◼ Eating the State - Sultan Knish
In Gotham, Michael the First, King of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and the rebellious province of Staten Island, has returned from celebrating his successful campaign against large sodas, to consider expanding the ban to large popcorn and milkshakes. Los Angeles has voted to ban the plastic bag and add a 10 cent fine for paper bags.
Where does the future of the Nanny State lead? In Sweden, the Left Party is calling for men to be banned from urinating standing up. And why not? If the government should have a say in what food you eat and what you carry the groceries you buy in, why not have it complete the cycle and tell you how to eliminate them?...
Saturday, June 16, 2012
List of those who don’t believe president has constitutional authority to suspend deportations includes… Obama?
◼ Illegal Amnesty - National Review Editorial
Though apparently a little fuzzy on the subject of judicial review, President Barack Obama is supposed to be a constitutional scholar of some sort. On the subject of his decision yesterday to unilaterally enact sweeping changes to U.S. immigration policy on nothing but his own say-so, we would like to introduce Barack Obama to Barack Obama, who during a Univision interview just last year affirmed: “America is a nation of laws, which means I, as the president, am obligated to enforce the law. . . . There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply through executive order ignore those congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role as president.” A little softness in the polls and one executive order later, the president has reversed himself...
◼ Here’s a transcript of that clip, which is from a 2011 Univision town hall: - Michelle Malkin
“With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order — that’s just not the case. Because there are laws on the books, that Congress has passed — and I know that everybody here at Bell is studying hard so you know we’ve got three branches of government. Congress passes the laws. The Executive branch’s job is to enforce and implement the laws, and then the Judiciary has to interpret the laws. There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system, that for me to simply through executive order ignore those congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role as president.”
◼ Iowa rep Steve King will file lawsuit over immigration announcement - CNN
"This is no longer a debate about immigration policy. The debate is now about the Constitution and the Rule of Law," the Iowa congressman said in a statement. "I am preparing to bring suit against the President and ask for a court to enjoin him from implementing his unconstitutional and unlawful policy."
◼ “President Obama’s attempt to go around Congress and the American people is at best unwise and possibly illegal” - The Hill
◼ Obama’s policy strategy: Ignore laws - Steve Friess/Politico
President Barack Obama returned Friday to a trusted tactic — satisfying his political allies by not doing something.
Conservatives were angry when Janet Napolitano announced the administration would stop deporting certain undocumented immigrants, but they should have seen it coming. On issue after issue — gay rights, drug enforcement, Internet gambling, school achievement standards — the administration has chosen to achieve its goals by a method best described as passive-aggressive.
Rather than pushing new laws through a divided Congress to enact his agenda, Obama is relying on federal agencies to ignore, or at least not defend, laws that some of his important supporters — like Hispanic voters and the gay community — don’t like.
◼ Obama immigration order: Does 'audacity of hope' mean unchecked presidential power? - Patrik Jonsson/Christian Science Monitor
“This isn’t about immigration but about constitutional order,” says Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a conservative-leaning think tank. “One problem is that even Democrats in Congress now have no right to complain about future usurpations – they might as well all go home and have Napoleon run the country.”
MUNRO: Obama ignores questions about controversial de facto amnesty decision
◼ President Barack Obama declined to take any questions from reporters about his controversial and significant decision to offer a de facto amnesty to at least 800,000 foreigners aged 15 to 30.
...The president has often used this no-questions strategy when making important or poll-boosting announcements.
The president has often used this no-questions strategy when making important or poll-boosting announcements.
...Obama’s deputy, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, followed the same strategy Friday during a morning telephone press-conference. She gave a short statement and then left the conference while two officials provided not-for-attribution answers to selected reporters’ questions.
The reporters selected to offer questions included established media outlets and Spanish-language outlets. The chosen outlets included the Los Angeles Times, CNN, National Journal, Univision, The New York Times and La Prensa.
The selected reporters did not ask about the controversial impact on American workers....
◼ Dobbs defends TheDC’s Munro: ‘What’s rude is the president not speaking to the American people’ - Jeff Poor/The Daily Caller
...The president has often used this no-questions strategy when making important or poll-boosting announcements.
The president has often used this no-questions strategy when making important or poll-boosting announcements.
...Obama’s deputy, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, followed the same strategy Friday during a morning telephone press-conference. She gave a short statement and then left the conference while two officials provided not-for-attribution answers to selected reporters’ questions.
The reporters selected to offer questions included established media outlets and Spanish-language outlets. The chosen outlets included the Los Angeles Times, CNN, National Journal, Univision, The New York Times and La Prensa.
The selected reporters did not ask about the controversial impact on American workers....
◼ Dobbs defends TheDC’s Munro: ‘What’s rude is the president not speaking to the American people’ - Jeff Poor/The Daily Caller
Labels:
Constitution,
Immigration,
President/Candidate Obama
The apparent Republican edge in spending this year, like the Democratic edge in 2004, was evidence of widespread and heartfelt opposition to an incumbent president. It's a sign of civic health, not sickness.
◼ 'Angry' money gives funding edge to GOP and Romney - Michael Barone/Washington Examiner
There has been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth as, in the spring, it appeared that forces supporting Mitt Romney would be able to raise about as much money as those supporting Barack Obama. There's even more now that it seems likely that the pro-Romney side will raise and spend more money than the pro-Obama side.
Four years ago, the Obama forces heavily outspent those supporting John McCain. The Obama campaign had enough money to target -- and carry -- heretofore Republican states like North Carolina and Indiana.
That experience made the Democrats spoiled. The prospect that the other side would have as much money as they do struck them as a cosmic injustice. The prospect that it would have more -- heaven forfend!
...What's really interesting is that, if current projections are right, this will be the third election in a row in which the party holding the White House will be outspent by the opposition.
...In 2008 Barack Obama raised a lot of "hope" money and, since it looked like a Democratic year, a lot of smart money. But angry money from Bush haters helped propel his total take to record levels.
This year there's no doubt that the billionaires and the many, many others contributing to the Romney campaign and pro-Romney super-PACs are angry about the Obama Democrats' policies and believe they will be harmful to the nation. More at the link...
There has been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth as, in the spring, it appeared that forces supporting Mitt Romney would be able to raise about as much money as those supporting Barack Obama. There's even more now that it seems likely that the pro-Romney side will raise and spend more money than the pro-Obama side.
Four years ago, the Obama forces heavily outspent those supporting John McCain. The Obama campaign had enough money to target -- and carry -- heretofore Republican states like North Carolina and Indiana.
That experience made the Democrats spoiled. The prospect that the other side would have as much money as they do struck them as a cosmic injustice. The prospect that it would have more -- heaven forfend!
...What's really interesting is that, if current projections are right, this will be the third election in a row in which the party holding the White House will be outspent by the opposition.
...In 2008 Barack Obama raised a lot of "hope" money and, since it looked like a Democratic year, a lot of smart money. But angry money from Bush haters helped propel his total take to record levels.
This year there's no doubt that the billionaires and the many, many others contributing to the Romney campaign and pro-Romney super-PACs are angry about the Obama Democrats' policies and believe they will be harmful to the nation. More at the link...
Sarah Palin, Michelle Malkin, & S.E. Cupp at Right Online 2012
◼ A couple of videos from the Right Online conference - Doug Powers/Michelle Malkin
On Twitter: #RO12
Labels:
Blogs we love,
Michelle Malkin,
NEW Media,
Sarah Palin
Liberal and Incompetent
◼ The bottom-line takeaway from the Cheesehead Rebellion is this — Conservative reform ideas work in the real world. We’ve found this over and over in Louisiana, and we are now finding it in Wisconsin. Next, we need to elect Governor Romney and get about the business of rebuilding America and ending this left wing experiment otherwise known as the Obama Presidency. - Gov. Bobby Jindal/Redstate
It is of course well understood by now that I’m not a fan of the Obama Administration. Let me take just a moment to be very clear on why this is. The Obama Administration is the nexus of Liberalism and Incompetence…and this is a deadly combination.
While the liberalism of the Obama Administration is widely understood, the incompetence of it remains a bit of an untold story. A few weeks back, I made the comment that prior to being President, Obama had never run anything, that in fact he had never even run a lemonade stand. That’s a fun line, and folks were entertained by it. But, here’s the problem: it’s not a joke, it’s the truth.
We put a guy in the White House who has no experience running anything. In that sense, the joke’s on us. But again, it’s not a joke. America simply cannot afford another four years of on-the-job training. There may have been times in our country’s history where having an untested leader in the White House would have been fine, but this is certainly not one of those times. Yes, President Obama needs to go because his liberal policies are wrong and bad for America. But it’s worse than that; it’s basic incompetence..... Read the rest, at the link.
It is of course well understood by now that I’m not a fan of the Obama Administration. Let me take just a moment to be very clear on why this is. The Obama Administration is the nexus of Liberalism and Incompetence…and this is a deadly combination.
While the liberalism of the Obama Administration is widely understood, the incompetence of it remains a bit of an untold story. A few weeks back, I made the comment that prior to being President, Obama had never run anything, that in fact he had never even run a lemonade stand. That’s a fun line, and folks were entertained by it. But, here’s the problem: it’s not a joke, it’s the truth.
We put a guy in the White House who has no experience running anything. In that sense, the joke’s on us. But again, it’s not a joke. America simply cannot afford another four years of on-the-job training. There may have been times in our country’s history where having an untested leader in the White House would have been fine, but this is certainly not one of those times. Yes, President Obama needs to go because his liberal policies are wrong and bad for America. But it’s worse than that; it’s basic incompetence..... Read the rest, at the link.
Krauthammer: Obama's Immigration Policy Is "Out-And-Out Lawlessness"
◼ On Friday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel, syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said that the president’s shift on enforcing immigrations laws and granting certain privileges among illegal immigrants is “out-and-out lawlessness.” - Jeff Poor/Daily Caller
"Beyond the pandering, beyond the politics, beyond the process is simple constitutional decency. This is out-and-out lawlessness. You had a clip of the president himself say months ago 'I cannot do this on my own because there are laws on the books.' Well, I have news for the president: The laws remain on the books. They haven't changed."
...“And I think this is not how you run a constitutional republic,” he continued. “This ought to be in the hands of Congress, and it is an end-run. And what’s ironic of course is for eight years, the Democrats have been screaming about the imperial presidency with the Bush administration — the nonsense about the unitary executive. This is out-and-out lawlessness. This is not how you govern. And I think that is the first issue that should be on the table.”
Ron Paul Message to Supporters
◼ ronpaul2012.com
Labels:
2012 Presidential Campaign,
Convention,
Ron Paul
California lawmakers passed a $92 billion budget Friday to keep their paychecks coming, but they left welfare cuts and other difficult issues unresolved with Gov. Jerry Brown.
◼ link - Judy Lin/The Associated Press via Times-Standard
Democratic lawmakers in the Senate passed the main budget bill that outlines state spending on a 23-16 vote without Republican support. Majority Democrats in the Assembly also passed the measure, 50-25.
The budget and a handful of companion bills were sent to Brown well before midnight, when a constitutional deadline would have cut off lawmakers' pay. But Democrats did not take up any of the contentious bills needed to implement the spending plan because they refuse to make deeper cuts to the state's welfare-to-work program and other social services for the poor.
That leaves more negotiations to come, since the Democratic governor wants welfare reform and a larger reserve to help pull the state out of its projected $15.7 billion deficit. And the whole package hinges on voters approving an initiative in November to raise taxes.
Republicans called the plan incomplete and urged Brown to veto the budget bill.
”Today we are voting on half a dozen budget-related bills when there are at least 29 needed to balance the budget,” said Sen. Bill Emmerson, the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee. “Despite the spin, this budget is full of borrowing and gimmicks.”
...Brown did not indicate Friday whether he would sign or veto the bill. Democrats would need Republican support to obtain the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
Democratic lawmakers in the Senate passed the main budget bill that outlines state spending on a 23-16 vote without Republican support. Majority Democrats in the Assembly also passed the measure, 50-25.
The budget and a handful of companion bills were sent to Brown well before midnight, when a constitutional deadline would have cut off lawmakers' pay. But Democrats did not take up any of the contentious bills needed to implement the spending plan because they refuse to make deeper cuts to the state's welfare-to-work program and other social services for the poor.
That leaves more negotiations to come, since the Democratic governor wants welfare reform and a larger reserve to help pull the state out of its projected $15.7 billion deficit. And the whole package hinges on voters approving an initiative in November to raise taxes.
Republicans called the plan incomplete and urged Brown to veto the budget bill.
”Today we are voting on half a dozen budget-related bills when there are at least 29 needed to balance the budget,” said Sen. Bill Emmerson, the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee. “Despite the spin, this budget is full of borrowing and gimmicks.”
...Brown did not indicate Friday whether he would sign or veto the bill. Democrats would need Republican support to obtain the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
Labels:
Budget,
California,
Democrats,
Governor Jerry Brown
“There are a number of Barack Obama fund-raiser types from four years ago that have come over now to help with Mitt Romney”
◼ Chicago hedge fund manager switches from 2008 Obama fan to Romney backer
Four years ago, hedge fund manager Ken Griffin was impressed enough with Barack Obama that he invited him to speak to his employees and helped raise $50,000 to $100,000 for his presidential run. Griffin also hedged his bets by raising a similar amount for Republican John McCain.
But this year, Griffin — ranked by Forbes as Chicago’s fifth-richest man — and his wife Anne, a French-born hedge fund manager herself, are all in with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, telling friends and interviewers they think Romney will better manage the economy.
They co-sponsored a $3.3 million fund-raiser on Obama’s home turf at the Pump Room Thursday night and have emerged as among the nation’s most generous donors to pro-Romney or anti-Obama SuperPACs.
Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford said “...We’ve had time to see what an Obama White House would be, and it’s not quite what some people thought it would be. People see Romney and say, ‘Here’s a businessman who’s got experience’ … I think we’re finding a number of people willing to pony up.”
Inside the fund-raiser, Romney told those who had ponied up between $2,500 and $75,000, “The American people, whether they like [Obama] or don’t like him, recognize he’s over his head, and it’s time to put into the White House somebody who knows how to get this economy going, and I do, and I will.”
Four years ago, hedge fund manager Ken Griffin was impressed enough with Barack Obama that he invited him to speak to his employees and helped raise $50,000 to $100,000 for his presidential run. Griffin also hedged his bets by raising a similar amount for Republican John McCain.
But this year, Griffin — ranked by Forbes as Chicago’s fifth-richest man — and his wife Anne, a French-born hedge fund manager herself, are all in with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, telling friends and interviewers they think Romney will better manage the economy.
They co-sponsored a $3.3 million fund-raiser on Obama’s home turf at the Pump Room Thursday night and have emerged as among the nation’s most generous donors to pro-Romney or anti-Obama SuperPACs.
Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford said “...We’ve had time to see what an Obama White House would be, and it’s not quite what some people thought it would be. People see Romney and say, ‘Here’s a businessman who’s got experience’ … I think we’re finding a number of people willing to pony up.”
Inside the fund-raiser, Romney told those who had ponied up between $2,500 and $75,000, “The American people, whether they like [Obama] or don’t like him, recognize he’s over his head, and it’s time to put into the White House somebody who knows how to get this economy going, and I do, and I will.”
Friday, June 15, 2012
Survey Says -- 75% of Doctors to Drop Medicare
◼ The Doctor Patient Medical Association just completed a survey on doctors’ attitudes about the future of American medicine. - Doug Ross
The key findings included:
◼ DOCTORS’ ATTITUDES ON THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE: What’s Wrong, Who’s to Blame, and What Will Fix It - The Doctor Patient Medical Association
The key findings included:
• 90% say the medical system is on the WRONG TRACK◼ More ObamaCare hijinks: Escalating costs, fewer doctors - HotAir
• 83% say they are thinking about QUITTING
• 61% say the system challenges their ETHICS
• 85% say the patient-physician relationship is in a TAILSPIN
• 65% say GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT is most to blame for current problems
• 72% say individual insurance mandate will NOT result in improved access care
• 49% say they will STOP accepting Medicaid patients
• 74% say they will STOP ACCEPTING Medicare patients, or leave Medicare completely
◼ DOCTORS’ ATTITUDES ON THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE: What’s Wrong, Who’s to Blame, and What Will Fix It - The Doctor Patient Medical Association
Gingrich: Obama Pulled ‘Election-Year Gimmick’ on Immigration
◼ “I think it’s very strange,” Gingrich countered after the Department of Homeland Security issued a policy change on Friday that essentially amounts to amnesty for the children of illegal immigrants. “If the president has the power to do that, why didn’t he do it three years ago? And if he can do it for people under 16, can he do it for everybody?” - Paul Scicchitano and Kathleen Walter/Newsmax
Looks Like A One-Term Proposition
Mitt Romney
LIKE Mitt on Facebook
Labels:
2012 Presidential Campaign,
Ads,
Mitt Romney
BIG NEWS: Catholic Health Association tells HHS “NG on Accommodation”
◼ Sharpening an election-year confrontation over religious freedom and government health insurance rules, the nation’s Catholic hospitals on Friday rejected President Barack Obama’s compromise for providing birth control coverage to their women employees. - The Anchoress
In a letter to the federal Health and Human Services department, the hospital group said the compromise initially seemed to be “a good first step” but that examination of the details proved disappointing. The plan would be “unduly cumbersome” to carry out and “unlikely to adequately meet the religious liberty concerns” of all its members, the group said.
◼ Obama has managed to unite conservative Catholics and Evangelicals as never before because he has been the most hostile president to religious liberty in American history, according to Focus on the Family Vice President for External Affairs Timothy Goeglein. - Red Alert Politics...
Panelists at the Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington said Friday that people of faith should resist the Obama administration’s HHS mandate and other policies infringing on religious freedom even if it means going to jail.
“What is at stake here is our God-given right of freedom of religion and our right to follow our conscience,” said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Public Policy Commission. “If we are all willing to stand up and fight then we win.
“If we are all willing to go to jail nobody’s going to have to.”
...Deal Hudson, former director of President George W. Bush’s outreach to Catholics, argued that the Obama administration has defined the definition of a religious institution so narrowly that only a convent of cloistered nuns that only serves Catholics would be exempted from the HHS mandate.
In a letter to the federal Health and Human Services department, the hospital group said the compromise initially seemed to be “a good first step” but that examination of the details proved disappointing. The plan would be “unduly cumbersome” to carry out and “unlikely to adequately meet the religious liberty concerns” of all its members, the group said.
◼ Obama has managed to unite conservative Catholics and Evangelicals as never before because he has been the most hostile president to religious liberty in American history, according to Focus on the Family Vice President for External Affairs Timothy Goeglein. - Red Alert Politics...
Panelists at the Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington said Friday that people of faith should resist the Obama administration’s HHS mandate and other policies infringing on religious freedom even if it means going to jail.
“What is at stake here is our God-given right of freedom of religion and our right to follow our conscience,” said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Public Policy Commission. “If we are all willing to stand up and fight then we win.
“If we are all willing to go to jail nobody’s going to have to.”
...Deal Hudson, former director of President George W. Bush’s outreach to Catholics, argued that the Obama administration has defined the definition of a religious institution so narrowly that only a convent of cloistered nuns that only serves Catholics would be exempted from the HHS mandate.
Labels:
Abortion,
ContraceptionGate,
Freedom of Religion,
Lawsuits,
Media bias,
Obamacare,
Religion
Romney Kicks Off Five Day “Backroads” Bus Tour: MSNBC notes Romney’s bus tour with montage of exploding buses In New Hampshire
◼ “We’ll be traveling on what are often called the back roads of America,” Mr. Romney said. “But I think our tour is going to take us along what I’ll call the backbone of America.” - Red Alert Politics
During his speech, Mitt Romney was notably upbeat about America’s prospects. “From now until November, our campaign will carry a simple message: America’s greatest days are yet ahead” he said to a crowd of several hundred people....
Some of Mitt Romney’s potential vice presidential running mates will be at the campaign stops. In Stratham, potential VP candidate U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) was the first to introduce Mitt Romney. During the second campaign stop in NH, former Minnesota Governor Republican Tim Pawlenty was the first to greet the crowd.
Other potential vice presidential picks joining Romney on the tour, according to the campaign, are Rep. Paul Ryan (R – WI) and Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio.
◼ MSNBC SPLICES BUS EXPLOSIONS INTO SEGMENT ON ROMNEY BUS TOUR - Washington Free Beacon
◼ Lest you doubt that they actually ran this, the Washington Free Beacon has posted its own copy of the same segment. - HotAir
During his speech, Mitt Romney was notably upbeat about America’s prospects. “From now until November, our campaign will carry a simple message: America’s greatest days are yet ahead” he said to a crowd of several hundred people....
Some of Mitt Romney’s potential vice presidential running mates will be at the campaign stops. In Stratham, potential VP candidate U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) was the first to introduce Mitt Romney. During the second campaign stop in NH, former Minnesota Governor Republican Tim Pawlenty was the first to greet the crowd.
Other potential vice presidential picks joining Romney on the tour, according to the campaign, are Rep. Paul Ryan (R – WI) and Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio.
◼ MSNBC SPLICES BUS EXPLOSIONS INTO SEGMENT ON ROMNEY BUS TOUR - Washington Free Beacon
◼ Lest you doubt that they actually ran this, the Washington Free Beacon has posted its own copy of the same segment. - HotAir
The excuse here will be that it’s just a jokey metaphor for how badly things can go on the campaign trail, not any sort of death wish directed at Romney. Which may be true — but remember, Bashir is among MSNBC’s most enthusiastic practitioners of psychoanalyzing one’s political opponents to attribute the worst possible motives to them.
Labels:
2012 Presidential Campaign,
Media bias,
Mitt Romney
JOBS PROGRAM -- FOR ILLEGALS!
◼ Obama interrupted by heckling reporter - Politico
◼ Obama announced Friday he will stop deporting illegal immigrants who come to the country at a young age. - The Hill
◼ Obama grants legal status to young illegal immigrants - Washington Times
The decision is an effort to go around Congress, which has repeatedly failed to pass a bill granting legal status to this category of illegal immigrants. That type of legislation is usually called the Dream Act, though details vary depending on the version....◼ “This is what a dictator does”: Obama enacts DREAM Act without vote or exec. order - Glenn Beck
Mr. Obama has been under pressure for years to take this step, but he had repeatedly said he didn’t have the authority.
“The fact of the matter is there are laws on the books that I have to enforce. And I think there’s been a great disservice done to the cause of getting the Dream Act passed and getting comprehensive immigration passed by perpetrating the notion that somehow, by myself, I can go and do these things. It’s just not true,” Mr. Obama said last year.
“He’s not trying to get this through Congress. He is just, in a breakthrough fashion, seizing power,” Glenn told listeners. “This is exactly what a dictator does, not an American president. We are a constitutional republic. They don’t do that. He doesn’t have the ability. The Department of Homeland Security doesn’t have the authority to do this. Obama is now stopping all deportations for certain classes of illegal aliens. Essentially he is going to put in place the DREAM Act without dealing with the hassles of debating it, voting it, discussing it, even writing an executive order. He’s just doing it.”◼ OBAMA JOBS PROGRAM: HELP ILLEGALS COMPETE WITH AMERICANS FOR SCARCE JOBS - Mike Flynn/Breitbart
”We have made repeated requests for an honest and open budgetary process and for the budget measures to be in print for 48 hours, to allow public review,” Sen. Bill Emmerson, R-Redlands, said in a statement. “We can't in good conscience vote for bills we have not seen.”
◼ California: Democrats moving on budget without governor's OK - Juliet Williams/The Associated Press/Times-Standard
Democrats in the state Legislature held committee hearings on the California budget a day before the constitutional deadline to approve it, despite ongoing disagreements with Gov. Jerry Brown over their plan to make smaller welfare cuts to help balance a $15.7 billion deficit.
Republican lawmakers, whose votes are not needed to approve the budget, boycotted a Senate Budget Committee hearing Thursday, complaining that negotiations were being held in secret and they had not been given any time to review the budget bills, most of which were published online in the morning.
”We have made repeated requests for an honest and open budgetary process and for the budget measures to be in print for 48 hours, to allow public review,” Sen. Bill Emmerson, R-Redlands, said in a statement. “We can't in good conscience vote for bills we have not seen.”
Democrats passed the main budget bills out of committee without GOP votes Thursday.
Democrats in the state Legislature held committee hearings on the California budget a day before the constitutional deadline to approve it, despite ongoing disagreements with Gov. Jerry Brown over their plan to make smaller welfare cuts to help balance a $15.7 billion deficit.
Republican lawmakers, whose votes are not needed to approve the budget, boycotted a Senate Budget Committee hearing Thursday, complaining that negotiations were being held in secret and they had not been given any time to review the budget bills, most of which were published online in the morning.
”We have made repeated requests for an honest and open budgetary process and for the budget measures to be in print for 48 hours, to allow public review,” Sen. Bill Emmerson, R-Redlands, said in a statement. “We can't in good conscience vote for bills we have not seen.”
Democrats passed the main budget bills out of committee without GOP votes Thursday.
Labels:
Budget,
California,
Democrats
I had high hopes for President Obama’s speech on the economy. But instead of going to Ohio on Thursday with a compelling plan for the future, the president gave Americans a falsehood wrapped in a fallacy.
◼ Skip the falsehoods, Mr. President, and give us a plan - Dana Milbank/Washington Post
The falsehood is that he has been serious about cutting government spending. The fallacy is that this election will be some sort of referendum that will break the logjam in Washington....◼ Obama: it seemed hot to me - neoneocon
Obama’s speech was a rehash of earlier proposals — such as sending more Americans to community college and spending more on clean energy. Those plans for additional spending would be more credible if he had a plausible plan to reform entitlement spending, the biggest driver of future debt.
Contrary to the President's rhetoric about "the wealthiest Americans," 60 percent of the Bush tax cuts went to middle- and low-income taxpayers
◼ How Taxmageddon Will Impact You
Heritage research shows that families will see an average tax increase of $4,138. Baby boomers' average increase will be $4,223, and low-income taxpayers can expect a $1,207 increase. Millennials will be hit with an average hike of $1,099, and retirees $857. Check out the infographic to see where you fall.
Taxmageddon falls primarily on middle- and low-income Americans. That's because, contrary to the President's rhetoric about "the wealthiest Americans," 60 percent of the Bush tax cuts went to middle- and low-income taxpayers. The expiration of the patch on the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) will cause these taxpayers to pay a tax that was never supposed to hit them, and the expiration of the payroll tax cut is a tax hike almost exclusively on middle- and low-income families.
This is only the direct impact on individual taxpayers. Americans at all income levels will feel the pain of Taxmageddon, because it will slow job creation and wage growth. At 8.2 percent unemployment, it's the last thing the economy needs.
Where are these tax increases coming from? Under current law, tax policies in seven different categories will expire, and just five of the 18 new tax hikes from Obamacare will begin.
◼ How will this affect you? Heritage has a new Taxmageddon page that shows the impact of these tax hikes on individuals. It includes an interactive map where you can click on your state to see what the average tax increase will be, based on the average income of taxpayers in your state.
Heritage research shows that families will see an average tax increase of $4,138. Baby boomers' average increase will be $4,223, and low-income taxpayers can expect a $1,207 increase. Millennials will be hit with an average hike of $1,099, and retirees $857. Check out the infographic to see where you fall.
Taxmageddon falls primarily on middle- and low-income Americans. That's because, contrary to the President's rhetoric about "the wealthiest Americans," 60 percent of the Bush tax cuts went to middle- and low-income taxpayers. The expiration of the patch on the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) will cause these taxpayers to pay a tax that was never supposed to hit them, and the expiration of the payroll tax cut is a tax hike almost exclusively on middle- and low-income families.
This is only the direct impact on individual taxpayers. Americans at all income levels will feel the pain of Taxmageddon, because it will slow job creation and wage growth. At 8.2 percent unemployment, it's the last thing the economy needs.
Where are these tax increases coming from? Under current law, tax policies in seven different categories will expire, and just five of the 18 new tax hikes from Obamacare will begin.
◼ How will this affect you? Heritage has a new Taxmageddon page that shows the impact of these tax hikes on individuals. It includes an interactive map where you can click on your state to see what the average tax increase will be, based on the average income of taxpayers in your state.
Labels:
Economy,
Obamacare,
Skyrocketing Costs,
Taxes,
Taxmaggedon
Thursday, June 14, 2012
This We'll Defend
◼ Congressman Allen West (R-FL) released this statement today on the 237th birthday of the United States Army and the celebration of Flag Day:
"Today marks the 237th birthday of the United States Army as well as the celebration of our Stars and Stripes, Flag Day.
The Army is the largest and oldest established branch of the United States military, with a primary mission 'to fight and win our Nation’s wars by providing prompt, sustained land dominance across the full range of military operations and spectrum of conflict in support of combatant commanders.'
I can still remember the details of the day that I was sworn in as an Army Second Lieutenant in 1982. I remember the pride I felt wearing our nation's uniform and the feeling that I was a part of something larger than myself. I knew it was an honor, a privilege, and a responsibility...and I was committed to it wholeheartedly, just as thousands of men and women volunteer to commit themselves today, not because they are forced to, but because they truly want to serve their nation.
It is fitting that the Army's birthday also falls on Flag Day, as the Army's motto is 'This We'll Defend.' If it weren't for our brave soldiers defending our nation for the past 237 years, there would be no freedom to fly our flag. In fact, there would be no flag at all.
'This We'll Defend' represents the spirit of our Army, in that there is no 'I' or 'Me', but 'We'. As soldiers, we are unified to further a mission. On the 237th birthday of the Army and on the celebration of Flag Day, let us as Americans recommit ourselves to the spirit of the Army, that 'We' are stronger united than divided, and working together, 'We' as Americans will always prevail." ◼ h/t: Doug Ross
Labels:
Allen West,
Holidays,
Patriotism
FLORIDA ‘PURGE’ UPDATE: 96 ILLEGAL VOTERS FOUND, AND COUNTING
◼ While partisan Democrats and vote-fraud enthusiasts bleat about the supposed unfairness of validating voter registration, the state of Florida quietly continues discovering illegal voters. - John Hayward at Human Events
Responses to the certified letters sent to 2,600 questionable registered voters continue to trickle in. Many of those challenged by the Florida Department of State have been able to produce documentation showing they are, in fact, legal voters.
And many have not.
The one thing you almost never hear in media reports about this supposedly “controversial” procedure, which the Justice Department just filed suit to halt, is how many illegal voters it has discovered. According to a report in the Naples Daily News on Wednesday, that tally now stands at 96.
That’s ninety-six people who would have been “disenfranchised” if Florida had not detected the ineligible voters. The number of legitimate voters accidentally and unfairly disenfranchised by Florida’s procedure, meanwhile, is zero.
...Lee County Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington has been particularly effective at spotting illegal voters, and it seems she did not entirely rely upon the state’s list of questionable names – prepared without access to the most up-to-date data from the Department of Homeland Security, which withheld its database from Florida, in violation of clear federal law.
According to the Naples Daily News, Harrington took the initiative and compared a list of the people who asked to be excused from jury duty, because they were not U.S. citizens, with the county voter rolls. She found that “nearly half of those potential jurors who said they weren’t citizens were listed in her files as being eligible to vote.” She has actually discovered some ineligible voters beyond the list of 2600 names prepared by the Florida Department of State.
Let me restate that, for the benefit of the anti-patriotic charlatans and political hacks who keep trying to protect the voter fraud racket in America, or lie through their teeth by portraying it as some kind of racist assault on minority voters. This county supervisor merely took a list of dismissed jurors, who openly stated they were not citizens, in writing, under oath, and discovered half of them were also illegally registered to vote.....
◼ Meet the Radical DOJ Lawyer Suing Florida to Keep Foreigners on Voter Rolls - J. Christian Adams/PJM
Responses to the certified letters sent to 2,600 questionable registered voters continue to trickle in. Many of those challenged by the Florida Department of State have been able to produce documentation showing they are, in fact, legal voters.
And many have not.
The one thing you almost never hear in media reports about this supposedly “controversial” procedure, which the Justice Department just filed suit to halt, is how many illegal voters it has discovered. According to a report in the Naples Daily News on Wednesday, that tally now stands at 96.
That’s ninety-six people who would have been “disenfranchised” if Florida had not detected the ineligible voters. The number of legitimate voters accidentally and unfairly disenfranchised by Florida’s procedure, meanwhile, is zero.
...Lee County Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington has been particularly effective at spotting illegal voters, and it seems she did not entirely rely upon the state’s list of questionable names – prepared without access to the most up-to-date data from the Department of Homeland Security, which withheld its database from Florida, in violation of clear federal law.
According to the Naples Daily News, Harrington took the initiative and compared a list of the people who asked to be excused from jury duty, because they were not U.S. citizens, with the county voter rolls. She found that “nearly half of those potential jurors who said they weren’t citizens were listed in her files as being eligible to vote.” She has actually discovered some ineligible voters beyond the list of 2600 names prepared by the Florida Department of State.
Let me restate that, for the benefit of the anti-patriotic charlatans and political hacks who keep trying to protect the voter fraud racket in America, or lie through their teeth by portraying it as some kind of racist assault on minority voters. This county supervisor merely took a list of dismissed jurors, who openly stated they were not citizens, in writing, under oath, and discovered half of them were also illegally registered to vote.....
◼ Meet the Radical DOJ Lawyer Suing Florida to Keep Foreigners on Voter Rolls - J. Christian Adams/PJM
Labels:
Florida,
Voter fraud,
Voter Registration
You're Welcome, America! Up to 600,000 College Students to Lose Health Care Coverage or Face Dramatically Higher Costs
◼ Thousands of college students face serious sticker shock this year if they want school-subsidized health insurance... The cost is expected to be sharply higher at some schools, while others have dropped coverage altogether. - Doug Ross
They’ve discovered that the health care reform law sets dramatically higher coverage limits for student insurers [which] will require higher premiums that colleges and students, particularly at smaller schools, are worried they can’t afford.
...Some schools won’t even try [to offer insurance any more]... This year, for the first time in decades, Avila University will not offer health insurance plans for domestic students. Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan., also opted out of health coverage — leaving more than 100 students potentially uncovered — after premiums were projected to rise from $450 a year to $2,500.
“It’s going to be scary given the number of students who were participating in those plans,” said Bob Schmoll, Bethany’s vice president for finance. “It’s going to be a lot of people who aren’t covered.” ...Federal studies suggest roughly 600,000 students — about 7 percent of those attending college — get their insurance at school...
...Diana Boyd McElroy, dean of student life at Park University, said she anticipates some concern when students see their health insurance premiums double this year from $600 to $1,200...
They’ve discovered that the health care reform law sets dramatically higher coverage limits for student insurers [which] will require higher premiums that colleges and students, particularly at smaller schools, are worried they can’t afford.
...Some schools won’t even try [to offer insurance any more]... This year, for the first time in decades, Avila University will not offer health insurance plans for domestic students. Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan., also opted out of health coverage — leaving more than 100 students potentially uncovered — after premiums were projected to rise from $450 a year to $2,500.
“It’s going to be scary given the number of students who were participating in those plans,” said Bob Schmoll, Bethany’s vice president for finance. “It’s going to be a lot of people who aren’t covered.” ...Federal studies suggest roughly 600,000 students — about 7 percent of those attending college — get their insurance at school...
...Diana Boyd McElroy, dean of student life at Park University, said she anticipates some concern when students see their health insurance premiums double this year from $600 to $1,200...
Labels:
College Tuition,
Obamacare,
Skyrocketing Costs,
Youth
Rasmussen: Romney 269, Obama 243
◼ We’re a long way from November 6 (145 days for those who are keeping score at home), but Rasmussen’s latest polling of likely voters in states across the land shows Mitt Romney currently leading President Barack Obama in the quest for electoral votes. - Weekly Standard
Among the 9 key swing states, Rasmussen’s polling shows Romney winning in ◼ Florida (46 to 45 percent), ◼ Ohio (46-44), ◼ Wisconsin (47-44), and ◼ Iowa (47-46). It shows Obama winning in ◼ Pennsylvania (47-41) and ◼ Nevada (52-44). It shows ties in ◼ Virginia (47-47) and ◼ Colorado (45-45). (Rasmussen hasn’t yet released any polling from New Hampshire.)
◼ Discussion at Lucianne
◼ Earlier: Romney leaps to lead in Wisconsin
Among the 9 key swing states, Rasmussen’s polling shows Romney winning in ◼ Florida (46 to 45 percent), ◼ Ohio (46-44), ◼ Wisconsin (47-44), and ◼ Iowa (47-46). It shows Obama winning in ◼ Pennsylvania (47-41) and ◼ Nevada (52-44). It shows ties in ◼ Virginia (47-47) and ◼ Colorado (45-45). (Rasmussen hasn’t yet released any polling from New Hampshire.)
◼ Discussion at Lucianne
◼ Earlier: Romney leaps to lead in Wisconsin
President Obama’s Speech Gets A Thumbs Down From Political Press Corps
◼ Prior to President Barack Obama’s marathon 54 minute speech in Ohio today, the Obama campaign sent our several statements promising the speech would be a major address framing the campaign going forward. - Hunter Walker/Politicker
Despite the hype, the speech was mainly a rehash of themes and ideas from the president’s recent stump speeches and his remarks were widely panned as overly long by the political press corps.
...Before the speech was over, Politico’s Mike O’Brien begged the president to stop.
◼ MSNBC Panel’s Verdict On Obama Campaign Speech: It Stinks - Noah Rothman/mediaite
The implications are broad. The President will have to continue talking to his base and ignoring the center of this country where elections are won and lost. This is bad news all around for the Chicago team.
◼ President Obama's big economic speech in Cleveland failed to impress one endangered House Democrat, Rep. Mark Critz (D-Pa.), who took him to task for his economic and energy policies. - Cameron Joseph/The Hill
◼ Pity Poor Barry Obama? - Larry Johnson/No Quarter
Watching Obama stumble is not just sad. It is dangerous for America to be saddled by an incompetent at a time of such monumental economic and foreign policy events. Time to break the glass and call for an adult.
◼ MSNBC left-leaning pundits turn on Obama after economic speech (Video) - Jeff Poor/Daily Caller
◼ It was supposed to be an important new speech, but the tweets from the press say otherwise... - Althouse
◼ OBAMA SPEECH 'WIDELY PANNED' BY POLITICAL PRESS CORPS - John Nolte/Breitbart
Despite the hype, the speech was mainly a rehash of themes and ideas from the president’s recent stump speeches and his remarks were widely panned as overly long by the political press corps.
...Before the speech was over, Politico’s Mike O’Brien begged the president to stop.
◼ MSNBC Panel’s Verdict On Obama Campaign Speech: It Stinks - Noah Rothman/mediaite
The implications are broad. The President will have to continue talking to his base and ignoring the center of this country where elections are won and lost. This is bad news all around for the Chicago team.
◼ President Obama's big economic speech in Cleveland failed to impress one endangered House Democrat, Rep. Mark Critz (D-Pa.), who took him to task for his economic and energy policies. - Cameron Joseph/The Hill
◼ Pity Poor Barry Obama? - Larry Johnson/No Quarter
Watching Obama stumble is not just sad. It is dangerous for America to be saddled by an incompetent at a time of such monumental economic and foreign policy events. Time to break the glass and call for an adult.
◼ MSNBC left-leaning pundits turn on Obama after economic speech (Video) - Jeff Poor/Daily Caller
◼ It was supposed to be an important new speech, but the tweets from the press say otherwise... - Althouse
◼ OBAMA SPEECH 'WIDELY PANNED' BY POLITICAL PRESS CORPS - John Nolte/Breitbart
Labels:
President/Candidate Obama
Blogger Vanderboegh reports 'game changer' DOJ whistleblowers have come forward
◼ Sipsey Street Exclusive: More DOJ Whistleblowers Emerge, This Time From DC. Do they bear "the keys to the kingdom?" "There sure is a sense of renewed enthusiasm here."
One source, who reported that there were at least two of Eric Holder's subordinates who "came in from the cold," characterized them as "high-level" DOJ employees "with knowledge of Eric Holder's actions before and after" the 4 February 2011 DOJ letter denying that the DOJ and its subordinate agencies knew about "gunwalking." That letter has since been admitted by DOJ to have been a lie. If true, one or both of these whistleblowers may be the so-called "mole" -- a source within DOJ said to have been leaking documents, including the wiretap affidavits, to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
What they bring with them from the cold, according to one source, is "the keys to the kingdom as far as Holder is concerned," adding "if this comes out before the (contempt) vote (on 20 June), then Holder is toast." Said another, "not even Boehner will be able to stop it. Hell, he'll really jump on board and act like it was his idea."
This surprising development has re-energized the investigation staff, which was widely rumored to be floundering after the reluctance, not to say opposition, of the GOP leadership became known some months ago. One source called these whistleblowers "game changers" while another, after speaking of the frustrations of recent months said, "But there sure is a sense of renewed enthusiasm here."
Labels:
Darrell Issa,
DOJ,
Eric Holder,
FastandFurious,
Investigations,
Scandals
In Colorado Focus Group, Obama Voters Disillusioned
◼ The focus group was the fourth of a series of eight being commissioned by the Annenberg Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. - National Journal
Listening to the feedback from the group, it was striking how many of them have grown disillusioned from their own expectations set by Obama’s soaring rhetoric from 2008, and the less-inspiring reality that transpired.
After being shown footage of a campaign speech by Obama, the prevailing sentiment was that the president was a slick salesman, but his words didn’t match his actions.
“I got duped. I fell under his spell. What he’s done with the car industry is the only real success,” said Patrick Allen, a 27-year-old health care consultant, who voted for Obama in 2008. “I feel like I was somewhat lied to.”
...Romney was an unknown to most of the participants. Most of the pure undecided voters were critical of Obama, but said they were unfamiliar with Romney. Only three said they knew anything about Bain Capital. His wealth, business background, Mormonism and being a family man all came up when prompted for free association connections. But it was clear that their perceptions were far from formed.
Listening to the feedback from the group, it was striking how many of them have grown disillusioned from their own expectations set by Obama’s soaring rhetoric from 2008, and the less-inspiring reality that transpired.
After being shown footage of a campaign speech by Obama, the prevailing sentiment was that the president was a slick salesman, but his words didn’t match his actions.
“I got duped. I fell under his spell. What he’s done with the car industry is the only real success,” said Patrick Allen, a 27-year-old health care consultant, who voted for Obama in 2008. “I feel like I was somewhat lied to.”
...Romney was an unknown to most of the participants. Most of the pure undecided voters were critical of Obama, but said they were unfamiliar with Romney. Only three said they knew anything about Bain Capital. His wealth, business background, Mormonism and being a family man all came up when prompted for free association connections. But it was clear that their perceptions were far from formed.
Rand Paul Bill would require warrant to use drones to spy on Americans...
◼ Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday introduced the Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act, which would require the government to get a warrant before using aerial drones to surveil U.S. citizens. - Pete Kasperowicz/The Hill
"Like other tools used to collect information in law enforcement, in order to use drones a warrant needs to be issued," Paul said Tuesday. "Americans going about their everyday lives should not be treated like criminals or terrorists and have their rights infringed upon by military tactics."
The bill, S. 3287, would require the government to obtain a warrant to use drones with the exception of patroling national borders, when drones are needed to prevent "imminent danger to life" or when there are risks of a terrorist attack.
The bill would also give Americans the ability to sue the government for violating the act. And, it would prohibit evidence collected with warrantless drone surveillance from being used as evidence in court.
"Like other tools used to collect information in law enforcement, in order to use drones a warrant needs to be issued," Paul said Tuesday. "Americans going about their everyday lives should not be treated like criminals or terrorists and have their rights infringed upon by military tactics."
The bill, S. 3287, would require the government to obtain a warrant to use drones with the exception of patroling national borders, when drones are needed to prevent "imminent danger to life" or when there are risks of a terrorist attack.
The bill would also give Americans the ability to sue the government for violating the act. And, it would prohibit evidence collected with warrantless drone surveillance from being used as evidence in court.
Labels:
Federal Legislation,
Freedom,
Rand Paul
FLAG DAY - Fly your Flags
◼ Today marks the traditional Flag Day, memorializing the day in 1777 when the Continental Congress adopted a U.S. flag to replace the British Union Jack. - Grant Scott-Goforth/The Times-Standard
American Legion flag expert Mike Buss said “the birthday of our flag” went largely unnoticed until 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson enacted Flag Day as a national holiday.
Buss said it's still often overlooked, as it is sandwiched between two patriotic holidays -- Memorial Day and Independence Day -- and doesn't award people a day off of work.
Some myths about the Flag Code:
Myth: A flag that has been used to cover a casket cannot be used for any other proper display purpose.
Fact: It can be used for any display purpose including on a flagpole.
Myth: The Flag Code prohibits the display of a U.S. flag of less than 50 stars.
Fact: According to the Army Institute of Heraldry the United States, a flag never becomes obsolete. Any official U.S. flag, irrespective of the number or arrangement of the stars and/or stripes, may be displayed until no longer serviceable.
Myth: The Flag Code has penalties for violations of its provisions.
Fact: The Flag Code is a guideline for proper flag etiquette. There are no legal penalties for ignoring it.
Myth: You must destroy the flag when it touches the ground.
Fact: As long as the flag remains suitable for display, the flag may continue to be flown.
Myth: The Flag Code prohibits the washing or dry-cleaning of the flag.
Fact: People may wash or dry-clean flags as needed.
Myth: The mayor, a town official, or the post commander can order the flag to be displayed at half-staff.
Fact: The gesture of placing the flag at half-staff means that the nation or the state mourns the death of a highly regarded national or state figure, hence only the president of the United States or the governor of a state may order the flag to be displayed at half-staff.
Labels:
Holidays
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
LOCAL ROMNEY COMMITTEE FORMED
Humboldt Romney Volunteers is now in formation, according to Peter Hannaford, chairman of the Romney campaign in Humboldt County and also county chairman of the Republican Party.
Members of the steering committee of the volunteer organization are William Barnum, Barbara Hecathorn, Joy Finley, Mike Harvey, Dean Nielson, Marilyn St. John, Byron “Bud” Simpson and Rose Welsh.
Hannaford invites anyone who would like to work on Humboldt Romney Volunteers to call 444-8559.
The consultants urge Obama to find a new economic message that appeals specifically to the stressed-out middle class.
◼ Dems to Obama: Voters don't believe economy talk - Byron York/Washington Examiner
...Greenberg and Carville conclude that Obama's current campaign message -- that he inherited a terrible economy but that now things are getting better -- is disastrously wrong. "We will face an impossible headwind in November if we do not move to a new narrative," Greenberg and Carville write, "one that contextualizes the recovery but, more importantly, focuses on what we will do to make a better future for the middle class."
"It is elites who are creating a conventional wisdom that an incumbent president must run on his economic performance -- and therefore must convince voters that things are moving in the right direction," Greenberg and Carville conclude. "They are wrong, and that will fail...."
...Greenberg and Carville conclude that Obama's current campaign message -- that he inherited a terrible economy but that now things are getting better -- is disastrously wrong. "We will face an impossible headwind in November if we do not move to a new narrative," Greenberg and Carville write, "one that contextualizes the recovery but, more importantly, focuses on what we will do to make a better future for the middle class."
"It is elites who are creating a conventional wisdom that an incumbent president must run on his economic performance -- and therefore must convince voters that things are moving in the right direction," Greenberg and Carville conclude. "They are wrong, and that will fail...."
Labels:
Campaign tactics,
Democrats,
Economy,
Jobs,
President/Candidate Obama
Morning Examiner: An Obama win means Taxmageddon
◼ If American voters reelect President Obama, they have no right to complain when their taxes go up by $494 billion on January 1st. That is the total amount taxes are set to increase, automatically if Congress does not pass, and Obama does not sign, tax relief before December 31st of this year. - Conn Carroll/Washington Examiner
The choice for voters this fall is clear: vote for Obama and suffer a $494 billion across-the-board tax increase, or vote for the Republican and end the Taxmageddon threat.
The choice for voters this fall is clear: vote for Obama and suffer a $494 billion across-the-board tax increase, or vote for the Republican and end the Taxmageddon threat.
Labels:
Economy,
President/Candidate Obama,
Taxes,
Taxmaggedon
Romney targets Obama's obsession with health care
◼ Remember the days in 2009 and 2010 when President Obama planned to "pivot" to the issue of jobs and the economy? - Byron York/Washington Examiner
Preoccupied with passing his sprawling national health care plan, but faced with a public deeply worried about 10 percent unemployment, Obama found himself under increasing pressure to devote more attention to job creation. So on a number of occasions the president and his aides promised the long-awaited "pivot" was on the way -- just as soon as health care was done.
...Now, Mitt Romney has decided to remind voters of those days. In a campaign appearance in Texas last week, Romney said Obama "knowingly slowed down the recovery in this country ... in order to put in place Obamacare." The president's decision, Romney continued, "deserves a lot of explaining."
...Obamacare is the president's signature achievement. He put aside other things, including economic recovery, to pursue it. He made a choice. And now, Mitt Romney and the voters are perfectly entitled to hold him accountable.
Preoccupied with passing his sprawling national health care plan, but faced with a public deeply worried about 10 percent unemployment, Obama found himself under increasing pressure to devote more attention to job creation. So on a number of occasions the president and his aides promised the long-awaited "pivot" was on the way -- just as soon as health care was done.
...Now, Mitt Romney has decided to remind voters of those days. In a campaign appearance in Texas last week, Romney said Obama "knowingly slowed down the recovery in this country ... in order to put in place Obamacare." The president's decision, Romney continued, "deserves a lot of explaining."
...Obamacare is the president's signature achievement. He put aside other things, including economic recovery, to pursue it. He made a choice. And now, Mitt Romney and the voters are perfectly entitled to hold him accountable.
Wall Street's vote: Romney by a landslide
◼ For three years, Wall Street’s been telling the world how much it can’t stand President Barack Obama. - Abby Philp/Politico
Now, thanks to campaign finance filings, it’s possible to put a price tag on just how much: Mitt Romney's presidential campaign and the super PAC supporting it are outraising Obama among financial-sector donors $37.1 million to $4.8 million.
Near the front of the pack are 19 Obama donors from 2008 who are giving big to Romney.
None of them has given a penny to the president’s reelection campaign or the super PAC supporting it....
“It is critical that the next president appreciates that America’s prosperity is driven by the innovation and hard work of the American worker, whose valiant efforts have, in recent years, been undermined by the oppressive weight of government intervention,” (Ken Griffin, founder of the Chicago-based hedge fund Citadel, told POLITICO in a statement.... More at the link...
◼ Adelson Gives $10 Million to Pro-Romney Super PAC - Alicia Mundy and Sara Murray/Wall St. Journal
◼ AFL-CIO Cutting Their Obama Campaign Donations - Yid With Lid
Now, thanks to campaign finance filings, it’s possible to put a price tag on just how much: Mitt Romney's presidential campaign and the super PAC supporting it are outraising Obama among financial-sector donors $37.1 million to $4.8 million.
Near the front of the pack are 19 Obama donors from 2008 who are giving big to Romney.
None of them has given a penny to the president’s reelection campaign or the super PAC supporting it....
“It is critical that the next president appreciates that America’s prosperity is driven by the innovation and hard work of the American worker, whose valiant efforts have, in recent years, been undermined by the oppressive weight of government intervention,” (Ken Griffin, founder of the Chicago-based hedge fund Citadel, told POLITICO in a statement.... More at the link...
◼ Adelson Gives $10 Million to Pro-Romney Super PAC - Alicia Mundy and Sara Murray/Wall St. Journal
◼ AFL-CIO Cutting Their Obama Campaign Donations - Yid With Lid
Obama Trade Document Leaked, Revealing New Corporate Powers And Broken Campaign Promises
◼ The newly leaked document is one of the most controversial of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. - Zach Carter/Huffington Post
A critical document from President Barack Obama's free trade negotiations with eight Pacific nations was leaked online early Wednesday morning, revealing that the administration intends to bestow radical new political powers upon multinational corporations, contradicting prior promises.
The leaked document has been posted on the website of Public Citizen, a long-time critic of the administration's trade objectives. The new leak follows substantial controversy surrounding the secrecy of the talks, in which some members of Congress have complained they are not being given the same access to trade documents that corporate officials receive.
A critical document from President Barack Obama's free trade negotiations with eight Pacific nations was leaked online early Wednesday morning, revealing that the administration intends to bestow radical new political powers upon multinational corporations, contradicting prior promises.
The leaked document has been posted on the website of Public Citizen, a long-time critic of the administration's trade objectives. The new leak follows substantial controversy surrounding the secrecy of the talks, in which some members of Congress have complained they are not being given the same access to trade documents that corporate officials receive.
ROMNEY LEAPS TO LEAD IN WISCONSIN
◼ Mitt Romney now leads President Obama for the first time in Wisconsin where the president's support has fallen to its lowest level to date. - RASMUSSEN
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Romney with 47% of the vote to Obama’s 44%. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
...Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Wisconsin voters say the choice between Obama and Romney is one they are excited about, while 34% say they will simply be voting for the lesser of two evils this November. This is a higher level of enthusiasm in Wisconsin about this year’s matchup than that measured nationwide.
...Romney also leads in North Carolina and Missouri. The race is a toss-up in Iowa, Ohio, Virginia, Florida and Colorado. Obama leads in Pennsylvania.
◼ One week after the recall election: Romney 47%, Obama 44% in Wisconsin. - Althouse
◼ Pennsylvania in play - Mike Flynn/Breitbart
There is virtually no scenario where Obama loses Pennsylvania, but wins reelection. Although he is still the favorite to win the state, it looks like it will be a battleground in November, forcing Obama to commit resources he would rather spend in other states.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Romney with 47% of the vote to Obama’s 44%. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
...Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Wisconsin voters say the choice between Obama and Romney is one they are excited about, while 34% say they will simply be voting for the lesser of two evils this November. This is a higher level of enthusiasm in Wisconsin about this year’s matchup than that measured nationwide.
...Romney also leads in North Carolina and Missouri. The race is a toss-up in Iowa, Ohio, Virginia, Florida and Colorado. Obama leads in Pennsylvania.
◼ One week after the recall election: Romney 47%, Obama 44% in Wisconsin. - Althouse
◼ Pennsylvania in play - Mike Flynn/Breitbart
There is virtually no scenario where Obama loses Pennsylvania, but wins reelection. Although he is still the favorite to win the state, it looks like it will be a battleground in November, forcing Obama to commit resources he would rather spend in other states.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
SEN CORNYN CALLS ON HOLDER TO RESIGN
◼ SEN CORNYN CALLS ON HOLDER TO RESIGN - Breitbart
◼ Texas senator John Cornyn told Attorney General Eric Holder to resign earlier today at a hearing on Capitol Hill: - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard
◼ Holder rejects resignation call at testy Senate hearing - Sipsey Street Irregulars
◼ Texas senator John Cornyn told Attorney General Eric Holder to resign earlier today at a hearing on Capitol Hill: - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard
◼ Holder rejects resignation call at testy Senate hearing - Sipsey Street Irregulars
Hit The Panic Button For Obama
◼ SPIKE LEE WORRIED ABOUT OBAMA'S RE-ELECTION CHANCES... - Politico
◼ White support cracking... - Gallup
◼ Jewish support in NY drops 22% -- in 1 month! - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard
◼ UNION MEMBERS BAIL... - Paul Bedard/Washington Examiner
◼ Carville, Greenberg, Penn, and Schoen all say the re-elect is off course. The Obamans have always loved criticism from Clintonworld. - Zeke Miller/Buzzfeed
Lee, who hosted a fundraiser for the president in January, said that he “just had a meeting with somebody high up in the Obama campaign” to discuss the race. Not just 'racist people' unhappy... 'People ain't got jobs, people are hurting'...◼ POLL: Obama rapidly losing support among black voters... - Business Insider
◼ White support cracking... - Gallup
◼ Jewish support in NY drops 22% -- in 1 month! - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard
◼ UNION MEMBERS BAIL... - Paul Bedard/Washington Examiner
◼ Carville, Greenberg, Penn, and Schoen all say the re-elect is off course. The Obamans have always loved criticism from Clintonworld. - Zeke Miller/Buzzfeed
"What is clear from this fresh look at public consciousness on the economy is how difficult this period has been for both non-college-educated and college-educated voters — and how vulnerable the prevailing narratives articulated by national Democratic leaders are," they write. "We will face an impossible headwind in November if we do not move to a new narrative, one that contextualizes the recovery but, more importantly, focuses on what we will do to make a better future for the middle class."All via Drudge
Monday, June 11, 2012
(It takes a lot of human failure for thousands to give up verdant California to move to Utah or the Nevada desert.)
◼ The Liberal Super Nova - Victor Davis Hanson/PJM
(T)he hard-Left takeover of the Democratic Party has meant that there is no longer a credible balance in our system, as almost all the tenets of contemporary left-wing ideology are blowing up, imploding super nova style — unsustainable ideas that are contrary to human nature and demand coercion for their implementation, given that they are increasingly anti-democratic and have to be implemented from high by an elite technocracy whether in Brussels, Sacramento, or Washington.
...The liberal model — borrowing huge sums, rigging interest and the currency to enable state profligacy, turning large swaths of the population into less productive unionized government workers or dependents on the dole who vote in thanks to political hacks — simply does not work. How could beautiful blue-state California lose almost a millions refugees to arid Texas? I like Texas, but Dallas had far less of nature to work with than did San Francisco. (It takes a lot of human failure for thousands to give up verdant California to move to Utah or the Nevada desert.) What we are witnessing is nothing short of surreal: in the manner that Tijuana was a different universe from San Diego, so too the entire state of California is becoming a different world from its neighbors. Whether one examines its near dead-last schools, its oppressive income and sales taxes, its decaying roads and infrastructure, its absurd prison system, its dysfunctional state offices (try the DMV), or its priestly public employee caste, California is becoming Detroit.
Do any believe pre-Walker Wisconsin was more viable than it is now? Did union memberships of public workers soar after Wisconsin state employees were given the chance to join or not join the union, or did they dip precipitously among the very class who protested the reforms? (So is it to scream publicly against Walker and then quietly go home to quit the union and get your dues back?)... Read the whole thing... Today's MUST READ..
(T)he hard-Left takeover of the Democratic Party has meant that there is no longer a credible balance in our system, as almost all the tenets of contemporary left-wing ideology are blowing up, imploding super nova style — unsustainable ideas that are contrary to human nature and demand coercion for their implementation, given that they are increasingly anti-democratic and have to be implemented from high by an elite technocracy whether in Brussels, Sacramento, or Washington.
...The liberal model — borrowing huge sums, rigging interest and the currency to enable state profligacy, turning large swaths of the population into less productive unionized government workers or dependents on the dole who vote in thanks to political hacks — simply does not work. How could beautiful blue-state California lose almost a millions refugees to arid Texas? I like Texas, but Dallas had far less of nature to work with than did San Francisco. (It takes a lot of human failure for thousands to give up verdant California to move to Utah or the Nevada desert.) What we are witnessing is nothing short of surreal: in the manner that Tijuana was a different universe from San Diego, so too the entire state of California is becoming a different world from its neighbors. Whether one examines its near dead-last schools, its oppressive income and sales taxes, its decaying roads and infrastructure, its absurd prison system, its dysfunctional state offices (try the DMV), or its priestly public employee caste, California is becoming Detroit.
Do any believe pre-Walker Wisconsin was more viable than it is now? Did union memberships of public workers soar after Wisconsin state employees were given the chance to join or not join the union, or did they dip precipitously among the very class who protested the reforms? (So is it to scream publicly against Walker and then quietly go home to quit the union and get your dues back?)... Read the whole thing... Today's MUST READ..
Labels:
California,
Liberals,
Pendulum,
Progressive Politics,
VDH
Florida to sue DHS in voter registration battle
◼ Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) said he will sue the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to move forward with his controversial attempt to purge the voter rolls in his state of ineligible voters. - Jonathan Easley/The Hill
“I have a job to do to defend the right of legitimate voters,” Scott told Fox News on Monday. “We’ve been asking for the Department of Homeland Security’s database, SAVE, for months, and they haven’t given it to us. So this afternoon, we will be filing a lawsuit, the secretary of State of Florida, against the Department of Homeland Security to give us that database. We want to have fair, honest elections in our state and we have been put in a position that we have to sue the federal government to get this information.”
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner produced the lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C. district court on Monday, shortly after, along with a statement.
“For nearly a year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has failed to meet its legal obligation to provide us the information necessary to identify and remove ineligible voters from Florida’s voter rolls,” Detzner said. “We can’t let the federal government delay our efforts to uphold the integrity of Florida elections any longer. We’ve filed a lawsuit to ensure the law is carried out and we are able to meet our obligation to keep the voter rolls accurate and current.”
“I have a job to do to defend the right of legitimate voters,” Scott told Fox News on Monday. “We’ve been asking for the Department of Homeland Security’s database, SAVE, for months, and they haven’t given it to us. So this afternoon, we will be filing a lawsuit, the secretary of State of Florida, against the Department of Homeland Security to give us that database. We want to have fair, honest elections in our state and we have been put in a position that we have to sue the federal government to get this information.”
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner produced the lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C. district court on Monday, shortly after, along with a statement.
“For nearly a year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has failed to meet its legal obligation to provide us the information necessary to identify and remove ineligible voters from Florida’s voter rolls,” Detzner said. “We can’t let the federal government delay our efforts to uphold the integrity of Florida elections any longer. We’ve filed a lawsuit to ensure the law is carried out and we are able to meet our obligation to keep the voter rolls accurate and current.”
Labels:
DHS,
Florida,
Lawsuits,
Obama Administration,
Voter fraud,
Voter ID
Obama: I couldn’t go to Wisconsin to campaign against Scott Walker because I was busy with stuff
◼ Wasn’t he golfing on Saturday, May 26, ten days before the election? In fact, wasn’t he right next door to Wisconsin in Minnesota and Illinois the Friday before the polls opened? - Allahpundit/HotAir
Let’s see what important presidential responsibilities he was tending to that day:
On Friday, he visited Minneapolis, Minnesota, for a midday speech and three fundraisers. He departed late afternoon for Chicago and three more fundraisers that evening. The president stayed overnight in his hometown and spent Saturday morning at his old home before flying back to Washington, D.C., for a brief stop before heading to Camp David for some downtime.According to BuzzFeed, he held 13 fundraisers during the two weeks before the election....
So just four days before the recall elections in Wisconsin that the state’s Democrats have worked 16 months to win, with potential implications for November 2012, the leader of their party did six fundraisers for himself in surrounding states but couldn’t find time for even a quick stop? Think about it: As Wisconsin Democrats were busy getting voters to cast early ballots Friday and organizing for Tuesday, Air Force One flew overhead twice — from Washington to Minnesota and Minnesota to Chicago.
Labels:
President/Candidate Obama,
Recall effort,
Unions,
Wisconsin
Zogby: Disillusioned young voters dropping out
◼ Nearly four years after enthusiastic younger voters poured into polling booths to help push Barack Obama over the finish line and into the Oval Office, their hope has turned to fear and pollster John Zogby says that they are ready to give up on politics. - Paul Bedard/Washington Examiner
“I truly am worried about today's twenty-somethings,” he frets. “They are our global generation and I have seen them move from hope and grand expectations for themselves and their world to anxiety and disillusionment. We can't afford to lose them,” he adds.
Zogby previewed his remarks to the League of Women Voters 50th anniversary convention Monday night with Secrets. His worry: that younger voters will stop voting.
He is calling on the League of Women Voters to help stop that trend by engaging younger voters, especially women. “You are needed more than ever,” he says of the group. “I see from your mission that you 'encourage' and I think we all need to move into crisis mode and use the word 'engage'. Especially young women.”
______________
Or - conversely, you could encourage them to join Humboldt Republican Women, or the Republican Women Federated group in their area.
“I truly am worried about today's twenty-somethings,” he frets. “They are our global generation and I have seen them move from hope and grand expectations for themselves and their world to anxiety and disillusionment. We can't afford to lose them,” he adds.
Zogby previewed his remarks to the League of Women Voters 50th anniversary convention Monday night with Secrets. His worry: that younger voters will stop voting.
He is calling on the League of Women Voters to help stop that trend by engaging younger voters, especially women. “You are needed more than ever,” he says of the group. “I see from your mission that you 'encourage' and I think we all need to move into crisis mode and use the word 'engage'. Especially young women.”
Or - conversely, you could encourage them to join Humboldt Republican Women, or the Republican Women Federated group in their area.
Obama’s pregnant ‘denials’
◼ President Obama is offended by accusations that the White House authorized leaks of highly classified national security information detailed in Confront and Conceal, a new book by David Sanger of The New York Times. - Jan LaRue/Daily Caller
Obama hasn’t denied that leaks occurred.
“The notion that my White House would purposely release classified national security information is offensive. It’s wrong,” he said during Friday’s press conference.
Media usually call it a “non-denial denial.” The law calls it a “negative pregnant”: a denial of an allegation in which a person actually admits more than he/she denies by denying only a part of the alleged fact.
Does Obama mean that the “notion” is “wrong” because it’s “offensive,” or that it’s wrong because it didn’t happen?
How does he know apart from an independent investigation of everybody in the White House that has access to classified information? What does he mean by “my White House”? Does it include more than him?
Why isn’t he offended if leaks occurred? If they did, why didn’t he promise that whoever is responsible will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law?
Obama hasn’t denied that leaks occurred.
“The notion that my White House would purposely release classified national security information is offensive. It’s wrong,” he said during Friday’s press conference.
Media usually call it a “non-denial denial.” The law calls it a “negative pregnant”: a denial of an allegation in which a person actually admits more than he/she denies by denying only a part of the alleged fact.
Does Obama mean that the “notion” is “wrong” because it’s “offensive,” or that it’s wrong because it didn’t happen?
How does he know apart from an independent investigation of everybody in the White House that has access to classified information? What does he mean by “my White House”? Does it include more than him?
Why isn’t he offended if leaks occurred? If they did, why didn’t he promise that whoever is responsible will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law?
Labels:
Israel,
National Security,
Obama Administration
NET WORTH OF AMERICAN FAMILY FALLS 40% IN 3 YEARS
◼ The Federal Reserve’s detailed survey of consumer finances showed families’ median wealth plunged from $126,400 in 2007 to $77,300 in 2010 — a 39 percent decline. That put them on par with median wealth in 1992. - Ylan Q. Mui/Washington Post
The Fed’s data underscore the depth of the wounds of the Great Recession and how far many families remain from healing. The median value of Americans’ debt did not change between 2007 and 2010. Meanwhile, the housing market crash inflicted particularly severe damage, with the Fed showing that the median value of Americans’ equity in their homes plunged 42.3 percent between 2007 and 2010.
The Fed’s data underscore the depth of the wounds of the Great Recession and how far many families remain from healing. The median value of Americans’ debt did not change between 2007 and 2010. Meanwhile, the housing market crash inflicted particularly severe damage, with the Fed showing that the median value of Americans’ equity in their homes plunged 42.3 percent between 2007 and 2010.
Labels:
Economy,
Housing crisis,
Recession
Obama donors get deal; depositors get ‘stiffed again’
◼ A billionaire Chicago family that has donated and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for President Obama got a deal from the federal government to avoid paying all of a $460 million settlement it agreed to in the 2001 failure of a Chicago-area bank it owned, while 1,400 former depositors are still owed more than $10 million in lost savings.... - Chuck Neubauer/Washington Times
Despite the bank’s failure, the Pritzkers have continued to make money — 11 of the heirs are billionaires, according to Forbes magazine. One of those heirs, Penny Pritzker, was the national finance chairwoman of Mr. Obama’s 2008 presidential race...
Despite the bank’s failure, the Pritzkers have continued to make money — 11 of the heirs are billionaires, according to Forbes magazine. One of those heirs, Penny Pritzker, was the national finance chairwoman of Mr. Obama’s 2008 presidential race...
Obama’s early Chicago rise brought African-Americans foreclosures, bankruptcies
◼ Obama’s early Chicago rise brought African-Americans foreclosures, bankruptcies - Neil Munro/The Daily Caller
Reporters have aggressively sought more information from Romney about his business record, but there is no sign that a single reporter has ever asked Obama about his role in Chicago’s housing disaster....
President Barack Obama wants his 2012 re-election campaign to focus on Gov. Mitt Romney’s private-sector record, but his own private-sector history shows that he promoted and profited from the nation’s disastrous real-estate bubble. One striking example comes from the president’s 1995 housing-discrimination class action lawsuit: It provided him with legal fees, greased his political donations and boosted his role in Chicago politics.... Details at the link.
Reporters have aggressively sought more information from Romney about his business record, but there is no sign that a single reporter has ever asked Obama about his role in Chicago’s housing disaster....
President Barack Obama wants his 2012 re-election campaign to focus on Gov. Mitt Romney’s private-sector record, but his own private-sector history shows that he promoted and profited from the nation’s disastrous real-estate bubble. One striking example comes from the president’s 1995 housing-discrimination class action lawsuit: It provided him with legal fees, greased his political donations and boosted his role in Chicago politics.... Details at the link.
A Republican Liberation Movement
◼ The real lesson of Wisconsin is that the Republican Party is at its strongest and greatest when it acts as a revolutionary liberation movement, breaking apart the power relationships of the Democratic Party that stifle people's personal, economic and religious lives. - Sultan Knish
The Democratic Party has made it its mandate to politicize and collectivize the personal. It has done this to militarize every area of life, to transform all human activities into a battlefield and to bring every area of life under the aegis of its power relationships. These power relationships form its infrastructure, fusing together governmental and non-governmental organizations, to form the true ruling class....
What the left fears more than anything else is being "defunded". What it fears is that its massive ranks of organizations will become completely impotent, with little funding, and no power over people....
People are not interested in abstract debates, they are interested in concrete benefits. The left has made it its mission to give them concrete benefits, while hiding the true cost of those benefits, and the restrictions that come with them. Only when people have grown used to the benefits, do they begin to experience the true cost and the power of the cage that has been built around them with their consent.
Every benefit comes with two degradations. Every protection comes with two restrictions. Every new system is inherently unstable and can only be maintained through the selective oppression of divide- and-conquer politics, cynically applied by the ruling class for the protection of those they oppress. Most people instinctively experience this, without always understanding it; it is why they distrust the government and wish there were fewer laws, fewer enforcers and more breathing room.
If there is to be a true Republican revolution, then it will have to be based around giving it to them, it will have to be based on smashing the power relationships, the governmental and non-governmental infrastructures of the left, the vast machine of many parts that grinds everyone up into its collectivist maw, and giving back their birthright of freedom to the people....
The Democratic Party has made it its mandate to politicize and collectivize the personal. It has done this to militarize every area of life, to transform all human activities into a battlefield and to bring every area of life under the aegis of its power relationships. These power relationships form its infrastructure, fusing together governmental and non-governmental organizations, to form the true ruling class....
What the left fears more than anything else is being "defunded". What it fears is that its massive ranks of organizations will become completely impotent, with little funding, and no power over people....
People are not interested in abstract debates, they are interested in concrete benefits. The left has made it its mission to give them concrete benefits, while hiding the true cost of those benefits, and the restrictions that come with them. Only when people have grown used to the benefits, do they begin to experience the true cost and the power of the cage that has been built around them with their consent.
Every benefit comes with two degradations. Every protection comes with two restrictions. Every new system is inherently unstable and can only be maintained through the selective oppression of divide- and-conquer politics, cynically applied by the ruling class for the protection of those they oppress. Most people instinctively experience this, without always understanding it; it is why they distrust the government and wish there were fewer laws, fewer enforcers and more breathing room.
If there is to be a true Republican revolution, then it will have to be based around giving it to them, it will have to be based on smashing the power relationships, the governmental and non-governmental infrastructures of the left, the vast machine of many parts that grinds everyone up into its collectivist maw, and giving back their birthright of freedom to the people....
Labels:
Daniel Greenfield,
Democrats,
Freedom,
Power Grab,
Republicans,
Ron Nehring,
Today's MUST READ,
Unions
California deficit drives shift in state's welfare philosophy
◼ Pressured by a $16 billion budget deficit, Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing a major overhaul of the state's welfare-to-work program with the strategy of slashing people's benefits to motivate them to get jobs faster. - AP/Contra Costa Times
The move, if approved by the state Legislature as part of the 2012-13 budget package, would save $880 million, but beyond the savings, analysts say it represents a shift in the philosophy of how the Golden State helps its neediest residents.
"It's a reversal of the state's historic commitment to these families and children," said Scott Graves, senior policy analyst with the California Budget Project. "It's a very significant change."
California is the national leader in welfare recipients. About 3.8 percent of state residents were on welfare in 2010, the highest percentage in the country. In fact, California houses about a third of the nation's welfare recipients, while only housing one-eighth of the national population.
The move, if approved by the state Legislature as part of the 2012-13 budget package, would save $880 million, but beyond the savings, analysts say it represents a shift in the philosophy of how the Golden State helps its neediest residents.
"It's a reversal of the state's historic commitment to these families and children," said Scott Graves, senior policy analyst with the California Budget Project. "It's a very significant change."
California is the national leader in welfare recipients. About 3.8 percent of state residents were on welfare in 2010, the highest percentage in the country. In fact, California houses about a third of the nation's welfare recipients, while only housing one-eighth of the national population.
Labels:
Budget,
California,
Spending Cuts,
Welfare
Media Discover the Obvious in Obama's 'Dreams'
◼ I did not need Maraniss' help to come to this conclusion. I had making this case for nearly four years. A little more than a year ago, David Sessions of the Daily Beast interviewed me after the release of my own book, Deconstructing Obama. His is a relatively civil take on the response I got from establishment media, left and right:
His new book . . . is a good example of why few people believe him. Written like an adventure story, with Cashill as the main character, it intensifies a crusade he launched on the eve of the 2008 election: To prove that former radical Weather Underground activist Bill Ayers actually wrote Obama's celebrated memoir, Dreams from My Father. Along the way, Cashill throws in that Obama possibly invented a college girlfriend and has repeatedly told false stories about his childhood.
◼ Barack Obama’s Ever-Changing Story
◼ Dreams of My Ghostwriter’s Ex: Did Bill Ayers Use Dead Weather Underground Terrorist Diana Oughton as Model for Obama’s ‘Composite’ Girlfriend? - The Other McCain
◼ Yavelow Study Confirms Ayers Hand In Obama's "Dreams" - Jack Cashill/World Net Daily 2006
His new book . . . is a good example of why few people believe him. Written like an adventure story, with Cashill as the main character, it intensifies a crusade he launched on the eve of the 2008 election: To prove that former radical Weather Underground activist Bill Ayers actually wrote Obama's celebrated memoir, Dreams from My Father. Along the way, Cashill throws in that Obama possibly invented a college girlfriend and has repeatedly told false stories about his childhood.
◼ Barack Obama’s Ever-Changing Story
◼ Dreams of My Ghostwriter’s Ex: Did Bill Ayers Use Dead Weather Underground Terrorist Diana Oughton as Model for Obama’s ‘Composite’ Girlfriend? - The Other McCain
◼ Yavelow Study Confirms Ayers Hand In Obama's "Dreams" - Jack Cashill/World Net Daily 2006
In early October, a friend of Chris Yavelow’s forwarded him a copy of my article, “Who Wrote Obama’s Dreams From My Father.” In the article, I make the case that erstwhile terrorist Bill Ayers had a substantial and easily detectable hand in the writing of Obama’s lyrical masterwork, one that Time Magazine has called “the best-written memoir ever produced by an American politician.”
The friend knew that Yavelow, an award-winning composer and author, had worked for years developing what he believes is the most comprehensive linguistics tool for authorship detection, a software product trademarked as FictionFixer.
Yavelow contacted me and I sent him some relevant materials. When he ran the two books nominally by Barack Obama, the 1995 Dreams From My Father and the 2006 Audacity of Hope, through FictionFixer, he concluded, “They were written by different people.”
Labels:
President/Candidate Obama
California budget due in five four days
◼ California lawmakers have until Friday to balance California’s budget. Lawmakers said they have already agreed on about $14 billion in spending cuts, but still need to cut about $2 billion more. - KCRA
Governor Jerry Brown has proposed focusing the remaining cuts largely on California’s health and welfare programs....
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez met with Governor Brown in closed door meetings over the weekend in the hopes of reaching a compromise.
◼ California legislative leaders huddle before budget vote - Sacramento Bee
Legislative Democrats will vote by Friday's deadline on a state budget that has a "very substantial reserve" and is free of gimmicks to erase a $15.7 billion deficit, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said this morning.
Lawmakers face a constitutional deadline Friday to pass a budget under threat of losing their pay.
Governor Jerry Brown has proposed focusing the remaining cuts largely on California’s health and welfare programs....
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Perez met with Governor Brown in closed door meetings over the weekend in the hopes of reaching a compromise.
◼ California legislative leaders huddle before budget vote - Sacramento Bee
Legislative Democrats will vote by Friday's deadline on a state budget that has a "very substantial reserve" and is free of gimmicks to erase a $15.7 billion deficit, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said this morning.
Lawmakers face a constitutional deadline Friday to pass a budget under threat of losing their pay.
Labels:
Budget,
California,
Spending Cuts
Use Snopes to check internet/e-mail rumors
◼ Claim: Ann Romney said men "deserve to be paid at a higher rate" than women.
Did Ann Romney really say this:
Did Ann Romney really say this:
"Why should women be paid equal to men? Men have been in the working world a lot longer and deserve to be paid at a higher rate. Heck, I'm a working mom and I've not paid a dime. I depend on my husband to provide for me and my family, as should most women ... and if a woman does work, she should be happy just to be out there in the working world and quit complaining that she's not making as much as her male counterparts. I mean really, all this wanting to be equal nonsense is going to be detrimental to the future of women everywhere. Who's going to want to hire a woman, or for that matter, even marry a woman who thinks she is the same, if not better than a man at any job. It's almost laughable. C'mon now ladies, are you with me on this?"Answer: NO. It's an unattributed excerpt from a spoof article published on 18 April 2012 by the satirical web site Free Wood Post, whose disclaimer notes that:
The article I read says this was a direct quote from a "Moms for Mitt" meeting in Philadelphia on April 17th.
Free Wood Post is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within FreeWoodPost.com are fiction, and presumably fake news.Also, you can check urbanlegends and hoax-slayer. You'll find both on our LINKS page.
Labels:
Ann Romney,
Hoax,
Internet
Sunday, June 10, 2012
"He's busy. He's running for president. But why? He could be president now if he wanted to be."
◼ The Obama referendum - Chicago Tribune Editorial
Quick — who's the most fearless politician in America? Not the one with whom you most agree. Not the one whose dulcet words and seductive smile best say, You people have no choice but to love me. No, who's the politician who courageously risks his or her career with every provocative proposal — and who doesn't care if multitudes of us flagrantly disagree?
Clues: He lives beyond The Cheddar Curtain. And on Tuesday he decisively won an election.
Scott Walker, the governor so polarizing that TV talking heads have made that adjective part of his name, took office early last year committed to live or die by his agenda for rescuing Wisconsin from deficit spending and dangerous debt. You decide the significance of his introducing his bombastic 2011 legislative package on Feb. 14 — a toxic Valentine, perhaps, to his apoplectic opponents.
And on Tuesday, Walker not only lived, he lived large. He had delivered solutions. We'll pause here for the side debate on whether his style — choose uncompromising or obnoxious, principled or vicious — is one to emulate.
On this we all can agree: Wisconsin's election was a referendum on Walker. All else paled. A traditionally liberal electorate knew he had made mistakes, then decided that, on balance, his policies had helped his state. That conclusion — not whichever Democratic candidate opposed him — sealed Walker's fate.
We invoke Wisconsin not to predict the outcome of the nationwide presidential race, but rather for what it teaches about the sitting president.... Read the rest, at the link.
◼ And where is the president in all this? On his way to Anna Wintour's house. He's busy. He's running for president. But why? He could be president now if he wanted to be. - Peggy Noonan/Wall St. Journal
Quick — who's the most fearless politician in America? Not the one with whom you most agree. Not the one whose dulcet words and seductive smile best say, You people have no choice but to love me. No, who's the politician who courageously risks his or her career with every provocative proposal — and who doesn't care if multitudes of us flagrantly disagree?
Clues: He lives beyond The Cheddar Curtain. And on Tuesday he decisively won an election.
Scott Walker, the governor so polarizing that TV talking heads have made that adjective part of his name, took office early last year committed to live or die by his agenda for rescuing Wisconsin from deficit spending and dangerous debt. You decide the significance of his introducing his bombastic 2011 legislative package on Feb. 14 — a toxic Valentine, perhaps, to his apoplectic opponents.
And on Tuesday, Walker not only lived, he lived large. He had delivered solutions. We'll pause here for the side debate on whether his style — choose uncompromising or obnoxious, principled or vicious — is one to emulate.
On this we all can agree: Wisconsin's election was a referendum on Walker. All else paled. A traditionally liberal electorate knew he had made mistakes, then decided that, on balance, his policies had helped his state. That conclusion — not whichever Democratic candidate opposed him — sealed Walker's fate.
We invoke Wisconsin not to predict the outcome of the nationwide presidential race, but rather for what it teaches about the sitting president.... Read the rest, at the link.
◼ And where is the president in all this? On his way to Anna Wintour's house. He's busy. He's running for president. But why? He could be president now if he wanted to be. - Peggy Noonan/Wall St. Journal
Rep. Paulsen Gives GOP Response: Obamacare "Standing In The Way" Of Strong Economy
◼ GOP: In this week's address, Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN) discusses the House's recent vote to repeal the medical device tax included in the president's health care law. - Real Clear Politics
◼ GOP: Obama's 'policies are standing in the way of a stronger economy' - Andrew Malcolm, Investors Business Daily
◼ Paulsen said he just wants to protect the medical device industry from the 2.3 percent tax on revenue set to take effect in January. - minnesota.cbslocal
“There are estimates that say that this will result in ten percent loss of jobs in the industry. Here in Minnesota, we are talking more than 4,000 jobs, and that’s a good number of jobs. Good paying jobs. What I worry about most is that I’ve talked to a lot of folks who are already planning for the tax,” Paulsen said
Learn more: ◼ http://jobs.GOP.gov
Labels:
Congress,
Obamacare,
Republicans
Gallup Poll: Jewish Support for Obama Plummets
◼ In the first significant drop in Jewish support for a Democratic Party candidate in over two decades, President Barack Obama has seen a 10-point plunge in support among Jewish voters, according to the Gallup polling agency. - Newsmax
The move is significant because American Jews overwhelmingly been bedrock supporters of the Democratic Party for decades. Often regarded as instinctively liberal but hawks on support for Israel, Jews are a key voting bloc in Florida, one of a handful of high electoral vote “swing” states Obama must win to defeat Romney. It could also make a difference in a close race in Ohio or Pennsylvania.
The Republican Jewish Coalition notes the 29 percent of Jewish voters who support Romney, represents the “highest level of Jewish support for a Republican presidential candidate in 24 years.” RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said that if the numbers hold in November, they would spell "a disaster" for Obama and his party.
◼ Mormons Widely Favor Romney; Jewish Voters Back Obama - Gallup
Mormon registered voters overwhelmingly support the candidacy of the first major-party presidential candidate of the Mormon faith, with 84% saying they would vote for Mitt Romney, compared with 13% who prefer Barack Obama. Obama, meanwhile, enjoys solid support from Jewish voters, 64% to 29%.
Gallup previously analyzed the preferences of the major religious groups in the United States. Currently, Protestants favor Romney by 52% to 40%, nonreligious voters favor Obama by 65% to 25%, and Catholics are evenly divided between the two (46% Obama, 45% Romney).
...In comparison to registered-voter data from October and November 2008, Romney appears to be doing better among Mormons than John McCain did, and Obama appears to be doing worse among Jews than he did in the last election. This is the case on both an absolute and a relative basis, taking into account the fact that Obama is running less well now among all registered voters than he did in the fall of 2008
The move is significant because American Jews overwhelmingly been bedrock supporters of the Democratic Party for decades. Often regarded as instinctively liberal but hawks on support for Israel, Jews are a key voting bloc in Florida, one of a handful of high electoral vote “swing” states Obama must win to defeat Romney. It could also make a difference in a close race in Ohio or Pennsylvania.
The Republican Jewish Coalition notes the 29 percent of Jewish voters who support Romney, represents the “highest level of Jewish support for a Republican presidential candidate in 24 years.” RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said that if the numbers hold in November, they would spell "a disaster" for Obama and his party.
◼ Mormons Widely Favor Romney; Jewish Voters Back Obama - Gallup
Mormon registered voters overwhelmingly support the candidacy of the first major-party presidential candidate of the Mormon faith, with 84% saying they would vote for Mitt Romney, compared with 13% who prefer Barack Obama. Obama, meanwhile, enjoys solid support from Jewish voters, 64% to 29%.
Gallup previously analyzed the preferences of the major religious groups in the United States. Currently, Protestants favor Romney by 52% to 40%, nonreligious voters favor Obama by 65% to 25%, and Catholics are evenly divided between the two (46% Obama, 45% Romney).
...In comparison to registered-voter data from October and November 2008, Romney appears to be doing better among Mormons than John McCain did, and Obama appears to be doing worse among Jews than he did in the last election. This is the case on both an absolute and a relative basis, taking into account the fact that Obama is running less well now among all registered voters than he did in the fall of 2008
Stuxnet details leaked to boost Obama, alleges McCain
◼ Lawmakers vow to crack down on intelligence leaks - FOX
"There has been just a cascade of leaks coming out of the intelligence community in the last several weeks and months," the vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss told reporters. "It's our clear intention to put a stop to this."
◼ New York Times journalist defends national security leaks - Morgan Little/LA Times
Two stories published by the New York Times, which ◼ exposed the extent of U.S. involvement in cyber attacks against Iran and the ◼ White House’s secret 'Kill List,' have sparked scrutiny over the last week amid allegations that administration officials had leaked classified information for political gain.◼ Cyber-gloating - John E Dunn, TechWorld
"They're intentionally leaking information to enhance President Obama's image as a tough guy for the elections. That is unconscionable," McCain later said in interviews.◼ MAG: Leaker-in-chief... - Lee Smith/Weekly Standard, via Drudge
Last week, legislators on both sides of the aisle deplored the administration’s inability, or unwillingness, to keep national security secrets. Leaders of the Senate and House intelligence committees—Senators Saxby Chambliss and Dianne Feinstein and Representatives Mike Rogers and C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger—released a statement noting, “We have become increasingly concerned at the continued leaks regarding sensitive intelligence programs and activities, including specific details of sources and methods.”◼ Holder appoints 2 prosecutors to investigate... - Reuters
Holder said the investigation would be headed by U.S. Attorneys Ronald Machen Jr. of Washington, D.C., and Rod Rosenstein of Maryland, who would be "fully authorized to prosecute criminal violations discovered as a result of their investigation."◼ Machen was nominated BY OBAMA... - Wikipedia
"The unauthorized disclosure of classified information can compromise the security of this country and all Americans and it will not be tolerated," Holder said in a statement.
◼ Obama to nominate Machen to be District's top prosecutor...donated $4,350 to Obama's campaigns - Del Quentin Wilber/Washington Post
◼ Either President or NYT Is Wrong... - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard
President Obama at a press conference this morning insisted that high-level national security leaks are not coming from the White House. "The notion that my White House would purposefully release classified information is offensive," President Obama said.◼ OH NO YOU DIDN'T: MOSSAD AGENTS CLAIM OBAMA LYING ABOUT STUXNET - Joel Pollak/Breitbart's BIG Peace
But a Republican memo from the Senate Republican Policy Committee maintains that either the president or the New York Times is wrong.
"It would appear the President’s statement and the New York Times statements directly conflict with each other and cannot both be true at the same time," the memo states.
Israeli officials who were placed at risk by the Obama administration's leaks about the Stuxnet virus are disputing American claims that the cyber-weapon was jointly developed by the U.S. and Israel. Rather, they say, Israeli intelligence first started developing cyberspace warfare against Iran, only convincing the U.S.--with some difficulty--to join in. The Israelis allege that President Barack Obama claimed credit for Stuxnet to boost his re-election campaign.◼ Senator Feinstein’s Very Specific Code Word Regarding Barack Obama - The Ulsterman Report
...the exact phrase spoken by Senator Feinstein aimed directly at Barack Obama:◼ Dianne Feinstein vents ire over 'avalanche of leaks' - Politico
What we’re seeing…is an Anschluss, an avalanche of leaks. And it’s very, very disturbing. You know, it’s dismayed our allies. It puts American lives in jeopardy. It puts our nation’s security in jeopardy.
The bipartisan leaders of the intelligence panels from the House and Senate have scheduled an unusual joint news conference Thursday afternoon to address growing anger and concern in Congress about a series of news accounts in recent weeks that have contained details about sensitive U.S. efforts to undermine Iran's nuclear program and to infiltrate terrorist networks.
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