July 24, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 7-24-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

As always, open thread. 🙂

Too late, you own it.

From TheWashingtonPost “The landmark health-reform law passed in 2010 has never been very popular and always highly partisan, but a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that a group of once loyal Democrats has been steadily turning against Obamacare: Democrats who are ideologically moderate or conservative.”

Meanwhile the majority of the public remains against it as well. And the public also believes healthcare will get worse because of it.

From Rasmussen “Voters continue to give high marks to the health care they now receive but are more pessimistic than ever about the short-term future of the health care system in this country.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 24% of Likely U.S. Voters now expect the U.S. health care system to get better over the next couple of years. Sixty-one percent (61%) think that system will get worse. That’s up four points from a month ago and up 13 points since February.”

Repeal it, or shut ‘er down. Either works. 🙂

From TheHill “ObamaCare is at the center of a rapidly escalating fight that threatens to shut the government down this fall.

Senate Republicans, including two members of the leadership, are coalescing around a proposal to block any government funding resolution that includes money for the implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.”

And an update to a previous story.

From NationalReview “President Obama has had a poor record of job creation, but at least one small economic sector is doing well: community organizing.

The Department of Health and Human Services is about to hire an army of “patient navigators” to inform Americans about the subsidized insurance promised by Obamacare and assist them in enrolling. These organizers will be guided by the new Federal Data Hub, which will give them access to reams of personal information compiled by federal agencies ranging from the IRS to the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration. “The federal government is planning to quietly enact what could be the largest consolidation of personal data in the history of the republic,” Paul Howard of the Manhattan Institute and Stephen T. Parente, a University of Minnesota finance professor, wrote in USA Today. No wonder that there are concerns about everything from identity theft to the ability of navigators to use the system to register Obamacare participants to vote.”

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Next we have a leftist caught with a racist sign at a George Zimmerman rally. She was pretending to be with them in order to make them look bad. Of course this is easy to accomplish when you have like-minded leftist in the media willing to run with a false story.

From GatewayPundit “A photo from the Houston pro-Zimmerman counter-rally of the NBPP anti-Zimmerman rally picked up by the AP shows a woman holding a sign that read, “Racist & Proud.”

“Austin resident Renee Vaughan echoed the sign’s ugly sentiments by yelling, “We’re racist. We’re proud. We’re better because we’re white,” at the Martin group as they passed, according to the Chronicle.

The act to smear the Zimmerman supporters as racists with a leftist plant worked as the photo and comment was picked up and spread worldwide.“

She’s also a community organizer. What were the chances huh? 🙄

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And since we’re on the subject of leftist hacks pretending to be something they’re not, here’s one pretending she’s a journalist.

From CNSNews “Noting the worldwide excitement surrounding Kate Middleton’s pregnancy, MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry compared the hoopla surrounding the British royal birth to Texas abortion politics, and then offered her own definition of viability:

“When does life begin? I submit the answer depends an awful lot on the feeling of the parents. A powerful feeling – but not science,” Harris-Perry said on her show Sunday. “The problem is that many of our policymakers want to base sweeping laws on those feelings.”

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Here’s a not shocking story.

From HotAir “The analysis from Media Research Center comes as no shock to those of us keeping track of both stories as they unfolded, of course, but it’s noteworthy nonetheless. The broadcast networks created a new heroine in tennis shoes in Wendy Davis while barely mentioning Kermit Gosnell over a much longer period:

Davis, a previously unheard of Texas state senator, staged a filibuster last month in a successful bid to derail a late-term abortion bill. Cheered by rowdy pro-abortion activists, Davis spoke for 11 hours against a bill outlawing abortions after 20 months of pregnancy and mandating that abortion clinics meet the same sanitary and safety standards as any other Texas medical facility.”

“In the 19 days since her June 25 filibuster, ABC, CBS and NBC have devoted 40 minutes, 48 seconds of their morning and evening news programs to stories including Davis. That’s more than three times the 13 minutes 30 seconds they gave Gosnell during the entire 58 days of the murder trial.”

Well the media loves to push stories that promote their pro-abortion views. Stories that show the true horror of those views, not so much.

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Next up, some friendly fire for Anthony Weiner over his latest and continuing stupidity.

From TheNYTimes “At some point, the full story of Anthony Weiner and his sexual relationships and texting habits will finally be told. In the meantime, the serially evasive Mr. Weiner should take his marital troubles and personal compulsions out of the public eye, away from cameras, off the Web and out of the race for mayor of New York City.”

“That’s ridiculous and speaks to a familiar but repellent pattern of misleading and evasion. It’s up to Mr. Weiner if he wants to keep running, to count on voters to forgive and forget and hand him the keys to City Hall. But he has already disqualified himself.”

Sure it’s a Blind Squirrel moment for the NYT, but I’ll still give them credit for stating the obvious.

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July 19, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 7-19-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

First up, some good news. And a tip of the hat to the great state of Texas. 😉

From TheAP “Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed sweeping new abortion restrictions on Thursday that could shutter most of the state’s clinics that provide the procedure, a final step for the Republican-backed measure after weeks of sometimes raucous protests at the state Capitol.”

And another good news story thanks to the first.

From TheHill “Planned Parenthood on Wednesday informed staff at three of its facilities in Texas that they would be closing, according to people familiar with the decision.

The three clinics are located in Bryan, Huntsville and Lufkin, Texas. They are closing in response to a new package of abortion restrictions signed into law on Thursday and funding cuts to Texas’ Women’s Health Program that were passed by the Texas state legislature in 2011. Out of the three Planned Parenthood clinics that are closing, only the Bryan clinic performs abortions.”

And expect more closings to come.

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The DoJ is going forward with further attempts to find Zimmerman guilty of something.

From CNN “The Department of Justice has asked the Sanford, Florida, police department to hold all evidence related to the George Zimmerman case, Sanford Capt. Jim McAuliffe said Thursday.”

And if you’re suffering from liberal white guilt over this, don’t worry, Chris Matthews has already apologized on your behalf. You’re welcome.

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In Benghazi news, NDA’s for all!

From TheWeeklyStandard “Congressman Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia, said today on the House floor that survivors of the Benghazi terror attack have been forced to sign non-disclosure agreements: “On Tuesday I raised the question of why none of the Benghazi survivors, whether State Department, CIA, or private security contract employees have testified publicly before Congress,” said Wolf.

“According to trusted sources that have contacted my office, many if not all of the survivors of the Benghazi attacks along with others at the Department of Defense, the CIA have been asked or directed to sign additional non-disclosure agreements about their involvement in the Benghazi attacks. Some of these new NDAs, as they call them, I have been told were signed as recently as this summer.”

Gee, I wonder why…? 🙄

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And in other terrorism news……

From InvestorsBusinessDaily “If there’s any doubt the FBI’s gone soft on Islamic terror and may be overlooking more Boston-style plots, witness the bureau chief’s recent Hill testimony.

In a testy exchange with Republican lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee, FBI Director Robert Mueller reluctantly acknowledged FBI counterterrorism training materials have been purged of references to “jihad” and “Islam” and that counterterrorism agents have been restricted from doing undercover investigations at mosques.

These outrageous policies likely contributed to the FBI missing signs of radicalization in the Muslim community — including that of the Tsarnaev brothers in Boston. The marathon bombers operated in plain sight of the FBI before killing three and wounding 260.”

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And this is the last one for today. This is one state, NJ. Does anyone doubt that this doesn’t go on in every state?

From NewJersey.com “An investigation by the state comptroller, released Wednesday, found “widespread fraud” in New Jersey’s school lunch program that’s meant to serve needy families.

The investigation found more than 100 people on public payrolls, or their family members, allegedly lied about their income so their kids could eat in school for free. Among those caught cheating were 40 school district employees and six school board members in Pleasantville, Newark and Paterson.”

“”Our investigations division ultimately uncovered false information on applications submitted by school board members, teachers, other school employees as well as state, county and local employees,” state Comptroller Matthew Boxer said. “What we found are people who work for the government, lying to the government about how much the government is paying them — all to benefit from a program that is designed to help those in need.”

More here as well.

Gov. Christie has called for firings in the matter. Some fraud charges are probably in order as well.

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July 17, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 7-17-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread.

Fast and Furious today.

First up, Exit Sandman. 😦

And a classy display by both teams, waiting in the dugouts to give the greatest reliever ever his moment in the spotlight in his final All-Star appearance. He was also awarded the MVP for the game.

The American League defeated the National League 3-0.

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From Trust.org “George Zimmerman’s chief defense lawyer on Monday called Florida prosecutors “a disgrace to my profession” for holding back evidence for months and pledged a new effort to impose sanctions against them.”

A malicious prosecution suit is possibly in the works against the state and the hack/prosecutor Angela Corey as well.

The next bunch are protesters behaving badly.

From ABCLocal “Police in Chester County, Pennsylvania are investigating an act of vandalism with racial overtones, possibly connected to the fallout from the verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial.”

While the ABC story mentions the “Kill Zimmerman” graffiti, there were threats as well.

Reports of possible racially motivated attacks have come from several cities. An unbiased DoJ would pursue these as obvious hate crimes/civil rights violations. But we don’t have an unbiased DoJ, so don’t hold your breath.

From Wisn.com “”This man was just walking through the park and they just all jumped on him and they were just beating him and, like, ‘This is for Trayvon Martin,'” said Tiffany Biles, who witnessed the attack.”

Similar reports have come from Mississippi, Oakland, and Baltimore as well.

The next one is just sad.

From ChicagoCBSLocal ” A sign posted outside a south suburban church is generating a powerful debate over race in the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict. The marquee outside the First Baptist Church of University Park earlier this week read: “It Is Safe To Kill Black People In Amerikkka.””

Some in the media just continue to not see the obvious. Some just wanna express their white guilt or something.

From Mediaite ““There’s a lot of white shame today,” said MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts on Sunday which his network rebroadcast on Tuesday. The anchor said on MSNBC that his white family and friends, as well as social media contacts, have expressed their shame over their race as it relates to the verdict in the trail of George Zimmerman. “If you’re an other,” Roberts warned, “Be worried.” “I’ve been getting this from family, loved ones, all the people in my life and through social media, and I’ll say it, honestly, there’s a lot of white shame today,” Roberts told MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry. “And while we look at lady justice and she’s supposed to be blind, it’s like, what are we saying about the life of this kid being disposable?”

Some are starting to come around though.

From HotAir “Don’t take this excellent and self-effacing essay from Slate’s William Saletan as an endorsement of George Zimmerman’s actions. Instead, it’s an indictment of the sensationalist media coverage that distorted or outright manufactured narratives in the case, and of the activists on all sides of the ledger who have exploited a tragedy for political gain. Only after informing himself by watching the actual trial, evidence, and closing arguments did Saletan have his epiphany.

The whole piece from Slate is here. “You Are Not Trayvon Martin. His death wasn’t about race, guns, or your pet issue. It was about misjudgment and overreaction—exactly what we’re doing now to the verdict.

The last one on this topic is next.

From TheWashingtonPost “I don’t like what George Zimmerman did, and I hate that Trayvon Martin is dead. But I also can understand why Zimmerman was suspicious and why he thought Martin was wearing a uniform we all recognize. I don’t know whether Zimmerman is a racist. But I’m tired of politicians and others who have donned hoodies in solidarity with Martin and who essentially suggest that, for recognizing the reality of urban crime in the United States, I am a racist. The hoodie blinds them as much as it did Zimmerman.

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Next up, some good news. 🙂

From TownHall “NOVA Women’s Healthcare of Fairfax County was one of the largest and most frequented abortion clinics in the state of Virginia. It performed more abortions than any other provider in the Old Dominion in the last few years, including 3,066 in 2012 alone. But, thanks to new abortion regulations in the state and a denied permit, it has seen its last patient.”

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This next one, well….. People in Glass Houses and all…..

From NBCWashington “Last week, the Council approved a measure that would require Walmart and other large retailers doing business in the District to pay a “living wage” of $12.50 per hour.

But… uh oh. Hypocrisy alert. District government pays less than $12.50 per hour.”

DOH! 🙄

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Next up, Fuzzy Math.

From CNSNews “Thus, over the past 56 days, the net value of U.S. Treasury Securities circulating in the public has increased by $51.586 billion ($629,099,000,000 minus $577,513,000,000). How could the value of extant U.S. Treasury Securities increase by $51.586 billion during a 56-day period when the federal government’s debt subject to the legal limit set by Congress has remained constant at $16,699,396,000,000.00—just $25 million below the legal limit?”

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Problems with ObamaCare? Really? Well this is the first I’ve heard of it. 🙄

From TheHill “White House press secretary Jay Carney on Tuesday dismissed reports that some employers were hiring more part-time employees because of the president’s signature healthcare law.

“The data reflects that there is not support for the proposition that businesses are not hiring full-time employees because of the Affordable Care Act,” Carney told reporters.

According to The Wall Street Journal, employers have added more part-time employees — about 93,000 a month — in 2013 than full-time workers — averaging about 22,000 per month. That’s a reversal from 2012, when employers hired 31,000 part-time workers and 171,000 full-time ones per month.”

DOH! That’s called “Message Fail” kids. 😉

“Small businesses expect the requirement to negatively impact their employees. Twenty-seven percent say they will cut hours to reduce full-time employees, 24 percent will reduce hiring, and 23 percent plan to replace full-time employees with part-time workers to avoid triggering the mandate,” said the Chamber business survey provided to Secrets.”

Summer of Recovery? Anyone? Biden?

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July 13, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 7-13-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

UPDATE!

Not Guilty

From NBCNews

“Jurors have found George Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

The six-member, all-woman jury deliberated for more than 15 hours over two days before reaching their decision Saturday night.

They had been given the chance to convict Zimmerman of manslaughter but did not do so, despite asking for a clarification of the charge earlier in the evening.

After hearing the verdict, Judge Debra Nelson told Zimmerman he was free to go.”

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Open thread, as always.

First up today, I say good riddance. From TheLATimes

“Janet Napolitano, the U.S. secretary of Homeland Security and former governor of Arizona, is being named as the next president of the University of California system, in an unusual choice that brings a national-level politician to a position usually held by an academic, The Times has learned. Her appointment also means the 10-campus system will be headed by a woman for the first time in its 145-year history.

Napolitano’s nomination by a committee of UC regents came after a secretive process that insiders said focused on her early as a high-profile, although untraditional, candidate who has led large public agencies and shown a strong interest in improving education.”

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It was bad enough finding out the DoJ was involved with helping orchestrate the Trayvon Martin protests. But this is probably worse news. Is this really who they want holding rallies and “maneuvers” around the area should things get bad after the verdict? From TheWashingtonTimes

“New Black Panther Party members are prepping for rallies and gatherings in the wake of the George Zimmerman murder trial, but are coy on whether violence, riots and other chaotic outbursts are potential — or welcome — offshoots of those events.

On the one hand, NBPP members promise on their Twitter site that they will not engage in any sort of unlawful outbursts if the second-degree murder trial in Florida ends in a not-guilty verdict.”

“But on the other hand, the group’s Twitter site is alive and kicking with fresh updates about a planned Sept. 7 rally to show solidarity with 17-year-old shooting victim Trayvon Martin — complete with admissions: “We can’t and WON’T try to control the general dissatisfied population. For sure we are ORGANIZING.””

“And a third: “New Black Panther Party will not give you specific details on anything other than to say we have rallies and street maneuvers planned.””

More gas on the fire.

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The new DoJ leak guidelines are out. And in ironic twist, leaked out of course. 😯 🙂 From Politico

“Attorney General Eric Holder’s new guidelines on criminal leak investigations involving members of the media would prevent the FBI from labeling reporters as co-conspirators, according to details leaked to Reuters and The New York Times by an unnamed Justice Dept. official.

The guidlines would also make it more difficult for prosecutors to obtain a journalist’s telephone records without informing them of the subpoena, according to the Justice Dept. official, who said the guidelines went “as far as the department can go on its own until Congress passes the media shield legislation.”

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Exhibit C in the “Who’s the Real Extremist” abortion fight in Texas. From KETK-NBC

“The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) today received information that individuals planned to use a variety of items or props to disrupt legislative proceedings at the Texas Capitol.”

“During these inspections, DPS officers have thus far discovered one jar suspected to contain urine, 18 jars suspected to contain feces, and three bottles suspected to contain paint. All of these items – as well as significant quantities of feminine hygiene products, glitter and confetti possessed by individuals – were required to be discarded; otherwise those individuals were denied entry into the gallery.”

And yes, it’s the pro-abortion folks who were seeking to disrupt things.

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Lastly today, a Boston police officer has been arrested for possession of military grade explosives. And could someone please explain to me how he’s out on 1,000 dollars bail? From BostonCBSLocal

“A Boston police officer is free on $1,000 bail after police in Plymouth say they found a cache of military grade explosives in a shed at his former home.

Kirk Merricks, 43, of Dorchester, was charged Friday with 11 counts of possession of explosives, along with theft and ammunition charges.

The bomb squad responded to the home on Paddington Way, where explosives experts recovered a briefcase from a shed outside the home that had “a bandolier that contained four military-grade M203 rounds, six detonator cords with attached blasting caps and two rolls of timed fused cord connected to non-electric fixing mechanisms,” District Attorney’s office reported.”

Police say they received a call on Thursday from the homeowner, identified as Merricks’ estranged wife, saying she was cleaning out a bedroom closet and found four ¼ sticks of TNT and assorted ammunition in a metal box marked “highly explosive.”

The explosives were stolen. $1000 dollars? Really? 🙄

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July 12, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 7-12-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

We start today off with some good news. It’s a good story, let’s hope it happens more often. 🙂

From HotAir

“In a world where the dominant culture divides children into the wanted and undesired for the convenience of others, it’s worth noting when a news story demonstrates the power of hope, love, and life:

A Virginia church says it has received hundreds of calls from people around the world offering to adopt an unborn child with Down syndrome who otherwise would have been aborted.

After the unborn child came to the attention of Rev. Thomas Vander Woude of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gainesville, Va., an urgent plea was posted Monday on the church’s Facebook page. …

An adoption agency has narrowed down the hundreds of families to three, Drennan said, and is working with the birth parents to determine the best home for the child.”

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In other abortion news…. From TheHuffingtonPost

“Most Americans would favor sweeping new national restrictions on abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll. But the poll also shows many Americans remain conflicted in their views on abortion.

By a margin of 59 percent to 30 percent, respondents to the new poll said they would favor a federal law banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.”

Don’t worry though, it’s HuffPo, so they still do their best to try to spin it to the pro side.

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The head of Planned Parenthood is having trouble explaining why late-term abortions are different from what Gosnell did. The difficulty is because they aren’t really any different, and she knows it. From TheWeeklyStandard

“Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards held a small rally outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday joined by Minnesota senator Al Franken, Connecticut congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and a crowd of 200 Planned Parenthood activists. Richards warned that new state and federal bills–including measures establishing late-term abortion limits–pose threats to women’s rights.

The new legislation is being debated and voted on in the wake of the trial of Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, who was convicted of murder in May for snipping the necks of babies after they were born. Following the rally, THE WEEKLY STANDARD asked Richards to explain the difference between the Gosnell killings and late-term abortions.

“I mean he was a criminal. And he’s now going to jail,” Richards replied. “It is very rare for a woman to need to terminate a pregnancy after 20 weeks. And quite often it’s stories like ones we heard today where” the fetus is diagnosed with a dire medical condition.

But asked about late-term abortion when there isn’t a medical problem (Texas’s proposed abortion limit has exceptions for the physical health of the mother and severe “fetal abnormalities”), Richards refused to answer. Nor did she reply when asked if she supports any legal limits on abortion.”

Like I said yesterday, it’s easy to spot who the real extremists are.

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In Egypt we have questions being asked about Morsi’s rise to power. From TheNYTimes

“Egypt’s new rulers gave new credence to a court case against the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, and members of the Muslim Brotherhood on Thursday over their escape from prison during the uprising that toppled his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.

The case was transferred from an appeals court to the State Security prosecutor for further investigation. No charges have yet been filed. Its acceptance by powerful prosecutors follows the arrest of many Muslim Brotherhood members and is a new blow to the group by the military-backed government.”

“His ouster and the subsequent suppression of the Brotherhood have enraged the group’s members and led to a spate of scapegoating attacks by Muslim extremists against Christians they accuse of supporting his fall, rights activists said.”

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Here’s more on the plight of Christians in Egypt. From WaPo

“With a mob of Muslim extremists on their tail, the Christian businessman and his nephew climbed up on the roof and ran for their lives, jumping from building to building in their southern Egyptian village. Finally they ran out of rooftops.

Forced back onto the street, they were overwhelmed by several dozen men. The attackers hacked them with axes and beat them with clubs and tree limbs, killing Emile Naseem, 41. The nephew survived with wounds to his shoulders and head and recounted the chase to The Associated Press.”

“The mob’s rampage through the village of Nagaa Hassan, burning dozens of Christian houses and stabbing to death three other Christians as well, came two days after the military ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi from power. It was no coincidence the attackers focused on Naseem and his family: He was the village’s most prominent campaigner calling for Morsi’s removal.

Some Christians are paying the price for their activism against Morsi and his Islamist allies in a backlash over his ouster last week.”

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Meanwhile the Obama admin is speaking out about Morsi’s ouster, and threatening to possibly cut off aid. I’m sure it has nothing at all to do with the Brotherhood’s influence in the Obama admin… 🙄

From TimesOfIsrael

“The Obama administration on Thursday sharpened its criticism of the Egyptian military and interim government’s arrests of supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, saying the continuing detentions are inconsistent with pledges of inclusivity made by authorities and may affect future US assistance.

While the administration has determined it is not in US national security interests to make any immediate changes to its aid program, officials said the continuing arrests of members of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and political party are troubling. The criticism is some of the most severe of Egypt’s new leadership since Morsi was toppled last week and came a day after arrest warrants were issued for the Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader and nine other Islamists accused of inciting violence.”

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If Obama had a son……… Sure it sounded good at the time. Sure it fanned the flames. But now that the actual evidence is out…….

From TheDailyCaller

“The White House refused to answer questions regarding President Barack Obama’s stance on the George Zimmerman trial on Thursday in an unexpected move to distance itself from Obama’s previous comments.

“[Obama’s] comments are what they were, but we’re not going to say anything from here,” press secretary Jay Carney said.

When asked by reporters if the Justice Department will be watching the outcome and reporting back to the President, Carney said, “I do not know the answer to that question.””

Sure, now he keeps his comments to himself. 🙄

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July 10, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 7-10-13

What’s interesting out there today?

Open thread, as always.

If sometime today you think things are rough, take heart. It could be worse. Much worse. 😯

From ABCNews

“It was exactly midnight when Caroline Burns eerily opened her eyes and looked at the operating lights above her, shocking doctors who believed she was dead and were about to remove her organs and donate them to patients on the transplant waiting list.

The Syracuse Post-Standard unearthed a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that chronicled the series of errors that led to the near-organ removal on a living patient at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, N.Y., in 2009.”

😯 See? 🙂

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This next one won’t be ending as well as the first story. We’ll call this one “Why am I not shocked?”

From FoxNews

“The cost of subsidies for those seeking government aid through ObamaCare has increased dramatically, critics say – even before a single dollar has been collected.

Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah wrote a letter to the administration asking why the president is already requesting 107 percent more than three years ago to pay for subsidies.

“They low-balled everything, and they knew they were not asking for enough money to actually do this,” John Goodman of the National Center for Policy Analysis said. “And so now they are coming along saying: ‘Oh, we’ve just discovered we don’t have enough money’. They should’ve known that from day one.””

Oh they knew. They just didn’t care. It’s also why they were in such a hurry to pass it before anyone else could figure that out.

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This next one, while I appreciate the principle behind it, ain’t goin’ nowhere. But it may have it’s uses in campaign materials for 2014.

From TheWeeklyStandard

“The House of Representatives will take up a bill that would stop the Department of the Treasury, including the Internal Revenue Services, from implementing and enforcing the provisions of Obamacare. The bill, authored by Georgia Republican Tom Price and co-sponsored by 114 other House members, is just two pages long and claims its purpose is to “prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from enforcing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.”

Section 3 of the bill simply states that the Treasury Secretary, or any delegate thereof, “shall not implement or enforce any provisions” of the 2010 health care law.”

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Meanwhile, the White House says “FORWARD!” over the cliff.

From TheHill

“White House press secretary Jay Carney on Tuesday angrily dismissed demands from GOP leaders for more information on the decision to delay ObamaCare’s employer mandate, declaring that “implementation is moving forward” on the healthcare law.

Carney said Republicans who argue the Affordable Care Act is unwieldy and unworkable had no realistic alternative to propose, and that support for the president’s legislation would be buoyed once Americans began benefiting from the law.”

You can keep sayin’ that Jay, but it doesn’t make it true. The majority of public opinion is still against it. They already see what you refuse to admit. And the Republican’s offered alternatives, yet Democrats shut them out and didn’t consider other plans. You guys own it buddy. 😉

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And next, the PC Police are at it again. 🙄

From TheWashingtonTimes

“The president of an NAACP branch in Florida has petitioned members of the Lee County Commission to take down a painting of Gen. Robert E. Lee, calling the former Confederate leader a historic symbol of racism.

Lee County was named after the general in 1887 — 22 years after the Civil War wrapped, the Fort Myers News-Press said.

But James Muwakkil, of the Lee County chapter of the NAACP, said the painting, which has hung in the county commission’s meeting room for years, divides the community.

“That painting is a symbol of racism. It’s a symbol of divisiveness, and it doesn’t unify Lee County. It divides Lee County,” Mr. Muwakkil said in a letter, the News-Press reported.”

This northerner says 🙄

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These next 2 are without comment, since I have nothing nice to say.

From CNSNews

” Unborn babies who have reached at least 20 weeks of age in utero are aborted at a rate of about 30 per day in the United States, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO has also concluded that aborting babies at 20 weeks or later in pregnancy saves money for the government-run federal-state Medicaid system.

The CBO made these determinations when doing its official “Cost Estimate” of a federal bill that would prohibit abortions at 20 weeks or later into pregnancy (except in cases of reported rape, incest against a minor or to save the life of the mother).”

And this piece asks several very good questions about this.

From TownHall

“The Congressional Budget Office is tasked with “scoring” pending legislation based on the (sometimes cherry-picked) data they’re provided. I understand that. Nevertheless, producing an analysis of what amounts to an anti-infanticide bill based on the icy calculation of how much infanticide “saves” taxpayers is downright ghoulish. The objective of the law is to end a form of inhumane killing, not to clean up our balance sheets.”

“(1) Are abortion advocates going to fleetingly morph into budget hawks over $17 million per year? After all, hospital births are expensive.

(2) Since they’ve reduced the debate over the protection of innocent life to callous, green-eyeshade facts and figures, will CBO also score the effects of aborting hundreds of thousands of future taxpayers — especially when it comes to annual cash-flow deficits in programs like Social Security?”

“CBO recently determined that granting legal status to illegal immigrants would significantly reduce deficits — but not aborting would-be US citizens would increase them? I think the reason for this apparent disconnect is related to the “scoring windows.” CBO concluded that adult illegal immigrants would be able to work and pay taxes immediately (thus affecting the ten-year window), whereas newborns are more of a long-term investment. Therefore, pre-born infants’ deaths would cost less than their births in the short term. This entire discussion is surreal.”

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July 2, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 7-2-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, so feel free to contribute. I’ve had a rough go of it the last day and a half, so I’m a little behind. I’ve been unable to sit for long so it’s been a bit hard to keep up, but I do have a few that caught my eye…..

First up, the propaganda machine kicks into high gear.

From NationalReview

“The American Library Association announced on Sunday that public libraries across the country will be partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services to help millions of uninsured Americans sign up for Obamacare.

With the emphasis on web-based enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, Americans without computers are at a disadvantage to register for the “reasonable health insurance” that will soon be available to them. And “that is where public libraries come in,” explained American Libraries magazine. In addition to providing computer and Internet access to patrons, librarians will receive training to help people navigate through the various healthcare plans and choose the plan that suits their needs. It has also been suggested that libraries host healthcare-awareness events and hand out information to foster “health care literacy” in the coming months.

The Washington Times reports that up to 17,000 U.S. libraries will be a part of the effort, and that “libraries will be particularly important in conservative states that are not making much effort to promote the health law’s opportunities.” (That’s quite an understatement.)”

Gee, maybe when they’re done with this job, they can help with this one, since the Obama admin also seems incapable of handling this on their own too.

Also from NationalReview

“The backlog of disability claims at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has catapulted the agency into an unwanted spotlight. Unlike other scandals besetting the Obama administration, there is nothing to indicate that the VA is targeting conservative vets with systematic delays or passing their telephone records along to the Justice Department. Simply put, the VA backlog has grown because of the technical burdens veterans face in navigating a complex process in a vast bureaucracy.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki promises to do his best to reduce the backlog. So far, his most visible step is a dictate that VA employees who review claims work mandatory overtime to tackle the problem, which is staggering. As of June 22, VA reported that 833,130 vets had pending compensation and pension (C&P) claims. That’s more people than reside in San Francisco. If these claimants represented a single city, it would be the 14th largest in America. Backlogged claims, defined as those pending more than 125 days, represent nearly two-thirds of that total.”

Most of the discussion of the claims backlog misses the mark. Secretary Shinseki and others at VA repeatedly tell us that the key to reducing the backlog is computerization. VA’s goal is to move from paper records to digital ones. It’s a good talking point, but it won’t get the job done any time soon.”

“navigating a complex process in a vast bureaucracy” Just like ObamaCare will be. That’s guaranteed, since the govt does nothing well, except grow ever larger and more controlling.

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Ruh-roh….. Quick, somebody get John “Did you know he was in Vietnam?” Kerry on the phone. It’s time for some of that Obama/leftist “smart diplomacy”.

From WeaselZippers

“Breaking: Military In Egypt Announces Will Stage Coup D’Etat In 48 Hours If People’s Demands Not Met…

Update: Statement From Military”

““The Armed Forces repeat its call for the people’s demands to be met and give everyone 48 hours as a last chance to shoulder the burden of a historic moment for a nation that will not forgive or tolerate any party that is lax in shouldering its responsibility,” it said.”

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This next one demonstrates nicely what happens when affirmative action is carried to it’s logical conclusion in a college environment. Is this the exception, or the rule? I fear it’s the latter.

From CampusReform

“School administrators at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) are systematically raising the final grades of African-American students, three ex-faculty members told Campus Reform last month.

Former Director of Academic Technology Shira Hedgepeth, along with two former professors who spoke to Campus Reform on the condition of anonymity, alleged administrators at the historically black college routinely increase the final grades of African-American students in order to raise the school’s standing.

“Some students had their final grades changed based on their race,” Hedgepeth told Campus Reform on June 6. “That was a common complaint of many of the faculty that I worked with.””

“According to Hedgepeth, and the two former professors who were granted anonymity because they feared speaking out may jeopardize their retirement, instructors would submit final grades to the school only to have them later revised upwards by administrators as a way to “take care of their African American students.””

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Next up, a not surprising, but still pathetic, new tactic for women to get men to support abortion. Sexual blackmail. With a CONTENT WARNING!!! for adult subject matter.

From HuffPo

“We’ve all been there, attracted to that man who does not mean well for us. We sure would not want our daughters dating or married to these kinds of guys who think they should decide what is best for women. How perfectly patriarchal, these Texas men trying to not hear what women want have shown themselves to be, but how incredibly out of touch with today’s reality. Women of Texas, it’s going to be a long hot summer — make sure the men who do not deeply respect and support women feel it.

As a native Texan, and someone who has survived 100-plus-degree temperatures for many summers, I can tell you, this summer in Texas is surely going to be hotter than usual. Sultry, sweaty summers can be made much nicer when good old-fashioned sex is part of the picture. But women, take heed: Don’t give in if your man, boyfriend, husband, toyboy is not voting for your best interests, your reproductive health — do not sleep with that man! I don’t care how cute or charming he is! I don’t care if he is your husband of many years. Resist! Go swimming! Meditate!

Do not make him dinner, do not go fetch him a cold beer from the fridge, do not iron that shirt, hell, do not change that diaper… do not make his life a little nicer this summer if he does not “get it” and learn to respect women! Instead, volunteer some time for senators like Wendy Davis, go with a group of women to Austin and make your voices heard. Get on the computer and the social networks and organize.”

Sad.

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And so is this one. I know they think this is a great new ad campaign to push their product, but is ticking off half of your potential customers the way to increase sales? I’d think not. But I do know one thing, this pandering has cost them at least one customer already….. Me.

Also from HuffPo

“From all of the marriage equality celebrations to Facebook’s new Pride emoticon, everyone’s seeing the colors of the rainbow these past few days and now, to continue celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pride, you don’t have to look any further than your cereal bowl.

General Mills has come out in support of the gay community for Pride, and what better way to show their love than with the Lucky Charms marshmallow rainbow?

The “magically delicious” cereal is serving as the face of the new #LuckyToBe campaign which encourages people with Pride to tweet and post online their reasons for why they’re prideful using the hashtag #LuckyToBe.

“We’re celebrating Pride month with whimsical delight, magical charms, and two new rainbow marshmallows… If you’re lucky enough to be different, we’re celebrating you,” the #LuckyToBe campaign stated in a press release sent to GLAAD.

🙄 And someone remind me again, what comes before a fall?

Yeah, exactly.

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June 13, 2013 by the real Aj

New/Politics 6-13-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open Thread, as always.

This one doesn’t surprise me at all. From Breitbart

“Breitbart News reported last week that Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) passed an amendment in the House Armed Services Committee protecting religious speech of service members in the military. President Barack Obama has now threatened to veto the bill if it passes the full House and Senate.

The White House released a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) on H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014. Among other items, the SAP includes as an objection to the bill:

Expansion and Implementation of Protection of Rights of Conscience of Members of the Armed Forces and Chaplains of Such Members: The Administration strongly objects to section 530, which would require the Armed Forces to accommodate, except in cases of military necessity, “actions and speech” reflecting the “conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs of the member.” By limiting the discretion of commanders to address potentially problematic speech and actions within their units, this provision would have a significant adverse effect on good order, discipline, morale, and mission accomplishment.

The SAP includes a veto threat: “…if the bill is presented to the President for approval in its current form, the President’s senior advisers would recommend that the President veto the bill.””

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This next one also isn’t. But the playing of the race card is really getting old. The post-racial President and his buddy Holder are up to more nonsense. From TheWallStJournal

“Federal regulators Tuesday accused two large employers of improperly using criminal-background checks in hiring, the latest salvo in a contentious debate over whether such screening amounts to discrimination against black applicants.

In complaints filed in federal courts in Illinois and South Carolina, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said two companies discount retailer Dollar General Corp. and a U.S. unit of German auto maker BMW AG generally barred potential employees based on the criminal checks, when they should have reviewed each applicant. The commission said the policies had the effect of discriminating against black applicants.

The suits underscore increasing government scrutiny of criminal and credit checks, which are widely used to screen job applicants. Some 92% of employers use criminal-background checks for some or all job openings, according to a 2010 survey by the Society of Human Resource Management.”

So they’ve basically taken the Jesse Jackson extortion of corporations racket and put the full force of govt. behind it. They’ve already done it to Pepsi and others as well.

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Next up….. They’re baaaack……. From NBCNews

“The Obama administration will try to revive its push for tighter restrictions on firearms, almost two months after legislation seen as the best hope for gun control went down to defeat in the Senate.

The effort got an extra boost on Wednesday as families of children and educators killed at Newtown returned to Capitol Hill ahead of the six-month anniversary of the shootings to plead with lawmakers not to forget their loved ones.”

“The administration’s renewed effort will be fought on several fronts: at the White House, on Capitol Hill, and in key states and congressional districts throughout the country.

The families also met today with House GOP leaders, whose discretion will be key in determining whether any gun proposal even comes up for a vote in the House, should a bill make it out of the Senate.”

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We also have an attempt by a Trayvon Martin advocate to get on the jury and try to influence it. From TheNYDailyNews

“A member of a pro-Travyon Martin group was unmasked Wednesday as he tried to get on the Florida jury in George Zimmerman’s trial for shooting the unarmed teen.

A white male potential juror identified on his Facebook page as Jerry Counelis gave long, rambling answers about his impartiality when asked basic questions by attorneys.”

“According to its Facebook page, the Coffee Party Progressives is a group “dedicated to seeking justice for Trayvon Martin.””

“There were several other incendiary remarks about Zimmerman and police in Sanford, Fla., where Martin was shot.”

What a weasel.

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The Southern Baptist Convention is calling for the removal of some of the leadership of the BSA for it’s recent decision on homosexuals. And a little FYI, if you aren’t a fan of hate, stay away from the comment section. Liberals are acting as you would guess they would. From NBCNews

“The Southern Baptist Convention on Wednesday called for the removal of some of the Boy Scouts’ leadership after the organization voted to allow gay youth to join, but did not ask its affiliated churches to pull their sponsorship of Scouting.”

“The convention approved the call in a resolution crafted by a committee at the group’s annual meeting in Houston. It comes three weeks after the Boy Scouts of America voted in an historic ballot to allow gay youth to join after the issue of LGBT membership had roiled the youth organization for years.

“Bapists didn’t put this on the agenda. The Boy Scouts of America put this on the agenda. This was something to which we had to respond,” said Russell Moore, president of the convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee.

“The purpose of this resolution is not to call down fire from heaven on the leadership of the Boy Scouts of America,” he added. “It’s to seek to persuade, to seek to engage in a conversation.””

No, but it did call down the hate from those who disagree with you Mr. Moore.

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This one has little chance of passing, and would be vetoed if it was. But I will enjoy seeing Democrats and pro-abortion Repubs try to defend voting against it. From TheDailyCaller

“The House Judiciary Committee approved legislation Wednesday that would ban abortions in the United States after 20 weeks.

The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, was approved in a vote of 20-12.

“The taking of innocent life is a practice all too common in this nation,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte said in a statement. “The recent Gosnell trial reminds us that when newborn babies are cut with scissors, they whimper and cry, and flinch from pain. And unborn babies when harmed also whimper and cry, and flinch from pain. Delivered or not, babies are babies, and it has been shown that they can feel pain at least by 20 weeks.””

““It is time to welcome young children who can feel pain into the human family,” he added. “And this bill, at last, will do just that.””

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And Wisconsin is about to require an ultrasound prior to an abortion. And again, the comments are exactly as you think they would be. It’s disturbing how vile they can be in their defense of homosexuality and abortion. From TwinCities.com

“Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Tuesday he will sign a measure that’s quickly working its way through the Republican-controlled Legislature that would require women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound.

The Senate debated the measure Tuesday, a week after it was introduced, but Democrats used a procedural move to delay a vote until Wednesday morning. The Assembly hoped to take it up Thursday.

While Democrats were able to temporarily hold up the bill, they don’t have the votes to kill it.”

“Another bill slated be voted on by the Assembly on Thursday would keep certain religious organizations and employers from having to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives and would prohibit the use of public money to pay for abortion coverage in public employees’ health insurance plans. Yet another would ban abortion for gender selection.”

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June 7, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 6-7-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Open thread, so don’t be shy.

If you thought the Obama admin and some kangaroo court giving the OK to snoop in 100 million people’s phone records was bad, you’ll love this one. This one involves internet snooping rather than phones. They say it’s only used on foreigners, but I’d hardly trust them since they seem to have constantly changing stories. We’ll see.

But the scandals just keep coming. Next up, the Prism scandal. From TheGuardian

“Two different versions of the PRISM scandal were emerging on Thursday with Silicon Valley executives denying all knowledge of the top secret program that gives the National Security Agency direct access to the internet giants’ servers.

The eavesdropping program is detailed in the form of PowerPoint slides in a leaked NSA document, seen and authenticated by the Guardian, which states that it is based on “legally-compelled collection” but operates with the “assistance of communications providers in the US.”

Each of the 41 slides in the document displays prominently the corporate logos of the tech companies claimed to be taking part in PRISM. However, senior executives from the internet companies expressed surprise and shock and insisted that no direct access to servers had been offered to any government agency.

The top-secret NSA briefing presentation set out details of the PRISM program, which it said granted access to records such as emails, chat conversations, voice calls, documents and more. The presentation the listed dates when document collection began for each company, and said PRISM enabled “direct access from the servers of these US service providers: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Paltalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple”.

Executives at the companies are saying if it took place, it was without their knowledge.

More here, from the WallStJournal

And TheWashingtonPost has the leaker saying why he leaked it.

“Firsthand experience with these systems, and horror at their capabilities, is what drove a career intelligence officer to provide PowerPoint slides about PRISM and supporting materials to The Washington Post in order to expose what he believes to be a gross intrusion on privacy. “They quite literally can watch your ideas form as you type,” the officer said.”

When it comes to the phone scandal, Obama has even lost the NYTimes

“Within hours of the disclosure that federal authorities routinely collect data on phone calls Americans make, regardless of whether they have any bearing on a counterterrorism investigation, the Obama administration issued the same platitude it has offered every time President Obama has been caught overreaching in the use of his powers: Terrorists are a real menace and you should just trust us to deal with them because we have internal mechanisms (that we are not going to tell you about) to make sure we do not violate your rights.

Those reassurances have never been persuasive — whether on secret warrants to scoop up a news agency’s phone records or secret orders to kill an American suspected of terrorism — especially coming from a president who once promised transparency and accountability.

The administration has now lost all credibility on this issue. Mr. Obama is proving the truism that the executive branch will use any power it is given and very likely abuse it. That is one reason we have long argued that the Patriot Act, enacted in the heat of fear after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by members of Congress who mostly had not even read it, was reckless in its assignment of unnecessary and overbroad surveillance powers.”

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Another factually challenged member of Team Obama is in trouble. Looks like perjury again. From NationalJournal

“But one person who doesn’t like the idea of the NSA spying on Americans is Oregon senator Ron Wyden. And at a hearing in March, he asked James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, a straightforward question: “Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?”

Clapper’s answer? “No, sir … not wittingly.”

Update, 5:13 p.m.: Clapper tells the National Journal, “What I said was, the NSA does not voyeuristically pore through U.S. citizens’ e-mails. I stand by that.” Except … that’s not what he said. ”

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We also have a new player in the IRS scandal. From TheDailyCaller

“A Washington IRS attorney named Carter Hull closely oversaw the targeting of conservative nonprofit groups and suggested questions that IRS employees could ask of conservative and Tea Party groups applying for tax-exempt nonprofit status, according to interviews that two IRS employees gave with congressional investigators.

“I was essentially a front person, because I had no autonomy or no authority to act on [applications] without Carter Hull’s influence or input,” said Elizabeth Hofacre, an employee of the Cincinnati IRS office, according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal.”

“IRS attorney Hull sent Hofacre additional information request letters [pdf] that he’d already sent to two tea party groups and instructed her to use them as a “foundation to prepare and review” cases and prepare her own letters to new applicants.”

Washington, not Cincinnati. But we already knew that, didn’t we?

Oh, and you’ll love this. Mr. Hull seems to be in the process of retiring. How convenient. 🙄

From NationalReview

“A tax law specialist and attorney who processed tea-party cases in the Internal Revenue Service’s Exempt Organization’s Technical Office is retiring, according to an IRS source. Reached over the phone, the lawyer, Carter Hull, would not confirm or deny the report, saying only, “I cannot verify anything about this entire matter.” Hull’s retirement comes after years of service in the Exempt Organization, where he has served ”for decades,” the source tells National Review Online.”

Another coincidence I’m sure. 🙄

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ObamaCare demands insurers cover Planned Parenthood clinics. That’s called payback. Thank you for the millions you gave me, now here’s yours. From TheWashingtonExaminer

“Most of Planned Parenthood’s 750 health and abortion clinics around the nation will be covered under Obamacare, imposing a new demand on insurers who want to participate in the health care exchanges that will provide insurance coverage to millions of Americans.

While insurers currently cover doctors and health facilities in their networks, Obamacare demands that they also cover at least 20 percent of “essential community providers” in their coverage area, including Planned Parenthood, AIDS clinics, pain management centers and even alternative medicine providers.

“We’ve never covered these sorts of things,” a Wisconsin insurance provider told Secrets. Insurers said that they were just figuring out the new requirement and haven’t decided if it will raise prices. Conservative providers, however, are wary of covering Planned Parenthood.”

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And it looks like the Obama admin finally has something other than pushing abortion to export to other countries. From NewsBusters

“The Agency for International Development was created to provide “economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States.” Under the Obama administration, that means spreading “gay rights” activism with our tax dollars. Now that’s really separating church and state.
The gay Washington Blade newspaper carried the front-page headline “U.S. Promoting LGBT Rights Abroad.” Reporter Michael Lavers touted “The first training as part of a USAID-backed public-private partnership designed to promote LGBT rights around the world” would happen in Colombia May 30 to June 2.

The program, which was coordinated by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute and the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, was the first to take place as part of the USAID-backed “LGBT Global Development Partnership” that will contribute $11 million over the next four years to advocacy groups in neighboring Ecuador and other developing countries.”

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May 29, 2013 by the real Aj

News/Politics 5-29-13

What’s interesting out there today?

As always, Open Thread.

Under intense pressure from Britain and France, the European Union’s arms embargo against the Syrian rebels has been lifted. From TheBBC

Canada however, has broken ranks because of the jihadist connections. Any country that sends in weapons will arm extremists. There’s no way around it.

“Our strong concern has been, and continues to be, the number of radical jihadists that have entered parts of the opposition and, in our view, that’s not getting better. It is, in fact, getting worse,” Baird said.” From TheSunNewsNetwork

I wish they’d sit McCain down and explain this to him. He just doesn’t get it. I’ve said numerous times that we shouldn’t arm these people. Once again we have reports, that if true, demonstrate why. This is who and what you will be arming.

Members of the Free Syrian Army reportedly attacked the Christian-dominated al-Duvair village in Reef on the outskirts of Homs on Monday, where they massacred its citizens, including women and children, before the Syrian Army interfered. From Examiner.com

Here’s the original story as well.

Armed rebels attacked a village in Syria’s Western province of Homs and slaughtered all its Christian residents on Monday.From TheFarsNewsAgency

And to make matters worse, Russia is planning to send missiles to the Assad regime. And Israel has stated they will bomb the shipments if they try. Nice.

How about we just stay out of it?

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Who’s up for an ObamaCare update? Or as I like to call it, the slow motion train wreck. Anyway,

LET THE PROPAGANDA BEGIN! Again.

“The goals, Pelosi writes in a “dear colleague” letter that begins the document, are “to educate our constituents about the new law, help to implement it, and strengthen the hands of those who have worked for this historic reform.”

The document is also optimistic about the cost of these plans: “A significant majority of people in the new Marketplaces will pay the same or less than they do for their coverage right now,” it says, citing tax credits available for health-care premiums.” From BuzzFeed

Uh-huh. That sounds familiar. Kinda like “If you like your plan you can keep it.” If you can still afford it once the rates climb. And climb they have. That will continue as well. And once again, Democrats are optimistic about costs, even after the advertised cost has already doubled. 🙄

And like all good propaganda, it must be coordinated.

“Reforming our health care system is an historic opportunity to make health care more affordable and bring the kind of change we were all elected to achieve for the American people,” Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and committee co-chairmen Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Robert E. Andrews of New Jersey wrote in a May 22 introductory letter accompanying each toolkit, one of which was obtained by CQ Roll Call.

“Nothing could be more important,” the letter continues, “which is why we now want to educate our constituents about the new law, help to implement it, and strengthen the hands of those who have worked for this historic reform.”

In other words, the toolkits — the culmination of months of collaboration and coordination — are meant to help get Democrats “on message” about the law that’s consistently derided by the GOP as a government overreach that will kill jobs. It’s certainly not the first time Democrats have tried to retool their sales job on the health care law, as polls consistently show Democrats have yet to win over the public.” From RollCall

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Here’s an IRS scandal update. Looks like that “low-level employees” lie has officially past it’s expiration date.

“Additional scrutiny of conservative organizations’ activities by the IRS did not solely originate in the agency’s Cincinnati office, with requests for information coming from other offices and often bearing the signatures of higher-ups at the agency, according to attorneys representing some of the targeted groups. At least one letter requesting information about one of the groups bears the signature of Lois Lerner, the suspended director of the IRS Exempt Organizations department in Washington.” From NBCNews

The investigation seems to be expanding to all IRS data on the matter, and thereby, anyone involved.

“The Internal Revenue Service is in the process of locking down all computer data across the agency, a sign that investigations into the scandal-plagued agency may be taking a broader sweep than initially anticipated.

Agency employees last Thursday received an e-mail alerting them, “This is a late breaking top priority and things could change in the future,” according to an IRS employee who asked not to be named.

Employees were directed not to “wipe, re-image or otherwise destroy any hard drives” on any machine currently in use or in stock.” From NationalReview

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