Jeb Bush’s 4% Growth Promise Is 104% Nonsense

/3 Comments/in , /by

Jeb Bush wants the American economy to grow faster. A lot faster. “So many challenges could be overcome if we just get this economy growing at full strength,” he observed in his presidential campaign kickoff speech. “There is not a reason in the world why we cannot grow at a rate of 4 percent a year.”

It’s an exciting idea that really would solve a lot of problems, allowing the country to expand opportunity down the socioeconomic ladder without needing to redistribute wealth away from those who already have in. Then again, if some obvious prescription existed to deliver that kind of rapid growth, you might think that Jeb’s brother or his father would have hit upon the formula.

But though the campaign promise is a bit silly — even the policy institute that cooked up the goal turns out to admit it’s more aspirational than real — the concept raises the important question of to what extent the United States can grow its way out of some of today’s problems. The answer tells us something important about the limits of economic theory, the American electorate’s hunger for unrealistic promises, and how well the Bush family understands both.

How unrealistic is this, historically speaking? It is pretty unrealistic. Since Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, the American economy has grown on average 2.7 percent per year.

Jeb is promising to do not just a little better than average, but dramatically better than average. And he’s promising to do so even though the aging of the population puts a natural check on growth, since as people become too old to work the economy loses output. (Read more from “Jeb Bush’s 4% Growth Promise Is 104% Nonsense” HERE)

Listen to Rachel Alexander, political analyst, give her assessment of the GOP field to-date:

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Obama Considering Range of Options in Response to China’s Severely Damaging OPM Hack

/1 Comment/in , /by

By Bill Gertz. President Obama is considering a range of options in addition to economic sanctions in response to the massive theft of data from federal government computer networks, a senior White House security official said Tuesday.

“We’ve got a range of tools and we’ll consider all of them,” said Lisa Monaco, the White House’s homeland security adviser.

Monaco said in a brief interview with the Washington Free Beacon after a speech on cyber threats that the U.S. government is currently investigating the clandestine theft of sensitive information on at least 4 million government workers from computers at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) . . .

Monaco’s comments on possible responses to the cyber attack were the first to indicate that the administration is considering more than economic sanctions in retaliation. Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, suggested Friday that sanctions were among the options.

Monaco did not respond when asked why neither the president nor his advisers have condemned the cyber attack against the Office of Personnel Management, which has been described by U.S. officials as one of the most damaging compromises of sensitive information in recent years. (Read more from “Obama Considering Range of Options in Response to OPM Hack” HERE)

___________________________________________________________________

Chinese Cyber Attacks That Might Be Even Worse Than the OPM Hack

By Robert Knake. February 2013. DHS says that between December 2011 and June 2012, cyber criminals targeted twenty-three gas pipeline companies and stole information that could be used for sabotage purposes. Forensic data suggests the probes originated in China.
Why it’s worse: Espionage is one thing, sabotage is another. This incident crosses into what might be called “preparation of the battlefield”—laying the groundwork for military operations. In this incident, the hackers targeted an entire sector. They weren’t going after business data or stealing designs. The worst you can do with PII? Gain account access. The worst you can do with this info? Blow up pipelines.

March 2015. Canadian researchers say Chinese hackers attacked U.S. hosting site GitHub. GitHub said the attack involved “a wide combination of attack vectors” and used new techniques to involve unsuspecting web users in the flood of traffic to the site. According to the researchers, the attack targeted pages for two GitHub users—GreatFire and the New York Times’ Chinese mirror site—both of which circumvent China’s firewall.
Why it’s worse: This incident gets closer to the line North Korea crossed—interfering with our right to free speech. We haven’t quite articulated a norm in this area, but theInternational Strategy for Cyberspace comes close. In this case, China targeted GitHub because it was hosting pages for organizations that circumvent its Great Firewall. It may be time we put out a Monroe Doctrine for cyberspace, which would, make clear that trying to stifle freedom of speech in this country crosses a red line. We could go further and make it official policy to bring dissidents from other countries under this veil of protection. Taking a page from the Kennedy doctrine, the United States could declare that it will pay any price, bear any burden, host any website and defeat any denial of service attack in the cause of Internet freedom. . .

February 2012. Media reports say that Chinese hackers stole classified information about the technologies onboard F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
Why it’s worse: Under current norms, military technology is fair game but this one is devastating if true. The hack targeted classified information on one of our most advanced weapons platforms. The info could save the Chinese decades in research and development. Worse, it could be used to find vulnerabilities that could be exploited in combat—think the pilot episode of Battlestar Gallactica. (Read more from this story HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

The House Just Passed a Trade Bill, but Obama’s Trade Agenda Might Still Be Doomed

/0 Comments/in , /by

In a razor-thin 218-208 vote, the House of Representatives just approved Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). The legislation guarantees that trade deals negotiated by the president will get a prompt up-or-down vote. President Obama has said the legislation is essential to completing work on the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal being negotiated by about a dozen Pacific Rim nations.

However, it remains far from certain whether TPA will become law. The Senate has also passed a TPA bill, but that bill came with an extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), programs that help workers who lose their jobs due to international competition. For TPA to become law, congressional leaders need to either get the House to pass TAA or get the Senate to pass a TPA bill that doesn’t include TAA. (Read more from “The House Just Passed a Trade Bill, but Obama’s Trade Agenda Might Still Be Doomed” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Duck Dynasty’s Uncle Si Robertson Is a Semifinalist in Yahoo TV’s Greatest Reality TV Personalities

/0 Comments/in , /by

Duck Dynasty’s Si Robertson, fondly called “Uncle Si” by viewers, makes it to the semifinals in Yahoo TV’s Greatest Reality TV Personalities. He was picked as the winner for the category Best Comic Relief, and now he is pitted against winners from seven other categories for the championship.

Yahoo TV initiated the Greatest Reality TV Personalities to celebrate the stars of various reality shows that people have come to love over the years. It is also meant to celebrate the 15th anniversary of “Survivor,” which many consider to have propelled reality TV shows into the mainstream.

The winners of the “competiton” will be determined by poll voting. As of Tuesday, Uncle Si falls into third place with 18 percent votes. Gordon Ramsay leads the poll with 48 percent votes followed by Spencer Pratt with 26 percent votes. Kim Kardashian lands at fourth place with 8 percent votes.

According to Yahoo TV, Uncle Si makes the cut because of his witty remarks that viewers enjoy. He is known to have so much wisdom, and the way he tackles ideas and pours out his unpredicatably comedic quotes has given birth to a new term – “Si-cology.”

Among the characters in “Duck Dynasty,” Uncle Si is arguably the most hilarious. His funny comments are adored by viewers who delight in the show’s clean humor, which is a breath of fresh air in reality TV. (Read more from “‘Duck Dynasty’s Uncle Si Robertson Is a Semifinalist in Yahoo TV’s Greatest Reality TV Personalities” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Ex-Boy Scout Admits to Killing Former Troop Leader Who He Says Raped Him [+video]

/0 Comments/in , /by

A former Boy Scout pleaded guilty Wednesday to killing his troop leader, who he claimed had raped him over many years.

In a tense and emotional courtroom in Newton, New Jersey, Clark Fredericks admitted to killing former Boy Scout leader and Sussex sheriff’s officer Dennis Pegg three years ago.

“From the time I was 8 years old until I was 12, I was sexually assaulted and raped by Dennis Pegg,” said Fredericks.

He said he never told anyone about the rapes even as, he claimed, Pegg also raped his best friend Jeff. Jeff committed suicide in 1983, Fredericks said . . .

Fredericks said he got drunk, snorted cocaine, and with friend Bob Reynolds — who police arrested as an accomplice — went to Pegg’s Stillwater home with a hunting knife Pegg had given him back in scouting. (Read more from “Ex-Boy Scout Admits to Killing Former Troop Leader Who He Says Raped Him” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

“Urgent Need”: Pentagon Building Cruise Missile Shield to Defend US Cities From Russia Weapon Advances

/1 Comment/in , /by

The Pentagon is quietly working to set up an elaborate network of defenses to protect American cities from a barrage of Russian cruise missiles.

The plan calls for buying radars that would enable National Guard F-16 fighter jets to spot and shoot down fast and low-flying missiles. Top generals want to network those radars with sensor-laden aerostat balloons hovering over U.S. cities and with coastal warships equipped with sensors and interceptor missiles of their own.

One of those generals is Adm. William Gortney, who leads U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, and North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD. Earlier this year, Gortney submitted an “urgent need” request to put those new radars on the F-16s that patrol the airspace around Washington. Such a request allows a project to circumvent the normal procurement process.

While no one will talk openly about the Pentagon’s overall cruise missile defense plans, much of which remains classified, senior military officials have provided clues in speeches, congressional hearings and other public forums over the past year. The statements reveal the Pentagon’s concern about advanced cruise missiles being developed by Russia.

“We’re devoting a good deal of attention to ensuring we’re properly configured against such an attack in the homeland, and we need to continue to do so,” Adm. Sandy Winnefeld, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a May 19 speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in Washington. (Read more from “Pentagon Building Cruise Missile Shield to Defend US Cities From Russia” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Oregon School District Spends Big on Controversial ‘White Privilege’ Teacher Training

/2 Comments/in , /by

Go ahead and call Dan Chriestenson out of step with the times.

The two-term school board member from Oregon’s Gresham-Barlow district yearns for the hopeful goal of the 1960s civil rights movement – to eliminate race as a factor in American society.

He’s sickened to see just the opposite happening today, due to the bizarre theories of a group of radicals who use stubborn racial problems in K-12 education to promote their leftist political agenda and make a lot of money . . .

Every year the Gresham-Barlow school district, like many others across the state, sends teachers and administrators to a week-long “Coaching for Educational Equity” conference in Cottage Grove, Oregon. The Conference is presented by a private non-profit organization called the Oregon Center for Educational Equity (OCEE) . . .

The theory says that school curricula, instructional methods and disciplinary policies are hopelessly based on the norms of white culture, for the exclusive benefit of white students. It teaches that black students cannot possibly succeed unless K-12 education is modified and customized to their supposed culture. (Read more from “Oregon School District Spends Big on Controversial ‘White Privilege’ Teacher Training” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Driver Finds out She Has Massive Tumor After This Happens

/0 Comments/in , /by

A high-flying businesswoman discovered she had a life-threatening brain tumour after she blacked out and caused a huge motorway pile-up.

Sue Ayton, 48, who is managing director of a global research company, veered across two lines on the M25 and smashed into two other cars after she had a fit at the wheel of her car.

After being rescued from her wrecked Range Rover and rushed to hospital it was discovered the mum-of-three had a huge brain tumour that covered almost a quarter of the width of her brain.

If it wasn’t for the car crash the tumour – which doctors said could have been growing for 20 years – might have been undetected and eventually killed her.

Incredibly five days after undergoing brain surgery to remove the tumour Sue was back running her business from the neurology ward of Southmead hospital. (Read more from “Driver Finds out She Has Massive Tumor After This Happens” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Alaska Wildfire’s More Than Triple Overnight, America’s Top Wildfire Priority

/0 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Twitter Wildfire experts in Alaska expected the Card Street Fire to double in size, but Mother Nature was not helping to slow the inferno’s growth. Tuesday, the fire was at only 1,500 acres, and Wednesday’s footprint was not much greater. By Thursday, the Card Street Fire is estimated to have engulfed about 9,000 acres, according to KTUU News. As of Thursday afternoon, officials reported that besides for the 9,000 acres, there has been no containment of the fire.

In many areas, state officials have implemented a ban on all fires in state parks and on state land. Many campground areas are closed completely. The fire is sending plumes of smoke miles into the sky, fueled by strong westerly winds. According to the Alaska Coordination, the Card Street Fire is the number one priority wildfire in the nation Thursday, surpassing the critical concern of Alaska’s Sockeye Fire, which was deemed the most dangerous in the nation Wednesday and was reportedly set off by fireworks.

(The following are pictures of the rapidly expanding Healy Lake Fire from Alaska’s DNR’s Facebook:)

Unfortunately, Thursday’s weather will continue to foster fire growth with higher than normal temperatures, low humidity, and dry winds . . .

Wyoming Interagency Hotshots reported Wednesday that the team was on its way to assist in Alaska’s wildfires. A state of disaster has already been declared due to the destruction caused by the Card Street Fire, which is still burning fiercely. (Read more from “Alaska Wildfire’s More Than Triple Overnight, America’s Top Wildfire Priority” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Betrayal Papers Movie: Who Is Barack Hussein Obama?

/4 Comments/in , /by

The Betrayal Papers (Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six) series details the Muslim Brotherhood’s infiltration into and influence on the Obama administration. From the specific individuals within the administration who are associated with various Muslim Brotherhood front groups (CAIR, ISNA, MSA, etc.), to domestic and foreign policy, for those who look at the evidence, the case is clear that the Brotherhood calls many of the shots at the White House.

Today, the Coalition of Concerned Citizens is proud to announce that Part Five of the series is available in movie format. Narrated by Andrea Shea King, it details the personal history of President Barack Hussein Obama. As the report is read, the movie matches pictures with words, and gives a reader the sense of who the man residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue really is, from a biographical perspective.

Ahead to 2016

The issue of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic fascist organization that advocates death and jihad in the name of Allah, is especially important ahead of the 2016 Presidential Election.

For the next President will have to make a choice: Will he or she route the Muslim Brotherhood from our military and intelligence agencies, from DHS and the IRS, and other regulatory agencies?

Or will the Muslim Brotherhood, which calls for the destruction of America from within, be allowed to continue to flourish and undermine our republic?

Watch The Betrayal Papers: Part V – Who is Barack Hussein Obama? to learn more:

Note: The Coalition of Concerned Citizens will be releasing all six parts in the same format in the coming weeks.

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.