Saturday, October 12, 2013

As part of a two-year plan to “Eviscerate, Mitigate, Litigate, Cogitate, and Agitate,” the memo outlines a strategy


◼ FLASHBACK: Blueprint NC: How A Shadowy Left-Wing Hydra Plans A Targeted Attack On NC Republicans - RED STATE

...the Charlotte Observer ran a story about a leaked confidential memo released by a below-the-radar shadow group called Blueprint NC. The confidential memo revealed a left-wing plan to attack North Carolina’s governor and other conservative leaders.

According to the Observer’s piece, the confidential memo was from Bluepint NC’s Communications Coordinator Stephanie Bass and addressed to its “partner groups.”

As part of a two-year plan to “Eviscerate, Mitigate, Litigate, Cogitate, and Agitate,” the memo outlines a strategy to target Republican Governor Pat McRory and other conservative leaders....
__________

Factor in the IRS and NSA in collusion with the White House...

Who Scares You the Most?

I am truly fascinated by the name calling and vitriol directed at Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and other Tea Party folks. - LARRY JOHNSON/NO QUARTER

The essence of the Tea Party is this–Government has grown too big and too hungry. The beast of the bureaucracy can only be tamed by cutting funds and cutting authority. That’s why nitwits (speaking of name calling) like McCain and King are so viciously attacking Cruz and Lee....

...Six months from now the Sturm und Drang of today will be forgotten. Americans will be focused on spring flooding, tornados, a sluggish economy and rising costs from Obama care. Not just the rising costs. Less availability of quality health care, as doctors pull out of the system and hospitals scale back.

What will linger in the memory of many thinking Americans is how much abusive power the Government has. The memory of blocking access to National Parks by the storm troopers masquerading as Park Rangers will leave lasting resentment. The Dems should enjoy while they can the illusion that they are winning the budget battle. They are not. Americans are fed up with a Government that is bloated, has too much power and can so blithely ignore the wishes of the very people who fund it.

PANIC! Glitch Shuts Down Welfare Debit Card System Nationwide...

People in Ohio, Michigan and 15 other states found themselves unable to use their food stamp debit-style (EBT) cards on Saturday, after a routine test of backup systems by vendor Xerox Corp. resulted in a system failure. - CBS Boston

The federal EBT website was unavailable due to the government shutdown.

U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Courtney Rowe underscored that the outage is not related to the government shutdown. - AP

EBT card failures cause ‘complete chaos’ at Walmart stores - Twitchy





‘Riot time!’: Food stamp users in near-panic over EBT card failures - Twitchy

Hundreds of reports on Twitter from many parts of the country indicate that Electronics Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards (the electronic version of food stamps) are not working this afternoon.





EBT shutdown ‘glitch’ doesn’t bode well for Obamacare’s future - Twitchy

Satisfaction with the country's governance dropped among Republicans from 11% to 8%; among independents from 26% to 15%. And -- are you paying attention Valerie Jarrett? -- among Democrats, satisfaction with their government plummeted from 54% to only 28%. In one month

Hard truths: Obama's report card 1,724 days in - Andrew Malcolm/Investors Business Daily

...Last December Obama's approval rating among his political core of Democrats was 91%. Today, it is 78%, under 80% for the first time in nearly two years and just one point above his lowest approval ever. The 13-point drop among Democrats is greater even than the drop among U.S. adults overall.

Barely more than one-in-three business owners (37%) approve of Obama's job performance, despite his year-long delay in their having to implement ObamaCare. No profession surveyed delivered a majority of approving members. Business owners were the third lowest approving group, just above repairmen (35%), fisherman and farmers (34%) and just below construction workers (39%)....

Remember how in 2007-08 candidate Obama promised to be a political uniter who would end the harsh partisan divide in the nation's capital and get the federal government running efficiently? This month, for the first time since the 2008 election, jobs and the economy are no longer Americans' top concerns.

Today, the dysfunctional government is by far the top concern, listed by a whopping 33% of Americans. That's the highest percentage in three-quarters of a century, since before World War II. That eclipses the 19% who list the economy as the top national concern and the deficit, unemployment and healthcare, all at 12%. If that concern persists, voter unhappiness with incumbents could play a major role in the 2014 midterms, just 13 months away.

Two-out-of-three Americans see through Obama's hollow boasts of boosting domestic energy production to record levels. Fully 65% of likely voters do not believe the nation is doing enough to develop its own energy resources. And 57% of the same group favor building the Keystone XL pipeline to bring oil from Canada to Texas....

NO DEAL! Obama Rejects House Offer...

OBAMA REJECTS LATEST HOUSE GOP OFFER - Breitbart
Focus on Senate after Obama rejects House plan - Politico

Cruz to hecklers: I’ve taken more questions today than Obama has all year

Needless to say, the audience roared with approval: - Ed Morrissey

Liberal heckling sparks stream of one-liners from Ted Cruz
http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/11/liberal-heckling-sparks-stream-of-one-liners-from-ted-cruz/

The constant interrupting by hecklers throughout his speech at the Values Voter Summit led the Republican lawmaker to throw out a number of crowd-pleasing one-liners:

In response to one heckler, Cruz said: “Thank you, sir, for being here. You know, look, it is a great thing that people can express their First Amendment rights. And I only wish the Obama administration respected First Amendment rights that much.”

To another heckler, Cruz responded: “Ma’am, thank you for being here. I wish you would participate in the democratic process through speaking respectfully. … It seems that President Obama’s paid political operatives are out in force today. And you know why? Because the men and women in this room scare the living daylights out of them.”

Interrupted again, Cruz took aim at the president: “You know what? I’m curious. Is anybody left at the Organizing for America headquarters? I’m actually glad that the president’s whole political staff is here instead of actually doing mischief in the country.”

When another heckler yelled out a question, Cruz responded: “You know what’s striking, actually? In the course of this brief speech, we’ve heard more questions than President Obama has allowed in the last year.”

The heckling then led Cruz to “make an offer” to Obama. “I would welcome the president, if he wants to get a hundred of his most rabid political operatives in a room, I’ll answer their questions on television as long as he likes. And in exchange, all that I would ask, Mr. President, is you take not a hundred, but ten of the men and women in this room, and spend 30 minutes answering their questions for the American people.”

To another liberal activist, Cruz responded: “Oh, they don’t want the truth to be heard. They definitely don’t want the truth to be heard.”

After the crowd broke into chants of “USA, USA” in response to another interruption, Cruz said: “You know the nice thing? The nice thing is the left will always always tell you who they fear. You. They fear the American people.”

Cruz rallies conservatives to hold firm on Obamacare... - FOX
Crushes field in presidential straw poll... - Washington Times

GOP governors launch campaign to rebrand the party

The Republican Party is already at war with itself, but its fight is spreading. This time it's not conservatives versus moderates. The new feud, exacerbated by the government shutdown, is between Republicans inside the Beltway and those on the outside. - Rebecca Berg/Washington Examiner

Led by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the governors launched a media blitz they say is needed to limit the damage "dysfunctional" Republicans in Washington are inflicting on the GOP brand and to show voters that -- on the state level, at least -- Republican leaders are translating conservative principles into policies that resolve the problems of real people.

"We've got 30 Republican governors," Jindal, the head of the Republicans Governors Association, said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. "We said we're going to to stop outsourcing our brand to Washington, D.C., because if you want to see conservative ideas being applied, it's not happening in D.C. It's happening in our state capitals."

New York’s education commissioner gets an earful on Common Core [video]



No parents are hauled out by security in this must-see video, but there were plenty of passionate arguments against New York’s implementation of Common Core, which resulted in a 30-point drop in math scores and a 21-point drop in English proficiency. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg managed to find the bright side, tweeting that the curriculum (and concurrent drop in scores) would “empower students to achieve at higher levels in the years ahead,” but parents aren’t willing to take that chance with their children’s futures, and they let state education commissioner John King know it. - Twitchy



John Boehner: No deal with White House

On Saturday morning, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told House Republicans in a closed meeting that there is no deal to reopen the government and hike the debt ceiling, and no negotiations going on with the White House, according to two sources present. - Politico

Majority leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said: “Senate Republicans need to stand strong and fight,” according to a source in the room. Several Republicans in the room said the process to reopen the government and hike the debt is at a standstill.

House GOP Talks With Obama Breakdown as Both Look to Senate - CQ Roll Call

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said the sentiment from lawmakers at a morning GOP conference meeting was that the president is not serious about negotiating with House GOP. He said the White House seems more interested in talking with GOP senators....

Indeed, the consensus coming out of conference was that House Republicans would stand against anything they considered a bad deal coming out of the Senate. Many suggested that they were not inclined to simply roll over and take a deal that doesn’t meet the demands of the Republican conference.”We are resolved, let’s just leave it at that,” said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash.

Hold the optimism: Why a shutdown settlement might not be near - Byron York/Washington Examiner @ByronYork

Press reports are filled with expressions of optimism that the government shutdown and coming debt limit showdown will soon be resolved. Certainly many Republican senators, who hope to play a now-it's-time-for-the-adults-to-take-charge role in the crisis, are suggesting a deal is possible not only to end the shutdown but also to head off a possible default -- and it could all happen in the course of a few days.

The problem is, such a deal would be possible only if the conservative Republicans who have so far dictated the GOP's actions in the House are somehow taken out of the picture. Those Republicans have been unyielding in their demand that President Obama offer a concession imposing some significant new limits on Obamacare. And Obama has been equally unyielding in his refusal to offer any such concession.

That is an unresolvable conflict. And so far there is no sign it has changed.

...For there to be a deal, Boehner would have to say to the defunders: We tried it your way, it didn't work, and now we need to move on. There are plenty of Republicans in the House, not to mention Democrats, who would vote to go along with the Senate and pass a settlement of some sort. But for that to happen, Boehner would have to abandon the very people who have been most influenced his decision-making so far. So far, that hasn't happened.

Obama Reverses, Opposes Short-Term Debt Ceiling Hike - Keith Koffler/White House Dossier

Michael Needham: The Strategist Behind the Shutdown - Stephen MooreWall St. Journal

The 31-year-old Stanford business grad explains how he outmaneuvered GOP leaders and why he thinks House Republicans can defund ObamaCare.

'I really believe we are in a great position right now," says Michael Needham, the 31-year-old president of Heritage Action, the lobbying arm of the nation's largest conservative think tank. By "we" he means the Republican Party and the conservative movement; their "great position" refers to the potential to win the political battle over the government shutdown.

Though Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is the public face of the high-risk strategy to "defund" ObamaCare, the masterminds behind it are a new generation of young conservatives, chief among them Mr. Needham. From a tactical view, the strategy has been deployed with precision. In August, only Mr. Cruz and a band of renegade tea-party Republicans in the House favored this approach, and the media collectively scoffed. But by September, House Republicans couldn't pass a budget without attaching the defunding rider that has grounded much of government.

The Real Dysfunction: A $17 Trillion National Debt

Once again the media are full of talk about dysfunction and default, as the partial government shutdown threatens to linger until the federal government hits the limit of its borrowing capacity, possibly on Oct. 17. - CATO Institute

If in fact Congress doesn’t raise the ceiling by mid-October—or by November 1 or so, when the real crunch might come—then the federal government would be forbidden to borrow any more money beyond the legal limit of $16.699 trillion.

Congress and the president will work out the debt ceiling issue, if not by October 17 then a few days later. The real dysfunction is a federal budget that doubled in 10 years, unprecedented deficits as far as the eye can see, and a national debt bursting through its statutory limit of $16.699 trillion and heading toward 100 percent of GDP.

...Republicans and Democrats alike should be able to find wasteful, extravagant, and unnecessary programs to cut back or eliminate. And yet many voters, especially Tea Partiers, know that both parties have been responsible for the increased spending. Most Republicans, including today’s House leaders, voted for the No Child Left Behind Act, the Iraq war, the prescription drug entitlement, and the TARP bailout during the Bush years. That’s why fiscal conservatives have become very skeptical of bills that promise to cut spending some day—not this year, not next year, but swear to God some time in the next ten years. As the White Queen said to Alice, “Jam to-morrow and jam yesterday—but never jam to-day.” Cuts tomorrow and cuts in the out-years—but never cuts today.

If the “dysfunctional” fight that has sent the establishment into hysterics finally results in some constraint on out-of-control spending, then it will have been well worth all the hand-wringing headlines. The problem is not a temporary mess on Capitol Hill and not a mythical default, it’s spending, deficits, and debt.








Dr. Carson: Obamacare The Worst Thing That Has Happened Since Slavery



“Obamacare is really, I think, the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery,” Carson declared. “It is slavery in a way because it is making all of us subservient to the government.” - CBS DC

Carson said the implementation of the Affordable Care Act was never about health care, only control.

OBAMACARE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS WORSEN - John Nolte/Breitbart

...What is especially unjust about all of this is that every American now lives under a government mandate to purchase health insurance or pay a hefty fine. The sign-up window to avoid the fine lasts only six months and already two weeks have been burnt up by a site that doesn't work (and reportedly cost $634 million). Still, the president is refusing to give the American people the same one-year delay he gave big business.

In the early days of the ObamaCare launch debacle, the Administration did its best to spin America by explaining that the sites were crashing due to the "luxury problem" of demand. Millions were hungering for ObamaCare and the sites couldn’t handle the traffic! Now that nearly two weeks have passed and the problems persist, not even a sympathetic media is buying it.

"I remember our president saying the new health care bill will reduce costs. I have my health care renewal forms, and the premium has increased about 15 percent, a $700 deductible is added, and my co-payment has increased."


ObamaCare rates trigger more sticker shock - FOX

Andy Mangione, who lives in Louisville, Ky. with his wife Amy and their two boys, is doing the same thing millions of people are doing -- trying to figure out how much his insurance will cost under ObamaCare.

Before the exchanges opened, his insurance company said his rates would soar. But now that there are subsidies, he's been trying for days to find out how much he would get....

Friday, October 11, 2013

15 Photos From the DC Truckers Ride for the Constitution You'll Never See In Legacy Media. #T2SDA @T2SDA


We regular Americans salute you! - Doug Ross

Capitol Update

Jilian Plank, CFRW Volunteer Intern

President's Message

Dear CFRW Members,

If you attended the CRP Convention in Anaheim last weekend you would know CFRW is at "The Table". Chairman Brulte highlighted the CFRW many times when he spoke. It was my honor to introduce Kathy Brugger, NFRW President Elect at the Friday night banquet. Kathy was presented a beautiful bronze bust of President Ronald Reagan. Many thanks to the CFRW members who attended the banquet.

I was also invited to speak to the County Chairmen about supporting their local RWF clubs by joining as Associate Members, becoming Ambassadors and contributing in other ways. We are partners in this party and need to work together to further Republican causes and candidates.

Chairman Brulte assigned me to the Head Table at the Friday and Saturday night banquets. Saturday night it was my honor to sit next to Texas Governor Rick Perry. We had the opportunity to discuss the accomplishments of the CFRW. In his address he spoke about the Federation and how important we are to the CRP, and ended by stating, "The California Federation of Republican Women are the motivators." Ladies we must show this is more than just an opinion, we truly have to be motivators.

Many speakers at the convention mentioned the great work the California Federation of Republican Women are doing. When Joy Stewart, CFRW Parliamentarian and newly appointed California Republican Party Proxy/Credential Chair, was introduced, she was introduced as a Federated woman.

We also wish to thank our CFRW Advocate Volunteer Jilian Plank for filling in for our CFRW Advocate Allison Olson, who was busy having a baby. Jilian did a magnificent job of manning our CFRW Table. She and Dianna Gadberry, CFRW CRP Liaison, did a stupendous job at our CFRW Caucus. I had to be in the Rules Committee Meeting and nothing but great comments were passed on to me about the job they did. Thank you, ladies.

This truly was the weekend to be a CFRW Member.

Today is the deadline for early registration for our CFRW Biennial Convention to be held in Stockton, October 25-27, 2013. Each Club has also received the number of voting delegates allowed to vote on who will guide this organization for the next two years. Do not let any delegate’s vote be wasted by not showing up. It is your responsibility to elect a new Executive Board for 2014-15. It is your opportunity to make a difference. I understand the hotel is already at capacity, but there are hotels close by. The Comfort Inn, La Quinta, Residence Inn, and the Courtyard are all less than a mile away. Please make every effort to have your Club represented.

Friday's workshop, presented by McGeorge Law Professor and President of PIFC, Rex Frazier, will explore how power and influence operate in the California Legislature. He will examine the processes and pressures a California Legislator typically encounters prior to casting a vote in the Legislature. He will also speak about traditional advocacy skills and political strategy, which will help us advocate for or against bills.

Saturday's workshop presented by CFRW Parliamentarian Joy Stewart and former CFRW Central Division Parliamentarian Irene Maree Castillo will deal with "Ethics". The knowledge both of these ladies bring to the workshop will make attending an experience you will not want to miss.

After the Saturday workshop you will be casting your votes. Make sure you are registered if you are a delegate and be there on time to vote starting at 4:30 P.M.

YOU ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST
ONE TEAM, ONE PURPOSE, ONE GOAL.
Look forward to seeing you in two weeks.
May Our Father in Heaven continue to bless you.
Carol Hadley
CFRW President

A Step Backwards for Women’s Health Rights

On Wednesday, Governor Brown signed AB 154 (Atkins, D) into law. AB 154 will allow nurse practitioners, mid-wives and physician’s assistants to perform abortions in California. While advocates of this legislation argue there is a shortage of available physicians to perform abortions, AB 154 has no language which requires physicians to provide on-site supervision while these invasive procedures are carried out. Governor Brown and the Democrats in the Legislature seem to think it is acceptable to allow mid-level healthcare professionals to perform major surgical procedures with minimal training. By signing this bill into law, Governor Brown is taking a clear step backwards in regards to women’s heath rights and is telling women they do not need physicians to perform surgical procedures.

Chipping Away at our Second Amendment Rights!

It was announced early this afternoon that AB 48 (Skinner, D) was signed by Governor Brown. AB 48 would prohibit the manufacturing, selling, purchasing, or using of a weapon with a “large capacity magazine,” meaning any feeding device capable of more than 10 rounds. To add fire to the flame, Governor Brown signed a flurry of other anti-gun bills, including AB 711 (Rendon-D) which will ban lead ammunition for hunters by no later than 2019. Governor Brown and the Democrats in the legislature are not only making California one of the strictest gun states in the country, but are showing there blatant lack of regard for the Second Amendment. Our elected officials should be standing up for our constitutional rights, not cutting them down.

CALL GOVERNOR BROWN!

Governor Brown’s bill deadline is this Sunday, October 13th. According to the California State Constitution, the Governor has 12 days to act on legislation that is presented to him. If Governor Brown does not act within 12 days, such legislation becomes law. This means that if Governor Brown does not veto the following legislation by October 13th, it will become law. With only two days left, this is your final chance to call the Governor and tell him you do not want the following bill passed.

CONTACT GOVERNOR BROWN AND TELL HIM TO VETO THE FOLLOWING BILLS!

AB 8 (Perea, D): Would impose higher taxes on vehicle registration, tire purchases and smog abatement in order to fund the “Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program and the Air Quality Improvement Program.” It is very similar to SB 11.

HOW TO CONTACT THE GOVERNOR:
Call the Governor: (916) 445-2841
Email the Governor HERE
Post to the Governor’s Twitter @JerryBrownGov
Send the Governor an opposition letter:

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814

CFRW Convention!

Our California Federation of Republican Women’s Biennial Convention is less than two weeks away! Today is the last day to register! At convention we will be electing a new CFRW President as well as toasting our current President, Carol Hadley. This is a convention you won’t want to miss! The convention will be held at the Stockton Hilton and we have a fantastic line up of speakers. Holly Swanson of Operation Green Out! and author of SET UP & SOLD OUT will be teaching us about the political agenda of the education for sustainability movement. To secure your registration for convention by the end of today, CLICK HERE.

CORRECTION:

There is a correction that must be made to the Capitol Update sent earlier today. In regards to the legislative process, the Governor of California has 30 days, not 12, after session is concluded to veto or sign legislation into law. The deadline for action is still this Sunday, October 13th. In addition, any legislation Governor Brown does not act upon still becomes law. Apologies for the error and misinformation!

A Win for the Second Amendment!

Good news on other legislation acted upon today! Earlier, Governor Brown vetoed SB 374 (Steinberg-D), which would have banned the sale of semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines. Although Governor Brown signed into law other anti-gun laws, the veto of SB 374 can be counted as a win! Governor Brown said he did not believe this law would decrease criminal activity, but would instead infringe upon gun-owner’s rights.

Friday Free-For All: Convoy of Truckers, Vietnam Vets Head For DC

Convoy of trucks headed south toward DC in Pennsylvania

link - Nice Deb

Via Truckers for the Constitution FB page.

Trucker Tells Megyn Kelly D.C. Trucker Protest is America’s ‘Egypt Moment’:

“This is an Egypt moment for the entire country to say ‘We have had enough.’”

IRS Collusion with The White House

IRS, White House officials that shared confidential taxpayer info had 155 White House meetings - Patrick Howley/Daily Caller

Embattled IRS official Sarah Hall Ingram made 155 visits to the White House to meet with a top Obama White House official with whom she exchanged confidential taxpayer information over email.

Of Ingram’s 165 White House meetings with White House staff, a staggering 155 of them were hosted by deputy assistant to the president for health policy Jeanne Lambrew, according to a June Watchdog.Org analysis of White House visitor records.

White House shuts down visitor logs, blames Republicans... - Patrick Howley/Daily Caller

This is also one of many cases in which the shutdown has been cited as a reason to disappear information that is potentially embarrassing to the administration. The Bureau of Labor Statistics quickly deep-sixed its September unemployment statistics as other employment proxies indicated the work situation has worsened once again. The Department of Agriculture has buried its September food stamps statistics which are also expected to show increased poverty, dependency and economic regression under Obama.

The vanished visitor logs have been a key source of information on corruption at the IRS and the Obama administration throughout the scandal over targeted auditing of the president’s political enemies.


__________________

"Never let a crisis go to waste."

Lawmakers Strike at Obamacare’s Early Weaknesses

Investigation launched into exchange failures as security flaws and exemptions in the spotlight: "At this rate, Obamacare is destined to go bankrupt." - Bridget Johnson/PJMedia

REPORT: OBAMACARE WEBSITE 'GLITCHES' STEM FROM BIGGER 'CANCER' - Tony Lee/Breitbart

The glitches and problems plaguing the websites of the Obamacare exchanges represent a bigger cancer within the bloated federal government according to the Department of Better Technology (DOBT), which builds software for the government.

This refutes the idea that higher cost implies better quality and effectiveness.

The Obamacare exchanges, which debuted last week, are not as user-friendly as President Barack Obama's campaign website, even though it cost more to develop than that site and others like Facebook and Twitter with a price tag of more than $634 million. Using a Breaking Bad analogy, DOBT wrote that "worrying about fixing healthcare.gov is a bit like giving Walter White cough syrup and expecting it to solve all his problems."

"You might hope his cough will go away, but it certainly isn’t going to end his lung cancer nor convince him to shut down his meth empire," DOBT wrote of the Breaking Bad character.

Obamacare computer code riddled with typos, Latin filler text, desperate programmer comments and disastrous architecture - Mike Adams/Natural News h/t: CD
If I had told you one month ago that ten days into the launch of Obamacare not a single person could be confirmed to have successfully enrolled, you would have called me a lunatic. And yet, here we are, tens days into the launch, and guess what? The White House cannot produce a single person who has successfully enrolled through the federally-run exchange Healthcare.gov.

Jay Carney can't say whether Obama has tried Obamacare website

Thursday, October 10, 2013

House GOP will offer Obama six-week extension of borrowing limit in exchange for major spending reforms

House Republican leaders Thursday told their rank and file that they plan to offer President Obama a plan to temporarily raise the nation's $16.7 trillion debt ceiling to buy Congress and the White House time to negotiate a longer-term deal on major spending reforms. - Susan Ferrechio/Washington Examiner

"It's time for these negotiations and conversations to begin," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said after meeting privately with GOP members on the 10th day of a government shutdown.

The deal would increase the debt ceiling for six weeks, averting a potential financial crisis once the government hits the limit on Oct. 17. But the measure would not reopen the government, something Obama insists must be part of any deal. Republicans will offer the proposal to Obama in a Thursday afternoon meeting at the White House.

...The leadership may still face its stiffest resistance from conservative House members who were pushing to defund Obamacare as party of any budget deal to end the government shutdown, which entered its second week.

"Scared to death"

Obama's efforts to control leaks 'most aggressive since Nixon', report finds - The Guardian

...Jeffrey Smith, a national security reporter at the Center for Public Integrity, and one of several journalists to express such concerns, said in the report: "I now worry about calling somebody, because the contact can be found through a check of phone records or emails. It leaves a digital trail that makes it easier for the government to monitor those contacts."

Scott Shane, the national security reporter at the New York Times, said: "Most people are deterred by those leaks prosecutions. They're scared to death. There's a grey zone between classified and unclassified information and most sources were in that grey zone."

It was having a damaging effect on democracy, Shane said. "If we consider aggressive press coverage of government activities [as] being at the core of American democracy, this tips the balance heavily in favor of the government."

Downie said that while the administration provides information through social media, it is "mostly self-serving information, as opposed to information that would hold the government to account. Journalists are being told to speak to public affairs office, but the public affairs office doesn't call them back or is hostile...."

Hikers have to be wary of boundaries.

Which parks in the Bay Area are open and closed? - SF Chronicle

The partial shutdown of the federal government creates the possibility that a walk in the country could start on a perfectly legal trail in a state park and end with a citation on adjacent federal land.

Even among federal agencies that control land - including the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - there are different access rules under the partial shutdown.

The crazy quilt of land jurisdiction and regulations has caused widespread confusion about what is a national park and therefore closed. Alcatraz Island, for example, is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is off-limits. Nearby Angel Island is a state park and unaffected by the partial shutdown.

Many people think it's fine to hike the trails at Point Reyes National Seashore. It's not - Point Reyes is an outpost of the National Park Service, and people can't even drive on Limantour Road, let alone take a hike....

Boehner: 'If Ands Or Buts Were Candy And Nuts, Then Every Day Would Be Christmas'...

Boehner To Lay Out Debt Ceiling Proposal To Obama - CBS DC

DEBT DOUBLES SINCE OBAMA... - Washington Times

The administration says the government will run out of authority to pay its bills by Oct. 17 unless Congress raises the debt limit again to allow more borrowing. The president portrays the move as one of simple responsibility.

“It does not increase our debt,” Mr. Obama said. “It does not grow our deficits. All it does is allow the Treasury Department to pay for what Congress has already spent.”

The president rarely mentions that he, by law, approves congressional spending, and his argument glosses over the nation’s burgeoning total debt.

Once you get into the Obamacare website, you can’t get out

For those who’ve busted through glitches on the federal Obamacare insurance website to create an account, there’s no clear, obvious way for consumers to delete the accounts if they choose — at least not in the current incarnation. - Jason Millman and Kyle Cheney/Infowars

Obama’s only interest is in demonizing Republicans. In this action he shows he has no regard for our troops or their sacrifice.

Obama Crosses the Fairness Line - Larry Johnson/No Quarter

...The essence of America is our belief in fair play. We do not like someone being given unfair advantage. We expect everyone, rich and poor, to have the same opportunity. In that regard, Obama is demonstrating the exact opposite of fairness. He cuts special deals with big Business to avoid a mandate on health care while making individuals pay the freight. He closes war memorials to veterans, shutters National Parks to American citizens but allows illegal immigrants to hold a rally on public land.

And now, in a move that highlights his political incompetence, Obama has singled out dead servicemen as a pawn for trying to pressure Republicans. That kind of petty vindictiveness is the exact opposite of playing fair. Turns out, Barack Obama has the hunting instincts of Wylie Coyote.

REPORT: OBAMA BRINGS CHILLING EFFECT ON JOURNALISM

The U.S. government's aggressive prosecution of leaks and efforts to control information are having a chilling effect on journalists and government whistle-blowers, according to a report released Thursday on U.S. press freedoms under the Obama administration. - BRETT ZONGKER/ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Committee to Protect Journalists conducted its first examination of U.S. press freedoms amid the Obama administration's unprecedented number of prosecutions of government sources and seizures of journalists' records. Usually the group focuses on advocating for press freedoms abroad....

"In the Obama administration's Washington, government officials are increasingly afraid to talk to the press," wrote Downie, now a journalism professor at Arizona State University. "The administration's war on leaks and other efforts to control information are the most aggressive I've seen since the Nixon administration, when I was one of the editors involved in The Washington Post's investigation of Watergate."

...To bypass journalists, the White House developed its own network of websites, social media and even created an online newscast to dispense favorable information and images. In some cases, the White House produces videos of the president's meetings with major figures that were never listed on his public schedule. Instead, they were kept secret - a departure from past administrations, the report noted.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Obama to college kids: FREEE!!!! Reality: YOU pay for everyone else. College kids: Screw that, man

DEMOCRATS TO AMERICA:
WE OWN THE GOVERNMENT!

In the current fight over the government shutdown, Republicans are simply representing the views of the American people. - Ann Coulter/Human Events

Americans didn’t ask for Obamacare, they don’t want it, but now their insurance premiums are going through the roof, their doctors aren’t accepting it, and their employers are moving them into part-time work — or firing them — to avoid the law’s mandates....

Finally, the Republicans voted to fully fund the government, but added a requirement that everyone live under Obamacare. No more special waivers for Congress and their staff, and no waivers for big business without the same waivers for individuals.

Obama refused to negotiate and Senate Democrats refused to pass it. So as you can see, Republicans are the big holdup here.

A longtime Democratic operative, Karen Finney, explained the Democrats’ intransigence on MSNBC to a delighted Joan Walsh (aka the most easily fooled person on TV) by comparing House Republicans to a teenager trying to borrow his mother’s car. “No, I’m not negotiating!” Mother says. “It’s MY CAR!”

This wasn’t a stupid slip of the tongue that other Democrats quickly rejected. Finney had used the exact same metaphor to a panel of highly agreeable MSNBC guests the day before. (MSNBC books no other kind of guest.)

The left thinks the government is their car and the people’s representatives are obstreperous teenagers trying to borrow the government. Which belongs to Democrats.

That’s not how the Constitution views the House of Representatives. To the contrary, the House is considered most reflective of the people’s will because its members are elected every two years. (Read the whole thing at the link, it's fascinating.)

GOP Congressman’s Epic Obamacare Admission



Representative Sean Duffy (R-WI) took MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell to task Tuesday for her stubborn defense of President Obama’s unwillingness to negotiate on Obamacare to end the government shutdown. - Conservative Videos

When Mitchell claimed that a delay of the individual mandate was a “nonnegotiable demand”, Rep. Duffy demanded to know why the administration would delay the mandate for big businesses and not for individuals, and why only Jon Stewart had asked why the two should be treated differently.
Read more at http://conservativevideos.com/2013/10/msnbc-host-left-speechless-gop-congressmans-epic-obamacare-admission/#boUsG9HyDQdLyqT8.99

A TALE OF TWO WEBSITES

Obama's fundraising websites flawlessly processed millions in questionable donations; his Obamacare sites, not so much - Doug Ross

Of President Obama's many historic firsts, his 2008 and 2012 campaign fundraising websites achieved an unprecedented level of ignominy.

In the run-up to the elections, his websites are believed to have processed tens of millions in illegal campaign contributions, including:
• "Structured" contributions to evade donation limits
• Foreign contributions
• Stolen credit cards
• Untraceable prepaid cash cards
In addition, the 2008 Obama site explicitly supported the forgery of computer (IP) addresses for said donors.
But none of that was interesting to antique media.

While Obama's fundraising websites processed tens of millions of page-views a month and handled a monstrous number of electronic financial transfer (EFT) transactions, his Obamacare site didn't fare nearly so well.

The Costa Concordia Parbuckling



The Costa Concordia Parbuckling in Pictures [24 High Quality Photos]

Obamacare: More Than a Glitch



‘MORE THAN A GLITCH’: WATCH THE NEW HILARIOUS YET SCATHING OBAMACARE AD FROM THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION - The Blaze

“If you’ve been waiting to be covered in mandates, regulations and new fees, the time is finally here — sort of,” the ad’s narrator says as the screen shows the common “the system is down” message at the healthcare.gov website. “You guys, stop showing that screen.”

The video goes on to rattle off a long list of warnings, similar to the kind of list you would hear during a commercial for a prescription drug.

“Obamacare may cause wait times, a decline in health care quality, money loss, political activism, anger, despair, hopelessness, frustration, European envy, dependence and nausea.”

“If you wish to opt out of Obamacare for any reason, please start a multimillion dollar business, join a union or run for Congress,” the video’s narrator concludes.

Abuse of power: White House, IRS exchanged confidential taxpayer info

Top Internal Revenue Service Obamacare official Sarah Hall Ingram discussed confidential taxpayer information with senior Obama White House officials, according to 2012 emails obtained by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and provided to The Daily Caller. - Patrick Howley/Daily Caller

Lois Lerner, then head of the IRS Tax Exempt Organizations division, also received an email alongside White House officials that contained confidential information....

Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code forbids a federal employee from “disclos[ing] any return or return information obtained by him in any manner in connection with his service as such an officer or an employee.”

Federal employees who illegally disclose confidential taxpayer information could face five years in prison....

IRS-GATE EXPLODES: White House and IRS Illegally Traded Confidential Taxpayer Info to Attack Political Enemies - Doug Ross
Misuse of the IRS was one of the articles of impeachment to be used against Richard Nixon had he not resigned.

Heads need to roll at the White House and the IRS.

What's More:

The long line of conservatives targeted by the IRS - John Solomon and Ben Wolfgang/Washington Times



The list of conservatives targeted by the Internal Revenue Service for audits, tax-exempt reviews or tax privacy breaches keeps growing, raising fresh questions in Washington about whether a scandal the Obama administration has blamed on bureaucratic incompetence and coincidence may in fact involve something more nefarious.

In other words, Obama won't sign popular, widely-supported funding measures to help alleviate the effects of the shutdown because if he did, the "heat" and "pressure" on Republicans would evaporate.



Obama: GOP Hostage-Taking Tactics are Reckless...Unlike My Own, Of Course - Guy Benson/TownHall

Obama said he's "tempted" sign House-passed bills that would fund Head Start, FEMA, the FDA, NIH, and the like, but he can't. (As a sidenote, he's already done so once during this skirmish, and he's backing another piecemeal bill). Why not? The key quote:
"But here's the problem. What you've seen are bills that come up where Republicans are feeling political pressure, and they but a bill forward. And if there's no political heat, if there's no television story on it, then nothing happens."
In other words, Obama won't sign popular, widely-supported funding measures to help alleviate the effects of the shutdown because if he did, the "heat" and "pressure" on Republicans would evaporate. Which sounds an awful lot like hostage taking. He is holding popular appropriations hostage to getting the whole government funded within his preferred parameters. That's politics as usual. But he can't sit on his high horse about Republicans' terrible, horrible tactics when he's essentially doing the exact same thing. He says he'll negotiate with GOP leaders after they accede to his requests. Fine, but what incentive would he have to budge in the future when his refusal to budge while the heat is hottest has contributed to the current shutdown? And why should Republicans trust him to compromise in good faith later, when they'll hold fewer cards?

...our truth-to-power titans in the White House press corps couldn't muster one question on these cynical actions specifically designed to inflict pain on the very citizens the government exists to "serve."

OBAMA'S PRIORITIES: Almost half a BILLION for public broadcasting, but NOTHING for families of fallen troops

The very partial shutdown of the federal government has served to expose the real values of the Obama administration. - Thomas Lifson/American Thinker

...PBS NewsHour, National Public Radio and Sesame Street got a taxpayer subsidy during the shutdown, but not would-be cancer patients at the NIH....

Stars and Stripes reports that this weekend "Defense Department officials acknowledged that the shutdown had halted the $100,000 payouts given to fallen troops' families, usually paid within a few days of their deaths...."

The only coverage I have seen has been in New Media, all of it negative due to Obama's hypocritical exception for his cronies as he wages war on veterans

SHUTDOWN VICTIM: AMNESTY RALLY MEDIA COVERAGE - John Nolte/Breitbart

While Obama is bullying octogenarian World War II veterans out of their memorial and refusing to fund cancer treatments for children, the president did make an exception that allowed for "Several thousand AFL-CIO and SEIU sponsored pro-amnesty demonstrators began rallying on Capitol Hill on Tuesday afternoon[.]"

Obviously, like the trips our aging WWII veterans booked to visit a memorial the Obama administration blocked, Tuesday's amnesty rally had been scheduled for some time, and for maximum media impact. But thus far I have seen absolutely no coverage of the rally on any of the cable news networks, and a quick look at the front pages of today's major left-wing political publications shows no coverage whatsoever.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

MEMO TO GOP: IF OBAMA WON’T COMPROMISE, DON’T RAISE THE DEBT CEILING

The Democrats and their press minions have gone to great lengths to convince us that the default option–the debt limit stays where it is–is unthinkable. They say that if the debt ceiling is not raised, the U.S. government will default on its debt obligations, with catastrophic consequences. But this is false. - John Hinderaker/Powerline

...there is zero possibility of a default. The federal government is constitutionally required to pay its debt obligations, and can do so easily: it requires less than 10% of tax revenues to pay the interest on our nearly $17 trillion debt, and rollovers do not increase net indebtedness. So default is out of the question.

...Obama is bluffing. Republicans should call his bluff. If he will negotiate substantial spending reductions, then the House should agree to raise the debt ceiling. If not, Republicans should stand pat: the Democrats can’t raise the debt ceiling without them. Let the chips fall where they may. There will be no default, the sky won’t fall, and maybe we finally will bring wasteful government spending under control.

WHO HAS THE UPPER HAND IN THE DEBT CEILING DISPUTE? - Paul Mirengoff/Powerline

‘Closed for King Obama’: Grand Canyon business owners protest shutdown

A small group of business owners who depend on Grand Canyon tourism for their livelihood marched to the park gates today to protest the government shutdown. - Twitchy







Grand Canyon Cites People For Entering Closed Park

All of the citations will be handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Wright says each of the 21 citations issued as of Monday has a mandatory order to appear in federal court.

◼ At Yellowstone: PARK RANGERS TURN 'GESTAPO'... - Newburyport News

ObamaCare is predicted to increase premiums for women by 62%.

The shutdown of the U.S. federal government has provided new excuses to not provide information to the public for an administration that is already known to be hostile and evasive towards the media.

OBAMA ADMIN GOES QUIET AS PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICES CLOSE OVER SHUTDOWN - Kerry Picket/Breitbart

As a result of the shutdown, numerous press shops and public affairs offices have been shuttered across the federal government, making it more difficult for reporters to get responses from various departments and agencies...

Obama Just Caved.
Why Aren’t Republicans Noticing?

President Obama effectively caved into Republican demands Tuesday when he said he’d be open to short term increase in the debt ceiling and a brief extension of funding for the federal government. - Keith Koffler/White House Dossier

Obama, who spoke today during a hastily called White House news conference, even tied the length of the extensions to negotiations demanded by Republicans.

“If they can’t do it for a long time, do it for the period of time in which these negotiations are taking place,” he said....

Republicans stood firm. Even Boehner. They can now reap their reward.

We Are All Tea Partiers Now:
Americans Say No to Debt Ceiling Increase

A new Fox News poll shows that a majority of American voters--58 percent--would vote "no" on raising the debt ceiling. Only 37 percent of American voters would vote to raise the debt ceiling. - Breitbart

Tea party is the Solution, Not the Problem - Star Parker/Right Wing News

A new Gallup poll shows 60 percent of Americans say the federal government has too much power, the highest percentage ever recorded by Gallup.

Obama is intentionally playing to the cracks in the Republican Party. He knows Republican leadership is weak-kneed. But if Republican leaders cave in, the country is lost. We need principled and courageous leadership now.

The tea party is the solution, not the problem.

Democratic insiders said there was queasiness at the prospect of the first lady raising millions from wealthy donors and campaigning for Democratic causes while thousands of federal employees are furloughed because of the partial government shutdown.

Queasiness?

Michelle Obama cancels Bay Area fundraisers - SF Chronicle

Among the planned events was an intimate roundtable with White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett at the home of Ali Pincus, co-founder of the upscale Internet shopping site One Kings Lane.

House sends tenth funding bill to Senate

Members passed the Head Start for Low-Income Children Act, H.J.Res. 84, in a 248-168 vote. But while Democrats again called on the GOP to pass the Senate's clean spending bill, 23 Democrats supported the GOP resolution; only two Republicans opposed it. - Pete Kasperowicz/The Hill

"The nine bills the House has passed since Oct. 1 to reopen the government — this will be the tenth — constitute nearly one-third of the federal government's discretionary budget," he said. "These ten bills fund very critical programs, cleanly, as the Senate has demanded, and have been supported on a bipartisan basis in this House.

"So why are these bills still sitting on Harry Reid's desk? Why is the Senate not making every stride they can to help our nation's disadvantaged children, hungry families and our veterans?"

Obamacare Marketplace: Personal Data Can Be Used For ‘Law Enforcement and Audit Activities

link - Jeryl Bier/Weekly Standard

Unbelievable: Obama gets no questions at presser on ObamaCare rollout or shutdown theater

I’m tempted to call it a clown show but that would be insulting to clowns - Allahpundit/HotAir

It ran for one hour and six minutes, with 12 different reporters being called on — although, notably, not Ed Henry of Fox News — and between them they couldn’t muster one question about the catastrophe that is Healthcare.gov or the spectacle of National Park Rangers locking senior-citizen tourists out of war memorials and/or inside their hotels.

...Today, we all witnessed a perfecto — no runs, no hits, not the barest insinuation in front of a national television audience that the federal government’s behavior towards the public this week has alternated between almost literally unbelievable incompetence and vindictiveness. Amazing.

Update: Evidently, this is only a concern of ◼ “the GOP media.”

Reality Check: Obamacare Supporters Shocked by Own Premium Increases

Can these families afford the new reality they voted for so enthusiastically? - Guy Benson/Townhall

And are they aware that millions of low wage workers, spouses and families are poised to be slapped with exorbitant premium increases, or dropped from coverage altogether? Accounts of premium shock and dropped coverage are proliferating across the country; see these stories from North Carolina and Iowa for the latest instances of Obamacare betrayals.

Report: Obamacare Loophole to Hammer Low- - Guy Benson/Townhall
UPS Drops 15,000 Spouses from Insurance Plan, Blames Obamacare - Guy Benson/Townhall
Discovered: Another Rotten Obamacare Easter Egg - Guy Benson/Townhall
Insurance premium increases shock Charlotte consumers - Charlotte Observer
Health care reform: Some married couples face expensive glitch Des Moines Register
Ten states where Obamacare wipes out existing health care plans - Daily Caller

Obama sold voters bill of goods on health care - Debra J. Saunders/SF Chronicle

Now that the exchanges are open for business, people who already have individual coverage have something new to not like: sticker shock. The Affordable Care Act isn't affordable after all.

Which begs the question: How was Kaiser able to offer bare-bones coverage more cheaply than the Affordable Care Act bare-bones plan?

According to Kaiser spokesman John Nelson, the architect had enrolled in a plan with a "medically screened population" that was very healthy.

Under Obamacare, providers can't screen for pre-existing conditions. So healthy policyholders pay higher premiums to subsidize those with health problems. Also, the Affordable Care Act expands coverage to include maternity benefits and substance abuse treatment.

Older people might see a reduction in their premiums because the law prevents providers from charging older adults more than three times the premium for young consumers. That also means young people can expect to pay even higher premiums than under the old market.

Health insurance shoppers suffer sticker shock - Victoria Colliver/SF Chronicle

"Every plan is going to cost more than what I pay now. And what I pay now is ridiculous," said Ross, 47, who owns a cat-sitting business called Tales of the Kitty and pays more than $400 a month for her insurance. "It's a great thing for some people, but it's certainly not helping me."

...Covered California, which opened Tuesday, was set up to help more than 5 million Californians who are eligible for the exchange because they are uninsured or they buy health insurance on their own.

Federal tax credits are available to help offset the cost of coverage purchased in the new marketplace, but more than half of the consumers it serves won't qualify.

"It's a horribly complex and ill-designed system that's going to be good for some people - mostly people with lower incomes - but for a lot of people, it's not going to be good for them," said Jeff Sher, a San Francisco health insurance agent who supports universal coverage but believes the law doesn't go far enough to help consumers and curb costs.

George Orwell - "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Signs say National Mall closed, but immigration reform rally is a go


Rally for Illegal Aliens ALLOWED on 'Closed' National Mall... - Charlie Spiering/Washington Examiner @charlesspiering

Even though isolated barricades with "closed" signs remained on the National Mall on Tuesday, the setup for the immigration reform rally said otherwise.

A giant stage with lights and an "Immigration Reform Now" banner was set up in the center of the mall, along with three large portable screens.

On one side of the mall, more than 100 porta potties were set up for protesters who will attend the rally today.

As several groups of musicians performed sound checks, a lone National Park Service employee arrived to survey the scene, but referred me to the Park Service communications office and left when I asked her why she was called into work today.

Pro-Amnesty Forces Rally on National Mall - BREITBART

Scores of Democratic House members also began arriving shortly after 12:30 PM on golf carts. House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is scheduled to speak as well, as are many different labor union officials. Washington, D.C. mayor Vince Gray is slated to address the group too.

MEANWHILE:
SHUTDOWN THEATER: TAKE A HIKE, WAR HEROES, WE’VE GOT AN IMMIGRATION RALLY TO HOLD - John Hayward/Human Events @Doc_o
Video: Veterans arrested at Vietnam War memorial in NYC - HotAir
Runner Fined $100 At Valley Forge Amid Government Shutdown - CBS Philadelphia

“From a safety standpoint, I like running down there, along with the scenery,” he says.

But on Sunday, Bells says there were two rangers waiting with their car lights flashing when he returned. They slapped him with the $100 citation.

Examiner Editorial: Obama manipulated vets, seniors, children in shutdown - Washington Examiner

Somebody, starting in the Oval Office, should be ashamed.

Monday, October 7, 2013

The World War II Memorial exists thanks to some $200 million in private donations — plus $15 million or so from Washington: In other words, the feds paid for the grass. But the thug usurpers of the bureaucracy want to send a message: In today’s America, everything is the gift of the government, and exists only at the government’s pleasure, whether it’s your health insurance, your religious liberty, or the monument to your fallen comrades. The Barrycades are such a perfect embodiment of what James Piereson calls “punitive liberalism”


Shutdown Simulacrum: Just because it’s a phony crisis doesn’t mean it can’t be made even phonier. Mark Steyn

...America has no budget process. That’s why it’s the brokest nation in history. So a budgeting process that can’t control the budget in a legislature that can’t legislate leads to a government shutdown that shuts down open areas of grassland and the unmanned boat launch on the Bighorn River in Montana. Up next: the debt-ceiling showdown, in which we argue over everything except the debt. The conventional wisdom of the U.S. media is that Republicans are being grossly irresponsible not just to wave through another couple trillion or so on Washington’s overdraft facility. Really? Other countries are actually reducing debt: New Zealand, for example, has a real budget that diminishes net debt from 26 percent of GDP to 17 percent by 2020. By comparison, America’s net debt is currently about 88 percent, and we’re debating only whether to increase it automatically or with a few ineffectual strings attached....

California’s New Feudalism Benefits a Few at the Expense of the Multitude

Once famous as a land of opportunity, the Golden State is now awash in inequality, growing poverty, and downward mobility that’s practically medieval, writes Joel Kotkin. - The Daily Beast

The state’s digital oligarchy, surely without intention, is increasingly driving the state’s lurch towards feudalism. Silicon Valley’s wealth reflects the fortunes of a handful of companies that dominate an information economy that itself is increasingly oligopolistic. In contrast to the traditionally conservative or libertarian ethos of the entrepreneurial class, the oligarchy is increasingly allied with the nominally populist Democratic Party and its regulatory agenda. Along with the public sector, Hollywood, and their media claque, they present California as “the spiritual inspiration” for modern “progressives” across the country....

“The job creation has changed,” says Leslie Parks, a long-time San Jose economic development official. “We used to be the whole food chain and create all sorts of middle class jobs. Now, increasingly, we don’t design the future—we just think about it. That makes some people rich, but not many.”...

Even skilled workers are affected by these prices. An analysis done for National Core, a major developer of low income housing, found that prices in such areas as Orange County are so high that even a biomedical engineer earning more than $100,000 a year could not afford to buy a home there. This, as well as the unbalanced economy, has weakened California’s hold on aspirational families, something that threatens the very dream that has attracted millions to the state.

Sixth-graders asked to ‘prune’ Bill of Rights from ‘outdated’ Constitution, BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE:



Via Digital Journal, an Arkansas mother was surprised to learn her sixth-grade daughter’s first assignment on the Constitution was to work in teams to revise the Bill of Rights, including “pruning” two amendments. Why? The assignment posits that the government of the United States has determined that the Bill of Rights “is outdated and may not remain in its current form any longer.” - Twitchy

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: Common Core Reaches a New Low – Check This Out!
INAPPROPRIATE!! I am not explaining this to an 8 year old! - independentsentinel.com


3RD GRADE COMMON CORE WORKSHEET: Ruby sat on the bed she shared with her husband holding a hairclip. There was something mysterious and powerful about the cheaply manufactured neon clip that she was fondling suspiciously. She didn’t recognize the hairclip. It was too big to be their daughter’s, and Ruby was sure that it wasn’t hers. She hadn’t had friends over in weeks but here was this hairclip, little and green with a few long black hair strands caught in it. Ruby ran her fingers through her own blonde hair. She had just been vacuuming when she noticed this small, bright green object under the bed. Now their life would never be the same. She would wait here until Mike returned home.

8. Why is Ruby so affected by the hairclip? Ruby suspects infidelity.

What in the text supports your idea?

She has found a foreign hairclip and is deeply affected by it.

9. How has the hairclip affected Ruby’s relationship?

The hairclip has poisoned the relationship.

What in the text supports your idea?

Unless Mike can otherwise explain it away, "their life will never be the same."

10. From where did the hairclip most likely come? Another woman.

What in the text supports your idea?

Though it could have been a guest with a platonic relationship with Mike, the clip is not recognized by Ruby.

Common Core, the controversial set of education standards being pushed by many state governors and education leaders, is coming under fire for its selection of a book that’s on the suggested reading list for 11th graders (i.e. 16- and 17-year-olds). The book — a past selection of Oprah’s Book Club — has graphic sex scenes and descriptions... - The Blaze

Editor’s note: The following story contains graphic language. Discretion is advised.

Jerry Brown to propose $1 billion for common core education standards

Democrats shut down the government to prove it can run health care.



A collection of polls released by Democratic-affiliated Public Policy Polling Sunday added a twist to the analysis: Democrats, according to the MoveOn.org funded polls, were in striking distance of taking back the House

Shutdown casts shadow over CA races for U.S. House - Cal WatchDog

In order for Democrats to take back the house, they would need 17 GOP-held seats to flip Democratic. The PPP data was from surveys taken in 24 districts where Republican incumbents are considered vulnerable. In 17 of the 24, the Republican was losing to a “generic Democrat.”

So where does California come into all of this?

Three of those vulnerable congressional seats are in the Golden State. Reps. Jeff Denhan, Gary Miller and David Valadao are all at least somewhat exposed.
____________

This is why you need to get involved. Call your local Republican Central Committee Office and get ready to help get out the vote. Republicans are the only hope for curbing runaway spending. You've already seen what Democrats do when they have the majority. For all their crying that we need to work together, when they had the chance, they shut the Republicans out and rammed through a monstrous bill they had not even read. It's costing people their jobs and their health insurance, and the true costs are only just now coming to light.

$3.15 TRILLION OF SPENDING GOES ON DESPITE ‘SHUTDOWN’


One surprising aspect of the partial federal government so-called “shutdown” is what a small portion of the budget is actually affected, in turn bringing attention to just how little impact Congress can have on spending through the normal budget process. - Robert Romano/Human Events

Some $2.5 trillion of federal outlays — more than 66 percent of all spending — is categorized as so-called “mandatory” spending. This is money that is automatically spent without any vote in Congress....

In addition, some 2.6 million out of 3.4 million federal employees remain on the jobaccording to CNN, including active duty military. When you add another 589,000 postal employees, in total 3.189 million out of 4.139 million federal workers — a whopping 77 percent — are still working.

America Will Self-Correct from the Mistake of Obama

America is one of the only countries that self-corrects. When America decided that slavery was wrong -- which occurred at the founding of our nation -- the Founding Fathers, some slave owners, wrote it out of the Constitution. The American Spirit prevailed over self-indulgence. - Kevin Jackson/American Thinker

The American Spirit also overcame the poor treatment of women, a lesson the Middle East can learn.

The American Spirit trounced the lack of civil rights for blacks and other minorities, and it beat back discrimination against gays.

Rules that protect humanity were not written for America. All the war treaties that were enacted to show mercy in times of war were created for other countries, not us....

Under decades of Liberalism, America has fallen into decay. Obama's administration showcases the effects of unchecked Liberalism better than any other, with things like the big powerful malevolent government, reverse discrimination, rampant poverty, and the list goes on. However, America will self-correct. That is what the American Spirit is all about.

Probably the most uplifting news you will hear today. - Discussion at Lucianne

"Is it worth standing up and saying the Emperor has no clothes, we’re out of money, and that we should start to balance our budget and not spend money we don’t have?”

RAND PAUL ON THE SHUTDOWN: “STANDING UP AND SAYING THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES.” - John Hayward/Human Events @Doc_o

"I was laughing at Boehner -- until the mail came today...I really don't like the Republican tactics, but at least now I can understand why they are so pissed about this. When you take $10,000 out of my family's pocket each year, that's otherwise disposable income or retirement savings that will not be going into our local economy."

Obamacare's winners and losers in Bay Area - Tracy Seipel/Mercury News

Cindy Vinson and Tom Waschura are big believers in the Affordable Care Act. They vote independent and are proud to say they helped elect and re-elect President Barack Obama.

Yet, like many other Bay Area residents who pay for their own medical insurance, they were floored last week when they opened their bills: Their policies were being replaced with pricier plans that conform to all the requirements of the new health care law.

Vinson, of San Jose, will pay $1,800 more a year for an individual policy, while Waschura, of Portola Valley, will cough up almost $10,000 more for insurance for his family of four.

"Welcome to the club," said Robert Laszewksi...

...Covered California spokesman Dana Howard maintained that in public presentations the exchange has always made clear that there will be winners and losers under Obamacare.

Reality of Obamacare is Doing More for Conservatism than the Consultant Class Ever Has - Ben Howe/Red State

Apparently, Republican messaging was so bad in 2012 that harsh reality has become the only thing capable of getting people to understand where we are coming from. This guy had to be saddled with $10,000 in new bills to finally believe that Boehner wasn’t a rich jerk trying to hurt the poor.

Obamacare epiphanies, part VII: Hey, somebody’s got to pay for somebody else’s ‘free’ stuff - Doug Powers/Michelle Malkin

HOW THE LEFT WILL 'DEFEND' THE OBAMACARE TRAIN WRECK - BRIAN CATES/Breitbart

Now that the cat's out of the bag and people are starting to discover what the law is really going to do, Liberals are furiously spinning and going on the attack. For the next several weeks as more American families discover that not only can they not keep their plan or doctor, and that their premiums actually increased dramatically, the Left & the Media's counter attack to this kind of bad thinking is going to be this:
"Oh so you lost that plan you liked? Uhm....So what? Get over it! It's the law of the land. It passed. Suck it up and go find a new policy and quit whining about it."
"Can't see that doctor you had because he's not on the approved provider list? Well....again, so what? Move on! You should be happy more people are having access to health insurance given to them. Why are you so selfish? What's wrong with you?!"
"So your old plan only cost your family $228 a month and the new comparable one your being offered now is $1,208/month? Did you have a point? Some guy promised you this wouldn't happen? Well....so? Quit living in the past! You can't change this, just deal with it."
ObamaCare: 'I was Laughing at Boehner, Until the Mail Came Today' - Chris Banescu/American Thinker

NBC Nightly News features children turned away from National Institutes of Health, ignores Dem funding opposition

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

After Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a funding bill for the National Institutes of Health, NBC Nightly News has run two feature stories about children and other patients who could not enroll in a cancer clinical trial at NIH because of the “shutdown.” - Le-gal In-sur-rec-tion In neither story was the Republican funding bill or Democratic rejection of funding mentioned.
Anyone who pays even a little attention knows that it is Democrats, and Democrats alone who have blocked funding for NIH child clinical trials.

Yet in the entire segment on NBC tonight, not a word was mentioned about why there is no funding. All that is mentioned is a generic and presumably bi-partisan failure to reach an agreement.