A new paradigm has become evident in both the demographics and the political landscape of 21st Century America. Our nation’s major political camps are becoming increasingly polarized. The differences between the more populous and liberal coastal regions versus the lightly-populated and conservative inland regions are growing more sharp with every passing year. In the long term, a clash of wills between the Red and the Blue is almost inevitable. Whether this will result in conflict or in eventual partition and accommodation remains to be seen. Trouble might occur as early as the year 2020. Or it might be a full generation away. But sooner or later, I can definitely see it coming. This rift might result in a Second Civil War. If and when it comes, this war will not be on racial lines nor on economic lines per se. Rather, It will be a war of world views.
Even a liberal and profoundly statist magazine like The Atlantic has recognized that there are huge disparities between rural America and urban America. In a recent article titled Red State, Blue City, author David A. Graham pointed out there might be armed conflict between the two camps.
Another troubling change is the overt politicization of our government agencies. Recently the US FBI –once considered an unassailable paragon of the even-handed Rule of Law–has recently come under fire for harboring political schemers. These conspirators formed a secret society within the FBI that maneuvered the agency to selectively soft-pedal investigations on their friends, while ramrodding investigations on their political opponents.
The supposedly “Independent” Mueller investigations have been tainted by heavy political overtones. There are now competing camps within the FBI, the CIA, the DIA, and even the Department of the Interior. No state or Federal agency or subdivision of government can now be trusted to conform to the Constitution and its strictures. All of that went out the window, back around the turn of the Century. (The 21st Century, that is.)
It’s really strange how liberals just can’t seem to come to terms with Chick-fil-A. Heaven forbid that a company in the United States is owned by someone who believes in traditional marriage. Apparently, the liberal left isn’t OK with a Christian owning a business in America. Very backwards and not exactly tolerant.
The latest example of liberal intolerance toward one of the most successful companies in America comes to us courtesy of a writer from SB Nation who is mad that Chick-fil-A is sponsoring the Peach Bowl.
Last week, prior to the Peach Bowl college football game in which the University of Florida played The University of Michigan, a writer for SB Nation sports blog’s LGBTQ extension, Outsports, attacked Peach Bowl sponsor Chick-fil-A and its foundation for supporting the Fellowship of Christian Athletes while sponsoring the Peach Bowl. The piece’s title snarled, “Chick-fil-A’s participation in sports is still a big ‘F-you’ to LGBTQ people.”
The writer, Cyd Zeigler, posited, “Years after Chick-fil-A family man and CEO Dan Cathy tried to distance his company from the anti-gay positions he and the Chick-fil-A brand had taken, promising to make changes, Chick-fil-A has doubled down on the support of anti-LGBTQ causes, one of which takes direct aim at gay, lesbian, bisexual and queer athletes.”
Zeigler concluded:
I want to watch this game above all other non-playoff college football games this holiday season. But I won’t. Chick-fil-A’s sponsorship presence at this game precludes me from watching one second of this game. And that’s a shame. Sports should bring us together, not divide us. Until Chick-fil-A abandons its financial support of anti-LGBTQ groups like Fellow of Christian Athletes, and instead state the Foundation’s support of equality, I simply will not watch that bowl game. It’s a shame that the Peach Bowl, and the powers in college football who have elevated the profile of the anti-LGBTQ bowl game, would subject an entire community to this prejudice.
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced two bills on Thursday, one to eliminate the electoral college and the other to prohibit presidents from pardoning themselves or their family members.
A press release from Cohen's office stated that the "senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced two Constitutional Amendments today on the opening day of the new Congress. The first would eliminate the Electoral College and provide for the direct election of the President and Vice President of the United States. The second would limit the presidential pardon power by prohibiting presidents from pardoning themselves, members of their families, members of their administrations and their campaign staff."
Federal government would collect GPS data and tax at higher rates in congested traffic
House Democrats are planning to put forward a new tax on drivers stuck in traffic, according to Americans For Tax Reform.
The new tax, to be introduced by incoming House Transportation Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), is meant to punish drivers by taxing them at a higher rate when they’re in congested traffic.
The traffic tax would be part of a new program for “Vehicle Miles Traveled” [VMT] tax that would replace taxes on gas.
The NFL began the regular season with seven black head coaches. However, as of Monday, that number is now down to two.
Now out of work are Tampa Bay’s Dirk Koetter, the New York Jets Todd Bowles, Miami’s Adam Gase, Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis, Arizona’s Steve Wilks and Denver’s Vance Joseph.
Bowles, Lewis, Wilks and Joseph are black, as is former Cleveland coach Hue Jackson, who was fired during the season. So the minority NFL head coaching number took a major hit, and this caused dismay from some reporters on social media.
Incoming Muslim Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American, will be sworn into office Thursday to serve Michigan’s 13th district using Thomas Jefferson’s centuries-old Quran.
What a disgusting mockery.
Former Minnesota Democrat Congressman Keith Ellison also used Thomas Jefferson’s Quran when he took his ‘oath of office.’
Thomas Jefferson owned a Quran not because he cherished Islam or saw ‘Mohammedans’ in a favorable light — he used it to study the enemy.
As the Washington Post reported, Jefferson’s Quran includes an opening from George Sale that says the following:
“Whatever use an impartial version of the Koran may be of in other respects, it is absolutely necessary to undeceive those who, from the ignorant or unfair translations which have appeared, have entertained too favourable an opinion of the original, and also to enable us effectually to expose the imposture.”
Rashida Tlaib echoed Barack Hussein Obama when she said Islam helped shaped the US because Muslims were ‘here at the beginning.’
I have NEVER seen a message from Facebook suggesting an ad might be offensive. It's shameful that this is what we have to deal with. This is the President of the United States. Never saw this with Obama or Hillary ads, did you?
Regional Leaders Say Shutdown “Represents a Failure of Leadership”; Urges Administration and Congress to Seek Bipartisan Solutions
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today joined with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to issue an impassioned call to federal leaders to end the partial federal government shutdown, which is currently in its 14th day.
In a letter to President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the regional leaders write:
“As our federal employees and contractors experience a sudden loss of income, this not only causes financial hardship for individuals and families, but also deals a significant blow to our region’s economy. Hard-working federal employees and those who depend on them should not have to suffer because of this partisan standoff.”
Noting that their three jurisdictions are home to hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors, they continue: “A prolonged shutdown not only hurts our local economies and budgets, but also poses a threat to our natural resources, public health, and safety...The longer this shutdown lasts, impacts will be more compounded on state and local budgets, important government services, and the economy at large. Containing the damage starts with reopening the government as soon as possible.”
Referring to the current impasse as a “failure of leadership,” Governor Hogan, Governor Northam, and Mayor Bowser conclude with a call for bipartisanship and to seek common sense solutions:
“Imposing this unnecessary hardship on federal employees is unacceptable and represents a failure of leadership. We urge you to fully consider the impact that a shutdown has on the national capital region and the country. We ask that you reach across the aisle to find a path forward and end this stalemate today so the federal employees in our region and across the country can get back to work.”
Previously, on December 21, Governor Hogan joined with Governor Steve Bullock (D-MT) to call for an end to the shutdown on behalf of the National Governors Association. Governor Hogan is currently vice-chair and chair-elect of the NGA.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Sen. Elizabeth Warren jumped into the 2020 presidential campaign Monday, offering a message of economic populism as she became the best-known Democratic candidate yet to enter what is expected to be a crowded race.
Warren’s announcement that she was establishing an exploratory committee — the legal precursor to a run — came as other candidates, including several of her fellow senators, made final preparations for their own announcements, some of which are expected in days.
“America’s middle class is under attack,” the Massachusetts Democrat said in a four-minute, 30-second video emailed to supporters Monday. “How did we get here? Billionaires and big corporations decided they wanted more of the pie. And they enlisted politicians to cut them a bigger slice.”
This past week, I was driving when I got an urge. The McDonalds in Selbyville was my nearest stop. Once inside the Men’s room, I found their single STALL to be locked. I could not see anyone inside but it was clearly LOCKED. It had a keyed lockset on the OUTSIDE of the STALL which indicated that an occupant could be locked INSIDE.
Is this a new trend on the Shore or is it only McDonald’s or a perhaps Delaware practice? I personally thought this violated Federal OSHA laws. Whatever the reason, I felt that it would be a courtesy to post a sign stating “Restrooms Closed!” at the entrance if this restaurant had an unavoidable problem or, if nothing less, posting this note.
I close this by saying that the Arby's in Selbyville did have unrestricted access to their restrooms and they were spotlessly clean. Near the same time, I had noticed that Ocean City Transportation seemed to randomly lock their public transit restrooms near the end of the past season. Could it be that this is the new accepted norm/trend?
While most Americans thought they wouldn't be affected by the partial government shutdown, anyone with a federal tax refund coming to them will have to wait until the stalemate is over, according to the Wall Street Journal.
As one of the agencies which now lacks funding, the IRS and the US tax collector are operating with roughly 1/8 of their usual staff under a shutdown plan it's operating under outside the tax-filing season.
During a shutdown, the IRS can continue activities that protect government property, and the agency may bring in more workers soon to prepare for the income-tax filing season. Even during a shutdown, the agency still processes some tax returns that include payments, keeps computer systems running and continues criminal investigations. But the IRS generally doesn’t conduct audits, respond to taxpayer questions outside the filing season or—brace yourself—pay refunds.
A shutdown that gets resolved within a few weeks would have little ultimate effect on taxpayers, but lawmakers have made little or no movement toward a deal. That stalemate raises the prospect of an unprecedented extended closure during the individual income-tax filing season, which typically starts in mid-to-late January. The IRS hasn’t announced a start date yet for the 2019 filing season, the first under the tax law that Congress passed in 2017. -WSJ
"We’re in uncharted territory as each day gets longer," said Mark Steber, chief tax officer at Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc.
This means that early filers won't receive their expected refunds - which may put pressure on President Trump and congress to hammer out a deal. President Trump says he won't sign any legislation that doesn't include $5 billion for his border wall, while Congressional Democrats say that's not happening.
If last year's tax refund figures are any indication, there are potentially hundreds of billions of dollars on the line for more than 55 percent of US households.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said Thursday he’s not going to make another run for president, saying his “usefulness as a candidate” has ended.
He was a candidate in 2016 but failed to gain much traction in a small field dominated by former eventual Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and her chief rival, Sen. Bernard Sanders. More
President Trump poked fun at the Obamas on Sunday for building a brick and metal fence around their home in Washington, D.C.
Trump made the lighthearted remark, referencing the addition the former first couple made to their rental property in the nation's capital last year as a security precaution after they left the White House, while making the case that the country needs similar structures along its southern border.
"President and Mrs. Obama built/has a ten foot Wall around their D.C. mansion/compound. I agree, totally necessary for their safety and security. The U.S. needs the same thing, slightly larger version!" Trump tweeted. More
President Trump declared on Friday that he would consider using emergency powers to build a border wall if he can't get the project financed through Congress. But doing so would set a dangerous precedent.
In response to a question during a press conference, Trump insisted he didn't need congressional approval to build a wall.
"We could call a national emergency because of the security of our country, absolutely," Trump said. "We can do it. I haven't done it, I may do it. I may do it. But we can call a national emergency and build it very quickly."
Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen refuses to face that fact that Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 because she is awful and has now introduced a bill to eliminate the electoral college all together — instead of figuring out how his party could do better next time.
Cohen also introduced a bill that will prevent presidents from pardoning themselves or their family members.
Bill Clinton famously pardoned his brother, Roger Clinton, for drug charges before he left the White House. His brother was charged with drunk driving and disorderly conduct less than a year after the pardon.
“In two presidential elections since 2000, including the most recent one in which Hillary Clinton won 2.8 million more votes than her opponent, the winner of the popular vote did not win the election because of the distorting effect of the outdated Electoral College. Americans expect and deserve the winner of the popular vote to win office. More than a century ago, we amended our Constitution to provide for the direct election of U.S. Senators. It is past time to directly elect our President and Vice President,” Cohen wrote in a statement.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said on Thursday that she will spend only “some” of her time in the next Congress “trying to get subpoenas and trying to do investigations.”
“Those who say I’m going to spend all my time trying to get subpoenas and trying to do investigations, and I’m not going to do that,” Waters, the new Financial Services Committee Chairwoman, joked to laughter. “I’m just going to spend some of my time.”
“Those who say I’m going to spend all my time trying to get subpoenas and trying to do investigations, and I’m not going to do that. I’m just going to spend some of my time.” – New Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waterspic.twitter.com/hwvprUNm8o
Scandal-plagued Montebello Unified School District made a nearly $800,000 payout to its former superintendent in 2017, documents show, but the district won’t explain why.
In response to a request for records documenting the wages paid to its employees for the 2017 year, Montebello Unified provided a report that indicated the school paid $782,073 to former superintendent Susanna Contreras Smith.
That amount would make Ms. Contreras Smith by far the highest paid K-12 employee statewide, according to a survey of nearly 700,000 employee pay records posted on TransparentCalifornia.com.
But even stranger than the size of the payment is the timing. A Los Angeles Times report states that Ms. Contreras Smith was fired in November 2016, and filed what would ultimately be a successful whistleblower lawsuit against the district in July 2017.
So why did the school make such a large payout to someone who was no longer on the payroll?
That’s not something the public has a right to know, according to school administrator and de facto public records officer Jose Suarez.
When Transparent California asked about the unusual payout, Mr. Suarez refused to provide any information, asserting that the “Public Records Act creates no duty to answer written or oral questions submitted by members of the public.”
Such hostility to transparency would be alarming under ordinary circumstances, says Transparent California Executive Director Robert Fellner. But given that the district faces numerous credible allegations of fraud from state auditors, Mr. Suarez’s conduct is particularly galling.
“Mr. Suarez seems unaware that the core duty of public officials is to be accountable and transparent to the public they ostensibly serve,” Fellner said.
"One would think that amidst calls for a criminal fraud investigation from state auditors, school officials would be doing all they can to assure the public that they have nothing to hide.”
Rehoboth Beach– The Delaware State Police have arrested two suspects in connection with multiple shopliftings.
On January 4, 2019 at approximately 11:30 a.m., Troopers were dispatched to the Nike outlet in Bayside Outlet in reference to a shoplifting complaint in which the suspects had fled the scene. Troopers were provided with a vehicle description, a silver Oldsmobile Alero and observed a vehicle matching that description traveling northbound on Coastal Highway. A traffic stop was conducted and it was discovered that the driver, 32-year-old Donald L. Dailey Jr. of Milford and his passenger 27-year-old Ashley N. Cannon of Milford currently had active warrants for shoplifting.
Both suspects were taken into custody without incident. Cannon was found in possession of drug paraphernalia and both suspects were transported back to Troop 7. A search of the vehicle revealed stolen merchandise. Through further investigations it was discovered that the suspects had shoplifted from multiple other businesses since December, including Tommy Hilfiger, Marshalls, Nike and Adidas.
Donald L. Dailey Jr. was charged with the following:
Organized Retail Theft (Felony)
Conspiracy Third Degree (3 counts)
Shoplifting Under $1,500 (5 counts)
Dailey was arraigned before the Justice of the Peace Court 2 and released on $6,500.00 unsecured bond.
Ashley N. Cannon was charged with the following:
Organized Retail Theft (Felony)
Possession of Shoplifters Tools (Felony)
Conspiracy Third Degree (3 counts)
Shoplifting Under $1,500 (4 counts)
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Cannon was arraigned before the Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to the Dolores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution on $7,000.00 secured bond.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., declined on Friday to condemn Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., for calling President Trump a "motherf--ker" who would soon be impeached.
When reporters pressed her on whether Democrats should condemn Tlaib's comment, Warren said only that Democrats need to wait until special counsel Robert Mueller issues his full report on his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
