Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Obamacare's Annus Horribilis

There's no candy coating the truth: Obamacare has had a very terrible, horrible, crappy, none-too-happy year. What it really means is that the victims of Obamacare -- taxpayers, health care consumers, health care providers, employers and employees -- have had a hellish, nightmarish 2014.
Let's start with premiums. President Candy Land promised that he'd "lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year." But premiums for people in the individual market for health insurance have spiked over the last year. In fact, Forbes health policy journalist Avik Roy and the Manhattan Institute analyzed 3,137 counties and found that individual market premiums rose an average of 49 percent.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services itself admitted this month that average premiums will rise at least five percent for the lowest-cost plans offered by federal Obamacare health care exchanges. Democrats' reaction? Obamacare rate shock doesn't matter ... because government is redistributing the burden and taxpayers are footing the bill! HHS crowed this week that nearly 90 percent of exchange enrollees received public subsidies in order to pay their premiums.

http://townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/2014/12/31/obamacares-annus-horribilis-n1937250/page/full 

Boycott, ban, criminalize Roundup

Glyphosate is the primary active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup.
There is no official figure for the amount of glyphosate used every year in the world. One estimate? 650,000 tonnes, which works out to a staggering 1.3 billion pounds.
Manufactured by Monsanto and a number of other companies, glyphosate use spiked after the introduction of Monsanto’s GMO Roundup Ready food crops in the 1990s.
Here is a sprinkle of information about glyphosate. To say it’s sobering is a vast understatement. Keep in mind that the medical cartel, which would call a mother’s touch a disease if it could get away with it, has no name for any disease or disorder caused by glyphosate. In other words, the cartel doesn’t acknowledge its existence.

http://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2014/12/29/boycott-ban-criminalize-roundup/ 

It's Long Past Time To Deal With Issues Honestly

Obama's granting illegal immigration thing is a bad, bad idea.  This item proves the point.  Quote: "After six months of requests, the Executive Office of Immigration Review told Houston’s KPRC that 96 percent of the more than 4,100 families released on recognizance and ordered deported did not show up to court, prompting the government to classify them “in absentia.”  And, "Thus, the White House’s focus on border apprehensions as a key indicator of border security is both “meaningless” and “deliberately misleading,” immigration expert Jessica Vaughan explains. “Apprehensions are not a metric of enforcement when illegal aliens are apprehended and then routinely released under the guise of "deportation proceedings", "asylum applications", or even "budget constraints".   And Obama knows this full well but does not care.  It is just another one of his many purposeful deceptions.

Remember the President saying those mean Republicans will not do anything but say no.  He said they were the party of "no".  Now as I have said repeatedly that it was Harry Reid who was Mr. "No" yet he also blamed the Republicans for holding up progress.  More than 350 bills landed on his desk, most of which passed the House with bi-partisan support, which Reid refused to move in the Senate.  So they languished without any action.  Quote: "...Obama made the admission during an NPR interview that aired Monday when he said he rarely had to veto bills, because legislation he objected to was "typically blocked in the Senate" with Nevada Democrat Sen. Harry Reid as majority leader."  And, "Now the president has finally admitted they've been lying — Harry Reid, all those folks that have been saying Republicans were the party of no. He's basically admitted in this statement, 'yeah, we've been the party of no, but I've been able to rely on Harry Reid to say no so I didn't have to."   http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/RepLouie-Gohmert-Harry-Reid/2014/12/30/id/615606/

This illustrates the government's dishonesty and is an act of total hypocrisy.  Quote: "Ominously, more is on the way with the government threatening to court-martial soldiers or make them face criminal punishment such as imprisonment for merely talking about their faith or sharing the gospel. So now the government is banning not only freedom of speech and religion, but the Great Commission itself.  The president who declared America “no longer a Christian nation” seems to be intent on validating his claim. For now, we can thank God we can still worship Him and say Merry Christmas to all."   http://townhall.com/columnists/joyoverbeck/2014/12/23/barack-obamas-contradictory-christianity-n1934141/page/full

This man would not recognize the truth if it hit him in the face.  Quote: " In a year-end news conference last week, Barack Obama delivered a white washed, deeply delusional report about how much better off the country is under his presidency.  As he has throughout his tenure, he ticked off dubious claims that do not stand up to serious scrutiny, ignoring the mismanagement scandals, policy blunders and political disasters that have struck his administration.  http://townhall.com/columnists/donaldlambro/2014/12/24/obama-lives-in-his-own-delusional-world-as-americans-look-to-the-2016-elections-n1934877?

George Burns

Double Standards

We can deny you service but you cannot deny us service.  That is what they do and say.   http://preservefreedom.org/video-for-some-reason-lgbt-bakeries-are-allowed-to-refuse-christians-service/


This is an accounting of a real investigative journalist who has had run-ins with the Obama administration over release of vital information regarding the Benghazi debacle.  She was fired by NBC for being too tenacious (what does that tell you).  Her computer was hacked, she has gotten the run around from the "most transparent" administration in history and is convinced the White House is hiding vital information (read that as being guilty of lying or malfeasance).  The mainstream media ignores what is a real matter to be investigated.   http://eaglerising.com/13087/reporter-says-white-house-hiding-pictures-night-benghazi-attack/ 

If you do not think the mainstream media knowingly and willingly applies a double standard in their reporting then you are not paying attention.   http://www.wnd.com/2014/12/media-fail-to-report-leftists-behind-nyc-protests/

It gets worse.  Take note of this piece which taken to its conclusion would be the media and government dissolution of the First Amendment.  The only news allowed would be subject to progressive/liberal censorship.  Their desire is to shut down any outlet that does not subscribe to liberal/progressive policies/world view.  http://www.wnd.com/2014/12/protesters-next-stop-fox-news-new-york-post/  



The IRS is a rogue agency.  Read this to get the latest dastardly act they claim was an "accident."  What if we were do something similar to them?   http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/25/christine-odonnehttp://www.teaparty.org/sheriff-clarke-blasts-obama-skipping-slain-cops-funerals-mai-tais-74445/ll-tea-party-figure-says-irs-mista/  Speaking of the IRS check out this item.  They think they need more money to do their job which is largely to extract money from us.   http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/michaelschaus/2014/12/29/the-irs-needs-more-of-your-money-so-they-can-tax-more-of-your-money-n1936454/page/full   Given their dubious performance history I don't think I would give them another dime.

George Burns

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Feds sign $7.8 million lease to house new immigration workers

The Obama administration has signed a $7.8 million lease to house some of the 1,000 employees being hired because of the president’s executive actions on immigration.
Five thousand people have already applied for the jobs, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Leon Rodriguez said in recent speech in Los Angeles according to The New York Times, which reported on the hiring spree on Thursday.
The new workers will help sign up people for the legal status granted by Obama through the executive actions. The move has infuriated congressional Republicans, who have vowed to do what they can to curb the president when they take over the Senate next year.
Rodriguez’s agency announced the new hiring days after Obama took action. The Times reported that the costs will add up to $8 million in lease payments annually, along with $40 million for annual salaries.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/228091-feds-sign-78-million-lease-to-house-new-immigration-workers

Homeland Security spends millions on overtime

The Homeland Security Department continues to dole out hundreds of millions of dollars a year in overtime to its employees without being sure it is justified, despite years of warning that valuable tax money is in danger of being wasted.
The vast majority of the overtime is being spent on overburdened border patrol agents and has been distributed over the years through what is known in bureaucratic parlance as Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUO) payments that get little review, according to internal audits and reports that have flagged the lax oversight as far back as 2007.

Strangling Santa (and Everyone Else) with Regulation and Red Tape

How thoughtful. The President gave the economy a special gift before jetting off to Hawaii.
The Obama administration is cramming like a college student trying to study for a final exam, publishing more than 1,200 new regulations in the last 15 days alone, according to data from Regulations.gov. Energy and environment rules are the biggest category, with 139 published by the federal government in the last 15 days… So far this year, the Obama administration has proposed or finalized more than $200 billion in regulations when the coal ash rule’s costs are factored in, according to the American Action Forum.

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/danieljmitchell/2014/12/25/strangling-santa-and-everyone-else-with-regulation-and-red-tape-n1935701/page/full 

Science & Things

Something to think about.  Quote: "Scientific literacy will be better promoted by textbook authors providing a broader – and thus more accurate – perspective on critical contemporary issues such as global climate change.  Any book that claims to tell the story of science behind the headlines yet obfuscates how real-world science operates does a disservice to both students and society."   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/the_inculcation_of_finalform_climate_science.html

This is a interesting piece.  The basic point, I think, is that everyone should think for him/her self.  With that I heartily agree.  Thanks to Ken B. for sharing. http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/12/19/mayim_bialik_actress_scientist_alt_med_believer.html   And real science requires that we all be skeptical.   http://totalconservative.com/the-unsettled-science-of-climate-change/   Another interesting piece shared by Ken B.   http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2014/1222/Winter-solstice-Why-isn-t-the-shortest-day-also-the-coldest

Possible explanations for the pause in Global warming.   http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2014/12/cause_of_pause_in_global_warming.html 

If this is true it, as the author of the piece notes, it parallels the hockey stick deception.  It deals with the scientific basis of the acidification of the Oceans.  Quote: "The theory is that adding atmospheric CO2 leads to the acidification of the world’s oceans, and this profoundly alters the ecosystem, endangering sea life. As Marita Noon of CFACT.org, who first publicized the discovery of the suspected fraud, writes:  “Ocean acidification” (OA) is receiving growing attention. While someone who doesn’t follow climate change science might think OA is a stomach condition resulting from eating bad seafood, OA is claimed to be a phenomenon that will destroy ocean life—all due to mankind’s use of fossil fuels. It is a foundational theory upon which the global warming/climate change narrative is built." http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/evidence_discovered_that_ocean_acidification_scare_may_be_as_fraudulent_as_global_warming.html


Google CEO has joined the climate alarmist crowd.  Here is an assessment of their actions.   http://townhall.com/columnists/pauldriessen/2014/12/26/google-goes-off-the-climate-change-deep-end-n1935798/page/full

George Burns

Matters of Race

The great black American, Thomas Sowell, asks a good question.  Are facts obsolete?  Quote: "Incidentally, did you know that, during this same period when riots, looting and arson have been raging, a black policeman in Alabama shot and killed an unarmed white teenager -- and was cleared by a grand jury? Probably not, if you depend on the mainstream media for your news.  The media do not merely ignore facts, they suppress facts. Millions of people saw the videotape of the beating of Rodney King. But they saw only a fraction of that tape because the media left out the rest, which showed Rodney King -- another huge man -- resisting arrest and refusing to be handcuffed, so that he could be searched."   http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2014/12/30/are-facts-obsolete-n1936708/page/full

This black professor has evidence that the whole white cops killing backs is bogus as all get-out.    http://patriotupdate.com/articles/color-make-difference/   But, it is highly unlikely that the race baiters will pay attention to the facts.  They have an agenda to pursue.  Here are some facts that should be viewed and understood.  If the promoters of riots and violence did so maybe they would pipe down.   http://libertynewsnow.com/white-lives-matter/article573
 
This black sheriff has a point.  http://www.teaparty.org/sheriff-clarke-blasts-obama-skipping-slain-cops-funerals-mai-tais-74445/   Doesn't his absence send a message?

This summarizes what this black American thinks is causing the violence. Quote: "But de Blasio will never accept blame for his role in the killings. Nor will other race arsonists such as the “Dishonorable” Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton and Barack Obama.  Nor will the media hold them to account – quite the opposite. They will continue to run cover for these thugs, since they play for the same team.  And, unfortunately, the people themselves have short memories. Over time, we tend to allow the media’s warped message to become reality.  http://www.wnd.com/2014/12/nypd-cop-slayings-never-forget-whos-to-blame/

Ask yourself what in the world is the legal basis for this ridiculous ACLU lawsuit.  Just a leftist organization fostering hate.   http://patriotupdate.com/2014/12/aclu-sues-ferguson-schools-white/

Read this biographical sketch of Al Sharpton and tell me what credentials he has that merit any respect from anyone.   http://townhall.com/columnists/dwwilber/2014/12/29/alfred-charles-sharpton-an-american-excess-story-n1936458/page/full 


Can we all come together and agree to this point?   http://eaglerising.com/13098/america-not-racist-country/   It is only a matter of discussion because the left and race baiters have made it one.

But coming together as a nation to resolve the problems being fostered will be hard to do as long as Obama does this instead of what he should do.   http://dailycaller.com/2014/12/28/obama-ignores-black-economic-woes-to-focus-on-racism/

Shouldn't this be honored instead of the killing, riots and general mayhem fostered by agitators seeking to create havoc for their own reasons and not for the good of anything.  http://survivaljoe.net/blog/we-need-more-good-cops-like-these-2-outstanding-men/

Monday, December 29, 2014

The Ruble Is Crashing

The ruble is collapsing.
The currency dropped by as much as 9.3% against the US dollar on Monday — the biggest decline since December 15.
Curently, $1 gets you around 58.54 rubles. It opened for trading to day at 53.49.
This crash follows the Economy Ministry's announcement that GDP contracted by 0.5% from a year earlier, following a 0.5% increase in October.
"This is linked to sanctions first of all, oil and the panic we saw on the market in December. The damage to the banking system and consumer sentiment will take a long time to repair," Dmitriy Polevoy, the chief economist for Russia and the CIS at ING Bank of Moscow, told the Moscow Times.
Additionally, oil prices have crashed again on Monday.

Media Heavy Weight, New York Times, In Deep Trouble

Read for yourself about the troubles facing this iconic hard left newspaper.  Quote: "A long and detailed survey of the situation at the Gray Lady written by Ken Kurson of the New York Observer is recommended reading over the holiday, for anyone who cares about the fate of the flagship of the leftist journalism establishment. The Times remains the pilot fish for progressive journalists, signaling what stories to cover and which to ignore, and dictating the spin that the dominant media will take. It’s fate is a matter of national importance that critics in particular should pay heed to. Even if it fails financially, as it appears to be inevitably doing, it will not go away. Someone like Michael Bloomberg or Mexico’s shadowy billionaire Carlos Slim (who is already a major shareholder) will take it over and use its dominant position for whatever agenda is desired."     

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/more_trouble_at_the_new_york_times.html   

George Burns

Compare This With What Our Leftist Government Is Doing

Things in Ireland are going quite well.  The reason?  Low tax rates.  Quote:  "The self-proclaimed “Robin Hood of Rock” is beginning to sound a little more like Grover Norquist than a traditional pop-culture leftist. The U2 frontman, Bono, recently praised Ireland’s extraordinarily low tax rate, while claiming that the move has brought unparalleled prosperity to the Emerald Isle. According to the UK Independent, Bono boasted about the tax-policy’s ability to bring wealth to Ireland for the first time in centuries. 

 http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/michaelschaus/2014/12/27/be-a-rock-star-start-hating-big-government-n1936074/page/full

What They Do & Say

This item indicts NY City's Mayor and the usual others for the current war of blacks on cops.  Quote: "Calling this social degeneracy "a legacy of slavery" is not just an excuse for those who engage in it, it is an excuse for the ideology of the intelligentsia behind the social policies that promoted this degeneracy.  Let those who have laid a guilt trip on people in our times, for evils done by other people in past centuries, at least face their own responsibility for the evil consequences of their own notions and policies. If they won't do it, then the rest of us need to stop listening gullibly to what they are saying."   http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2014/12/23/whos-responsible-n1934821/page/full

This public service announcement is way, way out of bounds.  It encourages children to steal their parents guns. Quote: "In their latest attempt to subvert the family bond while also destroying the rights of Americans, one liberal anti-gun organization is encouraging children to handle firearms without permission, disobey their parents, and even break laws!"    http://eaglerising.com/13008/anti-gun-psa-encourages-children-disobey-parents-break-laws/

This liberal race baiter wants everyone else to pay their taxes to keep the welfare state afloat.  But, he owes $4.5 million in back taxes.  Yet he is routinely welcomed at the White House, serves as Obama's go to guy on civil rights and race relations and has a TV show where he routinely rails against conservatives and foments hate.  Have you heard of him being targeted by Obama's IRS like they have targeted conservative groups???   http://teapartyupdate.com/this-liberal-wants-your-taxes-raised-but-wont-pay-the-4-5-million-he-owes/ 

This is an unconscionable composition by an apparently fanatical liberal filled with rage against Christians.   http://eaglerising.com/12980/liberal-writer-says-god-raped-mary/

Do you think President Obama was right when he told Bill O'Reilly that there is not even a "hint of a smidgen" of any illegality within the IRS?  Before you answer, read this. http://www.teaparty.org/bombshell-irs-backed-icky-tea-party-groups-73995/

This kind of reminds me of the oft repeated statement that "socialism is for the people, not the socialists".

Just to make sure everyone believes me when I say bad people in politics is a bipartisan problem.  Here is a Republican who should hang his head in shame and resign.   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/convicted_of_felony_tax_evasion_gop_congressman_refuses_to_resign.html

George Burns

If Only Our Government Would Heed This Economist's Words

Keynesian economics has ruined the economies of the west, including the US.  Government policies initiated by the Wilson presidency and forward are the main cause of our economic problems.  Is it too late to reverse course?  I don't know but if Ireland is any indication we do have time. They are following principles of sound economies espoused by the great economist Milton Friedman.    

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/danieljmitchell/2014/12/27/wise-words-on-regulation-and-consumer-freedom-from-milton-friedman-n1936082/page/full

Here's more offered up by an expert.  http://www.wnd.com/2014/12/expert-obama-economy-based-on-doctored-data/   We all need to consider with great care what Obama and his administration say and what the mainstream media reports.  Both too often gloss over the bad and highlight anything good.  But even the good they emphasize is too often a consequence of omission of key facts or massaging of the facts they do have.  

George Burns

GMOs - Some Things You Might Want To Know

The data presented in this piece is informative if not a bit of a scary.  While I cannot vouch for its contents what is offered seems to be pretty solid.  Nor am I promoting anything offered near the end of the piece.  But I do suggest you either read the transcript or watch the video and decide for yourself what you take from it. 

http://research.lfb.org/research/html/lfl_gmo_0714/    

George Burns

Friday, December 26, 2014

Washington Power Is Flowing Away

Too much power being grabbed by Washington -- Obamacare, environmental regulations, education standards. That's a constant complaint of conservatives not only during Barack Obama's presidency but during George W. Bush's as well.
But power is also flowing out of Washington, largely unnoticed, and back to the states and localities. You can see that if you look at transportation policy, which is following the same path as the little remembered federal revenue sharing program enacted in the Nixon years and phased out during the Reagan presidency.
Federal transportation spending has an even longer pedigree, dating from the Federal-Aid Highway Act signed by Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. A few states had already been building limited-access toll highways. The new law instituted a federal gasoline tax to pay for Interstates, as they became known, throughout the country.

http://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbarone/2014/12/26/washington-power-is-flowing-away-n1935580 

Democrats the real party of the rich

One of the great misconceptions in American politics is that Republicans are the party of the rich.  That title belongs to the Democrats, who regularly garner the big bucks of America’s moneyed elite.  David Elliott of the AP reports:
For as often as Democrats attack the conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch for their heavy spending on politics, it's actually the liberal-minded who shelled out the most cash in the just completed midterm elections.
At least, that is, among those groups that must disclose what they raise and spend.
Among the top 100 individual donors to political groups, more than half gave primarily to Democrats or their allies. Among groups that funneled more than $100,000 to allies, the top of the list tilted overwhelmingly toward Democrats — a group favoring the GOP doesn't appear on the list until No. 14.
The two biggest super PACs of 2014? Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC — both backing Democrats.

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/democrats_the_real_party_of_the_rich.html#ixzz3N18CrRaK

Unions to Recruit Immigrants Covered by Obama Amnesty

Labor unions are eyeing an estimated four million immigrants who entered the United States illegally as a prize pool of new recruits for their struggling movement, now that President Barack Obama has used an executive decree of amnesty to shield the migrants from being deported, Fox News reports.

Labor groups including the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, and United Food & Commercial Workers have begun reaching out to immigrants covered by the president's executive order.

They are training organizers, partnering with community groups and churches for recruitment, and using the Internet to inform immigrants about their protected status, Fox reports.

One union leader, Tom Balanoff of SEIU, told the Associated Press that he hopes one effect of the president's order is that "more workers will come forward and want to organize."

About Racism

This black man calls out Obama for his urging blacks to keep seeing themselves as victims.    http://eaglerising.com/12880/obama-urging-black-americans-continue-see-victims/

This is an open letter to Al Sharpton by a fellow black American.  He calls out the fact that Sharpton spews a bundle of lies and does not speak the truth to the blacks.  http://townhall.com/columnists/waynedupree/2014/12/20/open-letter-sharpton-poverty-posse-fails-to-inform-minorities-of-choice-n1933798?

This black woman expresses her outrage at the black and white race baiters who are stirring up racial hatred.   http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/23/black-woman-unleashes-blistering-tirade-against-sharpton-obama-and-de-blasio-race-baiting-tired-pathetic/   And this is what conservative blacks think.   http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/race-america-blacks-not/2014/12/24/id/614899/  

A sad consequence of the excuses the left offers for irresponsible black behavior.  Where is the outrage from Obama, Holder and Sharpton?   http://www.newsmax.com/US/US-NYPD-Officers-Shot/2014/12/20/id/614257/

This regards the terrorist who killed two cops in NY City.  Quote: "The gang to which NYPD cop killer Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley may have belonged, the Black Guerilla Family, is allied with U.S. leftist groups and worked as an ideological partner with Bill Ayers’ [friend of Obama] Weather Underground terrorist organization." http://www.wnd.com/2014/12/did-leftist-gang-send-new-yorks-cop-killer/


This is an excellent synopsis by a half black person of what elite liberals, black and white, think of blacks.   http://eaglerising.com/13002/american-sociology/

Another good review of the situation and who bears the most responsibility for recent tragic events.   http://humanevents.com/2014/12/23/what-the-war-on-cops-has-wrought/?

We all need to heed the wisdom of this great black man.   http://humanevents.com/2014/12/23/whos-responsible/?

George Burns

Random Items

A piece regarding atheist and their quest to deny everything came from nothing.  Very interesting.   http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2014/12/the_antichristmas_atheist_missionaries.html


We should have known.  http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/merry_christmas_cuny_editorial_advocates_violent_protests.html  A footnote to this point is that the current mayor of NYC has a long record of socialistic activities so it is easy to understand his stance against the police who work for him and support for the violent protestors who oppose (hate) the police.  Here is a short item that furthers the record.   http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/31/bill-de-blasios-radical-socialist-ties/

This item confirms that the surge of illegals into this country continues.  It also confirms the huge cost and burdens the president and his policies have thrust onto the backs of local governments and their tax bases.   http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/122414_texas_immigrants/immigrants-still-surging-into-texas-shelters/

Further evidence of the tight relationship of liberal Democrats and their wealthy benefactors.  It is the basis of their crony capitalism policies.  Quote: "For as often as Democrats attack the conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch for their heavy spending on politics, it's actually the liberal-minded who shelled out the most cash in the just completed midterm elections." http://news.yahoo.com/wealthy-donors-sided-democrats-midterms-081058488--election.html 

Not pleasant to read but important to understand.  Quote: "For many, the reports’ revelations do not come as a surprise. Many in Latin America and human rights groups have known for years that the US has been practising, and teaching the world, torture. These techniques and shared intelligence with the US were widespread through Latin America as part of what was known as Operation Condor.  Operation Condor was a secret intelligence system in the 1970s through which South American military states shared intelligence and seized, tortured and executed political opponents in one another’s territory, under the United States’ watch and instruction."    http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/12/latin-america-lessons-us-torture.html

Yippee!!!  Just in time for Christmas 1200 more regulations for an already over regulated nation.   http://dailycaller.com/2014/12/23/obama-admin-crams-over-1200-new-regulations-just-before-the-new-year/

What about the resurgence of communism and our relationship with Cuba?  http://townhall.com/columnists/erickerickson/2014/12/26/the-communist-resurgence-n1935581/page/full

George Burns

Termites Emit More Greenhouse Gases than Coal Plants!

Buried deep in the archives of The New York Times is an article about termites. We have a hate-love relationship with the little creatures. We hate them because they can turn a house constructed from wood into saw dust without a homeowner ever knowing it.
Watch a show like “Flip or Flop” on HGTV. It seems like Tarek and Christina El Moussa are always buying homes that have extensive termite damage. There's an entire industry devoted to killing termites and insuring that they don't return to wreck havoc on our homes.

Read more at http://eaglerising.com/13052/termites-emit-greenhouse-gases-coal-plants/#L0SrYDmMd4xJ7xyp.99

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Why the Fed Won't Raise Rates Soon, Even With Surging Economy

Though third-quarter GDP rose at a 5% pace, the sharpest growth since 2003, the central bank is mainly focused on full employment, one of its two mandates.
"The Fed made a lot of progress towards the full employment objective, and I think it will probably take until the end of next year until you can objectively look at the labor market and say the Fed has accomplished its mission," McCarthy said.
The other arm of the Fed's dual mandate focuses on inflation. The personal consumption expenditure price index, or PCE, is central banker's preferred inflation gauge. It rose only 1.2% in November year-over-year, compared to a 1.4% rise in October, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis on Tuesday.

http://www.thestreet.com/story/12994633/1/why-the-fed-wont-raise-rates-soon-even-with-surging-economy.html 

The Problem With Muslims

This details what happens to Muslims who become Christians.  Death threats or death by Muslims.   http://eaglerising.com/12792/muslim-man-becomes-christian-muslims-attack-leave-dead/

This item does a good job of summarizing what Muslim leaders say contrasted with what they do.  http://humanevents.com/2014/12/18/muslim-reformers-forever-talking-the-talk-never-walking-the-walk/?

Why oh why do leftist Harvard University elitists kowtow to Palestinians?  This is simply pathetic.  Palestinians students come to school here and we do unnecessary things to make them feel better.  They need to get over it and we need to tell them this is our country.   If they don't like it they can go back to Palestine.  I do not mean to sound harsh but this type of behavior is simply too much.   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/getting_a_drink_of_water_at_harvard_offends_palestinians.html 

You will not believe this.  This is what Hamas teaches children from early childhood.  Do you think it promotes good in any way shape or form?  As long as this is the attitude Muslims pass to their children terrorism will persist.  What they do and say is pure evil.   http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/21/palestinian-boy-on-hamas-kids-show-calls-israelis-barbaric-apes-and-heres-what-he-said-about-jerusalem/

They even assassinate the volunteers to their cause if they want to leave and go home.   http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/21/islamic-state-is-reportedly-executing-its-own-foreign-volunteers-who-just-want-to-go-home/ 

This is an example of the impact Muslims have on the normal conduct of our police business.  If allowed to persist really bad things will come to pass.   http://preservefreedom.org/crazy-find-out-why-this-cop-lets-muslims-with-dead-baby-in-trunk-go/

Our president is, in my opinion, treasonous.  Not only is he prepared to bring up to 75,000 Muslims to our country but is also willing to encumber tax payers up to $10 billion annually to do so.  That adds to the already abundance of national fiscal, unemployment, cultural and religious problems within our borders and an economy that is struggling mightily.   Who knows how many terrorists will be included in that number.  You have to ask yourself who does he think he works for.  Us or them.  You already know the answer.   http://raisetheflagreport.com/9000-muslims-one-known-terrorist-country-way-u-s-soon/   And get this as a backdrop for admitting illegals and inviting who knows how many Syrian refugees (some terrorists) into the country.   http://townhall.com/tipsheet/conncarroll/2014/12/23/fewer-americans-working-today-than-before-the-recession-began-n1935111

George Burns

Racism In America

I'm sorry but this is way, way off base.  Bear in mind this is the Chairman of the Democratic party speaking.  You will recall that the leftist Democrats could not wait to blame the political right for the Arizona shootings that killed six people and injured 13 others, including Representative Gabrielle Giffords.  It was not true.  Nonetheless one year later  "...after all the evidence was in and it was clear that Loughner had a mishmash of views that could only be accounted for by a long history of insanity..."  DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz had the audacity to use the incident as an example of right-wing extremism. “I hesitate to place blame,” she said, “but I have noticed [politics] take a very precipitous turn towards edginess and lack of civility with the growth of the Tea Party movement.” She called on politicians to “tone things down” in the light of the Tucson shooting."  The interesting truth is that the vast majority of episodes we see that foster death and violence comes from the political left and Muslim extremists that are endlessly coddled by the political left.  And the decidedly leftist NAAC has the audacity to tell America to not blame the protestors for recent violence.  How can these people live with themselves.   http://www.leanrightamerica.org/uncategorized/naacp-dont-blame-protestors/

I am also sorry to say that the leftist mainstream media is a very big part of the problem by reporting in such as way as to bias the public against those on the right side of the political spectrum.   http://www.mrc.org/biasalerts/media-double-standard-protecting-protesters-vs-trashing-tea-party   Can anyone tell me when and where members of the Tea Party have fostered riots and mayhem?

And what have the nation's foremost black leaders done to quell the violence or bridge the divide?    http://www.newsmax.com/Newsmax-Tv/Andrew-McCarthy-Barack-Obama-Eric-Holder-Bill-de-Blasio/2014/12/22/id/614494/?

Walter Williams makes mighty good sense in this piece.  Quote: "Older black people, who were raised in an era when there was far greater discrimination and who faced far fewer opportunities, need to speak out against behavior and excuses that their parents would have never accepted. Otherwise, the race hustlers, poverty pimps and white liberals will continue with the narrative that black problems are a result of racism and racist cops and condemn future generations of blacks to a lifetime of mediocrity."   http://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2014/12/24/black-progression-and-retrogression-n1934643/page/full

George Burns

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

What They Do & Say

Finally they recognize they made a big mistake.  Too late. The damage is done.    http://www.fixthisnation.com/conservative-breaking-news/montanas-largest-newspaper-admits-we-were-wrong-on-obama/



This item suggests that inequity in the US is worse than it ever has been.  Here is what economist and inequality expert Thomas Piketty has to say. "For those who work for a living, the level of inequality in the U.S. – writes Piketty – is “… probably higher than in any other society at any time in the past, anywhere in the world …”  And the last line in the article pins the blame where it belongs.  "Indeed, bad government policy is primarily responsible."   http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/12/inequality-u-s-today-worse-apartheid-south-africa-1774-slaveholding-colonial-america-twice-bad-ancient-slaveholding-rome.html

Remember when Obama promised there would be no lobbyists on his staff?   Quote: "The White House said Paone was granted a “limited waiver” from ethics rules that ban people from joining the administration who have lobbied in the two years prior to their appointment.  Paone is the 61st person to receive such a waiver. http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/227736-obama-hires-of-former-senate-staffer-to-deal-with-new-congress

Can anyone countenance this ugly behavior no matter their respective political orientation?   It is the people who feed at the trough of leftist socialist dogma that spew this kind of hate.   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/beyond_redemption_social_media_explodes_in_joy_at_cop_killings.html  More tell tell causes of this type behavior.   Quote: "Al Sharpton, Eric Holder, and Mayor de Blasio are all implicated in stirring up hatred for the police and all have issued mealy-mouthed pious declarations of their grief. It will not be enough. President Obama, enjoying himself in Hawaii, will have to interrupt his vacation and make a strong statement. What he says will have a strong influence on the future of race relations." http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/assassination_of_2_ny_policemen_has_the_left_scrambling.html

This famous liberal lawyer agrees with conservatives.  Quote: "Jonathan Turley is a brilliant Constitutional scholar at Georgetown University. Sadly, Professor Turley also happens to be a dyed-in-the-wool liberal. But his liberal leanings haven’t blinded him to the terribly illegal procedures President Obama is using to drive his liberal agenda."   http://eaglerising.com/12883/liberal-lawyer-agrees-conservative-sees-terrifying-new-type-presidency/

One has to wonder about the moral compass guiding Obama.  Whatever direction it points it is decidedly to the radical left.   http://cfif.org/v/index.php/commentary/45-foreign-policy/2408-obamas-moral-blindness-on-cuba

This is a major part of the disastrous legacy Obama will leave behind.   http://www.nationalreview.com/article/395120/dictators-best-friend-matthew-continetti

What do you think about this grossly improper behavior on the part of law enforcement?   http://www.westernjournalism.com/this-outraged-tea-party-mom-fought-back-against-abusive-badge-wearing-bullies-and-won-big/?

An example of a government bureaucracy over regulating and making life difficult.  In this case it is how they make life difficult for employers.   http://cfif.org/v/index.php/commentary/53-employment-and-labor/2409-overregulated-obama-eeoc-criminal-conviction-rules-creating-catch-22-for-employers

This item takes a hard look at the question "What is a liberal?".  It is a good review.  http://townhall.com/columnists/johncgoodman/2014/12/20/is-liberalism-intellectually-bankrupt-n1934060/page/full

This could get real interesting.  Warren may well be further to the left than even Obama.  http://responseaction.com/Article/left-begins-riseagainst-democrats

This is bipartisan expansion of legalization of government intrusion into the private lives of citizens.   http://www.fixthisnation.com/conservative-breaking-news/the-spy-clause-nsas-intrusion-now-fully-legal/

George Burns

George Burns

Hillary & Her Quest For The Presidency

This item presents a variety of points of view regarding her candidacy and should help us to determine, if she chooses to run, whether or not we should vote for her.


Either Dishonesty or Unethical must be her middle name.   http://www.nationalreview.com/article/394942/hillary-and-immigration-bribe-ian-tuttle

You should also give careful consideration to her "empathy" for the Islamic people and their religion.  Her relationships with them spell nothing but danger...think about what Obama and his Muslim
Brotherhood pals have been able to accomplish.  Do you really want more of that?   http://eaglerising.com/12360/hillary-clinton-empathizes-enemy/  

This former Bill Clinton employee explains what Hillary did that caused him to quit.   http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/10/31/Dick-Morris-I-Left-When-Hillary-Hired-Secret-Police-to-Go-After-Woman-Victimized-by-Bill

This item discusses Hillary's view of minimum wage and job creation.  You will find this hard to believe, too.  



Hillary's confrontational side exposed.  But, then again most of us probably already knew that.   http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/hillary-clinton-confrontational-transcripts/2014/11/15/id/607558/?

George Bunrs

Monday, December 22, 2014

Government Schools Doing Good Or Bad? You Decide

This does not apply to all schools but does for many, many across the country.  Nor does it apply to all school administrators and staffs but does for many, many, many of them.  Nor does it apply to all teachers but does for many, many of them, too.  This piece provides a good review of the reasons why.  Please folks it is important that we pay attention to what is going on in our schools, how they use their resources, what their well paid staffs really do, and what and how they are teaching our kids.  So much of what's going on is so very, very wrong and the future consequential price will be heavy for our kids and the country.  If I did not care I would not take the time or trouble to share these type notes.   http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/danieljmitchell/2014/12/05/great-moments-in-government-schooling-n1927673

Obama has launched yet another program that cannot be called anything but pure government propaganda. Because all of his other efforts at establishing a legacy are falling apart he apparently searched for a new one.  Quote: "His solution? A new initiative to make sure the nation’s public schools sing the “right” tune on global warming.  Even U.S. News and World Report, not known as a rightwing rag, recognized the tactic well enough to subtitle its story “The administration wants students and teachers to toe the line on climate change,” and the body of the report said the Administration “will distribute science-based information—in line with the administration’s position on the issue—to students, teachers and the broader public” [emphases added]."   http://townhall.com/columnists/calvinbeisner/2014/12/06/obamas-climate-education-and-literacy-initiative-how-do-you-spell-indoctrination-n1928052/page/full   If there ever was a reason to get the federal government out of the business of our children's education this sure is one great example.

George Burns

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Government fuels next housing collapse with unstable mortgages

Nobody wants to return to the kind of risky home loans that spurred 2008’s banking collapse. Sliding back toward lax lending would be nuts.
Yet Washington officially endorsed such loans this month.
Federally controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced they’ll back loans to low-income Americans who put just 3% down, even though such loans have a high default rate.
The risky mortgage program has the blessing of Federal Housing Finance Agency chief Mel Watt, the former Congressional Black Caucus leader whom President Obama recently appointed to regulate Fannie and Freddie.
Watt also backs home loans for borrowers with “less-than-perfect credit scores.”
Since Fannie and Freddie guarantee 90% of US mortgages, private lenders will match their weaker standards. Many of these weak loans will, in turn, be securitized and traded on Wall Street.

http://nypost.com/2014/12/21/government-fuels-next-housing-collapse-with-unstable-mortgages/ 

The Best-Ever Argument for Federalism

I’m a big fan of federalism for both policy and political reasons.
Returning programs to the states is the best way of dealing with counterproductive income-redistribution policies such as welfare, Medicaid, and food stamps.
Federalism is also the right way of unwinding bad education schemes likeObama’s Common Core and Bush’s No Bureaucrat Left Behind.
And the same principle applies fortransportation, natural disasters, and social issues such as drugs.
And I can’t resist pointing out, for the benefit of those who think such things matter, that federalism is also the system that is consistent with ourConstitution’s restrictions on central government power.
Simply stated, federalism is good news because we get innovation, diversity, and experimentation. States that make wise choices will be role models for their peers. And it’s also worth noting that states that screw up will provide valuable lessons as well.

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/danieljmitchell/2014/12/20/the-bestever-argument-for-federalism-n1934127/page/full 

Matters of Race

This person is blunt and gets straight to the point regarding our President and matter of race.   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/racial_chips_tall_shoulders.html   This is an appropriate follow on to Michelle supposedly racist encounter in a faux 2011 Target shopping trip.   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/living_life_through_a_lopsided_lens.html

A black sheriff telling it like it really is.  Race relations have declined since Obama took office.   http://eaglerising.com/12721/black-sheriff-says-race-relations-worse-obama/ 

Eric Gardner's wife is worth listening to.  While she grieves her husband's death she understands that race had nothing to do with it.   http://teapartybulletin.com/video-eric-garners-wife-speaks-death-says-will-surprise-you/ 

The administration is changing profiling rules.  Just another attempt to segregate people into groups and create friction all the while ignoring reality and what is the right things to do.  Walter Williams explains.   http://www.theburningplatform.com/2014/12/18/should-profiling-be-banned/

This items offers rational facts and thoughts about the left's illogical and immoral campaign to convince America that white cops are out to get black teens.  Quote: "The idea behind progressive propaganda has always been “the big lie,” and the bigger the lie, the more likely it is to be believed. At least by the ignorant.  “Hands up, don’t shoot” didn’t happen. Michael Brown was baked out of his mind and attacked a cop. Police aren’t hunting young black men, other young black men are. The vast majority of Muslims aren’t terrorists, but the vast majority of terrorists are Muslims. And the list goes on. But admitting these truths means admitting real problems of crime, joblessness, a depressed economy, and true, engrained and institutional hatred in the world are the end result of progressivism. Misery and terror are the currency of progressives."    http://townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/2014/12/18/racial-cop-stories-that-didnt-make-the-cut-n1933217/page/full

Another item that lays out why the current approach black racist leadership is all wrong in fomenting hate, destructive riots and the like.  Anyone who thinks Obama, Holder and Sharpton are doing good are dead wrong.  http://townhall.com/columnists/carljackson/2014/12/16/hands-up-wont-shoot-black-protest-isnt-black-progress-n1932647/page/full

Why can't people be reasonable, honest and stick to facts instead of following an agenda when dealing with real issues?  This for example. http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/a_big_target_of_racial_hostility.html  

One has to wonder whether the leftist mainstream media has a moral compass.  This leftist Democrat makes an inappropriate rape joke. The joke was prompted when a reporter asked him about a certain black athlete.  As usual the mainstream media did not notice his response.   Ask yourself what they would do if the joke had been made by a Republican or conservative.  It would be on the front page along with their calls for his resignation.  Such are their ethics.   http://eaglerising.com/12731/democrat-makes-rape-joke-media-silent/

George Burns