California finishes last in Moody's fiscal stress test: “lower revenue volatility,...

Thanks to Jerry Brown, California finishes last in Moody's fiscal stress test: “lower revenue volatility,... https://t.co/DbX8b5EKZ5

— Katy Grimes (@KATYSaccitizen) April 24, 2016

Why They Fear Scott Walker

◼ As I write this, the No. 1 “most read” story on the Washington Post’s website is its investigation into the college years of Scott Walker, headlined: “As Scott Walker mulls White House bid, questions linger over college exit.” - Seth Mandel/Commentary

The story didn’t come up with anything newsworthy...

The system as it’s currently set up means educational attainment correlates, in general, to higher income. But that education gets increasingly expensive, which puts it in easier reach of those with higher income, who tend to have more education, etc. As the Economist notes, “the best predictor of an American child’s success in school has long been the parents’ educational level”–though money, which is also now related to educational level, “is an increasingly important factor.”

The Democrats’ approach thus perpetuates inequality, which they blame on “the rich” in order to win national office, which they use to perpetuate this system of inequality–another cycle.

Scott Walker calls this whole scheme into question. It’s not that his experience teaches that you don’t need a college degree to get a good job; it’s that you shouldn’t need to need a college degree to have professional and/or political success. Kids shouldn’t be discouraged from going to college and getting their degree as long as the current system persists, in which it usually makes sense for them to get that degree (if they can).

The point is that the system itself shouldn’t persist, at least in its current form. Walker, then, is living proof that the system can and should be reformed, and the world won’t end. Walker is representative of the potential of those outside the liberal economic elite and those who are severely underserved by the government’s college racket and union-friendly approach to education. That’s why Walker’s personal story matters, and why it’s such a threat to the left. KEEP READING

◼ NYT Columnist Blames Scott Walker for Teacher Layoffs That Occurred Before He Was Governor - John McCormack/Weekly Standard

Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) said Sunday that he will challenge John Boehner (R-Ohio) as Speaker in the new Congress.

Gohmert Announces Run for Speaker of the House: http://t.co/l64FnrSVO3 via @YouTube You go Louie! I am praying for you!

— Anna (@anna12061) January 4, 2015

Louie Gohmert to Challenge Boehner for Speaker http://t.co/nMcINZLdhn

— BreitbartTexas (@BreitbartTexas) January 4, 2015

◼ Texas Republican announces challenge to Boehner for Speaker in new Congress - The Hill

Gohmert said that after “years of broken promises, it’s time for a change.”

Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) on Saturday announced that he would not support Boehner for Speaker.

"This is not a personal attack against Mr. Boehner, however, the people desire and deserve a choice," Yoho said in a Facebook post. "In November, they resoundingly rejected the status quo."

“Eventually, the goal is second, third, fourth round, we have enough people that say ‘you know what, it really is time for a change,' ” Gohmert said Sunday. “'You deceived us when you went to Obama and Pelosi to get your votes for the cromnibus. You said you’d fight amnesty tooth an nail. You didn’t, you funded it.' ”

Gohmert said, if elected, he would ”fight amnesty tooth and nail. We’ll use the powers of the purse. We’ll have better oversight. We’ll fight to defund ObamaCare.”

“In 2010, Boehner and other leaders said if you put us in the majority, we will have time to read the bills,” Gohmert said. “That hasn’t happened. We saw that with the cromnibus, again.”

“We’ll get back to appropriating and we will go through regular committee process, so every representative from both parties will have a chance to participate in the process and not have a dictator running things,” he added.

Louie Gohmert Announces Challenge To Boehner For Speakership http://t.co/hQVvJX7sbt is honest & intelligent! Former Judge! #tcot #tgdn 👍🇺🇸

— Chuck Bledsoe (@BledsoeChuck) January 4, 2015

#tcot Florida Rep. Ted Yoho Offers Himself Up As Boehner Replacement: 'I would stand up to give our ... http://t.co/4qm8JIxBc3 #teaparty

— † Lex B † (@Mr_Lexington) January 4, 2015

I applaud my colleagues Rep. Jim Bridenstine, Congressman Thomas Massie, and Rep. Louie Gohmert for their... http://t.co/f1MXWMLk0K

— Ted Yoho (@TedYoho) January 4, 2015

Big news; Representatives Louie Gohmert & Ted Yoho will run against Boehner for Speaker of the House: http://t.co/G4ky86YB4s #FireBoehner

— Conservator (@ConsTalky) January 4, 2015

Republicans Are Winning the Fiscal Fight

◼ This is the great untold story of the Obama presidency. A president who wanted to “fundamentally transform” the country has completely failed to make America more like France. He didn’t even make us more like Germany. - Daniel J. Mitchell/The CATO Institute

...there’s been a remarkable shift in fiscal policy.

Many Democrats presumably can’t be happy that the lion’s share of the Bush tax cuts were made permanent. As a result, revenues are now projected to average only 18 percent of GDP over the next 10 years. That’s a smaller tax burden than we had throughout the Clinton years. And you can’t finance big government in the long run without a lot more revenue.

And they definitely can’t be happy that domestic discretionary spending is now below where it was during the Bush years, when measured as a share of GDP. And with sequester-enforced budget caps, it’s quite likely that number will drop even further.

Republicans, meanwhile, should be happy that all their fiscal battles have paid dividends. As a general rule, GOPers think that they lost the various shutdown fights, appropriations battles and debt limit showdowns. But short-term polling doesn’t matter nearly as much as the long-term policy results (not to mention the fact that voters just gave the GOP a landslide victory).

Perhaps even more important, looking forward, is that House Republicans for four consecutive years have approved budget resolutions that assume genuine reform of Medicare and Medicaid. And they’ve won their biggest majority since before World War II, so GOPers can feel reasonably confident that voters (perhaps sobered up by the fiscal disarray in Europe) understand the need to modernize these programs.

A turning point in 2017?

It’s unlikely that either party will alter the fiscal outlook over the next two years. At the risk of stating the obvious, any White House initiatives to expand the burden of government will get a chilly reception on Capitol Hill. But it’s equally true that Republicans have almost no chance of forcing additional spending restraint over a presidential veto.

But 2017 could be different, at least for Republicans. If they manage to win the White House and hold the Senate, then serious entitlement reform is genuinely possible. So not only will America have avoided becoming France or Germany during the Obama years, but the country would also be spared that fate in the 2020s and 2030s when tens of millions of baby boomers will be retired.

The best the Democrats can hope for, by contrast, is to block entitlement reforms by retaining the White House and/or retaking the Senate. But since it’s virtually impossible for them to get control of the House, there isn’t much opportunity to go on offense.

“On November 4, the people of Maryland rejected massive spending increases and tax increases and a failing economy,” Hogan said... "We’ll have to have the courage to say no."

◼ WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST STUNNED: MD GOVERNOR-ELECT TO KEEP CAMPAIGN PROMISE - Rich Tucker/Breitbart

Apparently, Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney is used to politicians lying on the campaign trail—so much so that he seems astounded that at least one elected official is saying he intends to keep his vow.
“If Maryland Gov.-elect Larry Hogan (R) has a secret plan to be flexible and compromise with Democrats over taxes and spending when he takes office next month, he’s doing an excellent job of hiding it,” McCartney writes.
But there’s no need for a "secret plan" or "flexibility."
Hogan’s election stunned the political establishment—the sort of people who write columns for the Washington Post. Hogan never led in any pre-election polls but swept to victory over Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown. Hogan won because he promised to trim the size and expense of Maryland’s expansive government....

“There was a monopoly where everybody agreed, and we got bad government,” Hogan told McCartney. Hogan is vowing to spend state money on useful projects, while also reducing spending. “The priorities are out of whack. Less than 10 percent of the people use mass transit. Most people in the state want the roads to be fixed,” the governor-elect points out.

“There’s going to be some natural friction, but it doesn’t have to be hostile,” Hogan concludes. Indeed not. Especially if elected officials bow to the will of state voters. What a concept that would be.

Boehner’s ‘Failures’ Might Get Him Tossed as Speaker if Trey Gowdy and His Supporters Have Their Way

◼ When Boehner reportedly began to kick fiscal conservatives off of House Committees in 2012, American Majority Action launched their #FireBoehner campaign.

One thing’s for sure: lots of conservatives really don’t want Boehner to be the Speaker during the 114th Congress.

It’s time for Republicans to do what we said — to fight to #StopObamasAmnesty

Sen. Ted Cruz Urges Colleagues to Stop President Obama’s Unconstitutional Amnesty

Ted Cruz Launches Constitutional Challenge Against Spending Bill Over Immigrati... http://t.co/G5PQ4lE4KY via @theblaze #rednationrising

— Mike Furman (@_redhaze_) December 13, 2014

And remember, all Sen. Lee wanted was a vote on amnesty. It was Reid who said no and is bringing them in to block the vote

— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) December 13, 2014

Get ready for lots of senators to be grumpy with Cruz and Lee for, God forbid, asking Senate to get work done over weekend.

— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) December 13, 2014

John Hawkins: An Open Letter To The Republican Leadership In Congress http://t.co/o7fMZCyQtv

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 13, 2014

Sen Harry Reid D-NV tries to set 5 pm Monday vote on Omnibus cloture vote but Sen Mike Lee R-UT objects

— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) December 13, 2014

UPDATED with Ted Cruz's and Harry Reid's latest plans for the #CRomnibus endgame —> http://t.co/qS2RaGwj3O

— Roll Call (@rollcall) December 13, 2014

#StandWithCruz Obama's Amnesty Violates The Constitution! #DefundObamasAmnesty @SenateDems @Senate_GOPs #RedNationRising

— RedNationRising (@RedNationRising) December 13, 2014

◼ Headline correction: “Ted Cruz makes his mark” (#CRomnibus) - Le-gal In-sur-rec-tion

The differing treatment of Ted Cruz and Elizabeth Warren pretty much sums up the state of implicit media bias.

Update: God Bless Senator Mike Lee too:



◼ Sen. Ted Cruz calls out Obama on amnesty: A ‘presidential temper tantrum’ is not discourse - Twitchy

They don't consider Constitution much RT @freddoso: Cruz makes a "constitutional point of order" nobody seems to know what's going on.

— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) December 13, 2014

◼ Cruz: Let’s not play Santa to K Street - The Hill

◼ Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Jeff Sessions Pushing for Defund Amnesty Vote - Daily Caller

◼ Senate objections to spending bill slowing, but shouldn't stop, final passage - Susan Ferrechio/Washington Examiner

"Every senator in this body should be put on record whether he or she believes it is constitutional for a president to disregard, to ignore federal immigration laws, and to grant blanket amnesty to millions in defiance of both the laws on the books and the voters" - Ted Cruz

THE REPUBLICAN WAVE DEBUNKED BIG MYTHS ABOUT THE OBAMA ERA

◼ Guess what. Voters don’t really hate “obstructionism.” They hate the other party. - David Harsanyi/Human Events

$21 million savings for McKinleyville taxpayers

◼ Taxpayers in McKinleyville will save more than $21 million thanks to the refinancing of school bonds. - Jack Durham/Mad River Union

The McKinleyville Union School District recently refinanced $7.3 million in bonds, thereby saving $21.2 million over the next 36 years. That’s $4 million more than the savings anticipated back in August when the MUSD Board of Trustees approved the cost-saving measure.

The bonds were originally approved by more than 55 percent of voters in McKinleyville back in 2008 and were used to repair aging classrooms, upgrade utilities and improve energy efficiency at the district’s three schools – Morris, Dow’s Prairie and McKinleyville Middle School.

5 Big Issues Where Voters Trust Republicans More than Democrats

◼ Voters trust GOP the most on economy but not on entitlements - Susan Ferrechio/Washington Examiner

...On taxes, voters favored Republicans 48 percent to 42 percent. On foreign policy, Republicans ruled again, 50 percent to 40 percent. On the federal budget and spending, the gap was even wider, 51 percent to 38 percent in favor of Republicans.

The most troubling number for Democrats concerned the economy. Republicans were favored by likely voters over Democrats, 49 percent to 42 percent.

Economic issues still rank No. 1 when it comes to voter concerns, according to an August Gallup Poll.

The two parties were nearly tied on jobs, with Republicans at 47 percent and Democrats 46 percent. They also tied on “solving problems,” with Republicans at 40 percent and Democrats at 41 percent....

One way or another, CalSTRS must get its $240 billion. If not, public education in California will not survive and the next generation will be thrown into chaos. But first, citizens deserve the truth. CalSTRS’s representatives must be completely forthcoming – and the sooner the better

◼ Full Explanation Required From CalSTRS’s CEO - Fox&Hounds

On February 19, California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) CEO Jack Ehnes appeared before a committee of the California State Assembly considering CalSTRS’s request for a $240 billion bailout, starting with $4.2 billion this year.

There is no question that CalSTRS needs the money....But there is a question about why CalSTRS needs help. In that regard and according to two attendees at the hearing, Ehnes referenced the Great Recession of 2008-9 and claimed that “two-thirds” of CalSTRS’s deficit is related to investment problems. Let’s evaluate that claim.

Assume you had some money to invest on July 1, 2003 and that you measure your investment performance annually on June 30 of every year. Assume further that, as of June 30, 2013, your annual performance for the past ten years — including the Great Recession in the middle of that period — looked liked this:

2004: +17.38%
2005: +11.09%
2006: +13.21%
2007: +21.03%
2008: - 3.69%
2009: -25.03%
2010: +12.20%
2011: +23.10%
2012: + 1.84%
2013: +13.80%

Next, ask yourself what compound annual rate of return is produced by that series of investment returns. The answer: 7.52% per annum. The two down years of the Great Recession were more than offset by eight up years, including six double-digit gain years. 7.52% per annum for ten years is a wonderful return. In all, it was a good decade for your investments, despite the Great Recession...

Needless to say, any organization – especially a public organization run by public employees — seeking billions in public assistance should be completely forthcoming. CalSTRS is a huge financial intermediary, just like AIG was before its bailout in 2008, and no different than AIG’s CEO at that time, CalSTRS’s CEO must level with the authorities from which it seeks help....

One rant to rule them all!

◼ CNBC’s Rick Santelli is a man who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. His Feb. 19, 2009, rant was credited with inspiring the start of the Tea Party. It’s not alone. Santelli raises his voice on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade whenever he feels that an important point of information isn’t getting enough attention. - Newsbusters

Santelli’s frustration with the system was a theme that resonated with the American people. His enthusiastic ranting gave the motivation to start an entire movement and revitalize voters worn out by the daily strain of politics. While critics mock his fiery persona, they can’t deny the impact that he has had.

Santelli helped galvanize the anger and frustration felt by those who soon became the Tea Party. Five years later, his words still serve as a benchmark in modern American politics.

◼ Santelli Recalls February 2009: Bailout ‘Dissension was Born,’ ‘I Blew a Gasket’ - Newsbusters

CNBC’s Rick Santelli recalled the five-year anniversary of the stimulus, housing bailout and blowing “a gasket” during “Squawk on the Street” today.

“On Feb. 19 I blew a gasket. But basically, what was born at that point was the voice of dissension. How do we know that? Many of course still remember the IRS issues. President said maybe there wasn’t a smidgen of, of, of negativity there or news there or anything inappropriate there,” Santelli explained. “But it seems like, if you look back, it was February of 2009 where all of that started if you look at some of the IRS records. But dissension was born!” (Video Below)

Santelli recalled the stimulus calling it “Maybe the most unpopular program of all, really split the country.”

No Debt Ceiling Battle A Bitter Pill

◼ As tough as it is for fiscal hawks like myself, tea party conservatives, and anyone concerned about America's spending problem there is a strategy here which we have to swallow. In time we will see if the strategy plays out well for the Republicans. - David Webb/Breitbart's Conversation

Politically, and this is important, a debt ceiling fight / shut down battle would give the Democrats more political bullets. Political reality is if your opponent has the gun, you don't buy them the bullets. One vote is important and always is but in this case it may be future multiple votes and voters that matter for those of us that are again disappointed in no change in Federal government spending habits.

This does allow Republicans to focus on Obamacare going into 2014 in both the Senate and the house. Speaker Boehner, the Republican leadership and even Democrats will go home next week to many Americans like me who are angry at the repeated congressional failures to be responsible and cut spending. Boehner and his Republican cohorts had better fight hard to accomplish the correct policies for America between now and November 2014.

◼ Filling our monthly bitter-pill subscription - John Hayward/Breitbart's Conversation

The real problem is not so much the intractable Barack Obama as the intractable and invisible Harry Reid. Reid is the hit man who quietly murders every good bill to emerge from the Republican House. On the rare occasions when someone at the press bothers to point a camera at him, the results are sickening and repulsive to the American people ("Why should I care about kids with cancer when government employees are suffering?") but that almost never happens. The public doesn't know how he scuttles pro-growth House bills or "fills the amendment tree" to poison legislation. They blame the Republican Party in a nebulous sense for do-nothing gridlock, when it's really this one guy who is personally responsible for most of it. His invisibility means President Obama never has to pay the political price for openly vetoing bills that would sound great to the voters. For whatever reason, the GOP leadership doesn't even try to explain that to the American people.

Instead, the GOP leadership accepts a media narrative that blames them for everything, especially when they think some of the blame can be dumped on those conservative and Tea Party upstarts they hate. They fight internal battles with glee, but shrink from external conflicts with the Democrats, afraid to use anything resembling the fiery language routinely deployed against them.

After the GOP-led House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to increase the nation’s debt ceiling with no strings attached, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) vowed to seek out a 60-vote threshold when the Senate votes on the measure.

◼ Ted Cruz’s Latest Stand Is Going to Infuriate Republicans (and Democrats)

When the debt ceiling bill, passed in the House with the help of 28 Republicans, reaches the Senate on Wednesday, Cruz plans to object to the simple majority vote, the Texas senator’s office confirmed. This could very well mean a Cruz filibuster.

‘Dana Loesch is my hero’: Conservative superstar totally kills it on ‘The View’

Programming note: Conservative women join “The View” this week - MARY KATHARINE HAM/HotAir

◼ Dana Loesch Explains to 'The View' Why She's Conservative - Twitchy

I never EVER watch @theviewtv for obvious reasons, but I'm watching now!! Go @DLoesch !!!!!

— Kathleen McKinley (@KatMcKinley) February 3, 2014

Right now @DLoesch is giving the crowd at #TheView her reasons for switching to Conservatism. It's amazing! #DanaOnTheView

— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) February 3, 2014

Ok @theviewtv it's quite obvious after 23 minutes watching, if you want to improve your show you need to add @DLoesch to regular host lineup

— Tamra Varebrook (@TamraTellsIt) February 3, 2014

◼ Did I Really Just See This? Pro-Gun Conservative Dana Loesch Co-Hosts 'The View' - IJ Review

..And hell didn't even freeze over.

An open letter to the GOP on third parties and Lost causes

◼ By way of introduction – let’s just say I’m one of Millions of formally loyal supporters of the GOP. We are the people who donate small amounts and volunteer to make phone calls and knock on doors and do a myriad of others things we don’t like to do just to support the Republican party... - Comrade Šterpin/The People's Cube

...I intensely dislike traipsing around strange neighbourhoods and knocking on doors for hours on end – but I did that for the good of the party.

I cannot stand calling people on the phone to go through inane call scripts – but I did that because I thought it was important for the future of the country.

I helped prepare mailers and did other grunt work because I knew the country is on the edge of a precipice.

I tried to support you people whenever I can...

DRUDGE HEADLINES:
COULTER: REPUBLICANS ON SUICIDE WATCH...
Buchanan: Push for Immigration Reform Will Spell End of Boehner's Speakership...Audio...
HOUSE GOP TO OBAMA: LET'S DO 'YEAR OF ACTION' TOGETHER...
Ryan plan includes citizenship for illegals...
Priebus: We need 'something big'...
Business execs pressure GOP to pass bill...
Immigration officers warn amnesty would 'overload the system'...
Sessions: Should not cater to the whims of CEOs...
CRUZ: AMNESTY PUSH RUINS HOPES OF RETAKING SENATE

A majority of Americans trust Republicans more than Democrats to do a better job handling the economy, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll.

◼ Forty-four percent of respondents said Republicans are more trustworthy on the issue, while only 37 percent believe that Democrats would do a better job. - Washington Free Beacon

The Republican’s lead on the economy is its biggest advantage in Post-ABC polling since 2002, according to the Post.

◼ Poll finds little faith in nation’s leaders - Dan Balz and Peyton M. Craighill/Washington Post

President Obama will speak to the nation Tuesday night with approval ratings lower than for any of his previous State of the Union addresses and with Americans broadly pessimistic that he or lawmakers of either party will make good decisions for the future of the country...

...Just 37 percent say they have either a good amount or a great deal of confidence in the president to make the right decisions for the country’s future, while 63 percent say they do not.

◼ WaPo/ABC poll shows decline in trust of public officials - HotAir

...The rating by party on the economy is particularly bad for Obama and the Democrats, with Republicans leading 44/37. The GOP also wins on budget deficits, size of government, and gun control (by eleven points), but Democrats end up getting the edge on most other issues, including health care (44/35). But the President wants to talk at length on the economy, especially on themes of inequality, in the upcoming State of the Union speech, which means the Democrats may end up putting one of their biggest weaknesses on center stage.

SCOTT WALKER: "What do you do with a surplus? Give it back to the people who earned it."

◼ Speaking during his annual State of the State address to the Wisconsin legislature, Walker proposed $800 million in tax cuts he said were made possible by the $912 million state surplus that has resulted from policies he put in place following his election in 2010.

The cuts include reductions in property taxes, as well as cuts in the state's payroll tax and the tax rates for lower income brackets.

If all his proposals are enacted, property taxes on a typical home "will actually be lower in December 2014 than they were in December of 2010. What a difference a few years make."

"What do you do with a surplus? Give it back to the people who earned it. It's your money," Walker said of his proposals....

Looking back on his state's sad state of affairs when he took office, Walker reminded Wisconsinites that things were going downhill fast prior to his election:

"Thankfully, the days of double-digit tax increases, billion-dollar deficits, and major job loss are gone. We replaced them with massive tax cuts, growing budget surpluses, and significant job growth. Wisconsin is going back to work. ...

"Every time we help someone find a job, it makes for a stronger home, a stronger community, and a stronger state."

◼ Text of Gov. Walker's State of the State speech - The State

California: Worst in Total Debt, Worst in Unfunded Pensions

◼ State governments are piling up debt almost as fast as the federal government, with a total of $5.1 trillion now on their books. - Mark Tapscott/Washington Examiner

Calculated on a per capita basis, the $5.1 trillion represents an obligation of $16,178 for every state resident in the country, according to State Budget Solutions' fourth annual State Debt Report....

Viewed in terms of total debt, big states dominate the top 10, with California being in the worst shape at $778 billion. Most of the Golden State's total is accounted for by public pension liabilities at $584 billion.

Given the prominence of unfunded public employee pension liabilities in state debt, the role of unions representing government workers is an important factor.

NC GOV. PROVES FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY IS POSSIBLE

◼ Gov. Pat McCrory (R-N.C.) spoke on the Larry Kudlow Show last night about how he was able to overcome massive debt in his state - Teresa Mull/Human Events