Feds Withhold Water To Farmers For First Time In 54 Years...

◼ Without a lot more rain and snow, many California farmers caught in the state's drought can expect to receive no irrigation water this year from a vast system of rivers, canals and reservoirs interlacing the state, federal officials announced Friday. - AP

Gov. Jerry Brown last month declared California's drought emergency, and both state and federal officials have pledged millions of dollars to help with water conservation and food banks for those put out of work by the drought.

A buoy lies on the bottom of Hirz Bay in Shasta Lake, which is 100 feet (30 meters) below its normal …
California officials who manage the State Water Project, the state's other major water system, have already said they won't be releasing any water for farmers, marking a first in its 54-year history.

Ten 2013 stories that should make news in 2014

◼ from Sharyl Attkisson

◼ Prediction: 2014 Will Be Even Crazier - The Other McCain

◼ A Year of Fear: 2013 brought little more than uncertainty to an already uncertain nation. - Kevin D. Williamson/National Review

◼ The Progressive Honor Roll of 2013 - John Nichols/The Nation

The alleged coverups included keeping quiet separate IG investigations that found that members of then-Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton’s security detail had engaged hookers and that the Belgian ambassador had solicited underage prostitutes.

◼ State Dept. whistleblower has email hacked, deleted - S.A. Miller/New York Post

...These were among a string of investigations by the service, responsible for protecting dignitaries and investigating crimes within the department, that were allegedly derailed by senior officials, including one instance of interference by Clinton Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills.

Since the revelations in June, the department again mostly swept the cases under the rug.

...“We feel like we’re in a movie. It’s nuts. It makes us wonder ....maybe we’ve got something we don’t even realize or maybe they’re worried about something.”

MITT ROMNEY: WEEKLY PODCAST ON THE NEED FOR STRONG AMERICAN LEADERSHIP

◼ Romney: Libya deaths a ‘tragic reminder’ of need for US leadership - The Hill

GOP nominee Mitt Romney said Saturday that the deaths of four American diplomats in Libya was a “tragic reminder” that the world needed “strong leadership” from Washington and focused on the Obama administration’s relations with China to accuse the president of falling short on that score.

“The attacks on our diplomatic outposts are, of course, a tragic reminder that the world remains a dangerous place, and that America’s leadership is needed,” said the GOP nominee in his weekly podcast. “And for America to be able to provide strong leadership in the world, we have to have a strong economy here at home.”

◼ LISTEN HERE

NFRW Political Briefing

Florida's Election Laws Draw Lawsuits Across the StateLawsuits are being filed across the state of Florida regarding who will be eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election--and when, how, and where. The August 20th edition of the Washington Post referred to a law passed in Florida in 2011 that "imposes more than 75 changes," in election practices including restrictions on who can register voters and limits on the time allowed for early voting. Supporters of the measure believe it creates a more reliable system that combats voter fraud. Opponents, including every Democratic lawmaker, claim the law is a bipartisan ploy to suppress voters who traditionally favor Democrats.

One portion of the new law reduced the number of days that Florida's 67 counties may offer early voting from 14 days to eight days. It also continued to allow that Sundays be offered for early voting with the exception that the Sunday before the election could not be available for early voting. Many African Americans in Florida object strenuously to cancelling voting on the Sunday two days before the election because traditionally, that's their big day to get out the vote after church services. The Washington Post observed that "on the Sunday before the election, church vans and church members" ferried those without transportation to early voting stations. In the 2008 presidential election, on the Sunday prior to that election, 43 percent of the early votes cast that day came from African Americans even though they make up only 28 percent of the country's electorate.

Obama Attacks Ryan on Pell Grants Despite Creating a "Funding Cliff" With the ProgramAfter spending last week attacking Representative Ryan for the Medicare revisions in his House-passed budget, President Obama traveled to Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, and Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada, today to attack Ryan on his education policy in the budget. A radio ad the Obama campaign is currently running in New Hampshire claims that 21,000 collegiates in that state alone would have their Pell Grants cut by $800 in the Ryan budget. As the Associated Press reports, "those estimates assume the cuts in Ryan's budget are applied evenly across all programs starting in 2014--something Ryan aides say would not happen. His budget does not directly address Pell Grant funding, and his aides say the cuts would not take a one-size-fits all approach."

As Ryan himself has pointed out, financial aid is driving up the cost of going to college when it is supposed to have the opposite effect: "college costs have risen at twice the rate of inflation for about thirty years and economists have pointed out that these rapid increases would have been constrained if the federal government had not stepped in so often to subsidize rising tuitions." On Pell Grants, Ryan states that spending on the program has doubled since 2008, with Obama increasing the maximum Pell Grant by more than $900 while advocating for another increase next year.

However, these increases will apply only through the 2014-2015 school year, "creating a 'funding cliff' that puts the program at risk of breaking its promises to students" which "could force sudden, deep cuts in Pell Grant support to eligible students or necessitate cuts to other education programs to prop up this out of control spending." Because Ryan's House-passed budget actually cuts spending, it can ensure that the maximum Pell Grant award is kept for the next 10 years--unlike Obama's promise.

Obama's Regulations Choke ManufacturersThe Washington Post, referring to a report by an industry group released yesterday, has pointed out that "the average number of major federal regulations--those expected to have an economic impact in excess of $100,000--that have been finalized each year has risen with each recent administration. Under President Clinton it was 27 per year. It now stands at 44 per year between 2009 and 2011 under President Obama.

The Post goes on to say that the report makes clear the increasing number of regulations has harmed the manufacturing sector's production. All aspects of the manufacturing sector's production are impacted negatively by the myriad of regulations. For example, the report shows that the regulatory burden on manufacturers has more than doubled over ten years, growing from about $80 billion in 2001 to more than $164 billion in 2011.

Mitt Romney, according to the Post, has called such regulation a 'hidden tax' and says that "the economy has been harmed by the whims of the unaccountable bureaucrats pursuing their own agenda."

What Needs to Be Taken from Last Week's Fight over MedicareThe President and the Republican presidential candidates traveled the country last week propelling the debate about Medicare. Two facts should stand out from the fray:
President Obama's health care law raided $716 billion from the Medicare trust fund; and
Obama's health care law puts in place a board of 15 unelected bureaucrats and gives them the power to make additional cuts to Medicare without even having to get approval from Congress.

◼ Legislative News for the Week of August 22, 2012

Massive turnout countrywide for Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day

◼ Cars were lined up as far as the eye could see in Ashland, Ky. on Wednesday at the local Chik-fil-A for "Chik-fil-A" appreciation day. - Red Alert Politics/(image source) Picture courtesy of Alyssa Sturgill & provided by RAP contributor Brandon Kiser

While many customers visited Chick-fil-A in order to show their support for traditional marriage, the majority went to support freedom of speech.

“They stand up for great values, and we’re in a country where freedom should be respected,” Charlotte said. “So we’re exercising our freedom today and eating some great food.”

...Twitter was also flooded with support for Chick-fil-A and photos of crowded restaurants and drive throughs across the country.

◼ Chick-fil-A Day: Massive, nationwide protest for free enterprise & First Amendment; bomb threat at W. Va. franchise - Michelle Malkin
◼ Check out Twitchy’s amazing social media photo album of today’s Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. In cities across the country, thousands of happy and peaceful customers turned out to show their support of the First Amendment and free enterprise. - Twitchy

◼ Rahm Emanuel, Chick-fil-A, and the easy slide into fascism

The past two weeks have brought to light a truly disturbing political demonstration — and it has nothing to do with presidential elections or generic congressional ballots. At least three mayors in some of America's largest cities, as well as plenty of other city officials, have publicly demanded political orthodoxy as a condition of doing business in their metropolises. Political correctness has transformed into a strange American version of fascism — over a chicken fillet sandwich and an opinion about marriage that even our Democratic president officially held as recently as two months ago.

◼ Re: ‘Chick-fil-A, and the Easy Slide into Fascism’ - Ed Driscoll/PJM

Credit Regulation That Discriminates Against Stay-At-Home Spouses to be Focus of Subcommittee Hearing

◼ The Federal Reserve rule requires lenders to consider individual rather than household income when determining whether someone qualifies for a credit card. Prior to the rule, which was mandated by the 2009 Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, stay-at-home spouses could take out credit cards in their own names by citing household incomes. - financialservices.house.gov

The Red State in Your Future

◼ Voters around the country are concluding it’s better to be red than dead—applying a whole meaning to an old phrase. - Merrill Matthews/Forbes (image source: via Wikipedia)

If you do not currently live in a red state, there’s a good chance you will be in the near future. Either you will flee to a red state or a red state will come to you—because voters fed up with blue-state fiscal irresponsibility will elect candidates who promise to pass red-state policies.

...though we are a year away from the 2012 election, generic Republican vs. Democratic polls have given Republicans the edge for more than a year. If that pattern holds—and if blue-state leaders refuse to learn from their policy mistakes, just like their true-blue leader in the White House—it likely means there will be even more red states in 2013.

One reason for that shift is that red states are taking fiscal responsibility while many blue states aren’t—and it shows. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a bipartisan association of conservative state legislators, recently released its fourth edition of “Rich States, Poor States,” by the well-known Reagan economist Arthur B. Laffer, the Wall Street Journal’s Steve Moore, and Jonathan Williams of ALEC.

...Most of the “poor states” states, as ALEC calls them, have the highest personal income tax rates and the largest unfunded state pension liabilities. But instead of taking the red-state approach by lowering taxes and/or cutting spending, the blue states tend to want to raise taxes even higher, just like their White House mentor.

The result of their overpromising and overspending, and their knee-jerk response to solving their fiscal problems by raising taxes, is that people are increasingly fleeing the blue states. As commentator Michael Medved points out: “Between 2009 and 2010 the five biggest losers in terms of ‘residents lost to other states’ were all prominent redoubts of progressivism: California, New York, Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey. Meanwhile, the five biggest winners in the relocation sweepstakes are all commonly identified as red states in which Republicans generally dominate local politics: Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Georgia.”

◼ Republican states balancing their budgets - Washington Times

The book focuses on Arizona's controversial immigration law — Senate Bill 1070. "In the end, the story of SB 1070 is the story of an arrogant, out-of-control federal government"

◼ "We passed a law to protect ourselves because the federal government wouldn't. And what did we get for our effort? We were demonized and called racists. We were sued and treated like subjects instead of citizens." - Newsmax

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer takes some pointed shots at President Barack Obama in her new book, ◼ "Scorpions for Breakfast: My Fight Against Special Interests, Liberal Media, and Cynical Politicos to Secure America's Border.

FCC finally kills off fairness doctrine

◼ The FCC gave the coup de grace to the fairness doctrine Monday as the commission axed more than 80 media industry rules.

Monday’s move is part of the commission’s response to a White House executive order directing a “government-wide review of regulations already on the books” designed to eliminate unnecessary regulations.

Also consigned to the regulatory dustbin are the “broadcast flag” digital copy protection rule that was struck down by the courts and the cable programming service tier rate. Altogether, the agency tossed 83 rules and regs.

Left's Agenda Inches Forward

◼ Left's Agenda Inches Forward - Peter Hannaford for The American Spectator

While the massive union effort to overturn the Wisconsin state senate failed, in California the Left quietly moved its agenda forward this week when Governor Jerry Brown signed the "National Popular Vote" bill whose purpose is to award the state's 55 electoral votes to the presidential candidate with the most popular votes nationally.

Why is this significant? California is the eighth state (along with the District of Columbia) to pass this legislation. It is written to take effect if and when states representing a majority of the 538 electoral votes have passed similar legislation. This means that if Candidate A wins the vote in your state, but Candidate B wins it nationally, your state's electors would be required to vote for B.

"We are taking away a choice that continues to let people waste their own money."

◼ Light motif - Mark Steyn/National Review Online

I wonder if Secretary Chu has any idea how stupid this argument sounds from an administration that has wasted more of other people’s money than anybody else on the planet. Secretary Chu and his colleagues took a trillion dollars of “stimulus” and, for all the stimulating it did, might as well have given it in large bills to Charlie Sheen to snort coke off his hookers’ bellies with.

BREAKING NEWS: Wisconsin "Supreme Court just ruled in favor of the Republicans on Budget Repair."

◼ "Supreme Court just ruled in favor of the Republicans on Budget Repair." - Althouse
◼ Wisconsin Supreme Court Overturns Judge Sumi - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

Some key language from the ruling, which overturned Judge Sumi's rulings both procedurally (for interfering in the legislative process) and substantively (there was no violation of the Open Meetings Law) at the link.

◼ Fiscal sanity triumphs: Wisconsin Supreme Court green lights budget/union reform law - Michelle Malkin

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has cleared the way for GOP Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair/union reform law — and rebuked a county judge for interfering in the legislative process.

◼ Supreme Court clears way for collective bargaining law to take effect - Wisconsin State Journal
◼ Breaking: Wisconsin Supreme Court reinstates Walker’s collective bargaining law - HotAir

Time for Ethic Cleansing

◼ Time for Ethic Cleansing - Peter Hannaford for The American Spectator 6.7.11

Anthony Weiner got it off his chest: He took the picture of his bulging undershorts and he sent it to the young woman in Seattle. "I have not been honest with myself," he said Monday -- but should have added "or anyone else."

For nearly a week he fed chuckle fodder to Washington and the world with his improbable denials. (Who but himself or someone leaning over his shoulder could have taken a picture at that angle?) Here is man who is used to being on the verbal attack, using one of the sharpest Democrat tongues in the House. He seemed to think that cutting off questions, calling the episode a "hacked prank" and a "distraction" from his very important duties, would suffice. When it didn't and the story continued in the "mainstream" media as well as with a zillion bloggers and Tweeters, he finally had to look in the mirror and see a man who had made a fool of himself.

In this latest news conference he confessed to having had sex-tinged online conversations with several women not his wife (most, he said, before they were married last year). He has brought shame on himself, the office and his constituents. Will he resign? Nope. You see, he still thinks he can run for mayor of New York next year and has amassed what is said to be a $3 million campaign chest.

Nancy Pelosi, with a straight face, called for an investigation by an Ethics Committee to see if any House rules have been broken and/or resources used (how about a subpoena of his office computer for starters?). Poor Nancy doesn't get it. As long as he's around and salivating over another campaign, all those suggestive plays on words over the pronunciation of his name will continue. (Most people with the name Weiner, by the way, pronounce it WY-NER; it's the name Wiener that is often pronounced WE-NER.)

Ms. Pelosi and her Democratic caucus colleagues could take a leaf from the Republicans' book. In February, Rep. Christopher Lee, beginning his second term, confessed to having posted a photo of himself with unclad torso and had been posting messages to the effect that he was a 40-year-old divorced lobbyist instead of a married Member of Congress. From the moment the story broke until the moment Mr. Lee left town for good, no more than 72 hours had passed. He went pffft. Now he's invisible. No one asks, "What ever happened to...?" because they can't even remember his name.
____________________
Peter Hannaford was closely associated with the late President Ronald Reagan, including serving as Mr. Reagan's Director of Public Affairs in the Governor's Office in California.

Judicial Watch: Documents show FCC coordinated 'Net Neutrality' effort with Soros-funded Left-wing outside group, "Free Press"

◼ Documents made public yesterday by Judicial Watch describe extensive collusion by Federal Communications Commission officials with a left-wing advocacy group in a campaign to expand government regulation of the Internet.

The documents, obtained by Judicial Watch in a December 2010 Freedom of Information Act request, were created after Democrat appointees solidified their 3-2 control of the agency in March 2009....

Free Press is the most vocal of a number of far-left and liberal advocacy groups that for nearly a decade have pushed numerous proposals for vastly increasing government regulation of the Internet.

The evidence of coordination between FCC Democrats and Free Press uncovered by Judicial Watch includes:

Emails between former Free Press president John Silver and Democratic FCC Commissioner Michael Copps from October 2010, coordinating "how we'd like to proceed during these next three months on NN [net neutrality]."

Documents summarizing a phone call between Silver and Copps in which, before an FCC vote on the proposal in November 2010, Silver "emphasized that a strong net neutrality rule is critical to preserving the Internet as a vibrant forum for speech, commerce, innovation and cultural expression."

Correspondence between FCC Special Counsel David Tannenbaum and Free Press Policy Director Ben Scott coordinating speakers for a taxpayer-funded series of FCC "internet workshops" that were intended to generate public support for the proposal.

Free Press was co-founded by Monthly Review editor Robert McChesney and the Nation contributor John Nichols. The Monthly Review is "an independent Marxist journal," while the Nation has long described itself as "the flagship of the left." Free Press is partially funded by George Soros' Open Society Institute....

Obama administration to lose $14B of auto bailout funds

◼ Govt to lose $14B of auto bailout funds - Yahoo
The Obama administration said Wednesday that the government will lose about $14 billion in taxpayer funds from the bailout of the U.S. auto industry.

In a report from the president's National Economic Council, officials said that figure is down from the 60 percent the Treasury Department originally estimated the government would lose following its $80 billion bailout of Chrysler and General Motors in 2009.

The report's release coincides with the administration's efforts to tout the bailout's role in the revitalization of the U.S. auto industry after last week's announcement that Chrysler is repaying $5.9 billion in U.S. loans and a $1.7 billion loan from the Canadian government. Those payments cover most of the federal bailout money that saved the company after it nearly ran out of cash in and went through a government-led bankruptcy.
◼ Obama makes Detroit revival central to his campaign - Financial Times (ft.com)
◼ Limousine liberals? Number of government-owned limos has soared under Obama - iwatchnews

while the Democratic Party might be well served in trying to use the Ryan plan to bury their political opponents, the country itself is not. The debate we need is not about whether Medicare should be reformed, but how

◼ Don’t Scorn Paul Ryan - Joe Nocera/NYT

Unanimous rejection - Obama's budget didn’t win a single vote in the Senate

◼ the final tally was 0-97

“The vote on the president’s plan turned into a rout, with neither Republicans nor Democrats voting in favor of taking it up. At one level, the 97-0 vote showed how out-of-date the February requests can seem after so much has changed in the spending debate already this year. But for Democrats, it also proved a convenient way to mask their substantial internal differences over how to proceed” on addressing the government’s fiscal problems.

Why Are Spending Cuts So Hard?

◼ At the bottom line, the reason it's so hard to achieve real spending cuts is that the way Congress approves spending is fundamentally flawed. And while this year's prolonged budget battle managed to keep down spending increases across the federal government and make only slight reductions in a handful of programs, the real victory is that House Republicans have changed the conversation. - Darrell Issa for The American Spectator

When you have the president who signed multiple pieces of trillion dollar legislation start announcing a goal to cut spending, you know that a victory for fiscal responsibility is within reach.

Has Subsidy-Scrapping Time Arrived?

◼ Has Subsidy-Scrapping Time Arrived? - Peter Hannaford for The American Spectator 5.18.11

One day last week Senate Democrats engaged in one of their favorite indoor sports: beating up on oil companies. They convened a kangaroo court (aka a hearing) to give tongue-lashings to the CEOs of major oil companies, just to make sure American motorists know it is this greedy bunch that is responsible for soaring gasoline prices.

"Take away their subsidies," they cried. The media missed the irony in the sharp inquisition by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), heir to a large Standard Oil fortune (of which Exxon is a modern descendant).