Petri got rather wealthy while "representing" Wisconsin--and doesn't even know for certain where he actually lives.
But he sure likes those fraudulent tax breaks!!
Great.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Rubio Jams It Right Up Harkin's Rectum
When Rubio wants to, he can be a fire-breathing conservative.
And here he rips Tom the Commie Harkin (senator from Corn-A-Holers) a new orifice.
Watch the whole thing b/c Rubio knows rhetoric. It builds to the finale.
Incidentally, Rubio also goes a little cryptic to not-quite-name the US-based Big Business which has a monetary interest in Harkin's crap-shoveling exercise. Reminds me of the evening I told an Allis-Chalmers executive exactly where to shove his Vietnam War-mongering--which benefitted Allis-Chalmers, but none of the 50,000 dead US soldiers.
And here he rips Tom the Commie Harkin (senator from Corn-A-Holers) a new orifice.
Watch the whole thing b/c Rubio knows rhetoric. It builds to the finale.
Incidentally, Rubio also goes a little cryptic to not-quite-name the US-based Big Business which has a monetary interest in Harkin's crap-shoveling exercise. Reminds me of the evening I told an Allis-Chalmers executive exactly where to shove his Vietnam War-mongering--which benefitted Allis-Chalmers, but none of the 50,000 dead US soldiers.
Monday, February 24, 2014
We're Not Rubes, Mitch!
A fine essay in which the oleaginous Mitch McConnell is called out for what he is: a Statist who thinks that he's pulled one over on the rubes of the TEA Party.
He did not, of course. He shoved another several $Zillion in debt up the a** of the taxpayer class.
We will remember that, Mitch, you slimebucket.
He did not, of course. He shoved another several $Zillion in debt up the a** of the taxpayer class.
We will remember that, Mitch, you slimebucket.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Kirk, the Liberal?
Long-ish essay which points out the fact that "choice" is not merely code for "abortion" or homosex "marriage." It also shines a light on Kirk's liberalism as a descendant of Bacon's. That isn't really good, because Bacon (and his secretary Hobbes) separated man from nature. That was a radical departure from the Aristotelian/Thomistic concept.
Hobbes went on to enshrine 'choice', albeit within bounds established by the State; but that led to the explosion of positive law. In other words, the more 'choices' one has, the more laws the State must create. And since Kirk agrees with both propositions, the "liberal/conservative" arguments we hear today are really "liberal/liberal" arguments.
Don't believe me? Read the essay--from Deneen, of course.
Added: Grim takes up the discussion.
Hobbes went on to enshrine 'choice', albeit within bounds established by the State; but that led to the explosion of positive law. In other words, the more 'choices' one has, the more laws the State must create. And since Kirk agrees with both propositions, the "liberal/conservative" arguments we hear today are really "liberal/liberal" arguments.
Don't believe me? Read the essay--from Deneen, of course.
Added: Grim takes up the discussion.
IRS, Obozo's Storm Troopers in Wisconsin
Our little President recently declared to O'Reilly that the IRS targeting of TEA Party groups was a 'bonehead move'. Since the IRS slimeball (Lerner) took the Fifth, we can safely assume that it was more than a 'bonehead move.' The Fifth privilege is reserved for criminal activity.
Our little President also wants you to believe that the TEA Party audits were the first and only time that IRS acted as his personal storm-troopers.
He lies.
Back in 2010, Napolitano famously issued a document declaring that (among others) pro-lifers were 'threats' to the Republic. (no small irony there). One of those "threats" was Pro-Life Wisconsin.
After Pro-Life Wisconsin forced Napolitano to rescind her slander, the IRS moved in.
They audited Pro-Life Wisconsin, one of its Board members, and two of its major contributors.
Don't bother with FOIA to get the documentation which led Napolitano to her slander. That documentation has mysteriously disappeared.
And don't think for one minute that storm-troopers have to be armed.
But YOU should be....
Our little President also wants you to believe that the TEA Party audits were the first and only time that IRS acted as his personal storm-troopers.
He lies.
Back in 2010, Napolitano famously issued a document declaring that (among others) pro-lifers were 'threats' to the Republic. (no small irony there). One of those "threats" was Pro-Life Wisconsin.
After Pro-Life Wisconsin forced Napolitano to rescind her slander, the IRS moved in.
They audited Pro-Life Wisconsin, one of its Board members, and two of its major contributors.
Don't bother with FOIA to get the documentation which led Napolitano to her slander. That documentation has mysteriously disappeared.
And don't think for one minute that storm-troopers have to be armed.
But YOU should be....
Obozo, Diagnosed
Interesting. Seems that the psychologists knew all about Obozo for quite some time.
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than is accurate. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their ineptitude...
As we know, it's a helluvalot worse when the individual is also a narcissist extraordinaire.
The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than is accurate. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their ineptitude...
As we know, it's a helluvalot worse when the individual is also a narcissist extraordinaire.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Meantime, Venezuela Goes Full-Bore Stalinist
The natural path of all Progressive governments plays out in Venezuela.
...Throughout last night, panicked people told their stories of state-sponsored paramilitaries on motorcycles roaming middle class neighborhoods, shooting at people and storming into apartment buildings, shooting at anyone who seemed like he might be protesting.
People continue to be arrested merely for protesting, and a long established local Human Rights NGO makes an urgent plea for an investigation into widespread reports of torture of detainees.--quoted at Mish's place.
Let's not forget Obozo's BFF from Chicago!
...In 2006, Obama's mentor Bill Ayers traveled to Venezuela to help Chavez celebrate "Socialism of the 21st Century."...
When Obozo finishes his round of golf, there may be a comment.
...Throughout last night, panicked people told their stories of state-sponsored paramilitaries on motorcycles roaming middle class neighborhoods, shooting at people and storming into apartment buildings, shooting at anyone who seemed like he might be protesting.
People continue to be arrested merely for protesting, and a long established local Human Rights NGO makes an urgent plea for an investigation into widespread reports of torture of detainees.--quoted at Mish's place.
Let's not forget Obozo's BFF from Chicago!
...In 2006, Obama's mentor Bill Ayers traveled to Venezuela to help Chavez celebrate "Socialism of the 21st Century."...
When Obozo finishes his round of golf, there may be a comment.
The Rotting Fish: Government
Seems like IRS muckety-mucks are very quick with the Fifth Amendment. That'll come in handy--because somebody's lying about something here.
...the IRS has been complaining about a lack of resources.
The Obama administration sought $13 billion for the 2014 IRS budget, but Congress slashed it to $11.3 billion.
The number of audits, which generate revenue, has dropped, with less than 1% now facing extra scrutiny....
Oh, really?
There's plenty of money available to audit non-profit TEA Party groups--and none of those audits "generated revenue." And there was plenty of money to pay Ms. Fifth Amendment during her conniving, dishonest, slimy employment and suspension, and for that matter, her health insurance and pension.
Offhand, I think the IRS is waaaayyyyyyy over-funded.
...the IRS has been complaining about a lack of resources.
The Obama administration sought $13 billion for the 2014 IRS budget, but Congress slashed it to $11.3 billion.
The number of audits, which generate revenue, has dropped, with less than 1% now facing extra scrutiny....
Oh, really?
There's plenty of money available to audit non-profit TEA Party groups--and none of those audits "generated revenue." And there was plenty of money to pay Ms. Fifth Amendment during her conniving, dishonest, slimy employment and suspension, and for that matter, her health insurance and pension.
Offhand, I think the IRS is waaaayyyyyyy over-funded.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Gee. Abp. Listecki Didn't Mention This!
Fr. Joe Shimek spoke for Abp. Listecki recently, defending the "standards" of Common Core. There will be no debate, of course, if your chilluns are in an Archdiocesan school.
But for some reason or other, Fr. Joe didn't mention this:
...Assessing Common Core is inextricably tied to the big business of data collection and data mining. States that took the Race to the Top bribes in exchange for adopting Common Core must now comply with the edutech requirements of two private testing conglomerates, the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers or the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Common Core states also agreed to expand existing statewide longitudinal database systems that contain sensitive student data from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary education.
... “Before our eyes,” Estrada and Tipton warn, “a ‘national database’ is being created in which every public school student’s personal information and academic history will be stored.” It’s no laughing matter.
It's not just the Feds who will have all sorts of info on the kiddies!!
Just this week, SafeGov.org, a computer privacy watchdog group, reported that Google has admitted in recent court filings that “it data mines student emails for ad-targeting purposes outside of school, even when ad serving in school is turned off.” The newly exposed documents explicitly “confirm in a sworn public court declaration that even when ad serving is turned off in Google Apps for Education (GAFE), the contents of users’ emails are still being scanned by Google in order to target ads at those same users when they use the web outside of Google Apps (for example, when watching a YouTube video, conducting a Google search, or viewing a web page that contains a Google+ or DoubleClick cookie).”
S'pose that Archdiocesan students will have a "K" for Katholische next to their names?
But for some reason or other, Fr. Joe didn't mention this:
...Assessing Common Core is inextricably tied to the big business of data collection and data mining. States that took the Race to the Top bribes in exchange for adopting Common Core must now comply with the edutech requirements of two private testing conglomerates, the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers or the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Common Core states also agreed to expand existing statewide longitudinal database systems that contain sensitive student data from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary education.
... “Before our eyes,” Estrada and Tipton warn, “a ‘national database’ is being created in which every public school student’s personal information and academic history will be stored.” It’s no laughing matter.
It's not just the Feds who will have all sorts of info on the kiddies!!
Just this week, SafeGov.org, a computer privacy watchdog group, reported that Google has admitted in recent court filings that “it data mines student emails for ad-targeting purposes outside of school, even when ad serving in school is turned off.” The newly exposed documents explicitly “confirm in a sworn public court declaration that even when ad serving is turned off in Google Apps for Education (GAFE), the contents of users’ emails are still being scanned by Google in order to target ads at those same users when they use the web outside of Google Apps (for example, when watching a YouTube video, conducting a Google search, or viewing a web page that contains a Google+ or DoubleClick cookie).”
S'pose that Archdiocesan students will have a "K" for Katholische next to their names?
Krispy Kreme: Back to His Roots
Chris Christie has never been a 2A kinda guy. And that hasn't changed.
Word came late this afternoon that a backroom deal has been arranged between both houses of the NJ Legislature to reduce by a completely arbitrary amount the maximum capacity of ammunition magazines from the current 15 rounds, to no more then 10.
... Details are scarce thus far. But what we do know is that the terms of the deal, as reported by two sources close to the negotiations have stated, seem to center on accepting the ten round magazine capacity limit in exchange for tweaks to the wording of the current firearms transportation laws....
No deal "is cut" in NJ without the knowledge and consent of the Governor.
Now we'll see if the Connecticut experience is re-lived. Should be fun to watch!
Word came late this afternoon that a backroom deal has been arranged between both houses of the NJ Legislature to reduce by a completely arbitrary amount the maximum capacity of ammunition magazines from the current 15 rounds, to no more then 10.
... Details are scarce thus far. But what we do know is that the terms of the deal, as reported by two sources close to the negotiations have stated, seem to center on accepting the ten round magazine capacity limit in exchange for tweaks to the wording of the current firearms transportation laws....
No deal "is cut" in NJ without the knowledge and consent of the Governor.
Now we'll see if the Connecticut experience is re-lived. Should be fun to watch!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Another View on the Ukraine Mess
According to this author, the Ukraine Problem is another GWB/Obozo Fail.
...Any doubts about the Obama administration’s real intentions in Ukraine should have been dispelled by the recently revealed taped conversation between a top State Department official, Victoria Nuland, and the US ambassador in Kiev. The media predictably focused on the source of the “leak” and on Nuland’s verbal “gaffe”—“F–k the EU.” But the essential revelation was that high-level US officials were plotting to “midwife” a new, anti-Russian Ukrainian government by ousting or neutralizing its democratically elected president—that is, a coup....--quoted at TAC
One may or may not prefer the dissolution of the old USSR; one may or may not like Putin's position (also somewhat mis-reported).
But the US' "implant democracy" policy, a brainchild of GWB and the NeoConservatives, has its drawbacks--mostly, a lot of dead bodies all over the globe.
...Any doubts about the Obama administration’s real intentions in Ukraine should have been dispelled by the recently revealed taped conversation between a top State Department official, Victoria Nuland, and the US ambassador in Kiev. The media predictably focused on the source of the “leak” and on Nuland’s verbal “gaffe”—“F–k the EU.” But the essential revelation was that high-level US officials were plotting to “midwife” a new, anti-Russian Ukrainian government by ousting or neutralizing its democratically elected president—that is, a coup....--quoted at TAC
One may or may not prefer the dissolution of the old USSR; one may or may not like Putin's position (also somewhat mis-reported).
But the US' "implant democracy" policy, a brainchild of GWB and the NeoConservatives, has its drawbacks--mostly, a lot of dead bodies all over the globe.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Leftism: The Great Atomizer
Deneen again!!
In his most recent diagnosis of the state of America’s political soul, the journalist and political thinker E.J. Dionne begins with a simple thesis. In the opening pages of Our Divided Political Heart, he asserts that “American history is defined by an irrepressible and ongoing tension between two core values: our love of individualism and our reverence for community.” The inevitable “creative tension” between these two commitments, he argues, is the source of ongoing American debate as well as American strength. We need to hold firmly to both values, as difficult as that can be in practice.
Dionne, predictably, argues that the political Right is beholden to individualism (not wholly un-true) and that the political Left is the Party of Community.
Deneen dismantles--actually, nukes-- his argument.
...There is no mention in Dionne’s 300-page book, for instance, of the campaign commercial that launched President Obama’s re-election campaign, “The Life of Julia.” Julia is portrayed over the course of her life as the beneficiary of a bevy of government programs; notably, with the exception of one slide, she is constantly pictured alone. She appears to be especially reliant upon the government because there is no evidence of any support of family, community, church, or friends in her life. In her middle age, she (on her own accord, apparently) “decides” to have a child, and in one scene is shown sending young “Zachary” off to school; he is never to be seen again for the rest of her life. It is the very picture of the Leviathan—in this world, there are only individuals and the state....
Not to worry. Deneen criticizes the (R) brand, too.
...Dionne is correct on two main points: a major element of the Republican Party today is dominated by individualistic tendencies...
One hears "rugged individualism" (seemingly) 1000X/week on Limbaugh's program. But Ron Reagan was no "rugged individualist"-promoter. That phrase came from the pen of Teddy Roosevelt, the Progressive. No surprise that TR begat Wilson, (etc.), begat Roosevelt, (etc.) begat Obama.
Final shot at Dionne:
...You will search in vain for the health of our actual communities in the pages of this book—written by one of America’s most celebrated communitarian thinkers—unless you unreflectively accept that “government” and “community” are the same thing. But that view is finally nothing more than the “quest for community” gone awry, something Dionne, more than anyone, should realize.
Indeed.
In his most recent diagnosis of the state of America’s political soul, the journalist and political thinker E.J. Dionne begins with a simple thesis. In the opening pages of Our Divided Political Heart, he asserts that “American history is defined by an irrepressible and ongoing tension between two core values: our love of individualism and our reverence for community.” The inevitable “creative tension” between these two commitments, he argues, is the source of ongoing American debate as well as American strength. We need to hold firmly to both values, as difficult as that can be in practice.
Dionne, predictably, argues that the political Right is beholden to individualism (not wholly un-true) and that the political Left is the Party of Community.
Deneen dismantles--actually, nukes-- his argument.
...There is no mention in Dionne’s 300-page book, for instance, of the campaign commercial that launched President Obama’s re-election campaign, “The Life of Julia.” Julia is portrayed over the course of her life as the beneficiary of a bevy of government programs; notably, with the exception of one slide, she is constantly pictured alone. She appears to be especially reliant upon the government because there is no evidence of any support of family, community, church, or friends in her life. In her middle age, she (on her own accord, apparently) “decides” to have a child, and in one scene is shown sending young “Zachary” off to school; he is never to be seen again for the rest of her life. It is the very picture of the Leviathan—in this world, there are only individuals and the state....
Not to worry. Deneen criticizes the (R) brand, too.
...Dionne is correct on two main points: a major element of the Republican Party today is dominated by individualistic tendencies...
One hears "rugged individualism" (seemingly) 1000X/week on Limbaugh's program. But Ron Reagan was no "rugged individualist"-promoter. That phrase came from the pen of Teddy Roosevelt, the Progressive. No surprise that TR begat Wilson, (etc.), begat Roosevelt, (etc.) begat Obama.
Final shot at Dionne:
...You will search in vain for the health of our actual communities in the pages of this book—written by one of America’s most celebrated communitarian thinkers—unless you unreflectively accept that “government” and “community” are the same thing. But that view is finally nothing more than the “quest for community” gone awry, something Dionne, more than anyone, should realize.
Indeed.
Rigging "Unemployment"?
Hilda Solis rigged the 'unemployment' numbers just before the '12 election?
You mean to say that SCOAMF, The Golfer, cheated? Or was this just another "low-level employee who was confused by all those rules...."?
Solis left DOL and has engaged some high-priced lawyers recently. No reason given for the lawyer thing.
Yet.
You mean to say that SCOAMF, The Golfer, cheated? Or was this just another "low-level employee who was confused by all those rules...."?
Solis left DOL and has engaged some high-priced lawyers recently. No reason given for the lawyer thing.
Yet.
When PRC Crashes....
The Beeb is putting forth a 2-part documentary which reveals a problem.
...with encouragement from the US government (we interviewed the then US Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson), the Chinese government unleashed a stimulus programme of mammoth scale: £400bn of direct government spending, and an instruction to the state-owned banks to "open their wallets" and lend as if there were no tomorrow.
Which, in one sense, worked. While the economies of much of the rich West and Japan stagnated, boom times returned to China - growth accelerated back to the remarkable 10% annual rate that the country had enjoyed for 30 years....quoted at Mish's place
Ain't that good?
Not necessarily.
...what makes much of the spending and investment toxic is the way it was financed: there has been an explosion of lending. China's debts as a share of GDP have been rising at a very rapid rate of around 15% of GDP, or national output, annually and have increased since 2008 from around 125% of GDP to 200%.
"Most people are aware we've had a credit boom in China but they don't know the scale. At the beginning of all of this in 2008, the Chinese banking sector was roughly $10 trillion in size. Right now it's in the order of $24 to $25 trillion.
"That incremental increase of $14 to $15 trillion is the equivalent of the entire size of the US commercial banking sector, which took more than a century to build....
That merry-go-round is stopping. We've already seen some of the effects: Cat/Bucyrus is cutting its workforce and P&H/Joy will be next, as will Manitowoc Cranes. That's just here in Wisconsin.
When debtors stop repaying the banks, banks stop lending (and depositors are threatened.) All that spending in PRC on cars--many of them American--will slow, if not stop, too.
...with encouragement from the US government (we interviewed the then US Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson), the Chinese government unleashed a stimulus programme of mammoth scale: £400bn of direct government spending, and an instruction to the state-owned banks to "open their wallets" and lend as if there were no tomorrow.
Which, in one sense, worked. While the economies of much of the rich West and Japan stagnated, boom times returned to China - growth accelerated back to the remarkable 10% annual rate that the country had enjoyed for 30 years....quoted at Mish's place
Ain't that good?
Not necessarily.
...what makes much of the spending and investment toxic is the way it was financed: there has been an explosion of lending. China's debts as a share of GDP have been rising at a very rapid rate of around 15% of GDP, or national output, annually and have increased since 2008 from around 125% of GDP to 200%.
"Most people are aware we've had a credit boom in China but they don't know the scale. At the beginning of all of this in 2008, the Chinese banking sector was roughly $10 trillion in size. Right now it's in the order of $24 to $25 trillion.
"That incremental increase of $14 to $15 trillion is the equivalent of the entire size of the US commercial banking sector, which took more than a century to build....
That merry-go-round is stopping. We've already seen some of the effects: Cat/Bucyrus is cutting its workforce and P&H/Joy will be next, as will Manitowoc Cranes. That's just here in Wisconsin.
When debtors stop repaying the banks, banks stop lending (and depositors are threatened.) All that spending in PRC on cars--many of them American--will slow, if not stop, too.
Monday, February 17, 2014
So Which Is It?
Cold Fury allows two possibilities for Nancy Pelosi's recent statement about ObozoCare.
This can only be one of two things: stupidity powerful enough to shatter atomic nuclei, or brazen chicanery noxious enough to peel paint.
He answers the question at the link.
But he did not explain why it couldn't be both.
This can only be one of two things: stupidity powerful enough to shatter atomic nuclei, or brazen chicanery noxious enough to peel paint.
He answers the question at the link.
But he did not explain why it couldn't be both.
Hennessey Missed the Point
Hennessey--a good man and true--slaps Sen Ted Cruz for Cruz' minibuster over the debt ceiling.
...Senator Cruz skips over why the others wanted this outcome: the only other legislative alternative was not increasing the debt limit. At that point no one, including Senator Cruz, had an alternative strategy to pass a debt limit bill that cut spending, or repealed or modified ObamaCare, or made any other good policy change. If you want to defeat a bad bill you need both a better policy and a viable legislative strategy to achieve it. In some cases that legislative strategy could be blocking enactment of any bill, but that would not have worked here. ...
No, Keith.
Cruz does have a strategy. It's a long-term strategy. It's called "throw ALL the bums out," including the bowls of unflavored porridge like Boehner and McConnell.
(One hopes that the strategy also includes zeroing out EPA and DOE and reducing IRS by about 50%.)
IOW, Keith, it's not really about the "debt ceiling", nor about the Massive Failure Stimulus, nor about the Commie-in-Chief, although they are all very good targets.
It's about the Bill of Rights--specifically, the 9th and 10th Amendments.
...Senator Cruz skips over why the others wanted this outcome: the only other legislative alternative was not increasing the debt limit. At that point no one, including Senator Cruz, had an alternative strategy to pass a debt limit bill that cut spending, or repealed or modified ObamaCare, or made any other good policy change. If you want to defeat a bad bill you need both a better policy and a viable legislative strategy to achieve it. In some cases that legislative strategy could be blocking enactment of any bill, but that would not have worked here. ...
No, Keith.
Cruz does have a strategy. It's a long-term strategy. It's called "throw ALL the bums out," including the bowls of unflavored porridge like Boehner and McConnell.
(One hopes that the strategy also includes zeroing out EPA and DOE and reducing IRS by about 50%.)
IOW, Keith, it's not really about the "debt ceiling", nor about the Massive Failure Stimulus, nor about the Commie-in-Chief, although they are all very good targets.
It's about the Bill of Rights--specifically, the 9th and 10th Amendments.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Get Your Popcorn!
This should be fun to watch.
On the one hand, we have the Hartford Courant, filled with huffed-up sniveling-twit editorialists:
....the bottom line is that the state must try to enforce the law. Authorities should use the background check database as a way to find assault weapon purchasers who might not have registered those guns in compliance with the new law.... --quoted at Sipsey Street
A law that about 80% of the gun-owners simply ignored.
On the other hand, we have that 80%. All are armed. Obviously, all think (correctly) that the law is stupid and un-constitutional to boot.
But the law is the law, right?
Well, Mike reminds the editors of another law: the Law of Unintended Consequences.
Which of the Connecticut State Police will be chosen to lead the charge?
On the one hand, we have the Hartford Courant, filled with huffed-up sniveling-twit editorialists:
....the bottom line is that the state must try to enforce the law. Authorities should use the background check database as a way to find assault weapon purchasers who might not have registered those guns in compliance with the new law.... --quoted at Sipsey Street
A law that about 80% of the gun-owners simply ignored.
On the other hand, we have that 80%. All are armed. Obviously, all think (correctly) that the law is stupid and un-constitutional to boot.
But the law is the law, right?
Well, Mike reminds the editors of another law: the Law of Unintended Consequences.
Which of the Connecticut State Police will be chosen to lead the charge?
Friday, February 14, 2014
Whaddya Know!! No Kids, No Prosperity!!
The second in a series.
Wisconsin has a population problem, and officials with the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce are calling the employee outlook over the next 10 years "a crisis."
...The group plans to tackle issues such as migration in keeping talent, but they are equally as concerned about the impending shortage of workers.
"...the work force shortage is going to become a crisis in the very near future."
The number of people over the age of 85 is expected to grow by 141 percent by the year 2040 compared with the number reported in 2010. The number of baby boomers, those between the ages of 65 and 84, is also expected to grow by 91 percent in that same time frame.
[However], The number of people between the ages of 18 to 64 is only supposed to grow by about 0.4 percent.
So what does that mean in plain English?
This:
...for Wisconsin, that means a shortage of workers is on the horizon since the number of additional jobs is expected to grow by 317,130 over the next 10 years and the number of additional workers in the next 30 years is expected to grow by 15,150.
So, ya' mean that 2.1 kids/family doesn't hack it?
The WMC folks should report on how many children THEY have in their families. That might produce a very telling answer to the "crisis", eh?
Wisconsin has a population problem, and officials with the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce are calling the employee outlook over the next 10 years "a crisis."
...The group plans to tackle issues such as migration in keeping talent, but they are equally as concerned about the impending shortage of workers.
"...the work force shortage is going to become a crisis in the very near future."
The number of people over the age of 85 is expected to grow by 141 percent by the year 2040 compared with the number reported in 2010. The number of baby boomers, those between the ages of 65 and 84, is also expected to grow by 91 percent in that same time frame.
[However], The number of people between the ages of 18 to 64 is only supposed to grow by about 0.4 percent.
So what does that mean in plain English?
This:
...for Wisconsin, that means a shortage of workers is on the horizon since the number of additional jobs is expected to grow by 317,130 over the next 10 years and the number of additional workers in the next 30 years is expected to grow by 15,150.
So, ya' mean that 2.1 kids/family doesn't hack it?
The WMC folks should report on how many children THEY have in their families. That might produce a very telling answer to the "crisis", eh?
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Sixteen Tons, Whaddya Get?
Another day older, and...
...The debt ceiling will become a quiet formality in which the minimum number of Republicans necessary, mostly those hailing from states that lean Democrat, will be asked to stand at attention and salute as the Leviathan State goes another $2 trillion into debt. The less public attention paid to these little funereal ceremonies for liberty, the better...
Note to Boehner: Obozo won't respect you in the morning, either.
...The debt ceiling will become a quiet formality in which the minimum number of Republicans necessary, mostly those hailing from states that lean Democrat, will be asked to stand at attention and salute as the Leviathan State goes another $2 trillion into debt. The less public attention paid to these little funereal ceremonies for liberty, the better...
Note to Boehner: Obozo won't respect you in the morning, either.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Thinking Ahead
Evidently Holder is thinking ahead, say by 25 years or so.
Felons who have served their sentences shouldn’t be blocked from voting by state laws that disproportionately affect minorities, Attorney General Eric Holder said.
“These restrictions are not only unnecessary and unjust, they are also counterproductive,” Holder said in remarks today in Washington. “These laws deserve to be not only reconsidered but repealed.”
We'll think about that when your probation nears, Eric.
Felons who have served their sentences shouldn’t be blocked from voting by state laws that disproportionately affect minorities, Attorney General Eric Holder said.
“These restrictions are not only unnecessary and unjust, they are also counterproductive,” Holder said in remarks today in Washington. “These laws deserve to be not only reconsidered but repealed.”
We'll think about that when your probation nears, Eric.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
"Swearsies!! We Didn't Do That!!!"
The SCOAMF's new tool. It's a tool of tools, folks.
Oh, yah, that'll work.
HT: Malkin
Some lawmakers, though, have claimed that the mere threat of the employer mandate is causing companies to shed full-time workers in the hope of keeping their staff size below 50 and avoiding the requirement.
Administration officials dispute that this is happening on any large scale. Further, Treasury officials said Monday that businesses will be told to “certify” that they are not shedding full-time workers simply to avoid the mandate. Officials said employers will be told to sign a “self-attestation” on their tax forms affirming this, under penalty of perjury.
Oh, yah, that'll work.
HT: Malkin
Sunday, February 09, 2014
No Kidding!! No Kids, No Money!!
This is not news to anyone who's paid attention to Japan.
To really understand what’s going on with the American economy, don’t look at the headlines. Don’t look at the unemployment rate or the trade balance or the deficit. Don’t even look at what’s happening today at all: Look at what happened 46 years ago.
And what happened then? Fewer Americas were being born, points out Harry S. Dent Jr. in “The Demographic Cliff: How to Survive and Prosper During the Great Deflation of 2014-2019” (Portfolio).
.... Following the Baby Boom, which peaked in 1961, came the Baby Bust, a long slow decline in the birthrate. Those babies grew up and began spending in accordance with highly predictable patterns.
... Ultimately the size of the US economy is simply the total of what we’re all spending. Overall household spending hits a high when we’re about 46. So the peak of the Baby Boom (1961) plus 46 suggests that a high point in the US economy should be about 2007, with a long, slow decline to follow for years to come.
Anyone find that convincing?
The NY Post reviewer doesn't, of course. Even after Dent laid it out in lavender (pointing directly to Japan), it's not clear to the poor dear that yes, indeed, the demand-side of economics is.....actually......important.
Gay "marriage" is simply another form of sterile marriage--as the gays have correctly argued.
But Nature abhors a vacuum, especially of children. And the economy is dependent on children, no matter the blatherings of Rockefeller et.al.
To really understand what’s going on with the American economy, don’t look at the headlines. Don’t look at the unemployment rate or the trade balance or the deficit. Don’t even look at what’s happening today at all: Look at what happened 46 years ago.
And what happened then? Fewer Americas were being born, points out Harry S. Dent Jr. in “The Demographic Cliff: How to Survive and Prosper During the Great Deflation of 2014-2019” (Portfolio).
.... Following the Baby Boom, which peaked in 1961, came the Baby Bust, a long slow decline in the birthrate. Those babies grew up and began spending in accordance with highly predictable patterns.
... Ultimately the size of the US economy is simply the total of what we’re all spending. Overall household spending hits a high when we’re about 46. So the peak of the Baby Boom (1961) plus 46 suggests that a high point in the US economy should be about 2007, with a long, slow decline to follow for years to come.
Anyone find that convincing?
The NY Post reviewer doesn't, of course. Even after Dent laid it out in lavender (pointing directly to Japan), it's not clear to the poor dear that yes, indeed, the demand-side of economics is.....actually......important.
Gay "marriage" is simply another form of sterile marriage--as the gays have correctly argued.
But Nature abhors a vacuum, especially of children. And the economy is dependent on children, no matter the blatherings of Rockefeller et.al.
Catholic Liturgy: Abandon Hope?
Not exactly a sunny assessment here. The Four Big Lies of the Bugnini-ites will follow this excerpt.
...the ‘reform of the reform’ is not realizable because the material discontinuity between the two forms of the Roman rite presently in use is much broader and much deeper than I had first imagined. In the decade that has elapsed since the publication of my book, The Reform of the Reform? A Liturgical Debate (Ignatius Press, 2003), which concerns almost exclusively the rite of Mass, a number of important scholarly studies, most notably those of László Dobszay (†2011)6 and Lauren Pristas,7 have opened my eyes to the hack-job inflicted by Pope Paul VI’s Consilium on the whole liturgical edifice of the Latin Church: the Mass; the Divine Office; the rites of the sacraments, sacramentals, blessings and other services of the Roman Ritual; and so forth.8 Whatever else might be said of the reformed liturgy—its pastoral benefits, its legitimacy, its rootedness in theological ressourcement, its hegemonic status, etc.—the fact remains: it does not represent an organic development of the liturgy which Vatican II (and, four centuries earlier, the Council of Trent) inherited.
There are significant ruptures in content and form that cannot be remedied simply by restoring Gregorian chant to primacy of place as the music of the Roman rite, expanding the use of Latin and improving vernacular translations of the Latin liturgical texts, using the Roman Canon more frequently (if not exclusively),9 reorienting the altar, and rescinding certain permissions. As important as it is to celebrate the reformed rites correctly, reverently, and in ways that make the continuity with tradition more obvious, such measures leave untouched the essential content of the rites. Any future attempt at liturgical reconciliation, or renewal in continuity with tradition, would have to take into account the complete overhaul of the propers of the Mass;10 the replacement of the Offertory prayers with modern compositions; the abandonment of the very ancient annual Roman cycle of Sunday Epistles and Gospels; the radical recasting of the calendar of saints; the abolition of the ancient Octave of Pentecost, the pre-Lenten season of Septuagesima and the Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost; the dissolution of the centuries-old structure of the Hours; and so much more. To draw the older and newer forms of the liturgy closer to each other would require much more movement on the part of the latter form, so much so that it seems more honest to speak of a gradual reversal of the reform (to the point where it once again connects with the liturgical tradition received by the Council) rather than a reform of it.
Hmmm.
Being very familiar with both forms (I'm a "bi-" ya'know), I think the good Father is spot-on. I'll quibble with his apparent distaste for the new readings-cycle, but that's not a major argument.
One point that the good Father makes, in a footnote, is that the "Tridentine" rite is actually a codification of its predecessor rite, most of which was in place by the year 600 AD. So the first un-truth the rebels utter is usually about the age of the Rite.
The second is usually about the nature of genuine participation (actuosa participatio) which is primarily internal, and only secondarily external. The third is that one about Latin being 'banned' (the dumbing-down of sacrality). The fourth is a result of the second and third: that the music used in the rite should also be dumbed-down. That's usually expressed in a far more subtle dissembling which elevates the term "various styles" to evade the use of the actual text of the Mass (the propers) in favor of hymns, and THAT evasion is then used to justify dreck and drivel such as Haugen-Haas.
Ninety-five percent of today's church 'musicians' will be shocked to learn that the "entrance song" is the Introit of the Mass Proper, and the "communion song" is the Communion of that Proper. Hell, 95% of those musicians couldn't define "propers of the Mass", either.
Thus far we have descended.
Those lies and distortions underpin almost all of the 'revolution' in liturgy since 1969.
...the ‘reform of the reform’ is not realizable because the material discontinuity between the two forms of the Roman rite presently in use is much broader and much deeper than I had first imagined. In the decade that has elapsed since the publication of my book, The Reform of the Reform? A Liturgical Debate (Ignatius Press, 2003), which concerns almost exclusively the rite of Mass, a number of important scholarly studies, most notably those of László Dobszay (†2011)6 and Lauren Pristas,7 have opened my eyes to the hack-job inflicted by Pope Paul VI’s Consilium on the whole liturgical edifice of the Latin Church: the Mass; the Divine Office; the rites of the sacraments, sacramentals, blessings and other services of the Roman Ritual; and so forth.8 Whatever else might be said of the reformed liturgy—its pastoral benefits, its legitimacy, its rootedness in theological ressourcement, its hegemonic status, etc.—the fact remains: it does not represent an organic development of the liturgy which Vatican II (and, four centuries earlier, the Council of Trent) inherited.
There are significant ruptures in content and form that cannot be remedied simply by restoring Gregorian chant to primacy of place as the music of the Roman rite, expanding the use of Latin and improving vernacular translations of the Latin liturgical texts, using the Roman Canon more frequently (if not exclusively),9 reorienting the altar, and rescinding certain permissions. As important as it is to celebrate the reformed rites correctly, reverently, and in ways that make the continuity with tradition more obvious, such measures leave untouched the essential content of the rites. Any future attempt at liturgical reconciliation, or renewal in continuity with tradition, would have to take into account the complete overhaul of the propers of the Mass;10 the replacement of the Offertory prayers with modern compositions; the abandonment of the very ancient annual Roman cycle of Sunday Epistles and Gospels; the radical recasting of the calendar of saints; the abolition of the ancient Octave of Pentecost, the pre-Lenten season of Septuagesima and the Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost; the dissolution of the centuries-old structure of the Hours; and so much more. To draw the older and newer forms of the liturgy closer to each other would require much more movement on the part of the latter form, so much so that it seems more honest to speak of a gradual reversal of the reform (to the point where it once again connects with the liturgical tradition received by the Council) rather than a reform of it.
Hmmm.
Being very familiar with both forms (I'm a "bi-" ya'know), I think the good Father is spot-on. I'll quibble with his apparent distaste for the new readings-cycle, but that's not a major argument.
One point that the good Father makes, in a footnote, is that the "Tridentine" rite is actually a codification of its predecessor rite, most of which was in place by the year 600 AD. So the first un-truth the rebels utter is usually about the age of the Rite.
The second is usually about the nature of genuine participation (actuosa participatio) which is primarily internal, and only secondarily external. The third is that one about Latin being 'banned' (the dumbing-down of sacrality). The fourth is a result of the second and third: that the music used in the rite should also be dumbed-down. That's usually expressed in a far more subtle dissembling which elevates the term "various styles" to evade the use of the actual text of the Mass (the propers) in favor of hymns, and THAT evasion is then used to justify dreck and drivel such as Haugen-Haas.
Ninety-five percent of today's church 'musicians' will be shocked to learn that the "entrance song" is the Introit of the Mass Proper, and the "communion song" is the Communion of that Proper. Hell, 95% of those musicians couldn't define "propers of the Mass", either.
Thus far we have descended.
Those lies and distortions underpin almost all of the 'revolution' in liturgy since 1969.
The Rot of IRS
How many million rounds of .40 did IRS order? They may need it. All of it.
I'll quote this in full--with the hope that PowerLine doesn't mind, but I think they don't. (HT: Cold Fury)
I have been an attorney in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel for over 26 years. Over a number of years, I have attempted, largely unsuccessfully, to alert the public to abuse within the IRS. One of my kids suggested that I contact a blog and Power Line has graciously agreed to publish this account.
I do not personally know whether the IRS has targeted conservative groups or individuals, but I do know that the environment within the agency is ripe for such activity and there is nothing to prevent it from occurring. As stated in more detail below, I have personally witnessed improper giveaways of billions of dollars to taxpayers with inside access at the agency, bullying of elderly taxpayers, the cover-up of managerial embezzlement and misappropriation of thousands of dollars in government funds, and a retaliatory audit. I have also heard credible accounts of, among other things, further improper giveaways, blatant sexual harassment, and anti-Semitism. All of these matters have been swept under the rug.
A number of years ago, a manager in my office was embezzling thousands of dollars in travel funds. His actions were common knowledge, but other managers, including a currently high ranking executive in the office of chief counsel, did not report him. I did report his conduct to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), but they did not investigate the matter for a considerable length of time. After I complained to my local congressman’s office, TIGTA finally forwarded the matter to the office of chief counsel to be handled internally. Eventually, the office of chief counsel made the manager pay the money back, but took no other disciplinary action, even though others who committed the same type of scheme were punished severely.
The manager in question has led a charmed life. Several years after this episode, he decided to retire, but was starting a new job in a different city two months before he was eligible to retire. He could have retired early or taken annual leave for two months before retiring. However, he did not want to take annual leave because federal employees can cash out annual leave when they retire. Rather than have him burn at least $20,000 in annual leave, the IRS transferred him to the new city, but did not give him any work, allowing him to work his new job while still receiving a government paycheck. I obtained an e-mail from this manager, in which he admitted that he had no work, that the IRS was not planning to give him any work in the new city, and that he was working on matters related to his new job while at the IRS. I forwarded this e-mail to TIGTA, but of course it was ignored by both TIGTA and the office of chief counsel. TIGTA has a well deserved reputation for protecting IRS managers. In fact, a TIGTA agent once stated that “we don’t investigate [IRS] managers.”
At the same time the manager was embezzling travel funds, I was working on a case involving what I call the Elmer’s Glue scam. Tax shelter operators misused a synthetic fuel credit by spraying watered down household glue on marketable coal, degrading the coal, but producing huge tax credits for investors. This was costing the Treasury at least $3 billion a year. The IRS turned a blind eye to this activity and harassed those of us in the agency who were trying to stop it. Since I had witnessed TIGTA help cover up embezzlement, I decided to go to the press about the Elmer’s Glue scam. The Wall Street Journal published a story about it, but the scam continued.
As a result of complaining about TIGTA’s inaction regarding embezzlement and speaking out about the Elmer’s Glue scam, my wife and I were subjected to a retaliatory IRS audit. After an experienced revenue agent from Fairfax spent an entire day auditing our tax returns, he stated that they were clean. Soon thereafter, he called me and apologetically stated that his “special projects” manager had ordered him to return to Richmond and “keep digging” into our returns. He stated that his regular manager would not have ordered this (I believe that because in 26 years at the IRS, I have never heard of an agent being sent back to continue a straightforward individual return that had been judged to be clean). I contacted the Washington Post and gave them a privacy waiver to discuss our tax returns with the Service. When the Post presented that waiver to the Service, they quickly dropped our audit.
Within the past few years, the IRS has used a “cadre” to pursue a particular type of case. I was assigned one of those cases that was in Tax Court. I believed that we should concede the case in question because our legal position was incorrect. As a result, I was called a quitter and a coward, was threatened with retaliation, and in fact suffered retaliation. The “cadre” (I hate that term, but that’s what they call themselves) pushed cases with an obvious legal defect. Taxpayers were denigrated in writing as “upper class twits” and one cadre member stated that, despite the weakness in our legal position, the taxpayers in these cases were typically elderly and could be forced into settling their cases. I stated my ethical concerns to management, but they answered with a short non-response and did not even bother to ask for the name of the cadre member who stated that we could bully elderly taxpayers into settling their cases. (The Tax Court ultimately rejected the Service’s position regarding the legal issue.)
Finally, there is the matter of black liquor. Black liquor is a byproduct of paper manufacture. Paper manufacturers were able to persuade the IRS to qualify black liquor for a refundable tax credit. This cost the Treasury approximately $6 to 7 billion a year. Congress in fact put a stop to it after tax year 2009. That’s when the real backroom abuse started. Most of the companies reported the refundable credits as taxable income on their tax returns and the position within the IRS internally was that these credits were taxable income. In fact, there is a revenue ruling issued by the IRS that states that farmers with similar refundable credits have to report the credits as taxable income. However, Washington lobbyists met with high ranking IRS, chief counsel, and Treasury Department officials and got the decision regarding black liquor reversed. Taxpayers then filed refund claims with respect to the amounts that they had previously reported as taxable income and the IRS exam teams were told to stand down. This cost the Treasury at least $2 billion for tax year 2009.
I was assisting an exam team involved with this issue. The revenue agents and I discussed the issue with a high-ranking official in the IRS. He told us not to pursue the issue of whether the credit amounts were taxable income. When I asked that he put that instruction in writing, even in an e-mail, since he was asking the exam team to ignore published IRS guidance, he stated that the IRS chief counsel had ordered that nothing be put in writing on the subject. I raised my ethical concerns with management, but was ignored.
I contacted Steve Mufson, a reporter for the Washington Post. Steve wrote a detailed story in July that laid out the abusive situation. The response in Washington was a collective yawn. I contacted numerous congressional staffers and journalists about the story, but no one cared about the $2 billion loss to the Treasury. One result of the story, however, was that it smoked out the IRS. In early November, the Service issued low level guidance called a chief counsel advice (CCA, but it should be a CYA), that attempted to defend the indefensible. In addition, the IRS had contacted the Treasury Department about the CCA prior to its issuance, but did not list Treasury as a third party contact in the CCA, in violation of IRC section 6110(d). I have attempted to simplify a complex subject, but suffice it to say that if you are a farmer, a refundable tax credit associated with an excise tax is taxable income. If you have inside access at the IRS, it is not taxable income. That is the bottom line.
I am reporting the information stated above because as a federal employee, I took an oath to the United States. I have a legal and moral obligation to report this information. I am proud of my colleagues in the IRS. The vast majority of us attempt to do our jobs in a conscientious manner. However, there is a culture of corruption within the IRS that dishonors that majority and the government we serve. Any organization will have its share of bad apples and misconduct. What separates the IRS is its junkyard dog ferocity in covering up misconduct. There is a strong cultural imperative within the IRS to protect the organization and high-ranking officials’ positions within it. If you report misconduct or dissent from the party line, your career is finished. Period. (For example, I still as of this moment have a job, but my career was finished as soon as I reported that manager for embezzlement.)
Some may read this account and view much of the misconduct I have reported as minor. However, to quote former FBI profiler John Douglas, no one wakes up one day and decides to become a serial killer. In other words, there is a pattern to human behavior. All Americans should be concerned when IRS officials see themselves as above the law because they are, in fact, above the law. The misconduct described above is united in the complete lack of accountability on the part of IRS officials.
As stated above, I have no direct knowledge of harassment for political reasons. I fear, however, that the ordinary citizens recounting stories of IRS abuse due to their political beliefs are telling the truth. (It is naïve to think that IRS executives would engage in the activities described above, but somehow draw the line at politically motivated harassment.) If these taxpayer accounts are true, then the IRS executives are doing it for a very simple reason: because they can. There is no accountability for IRS misconduct and people within the agency are scared to speak out and also believe, with considerable justification, that such action would be futile.
I have chosen to speak out in part because I have personally experienced the horrific damage that bureaucratic bullies can inflict. I also have tried to live up to the admonition in Romans 12:21: do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. I could sit around and knock down Jim Beam and complain, or I could try to do something constructive about the situation. I chose the latter option.
Chief Counsel is the office where Lois Lerner still sits (perhaps "on leave") drawing a salary after having peremptorily pled the Fifth. An "investigation" by Obozo-ites is ongoing, and likely will be "ongoing" until mid-2058, by which time all the criminals working in IRS Chief Counsel will have collected their enormous pensions and health benefits in full.
I'll quote this in full--with the hope that PowerLine doesn't mind, but I think they don't. (HT: Cold Fury)
I have been an attorney in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel for over 26 years. Over a number of years, I have attempted, largely unsuccessfully, to alert the public to abuse within the IRS. One of my kids suggested that I contact a blog and Power Line has graciously agreed to publish this account.
I do not personally know whether the IRS has targeted conservative groups or individuals, but I do know that the environment within the agency is ripe for such activity and there is nothing to prevent it from occurring. As stated in more detail below, I have personally witnessed improper giveaways of billions of dollars to taxpayers with inside access at the agency, bullying of elderly taxpayers, the cover-up of managerial embezzlement and misappropriation of thousands of dollars in government funds, and a retaliatory audit. I have also heard credible accounts of, among other things, further improper giveaways, blatant sexual harassment, and anti-Semitism. All of these matters have been swept under the rug.
A number of years ago, a manager in my office was embezzling thousands of dollars in travel funds. His actions were common knowledge, but other managers, including a currently high ranking executive in the office of chief counsel, did not report him. I did report his conduct to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), but they did not investigate the matter for a considerable length of time. After I complained to my local congressman’s office, TIGTA finally forwarded the matter to the office of chief counsel to be handled internally. Eventually, the office of chief counsel made the manager pay the money back, but took no other disciplinary action, even though others who committed the same type of scheme were punished severely.
The manager in question has led a charmed life. Several years after this episode, he decided to retire, but was starting a new job in a different city two months before he was eligible to retire. He could have retired early or taken annual leave for two months before retiring. However, he did not want to take annual leave because federal employees can cash out annual leave when they retire. Rather than have him burn at least $20,000 in annual leave, the IRS transferred him to the new city, but did not give him any work, allowing him to work his new job while still receiving a government paycheck. I obtained an e-mail from this manager, in which he admitted that he had no work, that the IRS was not planning to give him any work in the new city, and that he was working on matters related to his new job while at the IRS. I forwarded this e-mail to TIGTA, but of course it was ignored by both TIGTA and the office of chief counsel. TIGTA has a well deserved reputation for protecting IRS managers. In fact, a TIGTA agent once stated that “we don’t investigate [IRS] managers.”
At the same time the manager was embezzling travel funds, I was working on a case involving what I call the Elmer’s Glue scam. Tax shelter operators misused a synthetic fuel credit by spraying watered down household glue on marketable coal, degrading the coal, but producing huge tax credits for investors. This was costing the Treasury at least $3 billion a year. The IRS turned a blind eye to this activity and harassed those of us in the agency who were trying to stop it. Since I had witnessed TIGTA help cover up embezzlement, I decided to go to the press about the Elmer’s Glue scam. The Wall Street Journal published a story about it, but the scam continued.
As a result of complaining about TIGTA’s inaction regarding embezzlement and speaking out about the Elmer’s Glue scam, my wife and I were subjected to a retaliatory IRS audit. After an experienced revenue agent from Fairfax spent an entire day auditing our tax returns, he stated that they were clean. Soon thereafter, he called me and apologetically stated that his “special projects” manager had ordered him to return to Richmond and “keep digging” into our returns. He stated that his regular manager would not have ordered this (I believe that because in 26 years at the IRS, I have never heard of an agent being sent back to continue a straightforward individual return that had been judged to be clean). I contacted the Washington Post and gave them a privacy waiver to discuss our tax returns with the Service. When the Post presented that waiver to the Service, they quickly dropped our audit.
Within the past few years, the IRS has used a “cadre” to pursue a particular type of case. I was assigned one of those cases that was in Tax Court. I believed that we should concede the case in question because our legal position was incorrect. As a result, I was called a quitter and a coward, was threatened with retaliation, and in fact suffered retaliation. The “cadre” (I hate that term, but that’s what they call themselves) pushed cases with an obvious legal defect. Taxpayers were denigrated in writing as “upper class twits” and one cadre member stated that, despite the weakness in our legal position, the taxpayers in these cases were typically elderly and could be forced into settling their cases. I stated my ethical concerns to management, but they answered with a short non-response and did not even bother to ask for the name of the cadre member who stated that we could bully elderly taxpayers into settling their cases. (The Tax Court ultimately rejected the Service’s position regarding the legal issue.)
Finally, there is the matter of black liquor. Black liquor is a byproduct of paper manufacture. Paper manufacturers were able to persuade the IRS to qualify black liquor for a refundable tax credit. This cost the Treasury approximately $6 to 7 billion a year. Congress in fact put a stop to it after tax year 2009. That’s when the real backroom abuse started. Most of the companies reported the refundable credits as taxable income on their tax returns and the position within the IRS internally was that these credits were taxable income. In fact, there is a revenue ruling issued by the IRS that states that farmers with similar refundable credits have to report the credits as taxable income. However, Washington lobbyists met with high ranking IRS, chief counsel, and Treasury Department officials and got the decision regarding black liquor reversed. Taxpayers then filed refund claims with respect to the amounts that they had previously reported as taxable income and the IRS exam teams were told to stand down. This cost the Treasury at least $2 billion for tax year 2009.
I was assisting an exam team involved with this issue. The revenue agents and I discussed the issue with a high-ranking official in the IRS. He told us not to pursue the issue of whether the credit amounts were taxable income. When I asked that he put that instruction in writing, even in an e-mail, since he was asking the exam team to ignore published IRS guidance, he stated that the IRS chief counsel had ordered that nothing be put in writing on the subject. I raised my ethical concerns with management, but was ignored.
I contacted Steve Mufson, a reporter for the Washington Post. Steve wrote a detailed story in July that laid out the abusive situation. The response in Washington was a collective yawn. I contacted numerous congressional staffers and journalists about the story, but no one cared about the $2 billion loss to the Treasury. One result of the story, however, was that it smoked out the IRS. In early November, the Service issued low level guidance called a chief counsel advice (CCA, but it should be a CYA), that attempted to defend the indefensible. In addition, the IRS had contacted the Treasury Department about the CCA prior to its issuance, but did not list Treasury as a third party contact in the CCA, in violation of IRC section 6110(d). I have attempted to simplify a complex subject, but suffice it to say that if you are a farmer, a refundable tax credit associated with an excise tax is taxable income. If you have inside access at the IRS, it is not taxable income. That is the bottom line.
I am reporting the information stated above because as a federal employee, I took an oath to the United States. I have a legal and moral obligation to report this information. I am proud of my colleagues in the IRS. The vast majority of us attempt to do our jobs in a conscientious manner. However, there is a culture of corruption within the IRS that dishonors that majority and the government we serve. Any organization will have its share of bad apples and misconduct. What separates the IRS is its junkyard dog ferocity in covering up misconduct. There is a strong cultural imperative within the IRS to protect the organization and high-ranking officials’ positions within it. If you report misconduct or dissent from the party line, your career is finished. Period. (For example, I still as of this moment have a job, but my career was finished as soon as I reported that manager for embezzlement.)
Some may read this account and view much of the misconduct I have reported as minor. However, to quote former FBI profiler John Douglas, no one wakes up one day and decides to become a serial killer. In other words, there is a pattern to human behavior. All Americans should be concerned when IRS officials see themselves as above the law because they are, in fact, above the law. The misconduct described above is united in the complete lack of accountability on the part of IRS officials.
As stated above, I have no direct knowledge of harassment for political reasons. I fear, however, that the ordinary citizens recounting stories of IRS abuse due to their political beliefs are telling the truth. (It is naïve to think that IRS executives would engage in the activities described above, but somehow draw the line at politically motivated harassment.) If these taxpayer accounts are true, then the IRS executives are doing it for a very simple reason: because they can. There is no accountability for IRS misconduct and people within the agency are scared to speak out and also believe, with considerable justification, that such action would be futile.
I have chosen to speak out in part because I have personally experienced the horrific damage that bureaucratic bullies can inflict. I also have tried to live up to the admonition in Romans 12:21: do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. I could sit around and knock down Jim Beam and complain, or I could try to do something constructive about the situation. I chose the latter option.
Chief Counsel is the office where Lois Lerner still sits (perhaps "on leave") drawing a salary after having peremptorily pled the Fifth. An "investigation" by Obozo-ites is ongoing, and likely will be "ongoing" until mid-2058, by which time all the criminals working in IRS Chief Counsel will have collected their enormous pensions and health benefits in full.
Trapping the Poor: A Statist Habit
Hennessey writes a good piece on the ObozoCare Trap. That phrase (actually Paul Ryan's wording) reminds us of the Government Schools Trap, favored by the Milwaukee Public Schools and its union.
What a co-incidence, hey?
What a co-incidence, hey?
Saturday, February 08, 2014
The Reds Are Back, and Remain Stupid!
Besides Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, and the Bozo-in-Chief, there are more!
Here's one of the duped, writing in Salon:
“given the technological, material, and social advances of the last century, we could expect an approach to communism beginning here and now to be far more open, humane … and egalitarian than the Russian and Chinese attempts managed. … they can even include reforms with support among broadly ideologically divergent parties.” --quoted at NetRightDaily
This is a rather tired line. 'Communism is great, but was never managed by the rightpeople process.'
See, with the Interwebs and the NSA, with all the money we can now expropriate from the Koch Brothers, and with legal (so far, pre-birth) abortion and gay marriage, not to mention ObozoCare, the modern-day commie doesn't have to kill 100 million people to arrive at the Eschaton. Maybe only 50 million. Maybe.
Aren't you happy to know that??
Here's one of the duped, writing in Salon:
“given the technological, material, and social advances of the last century, we could expect an approach to communism beginning here and now to be far more open, humane … and egalitarian than the Russian and Chinese attempts managed. … they can even include reforms with support among broadly ideologically divergent parties.” --quoted at NetRightDaily
This is a rather tired line. 'Communism is great, but was never managed by the right
See, with the Interwebs and the NSA, with all the money we can now expropriate from the Koch Brothers, and with legal (so far, pre-birth) abortion and gay marriage, not to mention ObozoCare, the modern-day commie doesn't have to kill 100 million people to arrive at the Eschaton. Maybe only 50 million. Maybe.
Aren't you happy to know that??
Friday, February 07, 2014
She Has More Balls Than Boehner
Admittedly, a comparison to Boehner is a very low bar indeed.
Suing the IRS is good, but they'll find a way to take the Fifth to evade civil liability, too.
As to the Congress-slime with ethics problems? Hell, she has well over 500 targets, not just one.
Lots more in the video here.
Suing the IRS is good, but they'll find a way to take the Fifth to evade civil liability, too.
As to the Congress-slime with ethics problems? Hell, she has well over 500 targets, not just one.
Lots more in the video here.
King
Street Patriots founder Catherine Engelbrecht, one of many
conservatives who claim they were unfairly targeted by the IRS when
applying for tax-exempt status, told Congress Thursday that she is “more
determined ever than before to stand before you and to all of America
and say that I will not retreat.”
“Know this,” she said, “my experiences at the hands of this government in the last five years have made me more determined ever than before to stand before you and to all of America and say that I will not retreat. I will not surrender. I will not be intimidated, and I will not ask for permission to exercise my constitutional rights.”
- See more at: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/melanie-hunter/witness-irs-hearing-i-will-not-retreat-i-will-not-surrender#sthash.rzzEAaFh.dpuf
“Know this,” she said, “my experiences at the hands of this government in the last five years have made me more determined ever than before to stand before you and to all of America and say that I will not retreat. I will not surrender. I will not be intimidated, and I will not ask for permission to exercise my constitutional rights.”
- See more at: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/melanie-hunter/witness-irs-hearing-i-will-not-retreat-i-will-not-surrender#sthash.rzzEAaFh.dpuf
Sign of the (Obama) Times
Interesting factoid:
According to Ad Age, Maxim's paid circulation fell from 2.5 million to 2 million last year. At the same time. American Rifleman's readership jumped from 1.7 million to 2.2. This puts American Rifleman among the top 25 magazines in circulation.
2.2 million paid subscriptions.....
According to Ad Age, Maxim's paid circulation fell from 2.5 million to 2 million last year. At the same time. American Rifleman's readership jumped from 1.7 million to 2.2. This puts American Rifleman among the top 25 magazines in circulation.
2.2 million paid subscriptions.....
Blue States Get Whacked. You're Next!
There IS a problem with natural gas addiction, as several blue states have found.
Electricity prices in New England have been four to eight times higher than normal in the last few weeks, as the region’s extreme reliance on natural gas for power supplies has collided with a surge in demand for heating....
...Many plants that ran on coal or oil have been shuttered, and the few that remain cannot be put into service quickly enough to meet spikes in demand....
New England is about 52% natgas. This is a NYT article, so the reason(s) for coal-plant shutdowns are not mentioned.
But there IS this:
Remember back during the 2008 presidential campaign when Barack Obama promised to bankrupt anyone who wanted to build a coal-fired power plant and essentially shut down the coal industry?
...he is still pursuing this plan. Now, he’s doing it via EPA regulations known as New Source Performance Standards (NSPS)– which amount to a “cap” without the “trade.”
NSPS rules are draconian and apply to new plants. But there are plenty of EPA and State regs already in existence which have caused the "shuttering" of 130 plants nationally, not to mention long-term planning of the utilities which recognized that their coal plants would not conform to NSPS or its predecessors.
You don't build a gen-plant in a week, ya'know.
And with NSPS, things will get worse.
...America will have a less diversified energy supply that is much more reliant on natural gas...Unemployment in coal country, already poor, is going to spike, hard. (Correction: it's not "unemployment". It's "freedom to pursue art history studies.")
According to an analysis by NERA Economic Consulting for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), NSPS could result in electricity rates spiking by between $13 billion and $17 billion per year, causing double digit electricity rate spikes in anywhere from 13 to 29 states. It will massively increase dependency on natural gas, which is subject to supply issues that coal is not. It could also cost over 200,000 jobs if implemented as currently drafted.
...Kudos to President Obama for figuring out how to do whatever he wants without the need for that annoying need for legislation....
And for making the USA part of the Third World!!
Electricity prices in New England have been four to eight times higher than normal in the last few weeks, as the region’s extreme reliance on natural gas for power supplies has collided with a surge in demand for heating....
...Many plants that ran on coal or oil have been shuttered, and the few that remain cannot be put into service quickly enough to meet spikes in demand....
New England is about 52% natgas. This is a NYT article, so the reason(s) for coal-plant shutdowns are not mentioned.
But there IS this:
Remember back during the 2008 presidential campaign when Barack Obama promised to bankrupt anyone who wanted to build a coal-fired power plant and essentially shut down the coal industry?
...he is still pursuing this plan. Now, he’s doing it via EPA regulations known as New Source Performance Standards (NSPS)– which amount to a “cap” without the “trade.”
NSPS rules are draconian and apply to new plants. But there are plenty of EPA and State regs already in existence which have caused the "shuttering" of 130 plants nationally, not to mention long-term planning of the utilities which recognized that their coal plants would not conform to NSPS or its predecessors.
You don't build a gen-plant in a week, ya'know.
And with NSPS, things will get worse.
...America will have a less diversified energy supply that is much more reliant on natural gas...Unemployment in coal country, already poor, is going to spike, hard. (Correction: it's not "unemployment". It's "freedom to pursue art history studies.")
According to an analysis by NERA Economic Consulting for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), NSPS could result in electricity rates spiking by between $13 billion and $17 billion per year, causing double digit electricity rate spikes in anywhere from 13 to 29 states. It will massively increase dependency on natural gas, which is subject to supply issues that coal is not. It could also cost over 200,000 jobs if implemented as currently drafted.
...Kudos to President Obama for figuring out how to do whatever he wants without the need for that annoying need for legislation....
And for making the USA part of the Third World!!
Small Biz v. ObozoCare
Where the rubber meets the road.
...health care reform isn't driving down the cost of insurance for small businesses, according to NSBA's survey of 780 small business owners conducted Nov. 20-Dec. 4. More than 90 percent reported that premiums went up for their health plans during their most recent renewal. One in four reported that premiums jumped by more than 20 percent.
..."These costs have real-world implications," said NSBA President Todd McCracken. "One-third of small businesses held off on hiring a new employee, and more than half say they held off on salary increases for employees."
The survey found that health care reform is leading 15 percent of small businesses to subcontract more projects instead of hiring additional employees, and 14 percent are hiring more part-time employees instead of adding on full-time workers....
(Oh, wait! 14% are allowing their employees to study art history part time instead of earning money.)
...Only 25 percent said they'll benefit from the health insurance tax credits available to some small businesses. And only 10 percent plan to buy insurance through the Small Employer Health Options Program, the exchanges set up for small businesses under Obamacare. The federal government's SHOP exchange, which serve small businesses in most states, has gotten off to a rough start -- firms won't be able to enroll online for SHOP coverage until late next year....
"Rough start" = "inoperative", eh?
....many small businesses still have a lot to learn about it -- only 42 percent said they have a clear understanding of the law and how it will affect their business. "Widespread confusion over the Affordable Care Act still exists among the majority of small firms," said NSBA Chair Jeff Van Winkle, an attorney...
They can go to the same ObozoCare 101 classes that Pelosi should attend.
...health care reform isn't driving down the cost of insurance for small businesses, according to NSBA's survey of 780 small business owners conducted Nov. 20-Dec. 4. More than 90 percent reported that premiums went up for their health plans during their most recent renewal. One in four reported that premiums jumped by more than 20 percent.
..."These costs have real-world implications," said NSBA President Todd McCracken. "One-third of small businesses held off on hiring a new employee, and more than half say they held off on salary increases for employees."
The survey found that health care reform is leading 15 percent of small businesses to subcontract more projects instead of hiring additional employees, and 14 percent are hiring more part-time employees instead of adding on full-time workers....
(Oh, wait! 14% are allowing their employees to study art history part time instead of earning money.)
...Only 25 percent said they'll benefit from the health insurance tax credits available to some small businesses. And only 10 percent plan to buy insurance through the Small Employer Health Options Program, the exchanges set up for small businesses under Obamacare. The federal government's SHOP exchange, which serve small businesses in most states, has gotten off to a rough start -- firms won't be able to enroll online for SHOP coverage until late next year....
"Rough start" = "inoperative", eh?
....many small businesses still have a lot to learn about it -- only 42 percent said they have a clear understanding of the law and how it will affect their business. "Widespread confusion over the Affordable Care Act still exists among the majority of small firms," said NSBA Chair Jeff Van Winkle, an attorney...
They can go to the same ObozoCare 101 classes that Pelosi should attend.
Thursday, February 06, 2014
The Father of "Common Core" v. Fr. Joe
Archdiocesan officials like Fr. Joe Shimek half-apologize for using Common Core, claiming that the Catholic schools will 'build upon' the base mandated by C.C.
Fr. Joe and the Archdiocese conveniently forget the identity of the father of "Common Core," Bill Ayers.
When one begins with Marxist theory, it is not possible to "build upon" it to arrive at a Catholic education. It is also impossible to arrive at an understanding of Western civilization--which happens to be composed of Aristotelian/Thomistic/Augustinian philosophy at its foundation.
...Former Senior Policy Advisor to the Department of Education and member of the California Mathematics Framework Committee, Ze’ev Wurman, testified that the Common Core overlooks basic skills, lowers college readiness standards, and offers “verbose and imprecise guidance,”[vii] while dictating that geometry be taught by an experimental method that was tested on Soviet math prodigies in the 1950s—and failed.
In English classes, teachers will reduce the amount of time spent teaching their subject of literature to only 50 percent, and then to 30 percent in high school, a move criticized by education reform professor Sandra Stotsky. Replacing literature will be “informational texts” like nonfiction books, computer manuals, IRS forms, and original documents, like court decisions and the Declaration of Independence. Documents, like the Declaration, however, are taught in a manner that downplays their significance. Overall, students will be losing a sense of a national and cultural heritage that is acquired through a systematic reading of classical literature and study of history....
When the Archdiocese administers 'outcome tests', they will be the 'outcomes' required by Common Core, unless the Archdiocese also creates its own tests. And later, the chilluns will be attempting to enter college using tests designed to meet "Common Core" standards.
So how's that going to work, exactly, Fr. Joe?
Fr. Joe and the Archdiocese conveniently forget the identity of the father of "Common Core," Bill Ayers.
When one begins with Marxist theory, it is not possible to "build upon" it to arrive at a Catholic education. It is also impossible to arrive at an understanding of Western civilization--which happens to be composed of Aristotelian/Thomistic/Augustinian philosophy at its foundation.
...Former Senior Policy Advisor to the Department of Education and member of the California Mathematics Framework Committee, Ze’ev Wurman, testified that the Common Core overlooks basic skills, lowers college readiness standards, and offers “verbose and imprecise guidance,”[vii] while dictating that geometry be taught by an experimental method that was tested on Soviet math prodigies in the 1950s—and failed.
In English classes, teachers will reduce the amount of time spent teaching their subject of literature to only 50 percent, and then to 30 percent in high school, a move criticized by education reform professor Sandra Stotsky. Replacing literature will be “informational texts” like nonfiction books, computer manuals, IRS forms, and original documents, like court decisions and the Declaration of Independence. Documents, like the Declaration, however, are taught in a manner that downplays their significance. Overall, students will be losing a sense of a national and cultural heritage that is acquired through a systematic reading of classical literature and study of history....
When the Archdiocese administers 'outcome tests', they will be the 'outcomes' required by Common Core, unless the Archdiocese also creates its own tests. And later, the chilluns will be attempting to enter college using tests designed to meet "Common Core" standards.
So how's that going to work, exactly, Fr. Joe?
Ryan Goes Politician
Seems that Paul Ryan has adopted the Real Politician practice of lying.
Such a nice young man. So dreamy.
Such a nice young man. So dreamy.
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
"What, Us Worry?"
Alfred E. Neumann would be proud of Congress.
In 2014, even with lower deficits, public debt as a share of the economy will be at its highest level since 1950 at 74 percent – and that ratio will rise to 79 percent by 2024. Beyond that, the picture gets even worse.
Nothing to see here. Move along. Another Boehner-Cave (patented, by the way) coming up soon.
In 2014, even with lower deficits, public debt as a share of the economy will be at its highest level since 1950 at 74 percent – and that ratio will rise to 79 percent by 2024. Beyond that, the picture gets even worse.
Nothing to see here. Move along. Another Boehner-Cave (patented, by the way) coming up soon.
What's Fitzgerald Doing?
According to this story, there's enough (R) support to stop forcing Wisconsin taxpayers to pay for abortions (for State employees on the State "health" plan.
So why does Senator Fitzgerald want to kill the bill?
Is he afraid of the minority/baby-killer crowd?
So why does Senator Fitzgerald want to kill the bill?
Is he afraid of the minority/baby-killer crowd?
Is Paul Ryan STUPID?
Boyish charm, college grad, wonk, .....and stupid, too?
A new Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, report shows Obamacare is expected to eliminate the equivalent of 2.3 million jobs over the next decade – a huge jump from original estimates – and opponents of the law say it’s more proof that repeal is the only solution.
The CBO report states the estimate is based on reduced working hours for some employees and the elimination of other positions by employers who want to avoid being required to provide health coverage to their employees.
So what does Ryan blabber about?
Immigration "reform."
A new Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, report shows Obamacare is expected to eliminate the equivalent of 2.3 million jobs over the next decade – a huge jump from original estimates – and opponents of the law say it’s more proof that repeal is the only solution.
The CBO report states the estimate is based on reduced working hours for some employees and the elimination of other positions by employers who want to avoid being required to provide health coverage to their employees.
So what does Ryan blabber about?
Immigration "reform."
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Popes and "Capitalism"
Badger remarks that it is silly to say either "capitalism=good" or "capitalism=bad."
For a far more useful insight, how about John Paul II:
....whether "capitalism should be the goal of the countries now making efforts to rebuild their economy and society?" John Paul's answer is:
The answer is obviously complex. If by capitalism is meant an economic system which recognizes the fundamental and positive role of business, the market, private property and the resulting responsibility for the means of production as well as free human creativity in the economic sector, then the answer is certainly in the affirmative even though it would perhaps be more appropriate to speak of a business economy, market economy, or simply free economy. But if by capitalism is meant a system in which freedom in the economic sector is not circumscribed within a strong juridical framework which places it at the service of human freedom in its totality and which sees it as a particular aspect of that freedom, the core of which is ethical and religious, then the reply is certainly negative.
The US has not had unfettered capitalism since (roughly) the '20's.
And for you Obamunists:
"It is not lawful to take the things of others to give to the poor. It is a sin worthy of punishment, not an act deserving a reward, to give away what belongs to others." - Saint Francis of Assisi,
Yah, THAT Francis.
For a far more useful insight, how about John Paul II:
....whether "capitalism should be the goal of the countries now making efforts to rebuild their economy and society?" John Paul's answer is:
The answer is obviously complex. If by capitalism is meant an economic system which recognizes the fundamental and positive role of business, the market, private property and the resulting responsibility for the means of production as well as free human creativity in the economic sector, then the answer is certainly in the affirmative even though it would perhaps be more appropriate to speak of a business economy, market economy, or simply free economy. But if by capitalism is meant a system in which freedom in the economic sector is not circumscribed within a strong juridical framework which places it at the service of human freedom in its totality and which sees it as a particular aspect of that freedom, the core of which is ethical and religious, then the reply is certainly negative.
The US has not had unfettered capitalism since (roughly) the '20's.
And for you Obamunists:
"It is not lawful to take the things of others to give to the poor. It is a sin worthy of punishment, not an act deserving a reward, to give away what belongs to others." - Saint Francis of Assisi,
Yah, THAT Francis.
Monday, February 03, 2014
The Fallacy of "They Like It"
Ostrowski has a point.
NOTHING MAKES a Church musician tremble like a parishioner saying: “Why don’t you do more music that people enjoy?” After all, in the year 2014 our decisions are increasingly governed by polls, and we’ve become accustomed to them....
Yah, but....
...Only a fool would give his students a “survey” to determine what he should teach them. Only a quack would give his patients a “poll” to determine what treatment he should prescribe for them. Tastes often change with time. Furthermore, the tastes of Person A, Person B, and Person C often conflict. When it comes to the sacred liturgy, polls and surveys are ultimately irrelevant, in spite of the fact that admitting this can make a person sound arrogant and dismissive. In fact, the Catholic Faith has never been a numbers game (cf. Jn 6:67),...
My current parish utilizes the "poll" method of music-selection, as do most others. What Ostrowski doesn't mention is the other manifestation of that phenomenon: the total and complete absence of moral instruction on artificial birth control from the pulpit.
'Tis the same thing, ya'know.
NOTHING MAKES a Church musician tremble like a parishioner saying: “Why don’t you do more music that people enjoy?” After all, in the year 2014 our decisions are increasingly governed by polls, and we’ve become accustomed to them....
Yah, but....
...Only a fool would give his students a “survey” to determine what he should teach them. Only a quack would give his patients a “poll” to determine what treatment he should prescribe for them. Tastes often change with time. Furthermore, the tastes of Person A, Person B, and Person C often conflict. When it comes to the sacred liturgy, polls and surveys are ultimately irrelevant, in spite of the fact that admitting this can make a person sound arrogant and dismissive. In fact, the Catholic Faith has never been a numbers game (cf. Jn 6:67),...
My current parish utilizes the "poll" method of music-selection, as do most others. What Ostrowski doesn't mention is the other manifestation of that phenomenon: the total and complete absence of moral instruction on artificial birth control from the pulpit.
'Tis the same thing, ya'know.
The Competence of Obozo & Sebelius
Ah, yes. They found some contractor who did it on the cheap. The contractor subbed out a chunk of the work to the Byelorusskis. Oh, yah--the prime contractor had 'pull' through Moochie. So nothing could go wrong, right?
U.S. intelligence agencies last week urged the Obama administration to check its new healthcare network for malicious software after learning that developers linked to the Belarus government helped produce the website, raising fresh concerns that private data posted by millions of Americans will be compromised.
The intelligence agencies notified the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency in charge of the Healthcare.gov network, about their concerns last week.
Specifically, officials warned that programmers in Belarus, a former Soviet republic closely allied with Russia, were suspected of inserting malicious code that could be used for cyber attacks, according to U.S. officials familiar with the concerns.
ooooooooooops.
Yes, that's the ObozoCare website. The one that feeds IRS and all the hospitals.
U.S. intelligence agencies last week urged the Obama administration to check its new healthcare network for malicious software after learning that developers linked to the Belarus government helped produce the website, raising fresh concerns that private data posted by millions of Americans will be compromised.
The intelligence agencies notified the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency in charge of the Healthcare.gov network, about their concerns last week.
Specifically, officials warned that programmers in Belarus, a former Soviet republic closely allied with Russia, were suspected of inserting malicious code that could be used for cyber attacks, according to U.S. officials familiar with the concerns.
ooooooooooops.
Yes, that's the ObozoCare website. The one that feeds IRS and all the hospitals.
The New and Better Gummint-Control Games
If the Obamunist IRS fails to take you down, there are other means.
...Everyone in the House Chamber knew something that the American people have yet to fully grasp and Republicans have yet to demonstrate an ability to combat – that their government has grown so large, so complex, so involved in virtually every aspect of their lives, that it is now being used as a weapon to by a small segment of the ruling political class....
...There are the new revelations about the Administration intimidating banks to prevent them from doing business with a number of legitimate businesses. The until recently covert Operation Choke Point administered through the Departments of Justice and Treasury is already having an impact on the financial industry and other legitimate businesses the Administration is targeting....
Such as?
Glad you asked!!
...Documents inadvertently leaked by the Department of the Treasury from a briefing on Operation Choke Point clearly show that the Administration is looking to significantly impact legal businesses because it believes the public needs to be protected from industries and customers deemed more likely to engage in criminal activity. According to the Administration, those industries interestingly include ammunition sales, gun sales, home-based charities, gambling, pharmaceutical sales, short-term loans, raffles, Amway and Mary Kay-style sales businesses, and credit repair services....
Well, those are just businesses, right? They're all evil anyway, ya'know.
Oh, wait!
...Then there’s the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, once headed by Elizabeth Warren, also now a key cog in the Obama Administration’s effort to regulate industries and personal decision-making....
As the Washington Examiner’s Richard Pollack recently reported, “they assume all businesses are predatory,” which allegedly gives them the ability to collect up to 96 separate data points from more than 1 billion credit cards. That’s right – your government is now keeping tabs on how you spend your money.
Congress has asked CFPB questions about the consumer “snooping” program and has been given little in response. The head of CFPB Richard Cordray did however inform Members of Congress that Americans cannot opt out or prevent this personal data collection....
The obvious response is to go to cash; but then the Obamunists will re-write the regs so that any CASH transaction over, say, $2,000.00 must be reported--as is now the case with cash transactions over $10K.
Of course, you'll be "protected."
And the check is in the mail, and they'll respect you in the morning.
...Everyone in the House Chamber knew something that the American people have yet to fully grasp and Republicans have yet to demonstrate an ability to combat – that their government has grown so large, so complex, so involved in virtually every aspect of their lives, that it is now being used as a weapon to by a small segment of the ruling political class....
...There are the new revelations about the Administration intimidating banks to prevent them from doing business with a number of legitimate businesses. The until recently covert Operation Choke Point administered through the Departments of Justice and Treasury is already having an impact on the financial industry and other legitimate businesses the Administration is targeting....
Such as?
Glad you asked!!
...Documents inadvertently leaked by the Department of the Treasury from a briefing on Operation Choke Point clearly show that the Administration is looking to significantly impact legal businesses because it believes the public needs to be protected from industries and customers deemed more likely to engage in criminal activity. According to the Administration, those industries interestingly include ammunition sales, gun sales, home-based charities, gambling, pharmaceutical sales, short-term loans, raffles, Amway and Mary Kay-style sales businesses, and credit repair services....
Well, those are just businesses, right? They're all evil anyway, ya'know.
Oh, wait!
...Then there’s the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, once headed by Elizabeth Warren, also now a key cog in the Obama Administration’s effort to regulate industries and personal decision-making....
As the Washington Examiner’s Richard Pollack recently reported, “they assume all businesses are predatory,” which allegedly gives them the ability to collect up to 96 separate data points from more than 1 billion credit cards. That’s right – your government is now keeping tabs on how you spend your money.
Congress has asked CFPB questions about the consumer “snooping” program and has been given little in response. The head of CFPB Richard Cordray did however inform Members of Congress that Americans cannot opt out or prevent this personal data collection....
The obvious response is to go to cash; but then the Obamunists will re-write the regs so that any CASH transaction over, say, $2,000.00 must be reported--as is now the case with cash transactions over $10K.
Of course, you'll be "protected."
And the check is in the mail, and they'll respect you in the morning.
Sunday, February 02, 2014
It Begins!!
Grim brings us the good news.
A RESOLUTION
1 Applying for a convention of the states under Article V of the United States Constitution; and
2 for other purposes.
This is an Article V convention.
The resolution is in committee at this time.
Here in Wisconsin, Rep. Kooyenga has not yet presented a similar resolution.
Not yet.
A RESOLUTION
1 Applying for a convention of the states under Article V of the United States Constitution; and
2 for other purposes.
This is an Article V convention.
The resolution is in committee at this time.
Here in Wisconsin, Rep. Kooyenga has not yet presented a similar resolution.
Not yet.