Monthly Archives: August 2013
Newsbusted TV, 8/13/2013
So far the IRS has only provided less than two-tenths of one percent of the documents requested by Congress. Why don’t you try to pay only two-tenths of one percent of your taxes next year and see what happens.
h/t Jodi Miller
Islam’s War On Islam
Next time you hear some jerk talk about the war on Islam, make sure you tell them it isn’t being waged by Christians. It’s being waged by Islam.
Suspected Islamic militants wearing army fatigues gunned down 44 people praying at a mosque in northeast Nigeria, while another 12 civilians died in an apparently simultaneous attack, security agents said Monday.
Rep. Mike Hill (FL-2) Appears On Scarborough’s ‘Morning Joe’
In the best four minutes I’ve seen on the MSNBC network, my Representative Mike Hill (FL-2) appeared on Morning Joe.
I love his American perspective, as guided by the Constitution. It’s what our founding fathers intended for our country.
And, this is what conservatism is about, and what we need more of in Washington. None of this identity politics that President Obama and his party play, dividing this country in every way imaginable.
Obama, Americans Losing Confidence
Through the smoke and mirrors in his first news conference in four months, President Obama shows us one hand, while hiding the other. He acknowledges that the American people have a growing lack of confidence in what goes on in Washington. You know, from all those phony scandals which, btw, he has refused to
name. Why? Maybe because not one “reporter” asked him what he thought the phony scandals were, or are? And it’s not about Bradley Manning or Edward Snowden.
It’s not enough for me as president to have confidence in these programs. The American people have to have confidence as well.
To restore confidence, the President is going to have to do more than speak about it as an innocent bystander. A tactic the media lets him get away with.
So far, all he has actually done drains confidence, not builds it. Americans are losing confidence. Not only because of the NSA spying (on Americans) programs, the intimidation from the IRS, and the not-so-blind justice of the Justice Department, but also because no one has been held to account. Not NSA Director James Clapper for lying to Congress. IRS officials that we know (so far) were responsible for targeting political adversaries have received promotions. And not one policy change, zip, zero, nada, has been made to insure that such government intimidation and abuse of power won’t, or can’t, happen again.
There’s plenty of reasons Americans are losing confidence in their government Mr. President. It all starts, and ends, with you!
Link: Obama speaks out on Snowden, calls for greater transparency on surveillance
h/t Mark O’Brien
Bang! Stop Or I’ll Shoot
In the ‘I can’t believe this is happening’ department, Escambia County Deputies are involved in another shooting.
With no search warrant, Escambia County deputies climbed through the window of a Warrington couple’s home in search of a suspect, and, shot the owner’s two dogs. One of which died. No arrests were made. And no one, except for the police, was armed. At this point in the investigation, it is believed that there were exigent circumstances that permitted the police to enter the house without a search warrant. But that does not account for shooting the dogs in their own home.
I’m prejudiced, I’m a dog owner. I know my dog wouldn’t sit and watch you enter a window in my house without being challenged and barked at, at the least.
But for the belligerent behavior of the Deputies acting like burglars, neither animal would have been put in a position to risk his/her life for protecting their domain.
What harm is caused by removing yourself from the situation (a reasonable retreat) until the owners can wake up and open the door?
Link: Escambia County deputies shoot two dogs | Deputies shoot man in his front yard
Mexico’s Energy Reform, Introduce Private Enterprise
The United States isn’t the only country in the hemisphere suffering from an incoherent energy policy. An effective energy policy is one that gets energy instead of one that won’t use all energy resources available.
Mexico’s problem . . .
Mexico is the world’s 10th-biggest producer of crude oil, according to OPEC data, yet output has fallen by a quarter since hitting peak production of 3.4 million barrels per day in 2004. The country also is a top oil exporter to the United States but has to import nearly half of its gasoline due to a lack of domestic refining capacity.
Our problem? We haven’t built a new refinery in decades. The government limits the energy industry by restricting access to available resources to the bidding of regulatory agencies and special interests whose goals, although noble, are not ready for prime time nor economically feasible at this time. Not only that, but the oil industry has become deformed as a private enterprise, a result of growing government intervention.
Parallels abound between the role government plays in United States and that of Europe and Mexico. Economically, Europe, and toss Russia into the mix too, is introducing more capitalism, private sector business and ownership, as a way to raise them from the economic malaise that their socialist models have produced. On the energy front, Mexico is looking to change from their total government-controlled and owned energy sector to one that, for the first time, introduces private enterprise into the mix.
The teachable moment here is where we, as a country, are going wrong. Economically, we are trying to go to a place that from experience, Europe is trying to get away from. On the energy front, the political party in power is inclined to nationalizing the energy industry whether by fiat or through regulatory agencies. The opposite to what, from experience, Mexico sees as a solution.
It’s been proven it can be done. They just took the health care industry, sixteen percent of our entire economy. And just like in Mexico, there are challenges to making real reform. We should know why Europe and Mexico envy what we have accomplished under free-market capitalism. Which is why we should resist any changes that take us to a place from which they are running.
Link: Mexico energy reform due this week, debate over contracts
Congress Asks For, And Gets Exemption From Obamacare
Taxpayers will continue to subsidize the health insurance of members of congress and the staffers that work for them at 75% of the premium. Contrary to what the legislation says, they won’t have to get the same 
insurance that we do. It’s more thumbing their nose at the folks by this administration. Not only has the word “fair” been stricken from the issue, but breaking the law to do it is no big deal. Obama is above the law, and no media is holding him to account.
It’s hard to find any sympathy for the members and their aides when they make from $75,000 to $170,000 a year. And they can’t afford the Affordable Care Act? And we have to continue to pay 75% of their health insurance? Really?
The scandal is just exacerbated by the silence of the mainstream media. Can you imagine them being quiet about this if there was an R in The White House?
Oh but wait! There is another group in line for a quid pro quo from the President when it comes to Obamacare, aka the Affordable Care Act. Big Labor can’t afford it either. You know, those workers that sold their souls to union bosses and make upwards of 20 and 30 dollars an hour? Now that they’ve found out what’s in it, they don’t like it either. They don’t want to lose the health insurance that Obama said they wouldn’t lose. And they don’t want to have to pay an additional tax because they have a so-called Cadillac plan. Yep, they’ll be next, and Obama will break the law and exempt them. And the media will just grin at that one too.
aSide Order
Citizen Co-Sponsor Project, Your Chance To Show Your Interest
Got a note from my Congressman, Jeff Miller (R-FL1), informing me about a website designed to take public input on legislation of the 113th Congress. It is set up where you can browse bills in categories that interest you, and can become a “co-sponsor” of them, any of them, if you wish. And if you know of a bill that isn’t listed, simply use the search box by bill number to bring it up so you, and now others, can become a co-sponsor too!
It is a tool that allows the House to see what bills are important to you so please use it. It’s a pretty cool tool.
Link: Citizen Cosponsor Project
Depends on what the meaning of ‘Service’ is
I became confused when I heard the word “Service” used with these agencies:
Internal Revenue ‘Service’
U.S. Postal ‘Service’
Telephone ‘Service’
Cable TV ‘Service’
Civil ‘Service’
State, City, County & Public ‘Service’
Customer ‘Service’
This is not what I thought ‘Service’ meant.
But today, I overheard two farmers talking, and one of them said he had hired a bull to ‘Service’ a few cows. BAM!!! It all came into focus. Now I understand what all those agencies are doing.
I hope that you are now just as enlightened as I am.
Some lawmakers are not making laws, KUDOS to them!
It’s always been my contention that the people we elect to represent us should not be called “lawmakers,” just because they can and do make laws. The Constitution does not demand that they make laws. But if laws are to be made, only they can do it.
Consequently, The Lunch Counter wants to recognize sixteen members of Congress, 2 senators and 14 13 members of the House, for resisting to make new laws. I’m of the belief that after over 230 years of existence, there are enough laws out there already. It’s so bad, that laws are being made because other laws are not being enforced. Can you say . . . immigration?
Not surprisingly, some on the Left are calling this Congress the least productive in modern history. This includes 6 freshmen House members.
Our elected representatives ought to be called “managers” instead of lawmakers. Then maybe they would feel compelled abide by the Constitution and look out for the folks instead of dreaming up new ways to put limits on our freedom ,which in most cases, is what laws do.
According to govtrack.us . . .
The members of Congress who haven’t filed a bill so far are an assorted bunch. The list includes House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), whose many administrative and procedural duties preclude him from being very active in proposing legislation.
Six of the members who haven’t yet filed a bill are in their first term: freshmen Rep. George Holding (R-NC), Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC), Rep. Bradley Schneider (D-IL), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and Sen. Jeffrey Chiesa (R-NJ), who was appointed to the seat vacated by the death of Frank Lautenberg in June. Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC), who previously served in Congress in 2000 but began this term in May after winning a special election, also hasn’t yet filed a bill. (H.R.3051, 8/2/2013) These lawmakers are presumably taking the time to learn how Congress works and decide on their legislative agenda.
The remaining eight members of the House with no bill in their name have been in Congress for a while: Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL), Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), Rep. Kay Granger(R-TX), Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-TX),Rep. David Scott (D-GA) and Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA).
Since govtrack.us published the article, 7/22/2013, Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) sponsored H.R.3051, a bill to extend State jurisdiction over submerged lands and to allow States to grant oil and natural gas leases in the extended area. Hit the Citizen Cosponsor Project to become a co-sponsor.
“One Spin, One Win,” The 2014 Election
You could say that politics in 2013 and leading up to the 2014 election is not unlike the wheel games on the boardwalk. A big win for either party is not certain. It’s not even certain that one party will win. The balance of power could stay as it is, which isn’t enough to stop America’s decline.
Some say, like this article, that the Tea Party (which isn’t an actual party, but a group of political conservatives) has lost its power due in part to its low profile compared to a few years ago when it took the House in the 2010 election. And also point to some of their “candidates” beginning to change color and lose favor. Sen. Marco Rubio for example, was against immigration reform without border security first, before he was for it. Who the Tea Party gets behind in 2014 and 2016 remains to be seen. They have had enough of politicians that lack the backbone to stand up for conservative principles, ALL the time.
Then there are the democrats that have had enough of the “Hope and Change” vapors. Who instead want to see the promises (any of them) come to fruition. Too bad it took five years for them to see that the man they elected hasn’t a clue about solving why they still don’t have a job, why their health care is getting more expensive, and why their dollar is worth less and less every day. While they all won’t switch their political party, they might sit the next election out. A phenomenon that cost Romney his election win when, compared to 2008, over 3 million republicans stayed home and didn’t vote. On top of buyer’s remorse, you have Democrats like Louisianans Elbert Guillary and Ralph Washington switching to the Republican Party.
Both parties have reason for concern. If Democrats keep the Senate and take the House back, it’s game over for America as we know it. High unemployment the new norm. Overbearing government control of our lives, despite the Constitution, the new norm. And the so-called “lame duck” will be anything but lame. The stakes couldn’t be higher for Republicans to get behind the conservatism that got them elected in 2010, if they ever intend to get control of the Senate, keep the House, and turn this ship around. They actually can make Obama’s promises come to fruition. Being Democrat-lite is a loser.
Links: Tea Party Plans to Abandon GOP Stars | Two Black Democrats Become Republicans in Louisiana