Obama immigration executive orders could force showdown

Reports that President Barack Obama could use executive orders to enact immigration policies could force a showdown with Republicans with broad constitutional implications.

Stories from the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times and  Politico indicate that the White House is considering using executive orders, a tactic already heavily criticized by Republican leaders, to defer some deportations and expand work permits to currently illegal immigrants.

With House Republicans already set to sue President Obama in federal court over what are seen as executive abuses of power over the Affordable Care Act, such aggressive actions from the White House wouldn’t go unchallenged.

But the big question is how would the GOP challenge immigration reforms through executive orders on constitutional grounds?

Josh Gerstein from Politico went over some of the legal roadblocks to a GOP challenge in an extensive story on Tuesday.

“Legal experts see any challenge to the expected immigration policy changes headed for the same key roadblock facing House Speaker John Boehner’s planned suit over Obamacare implementation delays: finding a way to show the injury needed to press a case in the federal courts,” said Gerstein.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-immigration-executive-orders-could-force-showdown-101209067--politics.html 

The Untapped Secrets of the Nixon Tapes

Richard Nixon taped roughly 3,700 hours of his conversations as president. About 3,000 hours of those tapes have been released, while the rest remain closed to protect family privacy or national security. The public has a general impression of what’s on the Nixon White House tapes—the expletives deleted, the so-called “smoking gun” when Nixon appeared to try to use the CIA to derail the FBI investigation of Watergate, the slurs against blacks and Jews.
But very few people have actually listened to more than a few hours of tapes. Less than five percent of the recordings have been transcribed or published. The tapes, stored at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California, will in time give us a much clearer and more accurate picture of Richard Nixon. Two tapes-based books published this summer, timed to the 40th anniversary of Nixon’s resignation on August 9, 1974, go a long way toward showing Nixon’s underappreciated geopolitical genius and how he became the victim of his own emotionalism.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/07/the-untapped-wealth-of-secrets-in-the-nixon-tapes/374868/ 

Obama and the Road Not Taken

The Obama administration often denies any responsibility for the current global chaos or claims that it erupted spontaneously. Yet most of the mess was caused by, or made worse by, growing U.S. indifference and paralysis.
Over the last five and a half years, America has had lots of clear choices, but the administration usually took the path of least short-term trouble, which has ensured long-term hardship.
There was no need to "reset" the relatively mild punishments that the George W. Bush administration had accorded Vladimir Putin's Russia for invading Georgia in 2008. By unilaterally normalizing relations with Russia and trashing Bush, Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton only green-lighted further Russian aggression that has now spread to Crimea and Ukraine.
There was no need for Obama, almost immediately upon assuming office, to distance the U.S. from Israel by criticizing Israel's policies and warming to its enemies, such as authoritarian Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan and Hamas.

http://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2014/07/31/obama-and-the-road-not-taken-n1872279 

About Science

This item makes an point we all need to remember when science is the subject of mainstream media articles.  Quote:  "It’s worth remembering that nothing the media reports to you is truly free of its institutional biases – even when it purports to report verifiable scientific fact. This of course has relevance to numerous allegedly scientific debates being held in the media right now touching on both public health issues and “climate change.” Everything – and I mean everything – must be filtered with a healthy dose of skepticism if it touches the media’s hands."   http://www.redstate.com/2014/07/21/politicization-science-media/

Should scientists follow where the facts lead or represent philosophical or political interests instead?   Check out this item.  A scientist who found evidence that does not comport with Darwinian evolution was fired by California State University because his findings challenge long held scientific dogma.  Simply stated he was fired because as a scientist he would not yield his professional integrity by blindly accepting prevailing scientific dogma which his findings challenge.  Quote:  "While at a dig at Hell Creek formation in Montana, the scientist, Mark Armitage, came upon the largest triceratops horn ever unearthed at the site. When examining the horn under a high-powered microscope back at CSUN, Armitage was fascinated to see the soft tissue. The discovery stunned members of the scientific community because it indicates that dinosaurs roamed the earth only thousands of years in the past rather than going extinct 60 million years ago.”  And, "Scientists claim that they are all about the facts. No matter what the facts, as scientists, they must go where the facts take them. This is not always the case."   http://www.intellihub.com/scientist-terminated-proving-dinosaurs-humans-walked-earth-together/   And,  http://visiontoamerica.com/18255/university-fires-scientist-after-discovering-and-reporting-dinosaur-soft-tissue/   Is this an example of biased or true science?  See first quote below.

This article synopsizes "The Heartland Institute’s 9th International Conference on Climate Change held in Las Vegas from July 7-9, “Just Don’t Wonder About Global Warming, Understand It,” [attendees] heard some of the world’s leading climate scientists and researchers discuss the latest state of global warming science, including questions of whether manmade global warming will harm plants, animals, or human welfare. Eight hundred participants gathered to hear 64 speakers from 12 different countries."   http://humanevents.com/2014/07/21/myths-busted-at-climate-change-conference/   The topics covered in this conference of scientists demonstrates that the "science is not settled" on the subject of global warming/climate change, notwithstanding the UN's IPCC Committee, scientists and political leaders who proclaim otherwise.  Cutting off legitimate debate about this very complex subject and man's role in it dishonors the application of the scientific method.  Lets hope that this matter, on all sides, is henceforth dealt with openly and honestly and subjected to the rigorous debates it deserves and comports with the best scientific practices.  

A few relevant quotes.   “In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.”  Galileo Galilei

                                        “There can be no ultimate statements science: there can be no statements in science which can not be tested, and therefore none which cannot in principle be refuted, by falsifying some of the conclusions which can be deduced from them.”  Karl Popper

                                         “The Scientific Method is a wonderful tool as long as you don't care which way the outcome turns; however, this process fails the second one's perception interferes with the interpretation of data. This is why I don’t take anything in life as an absolute…even if someone can “prove” it “scientifically.”   Cristina Marrero

                                          “Scientists are human—they're as biased as any other group. But they do have one great advantage in that science is a self-correcting process.”  Cyril Ponnamperuma

                                          “What we know here is very little, but what we are ignorant of is immense.”   Pierre Laplace

George Burns

The Unbelievable Things Progressives, Liberals & Democrats Do

And they tell you anytime they can that the evil Republicans and Conservatives are in the pocket of big business.  http://www.redstate.com/2014/07/28/democrats-abandoned-populism/  This has been going on for a very long time all the while lying through their teeth about their own culpability.

You know all about the irrational proclamations Nancy Pelosi makes.  How she gets elected to office is a real puzzle.  Take note of her recent hypocritical rants.  http://www.redstate.com/diary/bblankley/2014/07/28/nancy-pelosis-perversion-piety-page-proof-texting-playbook/   This is Nancy at her best.  http://eaglerising.com/7638/nasty-political-hack-nancy-pelosi-sad-doesnt-get-slam-republicans-cnn/ 

You are aware that the IRS has targeted conservative organizations on numerous occasions.  That is now a matter of record no matter the ranting's of the left that Republicans are on a witch hunt.  Congressional Democrats and the media are attempting to deflect the public's attention away from learning of their despicable political tactics.  Emails now prove Lois Lerner's political biases and strengthen the case that she has been lying about her role in the ongoing scandal.  No wonder she pled the 5th when appearing before congress.   http://dailysignal.com/2014/07/30/irs-emails-lois-lerner-calls-conservatives-crazies-worse/

You may not know her and my guess is after reading this you will not want to know her.   http://www.redstate.com/2014/07/29/michelle-nunn-a-consultants-golem-coming-for-the-jews/ 

About the distasteful and reprehensible behavior of the Vice President.   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/07/joe_biden_is_a_vile_little_man.html

This is where things are headed thanks to progressives and their secular humanistic religion that embraces as anything goes morality.  Anyone with two brain cells knew this was coming after the LBGT crowd was sanctioned by our government and progressive acolytes.  Casting aside our long held Christian principles set the stage for the destruction of our culture which is well under way.  History tells us where this will end up.  It will not be pretty.  http://www.wnd.com/2014/07/judges-open-door-to-marriage-of-3-4-or-5-people/  

This is a great example of how out of touch with reality the political left really is.  "The Washington Examiner reports that 81% of Americans believe the border crisis, including unaccompanied children crossing the border illegally, is serious. This is despite recent claims by Democrat Senator Harry Reid that the border is secure."  And "A whopping 77% say that illegals should be returned to their home countries. While the Left likes to portray those who believe these illegals, regardless of age, should be sent home as heartless, 66% expressed sympathy for whatever situation led them to journey illegally across the U.S border."   http://www.teaparty.org/democrats-push-amnesty-77-americans-want-illegals-sent-home-49574/ 

 

Planned Parenthood is an organization doing evil things sanctioned by our leftist/progressive government.  Quote:  "Planned Parenthood presents a moral problem by its very existence. It also exemplifies a moral problem that is endemic in every institution that still functions in our once great nation. The detestable lack of honesty or decency brazenly displayed by Planned Parenthood is what you can pretty much expect from the Jack-Knife Barber. The fact that it reminds us all of so many other organizations taking massive amounts of money from our various governments is even more disturbing. I’m only seeing two differences between Planned Parenthood and Government Motors. Government Motors doesn’t mean to kill people and Planned Parenthood doesn’t get very many recalls."    http://www.redstate.com/2014/07/29/planned-parenthood-kill-baby-overcharge-service/

George Burns

The Puzzling Omission in Weston Wamp’s website

by Mark West

In my desire to be an informed voter I routinely look to a candidate’s “Issues” page on their website in order to understand what it is they believe and what they value… or at least what they claim to value.  But one can often find that what is openly stated on a candidate’s website can at times be as important as what is left unsaid. Over the years, I have gleaned a lot by this review.
So I found it both interesting and informative when I recently reviewed the websites for the two candidates for US Congress in Tennessee District 3 – incumbent Republican Chuck Fleischmann and his Republican challenger Weston Wamp.  As a social conservative I tend to look to a candidate’s Issues page to see if their values align with mine.  Here’s what I found when I compared Chuck and Weston’s positions on their websites, which they both summarized under the category of “Values.” (The info below is current as of the publishing of this article.)

http://lifelibertyand.net/puzzling-omission-weston-wamps-website/

IMF Warns Of Potential Risks To Global Growth

Sharply higher interest rates around the world could combine with weaker growth in emerging markets to slice as much as 2 percentage points off global growth in the next five years, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.
In a report assessing how individual national policies could interact to undermine the world economy, the IMF also warned the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could reverberate to the rest of the region if sanctions against Russia escalate, hitting natural gas supplies to Europe and weakening European banks.
The resulting impact could prompt further gyrations in financial markets, in contrast to the recent period of market calm, the IMF said in its 'spillovers' report.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/29/us-imf-economy-idUSKBN0FY1P220140729

Fed’s easing will likely lead to inflation

It's unlikely the Federal Reserve will be able to pull off a graceful ending to quantitative easing, economist Bob Brusca told CNBC. Instead, he thinks the central bank will probably allow inflation to creep up—not believing it is real—until it is too late.
"They think there's a lot of slack, and therefore when bad things happen they don't believe it. And that's the problem: When bad things happen you have to believe it," said Brusca, chief economist at Fact and Opinion Economics.
The central bank is grappling with several issues, he added.
"The Fed's balance sheet is huge. I think they kept interest rates very low for a very long period of time," Brusca said in an interview with "Power Lunch." The central bank is also juggling "too many things" and is dealing with a division among its members.
"A division is also going to make it harder to do the right thing in a timely fashion."

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101876667 

Scandals Galore

The left's claim that we MUST help these poor "refugee" children because they are victims of "child trafficking" is one more of their endless string of big lies.  This item explains.   http://immigrationreform.com/2014/07/18/border-crisis-most-unaccompanied-minors-are-smuggled-in-not-trafficked/   The government and its lackey media tell the public exactly what is not the fact.  Propaganda pure and simple.  In event of an emergency situation who do you think is the government's first priority to get to safety?  If you said American citizens you are wrong.  http://www.teaparty.org/event-emergency-illegals-evacuated-citizens-49542/

This man is an absolute fool, an instrument of Islamic terrorists and an enemy of Israel.  He is of course implementing Obama policy.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-john-kerrys-big-blunder-in-seeking-an-israel-gaza-cease-fire/2014/07/28/ab3fbfd2-1686-11e4-9349-84d4a85be981_story.html   Even though the article seeks to justify what happened even it illustrates reporting biases.  The fact is that Hamas uses human shields to protect their military targets so it is Hamas who is causing the flood of civilian casualties.  Rockets being fired from schools, housing developments and hospitals demand a reaction from the Israeli forces and Hamas knows that.  They use that fact and the resulting civilian casualties they themselves cause are a way to garner sympathy and seek support for their interests while painting the Israelis as the bad guys.  Not highlighted are Israeli efforts to broadcast and drop leaflets telling civilians in advance to evacuate so they will not become casualties.  Obama, his minions and the media play along with and ignore both Israeli humane efforts and Hamas's refusal to let civilian human shields leave and in turn support and are complicit in the evil actions committed by Hamas.  Consequently the liberal media and Obama are party to the flood of videos and pictures of Palestinian casualties shown around the world giving the impression augmented by biased liberal reporting that it is Israel that causes civilian casualties .  Their purpose is to make the Israelis the bad guys.  Be assured Obama knows of and supports this charade.  It is disgusting.

Opening the floodgates for gangbangers, disease laden, low skilled workers is Obama's idea of a good immigration policy.  To him letting into the country people like these two is a problem.  We can't let highly qualified talent into the country - that is not fair.  This is proof that complete idiots are in charge of the insane asylum.   http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/07/28/meet-people-obama-doesnt-want-to-come-to-america/   and here:  http://www.wnd.com/2014/07/obama-inviting-invasion-of-murderers-gang-members/   Obama's unilateral, unethical and probably illegal actions will put the public at risk of facing increased criminal activity and exposure to diseases, increase law enforcement difficulties and costs, exacerbate the unemployment problems already in place, and exacerbate a whole host of health care problems ranging from access to costs.  The man is not a president.  He is a criminal bent on destroying our culture and our country.  And here is what citizens in one of the most liberal states in the country have to say.   http://www.wnd.com/2014/07/democrat-state-goes-ballistic-against-illegals/

This item supplements the previous one.  Obama says he wants to create jobs for the many unemployed in our country (last count of eligible workers out of work, unable to find work and those who have stopped looking for work exceeded 93 million).  Fewer working age Americans have jobs today than when he took office.  Yet, being the unusually intelligent man we are told he is he wants to add 5 million more (illegal aliens) to the labor force.  Sound policy don't you think?  Just another in a long line of scandalous moves he has made.   http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/illegal-immigrant-work-status/

Regarding unemployment figures the government gives us, ignore them completely.  They are not even close to being accurate.  Consider this item and then tell me that adding 5 million illegal aliens to the labor force is a good idea.  Quote:  "..the real unemployment rate among U.S. citizens and permanent residents is at least 18 percent."    http://www.moneynews.com/StreetTalk/unemployment-rate-jobs-labor/2014/07/29/id/585430/ 

George Burns

Want The Truth About The State Of The Nation?

Far too many left and right politicians, pundits, economists, academics, financiers, and media types seek to hide the truth from all of us - politicians being the worse of the lot.  Their purpose I do not know for sure - but most likely has been and remains their pursuit of their own personal welfare/interests as opposed to ours.  It is a matter of record that they lie to us about many things, especially the state of our economy which by their policies they are slowly but surely destroying.  This item suggests that the end is in sight for their persistent lies to come to the fore.  It uses a legitimate marker to tell us the truth so that even the liars will soon be forced to acknowledge their crimes.  Quote:  "The political class always despised economists because they recognized and criticized their political fantasies. The description "dismal science" came from their realistic approach to political dreams. Now that the political class has coopted the economics profession to the point where bribery can get them whatever opinion they want, they use economists to further these political fantasies. Any economist dependent on the government cannot be an honest man without risking his livelihood."   

http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/07/government_is_destroying_our_standard_of_living.html  

George Burns

War on Christians

This is a world wide phenomenon  Most violence comes at the hands of Islamist.  The leftists/progressives in our country fight the same fight but use different tactics..  But rest assured their goal is to rid the nation of Christianity.   http://eaglerising.com/6579/islamists-slaughter-dozens-christians-hiding-church/

Killing Christians is not a problem for some evil people.   http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/06/16/my-husband-told-them-we-were-christians-and-they-shot-him-in-the-head/  Neither is raping and killing Christian women.   http://eaglerising.com/7300/muslim-terrorists-declare-sexual-jihad-raping-killing-christians/

Public schools are attempting to remove anything remotely associated with Christianity.  See this.    http://blog.libertyinstitute.org/2014/06/censorship-high-school-salutatorian.html  Yet, the practice of secular humanism runs rampant through the classrooms.  Even some religions are permitted, especially Islam.  There is little doubt progressives are actively working to kill all that's good about this country, especially those things fostered by Christianity.

You need to ask why?  Answer:  Because America, especially Obama and the secular humanist left, has abandoned Christians.   http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=23554 

Public schools willingly ignore the 1st Amendment and follow the progressive mantra that saying what you believe is an imposition on the rights of others to not see or hear it.   http://eaglerising.com/6875/public-school-america-censors-christians-speech/  

The left is now attempting to turn the Hobby Lobby decision into something it is not.   http://www.redstate.com/2014/07/10/war-religious-faith-continues/

How Muslims deal with Christians.   http://www.redstate.com/diary/matthewclark/2014/07/08/jihadists-escalate-persecution-slaughter-christians-worldwide/  and here,   http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/religious-beliefs-Christians-Syria-Middle-East/ 

This does not lead much to the imagination.   http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/07/19/isis-to-christians-convert-to-islam-pay-us-leave-or-die/

Don't believe any of this?   Check this out.   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/07/the_vacuum_left_by_obama_has_been_filled.html

George Burns

Even Some In Hollywood See The Leftists/Democrats For What They Really Are

Jon Voight.  Quote:  "The Democrat party has become a very negative force … it’s more socialist in their thinking, and they’ve given young women the wrong ideas about what democracy really is.”   http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jon-voight-lashes-obama-lengthy-71820

Fred Thompson.  Quote:  "Famed actor and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson says Americans need be “mindful” of a government that undermines religious freedoms, and on July 18, he has a new movie coming out in theaters illustrating just how dangerous an overzealous government can be."   http://www.wnd.com/2014/07/now-fred-thompson-sounds-government-alarm/

Angelina Jolie.  Quote:  "She's into education and rehabilitation and thinks Obama is all about welfare and handouts. She thinks Obama is really a socialist in disguise."
http://eaglerising.com/7504/angelina-jolie-hates-president-obama/

Ray Stevens.  In song he slams liberals and their illegal immigration policies.   http://eaglerising.com/7345/comedian-ray-stevens-slams-liberals-illegal-immigration/

Bill Maher.  Quote:  "Leftist comedian Bill Maher seemed to go off-script during a broadcast of his show Friday night when argued that liberals are “useless Obama hacks without a shred of intellectual honesty.”    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/15/bill-maher-calls-liberals-useless-obama-hacks-with/   Another Maher item.   http://www.westernjournalism.com/bill-maher-hollywood-liberals-too-in-love-with-obama/

Jerry Seinfeld and Roger Simon:  Quote:  "PC nonsense???  The bien pensant [New York Times] are now jumping on Seinfeld because he had only white people on his show. Of course, the comic was right about political correctness.  It’s not only the enemy of comedy.  It’s the enemy of human life — no more than fascism with a phony egalitarian face. And Seinfeld, who is being accused of being a racist (natch), is less of a racist than any of his detractors.  But that’s par for the course these days."  The article is by author, screenplay writer and Hollywood insider Roger Simon.   http://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2014/02/04/seinfeld-wsj-nyt/

George Burns

U.S. surveillance programs threaten freedom of press, report says

U.S. surveillance programs are making it more difficult for government officials to speak to the press anonymously, two rights groups said on Monday.

Large-scale surveillance, on top of the Obama administration's crackdown on national security leaks, threatens the freedom of the press and the right to legal counsel, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union said in a joint report.

The National Security Agency's surveillance programs, which include the collection of telephone "metadata," have heightened government officials' concerns about dealing with the media, as "any interaction - any email, any phone call - risks leaving a digital trace that could subsequently be used against them," the report said.

http://news.yahoo.com/u-surveillance-programs-threaten-freedom-press-report-says-140844097.html 

The LBGT Mafia Continues to flex its Muscles

This is just one of many consequences of allowing the progressives inside and outside government to gain power over average Americans and our culture.    http://www.libertynewsonline.com/article_301_35636.php

This reinforces the above item.  The fact is that the government has decided by law who qualifies as a protected group.  History/tradition be damned.    http://eaglerising.com/6712/government-forces-church-perform-gay-marriage/   Beware if the government does not include you in one of its protected groups.

Such government policies as above espoused lead to this overt, intolerant and destructive mindset.  This journalist illustrates just how "in-TOLERANT" liberals/progressives/Democrats really are.   http://www.redstate.com/2014/07/23/a-new-york-times-writer-wants-orthodox-christian-and-islamic-views-stamped-out-ruthlessly/ 

While this ruling occurred in the UK it is indicative how strong the international LBGT movement has become.  The UK government, like ours, has decided LBGT rights trump the rights of Christians.  What is going on in this progressive political correctness world?   http://www.wnd.com/2014/06/judge-doubts-own-ruling-against-christians/   To answer the question progressives are systematically destroying all the things that once made our country great and replacing them with all the things that throughout history led to the demise of empires/cultures.

They are doing their thing in Israel too.  http://www.wnd.com/2014/06/homosexuals-wage-holy-war-on-israeli-village/  

George Burns

The Militarization Of The American State

This should be a wake up call for Americans interested in individual freedom and sustaining relevance of our Constitution.  Quote:  "In sum, the American police state is a multi-billion dollar boondoggle, meant to keep the property and the resources of the American people flowing into corrupt government agencies and their corporate partners. For those with any accounting ability, it’s clear that the total sum of the expenses being charged to the American taxpayer’s account by the government add up to only one thing: the loss of our freedoms. It’s time to seriously consider a plan to begin de-funding this beast and keeping our resources where they belong: in our communities, working for us."  

 https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/the_stealing_of_america_by_the_cops_the_courts_the_corporations_and_congres   

George Burns

Pentagon overpays for nearly everything

According to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office, the Pentagon is paying way too much for nearly everything. From Business Week:

Across the military, the average major Pentagon acquisition comes in at 40 percent over budget, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office. In spite of the Pentagon’s well-documented history of profligacy, the Congress continues to enlarge its responsibilities. The DOD’s mandate now includes wide-ranging scientific and medical research and international infrastructure projects, diffusing the focus on its core mission—like buying planes that don’t set themselves afire on the runway. That’s a disservice to America’s military and a burden to the country’s taxpayers.

http://www.campaignforliberty.org/national-blog/gao-pentagon-overpays-nearly-everything/ 

The Immigration Problem We’re Not Talking About

One of the biggest factors driving the surge of unaccompanied children making the dangerous journey from Central America to the United States’ Southern border has been the incorrect impression that, once they arrive, they will be allowed to stay. Unfortunately, by vastly understaffing the country’s immigration courts, the U.S. government has made that myth appear to be reality.

Imagine this. What if the first wave of children in this migration of tens of thousands had been deported back to Honduras, El Salvador, or Guatemala a few months after they left home in the first place? It seems likely that word would have got around that, contrary to rumor, the United States was not providing blanket amnesty to children.

In fact, according to the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, the vast majority of unaccompanied children crossing the border are designated for deportation once they come before a judge. The problem is that wait time for a hearing in immigration court is measured not in weeks or months, but in years.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/immigration-problem-not-talking-101500664.html 

Obamacare

While other scandals facing the administration have pushed this item out of the headlines, rest assured it is as bad as ever and continues to worsen.   Quote:  "The administration has yet to speak the truth about the construction of the all-important backend of the Obamacare website. They have lied to insurance companies, they've lied to Congress, and they've lied to the American people. The consequences of those lies may be billions in over subsidized insurance policies for consumers, billions more in overpayments to insurance companies, and the prospect that undeserving illegal aliens, fraudsters, and criminals are all gaming the system."   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/07/how_many_lies_about_the_status_of_the_obamacare_website_have_we_been_told.html

Yet more Obamacare delays.  Why not just scrap it and start over.  This is totally ridiculous.   http://www.nfib.com/article/obama-administration-announces-more-healthcare-law-delays-mybiz-mj2014-65432/  Not only are there delays, there are territorial exemptions.  What's good for territories should be good for the 50 states, don't you think?   http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/07/24/obamacare-free-getaway-for-5-us-territories/

Obama's law professor at Harvard doubts he will win next Obamacare challenge at the Supreme Court.   http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/382550/obamas-law-professor-i-wouldnt-bet-obamacare-surviving-next-legal-challenge-joel

As Obamacare continues to rot, the administration is now trying to force businesses to save the necks of Obama and his Obamacare advocates.  I say under no circumstances should he and his co-conspirators be given anything close to a life line.  Obamacare should be removed from the face of the earth and those responsible for all the irrational damage, exorbitant waste of taxpayer funds and illegal acts be punished for their role in the whole sordid mess. http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/07/feds_pressuring_business_to_rescue_obama_and_dems_from_another_failure_of_ocare.html

The lack of common sense and ethics of the Obama crowd is simply unbelievable.   http://dailysignal.com/2014/07/23/obamacare-official-given-government-ethics-waiver-former-company-faces-scrutiny/

George Burns

Retired Border Patrol Agent Tells Us What Is Really Going On

This is a 14 1/2 minute video well worth watching.  You will not believe what this retired border patrol agent has to say.  It certainly is not what the administration, certain members of Congress, talking heads and the media are telling us..  He is very well spoken and his considerable experience and knowledge of the situation is impressive.  A must watch!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnkSXosZhic&feature=em-share_video_user  

George Burns

Wall Street Journal Lambastes Obama

The Wall Street Journal has it right.  This is the man who recently had the audacity to try and convince us that his efforts as president have led the world to the point where it is now the most serene in history.  That bold face lie won a gold medal from me to place on his mantle along side his other lie based winners.  

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/obama-most-provincial-wsj/2014/07/24/id/584586/  

George Burns  

What Texas Has to Tell Us About How Immigration Will Play Out in 2016

So whose job is it, exactly, to stem the tide of illegal entries into a state? Someone sneaking across the Rio Grande from Mexico is entering both the state of Texas and the United States of America, but if the authorities take notice of his presence here, the federal government will claim jurisdiction, preempting, for the most part, anything Texas might have to say about the nature of the hospitality extended to the unauthorized visitor
The problem is that the federal government seems insufficiently interested in preventing illegal immigration. This is what finds us in the second decade of the twenty-first century with between seven and twenty million illegals among us. If that seems an absurdly broad range, consider that illegals do not exactly raise their hands for the census. You therefore get those who don’t consider illegal immigration a pressing problem citing the lower figure, while more concerned voices cite the higher. If we split the difference at about fourteen million, that’s between 4 and 5 percent of all the human beings in the United States.

http://spectator.org/articles/60080/what-texas-has-tell-us-about-how-immigration-will-play-out-2016 

Obamacare Fraud: A How-To Guide

When the Government Accountability Office reported last week that several of its investigators had successfully used fake identities and incorrect information to sign up for subsidized Obamacare coverage, Democrats reacted with skepticism. They claimed that the report didn’t necessarily signal big potential for fraud or abuse.
Representative Sander Levin (D., Mich.) said: “There would be no financial windfall, as any government subsidy goes directly to insurance companies and not to the consumer seeking that insurance. In fact, people committing these frauds would be risking severe fines and possibly jail time.” And Representative Joseph Crawley, (D., N.Y.) called the report “much ado about nothing,” adding: “What is the ultimate prize for the criminal? Is it a free colonoscopy?”

www.nationalreview.com/article/383884/obamacare-fraud-how-guide-jillian-kay-melchior 

If You're A State And You Don't Set Up An Exchange, That Means Your Citizens Don't Get Their Tax Credits

Halbig v. Burwell and King v. Burwell are the most important and hotly contested legal challenges involving the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare. (Along with my sometime coauthor Jonathan Adler, I had something to do with those cases happening.) The central issue is whether the PPACA allows the IRS to issue tax credits through health-insurance Exchanges established by the federal government. Said government argues it’s implausible that Congress intended to withhold tax credits in states that don’t establish Exchanges. On Tuesday, the D.C. Circuit set off a firestorm when it ruled in Halbig that the PPACA’s language authorizing tax credits “through an Exchange established by the State” cannot be reasonably construed to authorize them in the 36 states with federal Exchanges. On the same day, the Fourth Circuit reached the opposite conclusion in King. On Thursday, however, the plaintiffs’ interpretation got another boost from an architect of the PPACA named Jonathan Gruber.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelcannon/2014/07/25/obamacare-architect-jonathan-gruber-if-youre-a-state-and-you-dont-set-up-an-exchange-that-means-your-citizens-dont-get-their-tax-credits/ 

Supreme Court may not protect Obamacare this time

Don’t be so sure that the Supreme Court is going to save Obamacare. Again.

The question is enormously important: Are health-care consumers entitled to subsidies if they buy coverage on insurance exchanges established by the federal government, as they are with insurance from state exchanges?

Ruth Marcus is a columnist and editorial writer for The Post, specializing in American politics and domestic policy.

Two federal appeals courts have reached contradictory conclusions, at least so far. (The Obama administration plans to ask the full federal appeals court in Washington to review the three-judge panel ruling against the subsidies, and that court is newly stocked with liberals.) Cases are headed to two other appeals courts.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ruth-marcus-the-supreme-court-may-not-protect-obamacare-this-time/2014/07/24/7d414bcc-1353-11e4-8936-26932bcfd6ed_story.html 

Doctors: Government-Run Health Care Driving Us Out of Business

Advocates of single-payer health care promise high-quality low-cost health care for all.
But physicians in Vermont say the state’s move towards a single-payer health care system is driving independent doctors out of business and eliminating patient choice.
Dr. Paul Reiss, a family practice physician in Williston, said only 20 percent of the doctors now in Vermont are independents, compared to 50 percent to 60 percent in the rest of the country.
“The health systems have caused it to be nearly impossible from a financial standpoint to stay in private practice. That’s not so in the rest of the country,” he said.

http://dailysignal.com/2014/07/25/doctors-health-care-monopoly-driving-business/ 

Five Fatal Flaws of Solar Energy

The sun is the most important energy source on Earth.  Solar energy powers the growth of all trees, grasses, herbs, crops and algae; it creates the clouds and powers the storms; it is the source of all hydro, photo-voltaic (PV), solar-thermal, bio-mass, and wind energy.  Over geological time, it also creates coal.
PV solar panels are useful in remote locations and for some portable applications.  With enough panels and batteries, standalone solar can even power homes.
But solar energy has five fatal flaws for supplying 24/7 grid power.
Firstly, sunshine at any spot is always intermittent and often unreliable.  Solar panels can deliver significant energy only from 9am to 3pm – a maximum of 25% of each day.  Solar can often help supply the hot afternoon demand for air conditioning, but demand for electricity generally peaks at about 6:30pm, when production from solar is usually zero.

http://americanthinker.com/2014/07/five_fatal_flaws_of_solar_energy.html 

A Hard Lesson To Learn

The more people face the true moral decadence that is at the heart of progressivism and its liberal/Democrat world view the more they recognize that innate conservatives principles are far more right than wrong. more moral than immoral.  Increasingly liberals are having to admit, although only bit by bit, that secular humanistic progressivism that underpins their belief system has no real moral foundation.  This short item serves to illustrate the point.   http://eaglerising.com/7494/hbos-bill-maher-finally-agrees-conservatives/

This short piece summarizes a study led by a Duke University professor suggesting that people oppressed by governments tend to lie more than those living in free societies, providing insight into possible future consequences for us.   http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-07-23/liars-cheats-and-communists

Scandals

Anyone have any idea why the "most transparent administration in history" hid this fact?   http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/18/white-house-hid-huge-spike-of-families-crossing-border/   Deception, dishonesty, hiding, lying is their definition of transparency.

Here is a litany of the offenses committed by this administration.   http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/

I smell a rat.  http://www.redstate.com/diary/matthewclark/2014/07/21/irs-maybe-lois-lerner-emails-arent-lost-oh-lost/   And if you still don't think the IRS is a rogue agency, then read this item.   http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/21/irs-seeks-help-destroying-another-3200-computer-ha/   You have to wonder just what is it they want to hide.  Does this new evidence suggest the matter is now becoming criminal?   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/07/irs_experts_lois_lerners_hard_drive_only_scratched_and_data_mostly_recoverable.html

How about this for exacerbating illegal immigration problems?  The unethical and destructive tactics of this administration just continue to mount.   http://www.infowars.com/border-patrol-whistleblower-were-being-ordered-to-release-pregnant-illegals

It is indeed scandalous that the government provides Planned Parenthood some of our tax dollars with which to support their efforts to corrupt minors.  Don't believe me?  Read this.  http://dailysignal.com/2014/07/23/another-planned-parenthood-caught-promoting-x-rated-advice-underage-girls/?    This is just one in a series of similar revelations.  Remember that several months ago President Obama heaped high praise on these people for the "good" work they supposedly do and even tossed their way a "God bless you", his way of sanctioning their evil deeds.

A Human Rights Watch report documents government agency involvements in US terror plots.  Quote: "The lengthy report, released on Monday by Human Rights Watch, raises questions about the US criminal justice system's ability to respect civil rights and due process in post-9/11 terrorism cases. It portrays a system that features not just the sting operations but secret evidence, anonymous juries, extensive pretrial detentions and convictions significantly removed from actual plots."    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/21/government-agents-directly-involved-us-terror-plots-report  

We are no longer a nation of laws.  Government sanctioning of criminal behavior by government agencies is in fact criminal, not just scandalous.  Ignoring such illegal government activities is scandalous on our part.  In fact, we become co-conspirators is so doing.

Do something, say something, wake up a sleeping public, hound your elected officials - embarrass them into action or admitting their culpability.  People this is our country.  It does not belong to the band of criminals running it using our tax money to commit multitudes of nefarious acts.

George Burns

Natural Gas Trucks - has the time come?

Correspondingly, it's true. Many of the truck operators in the US are shifting to trucks fueled by Natural Gas on the strength of a new engine technology that cuts the cost of shifting from diesel fuel. So much so, industry forecasters including ourselves believe that 5% of all heavy duty trucks sold in 2014 will run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), up from 1% in 2013. Indeed, many of the trucking companies are already testing trucks running on Compressed Natural Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas. What's more, these trucks are also friendlier to the environment cutting emissions by about fifty percent than the conventional vehicles. According to news reports, UPS is planning to buy 1,000 Natural Gas trucks by 2014, while the delivery arm of retailer Lowe's has announced plans to shift all of its trucks to Natural Gas by 2017.
Why not? Natural Gas hasn't seen better times with complimentary mineral rights laws and new equipment adding to the euphoria. Also, the latest in drilling technologies have helped the gas producers tap hitherto unreachable resources, heralding in a shale revolution of sorts. Echoing this, the abundant Natural Gas has, it has to be said, sent the prices tumbling down. In the process, cheap Natural Gas has reduced dependence on coal and even nuclear power. By 2015, it is expected that the US would export Natural Gas too.
Since Natural Gas is still a regional commodity, unlike oil which trades in the global market, the prices will remain low for a while. Also, the Natural Gas boom could go on for a while because of a new pipeline in North Dakota - The Tioga Lateral Pipeline.

http://www.oil-price.net/en/articles/natural-gas-trucks-has-the-time-come.php 

ObamaCare Is Wide Open To Fraud: Audit

An undercover operation disclosed on Wednesday shows just how easy it is to defraud ObamaCare. This is your health care on government.
To test administration claims that it had strict controls in place to verify eligibility and subsidy amounts for ObamaCare applicants, the Government Accountability Office sent a dozen people out to try enrolling with made-up identities.
All but one of the 12 succeeded in enrolling in a subsidized ObamaCare plan. Even for government, a 92% failure rate is awfully bad. In cases where the testers couldn't get past the identity check using an online application, they were still able to enroll over the phone.
Three "applicants" didn't bother to submit any supporting documentation about income or citizenship and still got into the program. The government even sent notices to two of the undercover agents, saying their citizenship information had been verified.

Read More At Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-obama-care/072314-710049-gao-audit-finds-obamacare-is-wide-open-to-fraud.htm#ixzz38O408uEg

A Bit of Insight Into Liberal/Progressives

Anyone who checks history that has not been rewritten by progressives will be shocked at what liberals/progressives have in their past.  And I might add continue to support although for the most part in a more subtle fashion.  They are, however, becoming bolder given the erosion of education, morality and civility they have successfully imposed on society.  Their history is not a pleasant one.  Be sure to read the links.   http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/07/gary-north/eugenics-and-the-evil-margaret-sanger   Anyone who understands factual history will likewise understand the fundamental dishonesty and lack of morals and ethics of the progressives/liberal left.  

George Burns

The DACA Magnet

A recent memo from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirms that major “pull factors” for the current crop of illegal entries includes previously “successful migration attempts.” In other words, the President’s blatant refusal to enforce the law has, as anticipated, resulted in the more than 50,000 unlawful immigrants flooding the border.

Prominent among the administration’s lawless decrees is a program initiated in June 2012 known as DACA: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Under this policy, Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are instructed to practice “prosecutorial discretion” towards unlawful minors apprehended in the U.S., granting them de facto amnesty. It is this implied promise by the President that unaccompanied alien minors will not be returned home that has led to the current influx.
Many proponents of DACA have pointed out that, for one reason or another, many of the illegal immigrants now entering would not qualify for “deferred action” status under the President’s policy. This fact, however, neither discourages the immigrants from attempting to cross nor will it prevent the President from granting them DACA amnesty anyway.

http://heritageaction.com/2014/07/daca-magnet/?utm_source=heritageaction&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DACA&utm_issue=immigration&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonua%2FLZKXonjHpfsX56eQuXqa1lMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4AT8dkI%2BSLDwEYGJlv6SgFQrLBMa1ozrgOWxU%3D 

Illegal Immigration

Obama's immigration policies helps this type thing happen.  Do you support him?   http://www.teaparty.org/ms-13-gang-member-arrested-car-full-illegal-recruits-48094/

Liberals/Democrats - shame, shame, shame.  http://www.teapartypatriots.org/all-issues/news/straw-man-on-the-border-democrats-shame-concerned-citizens/

This is the way one progressive/Democrat elected official deals with law breaking.  Punish those who want the laws enforced.  http://godfatherpolitics.com/16370/democrat-la-raza-punish-amnesty-opponents/  

Talk about the misguided way the progressives view the world.   http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/07/throwing_american_foster_kids_under_the_obama_bus.html

The answer to the question asked?  He is playing politics.  Quote:  "The story isn’t over in those communities, where illegal immigrants have already been relocated. Come September, thousands of illegal-alien “minors” (many of them adults lying about their age) will be entering unprepared public schools, creating a new wave of outrage.  Perhaps one particular decision by the White House highlights how concerned the administration is about public reaction: As of now, not a single illegal-alien detainee seems to have been sent to Louisiana or Arkansas, the states bordering Texas that are closest to the site of the border deluge. This is no accident. Those two states have Democratic senators up for re-election who are vulnerable enough to lose, but who might still be able to prevail. The White House appears to have decided not to send any illegals there to avoid the potential for political damage"     http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/17/krikorian-hitting-the-boiling-point-over-the-borde/   The man is as unethical as they come.

Here is the evidence that he is trying his best to give asylum to as many as possible illegals.   http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/07/14/leaked-data-shows-10-fold-increase-in-obamas-asylum-approvals/

Obama's open borders policy has a huge down side.  He is aiding and abetting human trafficking.  Quote:  "Human smuggling of Central American and other foreign nationals into the U.S. is big business, generating $6.6 billion a year for human traffickers known as “coyotes,” reported the Associated Press Monday." http://www.wnd.com/2014/07/texas-sending-1000-guardsmen-to-border/

The story behind the story that Obama does not want you to know about.   http://www.teaparty.org/obama-aides-knew-last-year-brewing-border-crisis-48434/

Here is the kicker - proof of the prevailing lies - that the illegal immigration mantra is good for our labor force.  What about the multi-millions of Americans who cannot find a job, most of which have completely dropped out of the labor force?   http://www.wnd.com/2014/07/layoffs-prove-the-deceit-of-amnesty/   

George Burns

Dow poised to drop 3,000 points

“When you have all this liquidity chasing a fixed number of assets the asset price inflation takes place.” That’s Komal Sri-Kumar rather neatly summarizing the cynic’s take on the last 5 years of the stock market. “It looks as if there is no end to the zero interest rates so the bubble is going to get ever bigger.”

Seems like a perfect system but for the glaring flaw Kumar says has been in place since the inception of easy money on what he calls “Lehman Day,” September 15th 2008. The Fed’s balance sheet has quintupled but the equity markets and other benefits haven’t kept pace. Nature abhors imbalances. Imagine your shins growing to twice the length of your thighs or a tree with branches thicker than the trunk and you get the basic idea of the financial abomination purists see when they look at the Fed’s balance sheet gigantism.

Of course the $4 Trillion question is how this ends when the Fed eases off the gas in October. Kumar has a guess but it’s not going to make bulls happy, particularly those who’ve started eyeballing the next Big Round Number as a target for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/dow-poised-to-drop-3-000-points-115753603.html 

IMF says US economic growth to be weakest since recession

US economic growth this year will likely be at the weakest pace since the Great Recession ended, the International Monetary Fund said, mostly because of a sharp, weather-related contraction in the first quarter.
But the global lending organization said Wednesday that it still expects growth resumed in the April-June quarter and will remain healthy in the second half of this year and next.
In its annual report on the US economy, the IMF projects growth will be just 1.7 percent this year, down from a 2 percent estimate in June. That's below last year's 1.9 percent pace and would be the slowest annual rate since the recession ended in June 2009.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0723/IMF-says-US-economic-growth-to-be-weakest-since-recession 

Monsanto & the FDA - A Mutually Supporting Relationship

Monsanto and the FDA have for a long time been partners is duping the public.  The media has ignored the whole sordid mess.  This is just one more example of the government colluding with big business for their benefit, not ours.  Read this first quote and then the second and tell me this is not double talk meant to deceive the public.  Quote #1:  "Quoted in the New York Times Magazine (October 25, 1998, “Playing God in the Garden”), Philip Angell, Monsanto’s director of corporate communications, famously stated: “Monsanto shouldn’t have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA’s job.”  Quote #2:  "From the Federal Register, Volume 57, No.104, “Statement of [FDA] Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties,” here is what the FDA had to say on this matter: “Ultimately, it is the food producer who is responsible for assuring safety.”  

http://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2014/07/22/monsantofda-2-crime-families-trillion-dollar-hustle/ 

So, who's looking out for you?  Neither one says it is their job.   

George Burns

China's debt soars to 250% of GDP

China's debt has soared to two and a half times its economy, Standard Chartered (London Stock Exchange: STAN-GB) estimates, highlighting the difficulties Beijing faces in balancing growth with the risk of bubbles forming in its economy.

Total financial credit has surged to 251 percent of gross domestic product from 147 percent at the end of 2008, the bank said.

"The economy will continue to leverage up, and the market will remain concerned," said Stephen Green, chief China economist at Standard Chartered.

Since the financial crisis of 2008, China has relied heavily on credit to spur its high growth rates, but the alarming pace of credit growth has triggered worries for investors, especially as rapid build-ups in debt have signaled the onset of financial crises in other economies.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/chinas-debt-soars-250-gdp-034214943.html 

The 65M People Who Voted For Obama,Was It Worth All Of The Chaos,Scandals,Horrific Attacks?

by Cruz_West_Paul2016
 
But I Voted For Obama For "Free Stuff",And I Am Entitled!.So how do these 65.9 Americans feel now that they are indirectly responsible for the horrific events of the last 2 or 3 weeks?,Was the free-stuff worth watching thousands of children suffering and dying trying to cross the border?,Was voting for a liberal worth what happened in the Ukraine along with god knows how many innocent people have died in the mid-east?And now here we are 5.5 years into the Obama Administration and thanks to these 65 Million"Selfish/Greedy" Americans, we are beyond a Nation In Fear!And to think we were already a Nation In Fear in 2008!

Court Rulings Confirm That ObamaCare Is A Tangled Mess

A federal court has appropriately endangered the health of the Affordable Care Act — a "reform" that's turning out to be every bit the mess we feared.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued a ruling Tuesday morning that said the federal government cannot provide health insurance subsidies for residents in the 36 states that have not set up their own ObamaCare exchanges.
In Halbig v. Burwell, a three-judge panel declared 2-1, as it should have, that the law meant what it said when it plainly stated that subsidies were only available to those buying ObamaCare plans through "exchanges established by the state."
If the ruling holds, it means nearly 5 million are getting subsidies through the federal exchange illegally. Rather pay the exorbitant cost of an unsubsidized ObamaCare plan, many of these people — most of them young and healthy — will just abandon the insurance market and pay the penalty, which will in turn spark an insurance "death spiral."

Read More At Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-obama-care/072214-709930-courts-make-opposite-rulings-on-obamacare.htm#ixzz38FXLUkfr

What Does American Exceptionalism Mean?

This item deals in both facts and common sense.  It is insightful and is absolutely worth reading.  Quote:  "But because of the claim of being “exceptional,” or in fact divinely chosen as some people have suggested of America, the bottom line for the American Exceptionalism ideology has become its promotion of the authoritarianism and collectivism of the centralized State while actually opposing the very philosophies and principles upon which America was founded: individualism, independence, free markets and private property." 

http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/07/scott-lazarowitz/american-exceptionalism-3/  

George Burns

An Assessment Of Illegal Immigration

Read what this congressman has to say about the kids being sent here illegally from South and Central America.  He spent time in that part of the world investigating the issue.  His words ring true.  Quote: As for America’s neighbors to the South, he emphasized, “We need to be humane, understanding and patient.”

“But we need to close our border and fix the problem we have now. They need to go home to their country of origin.”

Bentivolio said the key to solving the crisis is not complex.  “If we had secure borders, we wouldn’t have this problem. We need to send a strong message that, if you want to come to America, do it legally, and get in line. That’s it, it’s very simple. Get in line.”    

http://www.wnd.com/2014/07/congressman-exposes-truth-behind-illegal-kids/

We’re Heading Towards Another Financial Crisis

It’s almost certain that we are heading towards another financial crisis. That is according to the banking sector’s biggest private equity investor, Christopher Flowers.
Flowers is one of the industry’s most respected investors. A long time private equity investor, Flowers knows the banking sector well and has raised $15bn since 1998 for his private equity, JC Flowers buyout fund.
His claims are based on the fact that regulation, introduced since the financial crisis, has depressed sector profitability. As a result, Flowers claims that lenders like Barclays (LSE: BARC), HSBC (LSE: HSBA), Lloyds (LSE: LLOY), Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN) and Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) will have trouble riding out extended periods of financial instability, leading to another credit crunch.

Poor returns

Regulations introduced following the financial crisis, were supposed to increase the stability of the financial system. However, these regulation have also depressed profitability within the sector.
A survey of 200 banks last year found that their average return on capital was 9.7% last year, marginally above their cost of capital. And these low returns have also put investors off.

http://www.fool.co.uk/investing/2014/07/21/were-heading-towards-another-financial-crisis/?source=uptyholnk3030001 

Social Security: Baby Boomers should beware

Are you a Baby Boomer who has worked for both the public and private sector during your working career? If so, you are probably feeling pretty good about your retirement options, which very likely include a public pension, as well as Social Security. Unfortunately, under the Windfall Elimination Provision, you may not be eligible for all the Social Security benefits you think are coming to you.
No more "double dipping"
Before 1983, people who worked in both public and private jobs could collect a full pension when they retired, as well as Social Security benefits, as long as they qualified. Benefits were calculated as though the employee had been a low-wage worker throughout his or her career.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/07/21/social-security-baby-boomers-should-beware-of-this-provision/12848423/