“House Republicans are about to take the first steps to revive earmarks, with officials planning to hold hearings early this year to look at how they might ease back into the practice, The Washington Times has learned, as a growing number of lawmakers think they have surrendered too much power by forgoing them.
Earmarks are funding for the special projects that lawmakers demand for their districts, often tucked into massive spending bills — directing money back home for bridges and parking garages, Pentagon research or roads and river levees. Supporters call them “targeted spending,” while critics deride the practice as the epitome of pork-barrel politics.
There are no firm plans to restore the practice in the near term, but hearings expected later this month and led by Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, Texas Republican, make good on a promise by House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, in late 2016 to study the issue.
“The time is right,” said Rep. John Culberson, a Texas Republican who is one of those pushing for a test run of earmarks so Congress can prove it can handle the practice responsibly.
A return to earmarks would be a bold move, potentially giving party leaders more control over the power of the purse — and another tool to reel in maverick lawmakers. But it could also reignite the troubled days of the “Bridge to Nowhere” and other earmark battles that divided Republicans and even landed people in prison.
“The last time the Republicans ran a congressional earmark factory, they lost control of Congress,” said Brian Riedl, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute who spent years on Capitol Hill. “In 2006, when the Democrats took Congress, the No. 1 issue according to voters was pork and corruption. You had Jack Abramoff, daily news coverage of campaign contributors getting earmarks. It was a political disaster.”
Now this will be hard for Oprah to get around. Now I know she’ll get a pass from the media, but will voters, especially the #MeToo crowd be so forgiving?
“The media world is going gaga over the thought of a potential 2020 presidential bid from Oprah Winfrey.
After Winfrey delivered a stirring speech Sunday evening at the Golden Globes, Monday’s headlines were all about the talk show icon. The speculation is a welcome distraction for Hollywood’s elite, who have faced an ongoing industry crisis after the fallout from a wave of sexual assault bombshells.
However, if Oprah runs she will likely face her own questions over enabling and palling around with some of Hollywood’s now infamous sexual predators. In particular, Oprah has maintained a close professional relationship with Harvey Weinstein over the past two decades. Weinstein saw his career go down in flames after dozens of women came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment and assault, and Winfrey’s chummy relationship with Weinstein has been pointed out by a number of Twitter users who have [osted photos of Oprah kissing and hugging the notorious sexual predator:”
————————-
There’s pics of her getting chummy with Weinstein, Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, and handsy Joe Biden. She seems to be buddies with all of them.
This was the worst. He wasn’t off sides. The ball was clearly snapped before the player entered the neutral zone. The punt was blocked and recovered by Georgia, who should have been set up inside “Bama’s 20. But the officials blew it. Never even looked at the replay either.
Same with the face mask. Should have been 1st down Georgia, instead they have to punt. The penalty happened right in front of the ref, who was looking right at them, yet he didn’t see it? Sure….
@11:05 That’s a relief. Comey was sited in South Carolina a while back. Police begged people not to shoot…. but he hadn’t been seen lately, so I was starting to suspect a shallow grave somewhere. Glad to see that’s not the case.
AJ, the blocked punt should have been a no play. Two Alabama guys in the backfield moved before the snap. It should have just been whistled dead on a false start, ball moved back five yards, then punt. So it was basically a 10 yard swing for AL. The worse missed call, IMO, was the missed false start on the AL receiver who caught the tying touchdown on 4th down.
It would explain the non-call. Maybe Comey decided the receiver didn’t intend to commit a false start, so no reasonable referee would throw the flag. 🙂
The Never Trumpers are giving poor Ann Coulter a lot of grief about this:
Trump to Graham on pathway to citizenship plan: If you want to take it that further step, I’ll take the heat..You are not that far away from comprehensive immigration reform
The story is that Trump took the unusual step of allowing the press to film his discussions with Congressional leaders on immigration in an attempt to show that he is still mentally competent.
It is very likely that Oprah had no idea what Weinstein was doing behind closed doors. Considering her feelings about abuse victims, I really doubt she knew what he was up to.
I would be glad to see a bi-partisan immigration deal that includes a border wall of some sort, tough security to get in, and deportation of troublemakers. A deal that just gives blanket amnesty would not be acceptable to any Trump supporter, I think. My fear in this is that Republicans will succeed in keeping h1b in play as part of the deal. That’s one program that pretty much needs to be eliminated entirely. It has proven economically damaging and grossly unjust to many Americans.
Kizzie @3:58 If you go to the same parties, you hear the same gossip. I think it likely that Oprah and everyone else in that scene knew what they wanted to know. The only ones who really grab my concern in all that mess are the children. Those were the truly vulnerable people. And they still are vulnerable. This spate of Hollywood self-immolation will not last long I think.
“An aspiring actress says Harvey Weinstein used Oprah Winfrey and Naomi Campbell to dupe her into thinking he would help her with her career — only to use her for sex.
British actress Kadian Noble said Tuesday she was head-over-heels impressed when she first met Weinstein at an event in London because he was hanging out with model Campbell and had megastar Oprah “swinging off his arm.”
“I thought, obviously, this man has something amazing in store for me,” she said during a teary-eyed press conference in Manhattan to discuss the sex trafficking lawsuit she filed a day earlier against Weinstein in Manhattan federal court.
Instead, Weinstein used promises of career advancement to lure the actress to his hotel room in Cannes, France, where he forced himself on her, she said.”
“Shall this darkness and despair never relent? You already know that more than one million US workers have received tax reform-spurred bonuses, with at least 100 companies getting in on the act thus far, as even more corporations announcing new investment plans seemingly every day. We’ve covered the immediate fallout of the Republican tax law very closely, tracking the crimes against humanity wrought by this destructive Frankenstein monster, also known as the worst piece of legislation ever considered by Congress — ranging from increased compensation, to enhanced hourly wages, to new hiring, to upgraded investments, to massive charitable contributions. Here is the latest atrocity, via the Darden restaurant group, which owns large national chains like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse:
Casual dining leader @darden has increased its financial outlook for 2018, and plans to return invest in their workforce. https://t.co/OvJg7dvZ6A
Restaurant companies are joining the corporate chorus rushing to praise the tax bill Congress passed last month as Orlando-based Darden Restaurants said the legislation will save it about $70 million. Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse parent company Darden Restaurants said the new tax reform plan will cut taxes by about $70 million in the third quarter. The Orlando-based restaurant chain said Monday the tax cut will prompt it to spend an additional $20 million on its 175,000-plus employees this year, but did not give specifics. Darden (NYSE: DRI) said its effective tax rate will drop from 25 percent to 18 percent going forward. “One of the best investments we can make is in our people,” said a statement from CEO Gene Lee. “During the remainder of fiscal 2018, we will invest approximately $20 million in initiatives directly benefiting our workforce. This investment will strengthen one of our most important competitive advantages – a results-oriented culture – as we continue to improve on the guest experience, and position Darden and our brands for long-term success.”…With the tax boost, Darden raised its fiscal outlook for the year by about 25 cents a share to $4.70 to $4.78.
This is precisely what many liberal doomsayers confidently predicted would not happen, quoting some CEOs, while ignoring others. Other players in the industry are also thrilled with the new results, with one executive saying the new tax climate will allow his company to bring more money back into the United States. The river of tears keeps flowing:”
AJ, I agree that it is just a headline, and like so many others, may turn out to be absolute blarney…..like the story in November of Tillerson’s impending retirement, which went so far as to name his replacement, and his replacement’s replacement. 🙄
However, I think h1b is an important issue. Years of abuse by big business has undermined the American tech industry from a workers point of view. It’s not a compromise I would take lightly.
I don’t see a comprehensive immigration solution as a negative. Trump is proposing something like (maybe more liberal than) what the sane, competent Republican candidates were proposing in 2016. His cult believed him when he said he was going to send all the 11 million undocumented aliens home and make Mexico pay for a giant wall. Non-cultists knew he was lying and running one of his cons. The Cult fell for it.
Most of Twitter this afternoon consisted of conservatives laughing and saying, “I told you so” to their favorite Trumpers.
That wasn’t all that happened today. Trump also forced Breitbart to fire Bannon. Bannon always looked like a homeless person. He may soon be a homeless person.
Note: If opportunistic liberal Democrats (excuse the double-redundancy) ever figure out they can get policy concessions by sucking up to Trump we’re all going to be in a world of hurt around here. Just thought I’d point that out casually.
How is getting $20 million in unspecified employee spending in exchange for a $70 million tax cut winning? This must be some form of new math in which 20 is equal or greater than 70.
I have a better idea. Raise the min wage to $15/hr. This will take millions off food stamps and other means tested programs. In addition it will millions to the ranks of taxpayer as opposed to WIC receipt.
If paying a living wage is too difficult for corporations perhaps we can give them a 20 million tax cut for which to can reinvest in their employees ie a wage increase
hwesseli, do you know many teenagers who are worth $15/hour? If we can just randomly bump up people’s incomes without the cost of everything going up proportionately, why not make it $100/hour?
By the way, if the person who after years and years of working and education and experience in their field is making $30/hour, does he get a proportionate raise, or does he instead get in effect a huge paycut?
This is the sort of stuff I expected to find in the Global GPS testimony. Steele is a hero. Lindsay Graham and Charles Grassley are craven Trumpkin henchmen in the manner of the halfwit Nunes.
Wandering Views 
Bringing back the pork, because governing is too hard without it.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jan/7/house-republicans-reconsider-earmarks/
“House Republicans are about to take the first steps to revive earmarks, with officials planning to hold hearings early this year to look at how they might ease back into the practice, The Washington Times has learned, as a growing number of lawmakers think they have surrendered too much power by forgoing them.
Earmarks are funding for the special projects that lawmakers demand for their districts, often tucked into massive spending bills — directing money back home for bridges and parking garages, Pentagon research or roads and river levees. Supporters call them “targeted spending,” while critics deride the practice as the epitome of pork-barrel politics.
There are no firm plans to restore the practice in the near term, but hearings expected later this month and led by Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, Texas Republican, make good on a promise by House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, in late 2016 to study the issue.
“The time is right,” said Rep. John Culberson, a Texas Republican who is one of those pushing for a test run of earmarks so Congress can prove it can handle the practice responsibly.
A return to earmarks would be a bold move, potentially giving party leaders more control over the power of the purse — and another tool to reel in maverick lawmakers. But it could also reignite the troubled days of the “Bridge to Nowhere” and other earmark battles that divided Republicans and even landed people in prison.
“The last time the Republicans ran a congressional earmark factory, they lost control of Congress,” said Brian Riedl, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute who spent years on Capitol Hill. “In 2006, when the Democrats took Congress, the No. 1 issue according to voters was pork and corruption. You had Jack Abramoff, daily news coverage of campaign contributors getting earmarks. It was a political disaster.”
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Now this will be hard for Oprah to get around. Now I know she’ll get a pass from the media, but will voters, especially the #MeToo crowd be so forgiving?
Who am I kidding, of course they will………..
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/08/oprahs-has-a-history-with-harvey-weinstein-photos/?utm_content=buffer91fea&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
“The media world is going gaga over the thought of a potential 2020 presidential bid from Oprah Winfrey.
After Winfrey delivered a stirring speech Sunday evening at the Golden Globes, Monday’s headlines were all about the talk show icon. The speculation is a welcome distraction for Hollywood’s elite, who have faced an ongoing industry crisis after the fallout from a wave of sexual assault bombshells.
However, if Oprah runs she will likely face her own questions over enabling and palling around with some of Hollywood’s now infamous sexual predators. In particular, Oprah has maintained a close professional relationship with Harvey Weinstein over the past two decades. Weinstein saw his career go down in flames after dozens of women came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment and assault, and Winfrey’s chummy relationship with Weinstein has been pointed out by a number of Twitter users who have [osted photos of Oprah kissing and hugging the notorious sexual predator:”
————————-
There’s pics of her getting chummy with Weinstein, Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, and handsy Joe Biden. She seems to be buddies with all of them.
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More probable corruption by the Mueller FBI investigations is exposed by Congress:
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/368003-fbi-agents-text-messages-spur-congressional-probe-into-possible-news-leaks
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Ben Shapiro with some thoughts on Trump and Oprah:
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Collins and Stephens:
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David Brooks warns Never-Trumpers not to start behaving like Trumpkins:
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The real news of the day:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2018/01/09/dynasty-rolls-alabama-beats-georgia-college-football-playoff/1015878001/
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Hey, that’s my line about the curtain! 🙂
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The real news there Ricky is how yet again, the refs blow it, and of course it benefits Alabama.
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/controversial-missed-calls-helped-alabamas-comeback-georgia-055918741.html
——————————
This was the worst. He wasn’t off sides. The ball was clearly snapped before the player entered the neutral zone. The punt was blocked and recovered by Georgia, who should have been set up inside “Bama’s 20. But the officials blew it. Never even looked at the replay either.
———————
Same with the face mask. Should have been 1st down Georgia, instead they have to punt. The penalty happened right in front of the ref, who was looking right at them, yet he didn’t see it? Sure….
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That tall official sure looked a lot like James Comey.
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@11:05 That’s a relief. Comey was sited in South Carolina a while back. Police begged people not to shoot…. but he hadn’t been seen lately, so I was starting to suspect a shallow grave somewhere. Glad to see that’s not the case.
https://nypost.com/2017/08/08/cops-warn-civilians-not-to-shoot-bigfoot-after-sighting/
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AJ, the blocked punt should have been a no play. Two Alabama guys in the backfield moved before the snap. It should have just been whistled dead on a false start, ball moved back five yards, then punt. So it was basically a 10 yard swing for AL. The worse missed call, IMO, was the missed false start on the AL receiver who caught the tying touchdown on 4th down.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey, maybe it was James Comey out there.
It would explain the non-call. Maybe Comey decided the receiver didn’t intend to commit a false start, so no reasonable referee would throw the flag. 🙂
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The Never Trumpers are giving poor Ann Coulter a lot of grief about this:
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Ann is unhappy.
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I have a good friend who backed Trump in the primaries solely because of Trump’s immigration stance. He isn’t going to like this.
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Big news day: Feinstein released the Fusion GPS testimony:
https://www.npr.org/2018/01/09/576789880/author-of-russia-dossier-worried-trump-was-being-blackmailed
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Sure he was…… 🙄
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The story is that Trump took the unusual step of allowing the press to film his discussions with Congressional leaders on immigration in an attempt to show that he is still mentally competent.
We await the verdict.
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It is very likely that Oprah had no idea what Weinstein was doing behind closed doors. Considering her feelings about abuse victims, I really doubt she knew what he was up to.
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I would be glad to see a bi-partisan immigration deal that includes a border wall of some sort, tough security to get in, and deportation of troublemakers. A deal that just gives blanket amnesty would not be acceptable to any Trump supporter, I think. My fear in this is that Republicans will succeed in keeping h1b in play as part of the deal. That’s one program that pretty much needs to be eliminated entirely. It has proven economically damaging and grossly unjust to many Americans.
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Kizzie @3:58 If you go to the same parties, you hear the same gossip. I think it likely that Oprah and everyone else in that scene knew what they wanted to know. The only ones who really grab my concern in all that mess are the children. Those were the truly vulnerable people. And they still are vulnerable. This spate of Hollywood self-immolation will not last long I think.
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Debra, What do you think will be the position of Jared, Ivanka and Gary Cohn on the H1B program? That is exactly what Ann Coulter thought.
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Debra, Here is your answer:
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article193665104.html
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Kizzie,
Yeah….. no. She knew. ALL of Hollywood knew.
https://pagesix.com/2017/11/28/actress-harvey-used-oprah-and-naomi-to-seduce-me/
“An aspiring actress says Harvey Weinstein used Oprah Winfrey and Naomi Campbell to dupe her into thinking he would help her with her career — only to use her for sex.
British actress Kadian Noble said Tuesday she was head-over-heels impressed when she first met Weinstein at an event in London because he was hanging out with model Campbell and had megastar Oprah “swinging off his arm.”
“I thought, obviously, this man has something amazing in store for me,” she said during a teary-eyed press conference in Manhattan to discuss the sex trafficking lawsuit she filed a day earlier against Weinstein in Manhattan federal court.
Instead, Weinstein used promises of career advancement to lure the actress to his hotel room in Cannes, France, where he forced himself on her, she said.”
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Be honest.
What’s the first name that came to mind?
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/09/somebodys-already-been-killed-because-trump-dossier-fusion-gps-rep-revealed.html
———————-
Seth Rich.
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I was thinking JFK by the father of Ted Cruz.
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Treasonous if true. Might as well have elected Rubio. :–\
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But Rubio wouldn’t have been “a very stable genius”.
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Well there’s that. I guess we must take our wins where they’re to be had. :–)
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Debra,
Ricky is just focusing on what he thinks will be a negative for Trump.
Let’s wait and see what he actually signs, or some details in writing at a minimum, before passing judgement.
Meanwhile Trump, and the US, just keep winning. Hehe. 🙂
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2018/01/09/tax-refrom-olive-garden-darden-n2431606
“Shall this darkness and despair never relent? You already know that more than one million US workers have received tax reform-spurred bonuses, with at least 100 companies getting in on the act thus far, as even more corporations announcing new investment plans seemingly every day. We’ve covered the immediate fallout of the Republican tax law very closely, tracking the crimes against humanity wrought by this destructive Frankenstein monster, also known as the worst piece of legislation ever considered by Congress — ranging from increased compensation, to enhanced hourly wages, to new hiring, to upgraded investments, to massive charitable contributions. Here is the latest atrocity, via the Darden restaurant group, which owns large national chains like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse:
Details from the Orlando Sentinel:
Restaurant companies are joining the corporate chorus rushing to praise the tax bill Congress passed last month as Orlando-based Darden Restaurants said the legislation will save it about $70 million. Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse parent company Darden Restaurants said the new tax reform plan will cut taxes by about $70 million in the third quarter. The Orlando-based restaurant chain said Monday the tax cut will prompt it to spend an additional $20 million on its 175,000-plus employees this year, but did not give specifics. Darden (NYSE: DRI) said its effective tax rate will drop from 25 percent to 18 percent going forward. “One of the best investments we can make is in our people,” said a statement from CEO Gene Lee. “During the remainder of fiscal 2018, we will invest approximately $20 million in initiatives directly benefiting our workforce. This investment will strengthen one of our most important competitive advantages – a results-oriented culture – as we continue to improve on the guest experience, and position Darden and our brands for long-term success.”…With the tax boost, Darden raised its fiscal outlook for the year by about 25 cents a share to $4.70 to $4.78.
This is precisely what many liberal doomsayers confidently predicted would not happen, quoting some CEOs, while ignoring others. Other players in the industry are also thrilled with the new results, with one executive saying the new tax climate will allow his company to bring more money back into the United States. The river of tears keeps flowing:”
LikeLiked by 1 person
AJ, I agree that it is just a headline, and like so many others, may turn out to be absolute blarney…..like the story in November of Tillerson’s impending retirement, which went so far as to name his replacement, and his replacement’s replacement. 🙄
However, I think h1b is an important issue. Years of abuse by big business has undermined the American tech industry from a workers point of view. It’s not a compromise I would take lightly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t see a comprehensive immigration solution as a negative. Trump is proposing something like (maybe more liberal than) what the sane, competent Republican candidates were proposing in 2016. His cult believed him when he said he was going to send all the 11 million undocumented aliens home and make Mexico pay for a giant wall. Non-cultists knew he was lying and running one of his cons. The Cult fell for it.
Most of Twitter this afternoon consisted of conservatives laughing and saying, “I told you so” to their favorite Trumpers.
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That wasn’t all that happened today. Trump also forced Breitbart to fire Bannon. Bannon always looked like a homeless person. He may soon be a homeless person.
To top it off Trump is going to Davos:
https://twitter.com/kt_so_it_goes/status/950866470065582082
It was supposed to be a secret, but I am going to let y’all in on it:
We have elected Trump the Emperor of the Globalists.
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It’s truly amazing.
The blind can now see.
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How is getting $20 million in unspecified employee spending in exchange for a $70 million tax cut winning? This must be some form of new math in which 20 is equal or greater than 70.
I have a better idea. Raise the min wage to $15/hr. This will take millions off food stamps and other means tested programs. In addition it will millions to the ranks of taxpayer as opposed to WIC receipt.
If paying a living wage is too difficult for corporations perhaps we can give them a 20 million tax cut for which to can reinvest in their employees ie a wage increase
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Here’s a Canadian prof who has a reason to smile about Fire and the Fury.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42611645?ocid=socialflow_facebook&ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbcnews&ns_source=facebook
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That WWII book looks interesting!
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Williamson with a perfect summary of the immigration meeting:
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hwesseli, do you know many teenagers who are worth $15/hour? If we can just randomly bump up people’s incomes without the cost of everything going up proportionately, why not make it $100/hour?
By the way, if the person who after years and years of working and education and experience in their field is making $30/hour, does he get a proportionate raise, or does he instead get in effect a huge paycut?
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is the sort of stuff I expected to find in the Global GPS testimony. Steele is a hero. Lindsay Graham and Charles Grassley are craven Trumpkin henchmen in the manner of the halfwit Nunes.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/01/09/what-didnt-republicans-want-you-to-see-in-the-fusion-gps-transcript/?utm_term=.00b0a7b6c7d3
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