Damage to National Security by Releasing Classified

Top Secret material would cause "exceptionally grave damage" to national security if made publicly available.

Secret material would cause "serious damage" to national security if made publicly available.

Confidential material would cause "damage" to national security if made publicly available.

___Those with access to classified information have "security clearances" generally granted after background investigations (BI) or Expanded BIs for higher level access. This process is very expensive, so security clearances are limited by "need to know." All Senators and Representatives in Congress have security clearances. It is sometimes hard to explain their votes to audiences because parts of the subject are classified. There must be trust of our representatives in a Constitutional republic. Those representatives betray that trust if material is classified to deceive Americans. The United States is not a "democracy" as some in government would have us believe.

Is it Unconstitutional to Block Muslim Refugees?

___The Constitution of the United States gives Congress power to make laws concerning immigration. The refugees are not citizens and do not have the rights of citizens. The President, who was an instructor on the Constitution, does not - or chooses not to - understand Constitutional citizenship. He has tried to define prisoners of war at GTMO as criminals who are due the legal protections of citizenship and our court system. Can you imagine a jury of their "peers" (jihadists) deciding their innocence!

___The true refugees are the "infidels", those who are persecuted because the have not become Muslims. Yet some are quick to say that we cannot place a "religious test" on which refugees we take. Really?!!! The 1st Amendment states that Congress shall make no law establishing a state religion or prohibiting the free exercise of Americans' religion. We do have a choice as to which aliens we allow into our country! Those allowed in should have exclusive allegiance to the United States and our Constitution.

___SC State Representative Bill Taylor has correctly suggested that our compassion be directed instead to the 50,000 homeless veterans who have suffered to keep us safe.

Tax Reform and The Flat Tax

___We talk a lot about tax reform, but nothing gets done. The reason is that Congress' power comes from giving credits, deductions and other "gifts" using the tax code. These are legal bribes to keep themselves in office.

___The problem with the flat tax, is 1) it is not really flat; 2) it keeps the income tax and the IRS; 3) Congress won't pass it. The flat tax most often proposed keeps the charitable giving and mortgage interest deductions, so it is not "flat." Americans will still have to keep years of data on income and expenses. The IRS will be necessary to catch cheats. There is always the danger that the IRS will be used as a partisan weapon to punish those who disagree with the current administration's ideology. Stalin murdered tens of millions in order to consolidate his political power. The IRS assault on conservatives is a smaller example of the same thinking. Congress likes power. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely!

___The fair tax has been studied for decades. Two books have been written to answer its' critics. It is a non-regressive consumption tax which would be collected alongside the sales taxes. Step one is the repeal of the 16th Amendment. Taxes will be more obvious. We will pay them whenever we shop rather than on payday, quarterly or by 15 April. The fair tax replaces payroll, FICA and other taxes, so the paychecks of most people will be significantly higher. There is no tax on used goods, so the flea market industry will flourish.

___People do not like taxes. They try to minimize their tax by minimizing the thing taxed (income). It is far better to minimize consumption - particularly with obesity as a major problem.

Long-Term Unemployed in the United States Unchanged

___The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed at 2.1 million in November and has shown little movement since June. In November, these individuals accounted for 25.7 percent of the unemployed.

___The civilian labor force participation rate, at 62.5 percent, changed little in November. The employment-population ratio was unchanged at 59.3 percent and has shown little movement since October 2014.

___The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) increased by 319,000 to 6.1 million in November, following declines in September and October. These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job. Over the past 12 months, the number of persons employed part time for economic reasons is down by 765,000.

___In November, 1.7 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, down by 392,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Every Student Succeeds Act New Initiatives

1. The Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program. Part A of Title IV of ESSA would establish the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program in order to fund “well-rounded educational opportunities,” “safe and healthy students,” and the “effective use of technology.” ($1.6 billion annually)

2. New Preschool Program. ESSA would establish a new preschool program to be housed at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and jointly administered by the Department of Education. ($250 million annually)

3. Presidential Academies for the Teaching of American History and Civics. ESSA would create the academies to provide professional development to improve the teaching of history and civics to between 50 and 300 teachers annually. It would also establish Congressional Academies, a similar initiative geared toward high school juniors and seniors. ($6.5 million annually)

4. Family Engagement in Education Program. ESSA reconstitutes the former Parental Information Resource Centers into the Family Engagement in Education Program to “carry out parent education, and family engagement in education, programs.” ($10 million annually)

5. New STEM Master Teacher Corps. ESSA would establish a new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Master Teacher Corps program, to create a network of STEM leaders. ($9.3 million annually)

6. Reconstituted SIG Grants. The School Improvement Grant (SIG) program, created through the “stimulus,” is eliminated, but Title I funding grows, and its “set-aside” allowance goes from 4 percent to 7 percent, keeping SIG functions effectively intact. (As much as $1 billion of Title I funds annually)

___I am against Federal involvement in education. Items 3 and 4 could easily be used for propaganda use. Billions of dollars have been already spent to upgrade technology. It is too late to now consider the “effective use of technology!” The “safe and healthy students” might be great if all students in all 50 states actually like the same healthy diet! Who determines what constitutes “well-rounded educational opportunities?” Successful STEM teachers should be rewarded. What constitutes "school improvement?" Every human being is different. Comparing this year's millions with last year's is not scientific. Statistics is the third type of lies!

Economic Costs of Same Sex Marriage

___Charlie Sheen is HIV+. In 1989 the AMA Home Medical Encyclopedia gave the following statistics for AIDS cases:

60% Male Homosexual activity

16% Needle sharing by IV drug users

13% Both of the above

11% Other: blood transfers, heterosexual sex with infected partners

___In 2010 the cost to treat HIV+/AIDS was $23,000/yr or $379,668/lifetime in 2010 dollars. The number of carriers by 1989 was over 100,000. The CDC reports new HIV+ cases for the following years:

2006 48,600

2007 56,000

2008 47,800

2009 48,100

___The Supreme Court has declared that “same sex marriage” is legal in all states. The taxpayers must, by law, bear the medical costs of those who cannot afford the treatment – unlike Charlie Sheen. He announced his condition after 4 years, because he was being blackmailed, and it got to be too much. The government is forcifully taking tax dollars and using the money to mitigate the consequences of sin.

___The United States is bankrupt. When the defaults and cutbacks occur, one of the major reasons will be “we spent the money on HIV+/AIDS costs and treatments.”

Obama Lies Again About Syrian Refugees

___According to the President, the 10,000 Syrian refugees coming before the end of the year will be 3-year old children. Since the United States has already taken over 2500 Syrian refugees, we can look at the statistics:

___Males: over 52%; 21% of whom are military age

___Females: about 48%

___Muslim: mostly Sunni (ISIL Muslims are Sunni).

___Christian: only 53

___The real refugees are the non-Muslims who become sex slaves for ISIL men and the widows and orphans of those murdered. Jordan has taken in many refugees and they are somewhat vetted. I trust Jordan rather than our own government to vet the refugees. The Bible has an explicit vetting for Christians: "Yeshua is Lord!" Sounds good to me!

Mass Deportation of Illegal Aliens

___This topic is approached as all or nothing. Absurd! It is impractical to deport 12 million illegals all at one time. It is also impractical to continue to ignore the rule of law. This is a decades-old problem caused by the federal government ignoring immigration law. Reagan naively believed the Democrats in the trade of amnesty of 2.5 million for really good immigration legislation. Employers were penalized if they hired illegal aliens. Laws are for show if they are not enforced. Democrats controlled Congress from 1955 to 1995. If little money is appropriated for enforcement, then it doesn't happen. Democrats control most or all of the “sanctuary cities” where immigration laws are officially ignored.

___Immigration is good. It is also necessary to allow young workers in because the American birth rate is lower than the replacement rate. The promises of past politicians codified into law do not work without a large base in the demographic model. The numbers often cited are 16 workers to 1 receipient in 1935 and 3 to 1 today. The taxes on today's three will be so onerous that workers might rebel or simply not work. The Social Security Trust Fund has no money. The IOUs will have to be paid out of general funds, meaning today's and future workers will have to pay higher taxes to pay for past profligate spending.

___The Inspector General for the Social Security Administration revealed that there are 6.5 million active accounts for people over 112 years old. That means that politicians have allowed SSANs to be reassigned – probably to illegals – so that they might have a pseudo-legal status for employment, pay taxes, and receive payments. This is illegal, but necessary for Democrat New Deal programs to survive.

___To fix the problem, the incentives which allow illegals to enjoy the same benefits as legals must be removed. SSANs given illegally must be revoked. FICA taxes paided by illegals must be added to the Trust Fund anonomyously with no claim by the illegals. Illegals must apply for citizenship through the existing process with no credit for time spent in the country illegally. As part of the legal process, they must swear exclusive allegiance to the United States of America. Felons must be deported. Legal immigration must be based on merit and not family affiliation. Children born in the United States to illegals should be stripped of citizenship if they have not been “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States. This Constitutional requirement has been illegally ignored, but it is still the Law.

___If employers have knowingly employed illegals in violation of immigration laws, then the penalties of the law must be satisfied.

Productivity and Union Myths

___Unions claim that when productivity increases the wages of workers should increase accordingly. If workers were the sole reason for the increase in productivity, then the argument might be valid. If however the increase in productivity was due to capital investment (automation), then workers claim is false.

___In 1970 the book Future Shock described the economy of the United States since 1607 and predicted the future economy. During the Agricultural Age 98% of Americans were involved in agriculture. As machines and fertilizer increased yields and decreased the need for manual labor, the percentage of Americans who were involved in agriculture dropped to the 2% that we see today. Many of these workers went to work in factories in the Industrial Age. Efficiencies and automation again decreased the need for manual labor, and the percentage of Americans involved in manufacturing has decreased. This has been particularly true in labor-intensive industries where jobs shifted to countries with lower labor costs and more friendly business environments. The invention of the transistor and computers began the Information Age. Many new jobs require a higher technical knowledge than repetitive manufacturing or agricultural jobs. These low-skill jobs are increasingly filled by immigrants - many illegal. We have entered the Global Economy Age where companies from all nations compete for consumer dollars.

___The demographics of the developed nations is working against the increasingly generous federal and state retirement and health care programs. The United States at 1.8 children for the average family is below the 2.1 children needed for replacement. Because the average lifetime is at least a decade longer than in 1935, the funds promised to Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid recipients fall far short of what has been expected. Between the national debt ($18.5T) and unfunded liabilities ($98.9T), payments for these programs will be decreased or stopped entirely. We saw in Greece where this resulted in rioting in the streets. The government's solution to our demographic problem is to open the border to illegal immigration. These illegals will "do the jobs that Americans do not want to do." At the same time taxpayers will pay workers up to 99 weeks not to work.

Joe Wilson's (SC-2) Congressional schizophrenia:

November 2, 2015

___Joe voted for John Boehner in January. He refused to sign the Mulvaney letter, but then [show] voted against the Boehner-Pelosi CR (to 11 Dec 2015) keeping Planned Parenthood funded. The Export/Import Bank charter had expired 30 June 2015. I have accused Wilson of taking an indirect bribe through the RNC for supporting Ex/IM (Boeing donates millions to RNC (and DNC) which parcels money to Ex/Im supporters).

Export-Import Bank Reauthorization-- Passage - Vote Passed (313-118, 3 Not Voting)

___The chamber moved a measure that reauthorizes the official export credit agency of the United States for four years; sets new, lower, lending caps; aims to increase accountability and transparency at the bank; and directs the president to initiate negotiations to reduce and eventually eliminate government export subsidies worldwide.

Rep. Joe Wilson voted YES

Budget Agreement and Debt Limit -- Passage - Vote Passed (266-167, 2 Not Voting)

___The House agreed to legislation which suspends the debt limit until March 15, 2017, and it partially rolls back the sequester of discretionary spending scheduled for fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017 to increase caps for those two years by a total of $80 billion, split equally between defense and non-defense. It requires additional funding through the war-related Overseas Contingency Operations account for both years, as well. It also prevents a sharp increase in Medicare Part B premiums for certain beneficiaries in 2016 and keeps the Social Security disability insurance trust fund solvent until 2022. It includes $79.9 billion in mandatory spending cuts and revenue increases to offset the bill's costs, and would reduce the deficit by $497 million according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Rep. Joe Wilson voted YES

Mainstream Media - The SuperPAC of the Democrats and Establishment Republicans

___In the Republican Debates Carl, Becky and John were more like reporters from The Enquirer that reporters from a legitimate financial network! Ted Cruz was amazing to remember and recount every attacking question and unload on the "moderators" like a machine gun. ___It was a waste of valuable time - as were the timely interruptions to get in another 5 minutes of commercials - to ask again about Trump's bankruptcies in Atlantic City, Carly's firing, Mario's missing votes, etc. They failed to cover many substantive policy issues and nuances because of their "gotcha questions." By the way "Are you still beating you wife?"; "Are you still having sex with your secretary?" The Enquirer wants to know!

Red States and Freedom v Blue States and Progressive Socialism

___Days after the election in November 2008 the Augusta Chronicle printed my letter in which I recommended that we (GA and SC) do the same thing that we did the last time a President was elected from Illinois. What followed in the next two years was a takeover of the healthcare industry, a takeover of the financial industry, and Keynesian/Marxist economics on steroids.

___The “Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act”, PPACAA, was passed to insure everyone for medical care. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act had passed in 1986 requiring EMT facilities to treat anyone – legal or illegal. The PPACAA would hopefully limit the higher-cost EMT visits to true emregencies and reduce the closures of EMT facilities in border states. It is better known as the biggest tax in United States history as defined by the Supreme Court!

___It is true the United States was entering a dramatic recession caused by an overheated housing boom and subsequent bust. Administrations for decades had been advocating for home ownership as the “American dream,” even to the point of threatening lawsuits for racism if loans were not approved – regardless of the creditworthiness of the borrower. The Federal Reserve assisted with historically low rates for money with no end in sight. The “irrational exuberance” this caused was noted!

___Republican Senator Phil Gramm had succeeded in getting Glass-Stiegel repealed in the late 1990s. This allowed bankers to gamble with depositors' money. The bankers divested themselves of the bad loans as quickly as possible by creating witches brews called derivatives. Credit rating companies assisted by giving the derivatives high ratings. When the bad loans within these failed, the house of cards began to unravel. The Bush and Obama administrations used the Troubled Assets Relief Program to bail out the bad betters like big financials, GM, Chrysler and AIG with taxpayer money. The 10 “to-big-to-fail” banks became the 5 “to-bigger-to-fail” banks with 77% control of all U.S. banking.

___The Congress sought to contain the problem they had helped to create with Dodd-Frank (named after two in Congress who had personally benefitted by the misdeeds). Onerous new regulations applied to all banks – not just the TBTF banks. The Consumer Financial Protection Board was created to protect us from ourselves (bad people convinced us to buy $500,000 homes on minimum wage salaries).

___Most - about 90% - of student loans were absorbed by the taxpayers. The total is over $1.3Trillion owed by over 40,000,000 Americans (who happen to be at least voting age). The default rate has gone up each passing year and is currently abou 17%. The Obama administration has been aggressive in forgiving student loans. Taxpayers fund the insanity.

___The President and Secretary of Energy have been anti-nuclear. They closed the waste repository in Nevada when over $14Billion of energy customers fee payments for the facility had been spent for construction. When the number of “green jobs” was published, most were from the existing nuclear power industry. Many of the new jobs for which Obama takes credit have been in the petroleum industry that he has tried to shackle and kill. He has almost succeeded in killing the coal industry.

___The President has been an isolationist on foreign policy. Our enemies have been only too happy to fill the gap. Americans have evidently died in vain in the Middle East. Democrats who rant about American deaths in “Bush's War” have evidently forgotten the 58,000+ in “Johnson's War!”

___The President – assisted by the Supreme Court in a bizarre decision – has blessed homosexual sex in all states. States rights (10th Amendment) has been erased. Laws can also be modified at will by SCOTUS decisions.

___At every opportunity, establishment Republicans have given in to Democrat demands. Even though Speaker Boehner has resigned, he was replaced by another “moderate” (55% conservative) Republican. At least Paul Ryan thinks debt is a problem and not a solution!

Economy Does Better With Democrats?

___Hillary offered this lie on Colbert's show - a comedy show. Obviously the liberal audience - being the stupid voters described by MIT Professor Gruber - applauded. I have posted (13 Mar 2015) the facts from a NY academic:

___The economy did best with Republican President Coolidge and a Republican-controlled House and Senate in the "roaring" 1920s. The Reagan years and decades afterward were good years, and Democrats controlled the Congress from 1955 to 1995. The United States ran a surplus with a Republican-controlled House and Senate in the latter 1990s. Clinton was quick to take credit, buy he vetoed welfare reform twice before finally signing it. That was a major reason for the surpluses. Clinton ran big deficits (by 20th century standards) before the Republicans took control of Congress. Democrats controlled the Congress from FY2007 to FY2011, so they are partly responsible for the financial crisis. Republican Senator Phil Gramm got the legislation repealed (Glass-Stiegel) which had prevented the financial misdeeds up to that point. Certainly Clinton and following administrations put intense pressure on the mortgage loan industry to make poor loan decisions - threatening racism lawsuits if the loans were denied. Large banks then grouped these loans into derivatives which the bond raters overrated. Taxpayers lost at least $1Trillion when the house of cards collapsed.

___The economy does better in a free market. Centrally planned economies with overregulation do poorly at best!

Who is Stealing Our Strategic Petroleum Reserve?

___I heard that oil is being sold from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to raise cash. This is criminal or at least stupid. To buy high and sell low is stupid. We also have a President and Dept of Energy who are against fossil fuels. This action will further weaken our petroleum industry by artificially lowering their profits. Since prices are low already, some companies may not survive this attack. New technology has provided for our energy needs and has lessened our critical need for oil and a SPR, but using the SPR as a tactical piggy bank is criminal!

___We know that there is nothing in the Social Security Trust Fund but IOUs. Congress has used all of the money, and now other peoples' money (Those of us who have paid FICA during our working lifetimes) is GONE!

Ben Carson on Church and State, Gun Control, States and Welfare

___Our founding fathers understood this and wisely instituted a policy of separation of church and state, which is totally different from the concept of separation of God and state. (America The Beautiful, Tolerance and Accommodation, p192).

http://rightwingconspiracypolitics.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-separation-of-church-and-state.html

___Only law-abiding citizens are affected by legislation imposing gun control. The criminals really don't care what the law says, which is why they are criminals. Confiscating the guns of American citizens would violate the Constitution as well as rendering the citizenry vulnerable to criminals and tyrants.

___Each of our fifty states has its own unique characteristics, and people reside in a given state because they enjoy the atmosphere and the camaraderie of like-minded people. The individuality of our states is immensely valuable and provides a host of options for all of our citizens, who can freely move to any state of their choice. If the federal government becomes too dominant, it will try to create uniformity to make domination of the states much easier. This [10th] amendment prevents that kind of power grab. Source: A More Perfect Union, 2015, pp 168-9.

___A truly moral nation enacts policies that encourage personal responsibility and discourage self-destructive behavior by not subsidizing people who live irresponsibly and make poor choices. We simply cannot afford welfare programs for able-bodied people who make unwise choices and expect other people to pay for it.

Illinois Will Issue IOUs to Lottery Winners $600+

___The state of Illinois is short of funds and is technically bankrupt. Lottery winners of more than $600 will be presented with IOUs rather than cash. At least one winner will sue the state for their money.

___Many realized that gambling was an evil, and that there would be eventual consequences of lotteries. One obvious consequence has been the cost of college. Lotteries making college "free" has dramatically increased the costs of everything college-related (ECON 101: an increase in demand while supply remains static means an increase in cost).

___The state is technically bankrupt because its progressive socialist policies have dramatically increased spending, and the state is running out of other people's money.

Mike Huckabee on The Fair Tax

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/caucus/2015/10/05/why-do-gop-candidates-support-irs-lets-pass-fairtax/73386892/

The Myth of Catastrophic Global Climate Change

___If the United States uses costly regulations or other means to destroy the coal power industry, then is the environment cleaner? We have one atmosphere for the planet. If the United States closes or offlines a power plant and China and India (or another) build 10 more at the same time, then is the environment cleaner? Since the Earth rotates, then the atmosphere over China and India will soon be the atmosphere over us.

___China and India have a combined population of 2,600 million while the United States has only 320 million. Are we to deny basic electricity to about 8 times as many as ourselves? The carbon emissions to do just that will dwarf any cutbacks on our part. The accords in Kyoto (2000) and Copenhagen (2010) suggested that the developed nations reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fund similar efforts by the developing nations. China and India are listed as developing nations, but they have GDPs of $13.4T and $5.1T and 5-year growth rates of 8.9% and 6.9% respectively. To take on such additional cleanup costs would severely disadvantage developed nations. A reparations logic is used as justification assuming any development came at the expense of a polluted environment.

___The United States is blessed with over a century's worth supply of energy producing fuel. It is irrational to refuse to develop this resource and use it responsibly and cleanly. We have 17 National Laboratories – SRNL in our backyard – we should use them wisely for the good of the people.

The Rewards of an Education - US Census 1999

Over an average adult's working life (25 to 64) one can expect:

___High school diploma: $1.2million

___College diploma: $2.1million

___Masters degree: $2.5million

___Doctoral degree: $3.4million

___Professional (MD,DMD,DVM): $4.4million

Allowing Immigrants From Africa and the Middle East

___It is naive to become protectionist after causing much of the crisis with the American government's failed foreign policy.

___To those who say that the immigrants would take the jobs of American workers, I say that you are no better than those in the 1930s who turned their backs on the Jews in Nazi Germany. In the 1930s unemployment averaged about 20%. Currently the DOL says that it is only 5%. Even with a Labor Participation Rate of 63% (lowest in 40 years), we are far more able to take more of these desperate people. The other fact is that our population demographics does not support the current welfare and Social Security system. Much has been said about the 15 to 1 and 3 to 1 ratios of payers to takers in 1936 and today respectively.

___This immigration would be legal. Ellis Island as well as the GTMO naval station could be used to screen potential immigrants for diseases and whether they would be an asset to the nation. Immigrants should learn English and swear exclusive allegiance to the United States. Bobby Jindal said: Immigration without assimilation is invasion. The United States does not need to be invaded again!

Backroom Deal Between Boehner and Pelosi?

“I will say, the early reports are discouraging. If it is correct that the Speaker, before he resigns, has cut a deal with Nancy Pelosi to fund the Obama administration for the rest of its tenure, to fund Obamacare, to fund executive amnesty, to fund Planned Parenthood, to fund implementation of this Iran deal — and then, presumably, to land in a cushy K Street job after joining with the Democrats to implement all of President Obama’s priorities, that is not the behavior one would expect of a Republican speaker of the House,” Cruz told reporters at the conservative Values Voter Summit in Washington.

Ted Cruz is an honest, trustworthy, smart man. If he says this, then we have cause for concern!

Read more at

http://conservativebyte.com/2015/09/ted-cruz-slams-outgoing-john-boehner-over-early-reports-that-he-cut-a-deal-with-nancy-pelosi-before-resigning/

Update 10/5:The House voted 277-151 last Wednesday to pass a so-called "clean" two-month continuing resolution (CR) that preserved federal funding for Planned Parenthood. This CR sets a new deadline for December 11, about the same time that negotiations for budget caps and tax extenders will be underway.

Boehner Will Resign - Do Not Trust Establishment Republicans

___With Rep Meadows resolution to "vacate the chair," discussion has continued about dethroning John Boehner. He has now announced that he will step down (and out) as Speaker on 30 October. Do not trust Boehner or establishment Republicans. The timing (5 days until the end of the FY) is suspect as is waiting until one month into FY16. The vacate the chair movement is evidently gaining steam and forcing the issue.

___The media is giving the knee-jerk analysis: Kevin McCarthy (R-CA, Majority Leader) is the most likely replacement. He is yet another establishment Republican with a 63% Heritage Action score. The Speaker of the House is next in line after the Vice President to become President. Since the Speaker does not have to be a member of the House of Representatives, why not select one of the Republican Presidential candidates with political experience. Those who care have seen each candidate in the televised debates and YouTube videos and know them better than an establishment Republican in the House. Pressure should be put on John Boehner to resign NOW while the writing is on the wall!

___My personal choices would be Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal or Scott Walker.

Rod Martin: Should America Pay Reparations for Slavery?

1. Why should a bunch of Irish people, or Mexicans, or Chinese, who arrived in America after 1865 have to pay for these reparations? And even if they were specifically exempted somehow, how would they not suffer the economic effects of this economic chaos resulting from such a giant expropriation?

2. Will blacks who are partially of white descent have to pay? If not, why not?

3. Why should anyone who had nothing to do with slavery have to pay anyone for anything?

4. Why should anyone who was not personally enslaved receive any compensation for what happened to someone else?

5. If African Americans are to receive compensation for the oppression their ancestors experienced, why should they not have to immediately pay some or all of it to the descendants of the Union soldiers who died or were maimed freeing those same ancestors?

___Why are these activists not vehemently opposed to current day slavery throughout the planet?

Coburn - The Number One Problem in D.C.

___The number one problem in Washington, D.C. is career politicians want re-election more than fixing problems with America. According to former OK Senator Tom Coburn, MD, the problem will best be fixed by an Article V Convention of states. He is referring to the second way that the U.S. Constitution is amended: 2/3 of the states (34) propose amendments to the Constitution. The Congress proposing amendments fails when the needed amendment will limit their power or term limit. An Article V Convention of states becomes necessary to impose term limits for Congress and the courts, limit spending (Balanced Budget Amendment), reform the tax system, etc. See the book Liberty Amendments by Mark Levin for possibilities with explanations why they are needed.

___Currently 37 states have endorsed an Article V Convention of states in at least one part of their state legislature.

___As with amendments proposed by Congress, amendments proposed by an Article V Convention of states must still be ratified by 3/4 of the states. The founding fathers made change difficult. They were very gifted, intelligent men!

Hooray for Dr Ben Carson

___Shari'ah law is not compatible with the United States Constitution.

___How could a Muslim President take the oath of office?: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Homosexual Selected as Secretary of the Army!

___Governor Mike Huckabee, who has never shied away from speaking out on these issues, blasted the administration for caring more about its politically correct legacy than America's national security. "It's clear President Obama is more interested in appeasing America's homosexuals than honoring America's heroes... Obama is so obsessed with pandering to liberal interest groups he's nominated an openly gay civilian to run the Army. Homosexuality is not a job qualification."

___My condolences to those who have served. Barry doesn't get it!

Discrimination by the United States Government

___The Web site sss.gov openly reflects the discrimination of the Federal government against male citizens. The site says SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM ; Official Site of the United States Government. It's stated mission:

“…To furnish manpower to the Defense Department during a national emergency, to manage alternative service for men classified as conscientious objectors, and to register, with only a few exceptions, all male U.S. citizens and male immigrants residing in the United States who are ages 18 through 25...”

___It is hypocritical for women to want equal pay (this has been Federal law since the Equal Pay Act of 1963), and not accept responsibility of protecting the United States!

What is the Free Exercise of Religion?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

Too many believe that religion involves buildings and only Sundays [or Saturdays] and Wednesday nights. The Bible describes a changed life which is 24/7!

Ted Cruz: Where is the call for President Obama to resign for ignoring and defying our immigration laws, our welfare reform laws, and even his own Obamacare? When the mayor of San Francisco and President Obama resign, then we can talk about Kim Davis.

Those who are persecuting Kim Davis believe that Christians should not serve in public office. That is the consequence of their position. Or, if Christians do serve in public office, they must disregard their religious faith–or be sent to jail.

Kim Davis should not be in jail. We are a country founded on Judeo-Christian values, founded by those fleeing religious oppression and seeking a land where we could worship God and live according to our faith, without being imprisoned for doing so.

Former CIA Officer on Muslim Infiltration and Obama Response

Claire Lopez believed the Muslim Brotherhood has thoroughly infiltrated the Obama administration and other branches of the federal government.

She also came to the conclusion Obama had essentially the same goals in the Mideast as the late Osama bin Laden: “to remove American power and influence, including military forces, from Islamic lands.”

Read more: http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com/former-cia-officer-just-exposed-obama-our-worst-fears-are-true/#ixzz3khwNydza

Steinle Family Sues SF, ICE and BLM

In 2011, a California appeals court rejected a similar lawsuit. In that case, the wife of Anthony Bologna alleged that San Francisco’s sanctuary policy contributed to the shooting death of her husband and their two sons by a Salvadoran illegal immigrant who was suspected of being a member of a violent gang.

Like the Steinles, Bologna claimed that the city had been negligent by failing to report her family’s murder to federal authorities despite having been in contact with police for drug and violent crimes he committed while a juvenile.

“The Obama administration likes these sanctuary policies for political reasons and doesn’t care about the untold suffering they cause,” he said. “What needs to happen but won’t under the current administration is that the federal government should sue cities like San Francisco for their reckless, dangerous policies that violate federal immigration law.”

Pass Constitutional Citizenship!

___Once the SCOTUS rules, the decision becomes a precedent for future decisions. In 1857 in the Dred Scott decision no black of African descent could be a citizen of the United States. The 14th Amendment was necessary to overturn this decision. It gives two conditions for citizenship: 1) All persons born or naturalized in the United States , and 2) subject to the jurisdiction thereof. The second condition meant exclusive allegiance to the United States. This meant, for example, that families of ambassadors and other foreign officials with diplomatic immunity who had a baby born in the United States would not receive citizenship for their baby.

___In 1898 SCOTUS changed the rules to citizenship. The second condition no longer applied. Chief Justice Fuller dissented that birthright citizenship had been repealed by the principles of the American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson had argued that it was a natural right possessed by all men to leave the country [England] where “chance and not choice” had placed them. The natural right to revolution is the perfect antithesis of “perpetual allegiance.” Our founding fathers had renounced their allegiance to England in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. King George disagreed and the war for American Independence was fought (1775-1783 and 1812-1815).

___It is Congress, the peoples' elected representatives, who must decide the matter. Do we want the birthright citizenship of 18th century England and of the 1898 SCOTUS, or do we want citizens who have exclusive allegiance to the United States? Should prisoners of war be brought onto American soil (i.e. from GITMO) and given privileges and immunities of citizens?

Is Birthright Citizenship Constitutional?

___The argument that an illegal alien can step into the United States, claim legal and political jurisdiction, and confer citizenship to their child is insane. People claiming to be Constitutional experts saying that the 14th Amendment allows birthright citizenship are dead wrong. The 14th Amendment didn’t even give citizenship to Native Americans, why would it give citizenship to illegal aliens? The Constitution is on our side in a second way: Article 1 Section 8, which grants plenary power to Congress to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. We’re tired of being told someone can come into our country illegally, claim citizenship, and we’re told there’s nothing we can do about it. We have policies that promote illegal aliens and illegal alien children more than the American citizen and American child – we’re committing national suicide.

Read more at:

http://conservativebyte.com/2015/08/mark-levin-congress-can-end-birthright-citizenship-without-amending-the-constitution/

Flat Tax v. Fair Tax

___The Flat Tax is becoming popular again. Steve Forbes has been a supporter for years. Ben Carson with his tithe is favoring a Flat Tax. It is still an income tax and there is still an I.R.S.! Will it be truly flat? Most will insist on deductions for charitable giving and mortgage interest. How many other "must have" deductions would have to be kept? Steve Forbes "post card return" will grow!

___The Fair Tax is a consumption tax. The first step is the repeal of the 16th Amendment. That gets rid of the income tax legally and most if not all I.R.S. employees. Ted Cruz would jokingly send them to guard our southern border, and I must admit I.R.S. auditors could scare illegals. The Fair Tax is not regressive like a simple sales tax. It has a prebate which sends a monthly check for necessities - up to the poverty level - to everyone. As Huckabee has stated F.I.C.A. taxes on wages are not sufficient to fund Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. Capital gains and illegal income are not taxed. Eventually these programs will be bankrupt and must be paid from general funds. Christie is also correct that the eligibility age must be gradually increased. When passed in 1935 the average age at death was about 64 - less than the age for eligibility. The dramatic increase in life expectancy may not be ignored. As has been said entitlement reform must be discussed since it plus interest make up 71% of the budget. To continually debate the 29% discretionary part and ignore the 71% is folly!

___The truth is Congress must be forced to pass tax reform of any kind. Their power is in the 70,000 pages of favors and social engineering of the Code.

Ted Cruz on School Choice

___“The facts are unequivocal - school choice improves students' test scores, keeps them in school longer, saves taxpayer dollars, provides a safer learning environment, and increases competition and quality in traditional public schools.”

Scalia Dissent in King v. Burwell

___"This Court’s two decisions on the Act will surely be remembered through the years. The somersaults of statutory interpretation they have performed (“penalty” means tax … “established by the State” means not established by the State) will be cited by liti­gants endlessly, to the confusion of honest jurisprudence. And the cases will publish forever the discouraging truth that the Supreme Court of the United States favors some laws over others, and is prepared to do whatever it takes to uphold and assist its favorites."

___Now the PPACA is being challenged again because SCOTUS has determined that it is a "tax" bill, but the LAW states:

All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

___H.R. 3590, the bill that became Obamacare, was originally titled “Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009” and had nothing to do with health care.

___But to secure passage of Obamacare, the Senate decided to take this bill, which had passed the House, and gut it entirely, replacing the entire text of that bill with the Obamacare title and text and keeping only the bill number. After it passed the Senate, the House then approved the new Senate-drafted bill through a reconciliation bill. The House made no changes to the text, which, because of the Senate’s obscure procedural rules, meant that when the bill went back to the Senate, it was not subject to a filibuster. This was significant because, in the interim, Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., had died and been replaced by Scott Brown, R-Mass., thereby depriving the Democrats of the 60 votes they would need to defeat an otherwise inevitable Republican filibuster.

Can an American Lose Her/His Citizenship?

___”All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” My citizenship is due to my birth in Alabama. My father's citizenship is due to his birth in North Carolina. My mother's citizenship is due to her birth in Alabama. My wife was born in Scotland to a Polish father and a Scottish mother. They came to the United States when she was several months old. Persons not born in the United States may become citizens by rejecting allegiance to the country of their birth and swearing allegiance to the United States. In my wife's case she recited the pledge of allegiance daily in elementary school in Hawaii. All citizens must be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

___If an American citizen travels to another country with the intent of giving allegiance to the country or training to harm the United States, then her/his passport should be seized and destroyed. As enemies they should be rejected from ever entering the United States.

SCotUS Decision on Same-Sex Marriage is Bizarre!

___Even if the Justices supported same-sex marriage, to extend it to ALL states is bizarre. May a prostitute from Nevada - where prostitution is legal - practice her/his trade in a state where prostitution is illegal? What is the difference in the sin of sodomy being legalized and the sin of prostitution being legalized? What about marijuana use and sales? Will the states that currently prohibit this be forced to allow use and sales by people from states where this is legal?

___To make this decision the five Justices appealed to the 14th Amendment while ignoring the 10th Amendment. This is bizarre since the 10th was a part of the original Bill of Rights and the 14th was ratified in 1868 to protect the rights of freed slaves! Note that the 14th is a favorite of "legislators from the bench" for birthright citizenship, legalizing abortion, overturning the vote of Florida, etc. Two of the five Justices had performed same-sex marriages and should have recused themselves.

___In the 1800s, Wisconsin refused to honor the illegal Dred Scott (blacks are not human) decision. Current-day legal authorities should follow this precedent!

Enforce the Laws or Be Tried as an Accessory!

___The California case involved 32 year old Kathryn Steinle, who was walking with her father on a pier in the “sanctuary city” of San Francisco. An illegal immigrant who had been deported five times prior killed her. The Texas case involved an illegal immigrant who had been deported four times prior. Police say the man admitted to murdering his wife with a hammer.

___The legal authorities responsible for these tragedies should be arrested and tried as accessories to murder. There must be penalties for allowing crimes to be committed. It is called a rule of law. Otherwise we are no different from a third-world country.

___This includes automatically giving "citizenship" to babies born in the United States. The much abused 14th Amendment has a second condition: subject to the jurisdiction thereof. Babies could get "conditional citizenship" until it becomes evident that they are not subject to the Constitution. At that point, they should be stripped of their birthright citizenship and deported. Citizenship should always be a privilege.

___San Francisco is directly violating federal law, as are all of the other sanctuary cities. Under Section 642 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. §1373), it is a violation of federal law for any state or local government to “prohibit, or in any way restrict” law enforcement or other government officials from sending or receiving information from the federal government on the “citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual.”

___Three murders (Tony Bologna and his two teenage sons) occurred in 2008. The Mayor and City Council of San Francisco are accessories. The Steinle and Bologna families need to bring a civil suit against them regardless of an criminal action. A multimillion dollar judgement against city officials might get their attention!

The Flag on the South Carolina Capitol

___The Confederate flag over the South Carolina Capitol is an historic symbol standing for the war that the Confederate States of America (CSA) had to fight for independence from the United States of America (USA).

___Yankee historians have blamed the war on slavery. This is a revision of the facts. The Emancipation Proclamation became effective 1 January 1863. This was almost two full years into the war, and it only freed the slaves in the CSA. Slavery was still legal in five states in the USA. Slavery was not abolished in the USA until the 13th Amendment was ratified after the war.

___The situation in 1860 was similar to the situation in 1770. Northern states had the population, manufacturing and navy as did England in 1770, and controlled trade with tariff policy. The southern states had a basically agrarian society. When Lincoln was elected, the southern states had no choice – just as the colonies had no choice in 1770. The southern states seceded and formed the CSA before Lincoln took office. Lincoln and the Radical Republicans refused to accept secession and give up subjugation of the southern states - just as King George did in 1776 with the colonies. The USA sent three ships to resupply the Federal fort in Charleston harbor. This was as unacceptable to the CSA as was Russia sending ships with missiles for Cuba in 1962. Fort Sumter was forced to surrender. At this point the USA invaded the CSA.

___The CSA would never have gone to war with the USA. The USA had about 3 times the population, most of the manufacturing and weapons technology, and a navy. The CSA was fighting an invader for its very existence! Most of the war was fought on southern soil. Lee lost the war when he became overconfident and invaded Pennsylvania without Stonewall Jackson. The USA lost at least 65,000 more men than the CSA, but, with 3 times the population, it could sustain the loss. The CSA lost a far greater percentage of men. At the time Lee surrendered he was outnumbered 10-to-1, had few supplies and little ammunition to sustain a defense.

___It was a real tragedy that Lincoln was assassinated because his policy toward the southern states would have been much more lenient than the Radical Republicans, the “carpetbaggers” and the “scalawags.” The injustices of the Reconstruction era solidified a hatred of the blacks being manipulated. It was similar to the tragedy that Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968. He had called for “color blindness” instead of “affirmative action.” The racist and divisive policies of the government have seeded the hatred of today.

___The flag should be taken down only if government schools teach the truth about America's Second War for Independence.

___The northern and far western (blue) states have imposed progressive socialism and immorality on America. Professor Gruber says we are stupid and apathetic. Is he right?

Obamanomics - Why Our Economy is Not Growing

___The goal of the Obama administration is to redistribute income. This is Karl Marx' idea to take from those who have excess in order to give to those who have less. The poverty level is defined by the Commerce Department for EBT cards, rent and health subsidies, free cell phones etc. It is defined by the Agriculture Department for free food (milk, cheese, etc purchased by DA to keep prices high). There are about 44 million living in "poverty" per USDebtClock.org

___Much of the burden on small business is regulations created by the Executive branch. Congress has relegated its power to Executive agencies like IRS, EPA, etc. To overrule a regulation requires a majority of Congress, but with thousands of regulations created each year, Congress allows most to become "law." An example is carbon regulation (tax) to "mitigate global climate change." If an American manufacturer makes widgets, then part of the cost/price of the widget will be compliance with regulations. China has no obligation to follow these regulations and incur a cost, so their widgets will sell at a lower price.

___Under Kyoto and Copenhagen climate agreements, "developed" countries must clean up their acts. "Developing" countries are not obligated to do so, although it is encouraged if "developed" countries provide the technology and funding to do so! With the Paris meeting in December, PoTUS has gotten the Pope to make the same argument. The problem with a global policy is that the 200 countries are very different. A one-size-fits-all policy is stupid when applied to apples and oranges!

___It is obviously stupid to exempt China from environmental costs since it has the second largest economy of all countries on the planet! Since China is growing at three times or more than the United States, it will have the planet's largest economy of any country very soon.

___Both Japan and China each hold more than $1 trillion in U.S. debt. This gives them enormous control of world finance. They may demand that the dollar can no longer be the reference currency. Think of all prices in Special Drawing Rights of the International Monetary Fund with 1/5 the value determined by dollar, pound, euro, yen and yuan each! Americans could not accept the metric system!

Bill of Non-Rights

'We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights.'

ARTICLE I:

You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II:

You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of dummies, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III:

You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV:

You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.

ARTICLE V:

You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI:

You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you get the blue juice.

ARTICLE VII:

You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII:

You do not have the right to a job. All of us surely want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

ARTICLE IX:

You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE X:

This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you came from, English is our language. Learn it!

ARTICLE XI:

You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, sorry if you are uncomfortable with it.

NAACP: National Association for the Abortion of Colored People

___If "Black Lives Matter", then why are 40% of black babies aborted? The truth is that Planned Parenthood was founded by a woman who believed that blacks were inferior and should be aborted before birth or sterilized after being born. The "science" of Eugenics sterilized hundreds of thousands of Americans in the early 20th century in order to help evolution (survival of the fittest).

___The NAACP is actually complicit in that agenda.

South Carolina Freedom Summit, 9 May 2015

___Twelve conservative speakers, many announced candidates for President, spoke for about 20 minutes each.

___The quote of the day to me was:

The United States did not create religious liberty; religious liberty created the United States!

___An anti-regulation joke:

A politician was speaking to a group of farmers and asked "What is the difference in a swarm of locusts and a swarm of regulators? Answer: You cannot use pesticides on the swarm of regulators." One old farmer sat upright and said: "You sure about that?"

___A reporter recently asked Carly Fiorina a rather stupid question: "Are you concerned that your female hormones will cloud your judgement as President?" Carly asked the women in the Summit audience if they knew of an instance where male hormones had clouded the judgement of a President - even in the Oval Office!

___A tongue-in-cheek joke:

We have to get rid of the IRS, padlock the door and send the 90,000 employees to guard our borders. When illegals travel long distances and cross the Rio Grande only to be confronted with tens of thousands of IRS agents, then they will willingly return to their own countries!

Congratulations to David Cameron

___Margaret Thatcher stopped a long slide towards socialism in the United Kingdom and prospered the U.K. for the next 11 years as Prime Minister. Dealing with entrenched socialists required her to be the "Iron Lady." She became a conservative mentor for Ronald Reagan when he was elected President two years later. There is appropriately a statue of her at Hillsdale College in Michigan.

___We Americans would hope that David Cameron is equally as effective and successful in his next five year term. Already the U.K. labor force participation rate in the U.K. is 74% compared to the dismal 62.8% in the U.S. Hopefully Americans will see the contrast between conservative and liberal/labor policies. British voters are obviously not stupid! What do you think Professor Gruber?!

Repeal the Fourteenth Amendment

___On April 28th, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear Obergefell v. Hodges, et al., consolidated cases which will decide whether state laws defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman violate the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.

___The 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868 to provide equal protection of law to freed slaves (13th Amendment). The states of the Confederate States of America were forced to ratify the 14th in order to rejoin the union. The 14th has been abused to murder unborn babies, to illegally give birthright citizenship, to overturn a state Supreme Court decision about an election, etc. The legal protection of freed slaves is a moot point now. The 14th Amendment is fertile ground for activist judges for abuse. It should be repealed.

The Fair Tax is the Correct Tax Reform

___The FairTax Act of 2015 is 131 pages long. It is a simple one step flat sales tax at the cash register. It would replace the income, payroll, corporate, gift, estate, capital gains, and alternative minimum taxes. These taxes require over 72,000 pages of laws and regulations. The IRS and tax audits will be unnecessary! The competing "flat tax" keeps both.

___The FairTax, HR25, S155, repeals income, payroll taxes, etc and phases out the IRS. These taxes are replaced by a national tax on all services and new tangible goods sold at retail in the United States. There is no tax on used goods, so yard sales and flea markets are not affected. There is no tax on business-to-business transactions or on exports. Lawful residents receive a tax-cancelling allowance (prebate) for essentials.

___The first part of the Fair Tax is the repeal of the 16th Amendment. Since sales taxes are regressive, the Fair Tax automates prebates to everyone for necessities.

___Congress does not want the Fair Tax. Their power comes from shielding friends from taxes and punishing enemies. Americans are allowing the federal government to control their lives through this social engineering. Our most sensitive personal information is collected by force at least each year and is vulnerable to loss and misuse.

___The Fair Tax is not a new idea. It has been studied and debated for decades! Reports by the Tax Policy Center indicate that 16-20 percent of taxable activity escapes current taxation, so the revenue will be higher, and the rate for everyone can be reduced.

My Credentials as a Constitutional Conservative

___In November 2008 my letter to the editor was published suggesting that we "do the same thing that we did the last time a President was elected from Illinois."

___I started this political blog in 2009. On 4 July 2009 and again on 4 July 2010 I included my Declaration of Independence from the United Socialist States of America (USSA) in favor of the Confederate States of America (CSA, ie "red states"). I and several fellow Constitutional conservatives signed the 2010 version, and I mailed it to the White House. I received email encouraging me to read the White House Web site and email "propaganda." I declined. My 2009 and 2010 income tax refunds were withheld due to "penalties for not filing quarterly" which exceeded the refunds.

___I continue to write blogs and emails, but I do get discouraged with the "hope and change" of this government. On the 50th anniversary of my high school graduation the graduation rate was only 39%! Recently all of the schools that I attended (Wheeless Road, Murphy JH, and Butler HS) made the failing schools list! The number of working Americans is at the lowest number in 37 years. The national debt is $18.2 Trillion and the unfunded obligations are another $95.7 Trillion. Neither of these can be addressed until we have a budget surplus. That hasn't happened since the Republicans got welfare reform through a Democrat PoTUS on the third try - then Clinton took credit for the surplus! Bush with a Democrat-controlled Congress and Obama have dramatically increased the debts.

___There are states who are applying for an Article V Convention of States. This has enough politicians concerned that they are claiming the sky will fall - even though Congress can propose amendments themselves and the same approval is required.

Equal Opportunity v. Equal Results

___Barry Soetoro, aka Barack Obama, has made it clear that he wants equal results in America - and the world. That is the result of socialism - except the leaders have much more than the masses. We have an oligarchy - a government in which a small group exercises control - especially for corrupt and selfish purposes. The Constitution allows more than 10,000 Representatives in the House (1 per 30,000), Congress has capped its own membership at 435! I favor an increase to 4350. This will make Representatives more accountable and make it easier for less wealthy individuals to be elected and serve. This is NOT an increase in the size of government! Adding Inspectors General (IGs) to discover corruption saves billions of dollars. PoTUS has been firing them for doing that! The same benefit will be true by increasing scrutiny of those in Congress. Technology has made it possible for members of Congress to serve from a local office in their district.

___The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution establish a rule of law which allows equal opportunity instead. Success is not guaranteed, but there are few limits for self motivated individuals. There will obviously be some who succeed and those who fail. The "income level" of those who make good choices will be significantly higher than that of those who make bad choices. We have lots of statistics which show the poverty level of families headed by a husband and wife living together and those with a single parent. People with more education succeed to much higher levels than those who drop out because of pregnancy, drugs or "it was too hard!" The people with higher skills continue to get "richer" than those with no skills. This should not be a surprise!

___The growing income disparity is due to success for those at the top rather than failure for those at the bottom. We have a more than adequate safety net in the United States - so much so that there is actually a disincentive to work at the lowest levels. Our "poverty level" per capita income would be at least middle class in over 100 countries in the world!

The Corruption of the Highway Trust Fund

___The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, in addition to beginning construction of the Interstate Highway System, established the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). The Fund was the result of a compromise between outside groups and congressional leaders: in exchange for maintaining a gasoline tax, user fees extracted from motorists, including gasoline taxes (then 3 cents per gallon), would be placed into a new treasury account: the Highway Trust Fund, to be modeled on the Social Security Trust Fund.

___The original law intended for the HTF to last only 13 years, but the fund has been consistently reauthorized. The 1983 Surface Transportation Act created a second account within the HTF: the Mass Transit Account. The Act also raised the gasoline tax to nine cents per gallon, with one cent going to the new transit account. The gas tax was last raised in 1993, to 18.4 cents per gallon.

___Diesel fuel is also taxed, at a rate of 24.4 cents per gallon.

General Fund Bailouts:

___According to the CBO, from 2008 to 2014:

___Outlays from the Highway Trust Fund have exceeded revenues by more than $52 billion, and outlays will exceed revenues by an estimated $167 billion over the 2015–2024 period if obligations from the fund continue at the 2014 rate.

___Since 2008, more than $54 billion has been transferred from other sources to the HTF. Most of this revenue comes from the General Fund. The May 2015 deadline is partly derived from the fact that, around this time period, the HTF will run out of money, and another transfer from the general fund will be required to keep the HTF solvent.

Diversions:

___According to the Heritage Foundation, between 25 and 30 percent of all gasoline tax revenue is diverted from general purpose highway funding to fund transit programs, even though transit only claims around 1.3% of surface transportation mileage. Another diversion specified by the current highway bill includes the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). In FY 2014, $819.9 million is designated for eligible TAP activities, which include sidewalks, nature paths, community preservation and landscaping. Other significant line items include ferry boats, federal lands transportation and access, university research and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program.

___Our "crumbling infrastructure" is by design!

Strip Immigrant Felons of Citizenship

___The fourteenth Amendment grants citizenship if 1) born in U.S. and 2) subject to U.S. laws. If an immigrant commits a felony or 3 misdemeanors, then they have failed the second criteria and should be stripped of any citizenship rights already granted.

___The politicians need immigrants - legal or illegal - because the population demographics of the United States does not support Social Security and Medicare without a young Hispanic population.

Out-of-Wedlock Births as a Measure of Immorality

40.7 percent of all 2012 births were out-of-wedlock, which is appalling, and there are vast differences among racial and ethnic groups. Among non-Hispanic blacks, the figure is highest, at 72.2 percent; for American Indians/Alaska Natives, it’s 66.9 percent; 53.5 percent for Hispanics; 29.4 percent for non-Hispanic whites; and a mere 17.1 percent for Asians/Pacific Islanders.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/360990/latest-statistics-out-wedlock-births-roger-clegg

Federal Deficits: Why the 1920s Were Roaring!

The best Web site for the Federal deficit is:

http://home.adelphi.edu/sbloch/deficits.html

Compare and contrast the Coolidge and Obama administrations. Coolidge minimized government interference with business. Obama tries to control every aspect. Bill Clinton gets credit for the growth in the 1990s. Compare 1993-1994 with the years after the Republicans took over in 1995. Clinton vetoed welfare reform twice before signing it the third time - then he took credit for the budget surpluses!

6.5 Million over 112 Active on Social Security

___Lou Dobbs disclosed that 6.5 Million people over 112 are currently active on Social Security. This could mean that the Federal government is intentionally committing fraud by paying Social Security benefits to dead recipients who have had their Social Security Account Numbers "recycled."

___More likely the federal government is illegally assigning SSANs to illegal aliens allowing them to compete with American citizens for jobs and gain access to benefits meant for American citizens!

Birthright Citizenship v. Constiutional Citizenship

___The 14th Amendment is probably the most abused. It was enacted in 1868 to put the "rebellious southern states" in their place. On the basis of the Amendment citizenship is granted to anyone born in America (birthright citizenship). There is no written test or oath of exclusive allegiance to the United States of America and no other nation as with those who immigrate legally.

___The abuse is encountered when the phrase "and subject to the laws thereof" is ignored. If a person who is a "birthright citizen" commits a crime, then they should be stripped of any citizenship rights and immediately deported!

Is The American Voter Stupid?

___Professor Gruber is probably right. The American voter is stupid. I would probably say “ignorant” or “uninformed” because I would not want to damage the self esteem of anyone!

___Someone said that we should study history so that we would not repeat the errors of the past. Yet we fall for the class warfare and gender warfare and race warfare rhetoric again and again. The 16th amendment allowed the creation of an income tax. It was argued that only those with the top 5% of incomes would actually pay the tax and that the top rate would only be 7%. It is argued that women make only nn% of the salary of men. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 required that there be equal pay for equal jobs if skills and experience of the employees were also equal. It is argued that black people must be given an advantage in hiring and promotion because of abuses against ancestors in the past. We celebrate a national holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr. He said that he had a dream that all people would be treated equally regardless of the color of their skin. He stressed the content of their character instead. The race activists like Jackson, Sharpton and even AG Holder undercut his teaching and leadership.

___We have a mulatto President who claims to be black. Speaker John Boehner has darker skin. We do not know much about Barry, because his records are sealed. His Attorney General controls access to all legal records of the President. We do know that he was a practicing Muslim from age 6 to 10 while attending school in Indonesia. We do know that he was a “Jeremiah Wright” christian for at least 20 years.

___The President likes to do things behind close doors like PPACA and the U.S.-Iran nuclear treaty. In both cases we are told to wait for the finished product before commenting. The Prime Minister of Israel is not included even though Iran has openly threatened to annihilate his country. Netanyahu reminds us that Iran is a “security” problem for America and a “survival” problem for Israel.

Have You Been Funding Terrorism?

___On Monday, a federal jury in New York found the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) liable for supporting six terrorist acts in Israel more than a decade ago. They were ordered to pay families of their victims three times $218.5million since it was terrorism.

___Since you have been in Congress since 2001 and have supported giving American taxpayer funds to the PA and PLO by voting for many Continuing Resolutions and budgets, have you not been funding terrorism? The U.S. Antiterrorism Act has been law since 1992. If you have voted to support known terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood, then you have been funding terrorism – at my expense!

Secretary HHS on Subsidy Case Before SCOTUS

___Secretary Burwell says that it is not fair for people in one state to get a taxpayer subsidy and people in another state to be denied the subsidy. The problem is the PPACA law. It says Federal subsidies may only be paid to people in states which set up state exchanges.

___The Obama administration has been paying the subsidies illegally despite the clear wording of the law. The President and his Democrat-controlled Congress passed the law in 2010. Surely by now they have read what they enacted and know they are acting illegally. You may not pass a law and change the provisions at will!

Central Banks Will Usher in the One World Government

Central banks have cut interest rates to below zero. The longer such conditions persist, the greater the risk of perverse consequences.

The "Separation of Church and State"

___Congress [435 Representatives in the House; 100 Senators in the Senate] shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion [state religion like Church of England], or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. [United States Constitution, 1789]

___The General Assembly [124 Representatives in the House; 46 Senators in the Senate] shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion [state religion] or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government or any department thereof for a redress of grievances. [SC Constitution, SECTION 2. Religious freedom; freedom of speech; right of assembly and petition, 1970]

___In Everson v. Board of Education (1947), Justice Hugo Black wrote: "In the words of Thomas Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect a wall of separation between church and state."

___A text without a context is a pretext! Thomas Jefferson was assuring the Danbury Baptists that the Federal government had no intention of interfering in their free exercise of religion:

Messrs. Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, and Stephen s. Nelson

A Committee of the Danbury Baptist Association, in the State of Connecticut.

Washington, January 1, 1802

Gentlemen,--The affectionate sentiment of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist Association, give me the highest satisfaction. My duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature would "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem.

Th Jefferson Jan. 1. 1802

Pro-Amnesty Folks Lied in 1986 About Enforcing Immigration Laws, Why Trust Them Now?

___In 1986 a Democrat Congress got an amnesty for illegal aliens by promising an immigration bill with strong enforcement. They lied! About 3 million illegals were granted amnesty. Little if anything was done to punish employers if they hired illegals. Little if anything was done to prevent citizens' money from being spent on illegals.

___We are a compassionate nation, but we are a nation of 320 million. The world has about 7,000 million, most wanting what the American idea has provided for citizens. We have a written Constitution which is the basis of our rule of law. We must protect and defend that law.

Why Democrats Need Amnesty For Illegal Aliens

___If granted citizenship, then illegal aliens will probably vote to keep Democrats in power.

___The Democrat programs Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid are bankrupt and new taxpayer blood is needed. The same is true for the Medicare Drug portion passed under George W. Bush. American birthrates are not at replacement levels, certainly not sufficient to provide a growing number of taxpayers to support the growing number of Americans turning 65.

___The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed by the Democrat-controlled Congress and President in 2010 because 47 Million Americans were without health insurance. After almost five years, there are currently 41 Million Americans were without health insurance.

Barack Hussein Obama in 2015 State of the Union

My only agenda for the next two years is the same as the one I've had since the day I swore an oath on the steps of this Capitol -- to do what I believe is best for America.

False Environmental Prophets of Doom

___In 1798 Thomas Malthus saw that the world population was growing faster than the food supply. He predicted worldwide starvation and wars fought over resources.

___What happened is that automation and chemicals dramatically increased the food supply and made harvesting and transporting it easier. Wars still occurred, but not over food.

___In 1968 Stanford professor Paul Ehrlich wrote The Population Bomb. As a “scientist” he closely follows Darwin and calls for a 2 billion cap on human population by 2050 using a “responsible breeding program” which would allow “superior” humans to breed while “inferior” humans are sterilized. He is willing to accept increased intelligence through “environmental” changes to home and school and improved diet. “In the 1970s the world will undergo famines – hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death”, and “we must take action to reverse the deterioration of our environment before population pressure permanently ruins our planet. The birth rate must be brought into balance with the death rate or mankind will breed itself onto oblivion.”

___Global cooling was a conjecture during the 1970s of imminent cooling of the Earth's surface and atmosphere culminating in a period of extensive glaciation. This hypothesis had little support in the scientific community, but gained temporary popular attention due to a combination of a slight downward trend of temperatures from the 1940s to the early 1970s and press reports that did not accurately reflect the full scope of the scientific climate literature, i.e., a larger and faster-growing body of literature projecting future warming due to greenhouse gas emissions. The current scientific opinion on climate change is that the Earth has not durably cooled, but underwent global warming throughout the 20th century. The evidence in support of these predictions [of global cooling] has now begun to accumulate so massively that meteorologists are hard-pressed to keep up with it."

___On October 23, 2006, Newsweek issued a correction, over 31 years after the original article, stating that it had been "so spectacularly wrong about the near-term future" (though editor Jerry Adler claimed that 'the story wasn't "wrong" in the journalistic sense of "inaccurate."')

___An Inconvenient Truth...Or Convenient Fiction? is an American documentary film by Dr Steven F. Hayward, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. The film, produced by the Pacific Research Institute and filmed at the Heritage Foundation, disputes many of the claims in the film An Inconvenient Truth, arguing that it goes too far in predictions of doom. Dr Hayward generally believes that the Earth's environment is far more resilient than public opinion would think. "Global warming extremists" "distort the science, grossly exaggerate the risks, argue that anyone who disagrees with them is corrupt, and suggest that solutions are easy and cheap," and that dealing with the issue in such a manner creates "an all too convenient fiction."

___Five years ago, Al Gore predicted the North Pole’s ice cap would become a fond memory, a casualty of the raging inferno of global warming. The “entire North Polar ice cap will be gone in five years,” he solemnly told a German TV audience.

___Mr. Gore’s deadline has passed, and neither Santa Claus, Rudolph and the other reindeer, nor the polar bears are looking for a life raft. There were 7.3 million square miles of Arctic ice on Dec. 7, 2008. Fast-forward five years, and there are still 7.3 million square miles of Arctic ice, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. This figure does go up and down with a natural cycle of melting and freezing, but the total today is within 5 percent of what it has been for the past 30 years.

___In “The Inconvenient Truth,” the country’s foremost doomsayer warned that the world’s sea levels would rise 20 feet as a result of the polar ice melting. Mr. Gore saw dire portents in the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Two weeks after the storm hit, Mr. Gore announced that “the scientific community is warning us that the average hurricane will continue to get stronger because of global warming.”

___Wrong again. The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially ended Nov. 30, was the meekest since 1982. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noted that “no major hurricanes formed in the Atlantic basin [for the] first time since 1994.” This was despite 19 additional years with carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/16/editorial-al-gore-soothsayer/#ixzz3MfY0rYKn