What’s interesting in the news today?
Open Thread.
I guess we’ll start with the Obama budget.
And of course, more class envy. From TheHill
“President Obama’s budget, to be released next week, will limit how much wealthy individuals – like Mitt Romney – can keep in IRAs and other retirement accounts.
The proposal would save around $9 billion over a decade, a senior administration official said, while also bringing more fairness to the tax code.
The senior administration official said that wealthy taxpayers can currently “accumulate many millions of dollars in these accounts, substantially more than is needed to fund reasonable levels of retirement saving.”
Under the plan, a taxpayer’s tax-preferred retirement account, like an IRA, could not finance more than $205,000 per year of retirement – or right around $3 million this year.”
Once again, punishing success.
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ObamaCare is taking friendly fire. From TheHill
“Delays in implementing popular pieces of ObamaCare are hurting it with Democrats.
Ahead of an election year in which Republicans promise to make healthcare an issue again, Democrats are criticizing the White House for delaying policies that could help build support for the unpopular law.
“Senate Republicans will have the opportunity to campaign against Obamacare’s rising health care costs, burdensome paperwork and broken promises and could use it to motivate voters against Democrat candidates, especially vulnerable ones in red states,” Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said.”
This is all on them. Point it out repeatedly.
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And remember folks, this is who our govt is supporting and funding.
From TheTimesofIsrael
“A mob threw rocks and fired birdshot Sunday at several hundred Christians marching in a protest against Egypt’s Islamist government after the funeral of four Christians killed in sectarian clashes over the weekend.
The Christians were chanting slogans against Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, just as several thousand did earlier during the funeral service nearby in the Coptic Orthodox cathedral in Cairo.
Riot police later arrived, firing tear gas at the Christians and the mob. Several tear gas canisters landed inside the cathedral’s grounds, causing a panic among women and children who attended the funeral.”
Central Security Forces are being accused of allowing the attack to continue.
Tweeted by Alastair Beach on site……
“Csf doing absolutely nothing to stop the fighting. Standing around as the rocks and molotovs continue to fly over the wall”
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Meanwhile a group of 700 retired special forces members are asking the House to investigate Benghazi. From Breitbart
“Seven hundred retired Military Special Operations professionals from the organization “Special Operations Speaks” sent a letter to the House of Representatives urging members to support H.Res 36, which will create a House Select Committee to investigate last September’s deadly terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.
“It appears that many of the facts and details surrounding the terrorist attack which resulted in four American deaths and an undetermined number of American casualties have not yet been ascertained by previous hearings and inquiries,” the letter states. It continues further, “Additional information is now slowly surfacing in the media, which makes a comprehensive bipartisan inquiry an imperative. Many questions have not been answered thus far.” The letter puts forth over twenty unanswered questions the select committee should address.
Congressman Frank Wolf, a sub-committee chairman on the House Appropriations Committee, issued a resolution for a House Select Committee to investigate issues surrounding the Benghazi Attack last November in the 112th Congress. He re-issued his resolution for the select committee when the 113th Congress began. The resolution currently has over 60 co–sponsors.”
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The mother of one of the victims is speaking out against the White House handling of the situation. From Mediaite
“On Friday, Sean Hannity brought Pat Smith, mother of the late Sean Smith, on his radio program. The 34-year-old information management officer was one of four Americans murdered in the Benghazi embassy attack on September 11, 2012.
In the chilling interview, a distraught Ms. Smith, in tears, pleaded for answers and spoke of the efforts to silence her.
Ms. Smith first relayed how her son, prior to the attack, requested additional security in advance and warned the State Department:
He did tell them, ahead of time, he typed it into his little typewriter over there, that they were going to be attacked, ‘please they needed more security,’ and they were ignored. And I don’t appreciate everybody going to bed and going to sleep and not taking care of the guys that they put in harm’s way, one of them being my son.”
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We talked a little last week about the love Hollywood and the left have with terrorists and radicals. It’s a new week, new celebrity, and new radical, but it’s the same old story. Greg Gutfeld has noticed too. And while he may be a bit abrasive, I don’t see where he’s wrong. He seems to have nailed it if you ask me.
From TheFive on Fox with a content warning for extreme sarcasm.
“Gutfeld: Why The Left Embraces Armed Radicals, Mocks Law-Abiding Gun Owners”
Take the time to watch the video.
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Wandering Views 
Margaret Thatcher was the second favorite political leader of my lifetime. She, Ronald Reagan, and John Paul II, acting with God’s help, defeated communism.
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“The proposal would save around $9 billion over a decade, a senior administration official said, while also bringing more fairness to the tax code.”
NONSENSE!
The wealthy “like Mitt Romney” will do something else with their money.
The reason they are wealthy is because they know what to do with money.
That, is the secret of wealth accumulation.
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Ricky, I didn’t know until a moment ago that Margaret Thatcher had died. You are correct. She was a great lady.
I don’t believe in Nostrodamus, but I remember seeing a short clip in a movie theater when I was a teenager. It was about the predictions of Nostrodamus. One of them was that “England would be great from Elizabeth to Elizabeth”. Another was that one of Hitler’s cohorts (forgot which) would kill him.
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We were truly blessed to see Mrs. Thatcher and President Reagan at work. I believe they: 1) gave the US and Western Europe twenty more good years; and 2) along with John Paul II, gave Eastern Europe a chance for freedom. Just thinking about her reminds me of good times.
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I’m with you Ricky. RIP Margaret Thatcher. We could use a leader like her today.
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RIP Iron Lady…
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I wonder what they will do about the Roths? That money already gets taxed first but grows tax free. If they try to limit that, it will defeat the purpose.
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CB, Yes, we could. Politics aside, Reagan and Thatcher did not let their pollsters determine their priorities. Thatcher would have never responded to the Sandy Hook tragedy with gun proposals aimed at increasing her popularity. I will always believe that God gave the world Thatcher, Reagan and John Paul II at the same time. Communism could resist one of them, maybe two, but not all three.
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I know CB disagrees, but I suspect Sarah Palin could do that.
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Class envy — no just sensible tax policy. IRAs (RRSPs here) are tax credits used by the state to encourage people to save for their retirement and thus not become a burden to the state. Limiting deductions to a sensible level is just common sense.
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Re yesterday’s discussion. Natural selection could explain why African Americans are so athletic. Slavery ensured only the strong survive long enough to reproduce. Over six-seven generations of only strong athletes reproducing, natural selection kicks in. This would also explain why African nations aren’t athletic superstars in basketball and soccer — two sports which are relatively cheap, not to mention the lack of African sprinters.
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Re Thatcher. Hmm, some say we should speak no ill of the newly dead but as per WORLD’s policy she was a public figure….. I’ll keep it simple …. I have less respect for Thatcher than I have for Reagan. She supported tyrants, supported apartheid, wasted the North Sea oil reserves, killed the British manufacturing sector, increased inequality, convinced Bush Sr., to go to war with Hussian, etc. When she was voted out as Conservative leader and PM, my English roommate insisted on waking me at eight in the morning for a celebratory drink and the party continued into the late evening. I imagine he’s doing the same tonight. Unless you spent time members of the British left and Old Labour, you can’t truly understand how she was detested. Perhaps comparable to how right wing Venezuelans rejoiced when Chavez died.
Ricky — following the Hungerford massacre where sixteen people were killed and fifteen wounded, the UK gov’t banned semi-automatic rifles and shotguns with more than three cartridge capacity. Thatcher was the PM. Gun control crosses party lines in the UK
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HRW,
She disagreed with your assessment. And I must say, at least in Parliment they don’t let lies go uncontested like in the Senate. They call BS when it’s appropriate.
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I saw that communists and socialists were celebrating Mrs. Thatcher’s death in England yesterday. I loved Reagan, but in some ways what Thatcher did in England was more remarkable than what Reagan did here. England was so far gone when she took over. At least 47% of the British were leaches and bums when she took over. She made some of them productive citizens.
HRW, I have thought previously about the effects of slavery. The problem with that argument is that there are great African sprinters. Some of the 100 meter finalists have been from Africa. In addition, African basketball players jump as well as American blacks.
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