In an offhand remark on air, Joe Scarborough accidently let drop that Bill Clinton’s perverse past and rape scandals are openly accepted by Democrats and have been for years.
During a live broadcast, Scarborough said that Democrats have indeed told him off-air that they believe the stories that Bill Clinton raped Juanita Broaddrick before he was elected to the Presidency.
“How did Democrat [rationalize supporting] Bill Clinton when they knew, or many believed and would tell me off the air that he raped Juanita Broaddrick?”
Juanita herself has tweeted about the admission:
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Thursday, January 11, 2018
NBC Executive Plans On Promoting ALL Players Protesting National Anthem ‘It’s a Pretty Big Story’
Some games have dealt with the issue of the controversial protests by refusing to show the national anthem on television. But that evidently won’t be the case for Super Bowl LII, according to NBC Sports Executive Producer Fred Gaudelli.
Gaudelli appeared with sportscaster Al Michaels during a panel at the Television Critics Association winter press tour this week, where they discussed the Super Bowl. And when asked if they would cover the protests if it happens during the Super Bowl, Gaudelli said yes.
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Outcry After Louisiana Teacher Arrested During School Board Meeting
A Louisiana teacher questioned whether the superintendent should receive a raise. Then, she was ushered out of a school board meeting and handcuffed.
The dramatic arrest on Monday — which was caught on video — has drawn outrage in the U.S. and beyond. The Vermilion Parish School Board offices were locked down on Tuesday after receiving threats, board president Anthony Fontana told The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, La.
More/Video
The dramatic arrest on Monday — which was caught on video — has drawn outrage in the U.S. and beyond. The Vermilion Parish School Board offices were locked down on Tuesday after receiving threats, board president Anthony Fontana told The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, La.
More/Video
Walmart and Kroger, 500 Stores about to ditch Cashiers
Walmart is expanding its "Scan & Go" technology to an additional 100 locations across the U.S., the retailer announced Tuesday, playing into a growing trend of companies giving consumers the option to shop their stores without interacting with a cashier.
Others working to perfect their own digital shopping scanners include grocery giant Kroger and internet behemoth Amazon, which has been piloting a store without checkout lines, called Amazon Go, near its Seattle headquarters.
Kroger's recently introduced platform, known as "Scan, Bag, Go," will roll out to 400 of the grocery chain's stores later this year. That will put the company ahead of Walmart, which anticipates having its "Scan & Go" service at fewer than 200 stores by the end of 2018.
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Others working to perfect their own digital shopping scanners include grocery giant Kroger and internet behemoth Amazon, which has been piloting a store without checkout lines, called Amazon Go, near its Seattle headquarters.
Kroger's recently introduced platform, known as "Scan, Bag, Go," will roll out to 400 of the grocery chain's stores later this year. That will put the company ahead of Walmart, which anticipates having its "Scan & Go" service at fewer than 200 stores by the end of 2018.
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2018: The Year of Living Dangerously
I’m calling 2018 “The Year of Living Dangerously.”
That description might seem odd to lot of observers. Major U.S. stock indexes keep hitting new all-time highs. 2017 went down as the first calendar year in which the Dow Jones industrial average was up for all 12 months.
Even in strong bull market years there are usually one or two down months as stocks take a breather on the way higher. Not last year. There’s been no rest for the bull; it’s up, up and away.
Inflation is tame, even too tame for the Fed’s liking. The unemployment rate is at a 17-year low. U.S. growth was over 3% in the second and third quarters of 2017, much closer to long-term trend growth than the tepid 2% growth we’ve seen since the end of the last recession in June 2009.
The U.S. is not alone. For the first time since 2007, we’re seeing strong synchronized growth in the U.S., Europe, China, Japan (the “big four”) as well as other developed and emerging markets.
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That description might seem odd to lot of observers. Major U.S. stock indexes keep hitting new all-time highs. 2017 went down as the first calendar year in which the Dow Jones industrial average was up for all 12 months.
Even in strong bull market years there are usually one or two down months as stocks take a breather on the way higher. Not last year. There’s been no rest for the bull; it’s up, up and away.
Inflation is tame, even too tame for the Fed’s liking. The unemployment rate is at a 17-year low. U.S. growth was over 3% in the second and third quarters of 2017, much closer to long-term trend growth than the tepid 2% growth we’ve seen since the end of the last recession in June 2009.
The U.S. is not alone. For the first time since 2007, we’re seeing strong synchronized growth in the U.S., Europe, China, Japan (the “big four”) as well as other developed and emerging markets.
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Jack in the Box CEO: Swapping cashiers for robots 'makes sense' due to minimum wage increase
The CEO of fast-food restaurant Jack in the Box said “it just makes sense” to replace cashiers with robots due to the minimum wage increase in California.
"As we see the rising costs of labor, it just makes sense" to swap cashiers with kiosks where customers can order their food themselves, CEO Leonard Comma said Tuesday at the ICR Conference in Orlando, Fla., Business Insider reported.
However, Comma said that while his fast-food restaurant has tested products with technological advances at their establishments, he has decided to not go forward with the kiosks.
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"As we see the rising costs of labor, it just makes sense" to swap cashiers with kiosks where customers can order their food themselves, CEO Leonard Comma said Tuesday at the ICR Conference in Orlando, Fla., Business Insider reported.
However, Comma said that while his fast-food restaurant has tested products with technological advances at their establishments, he has decided to not go forward with the kiosks.
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http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2018/01/10/jack-in-box-ceo-swapping-cashiers-for-robots-makes-sense-due-to-minimum-wage-increase.html
Marijuana Expected To Be California's Largest "Sin Tax" As Jerry Brown Set To Release Surplus Budget
California Governor Jerry Brown will release his final state budget tomorrow for the 2018-2019 fiscal year which will include, for the first time, tax revenue from weed sales. As Reuters notes this morning, Brown and state lawmakers have 'high' expectations for the new revenue stream which is expected to reach $1 billion over the next couple of years. Meanwhile, if the estimates are even directionally accurate, the pot tax will be the largest "sin tax" collected in California at over 2.5x the revenue collected from the sale of booze(chart below per the 2017-2018 California budget).
Brown's final budget is expected to show a $7.5 billion surplus on roughly $125 billion in annual expenditures...
The estimated budget surplus of $7.5 billion is a far cry from the $27 billion hole that was projected as Brown took the reins for his third term in January 2011. He had previously served as governor from 1975 to 1983.
For the current fiscal year, the state budget topped $125 billion in general fund spending and nearing $200 billion when funds from the federal government, bond sales and other sources are considered, state records show. California has the sixth-largest economy in the world and is the most populous U.S. state, spending $53 billion from its general fund budget for K-12 education, $15 billion for state colleges and universities, and $35 billion for health and human services in fiscal year 2017-2018.
...which is primarily spent on education ($68 billion), Health and Human Services ($35 billion) and, of course, the state's massive prison system ($11 billion).
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Brown's final budget is expected to show a $7.5 billion surplus on roughly $125 billion in annual expenditures...
The estimated budget surplus of $7.5 billion is a far cry from the $27 billion hole that was projected as Brown took the reins for his third term in January 2011. He had previously served as governor from 1975 to 1983.
For the current fiscal year, the state budget topped $125 billion in general fund spending and nearing $200 billion when funds from the federal government, bond sales and other sources are considered, state records show. California has the sixth-largest economy in the world and is the most populous U.S. state, spending $53 billion from its general fund budget for K-12 education, $15 billion for state colleges and universities, and $35 billion for health and human services in fiscal year 2017-2018.
...which is primarily spent on education ($68 billion), Health and Human Services ($35 billion) and, of course, the state's massive prison system ($11 billion).
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Democrats Humiliate Themselves With Their Own Study On Illegal Online Gun Sales
Gun-hating democrats who demanded a study into the sale of guns online were smacked with a dose of reality. They wasted two yearsattempting to buy guns illegally on the 'dark web', and the group of Democrats failed every single time.
Senator Elizabeth Warren joined with Senator Brian Schultz, D-Hawaii, and Representative Elijah Cummings, D-Md., to commission the GAO report.
Gun-hating democrats who demanded a study into the sale of guns online were smacked with a dose of reality. They wasted two yearsattempting to buy guns illegally on the 'dark web', and the group of Democrats failed every single time.
Senator Elizabeth Warren joined with Senator Brian Schultz, D-Hawaii, and Representative Elijah Cummings, D-Md., to commission the GAO report.
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Senator Elizabeth Warren joined with Senator Brian Schultz, D-Hawaii, and Representative Elijah Cummings, D-Md., to commission the GAO report.
Gun-hating democrats who demanded a study into the sale of guns online were smacked with a dose of reality. They wasted two yearsattempting to buy guns illegally on the 'dark web', and the group of Democrats failed every single time.
Senator Elizabeth Warren joined with Senator Brian Schultz, D-Hawaii, and Representative Elijah Cummings, D-Md., to commission the GAO report.
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Feinstein Makes Startling Admission: "I Got Pressured" To Release Fusion Transcripts
Sen. Dianne Feinstein made a startling admission when asked why she released the Fusion GPS transcripts on Tuesday without first informing Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) ahead of time.
"I meant to tell him, and I didn't have a chance to tell him, and that concerns me," Feinstein told CNN Congressional correspondent Manu Raju, adding "I just got pressured, and I didn't do it."
"I meant to tell him, and I didn't have a chance to tell him, and that concerns me," Feinstein told CNN Congressional correspondent Manu Raju, adding "I just got pressured, and I didn't do it."
MoreFEINSTEIN says she’s sorry to Grassley for not giving him a headsup about the release of the Fusion GPS transcript. “I meant to tell him, and I didn’t have a chance to tell him, and that concerns me,” she told us. “I just got pressured, and I didn’t do it.”
U.S. Army recruits: Physically fit soldiers hard to find in South
WASHINGTON — The Army's problem of finding physically fit recruits at a time of rising obesity in the United States is especially acute in the South — where it traditionally draws a high percentage of soldiers, a study published Wednesday finds.
Army recruits from Southern states are generally in poorer physical condition than those from other parts of the country, concluded researchers at The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, S.C.
“This has a real impact on national security,” said Daniel Bornstein, a researcher who led the study.
The regional distinction also suggests that government policy can influence fitness, and the South may be falling behind the rest of the country. “Some of the greatest public health achievements have come as the result of state-level policy change,” the study found.
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Army recruits from Southern states are generally in poorer physical condition than those from other parts of the country, concluded researchers at The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, S.C.
“This has a real impact on national security,” said Daniel Bornstein, a researcher who led the study.
The regional distinction also suggests that government policy can influence fitness, and the South may be falling behind the rest of the country. “Some of the greatest public health achievements have come as the result of state-level policy change,” the study found.
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LEFT IN THE COLD PART II
Hospital officials are giving an update on the woman who was discharged into the cold from University of Maryland Medical Center, wearing only a hospital gown and socks.
ICE arrests 22 in Chicago area during 3-day operation targeting criminal aliens and immigration fugitive
During this operation, ERO deportation officers made arrests in the following Illinois cities and towns: Chicago (9), Cicero (4), Hoffman Estates (1), Palatine (4), Park City (1), Rolling Meadows (2) and Round Lake Beach (1). All those arrested were men between the ages of 20 and 53.
Trump to End NAFTA Soon, Officials Expect
Ending NAFTA will slow down illegal immigration – here’s why
President Trump is expected to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement soon, Canadian leaders expect.
Trump may announce the end of NAFTA as early as late January when his officials meet with Canada and Mexico to discuss NAFTA-related issues.
Why it matters: Ending NAFTA as it exists was one of Trump’s core promises of his 2016 presidential campaign.
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President Trump is expected to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement soon, Canadian leaders expect.
Trump may announce the end of NAFTA as early as late January when his officials meet with Canada and Mexico to discuss NAFTA-related issues.
Why it matters: Ending NAFTA as it exists was one of Trump’s core promises of his 2016 presidential campaign.
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FCC Chief Pai Receiving Death Threats Over Net Neutrality
Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai has been hounded by critics for months over the repeal of net neutrality rules —but the pressure has taken an alarming turn recently with death threats, reports say.
According to The Wall Street Journal, protesters from the far-left group Popular Resistance poured onto the Arlington, Virginia, street where Pai lives last May, placing pamphlets with his face on his neighbors' front doors.
"Have you seen this man?" the flyers ask, stating that Pai —"Age 44 / Height 6'1" / Weight 200"— is "trying to destroy net neutrality." The activist described the picketing as "Ajit-ation."
"They were there yesterday," Pai told the newspaper at the time. "I understand they'll be there today. They'll be there tomorrow and the day after. It's a hassle, especially for my wife and my two young children."
The activists, he told the outlet, "come up to our front windows and take photographs of the inside of the house. My kids are 5 and 3. It's not pleasant."
Pai called for an end to the cruel crusade in November, the Daily Signal reported.
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According to The Wall Street Journal, protesters from the far-left group Popular Resistance poured onto the Arlington, Virginia, street where Pai lives last May, placing pamphlets with his face on his neighbors' front doors.
"Have you seen this man?" the flyers ask, stating that Pai —"Age 44 / Height 6'1" / Weight 200"— is "trying to destroy net neutrality." The activist described the picketing as "Ajit-ation."
"They were there yesterday," Pai told the newspaper at the time. "I understand they'll be there today. They'll be there tomorrow and the day after. It's a hassle, especially for my wife and my two young children."
The activists, he told the outlet, "come up to our front windows and take photographs of the inside of the house. My kids are 5 and 3. It's not pleasant."
Pai called for an end to the cruel crusade in November, the Daily Signal reported.
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Call Your Senators Immediately
Senator John C. Astle
(410) 841-3578, (301) 858-3578
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3578 (toll free)
Senator Katherine A. Klausmeier
(410) 841-3620, (301) 858-3620
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3620 (toll free)
Senator James E. DeGrange
(410) 841-3593, (301) 858-3593
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3593 (toll free)
Senate President Mike Miller
(410) 841-3700, (301) 858-3700
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3700 (toll free)
Senator Edward J. Kasemeyer
(410) 841-3653, (301) 858-3653
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3653 (toll free)
Senator James N. Mathias
(410) 841-3645, (301) 858-3645
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3645 (toll free)
Teen shot in face in case of mistaken identity left paralyzed
Jamie Richards-Hogland, 19, was allegedly shot in the face by 26-year-old Shawn Patrick Layton when she opened the door at her Stephenville apartment on Dec. 10, the Dallas News reported.
Richards-Hogland’s parents said Tuesday that the shooting severed her spine and left her quadriplegic.
They said she has “endured a tremendous amount of pain, frustration and anxiety” since the incident, according to the Dallas News.
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Trimper's Haunted House - Ocean City, MD
City of Salisbury Maryland, Look What Your Fines Purchased!
Roger Garner of Field Operations operating the tracked Toro plowing city sidewalks at approximately 9:45am. #mdwx pic.twitter.com/9Jjq0rxyfQ
— Salisbury Police (@SalisburyPD) January 4, 2018
Customs officers seize $22 million in cocaine hidden inside furniture
The drugs, which had a street value of about $22 million, were seized in November by Customs and Border Protection officers from the Area Port of Philadelphia.
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Maryland Senator Wants More Aggressive Response From President To Russia Cyber Campaign
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Lawmakers on capitol hill are calling on President Trump and his administration to expand the U.S. response to Russian interference in elections.
According to our media partners at The Baltimore Sun, Senator Ben Cardin of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, commissioned and released a 200-page report describing efforts by Russia to influence elections throughout Europe for years. Democrats say many of these countries have made aggressive moves to push back.
Democrats say the Trump Administration does not have a coherent plan to confront Russian cyber campaigns aimed at disrupting U.S. elections. In the report, instead of focusing on the 2016 presidential election, Democrats focused on Russian efforts to interfere with Britain’s 2016 referendum to leave the European Union and last year’s French presidential elections. They also covered similar campaigns in Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Democrats say Republicans were invited to take part in the report. But, they chose not to.
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According to our media partners at The Baltimore Sun, Senator Ben Cardin of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, commissioned and released a 200-page report describing efforts by Russia to influence elections throughout Europe for years. Democrats say many of these countries have made aggressive moves to push back.
Democrats say the Trump Administration does not have a coherent plan to confront Russian cyber campaigns aimed at disrupting U.S. elections. In the report, instead of focusing on the 2016 presidential election, Democrats focused on Russian efforts to interfere with Britain’s 2016 referendum to leave the European Union and last year’s French presidential elections. They also covered similar campaigns in Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Democrats say Republicans were invited to take part in the report. But, they chose not to.
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Maryland House votes to override veto of paid sick leave
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland lawmakers are getting close to requiring paid sick leave at many businesses after the House of Delegates voted Thursday to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto.
The bill faces a tough vote in the Senate, which would have to agree to override the veto for it to become law.
The Democrat-controlled House voted 88-52. The chamber needed 85, or a three-fifths vote, to override the Republican governor’s veto.
Supporters said the measure has been debated for six years, and it includes dozens of compromises made after listening to concerns of businesses.
“It’s time because it reflects our values as Marylanders,” said Del. Luke Clippinger, a Baltimore Democrat who sponsored the bill, noting it would affect an estimated 700,000 Maryland residents. “It reflects our belief that no one should have to choose between their health and their livelihood.”
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The bill faces a tough vote in the Senate, which would have to agree to override the veto for it to become law.
The Democrat-controlled House voted 88-52. The chamber needed 85, or a three-fifths vote, to override the Republican governor’s veto.
Supporters said the measure has been debated for six years, and it includes dozens of compromises made after listening to concerns of businesses.
“It’s time because it reflects our values as Marylanders,” said Del. Luke Clippinger, a Baltimore Democrat who sponsored the bill, noting it would affect an estimated 700,000 Maryland residents. “It reflects our belief that no one should have to choose between their health and their livelihood.”
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Governor Larry Hogan Submits Emergency Legislation
Bills Will Provide Paid Leave Benefits, Combat Crime, Ensure Accountability in Schools
ANNAPOLIS, MD – With the 2018 Legislative Session officially underway, Governor Larry Hogan today introduced several pieces of emergency legislation that will provide paid leave benefits to our citizens, combat violence across the state, and ensure accountability in our schools, including the Paid Leave Compromise Act of 2018, a compromise proposal to fix a deeply flawed bill passed by the Maryland General Assembly, and subsequently vetoed by the governor, during the past legislative session.
“For three years in a row, we have remained committed to engaging our colleagues on both sides of the aisle in thoughtful debate about issues that matter the most to our citizens,” said Governor Hogan. “Today, we have submitted several emergency pieces of legislation we believe deserve swift and immediate action. We look forward to continuing to find common sense, bipartisan solutions to the serious problems that face us over the next 90 days.”
The Paid Leave Compromise Act of 2018 will provide paid leave benefits to Marylanders while fixing the most problematic elements of a bill passed by the Maryland General Assembly. Under the Paid Leave Compromise Act of 2018, businesses with 25 or more employees will be required to offer paid leave to their employees by the year 2020. To give businesses time to prepare, the benefits will be phased in, starting in 2018 for businesses with 50 or more employees, in 2019 for businesses with 40 or more employees, and extending to all applicable businesses in 2020.
The governor also submitted three pieces of emergency legislation aimed at restoring our communities, getting gangs and violent offenders off the streets, and saving lives. The Accountability for Violent Criminals Act of 2018 delivers on the governor’s promised truth-in-sentencing initiative, which will require second-time violent criminals to serve their full sentence and make them ineligible for parole. The administration’s second bill, Crimes – Firearms – Penalties, addresses the problem of repeat violent gun offenders failing to serve adequate time for their crimes by doubling the minimum sentence from five to ten years for repeat offenders who use firearms to commit felonies and violent crimes. The bill will require that the time be served consecutively to any other sentence and includes additional penalties for individuals convicted of using a firearm in relation to drug trafficking if they are later found to illegally possess a firearm. The governor’s third bill, Crimes – Gangs – Penalties, will further strengthen Maryland’s anti-gang and RICO statutes by expanding the list of gang-related crimes that can be prosecuted across jurisdictional lines.
Finally, the governor recently announced the administration’s plan to submit the Protect Our Students Act of 2018 to require that academic performance be counted as 80 percent of a school’s composite score. The legislation is the result of an override of Governor Hogan’s veto of a bill that makes it nearly impossible to fix failing schools and threatens Maryland’s reputation as a national leader in education.
Victim’s Family Releases Statement After Guilty Verdict In Pedestrian Fatality
SNOW HILL – Following last week’s conviction of a Maryland man of homicide while driving impaired, the victim’s family released a statement expressing relief for the guilty verdict while admitting, “justice can never and will never be served.”
In June, the grand jury indicted Stanley Faison, 51, of Waldorf, on multiple felony counts including homicide by motor vehicle while impaired, negligent homicide by motor vehicle and other traffic-related charges. Faison was the driver in a pedestrian-vehicle collision in Ocean City back on May 21 when he struck and ultimately killed J.R. Ednie, 23, of Manassas, Va.
Around 2:25 a.m. on May 21, Ocean City Police and EMS responded to a reported pedestrian-vehicle collision at 45thStreet and Coastal Highway. The investigation revealed Ednie was attempting to cross Coastal Highway from west to east when he was struck by an oncoming vehicle traveling northbound driven by Faison. According to police reports, Ednie was not using a crosswalk at the time of the collision.
Lifesaving efforts were initiated by bystanders at the scene and continued by Ocean City Police and EMS. The victim was then transported to Atlantic General Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Faison was arrested and charged initially with driving under the influence and multiple traffic-related charges. He was indicted by the grand jury about a month later.
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In June, the grand jury indicted Stanley Faison, 51, of Waldorf, on multiple felony counts including homicide by motor vehicle while impaired, negligent homicide by motor vehicle and other traffic-related charges. Faison was the driver in a pedestrian-vehicle collision in Ocean City back on May 21 when he struck and ultimately killed J.R. Ednie, 23, of Manassas, Va.
Around 2:25 a.m. on May 21, Ocean City Police and EMS responded to a reported pedestrian-vehicle collision at 45thStreet and Coastal Highway. The investigation revealed Ednie was attempting to cross Coastal Highway from west to east when he was struck by an oncoming vehicle traveling northbound driven by Faison. According to police reports, Ednie was not using a crosswalk at the time of the collision.
Lifesaving efforts were initiated by bystanders at the scene and continued by Ocean City Police and EMS. The victim was then transported to Atlantic General Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Faison was arrested and charged initially with driving under the influence and multiple traffic-related charges. He was indicted by the grand jury about a month later.
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Switzerland Rejects Citizenship Bids of Residents Who Have Been on Welfare
A new civil rights act has come into force in Switzerland that prevents residents who have been on welfare in the past three years from becoming citizens unless they pay back the money they received to the state.
The new regulations will make it impossible for asylum seekers and migrants who have lived off state handouts in the last three years to become citizens even if they have lived in Switzerland as permanent residents for the required time to make a citizenship application, Kronen Zeitung reports.
The previous law allowed migrants to apply for citizenship as long as they were not on state benefits at the time of their application.
Along with the welfare stipulation, the new act requires migrants to demonstrate a greater level of integration than before including making them prove they have a certain number of Swiss friends and acquaintances.
Language requirements vary by canton with most expecting an intermediate level of language proficiency judged on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) at the B1 or B2 level.
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The new regulations will make it impossible for asylum seekers and migrants who have lived off state handouts in the last three years to become citizens even if they have lived in Switzerland as permanent residents for the required time to make a citizenship application, Kronen Zeitung reports.
The previous law allowed migrants to apply for citizenship as long as they were not on state benefits at the time of their application.
Along with the welfare stipulation, the new act requires migrants to demonstrate a greater level of integration than before including making them prove they have a certain number of Swiss friends and acquaintances.
Language requirements vary by canton with most expecting an intermediate level of language proficiency judged on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) at the B1 or B2 level.
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Damore Lawsuit Highlights Google’s Links to ‘Antifa’ Domestic Terrorists
In addition to allegedly showing intimidation of conservatives, racist and sexist attitudes, and a paranoia about right-wing thinkers, the class action lawsuit brought by ex-employees James Damore and David Gudeman against Google also accuses the company of turning a blind eye to support for the violent “Antifa” movement from its employees.
Antifa is an umbrella term that describes the most radical and violent elements of the grassroots left. Antifa blocs have reportedly been involved in numerous acts of political violence in the first year of Trump’s administration, most notably in Berkeley, California. Antifa-linked groups were also responsible for widespread damage to property, acts of violence, and general lawlessness at the G20 summit in Germany last year. The Antifa movement has been condemned by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and has been classified as domestic terrorists by U.S. security agencies.
Google, according to information released in the Damore lawsuit, is less keen to distance themselves. Numerous posts on internal company communication channels show employees agreeing with, and endorsing Antifa and political violence.
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Antifa is an umbrella term that describes the most radical and violent elements of the grassroots left. Antifa blocs have reportedly been involved in numerous acts of political violence in the first year of Trump’s administration, most notably in Berkeley, California. Antifa-linked groups were also responsible for widespread damage to property, acts of violence, and general lawlessness at the G20 summit in Germany last year. The Antifa movement has been condemned by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and has been classified as domestic terrorists by U.S. security agencies.
Google, according to information released in the Damore lawsuit, is less keen to distance themselves. Numerous posts on internal company communication channels show employees agreeing with, and endorsing Antifa and political violence.
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Supreme Court Could Uphold Ohio Voter Purge Effort
The Supreme Court appeared sympathetic Wednesday to states that seek to prune their voting rolls by targeting people who haven't voted in a while.
The justices heard arguments in a case from Ohio, among a handful of states that use voters' inactivity to trigger a process that could lead to their removal from voter rolls. A ruling for Ohio could prompt other states to adopt the practice, which generally pits Democrats against Republicans.
Signaling support for Ohio's defense of the process, Justice Anthony Kennedy said states are "trying to protect their voter rolls...What we're talking about is the best tools for that purpose." Kennedy's vote often is decisive in voting cases that otherwise split conservative and liberal justices.
More here
The justices heard arguments in a case from Ohio, among a handful of states that use voters' inactivity to trigger a process that could lead to their removal from voter rolls. A ruling for Ohio could prompt other states to adopt the practice, which generally pits Democrats against Republicans.
Signaling support for Ohio's defense of the process, Justice Anthony Kennedy said states are "trying to protect their voter rolls...What we're talking about is the best tools for that purpose." Kennedy's vote often is decisive in voting cases that otherwise split conservative and liberal justices.
More here
The 'Trump Effect' and the 2018 Midterm Elections
“To take from one, because it is thought his own industry … has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who … have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.” —Thomas Jefferson (1816)
In the 2016 presidential election, what put Donald Trump over the top was middle America’s disgust with the status quo in Washington, both Democrat and Republican. Grassroots Americans from all walks of life, who have been used, abused and discarded by both political parties, sent Donald J. Trump to DC with a mission — to drop a bomb on both the political and bureaucratic entrenchments.
He did, and there’s plenty of fallout — most good and some not so good.
While the results have been positive for working Americans — those who sent Trump to DC — positive results are big political negatives for the Democrat Party, and Democrats are determined to dwell on the negatives from now until November.
Is it too early to contemplate the 2018 midterm elections?
A New York second after Trump’s election, Democrats and their affectionate mass media outlets began calculating a path to victory in 2018 and 2020.
Part of that collusion reflects their virtually indistinguishable ideology, but the perpetual election cycle — propagated by the mainstream media’s 24/7/365 endless loop of talkinghead political hyperbole — is also their most significant revenue generator, flooding their coffers with advertising and donor dollars.
I mention this to say that 99% of the media’s political chatter, which converts even the most mundane political claptrap into a “Breaking News Alert,” is still just claptrap.
However, now that 2018 is here, let’s take a serious reading from the political balance sheets to get some sense of Republican congressional opportunities and obstacles under Trump — beginning with the negatives on the left side of the ledger.
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In the 2016 presidential election, what put Donald Trump over the top was middle America’s disgust with the status quo in Washington, both Democrat and Republican. Grassroots Americans from all walks of life, who have been used, abused and discarded by both political parties, sent Donald J. Trump to DC with a mission — to drop a bomb on both the political and bureaucratic entrenchments.
He did, and there’s plenty of fallout — most good and some not so good.
While the results have been positive for working Americans — those who sent Trump to DC — positive results are big political negatives for the Democrat Party, and Democrats are determined to dwell on the negatives from now until November.
Is it too early to contemplate the 2018 midterm elections?
A New York second after Trump’s election, Democrats and their affectionate mass media outlets began calculating a path to victory in 2018 and 2020.
Part of that collusion reflects their virtually indistinguishable ideology, but the perpetual election cycle — propagated by the mainstream media’s 24/7/365 endless loop of talkinghead political hyperbole — is also their most significant revenue generator, flooding their coffers with advertising and donor dollars.
I mention this to say that 99% of the media’s political chatter, which converts even the most mundane political claptrap into a “Breaking News Alert,” is still just claptrap.
However, now that 2018 is here, let’s take a serious reading from the political balance sheets to get some sense of Republican congressional opportunities and obstacles under Trump — beginning with the negatives on the left side of the ledger.
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Supreme Court Hears Challenge To Ohio's 'Use-It Or Lose-it' Voter System
The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in an important voting-rights case testing whether Ohio's so-called "use-it or lose-it" voter-registration rule violates federal law.
The state statute, which is the most aggressive voter-purge law in the country, strikes voters from the registration rolls if they fail to vote in two consecutive elections, and if they fail to return a mailed address confirmation form.
A voter feels stiffed on Election Day
The lead plaintiff in the case is Larry Harmon, a software engineer from the Akron area, who normally votes in presidential election years, but not the midterms. In 2012, neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney excited him, so he decided not to vote.
When he did decide to vote a couple of years later, he found he was no longer registered. He had been purged from the voter rolls because he hadn't voted in the previous two elections.
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The state statute, which is the most aggressive voter-purge law in the country, strikes voters from the registration rolls if they fail to vote in two consecutive elections, and if they fail to return a mailed address confirmation form.
A voter feels stiffed on Election Day
The lead plaintiff in the case is Larry Harmon, a software engineer from the Akron area, who normally votes in presidential election years, but not the midterms. In 2012, neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney excited him, so he decided not to vote.
When he did decide to vote a couple of years later, he found he was no longer registered. He had been purged from the voter rolls because he hadn't voted in the previous two elections.
More
Breaking News: U.S. lawmakers rejected significant limits on warrantless N.S.A. spying that were championed by a bipartisan group in the House
Before approving the extension of the law, the House voted 233 to 183 to reject an amendment that proposed a series of overhauls. Among them was a requirement that officials get warrants in most cases before hunting for and reading emails and other messages of Americans swept up under the program.
Documents Detail Plan for Civil Unrest and Martial Law in Baltimore
Leaked documents purport to show detailed plan to trigger nationwide unrest allowing Obama to declare martial law in 2015
Documents posted to 4chan appear to detail a Soros-backed plan to incite civil unrest in the Baltimore area and reveals coordination with Baltimore law enforcement.
Internal documents appearing to belong to Friends of Democracy – George Soros’ son’s activist group – describe an acceleration of civil unrest to justify the rollout of martial law nationwide.
According to the docs, the group sought to use the protests over the death of Freddie Gray as a detonator for larger violent demonstrations in the Baltimore area.
Watch: Alex Jones discusses the origin of the documents with Infowars’ Harrison Smith and Roger Stone.
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Documents posted to 4chan appear to detail a Soros-backed plan to incite civil unrest in the Baltimore area and reveals coordination with Baltimore law enforcement.
Internal documents appearing to belong to Friends of Democracy – George Soros’ son’s activist group – describe an acceleration of civil unrest to justify the rollout of martial law nationwide.
According to the docs, the group sought to use the protests over the death of Freddie Gray as a detonator for larger violent demonstrations in the Baltimore area.
Watch: Alex Jones discusses the origin of the documents with Infowars’ Harrison Smith and Roger Stone.
More
Why Free College Tuition Is Spreading From Cities to States
To churn out more workers with marketable skills, an increasing number of states are offering residents free tuition to community colleges and technical schools.
The move also is a reaction to fast-rising tuition costs — increases that stem, in part, from states reducing their financial support of public colleges and universities.
Morley Winograd, president of the Campaign for Free College Tuition, a Seattle-based nonprofit, described the movement as “the fastest-growing policy idea in the country” — one with bipartisan support.
“Everybody’s got cheap dirt — but do you have skilled workers?” Winograd said. “That’s the question states face as they recruit new industry.”
But the free tuition push hasn’t produced an economic bonanza for any of the pioneering cities—at least not yet — and some states have struggled to come up with the money to keep their end of the bargain.
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The move also is a reaction to fast-rising tuition costs — increases that stem, in part, from states reducing their financial support of public colleges and universities.
Morley Winograd, president of the Campaign for Free College Tuition, a Seattle-based nonprofit, described the movement as “the fastest-growing policy idea in the country” — one with bipartisan support.
“Everybody’s got cheap dirt — but do you have skilled workers?” Winograd said. “That’s the question states face as they recruit new industry.”
But the free tuition push hasn’t produced an economic bonanza for any of the pioneering cities—at least not yet — and some states have struggled to come up with the money to keep their end of the bargain.
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Democrats: White Christian Women Need Not Apply
The Democratic Party wants women to be elected to office — unless they’re white and Christian.
The Democrats’ official Twitter account tweeted Sunday:
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The Democrats’ official Twitter account tweeted Sunday:
Let's elect:Black women
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SALISBURY MAN GUILTY OF RAPE 1st DEGREE AND RELATED CHARGES
On January 10, 2018, Tevin Lamar Dennis, age 20 of Salisbury, was convicted of Rape 1st Degree and related charges.
The charges stemmed from an incident on May 23, 2016, in the area of 218 Newton Street, Salisbury, Maryland. Dennis attacked a thirteen year old juvenile in a parking lot adjacent to the 200 block of Newton Street. Dennis ripped off her backpack, pushed her to the ground, and forcefully raped her.
Sentencing was postponed to allow for a presentence investigation. Upon conviction, Dennis will be a Tier III sexual offender, which will require mandatory lifetime registration.
Wicomico County Ad Interim State’s Attorney Jamie L. Dykes commended the Salisbury Police Department Criminal Investigation Division, Detectives Jason Caputo and Anthony Foy for their work in the investigation and prosecution of this case. Ms. Dykes also thanked Sr. Assistant State’s Attorney Kristen M. Schultz and Assistant State’s Attorney Jared Monteiro who prosecuted the case.
The charges stemmed from an incident on May 23, 2016, in the area of 218 Newton Street, Salisbury, Maryland. Dennis attacked a thirteen year old juvenile in a parking lot adjacent to the 200 block of Newton Street. Dennis ripped off her backpack, pushed her to the ground, and forcefully raped her.
Sentencing was postponed to allow for a presentence investigation. Upon conviction, Dennis will be a Tier III sexual offender, which will require mandatory lifetime registration.
Wicomico County Ad Interim State’s Attorney Jamie L. Dykes commended the Salisbury Police Department Criminal Investigation Division, Detectives Jason Caputo and Anthony Foy for their work in the investigation and prosecution of this case. Ms. Dykes also thanked Sr. Assistant State’s Attorney Kristen M. Schultz and Assistant State’s Attorney Jared Monteiro who prosecuted the case.
NOI 1/6/18 Wicomico Apartment Fire Sixty Foot Road
NOTICE OF INVESTIGATION
Date: January 6, 2018
Time: 6:22 p.m.
Location / Address: 7240 Sixty Foot Rd., Unit #22, Pittsville, Wicomico Co.
Type of Incident: Fire
Description of Structure / Property: Two story wood framed apartment building
Owner / Occupants: T & M Management (Owner) Pauline Walker & Greg Farlow (Occupants)
Injuries or Deaths: None
Estimated $ Loss: Structure: $500 Contents: $0
Smoke Alarm Status: Present, not activated
Fire Alarm / Sprinkler Status: Present, not activated
Arrests(s): None
Primary Responding Fire Department: Pittsville
# of Alarms: 1 # Of Firefighters: 6
Time to Control: 14 minutes
Discovered By: Occupant
Area of Origin: Interior wall
Preliminary Cause: Under Investigation
EXCLUSIVE: Meet The Virginia Senate Candidate
Republicans are anxious to unseat former vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine from his Virginia Senate seat in November, and top conservatives in the upper chamber have been quick to throw their support behind Del. Nick Freitas in his quest to secure the GOP nomination.
Just weeks after announcing his bid, Freitas — a libertarian-leaning Republican, former Green Beret and father of three — has already managed to lock down the endorsement of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and receive campaign guidance from Utah Sen. Mike Lee after touting his legislative record and dedication to upholding the Constitution.
“Being able to get the endorsement of Sen. Rand Paul is not only important to me from a campaign perspective, but it’s important me from on a personal level as well because I really see Rand as someone that’s been a champion of individual liberty even when it requires taking on your own party,” he told The Daily Caller.
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Just weeks after announcing his bid, Freitas — a libertarian-leaning Republican, former Green Beret and father of three — has already managed to lock down the endorsement of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and receive campaign guidance from Utah Sen. Mike Lee after touting his legislative record and dedication to upholding the Constitution.
“Being able to get the endorsement of Sen. Rand Paul is not only important to me from a campaign perspective, but it’s important me from on a personal level as well because I really see Rand as someone that’s been a champion of individual liberty even when it requires taking on your own party,” he told The Daily Caller.
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Republicans Propose Welfare Reform Agenda
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Republican leadership spent the weekend at Camp David setting the 2018 legislative agenda, and welfare reform, a topic so sensitive it is considered the “third-rail” of American politics, looks like it could become a priority in 2018.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Republicans accompanied Trump to the presidential retreat for a weekend of strategizing and planning for the upcoming 2018 election year. Welfare reform, much to the delight of conservative voters and legislators, was included in those discussions.
Trump told reporters Saturday after meeting with leadership that welfare was something they “were looking at,” not going so far as to take a firm stance. The president made it known early in his first year in the White House that he would not touch Social Security or Medicare, but his rhetoric has changed in recent months and shows a willingness to engage with reforming welfare.
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Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Republicans accompanied Trump to the presidential retreat for a weekend of strategizing and planning for the upcoming 2018 election year. Welfare reform, much to the delight of conservative voters and legislators, was included in those discussions.
Trump told reporters Saturday after meeting with leadership that welfare was something they “were looking at,” not going so far as to take a firm stance. The president made it known early in his first year in the White House that he would not touch Social Security or Medicare, but his rhetoric has changed in recent months and shows a willingness to engage with reforming welfare.
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Testimony Reveals Fusion GPS Tried to Kill FBI Clinton Investigation
Glenn Simpson and the intelligence firm he founded, Fusion GPS, have presented themselves as disinterested researchers when it comes to their role in the Trump dossier and the 2016 election. But Simpson’s recently released testimony shows that at the same time he was encouraging the FBI to investigate Trump, he was actively trying to steer the FBI away from further investigation of the Clintons.
In his August 2017 testimony before Congress, Glenn Simpson admits Christopher Steele reached out to the FBI following the reopening of the Hillary Clinton email investigation in October 2016. Steele and Simpson had previously contacted the FBI regarding material they had collected on the Trump campaign — a project with no other direct tie to the Clinton investigation. Simpson claims the reopening of the Clinton probe sparked concerns on his part that the FBI was “being manipulated for political ends” by pro-Trump entities (Simpson testimony, p 179).
Yet it was Steele (with Simpson’s knowledge) who handed Clinton-funded opposition research to the FBI and then, as Simpson admits, reached out again to investigators to cast doubt on the Clinton investigation:
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In his August 2017 testimony before Congress, Glenn Simpson admits Christopher Steele reached out to the FBI following the reopening of the Hillary Clinton email investigation in October 2016. Steele and Simpson had previously contacted the FBI regarding material they had collected on the Trump campaign — a project with no other direct tie to the Clinton investigation. Simpson claims the reopening of the Clinton probe sparked concerns on his part that the FBI was “being manipulated for political ends” by pro-Trump entities (Simpson testimony, p 179).
Yet it was Steele (with Simpson’s knowledge) who handed Clinton-funded opposition research to the FBI and then, as Simpson admits, reached out again to investigators to cast doubt on the Clinton investigation:
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Meritocracy is a ‘tool of whiteness,’ claims math professor
A math education professor at Brooklyn College contends in a recent academic article that “meritocracy” in math classes is a “tool of whiteness.”
Laurie Rubel implicates both meritocracy and “color-blindness” as ideological precepts that hold back racial minorities from succeeding in math classes in an article for the peer-reviewed Journal of Urban Mathematics Education.
Rubel, who taught high school math for nine years before becoming a professor, argues that while meritocracy is commonly linked to hard work and talent, it also “functions as a tool of whiteness” because it “ignores systemic barriers and institutional structures that prevent opportunity and success.”
Color-blindness, too, can be an issue for math teachers, according to Rubel, who asserts that “Teachers who claim color-blindness—that is, they claim to not notice the race of their students—are, in effect, refusing to acknowledge the impact of enduring racial stratification on students and their families.
“By claiming not to notice, the teacher is saying that she is dismissing one of the most salient features of the child’s identity and that she does not account for it in her curricular planning and instruction,” Rubel adds, citing education theorist Gloria Ladson-Billings.
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Laurie Rubel implicates both meritocracy and “color-blindness” as ideological precepts that hold back racial minorities from succeeding in math classes in an article for the peer-reviewed Journal of Urban Mathematics Education.
Rubel, who taught high school math for nine years before becoming a professor, argues that while meritocracy is commonly linked to hard work and talent, it also “functions as a tool of whiteness” because it “ignores systemic barriers and institutional structures that prevent opportunity and success.”
Color-blindness, too, can be an issue for math teachers, according to Rubel, who asserts that “Teachers who claim color-blindness—that is, they claim to not notice the race of their students—are, in effect, refusing to acknowledge the impact of enduring racial stratification on students and their families.
“By claiming not to notice, the teacher is saying that she is dismissing one of the most salient features of the child’s identity and that she does not account for it in her curricular planning and instruction,” Rubel adds, citing education theorist Gloria Ladson-Billings.
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Laura Ingraham: 'Extremely Concerned' When Trump Getting 'Lavish Praise' from Jeb Bush for DACA Amnesty
Populist conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham is warning President Trump against accepting a deal with the Republican establishment and Democrats that gives amnesty to the nearly 800,000 illegal aliens shielded from deportation by the President Obama-created Deferred Action from Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
On Wednesday, Ingraham took to her radio show, the Laura Ingraham Show, to say that she was “extremely concerned” at the site of former Florida Gov. and pro-amnesty advocate Jeb Bush, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — also fans of amnesty for illegal aliens — heaping “lavish praise” on Trump following a White House meeting that centered around DACA amnesty.
Ingraham said:
I don’t want to use the word ‘betrayal’ yet, because we haven’t reached the end of the line here and I don’t think that would be the right thing to do. But I think it’s really important for the president to hear from all of us. We want the best for him. The other people just want what they want from him. We want the best for him and this presidency and this nation. And it’s about the country, and what’s good for the nation and the American worker.
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On Wednesday, Ingraham took to her radio show, the Laura Ingraham Show, to say that she was “extremely concerned” at the site of former Florida Gov. and pro-amnesty advocate Jeb Bush, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — also fans of amnesty for illegal aliens — heaping “lavish praise” on Trump following a White House meeting that centered around DACA amnesty.
Ingraham said:
I don’t want to use the word ‘betrayal’ yet, because we haven’t reached the end of the line here and I don’t think that would be the right thing to do. But I think it’s really important for the president to hear from all of us. We want the best for him. The other people just want what they want from him. We want the best for him and this presidency and this nation. And it’s about the country, and what’s good for the nation and the American worker.
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Trump downplays chances of NAFTA success to farmers
President Trump appeared to downplay the odds of succeeding in the renegotiation of the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement, conceding that Canada and Mexico have little incentive to agree to the changes he wants.
"On NAFTA I am working very hard to get a better deal for our country and for our farmers and for our manufacturers," he said in remarks to the American Farm Bureau Federation. "But think of it: When Mexico is making all of that money, when Canada is making all of that money, it is not that easy of a negotiation."
Trump devoted only a few lines to discussing NAFTA in the speech. He did not guarantee that he was "winning," as he customarily does.
The sixth round of talks is scheduled to begin Jan. 23 in Montreal and runs through Jan. 28. The round is widely seen as do-or-die for the Trump White House to get the changes it wants.
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"On NAFTA I am working very hard to get a better deal for our country and for our farmers and for our manufacturers," he said in remarks to the American Farm Bureau Federation. "But think of it: When Mexico is making all of that money, when Canada is making all of that money, it is not that easy of a negotiation."
Trump devoted only a few lines to discussing NAFTA in the speech. He did not guarantee that he was "winning," as he customarily does.
The sixth round of talks is scheduled to begin Jan. 23 in Montreal and runs through Jan. 28. The round is widely seen as do-or-die for the Trump White House to get the changes it wants.
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OUT IN THE COLD
Video of woman left at bus stop by UMMC staff goes viral
BALTIMORE (WBFF) - It's an incredibly disturbing video that's gone viral.
The video shows a woman left at a bus stop outside of a Baltimore hospital Tuesday night wearing just a hospital gown and socks.
The woman appears to have trouble communicating.
The man who recorded the video, Imamu Baraka, says he witnessed the woman being left at the bus stop, dropped off by University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus staff.
He posted the exchange to Facebook, where it's gone viral and is upsetting many people.
"So you all are just going to leave this lady out here like this?" Baraka says to four hospital employees seen leaving the bus stop and going back inside the emergency department. One is pushing an empty wheelchair.
Baraka posted the video Tuesday night. Since then, it's been viewed thousands of times.
"Are you unable to speak?" he asks the woman who's seen stumbling on the sidewalk. "Why don't you sit down, ma'am? You don't look well. Come and sit down."
More/Video
BALTIMORE (WBFF) - It's an incredibly disturbing video that's gone viral.
The video shows a woman left at a bus stop outside of a Baltimore hospital Tuesday night wearing just a hospital gown and socks.
The woman appears to have trouble communicating.
The man who recorded the video, Imamu Baraka, says he witnessed the woman being left at the bus stop, dropped off by University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus staff.
He posted the exchange to Facebook, where it's gone viral and is upsetting many people.
"So you all are just going to leave this lady out here like this?" Baraka says to four hospital employees seen leaving the bus stop and going back inside the emergency department. One is pushing an empty wheelchair.
Baraka posted the video Tuesday night. Since then, it's been viewed thousands of times.
"Are you unable to speak?" he asks the woman who's seen stumbling on the sidewalk. "Why don't you sit down, ma'am? You don't look well. Come and sit down."
More/Video
A financial 'bomb cyclone' is coming for the states in 2018
January is traditionally the time to put the past behind us, turn over a new leaf, and make plans for what’s to come. Many indicators show the country’s economy has been pumping on all cylinders this past year. Stocks are at record highs and the unemployment rate is at its lowest point in 17 years. Many would agree that the economy is moving in the right direction, which is excellent news.
Unfortunately, this optimistic news is somewhat undercut by worsening financial trajectories at the state government level from coast to coast. The nation is not in as good a shape as it seems.
Recently updated government financial disclosures show alarming levels of red ink on statehouse ledger books across the country. A 2017analysis shows $1.5 trillion in state debt, a 15 percent increase over the previous year and part of a long-term worsening trend. In the last year, only seven states reported improved financials, while three were unchanged, and 40 are on a troubling downward trajectory.
There is a significant variation in the fortunes of the 40 downward trending states, which include examples at both ends of the extreme, such as Alaska’s declining surplus and New Jersey’s skyrocketing $208 billion debt. However, when the data is taken as whole it is hard to understate the scale of the precarious fiscal situation at the state government level. Truth in Accounting, an organization I founded in 2002, analyzes the most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, and our data shows that the average state now carries a staggering $10,020 in debt for every one of its taxpayers.
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Unfortunately, this optimistic news is somewhat undercut by worsening financial trajectories at the state government level from coast to coast. The nation is not in as good a shape as it seems.
Recently updated government financial disclosures show alarming levels of red ink on statehouse ledger books across the country. A 2017analysis shows $1.5 trillion in state debt, a 15 percent increase over the previous year and part of a long-term worsening trend. In the last year, only seven states reported improved financials, while three were unchanged, and 40 are on a troubling downward trajectory.
There is a significant variation in the fortunes of the 40 downward trending states, which include examples at both ends of the extreme, such as Alaska’s declining surplus and New Jersey’s skyrocketing $208 billion debt. However, when the data is taken as whole it is hard to understate the scale of the precarious fiscal situation at the state government level. Truth in Accounting, an organization I founded in 2002, analyzes the most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, and our data shows that the average state now carries a staggering $10,020 in debt for every one of its taxpayers.
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7 Maryland Stores Targeted In ICE 7-Eleven Crackdowns
Seven immigration agents filed into a 7-Eleven store before dawn Wednesday, waited for people to go through the checkout line and told arriving customers and a driver delivering beer to wait outside. A federal inspection was underway, they said.
Within 20 minutes, they verified that the cashier had a valid green card and served notice on the owner to produce hiring records in three days.
The well-rehearsed scene, executed with quiet efficiency in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, played out at about 100 7-Eleven stores in 17 states and the District of Columbia, a rolling operation that officials called the largest immigration action against an employer under Donald Trump’s presidency.
In Maryland, seven 7-Eleven stores were targeted. One was in Baltimore, while the others were in Landover, Pasadena, Upper Marlboro, Glen Burnie, Severna Park and Frederick, according to an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman.
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Within 20 minutes, they verified that the cashier had a valid green card and served notice on the owner to produce hiring records in three days.
The well-rehearsed scene, executed with quiet efficiency in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, played out at about 100 7-Eleven stores in 17 states and the District of Columbia, a rolling operation that officials called the largest immigration action against an employer under Donald Trump’s presidency.
In Maryland, seven 7-Eleven stores were targeted. One was in Baltimore, while the others were in Landover, Pasadena, Upper Marlboro, Glen Burnie, Severna Park and Frederick, according to an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman.
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Juanita Broaddrick Unleashes on Oprah For Ignoring Her Sexual Assault Allegations Against Bill Clinton
Liberals and media have been slobbering over the idea of Oprah 2020 since her speech at Sunday’s Golden Globe awards broadcast where she received the Cecil B. DeMille award.
In a #MeToo moment Sunday night Oprah spoke about women who have endured sexual assault by men.
Juanita Broaddrick unleashed on Oprah Monday, accusing the media mogul of ignoring her sexual assault allegations against Bill Clinton because they are “friends”.
On Monday, Juanita Broaddrick sent out a series of tweets attacking Oprah, Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Juanita Broaddrick tweeted, “Hey @Oprah #Goldenglobes. Funny I’ve never heard you mention my name. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?Guess not. My rapist was/is your friend, Bill Clinton”
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In a #MeToo moment Sunday night Oprah spoke about women who have endured sexual assault by men.
Juanita Broaddrick unleashed on Oprah Monday, accusing the media mogul of ignoring her sexual assault allegations against Bill Clinton because they are “friends”.
On Monday, Juanita Broaddrick sent out a series of tweets attacking Oprah, Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Juanita Broaddrick tweeted, “Hey @Oprah #Goldenglobes. Funny I’ve never heard you mention my name. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?Guess not. My rapist was/is your friend, Bill Clinton”
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Recycling Repercussions in America
Starting this month, the country's new policy will likely send more recyclable materials to the landfill. But many environmentalists also see it as a golden opportunity.
Starting this month, China will no longer buy most of the paper and plastic U.S. consumers recycle. In July, Chinese officials told the World Trade Organization that they will limit the entry of “foreign waste” by banning two dozen types of materials that often contain “dirty wastes or even hazardous wastes.”
The announcement has thrown recycling programs across the country into turmoil. With China out of the picture, American waste and recycling firms are scrambling to find new buyers for the scrap they collect from curbside bins. For many years now, China has been the largest global importer of most recyclable materials. The U.S. alone exported about two-thirds of its wastepaper and more than 40 percent of its discarded plastic to the country last year. China plans to replace the materials it imports with recycled material collected at home.
In a statement on its website, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said the announcement, “coupled with earlier import restrictions on these materials, has severely disrupted recycling markets worldwide with major impacts in Oregon.” The Washington State Department of Ecology struck a similar note. “In the short term,” a statement on its website read, “more potentially recyclable materials are likely to go to the landfill because no market is available for them.” But both agencies urged residents to continue recycling as normal.
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Starting this month, China will no longer buy most of the paper and plastic U.S. consumers recycle. In July, Chinese officials told the World Trade Organization that they will limit the entry of “foreign waste” by banning two dozen types of materials that often contain “dirty wastes or even hazardous wastes.”
The announcement has thrown recycling programs across the country into turmoil. With China out of the picture, American waste and recycling firms are scrambling to find new buyers for the scrap they collect from curbside bins. For many years now, China has been the largest global importer of most recyclable materials. The U.S. alone exported about two-thirds of its wastepaper and more than 40 percent of its discarded plastic to the country last year. China plans to replace the materials it imports with recycled material collected at home.
In a statement on its website, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said the announcement, “coupled with earlier import restrictions on these materials, has severely disrupted recycling markets worldwide with major impacts in Oregon.” The Washington State Department of Ecology struck a similar note. “In the short term,” a statement on its website read, “more potentially recyclable materials are likely to go to the landfill because no market is available for them.” But both agencies urged residents to continue recycling as normal.
More
States Confront the Spread of a Deadly Disease in Deer
JOLIET, Mont. — As darkness closed in, one hunter after another stopped at this newly opened game check station, deer carcasses loaded in the beds of their pickups.
They had been given licenses for a special hunt, and others would follow. Jessica Goosmann, a wildlife technician with Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Department, stepped outside to greet them, reaching for the neck of each freshly killed deer to cut an incision and remove a lymph node for testing.
On the edge of this south-central Montana village, where deer hunting is a way of life, the game check station has become the front line of the state’s efforts to stop the spread of a deadly infection known as chronic wasting disease.
It has ravaged deer herds throughout the United States and Canada and forced the killing of thousands of infected animals in 24 states and three Canadian provinces. It has also been found in Norway and South Korea. With the disease widespread in Wyoming, the Dakotas and the province of Alberta, Montana officials had been bracing for its emergence.
So in November, when biologists discovered it in six deer in this part of Montana and in another near the Canadian border, officials began setting up special hunts and stations for testing.
More
They had been given licenses for a special hunt, and others would follow. Jessica Goosmann, a wildlife technician with Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks Department, stepped outside to greet them, reaching for the neck of each freshly killed deer to cut an incision and remove a lymph node for testing.
On the edge of this south-central Montana village, where deer hunting is a way of life, the game check station has become the front line of the state’s efforts to stop the spread of a deadly infection known as chronic wasting disease.
It has ravaged deer herds throughout the United States and Canada and forced the killing of thousands of infected animals in 24 states and three Canadian provinces. It has also been found in Norway and South Korea. With the disease widespread in Wyoming, the Dakotas and the province of Alberta, Montana officials had been bracing for its emergence.
So in November, when biologists discovered it in six deer in this part of Montana and in another near the Canadian border, officials began setting up special hunts and stations for testing.
More
Another Robbery In Salisbury
Median Family Net Worth Below 1989 Level: Debt-To-Money Worst Since '62
As the stock market soars to new highs, here's some sobering statistics to consider.
The stock market is at an all-time high but Americans Owe More, Save Less, and are Poorer Than in Decades.
Negative Wealth Percentage On the Rise
The stock market is at an all-time high but Americans Owe More, Save Less, and are Poorer Than in Decades.
Negative Wealth Percentage On the Rise
BUCHANAN: Is Iran Really the Worst Situation In the Middle East Today?
What is America’s mission now?
Informing Iran, “The U.S. is watching what you do,” Amb. Nikki Haley called an emergency meeting Friday of the Security Council regarding the riots in Iran. The session left her and us looking ridiculous.
France’s ambassador tutored Haley that how nations deal with internal disorders is not the council’s concern. Russia’s ambassador suggested the United Nations should have looked into our Occupy Wall Street clashes and how the Missouri cops handled Ferguson.
Fifty years ago, 100 U.S. cities erupted in flames after Martin Luther King’s assassination. Federal troops were called in. In 1992, Los Angeles suffered the worst U.S. riot of the 20th century, after the LA cops who pummeled Rodney King were acquitted in Simi Valley.
Read more
Informing Iran, “The U.S. is watching what you do,” Amb. Nikki Haley called an emergency meeting Friday of the Security Council regarding the riots in Iran. The session left her and us looking ridiculous.
France’s ambassador tutored Haley that how nations deal with internal disorders is not the council’s concern. Russia’s ambassador suggested the United Nations should have looked into our Occupy Wall Street clashes and how the Missouri cops handled Ferguson.
Fifty years ago, 100 U.S. cities erupted in flames after Martin Luther King’s assassination. Federal troops were called in. In 1992, Los Angeles suffered the worst U.S. riot of the 20th century, after the LA cops who pummeled Rodney King were acquitted in Simi Valley.
Read more
School Delays
Welcome back Somerset County Public Schools Students and Staff! There will be a 2 hour Delay tomorrow because of lingering back roads conditions but well finally be in session. We’ve missed you!!!!
Good morning! No phone call this morning means that Wicomico County Public Schools will be opening on time today, Thursday Jan. 11. We look forward to seeing everyone after the unexpected break. (Reminder: High school students NOT taking a PARCC exam have a delayed reporting time today and Friday. They should arrive at school between 10:45-10:55 a.m.)
Overton Window Shifts As Orban Throws Down the Gauntlet on Muslim Migration, EU Demands Demographic Decline
Europe may be turning the corner on mass migration — at least in the popular discourse around the subject.
Writing — in a letter to the editor of the Financial Times — reader Will Thompson statedyesterday:
Sir, I read with great interest your report “Hungary and Poland fight their corner in clash with EU” (January 3), highlighting the competing visions among members of what the EU should look like. Perhaps certain matters such as immigration and judicial reform as raised by Viktor Orban and Mateusz Morawiecki should be reserved for the state. I can’t help but feel that if only these subjects had been discussed and taken seriously earlier within the EU we might not have ended up with a Brexit.
The fact that such a letter is being published in a key globalist outlet in 2018 is symptomatic of the overreach of the establishment in recent years. As Mr. Thompson says, without a push towards a United States of Europe, the European Common Market or a free trading Europe would almost certainly have remained attractive enough to Britons to not vote for Brexit, or have a referendum at all.
There are still — as there always will be — the extremists on the pro-EU side, not least Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship.
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Writing — in a letter to the editor of the Financial Times — reader Will Thompson statedyesterday:
Sir, I read with great interest your report “Hungary and Poland fight their corner in clash with EU” (January 3), highlighting the competing visions among members of what the EU should look like. Perhaps certain matters such as immigration and judicial reform as raised by Viktor Orban and Mateusz Morawiecki should be reserved for the state. I can’t help but feel that if only these subjects had been discussed and taken seriously earlier within the EU we might not have ended up with a Brexit.
The fact that such a letter is being published in a key globalist outlet in 2018 is symptomatic of the overreach of the establishment in recent years. As Mr. Thompson says, without a push towards a United States of Europe, the European Common Market or a free trading Europe would almost certainly have remained attractive enough to Britons to not vote for Brexit, or have a referendum at all.
There are still — as there always will be — the extremists on the pro-EU side, not least Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship.
More
Nine symptoms of magnesium deficiency
Insomnia, depression, cravings and tiredness are the bane of many of our lives. But they could be signs of a simple problem: magnesium deficiency.
The Daily Mail's Dr Michael Moseley addressed the issue recently when he appeared on BBC Radio Two’s Breakfast Show with Chris Evans – exploring how the humble mineral could treat a range of common ailments including migraines, PMT and constipation.
Yet it doesn't get a lot of attention. Although magnesium is found in brown rice, green leafy vegetables, beans, avocados, almonds and dark chocolate, most of us don't get enough of the amount we need.
One study of 8,000 Britons by Mineral Check discovered around 70 per cent had low levels, Healthista reports.
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The Daily Mail's Dr Michael Moseley addressed the issue recently when he appeared on BBC Radio Two’s Breakfast Show with Chris Evans – exploring how the humble mineral could treat a range of common ailments including migraines, PMT and constipation.
Yet it doesn't get a lot of attention. Although magnesium is found in brown rice, green leafy vegetables, beans, avocados, almonds and dark chocolate, most of us don't get enough of the amount we need.
One study of 8,000 Britons by Mineral Check discovered around 70 per cent had low levels, Healthista reports.
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Health officials say customers at West Jordan 7-Eleven possibly exposed to hepatitis A
WEST JORDAN, Utah - Health officials announced Sunday that some customers at a West Jordan 7-Eleven should contact the health department to receive an injection to prevent hepatitis A.
According to a press release from the Salt Lake County Health Department, the store in question is the 7-Eleven at 2666 West 7800 South. Authorities say an infected employee worked while ill and may have handled certain items.
The exposure may have affected up to 2,000 customers, the health department states. The possible exposure affects only the single 7-Eleven location listed above.
The health department says any customer who visited between December 26 and January 3 and who used any bathroom in the store or who consumed certain items needs to contact the health department. The items of concern are:
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According to a press release from the Salt Lake County Health Department, the store in question is the 7-Eleven at 2666 West 7800 South. Authorities say an infected employee worked while ill and may have handled certain items.
The exposure may have affected up to 2,000 customers, the health department states. The possible exposure affects only the single 7-Eleven location listed above.
The health department says any customer who visited between December 26 and January 3 and who used any bathroom in the store or who consumed certain items needs to contact the health department. The items of concern are:
More
North Carolina woman charged with filing false report
A North Carolina woman has been charged with filing a false report of a stolen car an triggering a police chase that killed five people.
Erica Leann Robinson reported her silver 2003 Acura in September, authorities told the Greensboro News and Record.
On September 30 a Guilford County sheriff's deputy spotted the car, ran the plates and tried to stop it.
But as soon as he activated his blue lights the car ran, and police said the vehicle was traveling at an estimated 130 mph when it ran a stop light and crashed into a 2012 Kia.
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Erica Leann Robinson reported her silver 2003 Acura in September, authorities told the Greensboro News and Record.
On September 30 a Guilford County sheriff's deputy spotted the car, ran the plates and tried to stop it.
But as soon as he activated his blue lights the car ran, and police said the vehicle was traveling at an estimated 130 mph when it ran a stop light and crashed into a 2012 Kia.
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Photos of Native Americans 100 years after last battle
The images show several Native Americans from various tribes across America, including members of the Yaqui, Sioux, Apache, Tesuque, and Potawatomi tribes.
The last of encounter between native Americans and the U.S Army was the Battle of Bear Valley, which saw one Yaqui commander and nine tribe members captured by American forces on January 9 1918.
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Those Rich People!
I can't fault them for wanting to live in a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood. Its the hypocrisy that gets me. Campaign against the top 1% and then lose and fall in line with the top 1%.
Something STRANGE happens when Democrats leave the White House... As they prepare for their exodus from the White House, the Obamas are about to join another rarified club that of the ruling liberal elite class owning multiple ultra-expensive homes in highly exclusive communities that none in America can afford save the one percenters. The very same one percenters whom they rant and rail against as being the greedy,ego-centric millionaires who simply have too much.Following the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton who (despite Hillary's claim earlier this year that they left White House dead broke) somehow managed to educate their daughter at Stanford, Oxford, NYU and Columbia ($500,000?), acquire a $1.7 million estate in Chappaqua and a $2.85 million mansion in Georgetown and then Bernie Sanders who, shortly after ending his 2016 presidential bid, bought his third home a $600,000 lakefront vacation house on Lake Champlain.
Barack and Michelle have real estate designs of their own. Earlier this year it was revealed that upon his leaving the presidency the Obamas will not be returning to Chicago they will instead be moving into a $6 million, 8,200-square foot, 9-bedroom 12-bathroom mansion in Kalorama, one of the Washington District's most posh, desirable and exclusive neighborhoods in the heart of one of America's wealthiest zip codes. With daughter Malia off to college that leaves just Barack, Michelle and Sasha until the younger daughter graduates high school in 2018.
Nothing says I care about climate change, energy consumption and our CO2 footprint more than keeping an 8,200-square foot house heated and air conditioned year round for just three people. The hypocrisy and do as I say not as I do hubris of all these wealthy climate change proponents is sickening. By the way, the Obama's new home is just two doors down from Clinton campaign manager, John Podesta, who recently lost the most significant campaign of his life.
But that's not the new news. We have now learned Barack and Michelle are the proud owners of yet another home, this one on the Left Coast. As reported by Page Six and other sources, the Obama's have a new home in Rancho Mirage, California. Rancho Mirage is a popular golf getaway which would explain its attraction to the soon-to-be ex-golfer-in-chief. By some counts this makes the Obama's fifth home. Also from Page Six, The Obama's are also said to have bought a holiday getaway in Obama's childhood home state of Hawaii. How many American families own five of anything, let alone houses? Let alone houses in Hawaii that they see once a year or so. Most of us are blessed if able to rent a hotel room or condo on Hawaii once a decade or a life time.
The relocation habits of Democrats leaving office is very interesting. For example; having been voted out of office in 2014, Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu didn't return to Louisiana. She instead made her 7,300-square foot $2.5 million Washington DC mansion her new home. Rather than returning to Little Rock, when Bill and Hill left the White House they chose the liberal, ultra-wealthy haven of Chappaqua New York with its average household income of $285,801 and average household net worth of $1,564,366 for their new residence.
Now it's the Obama's turn. Are they going back to Chicago to live among'st the little people and take their chances becoming yet another statistic(total number shot as of this writing this year: 3,961)? No, not so much. They, like the others, are moving into a private, secured community to live in a house big enough for five families where they will host cocktail parties for golf buddies and other millionaire and billionaire friends.
Yet like the Sanders, Landrieus and Clintons of the world, they will accept exorbitant five-, six-, even seven-figure speaking fees to give speeches about how the rich in our country are steadily pulling away from everyone else and increasingly isolating themselves. About how the concentration of wealth at the top is allowing some Americans to own multiple houses, vacation when and as they please and live lives most of the rest of the country cannot fathom. They'll blather on and on about how the rich are a big part of the problems in our country.
I can't fault them for wanting to live in a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood. Its the hypocrisy that gets me. Campaign against the top 1% and then lose and fall in line with the top 1%. themselves. About how the concentration of wealth at the top is allowing some Americans to own multiple houses, vacation when and as they please and live lives most of the rest of the country cannot dream of.
They'll blather on and on about how the rich are a big part of the problems in our country but they gladly join them hoping no one will notice. Well, we did!"
(Harry Truman once said 'one cannot become wealthy being a president unless you are doing something crooked' )
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