Kasich Wants Ind. Votes Despite Cruz Pact

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23990017504_3f931857fa_bBy Mark Hensch. Republican presidential candidate John Kasich on Monday said that Indiana’s voters should still back him, despite an alliance with Ted Cruz to clear the way for his presidential rival in the state’s Republican primary.

“I’ve never told them not to vote for me,” he said at a diner in Philadelphia. “They ought to vote for me.

“I’m not out there campaigning and spending resources,” Kasich added. “I’m not going to spend resources in Indiana. [Cruz is] not going to spend resources in other places.

“So what? What’s the big deal? What’s wrong with that? I’m not campaigning in Indiana, and he’s not campaigning in those other states. That’s all.”

Cruz and Kasich on late Sunday announced a joint effort aimed at keeping Donald Trump from the GOP presidential nomination (Read more from “Kasich Wants Ind. Votes Despite Cruz Pact” HERE)

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Ted Cruz-John Kasich Alliance Against Donald Trump Quickly Weakens

By Alexander Burns, Matt Flegenheimer and Jonathan Martin. The temporary alliance between Senator Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, formed to deny Donald J. Trump the Republican presidential nomination, was already fraying almost to the point of irrelevance on Monday, only hours after it was announced to great fanfare.

With the pact, the two candidates agreed to cede forthcoming primary contests to each other. Mr. Kasich would, most crucially, stand down in Indiana’s primary on May 3 to give Mr. Cruz a better chance to defeat Mr. Trump there, while Mr. Cruz would leave Oregon and New Mexico to Mr. Kasich. It appeared to be a measure of last resort, but initially it seemed like a breakthrough.

Mr. Cruz trumpeted what he called the “big news” in Indiana, a state that appears pivotal to stopping Mr. Trump from winning a majority of delegates. “John Kasich has decided to pull out of Indiana to give us a head-to-head contest with Donald Trump,” he said. (Read more from “Ted Cruz-John Kasich Alliance Against Donald Trump Quickly Weakens” HERE)

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Trump Promises to Make One Change If Elected President

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5440607608_ab5e7b8855_b (1)Billionaire and Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump just gave America another reason to vote for him if he wins the GOP nomination. He promised to stop tweeting, calling it “not presidential,” according to a video released by The Hill.

Supporters instantly cried, “No!” at the thought that their beloved candidate would stop tweeting . . .

The Hill ran the story of Trump’s promise to stop tweeting, and many Facebook users who read the story there had a lot to say about Trump’s tweets and his promise to stop tweeting.

Mordechai Hunter Rees wrote, “It’s not tweeting that is ‘not presidential.’ It’s the things Trump tweets that are not presidential. (Forget about the things he retweets…)” (Read more from “Trump Promises to Make One Change If Elected President” HERE)

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You’ll Never Guess Who Cruz Is Trying to Get for VP

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9421863852_0c2048c36b_b (1)Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign is vetting Carly Fiorina as a potential running mate, THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned.

According to a spokeswoman for Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO and one-time presidential candidate is being vetted by Cruz’s campaign.

“Normal stuff,” said Sarah Isgur Flores, who served as deputy campaign manager during Fiorina’s bid, when asked about the process. She added that Fiorina has met with members of the Cruz campaign and has given them financial disclosures and other documentation. Flores added that “no offers” have been made.

On ABC’s This Week Sunday, reporter Jon Karl floated the idea that Cruz could announce a running mate before next week’s critical Indiana primary and suggested Fiorina would be the “one person” to fill that role. (Read more from “You’ll Never Guess Who Cruz Is Trying to Get for VP” HERE)

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More Than 500,000 Boycott Target Over Transgender Bathroom Policy

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Target_store_Scottsdale_Centre_in_Delta,_BCA conservative Christian activist group has gained more than half a million signatures and counting from people pledging to boycott Target over its transgender bathroom policy.

The petition started by the American Family Association on Wednesday raises concerns that Target’s inclusive stance on transgender rights encourages sexual predators and puts women and young girls in danger, because “a man can simply say he ‘feels like a woman today’ and enter the women’s restroom.”

The boycott has more than 517,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon, marking it as one of AFA’s most popular campaigns.

“This is the best response we’ve ever had this quick,” says AFA President Tim Wildmon, attributing the protest’s viral nature to the fact that “everybody knows who Target is, and it’s an easy-to-understand issue” . . .

Target made its position public in a blog post last week, stating that the company welcomes “transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.” The announcement comes as legislation on transgender issues in multiple states has spurred several major corporations and businesses to take a stance on LGBT rights. (Read more from “More Than 500,000 Boycott Target Over Transgender Bathroom Policy” HERE)

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Report: U.N. Pressing for ‘Alternative’ Ways to Admit More Syrian Refugees to U.S.

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21238173466_b97a203635_bUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is considering “alternative” ways to admit more Syrian refugees to the United States, beyond the current refugee resettlement program, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.

“The legitimacy and transparency of these new ‘alternative pathways,’ aimed at admitting increasing numbers of Syrian refugees into the United States without calling them ‘refugees,’ remain to be seen,” CIS senior researcher Nayla Rush wrote in a report Monday. “They might even amount to convenient admissions detours at a time when the U.S. refugee resettlement program is under tight scrutiny.”

According to Rush, facing a target to resettle 480,000 Syrian refugees over the next three years, U.N. representatives have already been laying the rhetorical groundwork for pursuing such alternatives to resettlement. During a panel discussion at the Brookings Institution in February, Rush detailed, Beth Harris, Research Professor at Georgetown University and adviser to the United Nations Secretary General on humanitarian refugee policy noted the possibility of alternative paths.

Refugees and government officials are expecting this crisis to last 10 or 15 years. It’s time that we no longer work as business as usual … UNHCR next month [March 2016] is convening a meeting to look at what are being called “alternative safe pathways” for Syrian refugees. Maybe it’s hard for the U.S. to go from 2,000 to 200,000 refugees resettled in a year, but maybe there are ways we can ask our universities to offer scholarships to Syrian students. Maybe we can tweak some of our immigration policies to enable Syrian-Americans who have lived here to bring not only their kids and spouses but their uncles and their grandmothers. There may be ways that we could encourage Syrians to come to the U.S. without going through this laborious, time-consuming process of refugee resettlement.” (Emphasis Rush’s).

At the UNHCR March “high level” meeting in Geneva, Rush detailed, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called for “alternative avenues” for countries to admit more Syrian refugees. (Read more from “Report: U.N. Pressing for ‘Alternative’ Ways to Admit More Syrian Refugees to U.S.” HERE)

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Planned Parenthood Faces Intense Criticism After Tweet Claiming Expose’ Videos Were Fake

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maxresdefaultFirst, Planned Parenthood’s CEO apologized for the undercover videos exposing its trafficking of aborted baby body parts. Then it backtracked and claimed the videos were “heavily edited.” Now, it’s saying the videos were entirely “faked.”

The undercover videos by the Center for Medical Progress have damaged the abortion giant’s already shady reputation. Since last summer, CMP has released a dozen undercover videos showing various Planned Parenthood employees discussing the sale of aborted babies body parts. These videos have prompted numerous state and federal investigations, as well as efforts to ban the sale of aborted babies’ body parts and end taxpayer funding to the abortion chain.

Planned Parenthood has been trying without success to discredit the videos. Several forensic analyses of the undercover videos, including one by Planned Parenthood, found no “widespread evidence of substantive video manipulation,” LifeNews reported.

Perhaps the abortion group hopes people have forgotten the results of these forensic analyses. A report on Twitchy points out how the abortion business recently published a series of tweets describing the undercover videos as “fake”: . . .

But followers on Twitter did not let Planned Parenthood get away with it:

(Read more from “Planned Parenthood Faces Intense Criticism After Tweet Claiming Expose’ Videos Were Fake” HERE)

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Tax Lovin’ Bernie Loves Him Some Tax Deductions … For Himself

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24035792350_bc5de6af26_bYet another example of astonishing liberal/socialist/progressive hypocrisy.

Bernie Sanders, outspoken class warrior who once stated that tax rates as high as 90% weren’t too high, only pays a 13.5% tax rate on over $200,000 in household income. This guy is a total fraud and so are his socialist acolytes. Let me ask Bernie’s supporters the following questions, the answers to which will provide all the evidence you need to conclusively prove liberal hypocrisy.

Does Bernie Sanders believe that higher tax rates and revenues are a force for good?

Yes.

Does Bernie Sanders believe that successful Americans should both pay a higher tax rate and pay more of their revenue?

Yes.

Is Bernie Sanders wealthy relative to the average American?

Yes.

Does Bernie Sanders practice this in his own life?

No, he doesn’t.

I am sincerely perplexed that reasonable people, aligning themselves with liberal values, have a difficult time processing why this is hypocritical. If, as Bernie Sanders is suggesting, taxes are a force for public good then why use the tax code to take over $60,000 in tax deductions to avoid a higher tax bill? Aren’t you avoiding doing “a good thing” if you believe that the taxes you pay will result in “good things” and you then avoid paying them by taking advantage of deductions? (Note: I’m am not suggesting that Bernie Sanders has done anything illegal, or even unethical, by not paying a higher tax rate voluntarily. To the contrary, I applaud him for understanding that his money will be put to its best use by staying in his family’s budget and not the government’s).

For example, many people voluntarily donate significant portions of their hard-earned income to charity not because the government ordered them to, but because they believe they are doing a “good thing” by helping someone, or some organization, out. To be clear, this isn’t an issue for conservatives, so if you’re a liberal and thinking to yourself, “Well, conservatives don’t pay more taxes voluntarily either,” then you would be correct. We don’t pay more because the money is going down a red-ink rat-hole of broken government programs and endless spending and we refuse to waste any more of our money. So, liberals, stop thinking that to avoid further embarrassment. But, if you’re a liberal or socialist, start thinking about why YOU aren’t paying the maximum rate at all times. Don’t you think that you should show us all how sincerely you believe in the power of higher taxes by paying the maximum rate? If not, then why not? Do you feel that your money will be wasted if you pay more? If so, then welcome to the conservative movement.

You may be asking yourself, “Why concern yourself with a presidential candidate who is on the verge of being eliminated from contention?” This is a fair question, and I’ve argued repeatedly in my podcast that this has little to do with Bernie Sanders and a lot to do with the dangerous, deadly ideology he is selling. We CANNOT afford to lose another generation of our kids to the false promises of socialism. We lost a large swath of the last generation to these fraudulent ideas and now we are paying the price through the elections and campaigns of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders. (For more from the author of “Tax Lovin’ Bernie Loves Him Some Tax Deductions … For Himself” please click HERE)

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Further Down the Spiral: How Much Longer Can Obamacare Last?

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hqdefaultAs United Health Care, one of the nation’s largest insurers, announced it would withdraw from the Obamacare exchanges, the insurance industry as a whole seems to be falling apart. A number of high profile insurers, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, have been laying the groundwork for sizable premium increases next year. A study released last month found that costs for insurers had risen by 22 percent, a clear indicator that consumer prices are going to have to go up to prevent more companies from following United Health’s lead.

None of this is especially surprising. Back when Obamacare was first proposed, smart people who understood how insurance worked looked at the model and, with eyebrows raised, pointed out the obvious flaw that would prevent the program from working: the insurance death spiral. The death spiral works like this: When the pool of people who sign up for health insurance is older and sicker than insurance companies expect, costs end up being higher than projected. Companies have to raise their prices (premiums) in order to make a profit. Higher prices cause some people to drop their plans as being too expensive, and the people most likely to do this are the ones who need insurance the least. This makes the remaining pool still more costly than before, and the cycle begins again, until nobody can afford insurance anymore.

Like clockwork, this is what we have seen under Obamacare. Every year since the law’s enactment, the Department of Health and Human Services has fallen short of its enrollment goals, despite increasing penalties for those who choose not to be insured. Premiums have risen predictably and deductibles are soaring as well. In 2015, the average deductible for a Bronze plan obtained on the exchanges was $5,181. In 2016, it was $6,850. That’s an increase of more than 25 percent in just one year. That’s not going to be a sustainable model, especially since a third of people signed up for Obamacare don’t have the money to cover their deductibles now.

As for premiums, according to a project by the Manhattan Institute, at least eight states have seen their premiums double under the Affordable Care Act since 2013. Meanwhile, median weekly earnings have only increased about seven percent since 2013, so it’s not as if people are going to be able to shoulder these costs with ease.

The obvious question is: How much longer can this go on? It’s impossible to know for sure, but what is certain is that the insurance law destined to shape Barack Obama’s legacy is collapsing faster than anyone ever imagined. United Health will not be the last insurer to cut and run from a clear money-losing situation. Others will follow, and this will only accelerate the death spiral. But the even more important question is: What happens next? Will the Left be able to leverage Obamcare’s unravelling into a single payer system, as they have always wanted to do, or will the folly of government planning be evident enough to the average person that we are able to implement some market based solutions to the nation’s health care woes? Given that the frontrunners for president in both parties support universal health care, it’s going to be an uphill battle. (For more from the author of “Further Down the Spiral: How Much Longer Can Obamacare Last?” please click HERE)

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Prince Death Investigation Reportedly Focusing on Pain Pills

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maxresdefaultAuthorities investigating the sudden death of pop star Prince are focusing on the role painkillers may have played in his premature demise, according to a published report.

Prince, known for the hit songs “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry”, among others, was found dead Thursday at his Paisley Park estate in suburban Chanhassan, Minn. He was 57.

Michael Padden, a longtime attorney for two of Prince’s siblings, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that had come to him in 2001 with concerns about the star’s drug use. Padden said Prince’s sister Lorna Nelson and brother Duane Nelson told him that Prince particularly abused the painkiller Percocet, as well as cocaine.

“Lorna told me that her brother would die young … before his time and of a heart attack,” Padden told the paper. The lawyer also claimed that Prince’s brother, Duane Nelson, told Padden that he paid straw buyers to obtain prescriptions, then gave them to Prince . . .

Many of Prince’s longtime colleagues in the music business have insisted the “Let’s Go Crazy” singer led a clean life. Former band member Sheila E. said Sunday that she had “never seen him take anything, not even aspirin, in the 38 years I’ve known him.” (Read more from “Prince Death Investigation Reportedly Focusing on Pain Pills” HERE)

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“Tea Party” Billionaire Sees Hillary As Better Pick Than GOP Nominee, Potentially

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It’s a nightmare scenario for Republicans, but conservative billionaire Charles Koch says “it’s possible” Hillary Clinton could make a better president than the remaining candidates in the GOP primary.

Koch, one of the most influential and controversial forces in Republican politics, said in an exclusive interview with ABC News to air Sunday on “This Week” that he believed Bill Clinton was a better president “in some ways” than George W. Bush.

“In other ways, I mean [Clinton] wasn’t an exemplar. But as far as the growth of government, the increase in spending,” Koch said. “It was 2.5 times [more] under Bush than it was under Clinton.”

In his interview, Koch said that is a result of his disgust with the rhetoric in the Republican primary, and he even suggested Clinton could be a better choice for the country than the remaining crop of GOP candidates.

“It’s possible,” Koch said, but didn’t say whether he could see himself supporting Clinton in the 2016 cycle. (Read more from “Billionaire Sees Hillary as Better Pick” HERE)

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