Posts
Obama's Pipeline to Nowhere
by John Ransom
townhall.com
March 24, 2012
The Democrats under Obama are bankrupt of ideas. And Obama’s latest ineffectual shot at having it both ways on energy is the moral equivalent of declaring Chapter 13 bankruptcy on energy-policy. You see, Obama’s newest, bestest commitment to energy security for the US is in touring the half of the Keystone pipeline that’s being built without his permission. That’s because the part of the pipeline under his control isn’t being built because it was denied a building permit by none other than BHO himself.
“The Obama administration denied a permit for the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada,” reported the LA Times in January, “leaving the door open for the builder to reapply this year but prolonging a bitter political fight that has raged for months and energized each party's political base.” That’s right. He denied the part of the pipeline he controlled, but wants credit for the part he can’t kill off.
Geez: It sounds a lot like his Middle East policy.
“The president stages a photo-op in Oklahoma to take credit for the portion of the Keystone XL pipeline that doesn't need his approval,” writes Investors Business Daily “and for oil production on private and state lands beyond his jurisdiction.” IBD calls it [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2012/03/24/obamas_pipeline_to_nowhere/page/full/
Marine Who Criticized Obama Faces Discharge
by Sam Rolley,
Personal Liberty Digest
March 23, 2012
Sgt. Gary Stein, who started a Facebook page called Armed Forces Tea Party, was informed by the Marines that he violated a Pentagon policy barring troops from political activities.A Marine sergeant who made online comments vowing to stand up to the Constitution and criticizing President Barack Obama and his policies is facing dismissal from the Corps for his actions. According to The Associated Press, Sgt. Gary Stein, who started a Facebook page called Armed Forces Tea Party, was informed by the Marines that he violated a Pentagon policy barring troops from political activities.
Last week, in response to a post in which Stein said he would refuse to follow unlawful orders from the President, Stein’s superiors barred him from using social media sites on government computers. The Marines say Stein failed to follow Pentagon directives that say military personnel in uniform cannot sponsor a political club; participate in any TV or radio program or group discussion that advocates for or against a political party, candidate or cause; or speak at any event promoting a political movement. Officers also are not allowed to use contemptuous words against senior officials, including the defense secretary or the President. Stein said in a statement:
“The allegations drummed up against me are no more than an agenda by the Marine Corps to use me as an example. I have never spoken on behalf of the Marine Corps or in uniform. I have stayed within guidelines DOD Directive 1344.10 and made sure to. If I am guilty of anything it would be that I am American, a freedom loving Conservative, hell bent on defending the constitution and preserving Americas greatness. I am no more the Leader of the Armed Forces Tea Party than any other of 18,000 members are. I just happen to be normal guy who started a facebook page and who hold the Tea Party values close my heart and believes the Tea Party can enact real change in this county. We are all leaders in the Tea Party!”
5 Reasons That Shouting "Racism" Doesn't Work Anymore
by John Hawkins
townhall.com
Mar 23, 2012
Because of slavery (Democrats did it), KKK violence (Democrats did it), segregation (Democrats did it), Jim Crow laws (Democrats did it) and other historic abuses heaped on black Americans in our country by the Democratic Party and its supporters, America has been a bit oversensitive about race for the last few decades. Of course, the political party responsible for all of that racism is now the one shouting, "You're a racist," and trying to pit different racial groups against each other. That might seem ironic at first glance, but if you think about it, it's actually par for the course. Since its founding, the Democratic Party has always tried to generate racial strife; it just uses a little different strategy today than it did in the past. Unfortunately for Democrats, the race card just doesn't work as well as it did in the good old days. There was a time when a condemnation by Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton produced actual fear as opposed to eye rolls and laughter. It wasn't so long ago that being called racist was a threat, as opposed to just being more of an annoyance today. That has only changed in the last few years for a few select reasons.
1) Barack Obama won the presidency. Like him or not, Barack Obama's election was a historic moment. He turned out to be the Jackie Robinson of the American presidency. Unfortunately, this time around, Jackie Robinson hit .162, couldn't field, and spent way too much time golfing and speechifying instead of doing his job. Still, it was [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2012/03/23/5_reasons_that_shouting_racism_doesnt_work_anymore
How Are Obama’s Regulations Taking Billions Out of the Pockets of Americans?
North Dakota's "Measure 2"Everything you need to know about Measure 2 is in this book!
On June 12, 2012, the voters of North Dakota will have the opportunity to make North Dakota truly 'Legendary', as the first to pass a state constitutional amendment that will abolish the property tax, prioritize spending by the legislature, and finally give local governments something they never had: true local control over spending.
http://www.empowerthetaxpayer.org/main/
[Related Content]
Property Tax Revolution in North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan
by Mike Shedlock
townhall.com
March 26, 2012 The granddaddy of property tax revolts is now underway in North Dakota. The North Dakota group, Empower the Taxpayer writes "On June 12, 2012, the voters of North Dakota will have the opportunity to make North Dakota truly 'Legendary', as the first to pass a state constitutional amendment that will abolish the property tax, prioritize spending by the legislature, and finally give local governments something they never had: true local control over spending."
Public unions and proponents of big government are now involved in a major wave of fearmongering because North Dakota counties get about 60 percent of their revenue from property tax. If the amendment passes, school districts will simply have to get funding from another source, or cut budgets.
Support Grows For Abolishing Property Taxes
Minnesota Public Radio discussed the setup in North Dakota in an article last November called Support grows for abolishing property tax in ND. Many Minnesota residents expect a bigger bill when their property tax statements arrive this month. But across the border, North Dakota residents are considering a proposal to make the state the first in the nation to abolish property taxes. Supporters gathered more than 28,000 signatures [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/mikeshedlock/2012/03/26/property_tax_revolution_in_north_dakota_minnesota_michigan
Elena Kagan Breaks Federal Law By Hearing ObamaCare Case,
Republicans Silent
Commentary,
exposeobama.com
March 26, 2012 Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan will be in clear violation of federal law by virtue of her decision to hear the Affordable Care Act case coming before the Supreme Court today.
Upon joining the other justices to hear oral arguments she will fracture the federal statute which demands that judges recuse themselves from participation in a case “where he has served in governmental employment and in such capacity participated as council,adviser or material witness concerning the proceeding or expressed an opinion concerning the merits of the particular case in controversy.” And according to emails obtained by the Media Research Center as the result of a 2010 Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the DOJ,not only did she advise DOJ attorneys and express opinions concerning the merits of ObamaCare,she lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation hearings by answering “No” when asked specifically if she had any involvement in preparing the government’s defense for ObamaCare.
ObamaCare was signed into law By Barack Hussein Obama on March 23rd,2010 while Kagan was United States Solicitor General,a month and a half before she was nominated to the Court. As Solicitor General it was Kagan’s sole responsibility to represent the Department of Justice and federal government in actions coming before the Supreme Court.
And although Eric Holder testified before a senate committee that Kagan was “physically removed from the room” whenever the subject of ObamaCare was to be broached–no doubt an untrue statement anyway—such a claim was not to the point.
For typical of the calculating minds of those who live by deceit and deception,it apparently never occurred to members of the Regime who saw Kagan as a sure fire Supreme Court vote for ObamaCare that the right thing was to have her do her job as Solicitor General and then properly and legally recuse herself when on the Court! Of course this begs the question [....]
http://www.exposeobama.com/2012/03/26/elena-kagan-breaks-federal-law-by-hearing-obamacare-case-republicans-silent/
[Related Content]
Recusal Statutes
According to the July, 1999 issue of The Third Branch, a monthly newsletter published by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the "Codes of Conduct" volume of the Guide to Judiciary Policies and Procedures is probably the most frequently consulted book in a judge's chambers, next to the federal and civil codes. In this book, the Committee on Codes of Conduct of the Judicial Conference of the United States offers the following standards for judges who are adjunct faculty at law schools:
"It is permissible for judges to teach in law schools. However, ... the judge should not participate in any case in which the school or its employees are parties."
Guide to Judiciary Policies and Procedures, 1999 Ed., Vol. II, Chap. V, §4.1(b), at p. V-57.
"A judge who teaches at a law school should recuse from all cases involving that educational institution as party. The judge should recuse (or remit) from cases involving the university, as well as those involving the law school, where the judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned in view of the size and cohesiveness of the university, the degree of independence of the law school, the nature of the case, and related factors. Similar factors govern recusal of judges serving on a university advisory board."
Guide to Judiciary Policies and Procedures, 1999 Ed., Vol. II, Chap. V, §3.4-3(a), at p. V-39.
Tulane University's modest size, cohesiveness, and proximity to the Federal District Court and Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals within the same urban locale are factors that contribute to the ethical necessity for recusal of Tulane Law School's adjunct [....]
http://www.tulanelink.com/tulanelink/recusal_99a.htm
Forget Facebook... Buy This Instead
by Paul Tracy
townhall.com
March 24, 2012 Twelve years ago, a total of $5 trillion in market value was lost when the "Dot-com" bubble burst. Many investors lost their life savings, their kid's college funds, or their retirements as a result.
Flash-forward to today, and I'm convinced many investors are running the risk of making the same mistake that caused those trillions of dollars in losses a decade ago.
Let me explain...
You've undoubtedly heard about the new multi-billion dollar "Web 2.0" companies like Groupon, Zynga, LinkedIn and Facebook. The mainstream financial press can't get enough of them...
For the past several months, investors have been blindly throwing money at these companies. Take Zynga for example. Zynga is up 25% since it started trading back in December... but the company doesn't even turn a profit. In fact, Zynga has lost $400 million [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/paultracy/2012/03/24/forget_facebook_buy_this_instead/page/full/
Staff Report,
heritage.org
March 23, 2012
If you fly across the country, it’s easy to see signs of America’s ingenuity and productivity — skyscrapers in New York City, steel mills in Pennsylvania, factories in Chicago, farmland in the Great Plains, and the glittering technology of Silicon Valley. But what you can’t see, though it’s very real, is the invisible web of red tape crawling forth from Washington, crisscrossing the landscape, strangling job creators, tying down entrepreneurs, and tangling America’s engine of innovation in a mess of regulations. Under the Obama Administration, those endless miles of government-imposed directives has kept getting longer, as The Heritage Foundation reveals in a new study released today.
In our “Red Tape Rising: Obama-Era Regulation at the Three Year Mark” report, James Gattuso and Diane Katz detail how the Obama Administration has imposed new regulations costing $46 billion annually, with nearly $11 billion more in one-time implementation costs. That is about five times the cost of regulations imposed during the first three years of President George W. Bush’s administration, but the burden is even higher. The red tape of the past three years helps explain why the economic recovery has been so slow and job creation so anemic. Don’t take our word for it, but those of President Obama himself. In January 2011, he said that “rules have gotten out of balance” and “have a chilling effect on growth and jobs.” And he’s right. Where the President breaks with reality is his pledge for a get-tough policy on overregulation and a comprehensive review of regulations imposed by Washington. In fact, to hear President Obama tell the story, you would think he’s a champion of slashing red tape and that his Administration has set its sights on slashing overregulation.
Just two months ago, in his 2012 State of the Union address, President Obama claimed that “I’ve approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his.” But looking at the sheer number of regulations doesn’t begin to tell the story. While it’s true that the Obama Administration approved 10,215 regulations in its first three years, just slightly less than Bush’s 10,674, it’s important to look at what those regulations are and their impact on [....]
http://www.askheritage.org/how-are-obamas-regulations-taking-billions-out-of-the-pockets-of-americans/?utm_source=AH_Weekly&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2012-03-23&utm_campaign=2012_Brand
ObamaCare Still a Disaster --
No Matter How the Supreme Court Decides
by Larry Elder
townhall.com
Mar 22, 2012
"I am a refugee," my anesthesiologist told me after I had awakened from my third surgery in 12 years -- one to repair a muscle tear in my left shoulder and two for the same disc in my lower back. "I am part of the British 'brain drain' of the late '60s. Doctors could not make any money. So I left." Britain's loss, my gain. The same surgery 12 years ago required a two-day stay in a hospital. Last week, after a two-hour surgery, I left the same day as an outpatient.
But under ObamaCare, we can expect a loss of talent and a decline in quality of care. Thousands of us, the doctor explained, abandoned England to practice medicine in America. "So, how's this?" my doctor said. "I left the U.K. to get away from the government telling me how to practice, what to charge -- and now we are getting the same thing. ObamaCare stinks, and the people will regret it. What happened to the docs there will happen here."
Great Britain began practicing socialized medicine through the taxpayer-funded National Health Services in 1948. And indeed, one of the first U.K. studies on the emigration of their native-born physicians, "British Doctors at Home and Abroad," published in 1964, noted that, beginning in the 1950s, their docs were leaving [....]
http://townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/2012/03/22/creators_oped/page/full/
The Real March Madness:
obama The Communist-in-Chief
Staff Report,Video:Russian Radio Interviews Sheriff Joe On Obama Forgery
http://www.exposeobama.com/2012/03/28/video-russian-radio-interviews-sheriff-joe-on-obama-forgery/
Welfare Killed The Little Red Hen
by John Myers,
Personal Liberty Digest
March 28, 2012
The industrious Little Red Hen wouldn't share her cake with her lazy friends. The yoke that is the welfare state has thoroughly infected America. If voters re-elect President Barack Obama, he will brainwash all Americans into thinking they are entitled to government handouts. Most Americans don’t understand that independent people are losing their way as the President crusades to build his Nanny Nation — a country so transformed that even the oral traditions that were taught for generations have been eradicated. To be fair, it is not all Obama’s fault. In my lifetime, the United States has been moving away from its ideals of hard work, self-sacrifice and personal responsibility.
Bedtime Stories Our Children Never Hear
Some of you may remember “The Little Red Hen,” the bedtime story of an industrious chicken that lived with an indolent cat, a lazy dog and a mouse that behaved like a sloth. I can still remember the story from half a century ago. My dad always had a glimmer in his eye, sitting at the head of the dinner table and telling us kids the fable of the cat that [....]
http://personalliberty.com/2012/03/28/welfare-killed-the-little-red-hen/?eiid=
Sen. Kerry Dares GOP to Make Obamacare Election Issue
by Greg McDonald,
newsmax.com
March 27, 2012
Sen. John Kerry is daring Republicans to make Obamacare an issue in the presidential campaign, because he believes most Americans want affordable healthcare — a challenge GOP strategists say may backfire on the Massachusetts Democrat as the election year progresses. The Boston Herald reported Tuesday that “a tough-talking” Kerry laid down his challenge by asserting the issue of providing affordable healthcare “is not complicated” for most voters.
“I want this debate about healthcare in this election,” he said. “Because I think when Americans learn the difference between the benefit of having coverage and how it lowers costs, it’s like insuring your house. “This is not complicated,” he continued. “It’s made complicated by politicians who pursue an ideological agenda, which is why I’m glad Mitt Romney, when he was here [as governor of Massachusetts], passed healthcare. I’m sorry today he’s running away from it, but this is going to be a great debate.” A Romney aide told Kerry [....]
http://www.newsmax.com/US/obamacare-kerry-debate/2012/03/27/id/434004?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Heritage%2BHotsheet
Secretary Chu’s $10 Million Fiasco
by Diane Katz
heritage.cog
March 21, 2012
During a hearing last week of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Wyoming Senator John Barrasso (R) asked Energy Secretary Steven Chu a seemingly simple question: “(D)o you think a $50 light bulb is affordable for American families?”
“No, absolutely not,” Chu replied.
Well, if that’s the case, why did Chu award a $10 million top prize for a $50 light bulb in his department’s competition for an “affordable” light? (FYI: The winner, Philips Lighting N.A., a division of the Netherlands-based Royal Philips Electronics, was the only contestant.) Equally ludicrous is the notion that a [....]
http://blog.heritage.org/2012/03/21/secretary-chus-10-million-fiasco/
The Ryan Budget: Confronting the Nation’s Spending Crisis
By Alison Acosta Fraser and Patrick Louis Knudsen,
heritage.org
March 21, 2012
More In the few months since Washington’s dramatic debt ceiling confrontation, America’s fiscal situation has only worsened. Federal spending is set to soar past previous record-shattering levels, endangering the economic future of the nation. This is a moral issue because younger generations will be forced to bear either staggering levels of debt or crushing taxes, or both. It is also a political challenge to this nation’s democracy as more and more Americans become dependent on government benefits while lawmakers seem unable to take decisive corrective action. The spending-driven debt crises of Greece and Italy are clear and compelling evidence that America must urgently change course. The only way to avoid a similar fate is to make bold, substantive changes in the size, scope, and purpose of the federal government.
Toward that goal, House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R–WI) has released a proposed federal budget resolution for fiscal year (FY) 2013 entitled The Path to Prosperity: A Blueprint for American Renewal. The plan lays out a comprehensive series of solutions to fix the nation’s twin crises of spending and debt. It rolls back the spending excesses of the past, tackles entitlement programs, makes defense a priority, and undertakes an important growth agenda to unleash America’s free enterprise system and get Americans back to work. This budget is not perfect; few consensus political documents can be. It should be bolder in implementing its entitlement reforms. It should strive for more aggressive [...]
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/03/ryans-budget-confronting-the-nations-government-spending-crisis
obama campaign hoodies sale canceled after controversy
by Eric Pfeiffer,
yahoo.com
March 27, 2012
President Obama recently said that if he had a son, he'd look like murder victim Trayvon Martin. And in what some conservatives see as a direct connection between the national controversy surrounding the teen's death, the Obama 2012 re-election campaign announced via Twitter on Monday that it was putting its collegiate hooded sweatshirt on sale. The sweatshirt was temporarily discounted to $40 from its regular $50 listing. However, the tweet announcing the sale has apparently been removed and following the hooded [....]
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/obama-campaign-hoodies-sale-cancelled-controversy-183726871.html
Until Next Sunday....
exposeobama.com
March 24, 2012
While a good portion of Americans in their apathy are consumed with watching a bunch of marxist- indoctronated skulls full of mush running up and down a basketball court,our nation is being dismanteled a little at a time. Let’s discuss the real March madness.
The real March madness is allowing a Communist community organizer by the name of Barack Hussein Obama to occupy the Oval Office. Just in the month of March alone,he signed legislation to end our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech,signed an executive order to allow a FULL GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER during peace time,had the Vatican placed on a list of suspected money launderers,apologized to our enemies again for Koran burnings,and took credit for allowing a small portion of the Keystone XL pipeline being built that we know he is adamantly against. And the list continues to grow daily.
This Communist plant continuously lies to the American people and [....]
http://www.exposeobama.com/2012/03/24/the-real-march-madness-obama-the-communist-in-chief/
What Your Eyes Say About Your Health
by Kristen Dold
Women's Health
Yahoo Health
March 20, 2012
Even if you boast 20/20, you should pay a visit to an eye-care specialist. "The eyes are one place in the body through which we can actually see veins and arteries firsthand, with no surgery or cameras," says Shantan Reddy, M.D., an ophthalmologist and retinal specialist at New York University Langone Medical Center. That's why an eye doctor may be the first to detect a serious health problem such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
One example: 65 percent of the time, eye doctors can spot signs of a patient's high cholesterol before any other health-care provider (the condition shows up as yellowish plaques within the retinal blood vessels).
More than 20 percent of people with high blood pressure don't know they have it—a problem that could be solved if everyone visited their eye doctor more often. "We can see hypertension through the eyes because it gives retinal arteries a silver or copper hue that we call copper wiring," says Reddy. If left untreated, the condition [....]
http://health.yahoo.net/articles/healthcare/what-your-eyes-say-about-your-health
ForgeryGate Is Provoking Us To Outrage
Staff Report,
exposeobama.com
March 24, 2012
We have found the presidency of Barack Obama provoking us to outrage in unexplainable ways. Does he do this on purpose? We believe he does. He and his team single out Christians and conservatives by provoking them and then mocking their response to the provocations.
First,it is important to understand that one of the favorite tools of Alinskyites is mockery. They love to mock their enemies. In his primer on radical change,Saul Alinksy,the guru of the political movement most closely aligned with Obama,writes in his tactics training chapter,“Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counteract ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition,which then reacts to your advantage.” What better way to mock your enemy than to send messages that infuriate them and then mock the response as “crazy”? They have been doing this throughout the ForgeryGate scandal.
The media in unison calls anyone that mentions the Obama Birth Certificate controversy and Obama’s lack of vetting and documentation as “obsessed and loony.”But Obama himself cannot stop talking about it. This week alone,he has mentioned it in public twice. On March 20,2012,he joked about it while meeting with the Prime Minister of Ireland,Enda Kenny. The assembled reporters and supporters greeted his snide comment with uproarious laughter.
Also while in Cushing,Oklahoma to talk energy,Obama couldn’t help but talk about his birth certificate again. He asked a woman in the crowd that was allegedly born at the same hospital as him if she could,“find her birth certificate.”We know this only because Fox News reporter Ed Henry tweeted about it. But if the president wants the issue of his birth certificate to not be in the news,why does he personally continue to talk about it? We contend he does want it in the news so that he can wield this “rules for radicals”strategy against his opponents. We first became interested in this topic back in 2008 when Floyd wrote a campaign biography of then candidate Obama entitled Obama Unmasked. In doing his research, [....]
http://www.exposeobama.com/2012/03/24/forgerygate-is-provoking-us-to-outrage/
10 Insanely Overpaid Public Employees
by BLAIRE BRIODY,
The Fiscal Times
July 13, 2011
When it comes to government employees, there’s plenty of news about laid off social workers in Florida, furloughed forest rangers in Minnesota, and underpaid teachers everywhere else. Yet even during these hard times, there are thousands of government employees who still earn great, big salaries – many of them hundreds of thousands more than the $400,000 Obama pulls down each year. In 2009, 347 Texas state employees earned more than the president; 53 of them made more than $600,000. In New York, 35 employees were paid over $400k last year. Since 2005, the number of Federal employees earning $150,000 plus has jumped tenfold: going from 12,399 to 171,689. Much of the increase has been in medicine. Doctors at veterans hospitals and prisons averaged $179,500 in 2010, up from $111,000 in 2005.
See our slideshow here on 10 insanely overpaid government employees.
We reported all their yearly earnings, which in addition to base salary, includes bonuses, overtime pay, and other pay. The “other pay” can be things like unused sick days--$594,976 worth of them for one California employee – something private sector employees [....]
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2011/07/13/10-Insanely-Overpaid-Public-Employees.aspx#page1
American Doctors 4 Truth
[website homepage]
Why are we here?
We believe that the doctors who actually care for America’s patients have valuable insight and wisdom to share. We have waited too long for a national voice to inform the average American citizen about the hazards of the new health care law and to lead the way with reform. The time for waiting is over. This website is the beginning of such a voice. (View Videos)
Misinformation demands a response.
Half truths and misleading statements disparaging physicians and our American health care system have been made. The PPACA (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) has been promoted as the solution for reform. However, it is a politically driven government takeover of our healthcare, passed by overt bribery and coercion. Now that we have seen what is in the law, we know it is not the right solution. It is time for the doctors who care for you and your [....]
http://americandoctors4truth.org/
An Open Letter to President Obama~
from a Teenager
Posted by Bethany (Diary)
March 28, 2012
Dear President Obama,
I have to start off by thanking you; if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be involved in politics. I also respect you as President of the United States, and as a man who obviously cares deeply for his family. However, I’m curious as to what motivated you to take some of the actions you’ve taken since you took office three years ago.
I’ll start with the most recent incident that I’ve questioned. On Monday you had a conversation with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev that was clearly supposed to remain classified. Speaking about missile defense, a critical issue, you told him, “This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.” Mr. President, flexibility to do what? Are you willing to cave on our national security interests in order to further your own? You explained to the Russian President that if Putin gave you “space” and they kept mum about a program that you apparently have in mind, then you would be able to better accommodate Putin; after your election, of course. What kind of programs are you planning without disclosing the details to the American public?
As President, your job is [....]
http://www.redstate.com/nextgenerationvoters/2012/03/28/an-open-letter-to-president-obama-from-a-teenager/
Brick by brick, we’re tearing down the big state
by David Cameron,
Prime Minister of Great Britain,
telegraph.co.uk
March 28, 2012 Last year, in these pages, I set out my vision for improving the quality of our public services. It’s simple. I want us to end once and for all the closed state monopoly where central government decides what you get, and how you get it. In its place, I want truly open public services, where people can choose the hospitals and schools they go to, with the right information at their fingertips to make that choice; where different providers, from the private and voluntary sectors, can come in and offer new services that people can access free; where funding is directed to helping the most disadvantaged; and where these services are truly accountable to local people, not to politicians or bureaucrats in Whitehall.
Our public servants work incredibly hard, and yet not enough people get the great service they have paid for and have a right to expect. I want to bring [....]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/9171481/Brick-by-brick-were-tearing-down-the-big-state.html
Colombia's New Counterinsurgency Plan
by Colby Martin,
STRATfor.com
March 29, 2012
Colombian security forces attacked a camp belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on March 26 in Vistahermosa, Meta department, killing 36 members of the guerrilla group and capturing three. The operation, which Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said resulted in the deaths of more FARC members than any other single strike in the 50-year-long conflict between the Colombian government and Marxist guerrilla groups, came shortly after a similar action in Arauca state in which 33 FARC members were killed and 12 were captured.
The operations were launched as part of an aggressive new Colombian counterinsurgency strategy dubbed Operation Espada de Honor ("Sword of Honor"), created in response to the increasing violent activity by the country's guerrilla groups. The plan expands the list of targets for security forces and the locations where they will engage guerrillas, with the goal of crippling the FARC both militarily and financially. Espada de Honor is the latest of several plans by the Colombian government to combat militancy in the country. To fully understand the plan and its implications, it is helpful to examine the nature of Colombia's guerrilla groups, previous [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/colombias-new-counterinsurgency-plan?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120329&utm_term=sweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=0d667fdcf80c4549bdff930b85feabf2
The Federal Budget In Pictures
Budget Chart Book
Federal Spending (11)
Spending has risen to unprecedented levels, threatening limited government and economic freedom.
Federal Revenue (8)
The tax burden in America is climbing and will reach record levels without policy changes.
Debt & Deficits (10)
Excessive spending has created record levels of deficits and debt, and the worst is yet to come.
Entitlements (13)
Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security spending is on course to explode, placing enormous pressure on the budget.
http://www.heritage.org/budgetchartbook/
Here's How Law Enforcement Cracks Your iPhone's Security Code (Video)
by Andy Greenberg,
Forbes.com
March 27, 2012
Set your iPhone to require a four-digit passcode, and it may keep your private information safe from the prying eyes of the taxi driver whose cab you forget it in. But if law enforcement is determined to see the data you’ve stored on your smartphone, those four digits will slow down the process of accessing it by less than two minutes. Here’s a video posted last week by Micro Systemation, a Stockholm, Sweden-based firm that sells law enforcement and military customers the tools to access the devices of criminal suspects or military detainees and siphon off their personal information.
Update: After this post brought widespread attention to Micro Systemation’s video, the company has removed it from YouTube.
As the video
Mike Dickinson, the firm’s marketing director and the voice in its videos, says that the company sells products capable of accessing passcode-protected iOS and Android devices in over 60 countries. It supplies 98% of the U.K.’s police departments, for instance, as well as many [....]
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2012/03/27/heres-how-law-enforcement-cracks-your-iphones-security-code-video/
The United States in Korea: A Strategy of Inertia
by George Friedman,
STRATfor.com
March 27, 2012
After U.S. President Barack Obama visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone on March 25 during his trip to South Korea for a nuclear security summit, he made the obligatory presidential remarks warning North Korea against continued provocations. He also praised the strength of U.S.-South Korean relations and commended the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed there. Obama's visit itself is of little importance, but it is an opportunity to ask just what Washington's strategy is in Korea and how the countries around North Korea (China, Russia, South Korea and Japan) view the region. As always, any understanding of current strategy requires a consideration of the history of that strategy.
The Korean War and the U.S. Proto-Strategy
Korea became a key part of U.S. Cold War-era containment strategy almost [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/united-states-korea-strategy-inertia?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120327&utm_term=gweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=55305854a8b24829b2320f6bf8272d56
Most tax-friendly states for retirees
By Robert Powell,
MarketWatch
March 29, 2012
BOSTON (MarketWatch) — There’s plenty to consider when you contemplate where to live in retirement. Will family and friends be nearby? Does the weather suit you? What sort of activities are there? And especially high on the list of factors to consider are taxes — one of life’s two certainties and one of the largest expenses people face in retirement.
Is the state that you have designs on retiring to tax friendly or not? And the basic questions to answer are these: How does the state tax your income? How does it tax your property and your consumption? And what’s the overall tax burden?
As some know, older Americans tend to generate income from several sources in retirement, including income from wages or self-employment; Social Security; pensions; and personal assets, including taxable and tax-deferred accounts. Taxes on those sources of income, in essence, mean less money in your pocket for your golden years. So before moving to this or that state, you’ll need to figure out whether and how the state taxes your various sources of income. You will also need to consider taxes on the other side of the ledger, including state and local property taxes, state and local sales and use taxes. If you live large, you might pay plenty in property taxes and sales taxes. And, then you’ll need to calculate what your overall personal tax burden will be. It’s a taxing exercise to be sure.
Thankfully, CCH, a Wolters Kluwer company, has created several charts and tables that look at how states tax income, sales and other transactions, including [....]
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/most-tax-friendly-states-for-retirees-2012-03-29?siteid=nwhpf
NPR's Diane Rehm Denounces House GOP Wasting 'Precious Time' on the Paul Ryan Budget
by Tim Graham
newsbusters.org
April 01, 2012
On Friday's Diane Rehm Show distributed across America by NPR, the host could not stand Republicans getting praised -- the Paul Ryan budget to be precise.
Doyle McManus, a columnist and former Washington bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, acknowledged, "this is a huge, ambitious, bold budget that would restructure the tax system. It would lower the top tax rate to 25 percent. That would be a great gift to upper-income families...You have to give Republicans credit for doubling down, sticking to their guns and sticking to the Tea Party government-cutting and deficit-cutting proposals that they made two years ago in the face of a lot of public skepticism." Diane Rehm wasn't having it:
She said: "But, clearly, as Ron Elving said, it's going nowhere?" McManus acknowledged it was dead-on-arrival in the Democrat-controlled Senate. But Rehm didn't acknowledge the Senate wouldn't offer a budget. She denounced Ryan for wasting "precious time" on his spending-cut proposals.
"You know what I don't understand, frankly, is that everybody knew it was not going to go anywhere in the Senate. Why waste what precious time there is to pass a bill like this?"
This is not a question. It's a denunciation. Nia-Malika Henderson of The Washington Post calmly explained they're putting down their markers for limiting spending in an election year, and Ron Elving (the political director for NPR) explained for supposedly uneducated Rehm that this is [....]
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2012/04/01/nprs-diane-rehm-denounces-house-gop-wasting-precious-time-paul-ryan-budg
With the Focus on Syria, Mexico Burns
by Robert D. Kaplan
STRATfor.com
March 28, 2012
While the foreign policy elite in Washington focuses on the 8,000 deaths in a conflict in Syria -- half a world away from the United States -- more than 47,000 people have died in drug-related violence since 2006 in Mexico. A deeply troubled state as well as a demographic and economic giant on the United States' southern border, Mexico will affect America's destiny in coming decades more than any state or combination of states in the Middle East. Indeed, Mexico may constitute the world's seventh-largest economy in the near future.
Certainly, while the Mexican violence is largely criminal, Syria is a more clear-cut moral issue, enhanced by its own strategic consequences. A calcified authoritarian regime in Damascus is stamping out dissent with guns and artillery barrages. Moreover, regime change in Syria, which the rebels demand, could deliver a pivotal blow to Iranian influence in the Middle East, an event that would be the best news to U.S. interests in the region in years or even decades. Nevertheless, the Syrian rebels are [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/focus-syria-mexico-burns-robert-d-kaplan?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120328&utm_term=kaplan&utm_content=readmore&elq=dd8c3eae520f4966aadd551bdc4aab26
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