What to Cut: Striking Subsidies Could Save Billions

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Photo Credit: Moyan_Brenn

Joe Dutra has defied the trend of American confectioners and candy makers who’ve moved abroad to escape the U.S. government’s regime of sugar subsidies.

After moving his Kimmie Candy Company back to the United States from South Korea, he’s now operating a $4 million-$5 million business in Reno, Nev.

But, he said, “when coming back to the United States, I found out that I was paying up to 90 percent more for sugar in the last few years.”

Sugar is just one commodity whose price is hugely inflated in the United States because of what critics call an outdated system of subsidies and price supports. The subsidies take the form of direct payments to farmers that cost taxpayers billions — as well as restrictions on imports and how much can be grown, and other regulations that raise prices.

“It’s ridiculous,” said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., a frequent critic of subsidies. “We’re losing candy manufacturers in America because the price of sugar is four to six times higher here than it is anywhere else in the world.” Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, called it “an old Soviet-style command and control process.”

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Kansas Abortions Drop 5 Percent, Hundreds Of Unborn Babies Saved

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Photo Credit: Life News

KDHE, the state health department, released preliminary annual data on abortions performed in Kansas, showing a 5.4% decrease overall from 7,885 in 2011 to 7,457 abortions in 2012. This is the lowest state total since 1987, two years after all abortion providers were legally mandated to report. The total was divided between 3,661 obtained by residents and 3,796 by non-residents.

143 women were certified for abortion at Kansas clinics this year and did not return to obtain the procedure, compared to 182 in 2011. KDHE does not collect reasons for these “no-returns.” Kansas requires “Woman’s Right to Know” (WRTK) informed consent materials be accessed 24 hours prior to abortion, whether received from the abortion clinic at her initial visit, or through the state hotline, or just by viewing online at https://www.womansrighttoknow.org.

It is not unreasonable to surmise that the WRTK materials both contribute to “no-returns” as well as deter some women from ever entering a clinic. A woman contemplating abortion may fear a lack of support for her pregnancy needs, or be responding to subtle or overt pressure from her family or the father of the child. In the WRTK info, she finds:

fetal development explanations with high definition real-time sonography; a directory of statewide locations for free individual ultrasounds and 80 pregnancy maintenance centers; links to assistance for medically-challenging pregnancies; warnings that coerced abortions are illegal.

OTHER STATS:
All categories saw a decrease except “RU486″ abortions by pill, which rose from 20% to 30% of total Kansas abortions. This rate exceeds the 2012 CDC chemical abortion national average of 17.4%. Kansas enacted a ban on chemical abortion obtained “by webcam” in the 2011 clinic regulation law, which is not in effect due to litigation.

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Ben Carson Takes On MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell On The Definition Of ‘Marriage’

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On Sean Hannity’s Fox News program earlier this week, Dr. Ben Carson, the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, offered his view on the hot-button issue of the week, same-sex marriage.

According to Carson, marriage is defined as between one man and one woman, what he called a “well-established, fundamental pillar of society.” And Carson said this institution could not be redefined by any group, including proponents of bestiality and pedophilia.

Invoking those groups drew the ire of many, but Carson went on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” to clarify his remarks, which he apologized to those who took offense.

“Well, first of all, they are my views, that should be mentioned. They are not the views of the institution,” Carson said. “If someone goes back and examines what I’ve been talking about and writing about over the last couple of decades, it’s the same things that I’m talking about now. It’s just that now more people are paying attention to them. And you know, I think in terms of what was said on Sean Hannity’s show — that was taken completely out of context and completely misunderstood in terms of what I was trying to say. You know, as a Christian, you know I have a duty to love all people, and that includes people who have other sexual orientations, and I certainly do. And never had any intention of offending anyone. What I was basically saying and if anybody was offended, I apologize to you. But what I was basically saying is that there is no group — I wasn’t equating those things, I don’t think they’re equal.”

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Outrage: Obama Withholds Mineral Royalties to States, Citing Sequester

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The Obama administration sparked outrage when it announced on Monday that it was withholding $110 million mineral royalty payments that are owed to states and counties due to the sequestration.

“The Budget Control Act of 2011, passed by Congress, mandates across-the-board, automatic 5.1 percent sequester reductions,” said Office of Natural Resources Revenue spokesman Patrick Etchart. “By law, revenue payments to states are not exempt from the sequester. Cumulatively, approximately $110 million will be withheld from states and counties where energy production occurs on federal lands during the remainder of the current fiscal year.”

Western states will feel the brunt of the cuts in royalty payments — 99.3 percent of it, according to the Congressional Western Caucus. This is money that goes towards financing projects such as K-12 education, highways, community colleges, and flood protection.

The Federal government is trying to bow out of their commitments to states after failing to cut wasteful spending within the government,” said New Mexico Republican Rep. Steve Pearce. “Instead of cutting these critical payments to the state, why aren’t we cutting the President’s golf outings or luxurious government conferences? American families carry the responsibility of living within their means and honoring their commitments- the federal government should too.”

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Hostile Takeover: Islamists Entering Egyptian Military in Muslim Brotherhood Effort to Take Control

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Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated government recently allowed members of the Brotherhood and hardline jihadists to join Egypt’s military academy for the first time as part of what U.S. officials say is a covert effort to impose Islamist rule in the key Middle East state.

According to U.S. officials with access to intelligence reports, the government of President Mohamed Morsi is covertly taking steps to take control over the pro-Western military and the police forces as part of a campaign to solidify Islamist control.

Egypt for decades had banned the Muslim Brotherhood and radical Islamist groups from both the military and police academies after Islamic terrorists in the military assassinated Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat in 1981.

The Egyptian military also for decades has maintained close ties to the U.S. military. Analysts in the U.S. intelligence community and the military are viewing the introduction of Islamists into the national military academy, disclosed last week, with concern.

Muslim Brotherhood members and hardline Salafi groups are regarded as dedicated first to jihad, or holy war, and other Islamist principles rather than to the country. “Any opening of the Egyptian military to Islamist elements would be a big and complicated change,” said one U.S. official. “It’s not clear how it would be managed or how well the rank and file would absorb it.”

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Christianity Is Under Attack, But the Bible Series Proves its Great Popularity Persists

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Photo Credit: IrishCentral

Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett are setting records with their extraordinary Bible mini series. The series takes stories from the bible, beginning with the book of Genesis and it will end in the book of Revelation finale Easter Sunday.

The series outperforms all other television shows on Sunday nights, reaching close to 80 million viewers with its first three installments alone. As interest grows worldwide, it is expected the audience will expand exponentially.

“Roma and I continue to be grateful for the overwhelming global enthusiasm for The Bible series,” says executive producer Mark Burnett. Ireland native, Roma Downey says “The audience reaction says so much about what people are looking for these days, we are just thrilled that we were able to bring these stories to life.”

In April, the series will be released on Blu-ray and DVD which should sweep the world…It will be an extraordinary commercial success…But even more extraordinary, are the resounding testimonies for Christianity, whose religious institutions and faith have been under fire around the world.

For the past several years, anti Christianity has intensified as the Arab Spring was ushered into the Middle East and North Africa, ancient homelands to Christians. Alarming stories of persecutions fill the newswires as Christians are harassed and either driven out of their ancient homelands, or transcended into second class citizens.

It has also been fashionable to attack and ridicule Christianity in the entertainment industry under the guise of being cutting edge, as comedians and entertainers mock Christianity. Although it is painfully obvious these same artists lack the courage to browbeat Islam, a religion that will actually fire back at them.

Higher education got caught with its pants down last week, when a college professor at Florida Atlantic University, assigned his students to write the name of Jesus on a piece of paper, then put it on the ground and stomp on it. See Fox News story.

Institutions of Christianity have gone astray over the millennium and that invites the criticism. Man lead institutions can always go astray into evil and mischief and Christianity has suffered many a black eye for those sins in the past.

But Jesus Christ is easily the most important figure that has ever appeared in the history of mankind. However he is regarded, his teachings have influenced the course of human history more than any other human who has ever lived. From his Beatitudes, to his Sermon on the Mount, his teachings have left mankind a blueprint to live by, unparalleled by any other and that’s what is resonating with the public as the Bible Series comes to a conclusion this Easter.

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Ed Farnan is the conservative columnist at IrishCentral, where he has been writing on the need for energy independence, strong self defense, secure borders, 2nd amendment, smaller government and many other issues. His articles appear in many publications throughout the USA and world. He has been a guest on Fox News and a regular guest on radio stations in the US and Europe.

Feds Allowed Known Terrorist – Linked To 9/11 – to Dine at Pentagon as Part of Muslim Outreach

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New documents obtained through the federal Freedom of Information Act about Anwar al-Awlaki reveal that his banking activity and other links to several 9/11 hijackers were known to the FBI weeks before he was invited to lunch at the Pentagon during an “outreach” to Muslims.

The documentation was obtained by Judicial Watch, the government watchdog agency that investigates and reports on government corruption.

“The more we learn about Anwar al-Awlaki, the more questions arise not only about his activities before and after 9/11, but also about the al-Qaida operational and support network still active in the United States,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

“It is now even more concerning that al-Awlaki was invited to the Pentagon after 9/11 and then let go by the FBI despite warrants for his arrest.” It was reported in 2010 that Al-Awlaki was a lunch guest of military brass at the Pentagon months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

At that time, it was revealed that documents, including an FBI interview conducted after Nidal Hasan’s terror attack on members of the military at Fort Hood in 2009, show that al-Awlaki was taken to the Pentagon as part of the military’s outreach to the Muslim community after 9/11.

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EPA Taking Aim at Auto Emissions, Sulfur In Gas

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Reducing sulfur in gasoline and tightening emissions standards on cars beginning in 2017, as the Obama administration is proposing, would come with costs as well as rewards. The cost at the pump for cleaner air across the country could be less than a penny or as high as 9 cents a gallon, depending on who is providing the estimate.

An oil industry study says the proposed rule being unveiled Friday by the administration could increase gasoline prices by 6 cents to 9 cents a gallon. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates an increase of less than a penny and an additional $130 to the cost of a vehicle in 2025.

The EPA is quick to add that the change aimed at cleaning up gasoline and automobile emissions would yield billions of dollars in health benefits by 2030 by slashing smog- and soot-forming pollution. Still, the oil industry, Republicans and some Democrats have pressed the EPA to delay the rule, citing higher costs.

Environmentalists hailed the proposal as potentially the most significant in President Barack Obama’s second term. The so-called Tier 3 standards would reduce sulfur in gasoline by more than 60 percent and reduce nitrogen oxides by 80 percent, by expanding across the country a standard already in place in California. For states, the regulation would make it easier to comply with health-based standards for the main ingredient in smog and soot. For automakers, the regulation allows them to sell the same autos in all 50 states.

The Obama administration already has moved to clean up motor vehicles by adopting rules that will double fuel efficiency and putting in place the first standards to reduce the pollution from cars and trucks blamed for global warming.

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North Korea Says It is in “State Of War” With South Korea

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North Korea said on Saturday it was entering a “state of war” with South Korea in a continuing escalation of tough rhetoric against Seoul and Washington after coming under international sanctions for its nuclear test.

“From this time on, the North-South relations will be entering the state of war and all issues raised between the North and the South will be handled accordingly,” a statement carried by the North’s official KCNA news agency said.

KCNA said the statement was issued jointly by the North’s government, ruling party and other organizations.

North Korea has been threatening to attack the South and U.S. military bases almost on a daily basis since the beginning of March, when U.S. and South Korean militaries started routine drills, and has ordered its armed forces on the highest alert.

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Dana Loesch vs. Piers Morgan and Van Jones On Gun Control: Need We Say More? (+video)

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Photo Credit: CNN

Things got tense Thursday night on CNN when Piers Morgan went head-to-head with conservative radio host Dana Loesch on the issue of gun control. Also on the show were former White House czar Van Jones and Grover Norquist — quite a diverse panel.

Morgan began by blasting the National Rifle Association’s “outrageous” and “utterly insensitive” leadership. Norquist replied by dismissed gun control and citing statistics that show several cities with very strict gun laws also have very high crime rates and shootings.

Shaking his head, Jones said the points that Norquist made were “not true.”

“You can’t deny the science. You’re a science denier, man,” Norquist replied, shooting Jones a wink. Jones then argued that the issue really is “military-style assault weapons” being out on the street in America, a point with Loesch quickly refuted.

“That’s a false premise,” Loesch said. “I’m going to correct you, because I am tired of this talking point being put out there. First and foremost, let’s get something straight. ‘Military-style assault weapons’ are not out on the street. We are talking about semi-automatic weapons, weapons that are capable of–” Morgan and Jones then teamed up on Loesch to argue that semi-automatic weapons like the popular AR-15 are, in-fact, “military-style assault weapons” because Gen. Stanley McChrystal used the phrase.

Watch video here:

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