Exploring what can happen when people think for themselves.
So, this is the big Russia connection to the NRA? Membership for a few people?
From an NPR news article:
The NRA said in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., unveiled on Wednesday, that the sum it received from those people was just over $2,500 and most of that was “routine payments” for membership dues or magazine subscriptions.
Don’t we have better things to do than criticize the NRA because some out-of-town folk respect them enough to join their organization?
Ok – so Russia, which has a vested interest in who gets to run our country, cannot voice their opinions without it being deemed “interference” in our election process. However, Vermont voters can attempt to sway the opinion of New York voters in state elections, and that’s all good?
Liberal Vermonters Look Across The Border To Sway Upstate New York Voters
Franky, I think all – yes, even other countries – should be able to express their opinion regarding matters before the voters. I mean, why not? They can’t vote in our elections, but if they have genuine concerns shouldn’t the electorate consider them? I would just ask that the opinion sources be truthfully identify.
California has passed a law that allows the state to override the sale of federal lands, and the Trump administration is suing. In this day and age, not exactly news.
The law does seem like a bit of over-reach, though – even for California. But according to the California Attorney General Xavier Beccera:
“Our public lands should not be on the auction block to the highest bidder”
Really, Xavier? I disagree. I expect that they would always be sold to the highest bidder; it’s the best way to assure that public property is sold for its true value. If California wants to control the land, they are free to bid with everyone else.
Of course, Lt, Governor Gavin Newsom (who is coincidentally running for Governor) had to put in his two cents with some nonsensical gibberish sure to fire up his Trump-hating base:
“Yet again, Donald Trump and his administration are attacking our state and our very way of life,” Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a member of the State Lands Commission and a Democrat running for governor, said in a statement.
Attacked your state and way of life? Are you kidding me, Gavin? How? By assuring that the taxpayer-funded government gets the best price for properties that it no longer needs? I can’t imagine anyone listening to this drivel with a straight face. I think that Gavin has truly drank the Kool-Aid, and he actually believes that Californians agree with him and his uber-left views. Given a true competitor – a centrist democrat who will work with the federal government rather than fight it – I don’t think Gavin wouldn’t stand a chance. However, as we all know, the Democratic party will never let that happen (think Bernie and Hillary).
Oh, well; another day in paradise.
Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf tried to defend her actions in announcing a pending ICE raid in Northern California with the following statement:
“I did what I believe was right for my community as well as to protect public safety,” Schaaf said Friday, according to NBC Bay Area. “People should be able to live without fear or panic and know their rights and responsibilities as well as their recourses.”
Really, Libby? What about the law-abiding citizens and legal immigrants/inhabitants of your city? Who is protecting them from the criminal illegal aliens you are shielding from deportation? How do your actions protect their “public safety”?
The only people living in fear of deportation are those criminal aliens who are here illegally or who have jeopardized their immigration status by committing serious crimes against the legal inhabitants of this country. People with final deportation orders know their rights and recourse, as they have already been adjudicated by the courts. Their responsibility is even simpler: leave the country as ordered. Failure to do so can only result in ICE making an effort to find and deport them by force.
Sadly, had Mayor Schaaf worked to co-operate with ICE things would have been much better for those whom she claims to protect. By seeking out and turning over to ICE the criminal illegal aliens in her city she could have shielded those who have committed no crime (other than their original crime of illegal entry into the United States). ICE, on the other hand, cannot ignore these non-criminal aliens; they must remove all illegal aliens they encounter during their search for more serious offenders. This means that a large number of otherwise law-abiding illegal aliens are being deported as result of Mayor Schaaf’s actions.
Unfortunately, I fear that this is all well known to the voters in Oakland. I doubt they are any less interested than I am in ridding their city of criminal illegal aliens. This is not about illegal aliens at all, however; it’s about Trump. The voters of Oakland would rather oppose Trump than protect their city from these criminals.
The phrase, “…cut off your nose to spit your face…” comes to mind.
Jesse Jackson Jr. collects approximately $100,000 per year in disability payments, even in light of his felony fraud conviction for misusing campaign funds. Soaking American citizens, even after he resigned from Congress. I wonder how long he’ll receive these “temporary” disability payments? Want to bet it’ll be for the rest of his life?
Only in America.
John F. Kennedy, and at one time the Democratic party, knew that tax cuts – for businesses as well as all individuals, even those in the upper income brackets – are good for the economy. He realized that the money spent or invested by companies or upper-income earners helped the economy grow strong. From his December 1962 address at the Economic Club of New York:
“Corporate tax rates must also be cut to increase incentives and the availability of investment capital. The government has already taken major steps this year to reduce business tax liability and to stimulate the modernization, replacement, and expansion of our productive plant and equipment. We have done this through the 1962 investment tax credit and through the liberalization of depreciation allowances — two essential parts of our first step in tax revision — which amounted to a ten percent reduction in corporate income taxes worth 2.5 billion dollars. Now we need to increase consumer demand to make these measures fully effective — demand which will make more use of existing capacity and thus increase both profits and the incentive to invest. In fact, profits after taxes would be at least 15 percent higher today if we were operating at full employment.”
“For all these reasons, next year’s tax bill should reduce personal as well as corporate income taxes: for those in the lower brackets, who are certain to spend their additional take-home pay, and for those in the middle and upper brackets, who can thereby be encouraged to undertake additional efforts and enabled to invest more capital.”
However, the Democrats of today – even those of Kennedy family heritage – have forgotten this simple lesson in the desire to deny the Republicans any acknowledgement of success. From the comments made by Joe Kennedy III before the House on November 8, 2017 regarding the pending Republican tax bill:
“This bill asks Americans to scrape their bank accounts so the Trump Administration can turn around and use that money to give to the wealthiest among us …. So they can make tax cuts to corporations permanent…
A far cry from the beliefs of his great uncle, JFK.
(Thank you to the Americans for Tax Reform web site, which provided the idea as well as the links necessary to support this post.)
I don’t understand the aim of California’s Governor Brown. Is he out to protect the best interests of Californians, or criminals?
He signs “sanctuary state” legislation designed to protect criminal illegal aliens residing in California – including those who have committed crimes against legal residents of the state. He also makes exceptions in pardon requirements for refugees, waiving the certificate of rehabilitation requirement if they are facing deportation resulting from their criminal activity. How does this protect the citizens of California?
He heads a state with extreme gun laws (supposedly to protect the public), but then he pardons an immigrant facing deportation for weapons violations and other crimes (here and here), ostensibly to aid in their deportation defense. In addition, Brown signed a law allowing judges to override mandatory minimum sentence enhancements for crimes where a firearm is used in the commission of a felony. Wouldn’t enforcement of criminal penalties and enhancements against those who would actually use guns to commit crimes do more good than penalizing law abiding gun owners with onerous regulations and restrictions?
He signed a law that reduces the penalty for knowingly exposing a partner to the HIV virus without disclosing the infection, or knowingly donating HIV infected blood. The crime went from a felony to a misdemeanor, with the possible sentence going from 8 years to only 6 months. How does this protect the innocent victims of these people – victims who are effectively given a life sentence while committing no crime?
How do ANY of these actions by Gov. Brown serve to protect the innocent, law-abiding citizens for California? I’m stumped…
(Editor’s note: One of the immigrants pardoned was to be deported long ago due to his weapons conviction, but his country of origin would not cooperate with the deportation; authorities were forced to release him into an unsuspecting community. On top of that, Gov. Brown’s pardon might now give that offender the right to once again own firearms. That’s good for Californians, right??)
I am shocked at how blatantly the media can ignore truth to twist the “news” into a negative story about President Trump. I am hopeful that their flagrant abuse of the truth does not fall on deaf (or ignorant) ears.
The latest “fake news” hype involves President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. However, this was not a decision made by President Trump; rather, it was made by a bi-partisan congress under President Clinton in 1995. The “JERUSALEM EMBASSY ACT OF 1995” includes the following text:
The Congress makes the following findings: ... Since 1950, the city of Jerusalem has been the capital of the State of Israel. ...the United States Embassy in Israel should be estab- lished in Jerusalem no later than May 31, 1999.
Ever since enactment, presidents have had the option of delaying the embassy move – but this has no impact on the U. S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
I hope our people are smart enough to see through the media campaign against an American president for what it is – an attack on democracy. No matter how you feel about the President, no matter your political affiliation, you should demand that news organizations report the news in a truthful and unbiased manner so that you – not the media – can decide what it really means with respect to your support or opposition of the President and his policies.
All I’m asking for is the truth… I can make up my own mind what it means.
OK, so the outgoing director of the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) Richard Cordray, who holds a position appointed by the President of the United States, has decided that he has the authority to appoint his own successor. Really?
Here’s how it works: On his last day in office Cordray appointed his Chief of Staff, Leandra English, as deputy director of the agency. English is now claiming that the Dodd-Frank Act has a provision that requires the deputy director to become acting director if the director position is vacant.
I’m not a lawyer, but I’m still going to call bullshit (big time) on this absurd claim. Here’s the relevant text from the Dodd-Frank Act:
(5) DEPUTY DIRECTOR.—There is established the position of Deputy Director, who shall—
(A) be appointed by the Director; and
(B) serve as acting Director in the absence or unavailability of the Director.
Note that the text of the Act does not appoint the deputy director as the director; it simply allows the deputy to act on behalf of the director if the director is unavailable. It does nothing to stop the appointment of a new director – interim or otherwise – by the President of the United States. Once the new director is appointed they effectively relieve the “acting” director of their temporary director functions.
The willingness to make such absurd arguments in an attempt to disrupt the operation of our government shows the disdain that these people and their brethren have for our fragile democracy. Their actions undermine the stability of our country and erode the legitimacy of our government, and should be recognized as the acts of a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum when they do not get their way. Their actions should be remembered as such at election time.
Hartford, Ct is on the verge of default.
The story is a familiar one: cave in to pubic union demands for more pay and benefits (so you get the union votes), then borrow money to pay for it so you don’t have to tax your citizens (so you keep the public’s vote, too). You get all the votes, but eventually the chickens come home to roost.
Well, at least they can’t blame this mess on the Republicans: Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 18:1 in Hartford County, and not a single member of the current city council is a Republican.
Go figure.