more VIPR teams to add the federal agency’s 25 units that are already scattered across the country and responsible for manning checkpoints on highways, in bus and train terminals, at sports events and even high school prom nights.
“The TSA’s 25 “viper” teams — for Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response — have run more than 9,300 unannounced checkpoints and other search operations in the last year. Department of Homeland Security officials have asked Congress for funding to add 12 more teams next year,” reports the L.A. Times.
The demand for $24 million in extra funding is in addition to the $110 million spent in fiscal year 2011. The figures are completely independent from the federal agency’s role inside the nation’s airports, which costs taxpayers $5 billion a year.
The extra money is being demanded despite the fact that there is “no proof that the roving viper teams have foiled any terrorist plots or thwarted any major threat to public safety,” according to the L.A. Times report, which also highlights how the TSA’s sniffer dogs are used to single out people for questioning if the dog smells the scent of the owner’s pets on their clothing.
The appearance of thousands more checkpoints on America’s highways and at key transport hubs will only heighten concerns that the country is headed towards a Soviet-style police state.
CONTINUED: http://www.infowars.com/congress-to-fund-massive-expansion-of-tsa-checkpoints/
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Friday, December 23, 2011
Congress is set to give the green light on funding for a massive expansion of TSA checkpoints, with the federal agency already responsible for over 9,000 such checkpoints in the last year amidst increased fears America is turning into a police state following the passage of the ‘indefinite detention’ bill.
The increase in funding has nothing to do with the TSA’s role in airports – this is about creating 12 more VIPR teams to add the federal agency’s 25 units that are already scattered across the country and responsible for manning checkpoints on highways, in bus and train terminals, at sports events and even high school prom nights.
“The TSA’s 25 “viper” teams — for Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response — have run more than 9,300 unannounced checkpoints and other search operations in the last year. Department of Homeland Security officials have asked Congress for funding to add 12 more teams next year,” reports the L.A. Times.
The demand for $24 million in extra funding is in addition to the $110 million spent in fiscal year 2011. The figures are completely independent from the federal agency’s role inside the nation’s airports, which costs taxpayers $5 billion a year.
The extra money is being demanded despite the fact that there is “no proof that the roving viper teams have foiled any terrorist plots or thwarted any major threat to public safety,” according to the L.A. Times report, which also highlights how the TSA’s sniffer dogs are used to single out people for questioning if the dog smells the scent of the owner’s pets on their clothing.
The appearance of thousands more checkpoints on America’s highways and at key transport hubs will only heighten concerns that the country is headed towards a Soviet-style police state.
CONTINUED: http://www.infowars.com/congress-to-fund-massive-expansion-of-tsa-checkpoints/
TPN—Judson Phillips: The party of voter fraud strikes again
The efforts of the Obama regime to steal the 2012 election have kicked into full swing. Many states have passed laws to require ID to vote. Of course, the Obama regime needs voter fraud in order to win, so they are fighting voter ID laws tooth and nail.
http://www.teapartynation.com/forum/topic/show?id=3355873%3ATopic%3A1726143&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_topic
http://www.teapartynation.com/forum/topic/show?id=3355873%3ATopic%3A1726143&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_topic
Good news of great joy!
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2: 1-20 (NIV)
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2: 1-20 (NIV)
Friday, December 23, 2011
DICK MORRIS: SANTORUM SURGES
All along, the Tea Party voters have yet to unite behind a single candidate. They still aren’t united, but in Iowa, there is evidence that Rick Santorum may be surging ahead. In the Tea Party Patriots (TPP) telephone poll of 23,000 supporters nationally, Newt led with 31% of the vote, followed by Bachmann at 28%, Romney at 20% and Santorum with a surprising 16%.
CONTINUED: http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/santorum-surges/
CONTINUED: http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/santorum-surges/
If Jesus Had Never Been Born
by Tim Wildmon, December 22, 2011
If Jesus Christ had never been born, there would be no United States of America.
After Jesus left this earth, Christianity spread from the Holy Land to modern-day Turkey to Greece and Italy and then covered the rest of Europe. In fact, Christopher Columbus wrote that his discovery of the New World was inspired by "...the Holy Spirit, because he comforted me with rays of marvelous inspiration from the Holy Scriptures." Indeed, if it were not for Christmas, we would not be living in the greatest country and most generous country in the history of mankind.
In 1950, President Harry Truman gave a speech to the Attorney General's conference. This is what he said: "The fundamental basis of this nation's laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Matthew, from Isaiah and Saint Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days...."
Truman's message reminds me that there was a day that many reading this can remember, when the Christian value system was the common value system that governed our country. It fostered self-control and served as the basis of our laws. It was understood. It did not matter if you were a Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, Christian or not (Truman was a Democrat, by the way).
Today, if a President of the United States were to say the very same thing Truman said in 1950, he would be called a member of the "religious right" and publicly ridiculed for trying to mix church and state.
If Jesus Christ had never been born, obviously, there would be no Christmas celebration or even a "holiday season." Think about it. Thanksgiving Day is based in America's Christian roots. New Year's Day is based on a calendar that measures time from the birth of Jesus Christ. Or, as our Founding Fathers wrote: "In the Year of Our Lord."The American economy depends heavily on people buying other people Christmas gifts each year. That is why the idea of "holiday" shopping is so ridiculous. No one buys gifts to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The kids don't run downstairs at 5:00 a.m. on New Year's morning. Overwhelmingly, Americans exchange gifts with friends and family precisely because it is Christmas. Ask American retailers and they will tell you -- it's the most wonderful time of the year.
CONTINUED:http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=1502056
If Jesus Christ had never been born, there would be no United States of America.
After Jesus left this earth, Christianity spread from the Holy Land to modern-day Turkey to Greece and Italy and then covered the rest of Europe. In fact, Christopher Columbus wrote that his discovery of the New World was inspired by "...the Holy Spirit, because he comforted me with rays of marvelous inspiration from the Holy Scriptures." Indeed, if it were not for Christmas, we would not be living in the greatest country and most generous country in the history of mankind.
In 1950, President Harry Truman gave a speech to the Attorney General's conference. This is what he said: "The fundamental basis of this nation's laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Matthew, from Isaiah and Saint Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days...."
Truman's message reminds me that there was a day that many reading this can remember, when the Christian value system was the common value system that governed our country. It fostered self-control and served as the basis of our laws. It was understood. It did not matter if you were a Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, Christian or not (Truman was a Democrat, by the way).
Today, if a President of the United States were to say the very same thing Truman said in 1950, he would be called a member of the "religious right" and publicly ridiculed for trying to mix church and state.
If Jesus Christ had never been born, obviously, there would be no Christmas celebration or even a "holiday season." Think about it. Thanksgiving Day is based in America's Christian roots. New Year's Day is based on a calendar that measures time from the birth of Jesus Christ. Or, as our Founding Fathers wrote: "In the Year of Our Lord."The American economy depends heavily on people buying other people Christmas gifts each year. That is why the idea of "holiday" shopping is so ridiculous. No one buys gifts to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The kids don't run downstairs at 5:00 a.m. on New Year's morning. Overwhelmingly, Americans exchange gifts with friends and family precisely because it is Christmas. Ask American retailers and they will tell you -- it's the most wonderful time of the year.
CONTINUED:http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=1502056
Wrongful Death Case Expoes Eric Holder’s Role in OKC Bombing
“You need to know that Eric Holder…played a key role in covering up the torture-murder death of my brother, Kenneth Michael Trentadue.”[1] This is what Salt Lake City attorney Jesse Trentadue wrote in December 2008 to prospective incoming chairman of the Senate Justice Committee, Patrick Leahy. The newly elected Barack Obama had made Holder his choice for Attorney General and Trentadue was going to do everything in his power to stop this shameful appointment from going forward. Kenneth Trentadue was killed in Oklahoma City on August 21,1995,four months after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building. He had been taken into custody by the FBI and placed in an isolation cell at a federal facility in El Reno,Oklahoma.
http://www.exposeobama.com/2011/12/22/wrongful-death-case-expoes-eric-holders-role-in-okc-bombing/
http://www.exposeobama.com/2011/12/22/wrongful-death-case-expoes-eric-holders-role-in-okc-bombing/
Officials Plead Guilty in New York Voter Fraud Case
A total of four Democratic officials and political operatives have now pleaded guilty to voter fraud-related felony charges in an alleged scheme to steal a New York election. The latest guilty pleas expose the ease with which political insiders can apparently manipulate the electoral system and throw an election their way, by the forging of signatures of unsuspecting voters that are then cast as real votes.
"The phrase they use is: 'making sure they vote the right way,'" said a source close to the case, which is unfolding in Troy, N.Y. "It is not a Democratic or Republican thing. ... It is criminal."
Former Troy Democratic City Clerk William McInerney, Democratic Councilman John Brown, and Democratic political operatives Anthony Renna and Anthony DeFiglio have entered guilty pleas in the case, in which numerous signatures were allegedly forged on absentee ballots in the 2009 Working Families Party primary, the political party that was associated with the now-defunct community group, ACORN.
The four have pleaded guilty to one count of various charges, ranging from forgery to falsifying business records, and criminal possession of a forged instrument.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/21/officials-plead-guilty-in-new-york-voter-fraud-case/
"The phrase they use is: 'making sure they vote the right way,'" said a source close to the case, which is unfolding in Troy, N.Y. "It is not a Democratic or Republican thing. ... It is criminal."
Former Troy Democratic City Clerk William McInerney, Democratic Councilman John Brown, and Democratic political operatives Anthony Renna and Anthony DeFiglio have entered guilty pleas in the case, in which numerous signatures were allegedly forged on absentee ballots in the 2009 Working Families Party primary, the political party that was associated with the now-defunct community group, ACORN.
The four have pleaded guilty to one count of various charges, ranging from forgery to falsifying business records, and criminal possession of a forged instrument.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/21/officials-plead-guilty-in-new-york-voter-fraud-case/
SPECIAL REPORT: WHY WE ARE ABOUT TO LOSE THE UNITED STATES TO THE CLAWS OF COMMUNISM – PART 1.
We had no idea which enemy we were fighting and above all, we had no clue about the dirty tricks they were playing on us, and how to fight back. Not everybody, though, was so far off. On October 25th 1966, Ezra Taft Benson, member of President Eisenhower’s cabinet as his Secretary of Agriculture in 1956, gave a lecture to the BYU’s students in where he declared what Khrushchev told him, face-to-face when he visited the United States: “Your grandchildren will live under Communism. You Americans will not accept Communism outright, but we will keep feeding you small doses of Socialism, until you finally wake up finding that you already have Communism. We will not have to fight you. We will so weaken your economy, until you fall into our hands.”
What Khrushchev told Mr. Benson, was clear proof of a long-time strategy launched by the Soviets to create the needed objective conditions to take over the United States of America. Khrushchev understood those conditions were not going to be achieved overnight, since he was prognosticating that CHANGE was to take place during Mr. Benson’s grandchildren’s life time, that time is right now!
Mr. Benson was so shocked by Khrushchev’s threats, that he spoke these words to the American people: "...It is imperative that American citizens become alerted and informed regarding the threats to our welfare, happiness and freedom. No American is worthy of citizenship in this great land who refuses to take an active interest in these important matters. Stand up for freedom no matter what the cost; it can help to save your soul, and maybe your country. May God give us the wisdom to recognize the dangers, the dangers of complexity, the threats to our freedom and the strength to meet this danger complacency courageously.”
What do we know about this brand-new XXI Century Socialism?
CONTINUED: http://bwcentral.org/2011/12/why-we-are-about-to-lose-the-united-states-to-the-claws-of-communism-part-1/
What Khrushchev told Mr. Benson, was clear proof of a long-time strategy launched by the Soviets to create the needed objective conditions to take over the United States of America. Khrushchev understood those conditions were not going to be achieved overnight, since he was prognosticating that CHANGE was to take place during Mr. Benson’s grandchildren’s life time, that time is right now!
Mr. Benson was so shocked by Khrushchev’s threats, that he spoke these words to the American people: "...It is imperative that American citizens become alerted and informed regarding the threats to our welfare, happiness and freedom. No American is worthy of citizenship in this great land who refuses to take an active interest in these important matters. Stand up for freedom no matter what the cost; it can help to save your soul, and maybe your country. May God give us the wisdom to recognize the dangers, the dangers of complexity, the threats to our freedom and the strength to meet this danger complacency courageously.”
What do we know about this brand-new XXI Century Socialism?
CONTINUED: http://bwcentral.org/2011/12/why-we-are-about-to-lose-the-united-states-to-the-claws-of-communism-part-1/
70% of Americans Agree It’s Time for Voter ID
The concept of verifying one's eligibility to vote is so basic, it should be something that is simply done, without thought.
Sadly, previous generations have failed to stand up to evil usurpers, virtually all of them 'Progressives,' or worse, who have been benefiting from otherwise good Americans' propensity to let them get away with it. It has become so institutional, so incredibly ingrained into our culture, that we actually have to convince our politicians to re-institute this common-sense solution to the rampant voter/election fraud perpetrated by Democrats and other 'Progressives.'
http://www.the912project.us/forum/topic/show?id=2881797%3ATopic%3A2489877&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_topic
Sadly, previous generations have failed to stand up to evil usurpers, virtually all of them 'Progressives,' or worse, who have been benefiting from otherwise good Americans' propensity to let them get away with it. It has become so institutional, so incredibly ingrained into our culture, that we actually have to convince our politicians to re-institute this common-sense solution to the rampant voter/election fraud perpetrated by Democrats and other 'Progressives.'
http://www.the912project.us/forum/topic/show?id=2881797%3ATopic%3A2489877&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_topic
WSJ: Holder's Voter ID Fraud--The AG invents fears of ballot suppression.
The Obama Administration's re-election mobilization continues: Witness Eric Holder's attempt to play the race card and perhaps twist the law in a campaign against voter identification laws.
In the Attorney General's telling, the movement in the states to require voters to show some ID is a revival of minority disenfranchisement a la Jim Crow. A growing number of minorities, he said in a speech last week, are now worried about "the same disparities, divisions and problems" that beset the country in 1965 and "many Americans, for the first time in their lives . . . now have reason to believe that we are failing to live up" to the promise of democracy for all.
The NAACP even petitioned the United Nations this month for a human-rights ruling on what President Benjamin Jealous called a "tidal wave of assaults on the right to vote." He meant in America, not Cuba or North Korea. The American Civil Liberties Union has sued to challenge a voter ID law in Wisconsin.
CONTINUED:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203893404577100313135266898.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
In the Attorney General's telling, the movement in the states to require voters to show some ID is a revival of minority disenfranchisement a la Jim Crow. A growing number of minorities, he said in a speech last week, are now worried about "the same disparities, divisions and problems" that beset the country in 1965 and "many Americans, for the first time in their lives . . . now have reason to believe that we are failing to live up" to the promise of democracy for all.
The NAACP even petitioned the United Nations this month for a human-rights ruling on what President Benjamin Jealous called a "tidal wave of assaults on the right to vote." He meant in America, not Cuba or North Korea. The American Civil Liberties Union has sued to challenge a voter ID law in Wisconsin.
CONTINUED:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203893404577100313135266898.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
LIBERTY EXTRA: The Obama Energy Strangle-Hold on America
By Christopher G. Adamo
While the Obama Administration has worked tirelessly at minimizing the negative political fallout of its “green jobs” debacle (Solyndra being among the few that gained attention), the nation has yet to fully grasp just how devastating the Obama agenda has been to the overall condition of America’s energy resources and reserves. In a perverse sense, the ongoing economic downturn, persisting as it has for three years and with no end in sight, acts as something of a “safety valve” on the cost of gasoline and heating oil. The sole reason that the price at the pumps is not currently in the stratosphere is because the Obama economy has severely suppressed its use. Otherwise any rise in consumption would quickly exceed available supplies.
Thus, for those prices to remain low, the economic prognosis must remain grim. As soon as manufacturing activity heats up and traffic on the nation’s highways increases in response, the demand for fossil fuels will likewise increase, triggering an upswing in their cost. In a sane world, this rise would be shortly offset by an increased supply, thereby balancing out the situation. However, with Obama and his Democrat cohorts stifling every attempt at expanding production, and worse, placing entire regions such as the Gulf of Mexico off limits (at least to Americans), the lack of any new supply of crude oil to compensate for higher demand guarantees that even a tiny spark of resurgent economic life will immediately result in escalating fuel prices, which in turn chokes out the activity.
http://news.libertyextra.com/?v6CHWBkz57T7WTl3FjyNTX16dmqVrf1Lv
While the Obama Administration has worked tirelessly at minimizing the negative political fallout of its “green jobs” debacle (Solyndra being among the few that gained attention), the nation has yet to fully grasp just how devastating the Obama agenda has been to the overall condition of America’s energy resources and reserves. In a perverse sense, the ongoing economic downturn, persisting as it has for three years and with no end in sight, acts as something of a “safety valve” on the cost of gasoline and heating oil. The sole reason that the price at the pumps is not currently in the stratosphere is because the Obama economy has severely suppressed its use. Otherwise any rise in consumption would quickly exceed available supplies.
Thus, for those prices to remain low, the economic prognosis must remain grim. As soon as manufacturing activity heats up and traffic on the nation’s highways increases in response, the demand for fossil fuels will likewise increase, triggering an upswing in their cost. In a sane world, this rise would be shortly offset by an increased supply, thereby balancing out the situation. However, with Obama and his Democrat cohorts stifling every attempt at expanding production, and worse, placing entire regions such as the Gulf of Mexico off limits (at least to Americans), the lack of any new supply of crude oil to compensate for higher demand guarantees that even a tiny spark of resurgent economic life will immediately result in escalating fuel prices, which in turn chokes out the activity.
http://news.libertyextra.com/?v6CHWBkz57T7WTl3FjyNTX16dmqVrf1Lv
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Government statistical agency helping NC Democrat
The Carolina Journal, published by the Raleigh-based John Locke Foundation (for which I’ve given paid speeches on occasion) reports that staffers in North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue’s office have been getting advance word on monthly unemployment statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is highly illegal under federal law and violates what I have understood to be a strong tradition in the BLS and other government statistics that no one—no one at all, not even in the White House—gets advanced word ahead of the public announcement of government statistics.
There’s obviously good reason for this: someone with advanced word could place bets in financial and community markets and make lots of money. That’s why Congress provided for penalties of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for early release of this data. And there’s another excellent reason: government statistical agencies should be free of political influence to insure the integrity of the numbers on which many people depend. My understanding is that an important part of the bureaucratic culture of federal statistical agencies is a pride in their independence and integrity; this is something not to be lightly squandered. Maintaining that culture is vital if the government wants to get highly competent people to dedicate their careers to this important work.
CONTINUED:http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/government-statistical-agency-helping-nc-democrat/264741
There’s obviously good reason for this: someone with advanced word could place bets in financial and community markets and make lots of money. That’s why Congress provided for penalties of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for early release of this data. And there’s another excellent reason: government statistical agencies should be free of political influence to insure the integrity of the numbers on which many people depend. My understanding is that an important part of the bureaucratic culture of federal statistical agencies is a pride in their independence and integrity; this is something not to be lightly squandered. Maintaining that culture is vital if the government wants to get highly competent people to dedicate their careers to this important work.
CONTINUED:http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/government-statistical-agency-helping-nc-democrat/264741
Election Expert John Fund: Voter ID Laws Don’t Suppress Black Vote
Political analyst John Fund tells Newsmax that Attorney General Eric Holder is flat wrong in accusing Republicans of using voter ID laws to suppress the black vote.
“We have two examples of states that have had photo ID laws now for seven or eight years—Georgia and Indiana,” the election expert told Newsmax.TV in an exclusive interview. “They’re very tough requirements, but voting has gone up in those states, including minority voting. And not just the election that Barack Obama ran in, but even in the 2010 midterm election.”
More than a dozen states, including Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin, passed laws this year aimed mostly at reducing voter fraud by requiring that voters show a driver’s license or another state-issued photo ID.
http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2011/12/election_expert.php
“We have two examples of states that have had photo ID laws now for seven or eight years—Georgia and Indiana,” the election expert told Newsmax.TV in an exclusive interview. “They’re very tough requirements, but voting has gone up in those states, including minority voting. And not just the election that Barack Obama ran in, but even in the 2010 midterm election.”
More than a dozen states, including Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin, passed laws this year aimed mostly at reducing voter fraud by requiring that voters show a driver’s license or another state-issued photo ID.
http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2011/12/election_expert.php
GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE--TWISTS and TURNS
Election 2012: Obama 47%, Santorum 37%--Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum earns his highest level of support to date but still trails President Obama by double digits in their latest hypothetical Election 2012 matchup.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/archive/election_2012_archive/december_2011/election_2012_obama_47_santorum_37
RIGHT FACE: HERE WE GO AGAIN! IS JEB BUSH BACK IN THE GAME? WHAT ABOUT SARAH PALIN? 85% THINK THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!
Jeb Bush wrote an opinion article Monday for the Wall Street Journal where he discussed Capitalism and Economic Freedom. That the Freedom to Succeed and the Freedom to Fail MUST be allowed in the American economic system. Rush Limbaugh praised Bush's article as something he would have written or Ronald Reagan saying, "In fact, I have written this!" Here is some of what Bush said...” Think about it. We talk about the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to assembly. The right to rise doesn't seem like something we should have to protect. But we do. We have to make it easier for people to do the things that allow them to rise. We have to let them compete. We need to let people fight for business. We need to let people take risks. We need to let people fail. We need to let people suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And we need to let people enjoy the fruits of good decisions, even good luck. “
http://www.rightface.us/forum/topics/here-we-go-again-is-jeb-bush-back-in-the-game-what-about-sarah-pa
How about a Bush/Palin ticket? hmmm....That would be interesting! ~Lynn
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/archive/election_2012_archive/december_2011/election_2012_obama_47_santorum_37
RIGHT FACE: HERE WE GO AGAIN! IS JEB BUSH BACK IN THE GAME? WHAT ABOUT SARAH PALIN? 85% THINK THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!
Jeb Bush wrote an opinion article Monday for the Wall Street Journal where he discussed Capitalism and Economic Freedom. That the Freedom to Succeed and the Freedom to Fail MUST be allowed in the American economic system. Rush Limbaugh praised Bush's article as something he would have written or Ronald Reagan saying, "In fact, I have written this!" Here is some of what Bush said...” Think about it. We talk about the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to assembly. The right to rise doesn't seem like something we should have to protect. But we do. We have to make it easier for people to do the things that allow them to rise. We have to let them compete. We need to let people fight for business. We need to let people take risks. We need to let people fail. We need to let people suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And we need to let people enjoy the fruits of good decisions, even good luck. “
http://www.rightface.us/forum/topics/here-we-go-again-is-jeb-bush-back-in-the-game-what-about-sarah-pa
How about a Bush/Palin ticket? hmmm....That would be interesting! ~Lynn
‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ (the Obama Version) & Other Presidential Christmas Parodies
Please enjoy a review of President Obama’s first three years in office via a parody of the classic song, "The 12 Days of Christmas", AND “The Little Drummer Boy,” “Socialism’s Coming to Town,” and the DON’T MISS HIT, “The Obama Christmas Carol.”
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/the-12-days-of-christmas-the-obama-version-other-presidential-christmas-parodies/
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/the-12-days-of-christmas-the-obama-version-other-presidential-christmas-parodies/
Report: CCTA's Annual Meeting, December 20, 2011
CCTA's Annual Meeting last night was a wonderful event. We had great year end updates and a look forward from each of our officers and Committee Chairs!
Gary Lindsey 's special report: "The State of Our Treasury and What the Fed's Up to Now" was just fantastic, and lots of folks were eager to talk to Gary after the meeting.
New officers elected for 2012: Nancy Murdoch, Chairman; Matt Schwob, Vice Chairman, Lynn Childs (me) Secretary, and Gary Lindsey was reelected Treasurer. We gave a great round of applause and thanks to outgoing Chairman Raynor James and our officers and chairman for 2011.
We then we broke for some great refreshments and socializing! 2012 is here so stay with us! Thanks to all of you who brought such tasty goodies for us, and also for all that helped us clean up afterward!
Next CCTA Meeting, January 17, 2012 at 7:00-9:00 pm, at the Healing Grace Church, 3407 Red Fox Road in Trent Woods, New Bern.
~Lynn
Gary Lindsey 's special report: "The State of Our Treasury and What the Fed's Up to Now" was just fantastic, and lots of folks were eager to talk to Gary after the meeting.
New officers elected for 2012: Nancy Murdoch, Chairman; Matt Schwob, Vice Chairman, Lynn Childs (me) Secretary, and Gary Lindsey was reelected Treasurer. We gave a great round of applause and thanks to outgoing Chairman Raynor James and our officers and chairman for 2011.
We then we broke for some great refreshments and socializing! 2012 is here so stay with us! Thanks to all of you who brought such tasty goodies for us, and also for all that helped us clean up afterward!
Next CCTA Meeting, January 17, 2012 at 7:00-9:00 pm, at the Healing Grace Church, 3407 Red Fox Road in Trent Woods, New Bern.
~Lynn
Obama Uses White House Web Site to Pressure House GOP With a Tax Increase Countdown Clock
Is the Obama administration going out of its way to politicize the White House web site? At the least, the president seems to be using the platform to pressure House Republicans into supporting his payroll tax plans.
It what can only be described as an intriguing use of the government’s web presence, a new WhiteHouse.gov graphic has emerged. It reads, “If the House doesn’t act, middle class taxes increase in…” Next to this copy, a countdown clock lists the days, hours minutes and seconds left until the infamous payroll tax cut expires.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/white-house-web-site-targets-house-gop-with-middle-class-tax-increase-countdown-clock/
It what can only be described as an intriguing use of the government’s web presence, a new WhiteHouse.gov graphic has emerged. It reads, “If the House doesn’t act, middle class taxes increase in…” Next to this copy, a countdown clock lists the days, hours minutes and seconds left until the infamous payroll tax cut expires.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/white-house-web-site-targets-house-gop-with-middle-class-tax-increase-countdown-clock/
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Chuck Norris: Feds' War on Religion (Part 1 of 2)
December 20, 2011
By Chuck Norris
Anyone who knows me knows that for my whole life, I've been a huge supporter of our U.S. military personnel, whom I congratulate about their victory in Iraq. But when our president and officials in the U.S. Department of Defense exchange a war abroad for a religious war at home, can't we see that something else is seriously awry in this administration?
It's one thing to watch "merry Christmas" be omitted from signs in your favorite department store but quite another to see Bibles withheld from wounded warriors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. It's true! On Dec. 2, the Family Research Council reported that it had discovered a memo released in September at the esteemed military hospital, in which Navy officials announced that "no religious items (including Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit."
Thank God for those in the FRC, as well as Rep. Randy Forbes and other members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, who demanded to meet with officials at Walter Reed and in the Navy about the matter. Just a few days ago, Vice Adm. John Mateczun confessed that the memo had not been properly evaluated and was being rescinded, and Walter Reed posted a public apology on its website.
But imagine if the FRC had not found this memo. Imagine how many others like it aren't found and are circulated around the federal government.
If you think this is an isolated incident, consider the following dozen-plus examples reported in the past six months alone by the FRC and Rep. Forbes' office and a few of my own I found, which document how religious freedom and Christian liberty in particular have been limited, quarantined, omitted or outright obliterated.
--The Air Force Academy apologized for merely announcing Operation Christmas Child --a Christian-based charity and relief program designed to send holiday gifts to impoverished children around the world.
--Yet the Air Force is building an $80,000 Stonehenge-like worship site for "earth-based" religions, including "pagans, Wiccans, druids, witches and followers of Native American faiths."
--The Marine Corps considered tearing down a Camp Pendleton cross meant to honor fallen heroes.
--Air Force officials stripped religious curriculum from a 20-year-old course on "just war theory."
--The Department of Veterans Affairs censored references to God and Jesus during prayers at Houston National Cemetery.
--The Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate passed the $662 billion National Defense Authorization Act of 2012, which included a repeal of Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which states: "Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy."
--The Department of Health and Human Services unveiled new health care rules that ignore basic conscience protections for medical workers with faith-based objections to abortion and contraception.
--Officials at HHS denied funding for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' successful program for sex trafficking victims because of the church's teaching on human life.
--Administration officials refused to intervene in the closing of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
--President Barack Obama has lobbied for the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would trample on the faith of employers in hiring, firing and promotion decisions.
--The Pentagon released new regulations that force chaplains to perform same-sex "weddings" despite their religious objections.
--Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demonized other countries' religious beliefs as an obstacle to radical homosexual rights.
--Just this past week, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation sent a letter to officials at Travis Air Force Base, demanding the removal or transfer of a Nativity scene and a menorah that are part of a larger holiday display on the base.
What is going on in the U.S. military? Why is it so difficult for the feds to understand the free exercise clause of the First Amendment, which says they "shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"?
And how many of these restrictions of our religious liberties are direct results of President Obama's being in office? And if these occurred in just the past six months, imagine what would happen in another four years if Obama were to be re-elected. Our service members, as well as our devoted military Christian chaplains, deserve better.
MORE:
http://townhall.com/columnists/chucknorris/2011/12/20/feds_war_on_religion_part_1_of_2
By Chuck Norris
Anyone who knows me knows that for my whole life, I've been a huge supporter of our U.S. military personnel, whom I congratulate about their victory in Iraq. But when our president and officials in the U.S. Department of Defense exchange a war abroad for a religious war at home, can't we see that something else is seriously awry in this administration?
It's one thing to watch "merry Christmas" be omitted from signs in your favorite department store but quite another to see Bibles withheld from wounded warriors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. It's true! On Dec. 2, the Family Research Council reported that it had discovered a memo released in September at the esteemed military hospital, in which Navy officials announced that "no religious items (including Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit."
Thank God for those in the FRC, as well as Rep. Randy Forbes and other members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, who demanded to meet with officials at Walter Reed and in the Navy about the matter. Just a few days ago, Vice Adm. John Mateczun confessed that the memo had not been properly evaluated and was being rescinded, and Walter Reed posted a public apology on its website.
But imagine if the FRC had not found this memo. Imagine how many others like it aren't found and are circulated around the federal government.
If you think this is an isolated incident, consider the following dozen-plus examples reported in the past six months alone by the FRC and Rep. Forbes' office and a few of my own I found, which document how religious freedom and Christian liberty in particular have been limited, quarantined, omitted or outright obliterated.
--The Air Force Academy apologized for merely announcing Operation Christmas Child --a Christian-based charity and relief program designed to send holiday gifts to impoverished children around the world.
--Yet the Air Force is building an $80,000 Stonehenge-like worship site for "earth-based" religions, including "pagans, Wiccans, druids, witches and followers of Native American faiths."
--The Marine Corps considered tearing down a Camp Pendleton cross meant to honor fallen heroes.
--Air Force officials stripped religious curriculum from a 20-year-old course on "just war theory."
--The Department of Veterans Affairs censored references to God and Jesus during prayers at Houston National Cemetery.
--The Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate passed the $662 billion National Defense Authorization Act of 2012, which included a repeal of Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which states: "Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy."
--The Department of Health and Human Services unveiled new health care rules that ignore basic conscience protections for medical workers with faith-based objections to abortion and contraception.
--Officials at HHS denied funding for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' successful program for sex trafficking victims because of the church's teaching on human life.
--Administration officials refused to intervene in the closing of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
--President Barack Obama has lobbied for the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would trample on the faith of employers in hiring, firing and promotion decisions.
--The Pentagon released new regulations that force chaplains to perform same-sex "weddings" despite their religious objections.
--Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demonized other countries' religious beliefs as an obstacle to radical homosexual rights.
--Just this past week, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation sent a letter to officials at Travis Air Force Base, demanding the removal or transfer of a Nativity scene and a menorah that are part of a larger holiday display on the base.
What is going on in the U.S. military? Why is it so difficult for the feds to understand the free exercise clause of the First Amendment, which says they "shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"?
And how many of these restrictions of our religious liberties are direct results of President Obama's being in office? And if these occurred in just the past six months, imagine what would happen in another four years if Obama were to be re-elected. Our service members, as well as our devoted military Christian chaplains, deserve better.
MORE:
http://townhall.com/columnists/chucknorris/2011/12/20/feds_war_on_religion_part_1_of_2
Thomas Sowell: The Past and the Present
TOWNHALL.COM
December 20, 2011
If Newt Gingrich were being nominated for sainthood, many of us would vote very differently from the way we would vote if he were being nominated for a political office.
What the media call Gingrich's "baggage" concerns largely his personal life and the fact that he made a lot of money running a consulting firm after he left Congress. This kind of stuff makes lots of talking points that we will no doubt hear, again and again, over the next weeks and months.
But how much weight should we give to this stuff when we are talking about the future of a nation?
This is not just another election and Barack Obama is not just another president whose policies we may not like. With all of President Obama's broken promises, glib demagoguery and cynical political moves, one promise he has kept all too well. That was his boast on the eve of the 2008 election: "We are going to change the United States of America."
Many Americans are already saying that they can hardly recognize the country they grew up in. We have already started down the path that has led Western European nations to the brink of financial disaster.
Internationally, it is worse. A president who has pulled the rug out from under our allies, whether in Eastern Europe or the Middle East, tried to cozy up to our enemies, and has bowed low from the waist to foreign leaders certainly has not represented either the values or the interests of America. If he continues to do nothing that is likely to stop terrorist-sponsoring Iran from getting nuclear weapons, the consequences can be beyond our worst imagining.
Against this background, how much does Newt Gingrich's personal life matter, whether we accept his claim that he has now matured or his critics' claim that he has not? Nor should we sell the public short by saying that they are going to vote on the basis of tabloid stuff or media talking points, when the fate of this nation hangs in the balance.
Even back in the 19th century, when the scandal came out that Grover Cleveland had fathered a child out of wedlock -- and he publicly admitted it -- the voters nevertheless sent him to the White House, where he became one of the better presidents.
Do we wish we had another Ronald Reagan? We could certainly use one. But we have to play the hand we were dealt. And the Reagan card is not in the deck.
MORE:
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2011/12/20/the_past_and_the_present
December 20, 2011
If Newt Gingrich were being nominated for sainthood, many of us would vote very differently from the way we would vote if he were being nominated for a political office.
What the media call Gingrich's "baggage" concerns largely his personal life and the fact that he made a lot of money running a consulting firm after he left Congress. This kind of stuff makes lots of talking points that we will no doubt hear, again and again, over the next weeks and months.
But how much weight should we give to this stuff when we are talking about the future of a nation?
This is not just another election and Barack Obama is not just another president whose policies we may not like. With all of President Obama's broken promises, glib demagoguery and cynical political moves, one promise he has kept all too well. That was his boast on the eve of the 2008 election: "We are going to change the United States of America."
Many Americans are already saying that they can hardly recognize the country they grew up in. We have already started down the path that has led Western European nations to the brink of financial disaster.
Internationally, it is worse. A president who has pulled the rug out from under our allies, whether in Eastern Europe or the Middle East, tried to cozy up to our enemies, and has bowed low from the waist to foreign leaders certainly has not represented either the values or the interests of America. If he continues to do nothing that is likely to stop terrorist-sponsoring Iran from getting nuclear weapons, the consequences can be beyond our worst imagining.
Against this background, how much does Newt Gingrich's personal life matter, whether we accept his claim that he has now matured or his critics' claim that he has not? Nor should we sell the public short by saying that they are going to vote on the basis of tabloid stuff or media talking points, when the fate of this nation hangs in the balance.
Even back in the 19th century, when the scandal came out that Grover Cleveland had fathered a child out of wedlock -- and he publicly admitted it -- the voters nevertheless sent him to the White House, where he became one of the better presidents.
Do we wish we had another Ronald Reagan? We could certainly use one. But we have to play the hand we were dealt. And the Reagan card is not in the deck.
MORE:
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2011/12/20/the_past_and_the_present
Monday, December 19, 2011
RedState: House Must Decouple Payroll Tax Cut From Broader ‘Extenders’ Package
December 19, 2011
Over the weekend, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans obviated the superior leverage of House Republicans by passing a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, along with a clean extension (no reforms and offsets) of doc fix and unemployment benefits.
In a premature capitulation, they agreed (89-10) to amend the House extenders bill by eliminating most of the spending offsets, all of the UI reforms and the policy riders, with the exception of the Keystone pipeline provision. They will fill in the $33 billion two-month gaping budget hole with nebulous revenue increases from higher Freddie/Fannie mortgages over ten years. To the extent that those revenues will be actualized, this deal will indeed make it harder to shut down these officious venture-socialist enterprises. The Senate action was akin to grounding into a triple play for Team GOP, yet the underlying bill passed with unanimous consent.
Yes – we can already see the ecstatic pronouncements emanating from the McConnell Republican echo chamber. “We got the pipeline,” they will exclaim. But here is the problem: the ship already sailed on that. This issue was such a political liability for Obama that, despite his rhetoric, it was a foregone conclusion he would be forced to cave on it. He was not going to allow this to become an albatross around his neck during the election. Accordingly, the White House is lending enthusiastic support to McConnell’s Senate-passed extension. Besides, due to loopholes in the Keystone provision, the administration is already balking at compliance with the language of the bill.
http://www.redstate.com/dhorowitz3/2011/12/18/house-must-decouple-payroll-tax-cut-from-broader-%E2%80%98extenders%E2%80%99-package/
Over the weekend, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans obviated the superior leverage of House Republicans by passing a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, along with a clean extension (no reforms and offsets) of doc fix and unemployment benefits.
In a premature capitulation, they agreed (89-10) to amend the House extenders bill by eliminating most of the spending offsets, all of the UI reforms and the policy riders, with the exception of the Keystone pipeline provision. They will fill in the $33 billion two-month gaping budget hole with nebulous revenue increases from higher Freddie/Fannie mortgages over ten years. To the extent that those revenues will be actualized, this deal will indeed make it harder to shut down these officious venture-socialist enterprises. The Senate action was akin to grounding into a triple play for Team GOP, yet the underlying bill passed with unanimous consent.
Yes – we can already see the ecstatic pronouncements emanating from the McConnell Republican echo chamber. “We got the pipeline,” they will exclaim. But here is the problem: the ship already sailed on that. This issue was such a political liability for Obama that, despite his rhetoric, it was a foregone conclusion he would be forced to cave on it. He was not going to allow this to become an albatross around his neck during the election. Accordingly, the White House is lending enthusiastic support to McConnell’s Senate-passed extension. Besides, due to loopholes in the Keystone provision, the administration is already balking at compliance with the language of the bill.
http://www.redstate.com/dhorowitz3/2011/12/18/house-must-decouple-payroll-tax-cut-from-broader-%E2%80%98extenders%E2%80%99-package/
RedState: Insanity--The Republican Party has gone insane
December 19, 2011
The Republican Party has gone insane.
For the better part of the last three years the Republican Party has exercised itself into a frenzy over the need to repeal Obamacare. For the two years leading up to November of 2010, mostly middle aged working white people took to the streets in sizes rivaling a NASCAR race to protest the socialization of the American health care system.
The individual mandate and TARP draw the ire of scores of primary voters.
And our two front runners for President? They both support an individual mandate and they both supported TARP. Not only that, just last year Mitt Romney was saying he’d keep parts of Obamacare. Like supporting amnesty, he has changed his position just in time for an election cycle. Are we really going to do this? I just want everyone to make sure they understand this and remind them that Perry, Bachmann, Huntsman, and yes, even Rick Santorum are still in the race.
CONTINUED:http://www.redstate.com/erick/2011/12/19/insanity/
The Republican Party has gone insane.
For the better part of the last three years the Republican Party has exercised itself into a frenzy over the need to repeal Obamacare. For the two years leading up to November of 2010, mostly middle aged working white people took to the streets in sizes rivaling a NASCAR race to protest the socialization of the American health care system.
The individual mandate and TARP draw the ire of scores of primary voters.
And our two front runners for President? They both support an individual mandate and they both supported TARP. Not only that, just last year Mitt Romney was saying he’d keep parts of Obamacare. Like supporting amnesty, he has changed his position just in time for an election cycle. Are we really going to do this? I just want everyone to make sure they understand this and remind them that Perry, Bachmann, Huntsman, and yes, even Rick Santorum are still in the race.
CONTINUED:http://www.redstate.com/erick/2011/12/19/insanity/
Jeb Bush in the WSJ: Capitalism and the Right to Rise -- In freedom lies the risk of failure. But in statism lies the certainty of stagnation.
December 19, 2011
This commentary had Fox News talking this morning! ~Lynn
Congressman Paul Ryan recently coined a smart phrase to describe the core concept of economic freedom: "The right to rise."
Think about it. We talk about the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to assembly. The right to rise doesn't seem like something we should have to protect.
But we do. We have to make it easier for people to do the things that allow them to rise. We have to let them compete. We need to let people fight for business. We need to let people take risks. We need to let people fail. We need to let people suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And we need to let people enjoy the fruits of good decisions, even good luck.
That is what economic freedom looks like. Freedom to succeed as well as to fail, freedom to do something or nothing. People understand this. Freedom of speech, for example, means that we put up with a lot of verbal and visual garbage in order to make sure that individuals have the right to say what needs to be said, even when it is inconvenient or unpopular. We forgive the sacrifices of free speech because we value its blessings.
But when it comes to economic freedom, we are less forgiving of the cycles of growth and loss, of trial and error, and of failure and success that are part of the realities of the marketplace and life itself.
Increasingly, we have let our elected officials abridge our own economic freedoms through the annual passage of thousands of laws and their associated regulations. We see human tragedy and we demand a regulation to prevent it. We see a criminal fraud and we demand more laws. We see an industry dying and we demand it be saved. Each time, we demand "Do something . . . anything."
CONTINUED:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203893404577100330414585006.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
This commentary had Fox News talking this morning! ~Lynn
Congressman Paul Ryan recently coined a smart phrase to describe the core concept of economic freedom: "The right to rise."
Think about it. We talk about the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to assembly. The right to rise doesn't seem like something we should have to protect.
But we do. We have to make it easier for people to do the things that allow them to rise. We have to let them compete. We need to let people fight for business. We need to let people take risks. We need to let people fail. We need to let people suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And we need to let people enjoy the fruits of good decisions, even good luck.
That is what economic freedom looks like. Freedom to succeed as well as to fail, freedom to do something or nothing. People understand this. Freedom of speech, for example, means that we put up with a lot of verbal and visual garbage in order to make sure that individuals have the right to say what needs to be said, even when it is inconvenient or unpopular. We forgive the sacrifices of free speech because we value its blessings.
But when it comes to economic freedom, we are less forgiving of the cycles of growth and loss, of trial and error, and of failure and success that are part of the realities of the marketplace and life itself.
Increasingly, we have let our elected officials abridge our own economic freedoms through the annual passage of thousands of laws and their associated regulations. We see human tragedy and we demand a regulation to prevent it. We see a criminal fraud and we demand more laws. We see an industry dying and we demand it be saved. Each time, we demand "Do something . . . anything."
CONTINUED:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203893404577100330414585006.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
‘Homosexuality Is a Sin’: Rick Perry Tells Bisexual Teen Why He Opposes Gays in the Military
A 14 year old girl should not be 'sexual' yet--let alone bi or otherwise! No matter what the liberal left and the PC police say homosexuality IS a sin and you can't change that fact. Of course that doesn't mean we should not treat those sinners without compassion and prayer. ~ Lynn
THE BLAZE
December 19, 2011
Texas Gov. Rick Perry got put in the hot seat by a 14-year-old, allegedly bi-sexual young woman at a stop in Decorah, Iowa, last night. The girl challenged Perry on his stance on gays in the the military.
She interjected into an otherwise jovial exchange after the campaign event, and with cameras rolling, asked Perry:
”Im just wondering why you are so opposed to gays openly serving in the military and wondering why you want to deny them that freedom when they’re fighting and dying for your rights.”
Perry handled the loaded question with poise, though his answer did meander a bit. Below is the gist of of what he said:
“This is about my faith…there are a whole host of sins, homosexuality being one of them, I‘m a sinner and so I’m not gonna be the first one to throw a stone, it’s just like the Boy Scouts…that again is one of those issues that I don’t agree with… i don’t agree that openly gays should serve in the military…Don‘t ask don’t tell was working… I hate the sin but i love the sinner”
MORE: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/homosexuality-is-a-sin-rick-perry-tells-bisexual-teen-why-he-opposes-gays-in-military/
THE BLAZE
December 19, 2011
Texas Gov. Rick Perry got put in the hot seat by a 14-year-old, allegedly bi-sexual young woman at a stop in Decorah, Iowa, last night. The girl challenged Perry on his stance on gays in the the military.
She interjected into an otherwise jovial exchange after the campaign event, and with cameras rolling, asked Perry:
”Im just wondering why you are so opposed to gays openly serving in the military and wondering why you want to deny them that freedom when they’re fighting and dying for your rights.”
Perry handled the loaded question with poise, though his answer did meander a bit. Below is the gist of of what he said:
“This is about my faith…there are a whole host of sins, homosexuality being one of them, I‘m a sinner and so I’m not gonna be the first one to throw a stone, it’s just like the Boy Scouts…that again is one of those issues that I don’t agree with… i don’t agree that openly gays should serve in the military…Don‘t ask don’t tell was working… I hate the sin but i love the sinner”
MORE: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/homosexuality-is-a-sin-rick-perry-tells-bisexual-teen-why-he-opposes-gays-in-military/
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Winston Salem Journal: Roll Call Votes in Congress for December 18, 2011
By Journal Now Staff
Here's how members of North Carolina's congressional delegation voted on major issues in the week ending Friday.
House
2012 military budget: Voting 283-136, the House on Wednesday approved the conference report (HR 1540) on a $662 billion military budget for fiscal 2012, including $117.2 billion for war in Afghanistan and Iraq, $52.5 billion for the military's health care system and $14.9 billion for naval shipbuilding. The bill requires that captured members of organizations such as al-Qaida be held in U.S. military custody and subjected to military justice. But terrorist suspects apprehended on U.S. soil who are U.S. citizens or resident aliens must be assigned to America's civilian criminal-justice system and thus accorded constitutional rights of due process. The bill toughens economic sanctions against Iran by denying access to the U.S. financial system to any foreign bank that conducts business with the Central Bank of Iran.
A yes vote backed the conference report. Voting yes: Reps. G.K. Butterfield, D-1st; Renee Ellmers, R-2nd; Virginia Foxx, R-5th; Mike McIntyre, D-7th; Larry Kissell, D-8th; Patrick T. McHenry, R-10th; Heath Shuler, D-11th.
Voting no: Reps. Walter B. Jones, R-3rd; David E. Price, D-4th; Melvin L. Watt, D-12th; Brad Miller, D-13th. Not voting: Howard Coble, R-6th; Sue Wilkins Myrick, R-9th.
Republican payroll-tax plan: Voting 234-193, the House on Tuesday passed a Republican bill (HR 3630) to renew through 2012 the temporary law under which employees this year are contributing 4.2 percent of their pay rather than the standard 6.2 percent to the Social Security Trust Fund. The bill also would speed construction of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to southern Texas; repeal Environmental Protection Agency air pollution curbs on industrial boilers; extend soon-to-expire unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless; reduce the maximum number of weeks for jobless checks from 99 to 59 while allowing states to impose requirements such as testing recipients for drugs; extend for two years existing Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors; and allow businesses to write off 100 percent of capital investments in a single year. The bill awaited Senate action.
A yes vote was to pass the bill. Voting yes: Ellmers, Jones, Foxx, Myrick, McHenry
Voting no: Butterfield, Price, McIntyre, Kissell, Shuler, Watt, Miller. Not voting: Coble.
Sanctions on Iran: Voting 410-11, the House on Wednesday sent the Senate a bill (HR 1905) to toughen existing U.S. economic sanctions on Iran.
A yes vote was to pass the bill. Voting yes: Butterfield, Ellmers, Jones, Price, Foxx, McIntyre, Kissell, McHenry, Shuler, Watt, Miller Not voting: Coble, Myrick
2012 intelligence budget: Voting 396-23, the House on Friday sent to President Barack Obama the conference report on a fiscal 2012 budget (HR 1892) of about $55 billion for U.S. intelligence agencies, up 4 percent from 2011. When certain military outlays are counted, the total U.S. spy budget for 2012 is expected to top $85 billion. A yes vote backed the conference report.
Voting yes: Butterfield, Ellmers, Price, Foxx, McIntyre, Kissell, McHenry, Shuler, Watt, Miller
Voting no: Jones Not voting: Coble, Myrick
Fiscal 2012 appropriations: Voting 296-121, the House on Friday sent to the Senate a bill (HR 2055) to appropriate $915 billion in fiscal 2012 for the 10 Cabinet departments and related agencies that have not yet received regular appropriations three months into the budget year. Among the bill's many policy changes are ones to delay new energy-efficiency standard for light bulbs and bar the District of Columbia from using its own funds to finance abortions. The bill grants major spending increases to the Pentagon and Securities and Exchange Commission while imposing flat, reduced or only slightly increased budgets on most other departments and agencies. When combined with regular appropriations enacted last month, the bill raises total 2012 discretionary spending to the $1.043 trillion mark set by last summer's bipartisan deal on raising the debt ceiling.
A yes vote was to pass the bill. Voting yes: Butterfield, Ellmers, Price, Foxx, McIntyre, Kissell, Myrick, Shuler, Watt, Miller
Voting no: Jones, McHenry. Not voting: Coble
CONTINUED:
http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/dec/18/wsmet14-roll-call-votes-in-congress-for-dec-18-ar-1726099/
Here's how members of North Carolina's congressional delegation voted on major issues in the week ending Friday.
House
2012 military budget: Voting 283-136, the House on Wednesday approved the conference report (HR 1540) on a $662 billion military budget for fiscal 2012, including $117.2 billion for war in Afghanistan and Iraq, $52.5 billion for the military's health care system and $14.9 billion for naval shipbuilding. The bill requires that captured members of organizations such as al-Qaida be held in U.S. military custody and subjected to military justice. But terrorist suspects apprehended on U.S. soil who are U.S. citizens or resident aliens must be assigned to America's civilian criminal-justice system and thus accorded constitutional rights of due process. The bill toughens economic sanctions against Iran by denying access to the U.S. financial system to any foreign bank that conducts business with the Central Bank of Iran.
A yes vote backed the conference report. Voting yes: Reps. G.K. Butterfield, D-1st; Renee Ellmers, R-2nd; Virginia Foxx, R-5th; Mike McIntyre, D-7th; Larry Kissell, D-8th; Patrick T. McHenry, R-10th; Heath Shuler, D-11th.
Voting no: Reps. Walter B. Jones, R-3rd; David E. Price, D-4th; Melvin L. Watt, D-12th; Brad Miller, D-13th. Not voting: Howard Coble, R-6th; Sue Wilkins Myrick, R-9th.
Republican payroll-tax plan: Voting 234-193, the House on Tuesday passed a Republican bill (HR 3630) to renew through 2012 the temporary law under which employees this year are contributing 4.2 percent of their pay rather than the standard 6.2 percent to the Social Security Trust Fund. The bill also would speed construction of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to southern Texas; repeal Environmental Protection Agency air pollution curbs on industrial boilers; extend soon-to-expire unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless; reduce the maximum number of weeks for jobless checks from 99 to 59 while allowing states to impose requirements such as testing recipients for drugs; extend for two years existing Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors; and allow businesses to write off 100 percent of capital investments in a single year. The bill awaited Senate action.
A yes vote was to pass the bill. Voting yes: Ellmers, Jones, Foxx, Myrick, McHenry
Voting no: Butterfield, Price, McIntyre, Kissell, Shuler, Watt, Miller. Not voting: Coble.
Sanctions on Iran: Voting 410-11, the House on Wednesday sent the Senate a bill (HR 1905) to toughen existing U.S. economic sanctions on Iran.
A yes vote was to pass the bill. Voting yes: Butterfield, Ellmers, Jones, Price, Foxx, McIntyre, Kissell, McHenry, Shuler, Watt, Miller Not voting: Coble, Myrick
2012 intelligence budget: Voting 396-23, the House on Friday sent to President Barack Obama the conference report on a fiscal 2012 budget (HR 1892) of about $55 billion for U.S. intelligence agencies, up 4 percent from 2011. When certain military outlays are counted, the total U.S. spy budget for 2012 is expected to top $85 billion. A yes vote backed the conference report.
Voting yes: Butterfield, Ellmers, Price, Foxx, McIntyre, Kissell, McHenry, Shuler, Watt, Miller
Voting no: Jones Not voting: Coble, Myrick
Fiscal 2012 appropriations: Voting 296-121, the House on Friday sent to the Senate a bill (HR 2055) to appropriate $915 billion in fiscal 2012 for the 10 Cabinet departments and related agencies that have not yet received regular appropriations three months into the budget year. Among the bill's many policy changes are ones to delay new energy-efficiency standard for light bulbs and bar the District of Columbia from using its own funds to finance abortions. The bill grants major spending increases to the Pentagon and Securities and Exchange Commission while imposing flat, reduced or only slightly increased budgets on most other departments and agencies. When combined with regular appropriations enacted last month, the bill raises total 2012 discretionary spending to the $1.043 trillion mark set by last summer's bipartisan deal on raising the debt ceiling.
A yes vote was to pass the bill. Voting yes: Butterfield, Ellmers, Price, Foxx, McIntyre, Kissell, Myrick, Shuler, Watt, Miller
Voting no: Jones, McHenry. Not voting: Coble
CONTINUED:
http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/dec/18/wsmet14-roll-call-votes-in-congress-for-dec-18-ar-1726099/
THE BLAZE: Is Santorum Starting to ‘Catch Fire’ in Iowa?
In a presidential campaign marked by sharp rises and falls, Republican Rick Santorum has experienced neither.
“I’m counting on the people of Iowa to catch fire for me,” the former Pennsylvania senator, who described himself as a “strong conviction conservative,” said Thursday during a debate with his rivals. “Iowans are beginning to respond.”
His dogged courting of Iowans the old-fashioned way — campaigning in living rooms, coffee shops and town squares — may be starting to pay off and at just the right time, as Iowa’s Jan. 3 presidential caucuses approach.
“Rick Santorum is the best-kept secret in the campaign,” said Tom Clark, a West Des Moines Republican and one of about 150 people who came to hear the candidate at a suburban Des Moines restaurant this past week. Clark left the event as a Santorum supporter prepared to volunteer for him, despite this concern: “I just don’t know if he can win.”
That worry could be why Santorum remains near the back of the pack in national GOP surveys. He also trails former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul in Iowa even though he has been the most aggressive campaigner in the leadoff caucus state. He’s visited all 99 counties and held 350 campaign events.
Santorum acknowledges that not all gatherings have been as lively as the recent one at the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/is-santorum-starting-to-catch-fire-in-iowa/
“I’m counting on the people of Iowa to catch fire for me,” the former Pennsylvania senator, who described himself as a “strong conviction conservative,” said Thursday during a debate with his rivals. “Iowans are beginning to respond.”
His dogged courting of Iowans the old-fashioned way — campaigning in living rooms, coffee shops and town squares — may be starting to pay off and at just the right time, as Iowa’s Jan. 3 presidential caucuses approach.
“Rick Santorum is the best-kept secret in the campaign,” said Tom Clark, a West Des Moines Republican and one of about 150 people who came to hear the candidate at a suburban Des Moines restaurant this past week. Clark left the event as a Santorum supporter prepared to volunteer for him, despite this concern: “I just don’t know if he can win.”
That worry could be why Santorum remains near the back of the pack in national GOP surveys. He also trails former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul in Iowa even though he has been the most aggressive campaigner in the leadoff caucus state. He’s visited all 99 counties and held 350 campaign events.
Santorum acknowledges that not all gatherings have been as lively as the recent one at the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/is-santorum-starting-to-catch-fire-in-iowa/
The Blaze: 50 Facts About The U.S. Economy That Will Shock You
December 18, 2011
“Even though most Americans have become very frustrated with this economy, the reality is that the vast majority of them still have no idea just how bad our economic decline has been or how much trouble we are going to be in if we don’t make dramatic changes immediately,” writes The Economic Collapse (TEC).
For those unfamiliar with this site, TEC is an economic blog that regularly compiles a comprehensive list of the most startling and unsettling facts about the U.S. economy.
Why? Because Americans need to understand that America’s economy is precariously balanced on the edge of full-blown collapse.
“If we do not educate the American people about how deathly ill the U.S. economy has become, then they will just keep falling for the same old lies that our politicians keep telling them. Just ‘tweaking’ things here and there is not going to fix this economy,” the site explains.
Indeed, America’s economic situation has become increasingly unstable. However, what’s arguably more disconcerting than the state of the U.S. economy is the fact many Americans are largely–if not completely–unaware of just how serious things have become.
“America is consuming far more wealth than it is producing and our debt is absolutely exploding,” TEC explains. “If we stay on this current path, an economic collapse is inevitable. Hopefully the crazy economic numbers from 2011 that I have included in this article will be shocking enough to wake some people up.”
It might behoove Blaze readers to share the facts listed below with family and friends.
“If we all work together, hopefully we can get millions of people to wake up and realize that ‘business as usual’ will result in a national economic apocalypse,” writes TEC.
Here are the 50 economic numbers from 2011 that will shock you (via The Economic Collapse):
1. A staggering 48 percent of all Americans are either considered to be “low income” or are living in poverty.
2. Approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States are living in homes that are either considered to be “low income” or impoverished.
3. If the number of Americans that “wanted jobs” was the same today as it was back in 2007, the “official” unemployment rate put out by the U.S. government would be up to 11 percent.
4. The average amount of time that a worker stays unemployed in the United States is now over 40 weeks.
5. One recent survey found that 77 percent of all U.S. small businesses do not plan to hire any more workers.
6. There are fewer payroll jobs in the United States today than there were back in 2000 even though we have added 30 million extra people to the population since then.
7. Since December 2007, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8 percent once you account for inflation.
8. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 16.6 million Americans were self-employed back in December 2006. Today, that number has shrunk to 14.5 million.
CONTINUED:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/50-facts-about-the-u-s-economy-that-will-shock-you/
“Even though most Americans have become very frustrated with this economy, the reality is that the vast majority of them still have no idea just how bad our economic decline has been or how much trouble we are going to be in if we don’t make dramatic changes immediately,” writes The Economic Collapse (TEC).
For those unfamiliar with this site, TEC is an economic blog that regularly compiles a comprehensive list of the most startling and unsettling facts about the U.S. economy.
Why? Because Americans need to understand that America’s economy is precariously balanced on the edge of full-blown collapse.
“If we do not educate the American people about how deathly ill the U.S. economy has become, then they will just keep falling for the same old lies that our politicians keep telling them. Just ‘tweaking’ things here and there is not going to fix this economy,” the site explains.
Indeed, America’s economic situation has become increasingly unstable. However, what’s arguably more disconcerting than the state of the U.S. economy is the fact many Americans are largely–if not completely–unaware of just how serious things have become.
“America is consuming far more wealth than it is producing and our debt is absolutely exploding,” TEC explains. “If we stay on this current path, an economic collapse is inevitable. Hopefully the crazy economic numbers from 2011 that I have included in this article will be shocking enough to wake some people up.”
It might behoove Blaze readers to share the facts listed below with family and friends.
“If we all work together, hopefully we can get millions of people to wake up and realize that ‘business as usual’ will result in a national economic apocalypse,” writes TEC.
Here are the 50 economic numbers from 2011 that will shock you (via The Economic Collapse):
1. A staggering 48 percent of all Americans are either considered to be “low income” or are living in poverty.
2. Approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States are living in homes that are either considered to be “low income” or impoverished.
3. If the number of Americans that “wanted jobs” was the same today as it was back in 2007, the “official” unemployment rate put out by the U.S. government would be up to 11 percent.
4. The average amount of time that a worker stays unemployed in the United States is now over 40 weeks.
5. One recent survey found that 77 percent of all U.S. small businesses do not plan to hire any more workers.
6. There are fewer payroll jobs in the United States today than there were back in 2000 even though we have added 30 million extra people to the population since then.
7. Since December 2007, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8 percent once you account for inflation.
8. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 16.6 million Americans were self-employed back in December 2006. Today, that number has shrunk to 14.5 million.
CONTINUED:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/50-facts-about-the-u-s-economy-that-will-shock-you/
Sun Journal Letter to the Editor: Supremes, by Jeff Lewis
December 17, 2011
George Orwell has been credited with saying, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is revolutionary.”
Those for and against ObamaCare, and those for and against state-based immigration laws such as Arizona’s SB-1070 shouldn’t be too joyful in the U.S. Supreme Courts’ decision to hear those cases on appeal.
According to the “supreme” Law of the Land, the U.S. Constitution, Article III, Section 2, Clause 2, ALL of those cases should have been heard in the Supreme Court under the “original jurisdiction” mandate.
Instead, they are being heard in “inferior” federal courts by judges who had no Constitutional authority to hear or rule on them.
The sovereign States in the Union were never supposed to have to go to the federal courts on bended knee. Millions of taxpayer dollars have been squandered playing the game, and the Rights of the People continue to be in peril from our own government.
Alexander Hamilton spoke directly to this issue in Federalist 81. We cannot restore Constitutional governance by ignoring the Constitution.
For more information, see: http://rejoinordie.com/docs/REJOINORDIE.pdf
Jeff Lewis, Vanceboro
http://www.newbernsj.com/articles/george-102907-letter-orwell.html
George Orwell has been credited with saying, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is revolutionary.”
Those for and against ObamaCare, and those for and against state-based immigration laws such as Arizona’s SB-1070 shouldn’t be too joyful in the U.S. Supreme Courts’ decision to hear those cases on appeal.
According to the “supreme” Law of the Land, the U.S. Constitution, Article III, Section 2, Clause 2, ALL of those cases should have been heard in the Supreme Court under the “original jurisdiction” mandate.
Instead, they are being heard in “inferior” federal courts by judges who had no Constitutional authority to hear or rule on them.
The sovereign States in the Union were never supposed to have to go to the federal courts on bended knee. Millions of taxpayer dollars have been squandered playing the game, and the Rights of the People continue to be in peril from our own government.
Alexander Hamilton spoke directly to this issue in Federalist 81. We cannot restore Constitutional governance by ignoring the Constitution.
For more information, see: http://rejoinordie.com/docs/REJOINORDIE.pdf
Jeff Lewis, Vanceboro
http://www.newbernsj.com/articles/george-102907-letter-orwell.html
Sun Journal New Bern, Letter to the Editor: It’s only just one more penny
December 16, 2011
Just another penny on the dollar. What’s one more penny? After all, we all (all?) must pay our fair share. Let’s take a closer look.
A worker earns a dollar. The politicians want some of it. The feds take 7-plus cents for Social Security and Medicare. They take the same again from the business that pays the employee. They give it to us older folks.
Then, the feds/politicians take another chunk for income tax, 5 cents, maybe more, depending on how much you earn. What’s the highest rate? It’s 35 cents, yes?
Of course, the states, cities and local politicians want their cut … that might be another 5, 10, or more cents? So what’s left out of each dollar our workers earn?
We’re not done here. If our workers take what’s left of the dollars they earn, they need to buy some things. Each dollar spent requires another 2, maybe even 10 cents in sales taxes. Where does that money go?
CONTINUED:
http://www.newbernsj.com/articles/penny-102904-dollar-letter.html
© Copyright 2011 Freedom Communications. All Rights Reserved.
Just another penny on the dollar. What’s one more penny? After all, we all (all?) must pay our fair share. Let’s take a closer look.
A worker earns a dollar. The politicians want some of it. The feds take 7-plus cents for Social Security and Medicare. They take the same again from the business that pays the employee. They give it to us older folks.
Then, the feds/politicians take another chunk for income tax, 5 cents, maybe more, depending on how much you earn. What’s the highest rate? It’s 35 cents, yes?
Of course, the states, cities and local politicians want their cut … that might be another 5, 10, or more cents? So what’s left out of each dollar our workers earn?
We’re not done here. If our workers take what’s left of the dollars they earn, they need to buy some things. Each dollar spent requires another 2, maybe even 10 cents in sales taxes. Where does that money go?
CONTINUED:
http://www.newbernsj.com/articles/penny-102904-dollar-letter.html
© Copyright 2011 Freedom Communications. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
DON'T MISS TV--BE SURE AND WATCH OR RECORD
Just wanted to let you know, you can see Peter Schweizer, the author of "Throw Them All Out, How Politicians and Their Friends Get Rich Off Insider Stock tips, Land Deals, and Cronyism That Would Sent the Rest of Us to Prison," on Book TV on CSpan2 channel! If you are in the New Bern area and have Direct TV it is on again, channel 351 Sunday night at 11:00 pm (watch or record)!
You may know that this story rocked Congress just recently with Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry and even John Boehner being exposed for the money they have made!
You may know that this story rocked Congress just recently with Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry and even John Boehner being exposed for the money they have made!
MUST READ: The American Left's War On Decency
Jared Law
Last week, the Washington Times ran an excellent opinion article by Robert Knight, focusing on the Barack Hussein Obama Regime's war on decency, and on Judeo-Christian faiths. While it was excellent, he doesn't mention the fact that it isn't JUST Obama who has been at war with common decency, Judeo-Christian faiths, and American values.
The entire American left, from Marxists to mere 'Progressives,' and even beyond the left, to unprincipled 'moderates,' who lack the conviction to decide where they stand, and are easily deceived by arguments against that which is good and praiseworthy, all have contributed greatly to this culture war. And whether one is 'moderate,' 'Progressive,' or flat-out Marxist, all but the most Principled contribute, at times, to the war against American decency.
For those who don't remember, just look at what the Communist Party envisioned in the 1963 goals of Communists in America:
http://www.the912project.us/forum/topic/show?id=2881797%3ATopic%3A2484606&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_topic
Last week, the Washington Times ran an excellent opinion article by Robert Knight, focusing on the Barack Hussein Obama Regime's war on decency, and on Judeo-Christian faiths. While it was excellent, he doesn't mention the fact that it isn't JUST Obama who has been at war with common decency, Judeo-Christian faiths, and American values.
The entire American left, from Marxists to mere 'Progressives,' and even beyond the left, to unprincipled 'moderates,' who lack the conviction to decide where they stand, and are easily deceived by arguments against that which is good and praiseworthy, all have contributed greatly to this culture war. And whether one is 'moderate,' 'Progressive,' or flat-out Marxist, all but the most Principled contribute, at times, to the war against American decency.
For those who don't remember, just look at what the Communist Party envisioned in the 1963 goals of Communists in America:
http://www.the912project.us/forum/topic/show?id=2881797%3ATopic%3A2484606&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_topic
News from The Hill: House GOP members voice extreme opposition to Senate payroll tax plan
12/17/11--5:17 pm
By Russell Berman
The two-month payroll tax cut extension that passed the Senate on Saturday may not be a done deal.
Rank-and-file House Republicans voiced extreme opposition to the package during a conference call Saturday afternoon in which Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) briefed them on the legislation and their options to respond, according to two sources with knowledge of the call.
One source said Boehner spoke approvingly of the deal as a win for the GOP but that three other members of the leadership team - Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.), Whip Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (Tex.) - all criticized it.
The source said that with the exception of Reps. Tom Cole (Okla.) and Walter Jones (N.C.), Boehner was the only person on the call to praise the deal.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/200123-senates-payroll-tax-cut-extension-not-popular-with-house-gop
By Russell Berman
The two-month payroll tax cut extension that passed the Senate on Saturday may not be a done deal.
Rank-and-file House Republicans voiced extreme opposition to the package during a conference call Saturday afternoon in which Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) briefed them on the legislation and their options to respond, according to two sources with knowledge of the call.
One source said Boehner spoke approvingly of the deal as a win for the GOP but that three other members of the leadership team - Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.), Whip Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling (Tex.) - all criticized it.
The source said that with the exception of Reps. Tom Cole (Okla.) and Walter Jones (N.C.), Boehner was the only person on the call to praise the deal.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/200123-senates-payroll-tax-cut-extension-not-popular-with-house-gop
THE BLAZE: Is Santorum Starting to ‘Catch Fire’ in Iowa?
Is Santorum a more trustworthy conservative--can he come from behind? Will we just "settle" for the GOP preferred candidate? ~Lynn
(The Blaze/AP) In a presidential campaign marked by sharp rises and falls, Republican Rick Santorum has experienced neither.
“I’m counting on the people of Iowa to catch fire for me,” the former Pennsylvania senator, who described himself as a “strong conviction conservative,” said Thursday during a debate with his rivals. “Iowans are beginning to respond.”
His dogged courting of Iowans the old-fashioned way — campaigning in living rooms, coffee shops and town squares — may be starting to pay off and at just the right time, as Iowa’s Jan. 3 presidential caucuses approach.
“Rick Santorum is the best-kept secret in the campaign,” said Tom Clark, a West Des Moines Republican and one of about 150 people who came to hear the candidate at a suburban Des Moines restaurant this past week. Clark left the event as a Santorum supporter prepared to volunteer for him, despite this concern: “I just don’t know if he can win.”
That worry could be why Santorum remains near the back of the pack in national GOP surveys. He also trails former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul in Iowa even though he has been the most aggressive campaigner in the leadoff caucus state. He’s visited all 99 counties and held 350 campaign events.
Santorum acknowledges that not all gatherings have been as lively as the recent one at the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale.
CONTINUED:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/is-santorum-starting-to-catch-fire-in-iowa/
(The Blaze/AP) In a presidential campaign marked by sharp rises and falls, Republican Rick Santorum has experienced neither.
“I’m counting on the people of Iowa to catch fire for me,” the former Pennsylvania senator, who described himself as a “strong conviction conservative,” said Thursday during a debate with his rivals. “Iowans are beginning to respond.”
His dogged courting of Iowans the old-fashioned way — campaigning in living rooms, coffee shops and town squares — may be starting to pay off and at just the right time, as Iowa’s Jan. 3 presidential caucuses approach.
“Rick Santorum is the best-kept secret in the campaign,” said Tom Clark, a West Des Moines Republican and one of about 150 people who came to hear the candidate at a suburban Des Moines restaurant this past week. Clark left the event as a Santorum supporter prepared to volunteer for him, despite this concern: “I just don’t know if he can win.”
That worry could be why Santorum remains near the back of the pack in national GOP surveys. He also trails former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul in Iowa even though he has been the most aggressive campaigner in the leadoff caucus state. He’s visited all 99 counties and held 350 campaign events.
Santorum acknowledges that not all gatherings have been as lively as the recent one at the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale.
CONTINUED:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/is-santorum-starting-to-catch-fire-in-iowa/
Congressmen Can’t Say ‘Merry Christmas’ In Mail
Looks like the PC police have threatened members of the House of Representatives against wishing constituents a “Merry Christmas,” if they want to do so in a mailing paid for with tax dollars. Members who submit official mailings for review by the congressional franking commission that reviews all congressional mail to determine if it can be “franked,” or paid for with tax dollars, are being told that no holiday greetings, including “Merry Christmas,” can be sent in official mail.
“I called the commission to ask for clarification and was told no ‘Merry Christmas.’ Also told cannot say ‘Happy New Year’ but can say ‘have a happy new year’ – referencing the time period of a new year, but not the holiday,” said a Hill staffer who requested anonymity.
Another Hill staffer told The Washington Examiner that “we were given that advice after submitting” a draft mailing.
Members of Congress send millions of dollars worth of mail to constituents every year but there are official rules that govern what can and cannot be said in those mailings. Members are barred, for example, from saying anything that might be construed as advocating their re-election.
http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/congressmen-cant-say-merry-christmas-mail/261466
“I called the commission to ask for clarification and was told no ‘Merry Christmas.’ Also told cannot say ‘Happy New Year’ but can say ‘have a happy new year’ – referencing the time period of a new year, but not the holiday,” said a Hill staffer who requested anonymity.
Another Hill staffer told The Washington Examiner that “we were given that advice after submitting” a draft mailing.
Members of Congress send millions of dollars worth of mail to constituents every year but there are official rules that govern what can and cannot be said in those mailings. Members are barred, for example, from saying anything that might be construed as advocating their re-election.
http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/congressmen-cant-say-merry-christmas-mail/261466
COASTAL CAROLINA TAXPAYER ASSOCIATION (CCTA) Meeting,
December 20, 2011, 7:00-9:00 pm, at the Healing Grace Church, 3407 Red Fox Road in Trent Woods, New Bern.
This is our annual election of officers, be sure and be there. We will be holding our election of officers, have a brief update on the "The FED and the Euro Crisis", and share some hors d'oeuvres, snacks and sweets. Feel free to bring your favorite! Lynn Childs, 402-033. We meet every 3rd Tuesday at this location!
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC--PLEASE COME OUT AND JOIN US!
DIRECTIONS: (Country Club Road to Wedgewood Drive to Red Fox/Dianne)http://www.healinggracechurch.com/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=180013851&sec_id=180005339&nc=129725744370
To get to Healing Grace Church, take the Pembroke exit from Highway 70 in New Bern and go toward Trent Woods. Turn right (just past the Emanuel & Dunn law office) onto Wedgewood. Go one long block, and bear right onto Red Fox. The church is on the left and is housed in the building that used to belong to the Woman’s Club if you’re familiar with that
This is our annual election of officers, be sure and be there. We will be holding our election of officers, have a brief update on the "The FED and the Euro Crisis", and share some hors d'oeuvres, snacks and sweets. Feel free to bring your favorite! Lynn Childs, 402-033. We meet every 3rd Tuesday at this location!
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC--PLEASE COME OUT AND JOIN US!
DIRECTIONS: (Country Club Road to Wedgewood Drive to Red Fox/Dianne)http://www.healinggracechurch.com/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=180013851&sec_id=180005339&nc=129725744370
To get to Healing Grace Church, take the Pembroke exit from Highway 70 in New Bern and go toward Trent Woods. Turn right (just past the Emanuel & Dunn law office) onto Wedgewood. Go one long block, and bear right onto Red Fox. The church is on the left and is housed in the building that used to belong to the Woman’s Club if you’re familiar with that
NC Voting districts before judges
December 17, 2011
BY LYNN BONNER - lbonner@newsobserver.com
A three-judge panel tasked with deciding the fate of the state's Republican-drawn voting districts heard arguments from lawyers representing both political parties on Friday.
At issue was how quickly a lawsuit challenging the districts should go to trial, a decision that could determine whether next year's primary election stays on track.
Lawyers for those challenging the districts argued for an ambitious schedule that would have a trial beginning in early February. The tight schedule would allow enough time to have the primary on May 8 as planned, they said.
A state lawyer defending the maps said the proposed plan was unrealistic. It didn't include time for a state Supreme Court appeal, for example, or time for the legislature to redraw districts if judges found problems, said Alexander Peters, a special deputy Attorney General.
The three Superior Court judges, Paul Ridgeway of Wake, Alma Hinton of Halifax and Joseph Crosswhite of Iredell, did not announce a decision Friday.
CONTINUED:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/12/17/1715766/voting-districts-before-judges.html
BY LYNN BONNER - lbonner@newsobserver.com
A three-judge panel tasked with deciding the fate of the state's Republican-drawn voting districts heard arguments from lawyers representing both political parties on Friday.
At issue was how quickly a lawsuit challenging the districts should go to trial, a decision that could determine whether next year's primary election stays on track.
Lawyers for those challenging the districts argued for an ambitious schedule that would have a trial beginning in early February. The tight schedule would allow enough time to have the primary on May 8 as planned, they said.
A state lawyer defending the maps said the proposed plan was unrealistic. It didn't include time for a state Supreme Court appeal, for example, or time for the legislature to redraw districts if judges found problems, said Alexander Peters, a special deputy Attorney General.
The three Superior Court judges, Paul Ridgeway of Wake, Alma Hinton of Halifax and Joseph Crosswhite of Iredell, did not announce a decision Friday.
CONTINUED:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/12/17/1715766/voting-districts-before-judges.html
Friday, December 16, 2011
Sue Myrick - Debunking voter photo ID myths
Who are the opponents of a voter ID requirement? If we rely only on mainstream media, we would believe that all minority groups, especially African Americans and registered Democrats, oppose any legislation requiring a voter to present photo ID in order to cast a vote.
Consequently it may come as a surprise to learn that all segments of North Carolina's voting population believe that a strong voter photo ID law would prevent voter fraud. The Civitas Institute has polled the voter ID question and consistently found that the overwhelming majority of voters agree that North Carolina should institute a voter ID law. The support is strong with approval across every demographic, including Democrats and African Americans.
In fact, the opponents of voter ID are a small, but loud, alliance of Democratic leaders, ultra-liberal activists and the mainstream media. Across the country, groups like the ACLU, League of Women Voters, NAACP and AARP work together to form a powerful and well-funded coalition to stop voter ID legislation.
As evidenced by these group's talking points and the heated exchanges during the debate on voter ID in North Carolina's 2011 legislative session, voter ID detractors rely on accusations of racism to strengthen their position, knowing that calling someone a racist is the fastest way to halt debate on any subject.
Therefore it is interesting to learn that there are cracks emerging in the "thin liberal line" in the voter ID debate.
The most recent example is former Alabama Congressman Artur Davis. In an October op-ed in the Montgomery Advisor which ran after Alabama passed a new voter ID law, Mr. Davis categorically admits that while an elected official, he was on the wrong side of the voter ID fight.
He writes, "When I was a congressman, I took the path of least resistance on this subject for an African American politician. Without any evidence to back it up, I lapsed into the rhetoric of various partisans and activists who contend that requiring photo identification to vote is a suppression tactic aimed at thwarting black voter participation."
Davis does not ignore Alabama's history and discusses the reasons that some would oppose the legislation, especially in the African American community, and decries the fact that race is a "prohibitive indicator" of how the voters of Alabama vote. He discloses details of ongoing voter fraud that most politicians would vehemently deny: "Voting the names of the dead, and the nonexistent, and the too-mentally-impaired to function, cancels out the votes of citizens who are exercising their rights — that's suppression by any light. If you doubt it exists, I don't; I've heard the peddlers of these ballots brag about it, I've been asked to provide the funds for it, and I am confident it has changed at least a few close local election results."
CONTINUED: http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20111215/ARTICLES/111219831/1005/sports?Title=Sue-Myrick-Debunking-voter-photo-ID-myths
Consequently it may come as a surprise to learn that all segments of North Carolina's voting population believe that a strong voter photo ID law would prevent voter fraud. The Civitas Institute has polled the voter ID question and consistently found that the overwhelming majority of voters agree that North Carolina should institute a voter ID law. The support is strong with approval across every demographic, including Democrats and African Americans.
In fact, the opponents of voter ID are a small, but loud, alliance of Democratic leaders, ultra-liberal activists and the mainstream media. Across the country, groups like the ACLU, League of Women Voters, NAACP and AARP work together to form a powerful and well-funded coalition to stop voter ID legislation.
As evidenced by these group's talking points and the heated exchanges during the debate on voter ID in North Carolina's 2011 legislative session, voter ID detractors rely on accusations of racism to strengthen their position, knowing that calling someone a racist is the fastest way to halt debate on any subject.
Therefore it is interesting to learn that there are cracks emerging in the "thin liberal line" in the voter ID debate.
The most recent example is former Alabama Congressman Artur Davis. In an October op-ed in the Montgomery Advisor which ran after Alabama passed a new voter ID law, Mr. Davis categorically admits that while an elected official, he was on the wrong side of the voter ID fight.
He writes, "When I was a congressman, I took the path of least resistance on this subject for an African American politician. Without any evidence to back it up, I lapsed into the rhetoric of various partisans and activists who contend that requiring photo identification to vote is a suppression tactic aimed at thwarting black voter participation."
Davis does not ignore Alabama's history and discusses the reasons that some would oppose the legislation, especially in the African American community, and decries the fact that race is a "prohibitive indicator" of how the voters of Alabama vote. He discloses details of ongoing voter fraud that most politicians would vehemently deny: "Voting the names of the dead, and the nonexistent, and the too-mentally-impaired to function, cancels out the votes of citizens who are exercising their rights — that's suppression by any light. If you doubt it exists, I don't; I've heard the peddlers of these ballots brag about it, I've been asked to provide the funds for it, and I am confident it has changed at least a few close local election results."
CONTINUED: http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20111215/ARTICLES/111219831/1005/sports?Title=Sue-Myrick-Debunking-voter-photo-ID-myths
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