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Friday, November 28, 2014
NFL star whose daughter’s battle with cancer captured hearts of nation has not paid child support in MONTHS, child’s mother claims
The NFL star whose daughter's battle with cancer is the league's feel-good story of the season has not paid child support in months, the girl's mother claims.
Devon Still, who plays defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals, has not paid any child support for his four-year-old daughter Leah since July, according to her mother Channing Smythe.
The row threatens to overshadow what has been one of the few touching stories in a sport riddled with controversy, including allegations it was soft on domestic violence, encouraged drug use and covered up risks to players.
Ms Smythe's attorney, Gloria Allred, has delivered a letter to the NFL asking it to investigate if Still has violated its Personal Conduct Policy by failing to pay child support, the New York Daily News reports.
In a statement in the letter, Mr Smythe said: 'I don’t think it is fair that Devon Still, who is Leah’s father, has refused to pay any child support for her for the months of August, September, October and November of this year.'
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Devon Still, who plays defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals, has not paid any child support for his four-year-old daughter Leah since July, according to her mother Channing Smythe.
The row threatens to overshadow what has been one of the few touching stories in a sport riddled with controversy, including allegations it was soft on domestic violence, encouraged drug use and covered up risks to players.
Ms Smythe's attorney, Gloria Allred, has delivered a letter to the NFL asking it to investigate if Still has violated its Personal Conduct Policy by failing to pay child support, the New York Daily News reports.
In a statement in the letter, Mr Smythe said: 'I don’t think it is fair that Devon Still, who is Leah’s father, has refused to pay any child support for her for the months of August, September, October and November of this year.'
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WSJ's Jason Riley: Anti-Police Narrative Harms Poor Blacks
The real tragedy in Ferguson is that the continued focus by liberal commentators and black leaders, such as Al Sharpton, on the number of blacks killed by police officers actually does more harm to the black poor they claim they want to help, says Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley.
"We now know that Michael Brown was much more of a menace than a martyr, but that won’t stop liberals from pushing an anti-police narrative that harms the black poor in the name of helping them," he writes.
Riley cites Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) statistics which show homicide is the leading cause of death among young black men.
Despite the statistical evidence, the narrative pushed by liberals that the police are responsible for the high number of deaths of young black men survives, says Riley.
"And while you’d never know it watching MSNBC, the police are not to blame. Blacks are just 13 percent of the population but responsible for a majority of all murders in the U.S., and more than 90 percent of black murder victims are killed by other blacks," he continues.
Those statistics contribute to the tensions between black men and law enforcement and "so long as young black men are responsible for an outsize portion of violent crime, they will be viewed suspiciously by law enforcement and fellow citizens of all races," says Riley, who is the author of the recently-released book, "Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed".
But many black liberals would prefer to focus on the behavior of whites, rather than on the crimes committed by blacks.
More here
"We now know that Michael Brown was much more of a menace than a martyr, but that won’t stop liberals from pushing an anti-police narrative that harms the black poor in the name of helping them," he writes.
Riley cites Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) statistics which show homicide is the leading cause of death among young black men.
Despite the statistical evidence, the narrative pushed by liberals that the police are responsible for the high number of deaths of young black men survives, says Riley.
"And while you’d never know it watching MSNBC, the police are not to blame. Blacks are just 13 percent of the population but responsible for a majority of all murders in the U.S., and more than 90 percent of black murder victims are killed by other blacks," he continues.
Those statistics contribute to the tensions between black men and law enforcement and "so long as young black men are responsible for an outsize portion of violent crime, they will be viewed suspiciously by law enforcement and fellow citizens of all races," says Riley, who is the author of the recently-released book, "Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed".
But many black liberals would prefer to focus on the behavior of whites, rather than on the crimes committed by blacks.
More here
Redskins Thanksgiving Tweet Sparks Backlash
It’s not always immediately obvious why messages posted on social media draw condemnation. And then sometimes it is.
On Thanksgiving morning, the Washington Redskins tweeted this:
On Thanksgiving morning, the Washington Redskins tweeted this:
While team owner Daniel Snyder contends the name and the mascot honor Native Americans, activists find the moniker offensive.
Also, many Native Americans don’t celebrate Thanksgiving and are deeply pained by its origins. On Thursday, the 45th annual National Day of Mourning was held in New England. Organizers told the Associated Press that to them Plymouth Rock represents “nothing more than a monument to racism and genocide.”
Darren Wilson's friends demand that 'star' witness in Michael Brown case be charged with PERJURY
Darren Wilson's friends demand that 'star' witness in Michael Brown case be charged with PERJURY for his 'hands up, don't shoot lie' after grand jury rejects teen's version of events
Close friends of Darren Wilson have called for the star witness in the Michael Brown shooting to be charged for lying about what he saw.
Two of the Ferguson police officer’s best friends told MailOnline that Dorian Johnson - who was next to Brown at the time - should be arrested for his statements in numerous TV interviews he made days afterwards.
They say that he made up the claim that Brown had his hands up which kickstarted the ‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ protest movement.
For his part Johnson told the grand jury that the whole process has left him feeling ‘victimized’.
He also revealed that the altercation began because he didn’t like how Wilson spoke to him like a father telling off his son.
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Close friends of Darren Wilson have called for the star witness in the Michael Brown shooting to be charged for lying about what he saw.
Two of the Ferguson police officer’s best friends told MailOnline that Dorian Johnson - who was next to Brown at the time - should be arrested for his statements in numerous TV interviews he made days afterwards.
They say that he made up the claim that Brown had his hands up which kickstarted the ‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ protest movement.
For his part Johnson told the grand jury that the whole process has left him feeling ‘victimized’.
He also revealed that the altercation began because he didn’t like how Wilson spoke to him like a father telling off his son.
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Schlafly: Thank God for Founding Fathers
The millions of Americans who gather Thursday around a dining-room table with family members to celebrate Thanksgiving will heed George Washington’s call in October 1789 to commemorate “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.”
Ever since the days of the Pilgrims, Thanksgiving has traditionally been a time to thank God for the blessings in one’s life, particularly the blessing of the harvest.
However, President Obama has failed to thank God in any of his five previous Thanksgiving addresses.
Conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly said she will be watching to see whether Obama mentions God this year, but she isn’t optimistic.
“He seems to be on a mission to wipe God out of public life in every possible way,” Schlafly said.
Schlafly, on the other hand, said Americans, as a people, should be thankful for the nation’s Founding Fathers.
“We have to be thankful that [God] gave us an extraordinary group of men who devised the system of our country, which made us not only the freest, but the most prosperous country in the world,” she said.
“That’s why everybody wants to come here.”
Keep reading..
Ever since the days of the Pilgrims, Thanksgiving has traditionally been a time to thank God for the blessings in one’s life, particularly the blessing of the harvest.
However, President Obama has failed to thank God in any of his five previous Thanksgiving addresses.
Conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly said she will be watching to see whether Obama mentions God this year, but she isn’t optimistic.
“He seems to be on a mission to wipe God out of public life in every possible way,” Schlafly said.
Schlafly, on the other hand, said Americans, as a people, should be thankful for the nation’s Founding Fathers.
“We have to be thankful that [God] gave us an extraordinary group of men who devised the system of our country, which made us not only the freest, but the most prosperous country in the world,” she said.
“That’s why everybody wants to come here.”
Keep reading..
Union Whistleblower Warns of Shadow Campaign Against Walmart
A former United Food and Commercial Workers official said that the union’s planned Black Friday protests are aimed at unionizing the nation’s largest retailer, despite claims to the contrary.
Former UFCW organizer Rian Wathen disputes the union’s insistence that the protests, which are organized by a nonprofit subsidiary called OUR Walmart, are not intended to impose a union on the company.
“These front groups are nothing more than a way to organize,” Wathen said in a press call Tuesday. “It’s not about anything else.”
Wathen worked at Indianapolis-based UFCW Local 700 for 15 years and was “actively involved in the 2002 National Day of Action against Walmart,” as well as the planning for nonprofit “front groups” to aid union growth. He became the third-highest-ranking union official in the state and was in charge of collective bargaining and director of organizing.
However, he was ousted from the union after “raising internal ethical issues” about union practices to his higher ups. He said that he harbors “no love for Walmart,” but is speaking up against the union’s “deception” about what amounts to a data mining operation that will serve the union’s interests.
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Former UFCW organizer Rian Wathen disputes the union’s insistence that the protests, which are organized by a nonprofit subsidiary called OUR Walmart, are not intended to impose a union on the company.
“These front groups are nothing more than a way to organize,” Wathen said in a press call Tuesday. “It’s not about anything else.”
Wathen worked at Indianapolis-based UFCW Local 700 for 15 years and was “actively involved in the 2002 National Day of Action against Walmart,” as well as the planning for nonprofit “front groups” to aid union growth. He became the third-highest-ranking union official in the state and was in charge of collective bargaining and director of organizing.
However, he was ousted from the union after “raising internal ethical issues” about union practices to his higher ups. He said that he harbors “no love for Walmart,” but is speaking up against the union’s “deception” about what amounts to a data mining operation that will serve the union’s interests.
More
Facebook Post Nets Homeless Man Dinner With Va. Family For Thanksgiving
The 54-year-old is homeless and has been living in a shelter in Norfolk, Virginia, for two years. With no family nearby and Thanksgiving approaching, Shytles has longed for something that money can’t buy.
“One night, I was talking with two of my friends at the shelter about how lonely it is during the holidays,” he said. “It hurts every day of the year but on Thanksgiving and Christmas it’s 10 times worse being by yourself.”
Shytles went back to his room and created a personal ad titled “Wanted: A family to share Thanksgiving with,” asking someone to invite him into their home to spend the holiday with their family.
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Dem Shunned for Ethnic Slur Given Party Leadership Role in New Mexico
Sheryl Williams Stapleton, a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, in 2011 berated a fellow lawmaker for “carrying the water for the Mexican on the Fourth Floor,” referring to Martinez, who was the first hispanic woman ever elected governor.
More here
Cop Cruiser Crashes: You Pay The Cost When Local Police Cause Accidents
The ABC7 I-Team obtained databases from six jurisdictions, looking at accident reports from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, as well as Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties in Virginia. We crunched the numbers and discovered that since 2010, there have been more than 2,300 at-fault accidents in those counties.
Among those reports, we found what the departments classified as “improper backing” as the leading cause of accidents where police officers were to blame. “Driver inattention” and “failure to maintain control” were also large contributors to departmental accidents that were later deemed preventable.
The accidents detailed in hundreds of reports range from minor incidents, like a 2014 Prince William County police crash in which the officer sideswiped a car after looking down at a cellphone, to more serious ones, like a 2012 incident involving an Arlington County officer. In that case, an officer assisting with a foot chase drove his vehicle down a steep embankment, injuring himself and causing approximately more than $11,000 in damages to his cruiser.
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Top Occupy Organizer Trained Ferguson Protesters
Fithian is a legendary organizer who once announced she seeks to “create crisis, because crisis is that edge where change is possible.”
She was one of the luminaries of the Occupy Wall Street movement and was a lead organizer in the infamous 1999 Seattle riots against the World Trade Organization that descended into violence.
The 1999 WTO event in Seattle devolved into widespread rioting in which more than 40,000 protesters, some using violent tactics, descended on the city, prompting police to use tear gas and rubber bullets. The clash became known as “The Battle of Seattle.”
According to Discover the Networks, Fithian specializes in aggressive “direct action” tactics.
More here
Hillary Clinton Aide Reveals She Threatened To Quit Campaign If Bill Had An Affair
Former President Bill Clinton may have a reputation as a lady's man, but there is one woman who it seems was not as never won over by that famous charm of his.
In an oral history project on the Clinton White House being released this month by the University of Virginia former Hillary Clinton aide Susan Thomases reveals that she made it very clear to President Clinton on the campaign trail that she would put up with no nonsense.
And that meant, above all else, no sex with other women.
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In an oral history project on the Clinton White House being released this month by the University of Virginia former Hillary Clinton aide Susan Thomases reveals that she made it very clear to President Clinton on the campaign trail that she would put up with no nonsense.
And that meant, above all else, no sex with other women.
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IRS Paying Millions In Bonuses To Employees Who Are Tax Scofflaws
Commissioner John Koskinen announced the bonuses in an email to employees on Monday, saying they were a way to reward long-suffering staffers who have put up with budget and workforce cuts and are still keeping the agency humming.
But the payout, worth millions of dollars in taxpayers’ money, isn’t sitting well with congressional critics, who said it sends the wrong message at a time when the agency is reeling from several scandals, and when even staffers who are delinquent on their taxes can collect bonuses.
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Update On Yesterday Mornings Fatal Accident On Rt. 113
Yesterday I published an article and then a press release referencing a fatal accident early Thanksgiving morning.
In a different article I criticized law enforcement because they mentioned "alcohol could be a factor".
It turns out, the driver had a blood alcohol level of .18, more than double the legal limit!
Now, who in their right mind would be such an IDIOT to take his alleged Wife and TWO young children out on the road after drinking that much alcohol!
That being said, this IDIOT should be called out as he KILLED his alleged Wife and took the life of a mother of two children.
In a different article I criticized law enforcement because they mentioned "alcohol could be a factor".
It turns out, the driver had a blood alcohol level of .18, more than double the legal limit!
Now, who in their right mind would be such an IDIOT to take his alleged Wife and TWO young children out on the road after drinking that much alcohol!
That being said, this IDIOT should be called out as he KILLED his alleged Wife and took the life of a mother of two children.
SFD Calls For Service 11-27-14
- Thursday November, 27 2014 @ 19:24Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Thursday November, 27 2014 @ 15:32Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Thursday November, 27 2014 @ 13:52Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Thursday November, 27 2014 @ 13:22Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Thursday November, 27 2014 @ 12:32Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
War-Crime Denial
Having lied about secession, states’ rights, the origins of the Constitution, Lincoln, and just about everything having to do with the American “Civil War” for many generations, the Lincoln cult is now hard at work on its biggest lie of all: that General William Tecumseh Sherman’s famous “march to the sea” did not negatively affect Southern civilians or their property.
In a November 14 New York Times article one Alan Blinder wrote of “an expanding body of more forgiving scholarship about the general’s behavior.” In its ten thousandth attempt (at least) to mentally “reconstruct” Southerners, the government-funded Georgia Historical Society, in cahoots with the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum, recently paced a marker in Atlanta “near the picnic tables at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum” that is supposedly “a reassessment of Sherman” that has been “decades in the making” by the Lincoln cult.
Sherman was not “gratuitously destructive,” says the marker. He only targeted “military infrastructure.” Of course, in reality Sherman considered every Southern person, every acre of Southern land, every house, every barn, every blade of grass, every farm animal, and even every family pet as part of the Confederacy’s “military infrastructure.” Honest historians have documented this in spades for the past 150 years. It is also documented beyond all doubt by the U.S. government’s own Official Records of the war.
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In a November 14 New York Times article one Alan Blinder wrote of “an expanding body of more forgiving scholarship about the general’s behavior.” In its ten thousandth attempt (at least) to mentally “reconstruct” Southerners, the government-funded Georgia Historical Society, in cahoots with the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum, recently paced a marker in Atlanta “near the picnic tables at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum” that is supposedly “a reassessment of Sherman” that has been “decades in the making” by the Lincoln cult.
Sherman was not “gratuitously destructive,” says the marker. He only targeted “military infrastructure.” Of course, in reality Sherman considered every Southern person, every acre of Southern land, every house, every barn, every blade of grass, every farm animal, and even every family pet as part of the Confederacy’s “military infrastructure.” Honest historians have documented this in spades for the past 150 years. It is also documented beyond all doubt by the U.S. government’s own Official Records of the war.
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Ferguson Black Panther Leaders Plotted to BOMB ST. LOUIS ARCH
Olajuwon Ali is the local leader of the New Black Panther Party in St. Louis. Last year he released a video inviting local blacks to join his group.
He also explains how to become a sovereign person, separate from the corporate structure. And babbles on about challenging the St. Louis City court over his status and their illegal arrest of Mr. Ali.
Last week Olajuwon Ali and Brandon Muhammad were indicted in federal court for illegal firearms purchase – plotting to bomb the St. Louis Arch – and plotting to murder St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch and Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson.
The Panthers wanted to purchase more bombs but were waiting for their girlfriend’s EBT card was replenished!
Your tax dollars at work – Blowing up the Arch!
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He also explains how to become a sovereign person, separate from the corporate structure. And babbles on about challenging the St. Louis City court over his status and their illegal arrest of Mr. Ali.
Last week Olajuwon Ali and Brandon Muhammad were indicted in federal court for illegal firearms purchase – plotting to bomb the St. Louis Arch – and plotting to murder St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch and Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson.
The Panthers wanted to purchase more bombs but were waiting for their girlfriend’s EBT card was replenished!
Your tax dollars at work – Blowing up the Arch!
More
Gun Control Measures Hazardous for Citizens
Restrictive gun laws, imposed by a well-meaning government, deprive people of the means of self-defense. So say Second Amendment advocates. Modern history and recent headlines alike support their argument.
The recent atrocities in Israel, where terrorists slaughtered four unarmed Jewish citizens at prayer — three of them rabbis — have led that nation’s government to peel back some of its draconian laws restricting the private ownership of firearms.
The new proposals do not go nearly far enough, extending only to a small group of Israelis already licensed to carry firearms, such as security guards. It’s doubtful that such a reform would prevent a repeat of this week’s slaughter.
With all due respect to a grieving, embattled nation, Israeli lawmakers — and freedom-loving Americans — should remember some tragic events of history.
In 1943, Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels fulminated, “The Jews have actually succeeded in making a defensive position of the Ghetto . . . It shows what is to be expected of the Jews when they are in possession of arms.” He was outraged at the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, which impeded deportations to the death camps and allowed partisans to escape and fight from the forests.
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The recent atrocities in Israel, where terrorists slaughtered four unarmed Jewish citizens at prayer — three of them rabbis — have led that nation’s government to peel back some of its draconian laws restricting the private ownership of firearms.
The new proposals do not go nearly far enough, extending only to a small group of Israelis already licensed to carry firearms, such as security guards. It’s doubtful that such a reform would prevent a repeat of this week’s slaughter.
With all due respect to a grieving, embattled nation, Israeli lawmakers — and freedom-loving Americans — should remember some tragic events of history.
In 1943, Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels fulminated, “The Jews have actually succeeded in making a defensive position of the Ghetto . . . It shows what is to be expected of the Jews when they are in possession of arms.” He was outraged at the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, which impeded deportations to the death camps and allowed partisans to escape and fight from the forests.
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O'Malley Sticks It To Farmers On His Way Out The Door
On behalf of 36,000 Maryland Farm Bureau families, I have to disagree with your editorial on the issue of the new phosphorus rules ("Phosphorus rules, finally," Nov. 18). Gov. Martin O'Malley did not get it right. In fact, this is effectively just one last tax increase he is trying to force on the citizens of Maryland on his way out the door.
The voters sent a clear mandate on November 4th — they oppose new taxes. The $22.5 million this new rule will cost farmers and the $39 million taxpayers are expected to kick in amount to nothing other than a new tax burden.
The fallacy in the whole argument over the phosphorus rules is that nothing has been done to control phosphorus on farms until now and that phosphorous is "pouring" into the Chesapeake Bay. In fact, farmers have already made tremendous progress in phosphorus reductions. Working with extension researchers, farmers have reduced the amount of dairy manure and poultry litter applied to fields. What started out as 15 tons of litter to the acre decades ago was reduced to 5 tons per acre in the mid-1990s. Under the current nutrient management program, most farmers apply at the crop removal rate of 2 tons every three years. And new research is in the works to make farmers more efficient at less cost than is necessary under this new rule.
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The voters sent a clear mandate on November 4th — they oppose new taxes. The $22.5 million this new rule will cost farmers and the $39 million taxpayers are expected to kick in amount to nothing other than a new tax burden.
The fallacy in the whole argument over the phosphorus rules is that nothing has been done to control phosphorus on farms until now and that phosphorous is "pouring" into the Chesapeake Bay. In fact, farmers have already made tremendous progress in phosphorus reductions. Working with extension researchers, farmers have reduced the amount of dairy manure and poultry litter applied to fields. What started out as 15 tons of litter to the acre decades ago was reduced to 5 tons per acre in the mid-1990s. Under the current nutrient management program, most farmers apply at the crop removal rate of 2 tons every three years. And new research is in the works to make farmers more efficient at less cost than is necessary under this new rule.
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Teachers union boss loses 40,000 members, gets a raise
National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel received a huge pay raise this year while the teachers union lost more than 40,000 members.
Van Roekel, who retired this summer, was paid $541,632 during NEA’s fiscal year ending Aug. 31 — a $130,000 increase from last year, driven by a gross salary hike from $306,286 to $429,509. NEA membership dropped from 3,003,885 last August to 2,963,121 this August.
NEA, the nation’s largest labor union, has lost 272,014 members since 2009. The union paid Van Roekel $2.2 million from 2010-2014.
Losing more than a quarter of a million members didn’t keep Van Roekel from getting a huge raise this year, and taking millions of dollars from workers didn’t prevent Van Roekel from being praised by union advocates in a series of videos recorded for an NEA meeting in July.
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Van Roekel, who retired this summer, was paid $541,632 during NEA’s fiscal year ending Aug. 31 — a $130,000 increase from last year, driven by a gross salary hike from $306,286 to $429,509. NEA membership dropped from 3,003,885 last August to 2,963,121 this August.
NEA, the nation’s largest labor union, has lost 272,014 members since 2009. The union paid Van Roekel $2.2 million from 2010-2014.
Losing more than a quarter of a million members didn’t keep Van Roekel from getting a huge raise this year, and taking millions of dollars from workers didn’t prevent Van Roekel from being praised by union advocates in a series of videos recorded for an NEA meeting in July.
More
Liberals Willing To Fight To The Last Drop of Black Blood
The riot in Ferguson reminds me, I hate criminals, but I hate liberals more. They planned this riot. They stoked the fire, lied about the evidence and produced a made-to-order riot.
Every other riot I've ever heard of was touched off by some spontaneous event that exploded into mob violence long before any media trucks arrived. This time, the networks gave us a countdown to the riot, as if it were a Super Bowl kickoff.
Every other riot I've ever heard of was touched off by some spontaneous event that exploded into mob violence long before any media trucks arrived. This time, the networks gave us a countdown to the riot, as if it were a Super Bowl kickoff.
From the beginning, Officer Darren Wilson's shooting of Michael Brown wasn't reported like news. It was reported like a cause.
The media are in a huff about the prosecutor being "biased" because his father was a cop, who was shot and killed by an African-American. What an assh@le!
Evidently, the sum-total of what every idiot on TV knows about the law is Judge Sol Wachtler's 20-year-old joke that a prosecutor could "indict a ham sandwich." We're supposed to be outraged that this prosecutor didn't indict the ham sandwich of Darren Wilson.
Liberals seem not to understand that they don't have a divine right to ruin someone's life and bankrupt him with a criminal trial, just so they're satisfied.
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The media are in a huff about the prosecutor being "biased" because his father was a cop, who was shot and killed by an African-American. What an assh@le!
Evidently, the sum-total of what every idiot on TV knows about the law is Judge Sol Wachtler's 20-year-old joke that a prosecutor could "indict a ham sandwich." We're supposed to be outraged that this prosecutor didn't indict the ham sandwich of Darren Wilson.
Liberals seem not to understand that they don't have a divine right to ruin someone's life and bankrupt him with a criminal trial, just so they're satisfied.
More
Legions of federal workers on paid leave for months while getting paychecks
Four Environmental Protection Agency employees have been on paid administrative leave for more than a year.
One employee has been suspended with pay since January 2010 and has collected $300,671 from taxpayers without working a single day since that time.
Another has been suspended since May 2010 and paid $351,300, according to a new special audit by EPA's inspector general.
The EPA paid $18 million in salaries for employees to not work between 2011 and 2013, according to GAO figures.
But those numbers understate the true amounts paid to problem employees to stay home from work.
The EPA was also invoking "official time," a much-maligned policy where federal workers are paid by taxpayers to work on union business, to cause employees facing discipline to draw pay while missing work.
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One employee has been suspended with pay since January 2010 and has collected $300,671 from taxpayers without working a single day since that time.
Another has been suspended since May 2010 and paid $351,300, according to a new special audit by EPA's inspector general.
The EPA paid $18 million in salaries for employees to not work between 2011 and 2013, according to GAO figures.
But those numbers understate the true amounts paid to problem employees to stay home from work.
The EPA was also invoking "official time," a much-maligned policy where federal workers are paid by taxpayers to work on union business, to cause employees facing discipline to draw pay while missing work.
More
NFL player Benjamin Watson's Ferguson post on Facebook goes viral
KHQ.COM - Benjamin Watson who plays for the New Orleans Saints posted the following on his Facebook page and it has since gone viral:
"At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my thoughts:
I'M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes.
I'M FRUSTRATED, because pop culture, music and movies glorify these types of police citizen altercations and promote an invincible attitude that continues to get young men killed in real life, away from safety movie sets and music studios.
I'M FEARFUL because in the back of my mind I know that although I'm a law abiding citizen I could still be looked upon as a "threat" to those who don't know me. So I will continue to have to go the extra mile to earn the benefit of the doubt.
I'M EMBARRASSED because the looting, violent protests, and law breaking only confirm, and in the minds of many, validate, the stereotypes and thus the inferior treatment.
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"At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my thoughts:
I'M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes.
I'M FRUSTRATED, because pop culture, music and movies glorify these types of police citizen altercations and promote an invincible attitude that continues to get young men killed in real life, away from safety movie sets and music studios.
I'M FEARFUL because in the back of my mind I know that although I'm a law abiding citizen I could still be looked upon as a "threat" to those who don't know me. So I will continue to have to go the extra mile to earn the benefit of the doubt.
I'M EMBARRASSED because the looting, violent protests, and law breaking only confirm, and in the minds of many, validate, the stereotypes and thus the inferior treatment.
More
Obamacare offers firms $3,000 incentive to hire illegals over native-born workers
Under the president’s new amnesty, businesses will have a $3,000-per-employee incentive to hire illegal immigrants over native-born workers because of a quirk of Obamacare.
President Obama’s temporary amnesty, which lasts three years, declares up to 5 million illegal immigrants to be lawfully in the country and eligible for work permits, but it still deems them ineligible for public benefits such as buying insurance on Obamacare’s health exchanges.
Under the Affordable Care Act, that means businesses who hire them won’t have to pay a penalty for not providing them health coverage — making them $3,000 more attractive than a similar native-born worker, whom the business by law would have to cover.
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President Obama’s temporary amnesty, which lasts three years, declares up to 5 million illegal immigrants to be lawfully in the country and eligible for work permits, but it still deems them ineligible for public benefits such as buying insurance on Obamacare’s health exchanges.
Under the Affordable Care Act, that means businesses who hire them won’t have to pay a penalty for not providing them health coverage — making them $3,000 more attractive than a similar native-born worker, whom the business by law would have to cover.
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Food Safety Tips For Those Holiday Dinner Leftovers
Some would argue that the best part of the holiday may be those day-after turkey sandwiches, perhaps with some stuffing and cranberry sauce on the side.
But eat up this weekend because by Monday, any remnants of the Thanksgiving meal still in the refrigerator need to be pitched or moved to the freezer.
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Dear Media: How Not to Screw Up the Next Ferguson
I hate to say, “I told you so.” No, really, I hate it. The city of Ferguson, Missouri, is in flames yet again as angry mobs—largely composed of outside agitators—vent their rage against “the system” after a grand jury refused to indict a white police officer for shooting a young black man. All of that destruction could have been prevented if the media knew its own business and didn’t need constant reminders from people like me about how to report on the use of deadly force.
Specifically, I warned them about Zimmerman Amnesia, the dogged failure to learn from the media’s mistakes in reporting previous cases.
[H]ere we go making all of the same mistakes we made in the George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case, where reporters did their usual bang-up job of writing the story first and then gathering the facts—only to see much of the early narrative about the shooting dissolve before the case even reached trial. Everyone was shocked when a supposedly open-and-shut case ended with an acquittal, even though it was clear that many of the details were ambiguous and left room for reasonable doubt. Which made that case little different from hundreds of others involving the use of deadly force….
We ought to know from past experience how horribly inaccurate early reports about violent incidents can be. We ought to know how much can be distorted, misrepresented, and misunderstood by seemingly official or sympathetic sources on all sides, how long it can take for accurate information to come out, and how equivocal the results can be, with the evidence so evenly balanced as to convince partisans on both sides that they are right. But when every new politically charged shooting comes along, we forget what we should have learned, and there we all go, back to making confident pronouncements about who we think did what, who is the villain, and what is the remedy.
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Specifically, I warned them about Zimmerman Amnesia, the dogged failure to learn from the media’s mistakes in reporting previous cases.
[H]ere we go making all of the same mistakes we made in the George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case, where reporters did their usual bang-up job of writing the story first and then gathering the facts—only to see much of the early narrative about the shooting dissolve before the case even reached trial. Everyone was shocked when a supposedly open-and-shut case ended with an acquittal, even though it was clear that many of the details were ambiguous and left room for reasonable doubt. Which made that case little different from hundreds of others involving the use of deadly force….
We ought to know from past experience how horribly inaccurate early reports about violent incidents can be. We ought to know how much can be distorted, misrepresented, and misunderstood by seemingly official or sympathetic sources on all sides, how long it can take for accurate information to come out, and how equivocal the results can be, with the evidence so evenly balanced as to convince partisans on both sides that they are right. But when every new politically charged shooting comes along, we forget what we should have learned, and there we all go, back to making confident pronouncements about who we think did what, who is the villain, and what is the remedy.
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Shooting of 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice by Cleveland Police **Graphic**
Video Shows Police Reacted Too Fast
Obama and the Roots of the Ferguson Rage
And so the whirlwind, cultivated by Barack Obama, Eric Holder, Al Sharpton, the mainstream media and the army of thugs they enabled, is now being reaped. As the result of a St. Louis County grand jury refusing to indict officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown, Ferguson, MO has become Ground Zero, in what irresponsible Missouri State Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadali referred to on MSNBC as “St. Louis’s race war.”
One of the race war’s architects pleaded for calm shortly after the decision was announced. Yet even as Obama spoke about that “need for calm” and that there was “no excuse for violence,” he insisted, “We have to try to understand” the anger of those who demanded nothing less than a murder charge absent an ounce of evidence as an “understandable reaction” from people who believe “the law is being applied in a discriminatory fashion.”
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One of the race war’s architects pleaded for calm shortly after the decision was announced. Yet even as Obama spoke about that “need for calm” and that there was “no excuse for violence,” he insisted, “We have to try to understand” the anger of those who demanded nothing less than a murder charge absent an ounce of evidence as an “understandable reaction” from people who believe “the law is being applied in a discriminatory fashion.”
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Where Do People Buy The Stuff They Used To Buy At Sears?
Many American consumers have sworn off shopping at Sears and Kmart, their local stores have closed, or they have just forgotten that the chains exist. Business that once went to Kmart now goes to discount store competitors Target and Walmart, logically enough, but where do Americans go for the things that they once bought at Sears?
The Wall Street Journal explains that the main beneficiaries of Sears closing many stores and driving away existing customers has been Home Depot and Lowe’s. Both chains sell large appliances and tools, items that people once visited Sears for. One analyst determined that if Sears loses about half of its anticipated sales in those sectors in the next few years, just that former Sears business could boost each big box’s total sales in a given store by around 1%. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but there is a lot of money at stake.
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Carson: Race Relations Worse Under Obama
Dr. Ben Carson, author of "One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America's Future" argued that race relations were worse under President Obama on Tuesday's "Hugh Hewitt Show."
"I actually believe that things were better before this president was elected. And I think that things have gotten worse because of his unusual emphasis [on race]" he stated.
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"I actually believe that things were better before this president was elected. And I think that things have gotten worse because of his unusual emphasis [on race]" he stated.
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Ferguson Thugs Beat, Carjack Elderly White Man On Oxygen
Moments later, he was brutally attacked by marauding thugs “seeking justice” for Mike Brown.
A TV news crew looking to capture scenes of the protesters’ carnage along a main thoroughfare in town, Florissant Road, drove up to Faraci Pizza before emergency crews arrived and videotaped the victim lying crumpled on the pavement, his oxygen tank perched across his body.
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Social Security, Medicare Open to Illegals Under Amnesty Plan
President Barack Obama's plan to bring illegal immigrants "out of the shadows" will make millions of them eligible for Social Security and Medicare benefits and likely allow them to eventually collect more than they have legally contributed, reports say.
That part of the plan has some Republicans stunned.
"First with Obamacare we were told we should pass it and then read it to find out what was in it," Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski told The Washington Post.
"Now Obama overreached and acted unilaterally on immigration, which should have been vetted and authorized by Congress, and we’re finding out there’s more to the story than Obama and the Democrats originally told Americans."
According to a federal law signed in 1996, people who have FICA payroll taxes collected under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act can collect Social Security and Medicare when they become eligible, if they are deemed "lawfully present in the United States."
Obama's amnesty plan not only frees millions of immigrants from the worry of deportation, but it also allows them to legally obtain Social Security numbers and work permits.
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That part of the plan has some Republicans stunned.
"First with Obamacare we were told we should pass it and then read it to find out what was in it," Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski told The Washington Post.
"Now Obama overreached and acted unilaterally on immigration, which should have been vetted and authorized by Congress, and we’re finding out there’s more to the story than Obama and the Democrats originally told Americans."
According to a federal law signed in 1996, people who have FICA payroll taxes collected under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act can collect Social Security and Medicare when they become eligible, if they are deemed "lawfully present in the United States."
Obama's amnesty plan not only frees millions of immigrants from the worry of deportation, but it also allows them to legally obtain Social Security numbers and work permits.
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Warm Up For Black Friday: Here’s A Pop Quiz On The Best Deals
You can’t depend on retailers to tell you whether you’re really getting a good deal or not. Is $89 the cheapest that you can find an Apple TV for? Is a $199 Dyson vacuum cleaner too good to pass up? You can make sure that your deal-finding senses are finely tuned and ready for Black Friday with an interactive deal quiz over at CNN. Some deals are exceptional, and others compare unfavorably to other recent sales, sometimes at the same retailer. [CNN]
New York Times sparks anger after it publishes Darren Wilson's address
'Shame on the New York Times,' bellowed a guest on Sean Hannity's radio show last night after the venerable newspaper printed the home address of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.
The details were revealed in a news report on Officer Wilson's marriage to another police officer last month, less than ten weeks after he shot unarmed Michael Brown six times in a Ferguson street.
The address was included in a report on Officer Brown's marriage to Barbara Spradling, a fellow officer in the Ferguson Police Department.
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The details were revealed in a news report on Officer Wilson's marriage to another police officer last month, less than ten weeks after he shot unarmed Michael Brown six times in a Ferguson street.
The address was included in a report on Officer Brown's marriage to Barbara Spradling, a fellow officer in the Ferguson Police Department.
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Obama administration sets stricter smog standard
The Obama administration took steps Wednesday to cut levels of smog-forming pollution linked to asthma, lung damage and other health problems, making good on one of President Barack Obama's original campaign promises while setting up a fresh confrontation with Republicans and the energy industry.
In a long-awaited announcement, the Environmental Protection Agency said it prefers a new, lower threshold for ozone pollution of 65 to 70 parts per billion, but left open the possibility it could enact an even lower standard of 60 parts per billion sought by environmental groups. The current standard is 75 parts per billion, put in place by President George W. Bush in 2008.
Meeting the stricter rules will cost industry about $3.9 billion in 2025 if the government goes with a standard of 70 parts per billion, the EPA estimated. At a level of 65 parts per billion, the EPA said, the cost grows to $15 billion. But industry groups said the cost would actually be far higher and that it would be nearly impossible for refineries and other businesses to comply.
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In a long-awaited announcement, the Environmental Protection Agency said it prefers a new, lower threshold for ozone pollution of 65 to 70 parts per billion, but left open the possibility it could enact an even lower standard of 60 parts per billion sought by environmental groups. The current standard is 75 parts per billion, put in place by President George W. Bush in 2008.
Meeting the stricter rules will cost industry about $3.9 billion in 2025 if the government goes with a standard of 70 parts per billion, the EPA estimated. At a level of 65 parts per billion, the EPA said, the cost grows to $15 billion. But industry groups said the cost would actually be far higher and that it would be nearly impossible for refineries and other businesses to comply.
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Troopers Conducting Death Investigation into Missing Elderly Millsboro Woman
Millsboro - The Delaware State Police have cancelled a Gold Alert issued for a missing Millsboro woman after she was located deceased in the tributary waters of Rehoboth Bay.
Mary "Lorraine" Lappa was the focus of a Gold Alert that was issued Wednesday evening after a neighbor reported her missing. The investigation revealed Ms. Lappa was supposed to leave her house Wednesday in order to travel to New Castle County to spend Thanksgiving with relatives. When the neighbors went to Ms. Lappa's residence around 5:00 p.m. Wednesday to turn some lights on, they found her purse with her car keys and cell phone still inside the house as well as the car still in the driveway, but Ms. Lappa was nowhere to be found. Out of concern for her welfare, the neighbors contacted the relatives in the Wilmington area and found out she was overdue and immediately notified state police.
Troopers assigned to the Criminal Investigations Unit, K9 Division, and Aviation Unit (Trooper 2), as well as members of the Indian River Fire Company combed the area through the evening hours and again this morning, but were unsuccessful in locating Ms. Lappa. A reverse 9-1-1 call was placed around 10:30 a.m. to residents in the surrounding area of her address and information was updated on the Delaware State Police Newsroom Facebook page alerting viewers to be on the lookout for Ms. Lappa.
Around 11:40 a.m. this morning, a resident of the area assisting in the search, located a body off the shore of the tributary waters near the development. Members of the Indian River Fire Company were contacted and recovered the female who was identified as Ms. Lappa. Ms. Lappa was removed from the scene by the Medical Examiner at the Division of Forensic Science and the investigation is on-going by criminal investigators. No foul play is suspected.
Mary "Lorraine" Lappa was the focus of a Gold Alert that was issued Wednesday evening after a neighbor reported her missing. The investigation revealed Ms. Lappa was supposed to leave her house Wednesday in order to travel to New Castle County to spend Thanksgiving with relatives. When the neighbors went to Ms. Lappa's residence around 5:00 p.m. Wednesday to turn some lights on, they found her purse with her car keys and cell phone still inside the house as well as the car still in the driveway, but Ms. Lappa was nowhere to be found. Out of concern for her welfare, the neighbors contacted the relatives in the Wilmington area and found out she was overdue and immediately notified state police.
Troopers assigned to the Criminal Investigations Unit, K9 Division, and Aviation Unit (Trooper 2), as well as members of the Indian River Fire Company combed the area through the evening hours and again this morning, but were unsuccessful in locating Ms. Lappa. A reverse 9-1-1 call was placed around 10:30 a.m. to residents in the surrounding area of her address and information was updated on the Delaware State Police Newsroom Facebook page alerting viewers to be on the lookout for Ms. Lappa.
Around 11:40 a.m. this morning, a resident of the area assisting in the search, located a body off the shore of the tributary waters near the development. Members of the Indian River Fire Company were contacted and recovered the female who was identified as Ms. Lappa. Ms. Lappa was removed from the scene by the Medical Examiner at the Division of Forensic Science and the investigation is on-going by criminal investigators. No foul play is suspected.
One Year Later, St. Paul’s Pastor Reflects On Devastating Fire
“We acknowledge our grief and proclaim our faith in God’s love and reconciliation. We recognize the importance of acknowledging the past, no matter how difficult or tragic, but we also believe in looking forward to the future. We believe that God has many good things in store for St. Paul’s by-the-Sea. We are more committed to our ministry to the community than ever before,” said The Rev. Dr. Mark B. Cyr on this week’s three services of “Remembrance and Healing” that were held on Tuesday and Wednesday in DeWees Hall on the St. Paul’s campus.
On the morning of Nov. 26, 2013, emergency crews responded to the St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church for a reported active fire. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered the church’s rectory was ablaze and immediately realized there were rescues to be made.
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Jets that Fly from NY to L.A. in 2.5 Hours
Over a decade after the Concorde made its last transatlantic flight, a number of companies are working on the next generation of supersonic passenger aircraft capable of speeds at least twice as fast as current commercial planes.
These planes will likely first appear in the private and business jet market.
It's the "corporate jets and the very rich who would value the speed and pay a high price," said Andrew Goldberg, CEO of Metropolis Group, an investment firm with expertise in the aerospace sector.
At least two companies are currently working on such planes.
Reno, Nevada, based Aerion is developing a $110 million, 12-passenger business jet capable of hitting Mach 1.6 -- or over 1,200 miles per hour. That's roughly twice as fast as the $65 million Gulfstream G650, and would cut the travel time between New York and London from seven hours to just over four.
"There's a business case and a demand for this," said Jeff Miller, Aerion's head of marketing and communication. "People want to get places faster."
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Time'Magazine Columnist: Violent Riots 'Necessary'
A columnist for Time magazine hopes that Americans don't get too worried about the violent riots spiraling from Ferguson, Missouri out into the rest of the country. Violent riots are good, she says. In fact, she thinks riots are "a necessary part of the evolution of society."
Time magazine's Darlena Cunha waived off concerns over the rioting in Ferguson, Missouri that erupted after the officer Darren Wilson was not indicted for the shooting death of Michael Brown. She insisted that these riots are nothing to worry about. Violent protests, she claimed, "are part of the American experience."
Taking no mind as to whether it is justified by the facts in the case, Cunha claimed that it was "inevitable" that the community would erupt in riots when "a police officer shoots a young, unarmed black man in the streets, then does not face indictment." In light of this, Cunha says, "is rioting so wrong?"
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Time magazine's Darlena Cunha waived off concerns over the rioting in Ferguson, Missouri that erupted after the officer Darren Wilson was not indicted for the shooting death of Michael Brown. She insisted that these riots are nothing to worry about. Violent protests, she claimed, "are part of the American experience."
Taking no mind as to whether it is justified by the facts in the case, Cunha claimed that it was "inevitable" that the community would erupt in riots when "a police officer shoots a young, unarmed black man in the streets, then does not face indictment." In light of this, Cunha says, "is rioting so wrong?"
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Black Friday at Specific Gravity!
The holidays are finally upon us! To kick things off, on Friday we will be offering DOUBLE rewards points (yes, you can sign up on Friday as well!) and 10% off ALL Bottle Shop sales (TONS of new winter/Holiday beers have just arrived!)! We will also have a
beer tasting with Beer Army, Anderson Valley, and Schlafly from 4-6 PM and a firkin from Baltimore's Union Craft Brewing!
Reducing Fannie and Freddie Subsidies Could Save $8 Billion
Reducing government subsidies to housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could shrink the federal deficit by more than $8 billion in a decade, according to a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
The CBO found that several potential approaches could achieve the projected savings, as first noted by the Washington Examiner.
The first option is to increase the guarantee fees that Fannie and Freddie charge mortgage lenders. The companies, also known as government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), purchase mortgage loans and then package them into securities to sell to investors. Fees protect against losses if the homeowner defaults and cover other costs.
Although guarantee fees have been raised in recent years, senators pressed Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mel Watt to accelerate the increases at a recent hearing. Increases could help spur private investment in a mortgage market that is still dominated by Fannie and Freddie.
Fewer mortgage investments by the GSEs, in combination with higher fees, would “help facilitate increased participation by the private sector in the mortgage markets,” the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) said in its annual report last year.
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The CBO found that several potential approaches could achieve the projected savings, as first noted by the Washington Examiner.
The first option is to increase the guarantee fees that Fannie and Freddie charge mortgage lenders. The companies, also known as government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), purchase mortgage loans and then package them into securities to sell to investors. Fees protect against losses if the homeowner defaults and cover other costs.
Although guarantee fees have been raised in recent years, senators pressed Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mel Watt to accelerate the increases at a recent hearing. Increases could help spur private investment in a mortgage market that is still dominated by Fannie and Freddie.
Fewer mortgage investments by the GSEs, in combination with higher fees, would “help facilitate increased participation by the private sector in the mortgage markets,” the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) said in its annual report last year.
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“Passing Obamacare Was a Mistake”
Democrats made a mistake by passing President Barack Obama’s health-care law in 2010 instead of focusing more directly on helping the middle class, third- ranking U.S. Senate Democrat Charles Schumer said today. Democrats detail how much of a misstep it really was:
“Unfortunately, Democrats blew the opportunity the American people gave them” in electing Obama and a Democratic Congress in 2008 amid a recession, Schumer of New York said in a speech in Washington. “We took their mandate and put all our focus on the wrong problem — health care reform.”
Schumer said Democrats should have addressed issues aiding the middle class to build confidence among voters before turning to revamping the health-care system. He said he opposed the timing of the health-care vote and was overruled by other party members.
“The plight of uninsured Americans and the hardships created by unfair insurance company practices certainly needed to be addressed,” the senator said. “But it wasn’t the change we were hired to make” in the 2008 election.
“Democrats must embrace government, not run away from it,” Schumer said. Voter discontent will continue until one of the political parties convinces middle-class Americans that it has an agenda for helping them, he said.
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“Unfortunately, Democrats blew the opportunity the American people gave them” in electing Obama and a Democratic Congress in 2008 amid a recession, Schumer of New York said in a speech in Washington. “We took their mandate and put all our focus on the wrong problem — health care reform.”
Schumer said Democrats should have addressed issues aiding the middle class to build confidence among voters before turning to revamping the health-care system. He said he opposed the timing of the health-care vote and was overruled by other party members.
“The plight of uninsured Americans and the hardships created by unfair insurance company practices certainly needed to be addressed,” the senator said. “But it wasn’t the change we were hired to make” in the 2008 election.
“Democrats must embrace government, not run away from it,” Schumer said. Voter discontent will continue until one of the political parties convinces middle-class Americans that it has an agenda for helping them, he said.
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An inconvenient law
There is a humane, transparent, truthful — and constitutional — way to address illegal immigration. Unfortunately, President Obama’s unilateral plan to exempt millions of residents from federal immigration law is none of those things.
Obama said he had to move now because of a dawdling Congress. He forgot to mention that there were Democratic majorities in Congress in 2009 and 2010, yet he did nothing, in fear of punishment at the polls.
Nor did Obama push amnesty in 2011 or 2012, afraid of hurting his own re-election chances.
Worries over sabotaging Democratic chances in the 2014 midterms explain his inaction from 2012 until now. He certainly wouldn’t have waited until 2015 to act, because Republicans will then control Congress.
Given that he has no more elections and can claim no lasting achievements, Obama now sees amnesty as his last desperate chance at establishing some sort of legacy.
Obama cited empathy for undocumented immigrants. But he expressed no such worry about the hundreds of thousands of applicants who wait for years in line rather than simply illegally cross the border.
Any would-be immigrant would have been far wiser to have broken rather than abided by federal laws. Citizens who knowingly offer false information on federal affidavits or provide false Social Security numbers would not receive the sort of amnesties likely to be given to undocumented immigrants.
Obama has downplayed Americans’ worries about social costs and competition for jobs, but studies show illegal immigration has depressed the wages of entry-level American workers while making social services costly for states and burdensome for U.S. citizens.
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Obama said he had to move now because of a dawdling Congress. He forgot to mention that there were Democratic majorities in Congress in 2009 and 2010, yet he did nothing, in fear of punishment at the polls.
Nor did Obama push amnesty in 2011 or 2012, afraid of hurting his own re-election chances.
Worries over sabotaging Democratic chances in the 2014 midterms explain his inaction from 2012 until now. He certainly wouldn’t have waited until 2015 to act, because Republicans will then control Congress.
Given that he has no more elections and can claim no lasting achievements, Obama now sees amnesty as his last desperate chance at establishing some sort of legacy.
Obama cited empathy for undocumented immigrants. But he expressed no such worry about the hundreds of thousands of applicants who wait for years in line rather than simply illegally cross the border.
Any would-be immigrant would have been far wiser to have broken rather than abided by federal laws. Citizens who knowingly offer false information on federal affidavits or provide false Social Security numbers would not receive the sort of amnesties likely to be given to undocumented immigrants.
Obama has downplayed Americans’ worries about social costs and competition for jobs, but studies show illegal immigration has depressed the wages of entry-level American workers while making social services costly for states and burdensome for U.S. citizens.
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Breastfed, Homebirthed Babies Taken Away From Parents For Not Using Hospital
All three of their babies have been taken away from them and placed in the care of strangers. Levi was 10 months old when his mother, local singer and songwriter Erica May Rengo, gave birth to his twin brother and sister, at their home in Bellingham, Washington.
“Our birth was glorious,” she said, and the twins were reportedly healthy, full-term babies, who had no problem quickly figuring out how to breastfeed. The little family was overjoyed until CPS stepped in to “help.”
It is another medical kidnapping according to the parents. The Rengos have chosen a wholesome, holistic lifestyle, based in their Christian faith. But CPS has stepped in to override the parents’ decisions. Now Erica and Cleave are living what they call a nightmare, separated from their children for reasons that don’t make any sense at all to them.
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“Our birth was glorious,” she said, and the twins were reportedly healthy, full-term babies, who had no problem quickly figuring out how to breastfeed. The little family was overjoyed until CPS stepped in to “help.”
It is another medical kidnapping according to the parents. The Rengos have chosen a wholesome, holistic lifestyle, based in their Christian faith. But CPS has stepped in to override the parents’ decisions. Now Erica and Cleave are living what they call a nightmare, separated from their children for reasons that don’t make any sense at all to them.
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David Stockman: The Central Bank Madmen Are Raging
The global financial system has come unglued, and the opening waves of competitive currency devaluations by Japan and China are bound to wash up on U.S. shores, according to David Stockman, White House budget chief during the Reagan administration.
In a column on his Contra Corner blog, Stockman said spend-thrift central bank policies globally – from the U.S. to Europe and Asia – have set up a bout of industrial deflation that is bound to be devastating.
“In short, there is a tidal wave of industrial deflation coming down the pike — owing to two decades of world-wide central bank financial repression that has fueled vast mal-investments in mining, manufacturing, transportation and trade," he said.
“That, in turn, will trigger a monetary race to the bottom by the central banks — a race that is already under way owing to Japan’s Halloween Massacre of the yen. Soon the rest of East Asia — and especially China — will have to join the exchange rate plunge or find their export based economies hitting the shoals,” Stockman predicted.
Stockman was especially critical of fresh vows by the European Central Bank (ECB) and China last week to pump in even more monetary stimulus to keep their economics from sliding into recession, a step he said that amounted to “monetary heroin” and that pushed the S&P 500 up a leg to 2,070.
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In a column on his Contra Corner blog, Stockman said spend-thrift central bank policies globally – from the U.S. to Europe and Asia – have set up a bout of industrial deflation that is bound to be devastating.
“In short, there is a tidal wave of industrial deflation coming down the pike — owing to two decades of world-wide central bank financial repression that has fueled vast mal-investments in mining, manufacturing, transportation and trade," he said.
“That, in turn, will trigger a monetary race to the bottom by the central banks — a race that is already under way owing to Japan’s Halloween Massacre of the yen. Soon the rest of East Asia — and especially China — will have to join the exchange rate plunge or find their export based economies hitting the shoals,” Stockman predicted.
Stockman was especially critical of fresh vows by the European Central Bank (ECB) and China last week to pump in even more monetary stimulus to keep their economics from sliding into recession, a step he said that amounted to “monetary heroin” and that pushed the S&P 500 up a leg to 2,070.
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