This popped up yesterday in the Madistan paper.
In January 2009, Milwaukee area attorney Mark Thomsen donated $5,000
to a Wisconsin official’s political campaign. Thomsen soon sent an
additional $500 just eight days before the official cast a key vote on
an insurance issue that greatly affected Thomsen and his clients.
The public official’s vote was not in the state Assembly, or the state Senate. It was in the state’s highest court.
When
the Wisconsin Supreme Court decision came down in Thomsen’s favor, the
majority included the recipient of Thomsen’s money: Chief Justice
Shirley Abrahamson.
We've been through this before. Political money goes to like-minded office-holders (or candidates)--at least, that's the line that the RadioMouths ran with when the "story" was that Conservative congress-critters got money from conservatives.
It'll be interesting to hear their take on this one, since Screechin' Shirley is named.
(By the way: as much as I dislike Screech's inane rulings, I don't for one second believe that $18K/year buys her vote. That would make her a very cheap whore, indeed.)
Monday, October 21, 2013
Boehner's Record Very Impressive!
The guy deserves some props, hey.
Since he became Speaker of the House, the national debt has increased by over $3.7Trillion. That's an inter-galactic record.
It's about $27 grand for each household in the USA.
Good work, John.
Since he became Speaker of the House, the national debt has increased by over $3.7Trillion. That's an inter-galactic record.
It's about $27 grand for each household in the USA.
Good work, John.
Since
John Boehner became speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on
Jan. 5, 2011, the debt of the federal government has increased by
$3,064,063,380,067.72. - See more at:
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/under-boehner-debt-3t-under-3-yrs-enough-buy-every-household-3-yrs#sthash.X5GrfFRt.dpuf
Sunday, October 20, 2013
The Crying Girly-men in the Senate
McCarthy has it dead-on.
Short: the crying girly-men Senators who attack Cruz/Lee are delusional.
The Tea Party is NOT delusional. And they're not girly-men, either.
Short: the crying girly-men Senators who attack Cruz/Lee are delusional.
The Tea Party is NOT delusional. And they're not girly-men, either.
Friday, October 18, 2013
The Coulter Collapse
Saw this item at Protein Wisdom and remembered that Coulter's appearance in Milwaukee was "cancelled for scheduling reasons."
It wasn't "scheduling."
It was that no one would show up.
So now Coulter shares something with Bill Ayers!
It wasn't "scheduling."
It was that no one would show up.
So now Coulter shares something with Bill Ayers!
Strassel: Just a Little Short-Sighted
Cluck-clucking from another mother hen.
...The Americans who supported the defund mission did so for the right reasons. They are correct that the law is a disaster, and that GOP leadership lacked a coherent plan to counter it this summer. They are correct that the House has every "right" to control the purse. They are correct that the party is too often rudderless, that it has lacked a vision, that it needs some bold figures willing to define a modern (which doesn't mean populist) conservatism.
But none of that changes the fact that Defund ObamaCare was the wrong fight, at the wrong time, facing impossible odds, and conducted by generals who lacked an endgame. Being right isn't always enough.
History is full of brave men who are famous mostly for losing. Republicans will have more shots to cut down ObamaCare, and pry out budget concessions. But to win those fights, they'll have to learn from this one. Brave charges mean little if they aren't followed by victory.
What Ms Strassel has in wordsmithing ability, she lacks in long-term vision and knowledge of history.
The Cruz/Lee assault was only the first skirmish in what will be a long war. In that skirmish, Cruz & Lee and their backers learned some important things--for instance, the identities of most of the Quislings. There are more Quislings out there, of course, but knowing who most of them are is critical.
They also found that ObozoCare is, indeed, horribly unpopular. Polls (another intel source) had been saying so, but the polls hadn't been tested under fire, so to speak, until the Cruz/Lee event.
(In that regard, it is noteworthy that ObozoCare is currently self-destructing. Many a war has been won because of Events not foreseen by either side.)
Another valuable find: Democrat voters (not pols) despise Democrat pols almost as much as Tea Party folks despise the Surrender Caucus. Strassel, being oh-so-sophisticated, denigrates 'populism' when in fact, the populist Democrats will be allies in the final battles over the Statist regime. Perhaps she's too young to remember the Teamsters' enthusiasm for Ron Reagan--or perhaps her vision isn't very good.
Finally, Ms Strassel forgets Dunkirk--and for that matter, the Philippines. Both of those disasters, and many others in military history, were not only preludes to victory, but were also proximate causes of eventual victory. Defeat often increases the resolve and ferocity of the troops.
The shot heard 'round the world has been fired. The war is commenced. Ms Strassel might want to stick around for the end.
...The Americans who supported the defund mission did so for the right reasons. They are correct that the law is a disaster, and that GOP leadership lacked a coherent plan to counter it this summer. They are correct that the House has every "right" to control the purse. They are correct that the party is too often rudderless, that it has lacked a vision, that it needs some bold figures willing to define a modern (which doesn't mean populist) conservatism.
But none of that changes the fact that Defund ObamaCare was the wrong fight, at the wrong time, facing impossible odds, and conducted by generals who lacked an endgame. Being right isn't always enough.
History is full of brave men who are famous mostly for losing. Republicans will have more shots to cut down ObamaCare, and pry out budget concessions. But to win those fights, they'll have to learn from this one. Brave charges mean little if they aren't followed by victory.
What Ms Strassel has in wordsmithing ability, she lacks in long-term vision and knowledge of history.
The Cruz/Lee assault was only the first skirmish in what will be a long war. In that skirmish, Cruz & Lee and their backers learned some important things--for instance, the identities of most of the Quislings. There are more Quislings out there, of course, but knowing who most of them are is critical.
They also found that ObozoCare is, indeed, horribly unpopular. Polls (another intel source) had been saying so, but the polls hadn't been tested under fire, so to speak, until the Cruz/Lee event.
(In that regard, it is noteworthy that ObozoCare is currently self-destructing. Many a war has been won because of Events not foreseen by either side.)
Another valuable find: Democrat voters (not pols) despise Democrat pols almost as much as Tea Party folks despise the Surrender Caucus. Strassel, being oh-so-sophisticated, denigrates 'populism' when in fact, the populist Democrats will be allies in the final battles over the Statist regime. Perhaps she's too young to remember the Teamsters' enthusiasm for Ron Reagan--or perhaps her vision isn't very good.
Finally, Ms Strassel forgets Dunkirk--and for that matter, the Philippines. Both of those disasters, and many others in military history, were not only preludes to victory, but were also proximate causes of eventual victory. Defeat often increases the resolve and ferocity of the troops.
The shot heard 'round the world has been fired. The war is commenced. Ms Strassel might want to stick around for the end.
Was RoJo Given the Cuckoo's Nest Treatment?
Oh yah, RoJo (and most of the State's (R) representatives) got to take their "election-story" votes on the whole ObozoCare/Shutdown/DebtForever mess.
...But at least we all have a moment of clarity. The GOP is not, in any meaningful sense, a conservative, first-principles, Constitutionalist party — and unless it’s subsumed by the Tea Party, it never will be. Rather, it’s content to be the lesser half of the Permanent Bipartisan Fusion Party as long as it can collect some of the pork scraps from underneath the table of the Permanent Bipartisan Fusion Government. No wonder they keep losing — they like it....
Well, Boehner likes it. So does the Old Fart Crapweasel Mc-HasBeen and his butt-buddy.
But when the Magic Fairy-Dust of "QE" gets the Wizard of Oz treatment--and it will--I wouldn't want to be in their comfortable club with their comfortable silk jackets.
HT: Grim
...But at least we all have a moment of clarity. The GOP is not, in any meaningful sense, a conservative, first-principles, Constitutionalist party — and unless it’s subsumed by the Tea Party, it never will be. Rather, it’s content to be the lesser half of the Permanent Bipartisan Fusion Party as long as it can collect some of the pork scraps from underneath the table of the Permanent Bipartisan Fusion Government. No wonder they keep losing — they like it....
Well, Boehner likes it. So does the Old Fart Crapweasel Mc-HasBeen and his butt-buddy.
But when the Magic Fairy-Dust of "QE" gets the Wizard of Oz treatment--and it will--I wouldn't want to be in their comfortable club with their comfortable silk jackets.
HT: Grim
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Whither the Budget Committee?
Ryan, RoJo, and a few others are now embarking on a joint committee budgeting assignment.
Pethkoukis posts an essay ending thus:
...Given that the average US debt-to-GDP ratio was 37% from 1957 through 2007, a better policy goal would be to immediately shift — via entitlement reform and pro-growth polices rather than more discretionary spending cuts — the debt-to-GDP ratio onto a downward trajectory back toward that 37% level, if not lower, over the next two decades....
Yes, "reform" may include SocSec taxation on incomes up to $235K rather than only $85+K. So?
Pethkoukis posts an essay ending thus:
...Given that the average US debt-to-GDP ratio was 37% from 1957 through 2007, a better policy goal would be to immediately shift — via entitlement reform and pro-growth polices rather than more discretionary spending cuts — the debt-to-GDP ratio onto a downward trajectory back toward that 37% level, if not lower, over the next two decades....
Yes, "reform" may include SocSec taxation on incomes up to $235K rather than only $85+K. So?
How Long the D/R Parties?
Picked up from PW:
...William Galston, writing in the Wall Street Journal warns that the institutional Republican Party — the political equivalent of the Washington Generals — may have lost its audience after the longest losing streak in history. A large part of the GOP base is walking out — led by an “aroused, angry and above all fearful [Jacksonian America] in full revolt against a new elite”...
Well, yah. We're well past the 'once' in "Fool me once...."
But that's not all.
...the assumption that Third Party must only come from conservative ranks bears closer examination. For the Democrats need money too. In fact they need it more than anyone else, a fact underscored by their obsession to lift every limit on their credit cards. The truth is they are only one step ahead of disaster; for if once the EBT system stops working, even momentarily, there is a drastic disturbance in the force....
Seems to me that in the last 5 days a lot of polls have affirmed that the majority of Americans are sick and tired of BOTH parties and all of Congress. All of 'em.
...William Galston, writing in the Wall Street Journal warns that the institutional Republican Party — the political equivalent of the Washington Generals — may have lost its audience after the longest losing streak in history. A large part of the GOP base is walking out — led by an “aroused, angry and above all fearful [Jacksonian America] in full revolt against a new elite”...
Well, yah. We're well past the 'once' in "Fool me once...."
But that's not all.
...the assumption that Third Party must only come from conservative ranks bears closer examination. For the Democrats need money too. In fact they need it more than anyone else, a fact underscored by their obsession to lift every limit on their credit cards. The truth is they are only one step ahead of disaster; for if once the EBT system stops working, even momentarily, there is a drastic disturbance in the force....
Seems to me that in the last 5 days a lot of polls have affirmed that the majority of Americans are sick and tired of BOTH parties and all of Congress. All of 'em.
ObozoCare's Stolen Code
Seems that the no-competitive-bid/single-source ObozoCare Canuck team can't even steal code well.
A company permits the free use of its software, I think for data tables, so long as the user retains the copyright notification that the software belongs to the company.
Well, of course, The Gang Who Couldn't Code Straight did not include that copyright notification.
Of course not. They were even more stupid than that:
....apparently the crack Obama team left the internal comments in the code, which allowed this company to quickly determine it was in fact its code. Of course, they did delete the part of about requiring their copyright notice to be displayed....
Oh, there will be a settlement, as Ace reminds us.
A company permits the free use of its software, I think for data tables, so long as the user retains the copyright notification that the software belongs to the company.
Well, of course, The Gang Who Couldn't Code Straight did not include that copyright notification.
Of course not. They were even more stupid than that:
....apparently the crack Obama team left the internal comments in the code, which allowed this company to quickly determine it was in fact its code. Of course, they did delete the part of about requiring their copyright notice to be displayed....
Oh, there will be a settlement, as Ace reminds us.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
RoJo's All Hopping Mad
Once again, RoJo runs his flap:
"The people who foisted
this strategy on us are not laying down their arms. They're going to be
blaming everyone else but themselves for this spectacular failure. The
people who foisted this strategy, it has been a spectacular strategy for
their own benefit."
I remember a bright middle-aged fellow campaigning on 'doing whatever it took' to rid the US of ObamaCare.
Now he's pissing all over people who did whatever they could to rid the US of ObamaCare.
Sensenbrenner Slaps Obozo
Finally, some good news about Sensenbrenner!
First off, let's recall that Sensenbrenner and Feingold both voted against the original language of the Patriot Act. Now we find that Sensenbrenner is an ally of Leaky Leahy.
That's not always bad.
Here's the recap of the new legislative proposal:
It seeks to limit the collection of phone records to known terrorist suspects; to end "secret laws" by making courts disclose surveillance policies; to create a special court advocate to represent privacy interests; and to allow companies to disclose how many requests for users' information they receive from the USA. The bill also tightens up language governing overseas surveillance to remove a loophole which it has been abused to target internet and email activities of Americans. The Guardian quoted at Sykes
Should the bill's language actually do what's reported above, it's a good first step.
Even more interesting: will Obozo veto it?
First off, let's recall that Sensenbrenner and Feingold both voted against the original language of the Patriot Act. Now we find that Sensenbrenner is an ally of Leaky Leahy.
That's not always bad.
Here's the recap of the new legislative proposal:
It seeks to limit the collection of phone records to known terrorist suspects; to end "secret laws" by making courts disclose surveillance policies; to create a special court advocate to represent privacy interests; and to allow companies to disclose how many requests for users' information they receive from the USA. The bill also tightens up language governing overseas surveillance to remove a loophole which it has been abused to target internet and email activities of Americans. The Guardian quoted at Sykes
Should the bill's language actually do what's reported above, it's a good first step.
Even more interesting: will Obozo veto it?
Who Elected Tim Sheehy?
Tim Sheehy is probably a very nice guy and all that stuff.
But apparently he thinks he has replaced Gov. Walker and the Legislature. Or maybe he thinks he's Barack Obama.
If enacting a regional tax is the solution to pay for a new Milwaukee arena or other cultural institutions, Racine County won't be a part of it.
That is the message Timothy Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, delivered recently to Racine County Executive Jim Ladwig.
"I don't have designs on Racine County," Sheehy said.
When are you going to issue a hall-pass to Waukesha and Ozaukee, Tim?
Or why don't you man up and tell the NBA to shove it where the sun never shines?
But apparently he thinks he has replaced Gov. Walker and the Legislature. Or maybe he thinks he's Barack Obama.
If enacting a regional tax is the solution to pay for a new Milwaukee arena or other cultural institutions, Racine County won't be a part of it.
That is the message Timothy Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, delivered recently to Racine County Executive Jim Ladwig.
"I don't have designs on Racine County," Sheehy said.
When are you going to issue a hall-pass to Waukesha and Ozaukee, Tim?
Or why don't you man up and tell the NBA to shove it where the sun never shines?
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Death of a Professional Amateur
One usually thinks of an amateur as someone who is not very good at what they do. That's not the real meaning of the word, of course. An amateur does what he does for love of doing it. Here's the derivation: < French, Middle French < Latin amātor lover, equivalent to amā- (stem of amāre to love) + -tor -tor, replaced by French -teur (< Latin -tōr-, oblique stem of -tor ); Conversely, one thinks of a professional as someone who really knows their stuff and they're very, very, good at it.
It was my good fortune to have as a friend and mentor a professional amateur. He sang because he loved to sing and he was very, very, good at it.
Frank sang in his father's church choir as a boy, then as an adult. He sang in other church choirs later in life. He also sang in the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus from the day it was organized until he could no longer sing on this Earth.
He never missed a rehearsal or a show except for grave illness. He marked his music and never missed an entrance, nor a cutoff. He learned the phonetic pronunciations of texts in Hebrew, Russian, Polish, and French; he already knew the German and Latin. He rarely sang the wrong note or rhythm--and always corrected it before show-time. That's because he was a professional amateur.
He joined "ad-hoc" choirs, sometimes for a cause, and sometimes just for fun. Whenever he could, he sang in the choir for the funeral Mass of a friend--or for people not his friends. In every one of those ventures, he was a contributor, and not just with his voice. He contributed leadership to singers near him, and sagacity about the human foibles surrounding us all. He contributed understanding that was gained from singing under the batons of dozens of masters, and he contributed from his very large store of knowledge of history and tradition. That's because he was a professional amateur.
He contributed humor and a ready smile. He sang the way he was told to sing, even when he disagreed with the instruction. That's not to say he rolled over; if he had something to say, he said it firmly but without rancor. He contributed friendship, loyalty, and comraderie, even to folks that he didn't like all that much. That's because he was a professional amateur.
There's an old musician's line about arriving in Heaven and playing in the orchestra with Bach, Haydn, Mozart, et.al. Frank sang all their stuff--and stuff by Durufle, Beethoven, Singenberger, Palestrina, Rachmaninoff, Elgar, Britten, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Vaughn Williams, Faure, Bizet, Peeters, Pitoni, Schubert, Handel, Franck, Poulenc, Szymanowski, Cherubini, Stravinsky, Fichtner, Tallis, Orff, and the collective of un-named geniuses who composed Gregorian Chant. That's because he was a professional amateur.
And on his arrival in heaven, for which we all pray, he will bump a very senior Seraphim down the row a bit. Frank knows all the scores. He'll contribute. He'll never miss an entrance; he'll never miss a cutoff, and he'll laugh with (literally) the best of 'em.
That's because he's a professional amateur.
We'll miss him.
It was my good fortune to have as a friend and mentor a professional amateur. He sang because he loved to sing and he was very, very, good at it.
Frank sang in his father's church choir as a boy, then as an adult. He sang in other church choirs later in life. He also sang in the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus from the day it was organized until he could no longer sing on this Earth.
He never missed a rehearsal or a show except for grave illness. He marked his music and never missed an entrance, nor a cutoff. He learned the phonetic pronunciations of texts in Hebrew, Russian, Polish, and French; he already knew the German and Latin. He rarely sang the wrong note or rhythm--and always corrected it before show-time. That's because he was a professional amateur.
He joined "ad-hoc" choirs, sometimes for a cause, and sometimes just for fun. Whenever he could, he sang in the choir for the funeral Mass of a friend--or for people not his friends. In every one of those ventures, he was a contributor, and not just with his voice. He contributed leadership to singers near him, and sagacity about the human foibles surrounding us all. He contributed understanding that was gained from singing under the batons of dozens of masters, and he contributed from his very large store of knowledge of history and tradition. That's because he was a professional amateur.
He contributed humor and a ready smile. He sang the way he was told to sing, even when he disagreed with the instruction. That's not to say he rolled over; if he had something to say, he said it firmly but without rancor. He contributed friendship, loyalty, and comraderie, even to folks that he didn't like all that much. That's because he was a professional amateur.
There's an old musician's line about arriving in Heaven and playing in the orchestra with Bach, Haydn, Mozart, et.al. Frank sang all their stuff--and stuff by Durufle, Beethoven, Singenberger, Palestrina, Rachmaninoff, Elgar, Britten, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Vaughn Williams, Faure, Bizet, Peeters, Pitoni, Schubert, Handel, Franck, Poulenc, Szymanowski, Cherubini, Stravinsky, Fichtner, Tallis, Orff, and the collective of un-named geniuses who composed Gregorian Chant. That's because he was a professional amateur.
And on his arrival in heaven, for which we all pray, he will bump a very senior Seraphim down the row a bit. Frank knows all the scores. He'll contribute. He'll never miss an entrance; he'll never miss a cutoff, and he'll laugh with (literally) the best of 'em.
That's because he's a professional amateur.
We'll miss him.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Corn-A-Holing You Less?
The Corn-A-Holers are going bonkers; EPA may back off its 15% corn-liquor requirement for gasoline.
Among the negative effects on the ethanol industry and the agricultural economy would be “backing off a federal law that provides clear and consistent signals to investors and farmers.” Lincoln Journal-Star quoted at HotAir
Translation: "...federal law that provides constant income to investors and suppliers, which income is stolen from consumers at the point of a gun."
Next time you see that picture of the 'strong, independent, farmer' remember that he's a sniveling Government dependent.
Among the negative effects on the ethanol industry and the agricultural economy would be “backing off a federal law that provides clear and consistent signals to investors and farmers.” Lincoln Journal-Star quoted at HotAir
Translation: "...federal law that provides constant income to investors and suppliers, which income is stolen from consumers at the point of a gun."
Next time you see that picture of the 'strong, independent, farmer' remember that he's a sniveling Government dependent.
Casual Lies from Obama
One thing can be said about someone who lies casually and carelessly: it's a sign that the 'someone' lies all the time, about everything.
The old maxim is that 'lies and murder travel together.'
That would be a warning to those who think that ObozoCare is actually "health" care.
The old maxim is that 'lies and murder travel together.'
That would be a warning to those who think that ObozoCare is actually "health" care.
NBC/WSJ BS Poll
There are a few problems with the NBC/WSJ poll that sent the Pubbies into a fainting spell.
For one thing, the survey is based on interviews with "adults," not "likely voters,"...
The sample size is only 800 when 1,000 or more is preferable...
and most significant:
...the sample is heavily over-weighted in two ways: By the presence of government workers and households in which at least one person works for government at some level — 20 percent, which is two-and-a-half-times the rate for the general public — and there too many Democrats and too few Republicans being interviewed.
But even if the (R) brand is suffering due to the principled stand of Cruz/Lee and the House, so what?
In a week--when the ObozoCare website is STILL non-functional--the (D) brand, and that of the GirlyMan Totalitarian, will be far worse off than that of the (R)s, should they have the guts to say "Nuts!!" to the White House and Dirty Harry.
For one thing, the survey is based on interviews with "adults," not "likely voters,"...
The sample size is only 800 when 1,000 or more is preferable...
and most significant:
...the sample is heavily over-weighted in two ways: By the presence of government workers and households in which at least one person works for government at some level — 20 percent, which is two-and-a-half-times the rate for the general public — and there too many Democrats and too few Republicans being interviewed.
But even if the (R) brand is suffering due to the principled stand of Cruz/Lee and the House, so what?
In a week--when the ObozoCare website is STILL non-functional--the (D) brand, and that of the GirlyMan Totalitarian, will be far worse off than that of the (R)s, should they have the guts to say "Nuts!!" to the White House and Dirty Harry.
Investigatory Journalism Has TWO Stories
The JS has found an interesting situation.
Actually, two of them, one far more important than the other.
Here's the second one:
....Cheryl Ferrill was hired as a supervisor in 2010. Ferrill is Robertson's sister, according to workers who know both women.
It's unclear what supervisory or benefits processing experience Ferrill has. She was an officer with the Milwaukee Police Department from 1982 until 1996 when she was injured on the job, according to city records. In recent years, she worked for a temp service and for HP Enterprise Services, the company that helps the state process benefits claims. She currently receives duty disability payments in addition to her $48,500-a-year state job.
It's long been known that "duty disability" payments are very generous in both dollars AND in interpretation of "disability."
The JS should start tugging on that thread, too.
Actually, two of them, one far more important than the other.
Here's the second one:
....Cheryl Ferrill was hired as a supervisor in 2010. Ferrill is Robertson's sister, according to workers who know both women.
It's unclear what supervisory or benefits processing experience Ferrill has. She was an officer with the Milwaukee Police Department from 1982 until 1996 when she was injured on the job, according to city records. In recent years, she worked for a temp service and for HP Enterprise Services, the company that helps the state process benefits claims. She currently receives duty disability payments in addition to her $48,500-a-year state job.
It's long been known that "duty disability" payments are very generous in both dollars AND in interpretation of "disability."
The JS should start tugging on that thread, too.
SCOTUS and Wausau
Happened across this in another (but similar) context to the Wausau kerfuffle.
Justice Clark's comments (Abington v Schempp) should be pasted on the Wausau Superintendent's desk. (See P. 3 of the letter.)
It's no surprise that Annie Gaylor and her cohort are a pack of liars. It's nice to see someone compose a response based on reality.
Justice Clark's comments (Abington v Schempp) should be pasted on the Wausau Superintendent's desk. (See P. 3 of the letter.)
It's no surprise that Annie Gaylor and her cohort are a pack of liars. It's nice to see someone compose a response based on reality.
ustice
Tom Clark’s declaration in the Supreme Court decision in the 1963 case,
School District of Abington Township vs. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963).
“Secularism is unconstitutional…preferring those who do not believe over
those who do believe… lt is the duty of government to deter no-belief
religions…The State may not establish a ‘religion of secularism’ in the
sense of affirmatively opposing or showing hostility to religion, thus
preferring those who believe in no religion over those who do believe.” -
See more at: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/#sthash.a6eU4tEc.dpuf
Friday, October 11, 2013
The Ironic Death of the (R) Party
It's no small irony that the (R) Party is dying.
John Judis:
...this week I called some Republicans I used to talk to (and some that they recommended I talk to) about the effect the shutdown is having on the Republican Party in Washington. The response I got was fear of Republican decline and loathing of the Tea Party: One lobbyist and former Hill staffer lamented the “fall of the national party,” another the rise of “suburban revolutionaries,” and another of “people alienated from business, from everything.” There is a growing fear among Washington Republicans that the party, which has lost two national elections in a row, is headed for history’s dustbin. And I believe that they are right to worry....
The Party was born to free the slaves.
It will die because it helped enslave the people.
John Judis:
...this week I called some Republicans I used to talk to (and some that they recommended I talk to) about the effect the shutdown is having on the Republican Party in Washington. The response I got was fear of Republican decline and loathing of the Tea Party: One lobbyist and former Hill staffer lamented the “fall of the national party,” another the rise of “suburban revolutionaries,” and another of “people alienated from business, from everything.” There is a growing fear among Washington Republicans that the party, which has lost two national elections in a row, is headed for history’s dustbin. And I believe that they are right to worry....
The Party was born to free the slaves.
It will die because it helped enslave the people.
Yup. A Cave UPDATED
We all knew that the Medical Device tax would go; a bazillion dollars have been spent on removing it, and a lot of Democrats thought it sucked--especially after hearing from their home-state device manufacturers such as GEMedical (Wisconsin) and Medtronix (Minnesota.)
Along with that went:
1) the shutdown, for at least a few weeks;
2) the debt ceiling;
3) parts of the sequester (TBA);
4) the de-funding of ObozoCare; and
5) all (R) credibility to Conservatives.
Oh, well. When the real revolution starts, you won't read about it in the newspapers.
UPDATE:
Ryan denies something.
Along with that went:
1) the shutdown, for at least a few weeks;
2) the debt ceiling;
3) parts of the sequester (TBA);
4) the de-funding of ObozoCare; and
5) all (R) credibility to Conservatives.
Oh, well. When the real revolution starts, you won't read about it in the newspapers.
UPDATE:
Ryan denies something.
Nice, But Why?
Seems that the State's coffers overflow!
Gov. Scott Walker on Thursday announced a special session to take up $100 million in property tax relief.
The measure would distribute that amount to school districts through equalization aids, which Walker called "the easiest way for school districts, as they set their levies, to understand the system." He said districts have already established their budgets for the year and all the money would go directly toward property taxes.
Nice. About $16.50/year for the next two years for the average property-owner.
Here's a question for Gov. Walker:
Why not a $100 million reduction in State income tax? Or a $100 million reduction in the sales-tax?
Sure, I know why, and so do you: you can't be Santa if you don't have a little extra cash for the folks.
Gov. Scott Walker on Thursday announced a special session to take up $100 million in property tax relief.
The measure would distribute that amount to school districts through equalization aids, which Walker called "the easiest way for school districts, as they set their levies, to understand the system." He said districts have already established their budgets for the year and all the money would go directly toward property taxes.
Nice. About $16.50/year for the next two years for the average property-owner.
Here's a question for Gov. Walker:
Why not a $100 million reduction in State income tax? Or a $100 million reduction in the sales-tax?
Sure, I know why, and so do you: you can't be Santa if you don't have a little extra cash for the folks.
Jack Lew, Liar
Well sure, he's a liar. He works for Obozo.
“Secretary
Lew, you have also publicly stated that only Congress has the power to
lift the debt limit,” said Hatch. “Now, while it is ostensibly true
that Congress has the power to raise the debt limit, there will be no
increase if the president does not agree. At the same time, despite
your public statements to the contrary, it is not true that raising the
limit has only to do with spending Congress already approved. This
line of argument is based on a premise that Congress makes spending
decisions unilaterally, and that the Executive Branch plays no role in
the process.
“That premise is simply false,” Hatch told Lew. “No amount of spending can be enacted without the president signing it into law.”
- See more at: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/hatch-scorches-lew-not-true-simply-false-four-pinocchios#sthash.LSVoUkZz.dpuf
“That premise is simply false,” Hatch told Lew. “No amount of spending can be enacted without the president signing it into law.”
- See more at: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/hatch-scorches-lew-not-true-simply-false-four-pinocchios#sthash.LSVoUkZz.dpuf
Obama's Compromise: "Shove It"
Obozo has turned down the debt-limit increase offered by Boehner.
We could conclude that Obozo wants to default.
But we knew that already.
We could conclude that Obozo wants to default.
But we knew that already.
Yup. It's All Racism!
The reliably Lefty Bloomberg news offers an essay which never uses the word "racism" while making it clear that opposition to ObozoCare is indeed racist.
The even quote a Perfessor! An Innerlekshul! So it must be true.
The even quote a Perfessor! An Innerlekshul! So it must be true.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
"Intellectually Dishonest"
That's the only phrase that can be applied to a RadioMouth who said this morning that "ObamaCare is an entitlement and cannot be de-funded."
Yes, it's an entitlement and--so far--cannot be de-funded.
But that's not what Cruz was trying to do, nor the House which passed the bill in question.
As even the "intellectually dishonest" know, the House bill simply de-funded the administration of ObozoCare. In other words, dollars budgeted to pay ObozoCare workers at HHS, IRS (etc.) were taken out of the budget resolution. The main "funds" were left intact--except there was no way to spend them.
It's also "intellectually dishonest" for Ron Johnson to have voted the way he did, which allowed Harry and the ratbastard Democrats to stop the debate--a debate which Johnson should have welcomed, given that he wanted to 'convert five Democrats.' RoJo could be a fool, of course, and think that those five were swayed by Cruz' speech alone.
It's also "intellectually dishonest" for someone who often states that he is "not a Republican, but a Conservative" to then state that 'electing Republicans' is the only course of action which should be taken.
How'd that work with McCain? Dole? Romney? Or the Republican who made incandescent bulbs illegal? Or the Republican who established the EPA and those Republicans who continue to INCREASE its funding?
It didn't work, because none of them had Conservative principles. Nor, when it was clinch-time, did GWBush.
What the intellectually dishonest folks know--but can't admit--is that (R) flavored Totalitarianism is still Totalitarianism. But they'll continue to prattle while the smoke from burning Rome fills their studio.
Yes, it's an entitlement and--so far--cannot be de-funded.
But that's not what Cruz was trying to do, nor the House which passed the bill in question.
As even the "intellectually dishonest" know, the House bill simply de-funded the administration of ObozoCare. In other words, dollars budgeted to pay ObozoCare workers at HHS, IRS (etc.) were taken out of the budget resolution. The main "funds" were left intact--except there was no way to spend them.
It's also "intellectually dishonest" for Ron Johnson to have voted the way he did, which allowed Harry and the ratbastard Democrats to stop the debate--a debate which Johnson should have welcomed, given that he wanted to 'convert five Democrats.' RoJo could be a fool, of course, and think that those five were swayed by Cruz' speech alone.
It's also "intellectually dishonest" for someone who often states that he is "not a Republican, but a Conservative" to then state that 'electing Republicans' is the only course of action which should be taken.
How'd that work with McCain? Dole? Romney? Or the Republican who made incandescent bulbs illegal? Or the Republican who established the EPA and those Republicans who continue to INCREASE its funding?
It didn't work, because none of them had Conservative principles. Nor, when it was clinch-time, did GWBush.
What the intellectually dishonest folks know--but can't admit--is that (R) flavored Totalitarianism is still Totalitarianism. But they'll continue to prattle while the smoke from burning Rome fills their studio.
Another Reason to Hate Da Bears
Leave aside the fact that Da Bears are in Chicago (and all that F.I.B. stuff), and leave aside the longest-running pro football rivalry, and all that stuff.
There's another (and better) reason to hate Da Bears.
Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka sees his decision not to run against Barack Obama in 2004 as his “biggest mistake.”
Speaking at an oil company’s grand opening ceremony in North Dakota the Super Bowl-winning former coach lamented that he could have prevented the Barack Obama presidency.
“Biggest mistake I’ve ever made,” Ditka said of not running against Barack Obama to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate, according to a report from The Dickinson Press last week.
“Not that I would have won, but I probably would have and he wouldn’t be in the White House,” he added.
Yup. Da Bears' Mike Ditka gave us the SCOAMF.
There's another (and better) reason to hate Da Bears.
Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka sees his decision not to run against Barack Obama in 2004 as his “biggest mistake.”
Speaking at an oil company’s grand opening ceremony in North Dakota the Super Bowl-winning former coach lamented that he could have prevented the Barack Obama presidency.
“Biggest mistake I’ve ever made,” Ditka said of not running against Barack Obama to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate, according to a report from The Dickinson Press last week.
“Not that I would have won, but I probably would have and he wouldn’t be in the White House,” he added.
Yup. Da Bears' Mike Ditka gave us the SCOAMF.
The Ad: It's Funny!!
The ObozoCare ad is finally running.
And it's funny. Be sure to stick around for the 'small-print'/fast-talk at the very end.
And it's funny. Be sure to stick around for the 'small-print'/fast-talk at the very end.
Funding ObozoCare Is Expensive
It is rumored that Boehner/Cantor/Ryan are giving up on the ObozoCare fight. That's not exactly surprising; they had shown their hand with the "delay, not de-fund" gambit.
That's one helluva strategy! Fire one round of ammo, then run like hell.
Ryan's Budget Committee will be writing a large check, too.
The exact cost to build Healthcare.gov, according to U.S. government records, appears to have been $634,320,919
No doubt the usual Congress-slime will make the usual TV appearance denouncing the usual 'waste and fraud' before going to the usual club for dinner with the usual DC pals and spending the usual $150/person for drinks and dinner.
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
The IRS: Criminals With Guns
Oh, yes, the IRS scandal gets worse.
Much worse.
Top Internal Revenue Service Obamacare official Sarah Hall Ingram discussed confidential taxpayer information with senior Obama White House officials, according to 2012 emails obtained by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and provided to The Daily Caller.
Lois Lerner, then head of the IRS Tax Exempt Organizations division, also received an email alongside White House officials that contained confidential information.
Ingram attempted to counsel the White House on a lawsuit from religious organizations opposing Obamacare’s contraception mandate. Email exchanges involving Ingram and White House officials — including White House health policy advisor Ellen Montz and deputy assistant to the president for health policy Jeanne Lambrew — contained confidential taxpayer information, according to Oversight.
Violence is not the answer, of course.
Keep repeating that to yourselves. It may take several hours of repetition before the urge diminishes.
HT: Gateway
Much worse.
Top Internal Revenue Service Obamacare official Sarah Hall Ingram discussed confidential taxpayer information with senior Obama White House officials, according to 2012 emails obtained by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and provided to The Daily Caller.
Lois Lerner, then head of the IRS Tax Exempt Organizations division, also received an email alongside White House officials that contained confidential information.
Ingram attempted to counsel the White House on a lawsuit from religious organizations opposing Obamacare’s contraception mandate. Email exchanges involving Ingram and White House officials — including White House health policy advisor Ellen Montz and deputy assistant to the president for health policy Jeanne Lambrew — contained confidential taxpayer information, according to Oversight.
Violence is not the answer, of course.
Keep repeating that to yourselves. It may take several hours of repetition before the urge diminishes.
HT: Gateway
Top
Internal Revenue Service Obamacare official Sarah Hall Ingram discussed
confidential taxpayer information with senior Obama White House
officials, according to 2012 emails obtained by the House Oversight and
Government Reform Committee and provided to The Daily Caller.
Lois Lerner, then head of the IRS Tax Exempt Organizations division, also received an email alongside White House officials that contained confidential information.
Ingram attempted to counsel the White House on a lawsuit from religious organizations opposing Obamacare’s contraception mandate. Email exchanges involving Ingram and White House officials — including White House health policy advisor Ellen Montz and deputy assistant to the president for health policy Jeanne Lambrew — contained confidential taxpayer information, according to Oversight.
- See more at: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/#sthash.vik7q1tE.dpuf
Lois Lerner, then head of the IRS Tax Exempt Organizations division, also received an email alongside White House officials that contained confidential information.
Ingram attempted to counsel the White House on a lawsuit from religious organizations opposing Obamacare’s contraception mandate. Email exchanges involving Ingram and White House officials — including White House health policy advisor Ellen Montz and deputy assistant to the president for health policy Jeanne Lambrew — contained confidential taxpayer information, according to Oversight.
- See more at: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/#sthash.vik7q1tE.dpuf
Your Next Fed Chair
She'll be in charge of the Fed soon.
“For my own part I did not see and did not appreciate what the risks were with securitization, the credit ratings agencies, the shadow banking system, the S.I.V.’s — I didn’t see any of that coming until it happened."
- Janet Yellen, 2010 --quoted at Vox
She'll fit right in with SCOAMF.
“For my own part I did not see and did not appreciate what the risks were with securitization, the credit ratings agencies, the shadow banking system, the S.I.V.’s — I didn’t see any of that coming until it happened."
- Janet Yellen, 2010 --quoted at Vox
She'll fit right in with SCOAMF.
Don't Like Your ObozoCare? Tough.
Should you actually be able to register for ObozoCare, there's another little item to consider.
...For those who’ve busted through glitches on the federal Obamacare insurance website to create an account, there’s no clear, obvious way for consumers to delete the accounts if they choose — at least not in the current incarnation....--Politico quoted at HotAir
Fly, meet spider.
...For those who’ve busted through glitches on the federal Obamacare insurance website to create an account, there’s no clear, obvious way for consumers to delete the accounts if they choose — at least not in the current incarnation....--Politico quoted at HotAir
Fly, meet spider.
ObozoDemand: $1.1 TRILLION!
Sure, he'll "negotiate". But only after this:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is moving legislation to push the debt limit until Dec. 31, 2014, well beyond next year’s midterm election.
Senate aides estimate the bill would increase federal borrowing authority by about $1.1 trillion.
Note: not a word about spending controls.
Cloward-Piven, call Harry and the SCOAMF.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is moving legislation to push the debt limit until Dec. 31, 2014, well beyond next year’s midterm election.
Senate aides estimate the bill would increase federal borrowing authority by about $1.1 trillion.
Note: not a word about spending controls.
Cloward-Piven, call Harry and the SCOAMF.
Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is moving legislation to push the
debt limit until Dec. 31, 2014, well beyond next year’s midterm
election.
Senate aides estimate the bill would increase federal borrowing authority by about $1.1 trillion
- See more at: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/#sthash.itqiEobQ.dpuf
Senate aides estimate the bill would increase federal borrowing authority by about $1.1 trillion
- See more at: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/#sthash.itqiEobQ.dpuf
SCOAMF Care, Reset Chapter
When such Great Minds as Obozo, Sibelius, and Pelosi meet, there's only one obvious outcome.
...potential registrants talking to phone support today have been told that all user passwords are being reset to help address the site's login woes. And the tech supports behind Healthcare.gov will be asking more users to act in the name of fixing the site, too. According to registrants speaking with Ars, individuals whose logins never made it to the site's database will have to re-register using a different username, as their previously chosen names are now stuck in authentication limbo....--quoted at AOSHQ
Yah. That's the ticket!!
Plenty more at the link, mostly technical stuff, but it's in English.
...potential registrants talking to phone support today have been told that all user passwords are being reset to help address the site's login woes. And the tech supports behind Healthcare.gov will be asking more users to act in the name of fixing the site, too. According to registrants speaking with Ars, individuals whose logins never made it to the site's database will have to re-register using a different username, as their previously chosen names are now stuck in authentication limbo....--quoted at AOSHQ
Yah. That's the ticket!!
Plenty more at the link, mostly technical stuff, but it's in English.
Barrycade Catholics
Preventing oldsters from pee-stops, evicting oldsters from their homes, stopping vets from visiting their own memorial, arresting picture-takers at the Grand Canyon....
...and now this:
...a priest was denied access to a military chapel this weekend. Father Ray Leonard serves at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia but because of the government shutdown, he wasn’t allowed to go to celebrate Mass this past weekend.
He is contracted by the Defense Department to meet the spiritual needs of Catholics, but not now. The chapel doors were locked and the sign said, “Shutdown: No Catholic service till further notice.”
The SCOAMF needs a good hard slap across the face.
...and now this:
...a priest was denied access to a military chapel this weekend. Father Ray Leonard serves at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia but because of the government shutdown, he wasn’t allowed to go to celebrate Mass this past weekend.
He is contracted by the Defense Department to meet the spiritual needs of Catholics, but not now. The chapel doors were locked and the sign said, “Shutdown: No Catholic service till further notice.”
The SCOAMF needs a good hard slap across the face.
Ryan: "What ObozoCare??"
Only two years ago, Republicans (not to be confused with Conservatives) were telling us that ObozoCare was a grave problem.
Fuggedaboutit.
At least, that's what Ryan seems to be telling the world.
So let me ask you: does the White House have pictures, or something?
Fuggedaboutit.
At least, that's what Ryan seems to be telling the world.
So let me ask you: does the White House have pictures, or something?
"First, I Want My Way. Then We'll Talk"
The SCOAMF wants to spend more money and push his signature failure.
Then he'll pretend to negotiate.
Fuck him.
By the way: tax revenues are $225Bn/month and debt-service is $18Bn/month. "Default" ain't a problem, no matter what SCOAMF says.
Then he'll pretend to negotiate.
Fuck him.
By the way: tax revenues are $225Bn/month and debt-service is $18Bn/month. "Default" ain't a problem, no matter what SCOAMF says.
President
Barack Obama on Tuesday signaled that he would be willing negotiate
with Republicans on health care, spending and deficit reduction once
Congress passes a clean continuing resolution and debt ceiling bill even
if they are short-term measures. - See more at:
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/melanie-hunter/obama-gop-i-will-talk-about-anything-if-you-pass-clean-cr-debt-ceiling#sthash.n5UFmhDj.dpuf
What "Privacy" of IRS Data?
It's becoming a pattern: Big Gummint drones using private (Yahoo? Gmail?) email accounts for Gummint business. First there was EPA.
Now IRS.
"[W]e have uncovered a troubling pattern of IRS officials sending official documents to non-official email accounts as well as the use of non-official email accounts to conduct official business," the September 30th letter to acting IRS Commissioner Dan Werfil reads. "In some instances, IRS officials have sent taxpayer protected information to non-official email accounts."
The officials were identified as then-IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman, Lois Lerner, who headed the office at the center of the scandal, Judith Kindall, and Nikole Flax, who worked in Lerner's office.
So your last 5 years' tax returns could be sitting on Lerner's home computer--and could be sent from there to anyone.
Like the press, or the Park Service.
Now IRS.
"[W]e have uncovered a troubling pattern of IRS officials sending official documents to non-official email accounts as well as the use of non-official email accounts to conduct official business," the September 30th letter to acting IRS Commissioner Dan Werfil reads. "In some instances, IRS officials have sent taxpayer protected information to non-official email accounts."
The officials were identified as then-IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman, Lois Lerner, who headed the office at the center of the scandal, Judith Kindall, and Nikole Flax, who worked in Lerner's office.
So your last 5 years' tax returns could be sitting on Lerner's home computer--and could be sent from there to anyone.
Like the press, or the Park Service.
The Story of RoJo: A Cautionary Tale
There once was a man named RoJo. He was a finance guy who ran a business selling stuff to his father-in-law, who paid him a lot of money for the stuff. Then he became politically active! So active that he was picked by Reince Priebus to run for office against a pompous, arrogant Statist whose time was up.
So RoJo ran a campaign which was 90% anti-ObozoCare and 10% "small Government.". He was going to be the 'common man' in the Senate, using his accounting acumen to straighten out the books and stop Big Brother. The pompous arrogant Statist was tired and his schtick wasn't selling, so RoJo won.
RoJo made some Conservative-sounding noises in the Senate early on, but that was against the rules. So he was sent to his room by the Senate Daddy, McConnell.
And that was the end of "RoJo the Conservative".
Earlier this year, Daddy McConnell let RoJo out of his room and told him he could play with the other kids, namely, some White House budget types. Of course, there was a condition attached: RoJo had to behave himself and play nice and never, ever, ever again raise Hell about the “greatest assault on our freedom in our lifetime.” or run around saying: "Obama represents nothing less than a threat to turn America into a “socialist, European-style” state.”
If RoJo didn't behave himself, he would have to go back to his room. He wouldn't be able to play with the other Big Boys any more or pretend to be "solving the problem" of BigBrother Government with the White House kids.
By and by, another Conservative came to the Senate. But this one actually did what RoJo had "promised" to do: he threw sand into the transmission of ObozoCare. This was a problem for Daddy, because Daddy wanted to be re-elected and maybe even become the Big Daddy.
So Daddy sent RoJo out with another assignment: RoJo would have to denounce the Conservative and vote against him. Not only that, but RoJo would have to scream and yell at the Conservative. And, of course, he'd have to lie about that screaming-and-yelling stuff, or Daddy would be unhappy and send him back to his room.
RoJo did what Daddy told him, so he can still play with the other boys. He can even go on the radio, so long as he says that the Conservative is a stupid-head, or stuff like that. And RoJo did, because he learned his lesson.
The end.
So RoJo ran a campaign which was 90% anti-ObozoCare and 10% "small Government.". He was going to be the 'common man' in the Senate, using his accounting acumen to straighten out the books and stop Big Brother. The pompous arrogant Statist was tired and his schtick wasn't selling, so RoJo won.
RoJo made some Conservative-sounding noises in the Senate early on, but that was against the rules. So he was sent to his room by the Senate Daddy, McConnell.
And that was the end of "RoJo the Conservative".
Earlier this year, Daddy McConnell let RoJo out of his room and told him he could play with the other kids, namely, some White House budget types. Of course, there was a condition attached: RoJo had to behave himself and play nice and never, ever, ever again raise Hell about the “greatest assault on our freedom in our lifetime.” or run around saying: "Obama represents nothing less than a threat to turn America into a “socialist, European-style” state.”
If RoJo didn't behave himself, he would have to go back to his room. He wouldn't be able to play with the other Big Boys any more or pretend to be "solving the problem" of Big
By and by, another Conservative came to the Senate. But this one actually did what RoJo had "promised" to do: he threw sand into the transmission of ObozoCare. This was a problem for Daddy, because Daddy wanted to be re-elected and maybe even become the Big Daddy.
So Daddy sent RoJo out with another assignment: RoJo would have to denounce the Conservative and vote against him. Not only that, but RoJo would have to scream and yell at the Conservative. And, of course, he'd have to lie about that screaming-and-yelling stuff, or Daddy would be unhappy and send him back to his room.
RoJo did what Daddy told him, so he can still play with the other boys. He can even go on the radio, so long as he says that the Conservative is a stupid-head, or stuff like that. And RoJo did, because he learned his lesson.
The end.
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
"The Best and the Brightest"??
Woops.
...Another villain is our immigraiton system, and those who defend it. The report notes that foreign language immigrants (which includes just about all immigrants to the U.S.) are significantly less literate and numerate than native-born adults. This doesn’t get better with time, either, and the report recommends that the U.S. do a better job making sure they speak English....
Yah, well, the Chamber of Commerce will have to invent another B.S. tagline.
How about "Not as dumb as a box of rocks!"
...Another villain is our immigraiton system, and those who defend it. The report notes that foreign language immigrants (which includes just about all immigrants to the U.S.) are significantly less literate and numerate than native-born adults. This doesn’t get better with time, either, and the report recommends that the U.S. do a better job making sure they speak English....
Yah, well, the Chamber of Commerce will have to invent another B.S. tagline.
How about "Not as dumb as a box of rocks!"
"You Have No Papers"
Gotta hand it to Obozo. He's made several fortunes for gun manufacturers, and he's doing his damndest to elect Republicans, too!!
...The bus stopped along a road when a large herd of bison passed nearby, and seniors filed out to take photos. Almost immediately, an armed ranger came by and ordered them to get back in, saying they couldn’t “recreate.” The tour guide, who had paid a $300 fee the day before to bring the group into the park, argued that the seniors weren’t “recreating,” just taking photos.
“She responded and said, ‘Sir, you are recreating,’ and her tone became very aggressive,” Vaillancourt said.
That's nothing.
The bus passengers were not allowed a pee-stop at an in-park hotel, either.
Gestapo.
HT: Hot Air
...The bus stopped along a road when a large herd of bison passed nearby, and seniors filed out to take photos. Almost immediately, an armed ranger came by and ordered them to get back in, saying they couldn’t “recreate.” The tour guide, who had paid a $300 fee the day before to bring the group into the park, argued that the seniors weren’t “recreating,” just taking photos.
“She responded and said, ‘Sir, you are recreating,’ and her tone became very aggressive,” Vaillancourt said.
That's nothing.
The bus passengers were not allowed a pee-stop at an in-park hotel, either.
Gestapo.
HT: Hot Air
pResident Labor Relations: Wrong Again!
Maybe his teleprompter doesn't have auto-correct. It's stuck on "Stupid".
President Obama again compared Republicans in Congress to workers going on strike, telling reporters Tuesday that GOP lawmakers had no more right to shut down the government than factory workers had to walk off their jobs.
The president made similar remarks at an event in Rockville, Md., on Thursday. He even referenced that event in his remarks Tuesday.
... In each case, Obama seemed unaware that the worker activity he was describing was a classic organized labor strike, a federally protected activity under the National Labor Relations Act. The law was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935 and is considered one of the era's major liberal victories....
Deeper and deeper into the hole he digs:
...Obama's comments annoyed AFL-CIO spokesman Josh Goldstein, who tweeted: "He's really using this analogy again?"
Well, sure. It doesn't bother him to be utterly stupid. See, e.g., the C-in-C's comments which impaired the administration of military justice.
Stupid is as stupid does--and this guy has "stupid" in spades.
President Obama again compared Republicans in Congress to workers going on strike, telling reporters Tuesday that GOP lawmakers had no more right to shut down the government than factory workers had to walk off their jobs.
The president made similar remarks at an event in Rockville, Md., on Thursday. He even referenced that event in his remarks Tuesday.
... In each case, Obama seemed unaware that the worker activity he was describing was a classic organized labor strike, a federally protected activity under the National Labor Relations Act. The law was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935 and is considered one of the era's major liberal victories....
Deeper and deeper into the hole he digs:
...Obama's comments annoyed AFL-CIO spokesman Josh Goldstein, who tweeted: "He's really using this analogy again?"
Well, sure. It doesn't bother him to be utterly stupid. See, e.g., the C-in-C's comments which impaired the administration of military justice.
Stupid is as stupid does--and this guy has "stupid" in spades.
No, It's Not "Your Land"
It's Obozo's property. You may NOT use it.
A state highway that runs through the national park was closed after Grand Canyon officials found tourists removing barricades at overlooks along the road.
The nerve of those people! Stopping to look at the Grand Canyon after the Grand Wizard Obozo said "NO!"
Twenty-one Federal traffic tix issued....
A state highway that runs through the national park was closed after Grand Canyon officials found tourists removing barricades at overlooks along the road.
The nerve of those people! Stopping to look at the Grand Canyon after the Grand Wizard Obozo said "NO!"
Twenty-one Federal traffic tix issued....
How Much Gummint Do We Need?
Interesting story from today's Biz Journal.
The federal government shutdown, now in its eighth day, is disrupting Milwaukee-area food manufacturers’ operations and could delay new product launches slated for 2014, company leaders said Tuesday.
Ummnnhhh...yah. Most of the 'delay' problem is summed up here:
...other federal functions regulating the food and beverage industry — like product label approval — have been suspended during the shutdown,...
"Product label approval." Seems simple to me: tell us who made the product, what it is, what's in it, when the shelf-life ends, and phone-contact would be nice, too. Bar-code the sucker and out ya' go!!
Some twit has to APPROVE this?
Another interesting tidbit:
Food and beverage manufacturers are also flying blind right now when it comes to commodity prices, which the federal government quotes, Belke said.
“Essentially all commodities were frozen the day the government closed,” Belke said. “The private industry is trying to figure out how to come up with pricing without really having any communication source to realize the ebbs and flows within that part of the industry. We’re all sitting there scratching our head going, ‘We don’t know if we’re overpaying or underpaying for meats or grains or whatever the case may be.’”
Whatever happened to CBOE? The daily farm reports (run on commercial radio in ag-dominated areas)?
Private enterprise would fill that slot in a second--if it weren't "Free" from the Feds, eh?
The federal government shutdown, now in its eighth day, is disrupting Milwaukee-area food manufacturers’ operations and could delay new product launches slated for 2014, company leaders said Tuesday.
Ummnnhhh...yah. Most of the 'delay' problem is summed up here:
...other federal functions regulating the food and beverage industry — like product label approval — have been suspended during the shutdown,...
"Product label approval." Seems simple to me: tell us who made the product, what it is, what's in it, when the shelf-life ends, and phone-contact would be nice, too. Bar-code the sucker and out ya' go!!
Some twit has to APPROVE this?
Another interesting tidbit:
Food and beverage manufacturers are also flying blind right now when it comes to commodity prices, which the federal government quotes, Belke said.
“Essentially all commodities were frozen the day the government closed,” Belke said. “The private industry is trying to figure out how to come up with pricing without really having any communication source to realize the ebbs and flows within that part of the industry. We’re all sitting there scratching our head going, ‘We don’t know if we’re overpaying or underpaying for meats or grains or whatever the case may be.’”
Whatever happened to CBOE? The daily farm reports (run on commercial radio in ag-dominated areas)?
Private enterprise would fill that slot in a second--if it weren't "Free" from the Feds, eh?
Monday, October 07, 2013
The Non-Culture of Wausau
Gotta hand it to these guys for being Dummies of the Month.
A high school’s elite Master Singers choir group will temporarily disband and Wausau elementary schools will no longer hold holiday concerts as the result of a Wausau School District directive to limit religious music in December.
Phil Buch, who has directed Wausau West High School’s choral programs since 1981, said the decision to halt rehearsals for the Master Singers was made after a meeting Thursday with district officials and Frank Sutherland, an attorney who represents the school district.
One is always suspicious when a lawyer walks into the room.
Buch said district administrators gave music educators at Wausau schools three options for December concerts, which typically contain a significant amount of religious music: choose five secular, or non-religious, songs for each religious song performed; hold a concert and have no holiday music whatsoever; or postpone any concerts in December. Because the 20-member Master Singers group is invited to sing at nearly a dozen holiday concerts each year, Buch said, those options were unacceptable.
Not only "unacceptable." I would say that Ebenezer Scrooge would have applauded those inane commands.
“This group sings at Christmas programs,” Buch said. “We sing for nursing homes, grade schools, businesses. To do that without Christmas music doesn’t make sense.”
Buch said the annual Wausau West music concert, held at The Grand theater each December, will go on but without the Master Singers.
You'll pee your pants when you read the "statement" from the school board President, who wears a cheesehead while cooking.
Wausau School Board president Michelle Schaefer said the change in direction stems from legal concerns over the amount of religious music performed in the schools....“From a school board perspective, we look for music that is balanced,” Schaefer said. “Yes, we are a predominantly Christian society, but we are also a society of many faiths, and we want to respect that.”
Right.
In Russian, the word for Ms. Schaefer is neculturny.
Here, she's just an idiot.
HT: Sykes
A high school’s elite Master Singers choir group will temporarily disband and Wausau elementary schools will no longer hold holiday concerts as the result of a Wausau School District directive to limit religious music in December.
Phil Buch, who has directed Wausau West High School’s choral programs since 1981, said the decision to halt rehearsals for the Master Singers was made after a meeting Thursday with district officials and Frank Sutherland, an attorney who represents the school district.
One is always suspicious when a lawyer walks into the room.
Buch said district administrators gave music educators at Wausau schools three options for December concerts, which typically contain a significant amount of religious music: choose five secular, or non-religious, songs for each religious song performed; hold a concert and have no holiday music whatsoever; or postpone any concerts in December. Because the 20-member Master Singers group is invited to sing at nearly a dozen holiday concerts each year, Buch said, those options were unacceptable.
Not only "unacceptable." I would say that Ebenezer Scrooge would have applauded those inane commands.
“This group sings at Christmas programs,” Buch said. “We sing for nursing homes, grade schools, businesses. To do that without Christmas music doesn’t make sense.”
Buch said the annual Wausau West music concert, held at The Grand theater each December, will go on but without the Master Singers.
You'll pee your pants when you read the "statement" from the school board President, who wears a cheesehead while cooking.
Wausau School Board president Michelle Schaefer said the change in direction stems from legal concerns over the amount of religious music performed in the schools....“From a school board perspective, we look for music that is balanced,” Schaefer said. “Yes, we are a predominantly Christian society, but we are also a society of many faiths, and we want to respect that.”
Right.
In Russian, the word for Ms. Schaefer is neculturny.
Here, she's just an idiot.
HT: Sykes
What Is Sensenbrenner Saying?
Do you notice that there's no "there" in Sensenbrenner's words?
A U.S. default on its debts would be more harmful to Americans than the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) said Sunday.
But it's appropriate to link the health care law and the nation's debt as lawmakers lock horns on boosting the nation's borrowing authority, he said at a town hall meeting Sunday in his congressional district.
"The two issues are going to be dealt with together," Sensenbrenner said. "We can't be increasing the debt ceiling without addressing the causes of why we are borrowing money. And Obamacare is an expensive new entitlement program."
What does that mean?
We already know that it doesn't mean "de-funding." And delaying--the current gambit--won't change the price tag.
Maybe one of the RadioMouths will squeeze Somnolent Sensenbrenner hard and get a bit of definition here.
A U.S. default on its debts would be more harmful to Americans than the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) said Sunday.
But it's appropriate to link the health care law and the nation's debt as lawmakers lock horns on boosting the nation's borrowing authority, he said at a town hall meeting Sunday in his congressional district.
"The two issues are going to be dealt with together," Sensenbrenner said. "We can't be increasing the debt ceiling without addressing the causes of why we are borrowing money. And Obamacare is an expensive new entitlement program."
What does that mean?
We already know that it doesn't mean "de-funding." And delaying--the current gambit--won't change the price tag.
Maybe one of the RadioMouths will squeeze Somnolent Sensenbrenner hard and get a bit of definition here.
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Assholery, Lyrics by Mark Steyn
Camp of the Saints found this:
This land is our land, it sure ain’t your land From downtown DC to the Lake Mead shoreland From the Arctic Refuge to the Gulf Stream waters This land is closed to you and yours
This land is our land, it sure ain’t your land From downtown DC to the Lake Mead shoreland From the Arctic Refuge to the Gulf Stream waters This land is closed to you and yours
So don’t go cruisin’ that endless Skyline
And quit your fishin’, put down that fly line
Don’t pay respects to your country’s war heroes
Their land is closed to you and yours
Don’t even look at that view of Rushmore
Don’t volunteer now, you need to hush more
Don’t even think of parking near George Washington’s
This land is closed to you and yours
This land is our land, it sure ain’t your land
From Cuyahoga to the old Claude Moore land
From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the yellow police tape
Red lines are made for you, not Assad.
Mene, Mene, Tekel Upharsin
Cold Fury:
Y’know, we’ve all been worrying ourselves about the increasing potential for violent uprising, and how to know when (or if) the shooting ought to start. When the Dictator In Chief is chucking old folks out of their homes for no purpose other than indulging in some pointless political theater, and his sick-fuck minions are going cheerfully along with it with nary a visible qualm, I’d say the writing’s pretty much on the wall.
The link is here.
Y’know, we’ve all been worrying ourselves about the increasing potential for violent uprising, and how to know when (or if) the shooting ought to start. When the Dictator In Chief is chucking old folks out of their homes for no purpose other than indulging in some pointless political theater, and his sick-fuck minions are going cheerfully along with it with nary a visible qualm, I’d say the writing’s pretty much on the wall.
The link is here.
"Too Many Applicants"? Nope. Too Stupid Architecture
ObozoCare servers DDOS themselves due to architecture written by Nancy Pelosi-brained twits.
HT: Grim
HT: Grim
Saturday, October 05, 2013
Is ObozoCare "Constitutional"?
Arguing the con, McCarthy.
....It is not just that the intensely unpopular Obamacare was unconstitutional as fraudulently portrayed by the president and congressional Democrats who strong-armed and pot-sweetened its way to passage. It is that Obamacare is unconstitutional as rewritten by Roberts. It is a violation of the Origination Clause — not only as I have expansively construed it, but even under Matt’s narrow interpretation of the Clause....
You'll have to read the essay yourselves. McCarthy argues that the process of passage was un-Constitutional AND that SCOTUS stepped out of its bounds to canonize the "law."
....It is not just that the intensely unpopular Obamacare was unconstitutional as fraudulently portrayed by the president and congressional Democrats who strong-armed and pot-sweetened its way to passage. It is that Obamacare is unconstitutional as rewritten by Roberts. It is a violation of the Origination Clause — not only as I have expansively construed it, but even under Matt’s narrow interpretation of the Clause....
You'll have to read the essay yourselves. McCarthy argues that the process of passage was un-Constitutional AND that SCOTUS stepped out of its bounds to canonize the "law."
"Dishonest," Ron?
RoJo characterizes Cruz as "intellectually dishonest."
That from a guy who voted FOR continuation of ObozoCare when the chips were down in the Senate.
Recalling that RoJo's campaign consisted of 90 parts anti-ObozoCare and 10 parts other stuff, that's quite an accusation.
But rather than calling RoJo 'intellectually dishonest,' I'll be charitable.
RoJo is confused.
That from a guy who voted FOR continuation of ObozoCare when the chips were down in the Senate.
Recalling that RoJo's campaign consisted of 90 parts anti-ObozoCare and 10 parts other stuff, that's quite an accusation.
But rather than calling RoJo 'intellectually dishonest,' I'll be charitable.
RoJo is confused.
"Just Following Orders"
The US Forest Service is clearly controlled by a Gestapo veteran.
The government shutdown is being felt close to home for some locals. They say they're being forced out of private homes on Lake Mead because they sit on federal land.
Joyce Spencer is 77-years-old and her husband Ralph is 80. They've been spending most of their time in the family ice cream store since going home isn't an option.
The Spencers never expected to be forced out of their Lake Mead home, which they've owned since the 70s, but on Thursday, a park ranger said they had 24 hours to get out. -quoted at LasVegas Badger
That follows the story about the WWII Memorial and the Blue Ridge Parkway shut-down.
It anticipates another story: Sunday Masses on military posts.
Will the MP's also "just follow orders" from a Gestapo HQ?
The government shutdown is being felt close to home for some locals. They say they're being forced out of private homes on Lake Mead because they sit on federal land.
Joyce Spencer is 77-years-old and her husband Ralph is 80. They've been spending most of their time in the family ice cream store since going home isn't an option.
The Spencers never expected to be forced out of their Lake Mead home, which they've owned since the 70s, but on Thursday, a park ranger said they had 24 hours to get out. -quoted at LasVegas Badger
That follows the story about the WWII Memorial and the Blue Ridge Parkway shut-down.
It anticipates another story: Sunday Masses on military posts.
Will the MP's also "just follow orders" from a Gestapo HQ?
Friday, October 04, 2013
The "Law of the Land"
We're reminded of something that the GirlyMan pResident would like to be un-remarked.
ObamaCare is the law of the land, but so is the debt limit
Whine on, girlyman.
Anent that debt limit. Mark Levin is convinced that girlyman's current rhetoric lays groundwork for another usurpation of Congressional power--specifically, that Obozo will simply issue more US debt than currently allowed by The Law of The Land.
Hmmmmm.
Thursday, October 03, 2013
Lord of the Sleepless Nights
I managed to read every one of Clancy's novels (but not the 'franchised' crap.)
That guy cost me at least 4 weeks of sleepless nights. The books were a rollicking good time, full of remarkable factoids about US military and intel capabilities which were mind-boggling 30 years ago.
Clancy, by the way, was a firm believer in American Exceptionalism; he used Jack Ryan as the prototype.
"There is no such thing as co-incidence."
In paradisum deducant te angeli....
That guy cost me at least 4 weeks of sleepless nights. The books were a rollicking good time, full of remarkable factoids about US military and intel capabilities which were mind-boggling 30 years ago.
Clancy, by the way, was a firm believer in American Exceptionalism; he used Jack Ryan as the prototype.
"There is no such thing as co-incidence."
In paradisum deducant te angeli....
So You Wanna Skip Out of Obozocare?
Nice little home you own there. It would be too bad if anything happened to it.
Somebody managed to get through the exchange and sign up. Then he was made aware:
I received an email tonight at 5:00 P.M. informing me
that my fine would be $4,037 and could be attached to my yearly income
tax return. Then you make it to the “REPERCUSSIONS PORTION” for
“non-payment” of yearly fine. First, your drivers license will be
suspended until paid, and if you go 24 consecutive months with
“Non-Payment” and you happen to be a home owner, you will have a federal
tax lien placed on your home. You can agree to give your bank
information so that they can easy “Automatically withdraw” your
“penalties” weekly, bi-weekly or monthly! --quoted at Vox
What? You mean a guy with $5200/month income before taxes can't afford ~$1700.00/month in medical expenses?
Well, then, give him an ObozoPhone to make up the difference!!
Look. It's simple. Since many people can't afford health insurance, you force them to buy it at about double the rate that they can't afford.
Volume keeps prices low, ya'know.
Somebody managed to get through the exchange and sign up. Then he was made aware:
“I
have a preexisting condition (Type 1 Diabetes) and my income base was
45K-55K annually I chose tier 2 “Silver Plan” and my monthly premiums
came out to $597.00 with $13,988 yearly deductible!!! There is NO
POSSIBLE way that I can afford this so I “opt-out” and chose to continue
along with no insurance.
What? You mean a guy with $5200/month income before taxes can't afford ~$1700.00/month in medical expenses?
Well, then, give him an ObozoPhone to make up the difference!!
Look. It's simple. Since many people can't afford health insurance, you force them to buy it at about double the rate that they can't afford.
Volume keeps prices low, ya'know.
Boehner the Enabler
Anyone who has a hare's knowledge about addicts knows that every addict has an enabler.
Boehner is the enabler for the SpendAddict Obozo.
FWIW, enablers are usually weaker than the addicts themselves, and often not nearly as smart.
Take your choice about Boehner, or take both, which is my bet.
Just for review: "Default" occurs ONLY when the debtor does not pay the interest or the amount of the debt-instrument. "Default" does NOT happen when the debtor either: 1) pays the interest or 2) pays the note; or 3) both of the above.
Allahpundit ought to know that; it's right here:
It is not true that if the debt ceiling isn’t raised by October 17, the U.S. will default on its bond obligations. On the contrary: constitutionally, the government is required to pay its debt obligations as they accrue, and the government would in fact do so until it runs out of money. Other spending might go by the wayside, but the principal and interest on government bonds would be paid in full. When the government would actually become unable to service its debt obligations has not been reported, to my knowledge, but it would be some months subsequent to October 17. So that deadline is in some respects an artificial one.
Boehner may or may not know it. Maybe he'll tell us after a good cry.
Boehner is the enabler for the SpendAddict Obozo.
FWIW, enablers are usually weaker than the addicts themselves, and often not nearly as smart.
Take your choice about Boehner, or take both, which is my bet.
Just for review: "Default" occurs ONLY when the debtor does not pay the interest or the amount of the debt-instrument. "Default" does NOT happen when the debtor either: 1) pays the interest or 2) pays the note; or 3) both of the above.
Allahpundit ought to know that; it's right here:
It is not true that if the debt ceiling isn’t raised by October 17, the U.S. will default on its bond obligations. On the contrary: constitutionally, the government is required to pay its debt obligations as they accrue, and the government would in fact do so until it runs out of money. Other spending might go by the wayside, but the principal and interest on government bonds would be paid in full. When the government would actually become unable to service its debt obligations has not been reported, to my knowledge, but it would be some months subsequent to October 17. So that deadline is in some respects an artificial one.
Boehner may or may not know it. Maybe he'll tell us after a good cry.
Clobbering the Wimps at JSOnline
The whiners and pussies at JSOnline ran a story describing Wisconsin's reaction to the Feds' shutdown of various national parks in the State.
Since the State of Wisconsin shares funding on a number of those parks, the State told the Feds to buzz off; that the State will keep the parks open.
Heh.
Then the sob-sisters and crybabies at JS ran a poll on the question 'whether the State should disobey Fed dictates' (carefully phrased, no?)
....as of around 5:30 today, it was 87 to 13 that Obama can stuff it where the sun never shines.
Heh.
UPDATE: This went national here.
Since the State of Wisconsin shares funding on a number of those parks, the State told the Feds to buzz off; that the State will keep the parks open.
Heh.
Then the sob-sisters and crybabies at JS ran a poll on the question 'whether the State should disobey Fed dictates' (carefully phrased, no?)
....as of around 5:30 today, it was 87 to 13 that Obama can stuff it where the sun never shines.
Heh.
UPDATE: This went national here.
TEA Party Victory
We got to the ratbastards, but good.
...Senator Chuck Schumer of New York told THE WEEKLY STANDARD following a noon press conference Thursday that in 1995 "it was a different world." Why is that? "Because we have a Tea Party," Schumer said without elaborating as he walked away.
...
Landrieu said that "the Tea Party has to understand that they cannot hold government and our private partners--which are many from big companies like Boeing and Lockheed to small companies that are represented here--hostage over their inability to get a law that they don't like amended."...AOSHQ quoting Weekly Standard
Now's the time to turn up the heat. Maybe we'll get to watch Schumer's head explode while he tramples Landrieu on the way to a camera.
...Senator Chuck Schumer of New York told THE WEEKLY STANDARD following a noon press conference Thursday that in 1995 "it was a different world." Why is that? "Because we have a Tea Party," Schumer said without elaborating as he walked away.
...
Landrieu said that "the Tea Party has to understand that they cannot hold government and our private partners--which are many from big companies like Boeing and Lockheed to small companies that are represented here--hostage over their inability to get a law that they don't like amended."...AOSHQ quoting Weekly Standard
Now's the time to turn up the heat. Maybe we'll get to watch Schumer's head explode while he tramples Landrieu on the way to a camera.
Eggster Returns!!!
If you're local or national, same diff: read No Runny Eggs.
He's back after an allergy-induced absence, and rarin' to clobber the nitwits, ne'er-do-wells, perma-pout-pussed, and otherwise useless zits-on-the-ass-of-society (e.g., Democrats).
He's back after an allergy-induced absence, and rarin' to clobber the nitwits, ne'er-do-wells, perma-pout-pussed, and otherwise useless zits-on-the-ass-of-society (e.g., Democrats).
Umnnhhh, Charlie: You're Off-Target
The Eminence Grise of local pundits misses the mark:
The central problem of Obamacare is not software – it’s bad policy.
Its trampling of 1A rights is flat-out un-Constitutional according to a couple of Federal Appeals courts.
Yes, it is bad (actually, horrible) policy. But the 'central problem' is the Constitution.
The central problem of Obamacare is not software – it’s bad policy.
Its trampling of 1A rights is flat-out un-Constitutional according to a couple of Federal Appeals courts.
Yes, it is bad (actually, horrible) policy. But the 'central problem' is the Constitution.
The Demi-Criminal US Attorney, Letten
You all recall former US Attorney Letten's spittle-flecked outburst when he was confronted by a citizen journalist.
There's a reason that Letten is a "former" US Attorney. He's a crook.
There's a reason that Letten is a "former" US Attorney. He's a crook.
"Grand Bargaining" Away the Constitution
Rumors abound that Boehner/Cantor/McCarthy/Ryan are cobbling up a "Grand Bargain" which will reduce spending, re-arrange the tax code, and pop the current 'shutdown' zit.
Notably absent: de-funding or repealing ObozoCare.
There are so many problems with ObozoCare that it's near impossible to identify the "worst" one--but its steamrolling of the 1st Amendment is a helluva good candidate.
Does the (R) "brain trust" really think that tax-code changes and a rate-of-increase change in Fed spending make up for the catalog of abuses that is ObozoCare? Do these sad sacks really expect that flushing into the sewer our 1st Amendment rights, not to mention the privacy and efficiency of our healthcare, will be offset by some tax-code tweaks and a bend to the Gummint-Cost curve?
Good luck with that.
Notably absent: de-funding or repealing ObozoCare.
There are so many problems with ObozoCare that it's near impossible to identify the "worst" one--but its steamrolling of the 1st Amendment is a helluva good candidate.
Does the (R) "brain trust" really think that tax-code changes and a rate-of-increase change in Fed spending make up for the catalog of abuses that is ObozoCare? Do these sad sacks really expect that flushing into the sewer our 1st Amendment rights, not to mention the privacy and efficiency of our healthcare, will be offset by some tax-code tweaks and a bend to the Gummint-Cost curve?
Good luck with that.
The "Debt Ceiling" Stupids
It is expected that the stupids of the MSM will characterize the debt-ceiling fight this way:
"Republicans in Congress will cause the US to default...."
That's malarkey, of course, but since the MSM merely transcribes Obozo--who doesn't know jack about business or its terminology--that's what you'll see.
The Feds are taking in FAR more than necessary to make the interest payments, and making those payments and rolling over the debt is all that's required to avoid default.
Of course, it's possible that the ChiComs will refuse to purchase any more T-Bonds or bills. Wouldn't surprise me--but that's an entirely different discussion.
More from The Ticker.
"Republicans in Congress will cause the US to default...."
That's malarkey, of course, but since the MSM merely transcribes Obozo--who doesn't know jack about business or its terminology--that's what you'll see.
The Feds are taking in FAR more than necessary to make the interest payments, and making those payments and rolling over the debt is all that's required to avoid default.
Of course, it's possible that the ChiComs will refuse to purchase any more T-Bonds or bills. Wouldn't surprise me--but that's an entirely different discussion.
More from The Ticker.
Wanna Bet, Obozo?
Some of the horrific carnage and destruction wreaked by the Reid Shutdown:
....The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the 22,000-acre Horicon National Wildlife Refuge and the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge have been closed because of the federal budget stalemate.
Fish and Wildlife Service personnel chained a state-operated boat landing on the Mississippi River because it was on federal land, the Department of Natural Resources reported.
Also included in the closure: the 13,000-acre Leopold Wetland Management District in 17 counties in southeastern Wisconsin; the Fox River National Wildlife Refuge in Montello; and the Green Bay and Gravel Island National Wildlife refuges on Lake Michigan near Washington Island.
The closures mean that public access to the properties is prohibited and that fish and wildlife management activities and all public programs have been canceled....
What...is Sheriff Joe "Shotgun" Biden guarding the entrances?
Let Little Lord Fauntelroy Obama pop over here and "man" his barricades to the national parks which WE bought, WE built, and WE maintain. No, Barky, you did not build them--and you can't "prohibit" access.
....The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the 22,000-acre Horicon National Wildlife Refuge and the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge have been closed because of the federal budget stalemate.
Fish and Wildlife Service personnel chained a state-operated boat landing on the Mississippi River because it was on federal land, the Department of Natural Resources reported.
Also included in the closure: the 13,000-acre Leopold Wetland Management District in 17 counties in southeastern Wisconsin; the Fox River National Wildlife Refuge in Montello; and the Green Bay and Gravel Island National Wildlife refuges on Lake Michigan near Washington Island.
The closures mean that public access to the properties is prohibited and that fish and wildlife management activities and all public programs have been canceled....
What...is Sheriff Joe "Shotgun" Biden guarding the entrances?
Let Little Lord Fauntelroy Obama pop over here and "man" his barricades to the national parks which WE bought, WE built, and WE maintain. No, Barky, you did not build them--and you can't "prohibit" access.
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
SarahCuda, Again!
SarahCuda mentioned this factoid; PowerLine, too.
...the Obama administration dispatched more security guards to prevent World War II veterans from visiting the wide-open WWII memorial on the Mall than it stationed in Benghazi, notwithstanding the American Ambassador’s pleas for better security....
One similarity: in both locations, the security guards were overrun.
...the Obama administration dispatched more security guards to prevent World War II veterans from visiting the wide-open WWII memorial on the Mall than it stationed in Benghazi, notwithstanding the American Ambassador’s pleas for better security....
One similarity: in both locations, the security guards were overrun.
Trainwreck, Named!!
It is exceeding difficult to find more than ONE person--in the whole of the USA--who has successfully signed up for ObozoCare using a Federal (not State-sponsored) exchange.
Then there's this:
The ObozoCare hotline? 1-800-318-2596
That's correct. 1-800-F&^K YOU
Good and hard.
Then there's this:
The ObozoCare hotline? 1-800-318-2596
That's correct. 1-800-F&^K YOU
Good and hard.
ObozoCare, Good and Hard
Ya' don't like it, but you're going to get it or be a Federal Law-breaker.
So you'll get it. Good and hard.
...according to eHealthInsurance.com, before ObamaCare plans started being offered through online exchanges on October 1st, it was possible for a 21 year-old in Wisconsin to obtain health insurance for $44.20 per month. According to HHS data, the cheapest plan available through the ObamaCare exchange for a 21 year-old in Wisconsin is $104.29 per month....That’s an increase of 107%.
The smallest increase was 63%, if you call that "small."
Of course, there are subsidies, as long as you're spending 9.5% of your income on premiums.
HT: Sykes
So you'll get it. Good and hard.
...according to eHealthInsurance.com, before ObamaCare plans started being offered through online exchanges on October 1st, it was possible for a 21 year-old in Wisconsin to obtain health insurance for $44.20 per month. According to HHS data, the cheapest plan available through the ObamaCare exchange for a 21 year-old in Wisconsin is $104.29 per month....That’s an increase of 107%.
The smallest increase was 63%, if you call that "small."
Of course, there are subsidies, as long as you're spending 9.5% of your income on premiums.
HT: Sykes
Good News! SocSec to Collapse Sooner!!
ObozoCare is a galloping malignant cancer.
Social Security is a nuclear bomb.
...CBO concluded that the long term outlook for SS deteriorated substantially over the last twelve months...
... CBO revised its assumptions regarding mortality. This is a huge variable[] for SS. With people living longer, they will receive more checks; this eats into the solvency of SS over a long-term period.
CBO concluded that one option to 'balance' the solvency of SS required an "Immediate[] and Permanent" payroll tax increase of 3.4% (Wow!). A year earlier, CBO stated that a payroll tax increase of 1.9% was required to balance SS. The change in the tax increase required is 70% higher than that reported just a year ago!
About $200Bn in tax increase.
Or the Democrat/Socialist Party could tweak payments--like from SSDI, a fraud-laden scheme for layabouts.
Social Security is a nuclear bomb.
...CBO concluded that the long term outlook for SS deteriorated substantially over the last twelve months...
... CBO revised its assumptions regarding mortality. This is a huge variable[] for SS. With people living longer, they will receive more checks; this eats into the solvency of SS over a long-term period.
CBO concluded that one option to 'balance' the solvency of SS required an "Immediate[] and Permanent" payroll tax increase of 3.4% (Wow!). A year earlier, CBO stated that a payroll tax increase of 1.9% was required to balance SS. The change in the tax increase required is 70% higher than that reported just a year ago!
About $200Bn in tax increase.
Or the Democrat/Socialist Party could tweak payments--like from SSDI, a fraud-laden scheme for layabouts.
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Yup. Boehner's a Lying Slut
Turns out the Boehner was FOR the Congressional exemption before he was AGAINST it.
How's the anti-TEA party gang going to spin this, Charlie? RoJo? Senselessbrenner? Isn't Ryan part of "leadership"? Hmmmmmmm????
This is all one giant F.U. to the non-ruling class (that's you, suckah.)
How's the anti-TEA party gang going to spin this, Charlie? RoJo? Senselessbrenner? Isn't Ryan part of "leadership"? Hmmmmmmm????
This is all one giant F.U. to the non-ruling class (that's you, suckah.)
Today Was a Struggle
Yah, well, this shutdown stuff is really serious.
The alarm worked well enough, but it took near 10 minutes to collect my thoughts and remember how to put on pants, socks, and a shirt. There was no HHS to help, you see.
Carefully, and slowly, I went through the process of using the toilet. It took longer than usual, but eventually I recalled all the steps, including safe flushing.....or wait....is there "safe" flushing? No one from OSHA was there to tell me that answer. But it must have been safe! I'm still here!!
Inch by inch, I worked my way to the kitchen. I hesitated near the light-switch, but it came to me by and by that the switch goes "up" to turn the lights on. Damn, I miss having DOE telling me how to do that.
Selecting breakfast munchies was painstakingly slow. Skim or 2%? Half-and-half? (Is that still allowed?) Can I put sugar on that cereal, or is that un-wise....or is it the other cereal which mustn't be used with.....DRAT, where's Moochie when I need her?
For 17 years, I've had the Federal Highway folks helping me navigate to the office. They're not around today. Frankly, it took a lot longer without them--and it might have been even longer still if the Wisconsin State Patrol hadn't been around. I could just follow that gray Crown Vic commander's car all the way down the highway to the Waukesha District HQ--it was just fine!!
At the office, I used far more paper than usual, since the Paperwork Reduction folks couldn't take calls. Nearly offended all the women and minorities, too; I couldn't reach EEOC on the phone and their website was down. Took me 8 tries to equalize compensation schemes. All the women screeched at the first one, all the Hispanics at the second, yadayadaydada. How was I supposed to KNOW how to do this without a Comparable Worth Examiner nearby?
Skipped lunch entirely. Way too dangerous without Moochie's guidance.
It took quite a while to pack everything back into the car. Without the National Weather Service to tell me anything about the forecast, I had to bring the parka, the overshoes, the umbrella, a couple of sweaters, and the light jacket. Those homeless folks really do have it hard, I guess.
I was able to get back home without too much trouble--no traffic, ya'see, because nobody from the Gummint was clogging up the roads. That was a relief, doh. But watching the TV without the FCC's help was a real challenge.
It got dark, so back to bed. It's frightening in the dark with no NSA to watch over me.
Must this go on? Mom and Dad aren't here anymore, no Moochie, no help at all.
Now I know why all those Pilgrims died so young. It was just too stressful without the Gummint, hey.
The alarm worked well enough, but it took near 10 minutes to collect my thoughts and remember how to put on pants, socks, and a shirt. There was no HHS to help, you see.
Carefully, and slowly, I went through the process of using the toilet. It took longer than usual, but eventually I recalled all the steps, including safe flushing.....or wait....is there "safe" flushing? No one from OSHA was there to tell me that answer. But it must have been safe! I'm still here!!
Inch by inch, I worked my way to the kitchen. I hesitated near the light-switch, but it came to me by and by that the switch goes "up" to turn the lights on. Damn, I miss having DOE telling me how to do that.
Selecting breakfast munchies was painstakingly slow. Skim or 2%? Half-and-half? (Is that still allowed?) Can I put sugar on that cereal, or is that un-wise....or is it the other cereal which mustn't be used with.....DRAT, where's Moochie when I need her?
For 17 years, I've had the Federal Highway folks helping me navigate to the office. They're not around today. Frankly, it took a lot longer without them--and it might have been even longer still if the Wisconsin State Patrol hadn't been around. I could just follow that gray Crown Vic commander's car all the way down the highway to the Waukesha District HQ--it was just fine!!
At the office, I used far more paper than usual, since the Paperwork Reduction folks couldn't take calls. Nearly offended all the women and minorities, too; I couldn't reach EEOC on the phone and their website was down. Took me 8 tries to equalize compensation schemes. All the women screeched at the first one, all the Hispanics at the second, yadayadaydada. How was I supposed to KNOW how to do this without a Comparable Worth Examiner nearby?
Skipped lunch entirely. Way too dangerous without Moochie's guidance.
It took quite a while to pack everything back into the car. Without the National Weather Service to tell me anything about the forecast, I had to bring the parka, the overshoes, the umbrella, a couple of sweaters, and the light jacket. Those homeless folks really do have it hard, I guess.
I was able to get back home without too much trouble--no traffic, ya'see, because nobody from the Gummint was clogging up the roads. That was a relief, doh. But watching the TV without the FCC's help was a real challenge.
It got dark, so back to bed. It's frightening in the dark with no NSA to watch over me.
Must this go on? Mom and Dad aren't here anymore, no Moochie, no help at all.
Now I know why all those Pilgrims died so young. It was just too stressful without the Gummint, hey.
OK To Call Your Pals!!
Shut Down!!
The government shutdown has forced spy agencies to furlough 70 percent of their civilian employees, according to a senior intelligence official.
The furloughed employees include both support staff and intelligence analysts, according to the official.
The Hill, via Reason.com
The government shutdown has forced spy agencies to furlough 70 percent of their civilian employees, according to a senior intelligence official.
The furloughed employees include both support staff and intelligence analysts, according to the official.
The Hill, via Reason.com
"Your Papers, Please"
Ben Carson, MD., verbally slapped the Boy President around at the prayer breakfast.
Only a few weeks later, the IRS came to call.
Just a co-incidence, of course.
Only a few weeks later, the IRS came to call.
Just a co-incidence, of course.
SarahCuda!
Sarah's quoted:
"pResident Obama, a couple of weeks ago when he was hell-bent on dropping bombs on Syria, he said that America doesn't do pinpricks.
"Well, we don't do pinpricks, but sometimes we elect them."
You Go, Girl!!
"pResident Obama, a couple of weeks ago when he was hell-bent on dropping bombs on Syria, he said that America doesn't do pinpricks.
"Well, we don't do pinpricks, but sometimes we elect them."
You Go, Girl!!
“President
Obama, a couple of weeks ago when he was hell-bent on dropping bombs on
Syria, he said America doesn’t do pinpricks. Well, we don’t do
pinpricks, but sometimes we elect them.” - See more at:
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/#sthash.AfZotUQS.dpuf
“President
Obama, a couple of weeks ago when he was hell-bent on dropping bombs on
Syria, he said America doesn’t do pinpricks. Well, we don’t do
pinpricks, but sometimes we elect them.” - See more at:
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/#sthash.AfZotUQS.dpuf
“President
Obama, a couple of weeks ago when he was hell-bent on dropping bombs on
Syria, he said America doesn’t do pinpricks. Well, we don’t do
pinpricks, but sometimes we elect them.” - See more at:
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/#sthash.AfZotUQS.dpuf
So Charlie: Which Fight Is "Better"?
One Eminence Grise--Charlie Sykes--wrinkles his nose at the fight over ObamaCare. It's particularly ironic that Sykes refers to the Jesuits--who have been accused of preaching that "the end justifies the means"--and it seems that Charlie's focus is on the wrong end: political victory.
...Somehow the embrace of questionable tactics has
become the new litmus test of ideological purity, while dissent, based
on a firm grasp of arithmetic, calls down the furies of political
idiocy. So, it's hard to imagine an endgame for the government shutdown
that doesn’t leave the conservative base even more embittered and
dispirited.
And success seems unlikely.
It's hard to ignore the fact that "political victory" for the Republicans has led to much larger Government since the year 2000. Federalizing education, nuking the budget with prescription payments, and deliberately and knowingly violating the Constitution with NSA domestic spying are only a few examples of Republican "political victory." What budget economies were promulgated under GWB and his Republican congress? So is "political victory" the golden fleece?
Puhleeeze.
More important: ObozoCare is the sum of evil. It is the capstone of the Welfare State, and it embeds abortion-on-demand in concrete. In order to do that, it forces, at the point of a gun, Catholics, Baptists, and Orthodox Jews (inter alia) to fund it. That is flatly unconstitutional, not to mention immoral.
But that's not worth a fight, eh?
Secondly, accepting the "entitlement" language is wrong. Any "entitlement" can be changed or eliminated by any Congress. Don't think so? Then why is Paul Ryan proposing changes in the "entitlement" of Social Security?
Third: almost every word Obozo has spoken about ObozoCare is a lie, including the articles "the" and "a." Should anyone with principles roll over and (in effect) concede that lying, fraud, and mis-representation is just fine with them?
Really, Charlie?
I'll concede that fund-raising is part of the rationale for resistance. So what? The Chamber of Commerce "fund-raises" for congressional elections every single day, and not necessarily for the national interest. Should that be stopped, Charlie? The TEA Party fund-raisers are acting to prevent a constitutional and moral cataclysm. It ain't a fight over truck-tonnage restrictions or the number of grapes in a quart.
So tell us, Charlie: what fight is MORE important?
What would Churchill say, Charlie? "Curl up and die in your bunkers!" or "We shall fight on the beaches,...."?
ObozoCare IT Network Fail: Not News
The WSJ echoes what's been bandied about on the 'net for at least a few weeks.
...There are two key technological flaws in ObamaCare. First is the "hub"—the software to link servers at the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, Homeland Security and state agencies to verify the income and health-insurance status of enrollees and ensure that they are eligible for subsidies. The other flaw is the "portal"—the federally run IT platform that is supposed to let consumers compare health plans and select one that best suits their needs.
In planning ObamaCare's IT infrastructure, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) dawdled for more than a year under Administrator Donald Berwick until Marilyn Tavenner took over in December 2011. Even then the agency was slow to outsource key contracts and turned to what insiders say were not top-quality programmers. CMS did not sign a contract for a backstop system to process paper verifications and do paper verifications of online applications until July.
The Health and Human Services Department did not begin testing the chief pieces of this IT system until August. The testing found that states couldn't consistently link to the federal portal (a problem that persists in some states), and that the hub couldn't reliably verify if a person is eligible for a subsidy, or accurately calculate how much the applicant is eligible to receive. HHS prevented independent watchdogs, including its own inspector general, from examining the systems before they go live on Oct. 1. The result is a host of troublesome gaps and dangers.
Some techies have opined that to set up the network that ObozoCare requires, it would take between 3 and 5 YEARS, not least because vast amounts of new physical infrastructure must be built, acquired, and wired-in.
But the system will run, eventually. It will also be open to fraud, security gaps big enough for an army to march through, and routine "fails" such as enrollment failures, unsubstantiated benefit-denials, etc.
...There are two key technological flaws in ObamaCare. First is the "hub"—the software to link servers at the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, Homeland Security and state agencies to verify the income and health-insurance status of enrollees and ensure that they are eligible for subsidies. The other flaw is the "portal"—the federally run IT platform that is supposed to let consumers compare health plans and select one that best suits their needs.
In planning ObamaCare's IT infrastructure, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) dawdled for more than a year under Administrator Donald Berwick until Marilyn Tavenner took over in December 2011. Even then the agency was slow to outsource key contracts and turned to what insiders say were not top-quality programmers. CMS did not sign a contract for a backstop system to process paper verifications and do paper verifications of online applications until July.
The Health and Human Services Department did not begin testing the chief pieces of this IT system until August. The testing found that states couldn't consistently link to the federal portal (a problem that persists in some states), and that the hub couldn't reliably verify if a person is eligible for a subsidy, or accurately calculate how much the applicant is eligible to receive. HHS prevented independent watchdogs, including its own inspector general, from examining the systems before they go live on Oct. 1. The result is a host of troublesome gaps and dangers.
Some techies have opined that to set up the network that ObozoCare requires, it would take between 3 and 5 YEARS, not least because vast amounts of new physical infrastructure must be built, acquired, and wired-in.
But the system will run, eventually. It will also be open to fraud, security gaps big enough for an army to march through, and routine "fails" such as enrollment failures, unsubstantiated benefit-denials, etc.
While Negotiating With Himself, Boehner Tosses Religion Under the Bus
Yah, well. Boehner & Co. negotiated with themselves and decided that funding ObozoCare was just fine, but implementing it should be pushed off a year or so.
That means that Boehner read about half the memo. Too bad for all those religious-types who have moral strictures, eh? And too bad for all those dead babies, too.
...the House GOP abandoned the pro-life and religious liberty provisions from the bill.
Their new proposal instead delays ObamaCare's individual mandate for one year and eliminates subsidies for Congressional staffers' health insurance.
Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said he was “disappointed,” because the new bill “ignores the threat to religious freedom that ObamaCare poses and does nothing to address the abortion subsidies that will take effect.”
Clearly, what's important here is not the First Amendment, nor dead babies. (Nor the Constitution, which is clear: Congress can de-fund ObozoCare root-and-branch, not just its implementation.)
What's important here is the approval of the Press.
That means that Boehner read about half the memo. Too bad for all those religious-types who have moral strictures, eh? And too bad for all those dead babies, too.
...the House GOP abandoned the pro-life and religious liberty provisions from the bill.
Their new proposal instead delays ObamaCare's individual mandate for one year and eliminates subsidies for Congressional staffers' health insurance.
Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said he was “disappointed,” because the new bill “ignores the threat to religious freedom that ObamaCare poses and does nothing to address the abortion subsidies that will take effect.”
Clearly, what's important here is not the First Amendment, nor dead babies. (Nor the Constitution, which is clear: Congress can de-fund ObozoCare root-and-branch, not just its implementation.)
What's important here is the approval of the Press.
The "Cost" of Shutdown?
Editorial disguised as 'news.'
A partial shutdown of the federal government would cost the U.S. at least $300 million a day in lost economic output at the start, according to IHS Inc.
While that is a small fraction of the country’s $15.7 trillion economy, the daily impact of a shutdown is likely to accelerate if it continues as it depresses confidence and spending by businesses and consumers.
Well, yes--but given that IRS does not close its doors (and it doesn't), Obama & Co. will continue to extract money from taxpayers. That is a "cost", just like awarding back-pay to the hive's worker-bees after the "shutdown" is over with. (By the way, only half of Federal employees will be furloughed.)
More editorial follows here:
...Congress and the White House also will face off over raising the nation’s $16.7 trillion debt ceiling. The Treasury has said its ability to borrow will end on about Oct. 17 unless the limit is increased. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew has said that failing to raise the limit would risk putting the U.S. into default and could be “catastrophic.”...
That's a gross distortion of the truth. The US will not "default" unless it refuses to pay its obligations. Refusing to pay (or the inability to pay) is not necessarily a result of capping the debt. Reducing spending, instead, is an option--but it's not mentioned here.
Gee whillikers, Batman, why not?
Well, Robin, the reason that reducing spending is not mentioned is simple. It doesn't fit the story-line of this editorial-disguised-as-news.
A partial shutdown of the federal government would cost the U.S. at least $300 million a day in lost economic output at the start, according to IHS Inc.
While that is a small fraction of the country’s $15.7 trillion economy, the daily impact of a shutdown is likely to accelerate if it continues as it depresses confidence and spending by businesses and consumers.
Well, yes--but given that IRS does not close its doors (and it doesn't), Obama & Co. will continue to extract money from taxpayers. That is a "cost", just like awarding back-pay to the hive's worker-bees after the "shutdown" is over with. (By the way, only half of Federal employees will be furloughed.)
More editorial follows here:
...Congress and the White House also will face off over raising the nation’s $16.7 trillion debt ceiling. The Treasury has said its ability to borrow will end on about Oct. 17 unless the limit is increased. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew has said that failing to raise the limit would risk putting the U.S. into default and could be “catastrophic.”...
That's a gross distortion of the truth. The US will not "default" unless it refuses to pay its obligations. Refusing to pay (or the inability to pay) is not necessarily a result of capping the debt. Reducing spending, instead, is an option--but it's not mentioned here.
Gee whillikers, Batman, why not?
Well, Robin, the reason that reducing spending is not mentioned is simple. It doesn't fit the story-line of this editorial-disguised-as-news.
Common Threads: Muslims and Relativists
Fr James Schall, SJ, on the use of violence to spread one's religion:
...Christian revelation was addressed to reason, hence its attention to Plato and Aristotle. This direction meant that reason had its own autonomy. Something contrary to reason – like the idea that God approved violence in forcing conversion – could not be something God “revealed” over and above reason....
...If this prohibition is so in reason, how was it that Muslim armies and individuals over the centuries, and even today, have found little difficulty in using it? The answer is philosophical. This philosophical justification appears in several forms in history. It is part of our national culture today in the form of relativism and multiculturalism. Basically, it means that nothing objective exists in things. Hence, nothing limits anything. We are “free” to do what we want. This position is generally called “voluntarism,” a dominant species of liberalism...
...In its Muslim form, which seems to be rooted in al Ghazali and in Ibn Hazm, to whom Benedict referred. In Islam, the notion that God is limited by anything, even His own decrees or reason, is seen to be an insult to Allah. Allah can do the opposite of what he commands. He can call good evil and evil good. He is under no obligation to reveal truth to man. And if he does, he can change his mind and will the opposite later on....
The passage which is worrisome is highlighted in the second graf. We're seeing violence justified by relativism here in the US; it's called "abortion." In fact, the gods of relativism now require that all US taxpayers finance the violence of abortion through ObamaCare. "Death panels" are certainly exhibits of relativism, as well.
What's next?
...Christian revelation was addressed to reason, hence its attention to Plato and Aristotle. This direction meant that reason had its own autonomy. Something contrary to reason – like the idea that God approved violence in forcing conversion – could not be something God “revealed” over and above reason....
...If this prohibition is so in reason, how was it that Muslim armies and individuals over the centuries, and even today, have found little difficulty in using it? The answer is philosophical. This philosophical justification appears in several forms in history. It is part of our national culture today in the form of relativism and multiculturalism. Basically, it means that nothing objective exists in things. Hence, nothing limits anything. We are “free” to do what we want. This position is generally called “voluntarism,” a dominant species of liberalism...
...In its Muslim form, which seems to be rooted in al Ghazali and in Ibn Hazm, to whom Benedict referred. In Islam, the notion that God is limited by anything, even His own decrees or reason, is seen to be an insult to Allah. Allah can do the opposite of what he commands. He can call good evil and evil good. He is under no obligation to reveal truth to man. And if he does, he can change his mind and will the opposite later on....
The passage which is worrisome is highlighted in the second graf. We're seeing violence justified by relativism here in the US; it's called "abortion." In fact, the gods of relativism now require that all US taxpayers finance the violence of abortion through ObamaCare. "Death panels" are certainly exhibits of relativism, as well.
What's next?
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