President Donald Trump’s gesture for bipartisan immigration reform seemed to call for replacing the current legal immigration system that prioritizes family reunification with an economic merit-based system.
If that’s the direction, then some pro-enforcement groups seem willing to listen.
“Right now, just 16 percent of illegal immigrants came because they were sponsored by an employer,” Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Daily Signal. “Ample research shows that immigrants admitted for employment are more likely to be self-sufficient, an economic plus, and on balance less of a fiscal burden.”
Critics of the focus on family reunification say it has led to chain migration.
Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and David Perdue, R-Ga., last month introduced the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act, which would rebalance the legal immigration system toward employment-based visas and immediate family households, rather than extended family members.
The sponsors project that if enacted, the legislation would lower overall immigration to 637,960 people per year, and to 530,958 immigrants in the second year. That’s down from 1.05 million immigrants admitted in 2015.
During his address to a joint session of Congress, Trump noted that Canada and Australia are among countries with a merit-based immigration system.
“It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially,” Trump said. “I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation’s security, and to restore respect for our laws.”
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, D-Ill., chairman of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who dismissed the view that the president was making a bipartisan appeal for reform, said what Trump spoke about would limit Hispanics coming to the United States.
“[Trump] envisions an immigration system where quotas for Ph.D.s are set in Washington and the multitude of immigrants who built this country and who keep it flourishing would not be welcome,” Gutiérrez said in a statement. “The Latino community won’t forget and won’t let that happen. And the millions of allies we have who support immigration as a fundamental and integral aspect of America’s greatness will not forget either.”
Vaughan said that numbers of immigrants admitted to the U.S. are an issue even in a merit-based system.
“We have to be careful with the numbers and we don’t want American workers to be displaced,” she said.
A merit-based green card system would differ from a guest worker program because it would be more stringent for both the employer and the immigrant in proving they have skills and can contribute to the economy, Vaughan said.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the president is not compromising his principles.
“One of the network anchors said, if anyone can get a deal, it would be [Trump]. Obviously, he was pleased with that, because it’s true,” Spicer said. “He recognizes that a comprehensive solution has alluded our nation for a long time and it’s a big problem. If he can get it consistent with his principles, he will.”
In response to a later question, Spicer said: “I think he was making it clear that the results of our immigration system don’t yield one that reflects a merit-based one.”
Congress broadened the merit-based system in 1990, but left the family reunification-based system in place. A merit-based system should replace the family-based system in order to be more effective, Vaughan said.
If illegal immigrants could prove they have a particular skill set, this might open the door for a limited, economic-based amnesty, or legalized status for illegal immigrants, Vaughan said. However, this would be an economic-based granting of legal status to those who can be self-sufficient.
“Democrats might be on board if they saw a chance to get something in return, like amnesty,” Vaughan said. “It may be reasonable to look at, but it would require legislation.”
The chief focus is on legal immigration, though, and tackling the problem of chain migration, said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation of Americans for Immigration Reform.
“It would be about families and children, instead of siblings, which brings the biggest pressure, because those siblings bring spouses, who bring in-laws,” Mehlman told The Daily Signal. “The point is to have an objective assessment for letting people enter the country, who will complement, not compete with, our workforce.”
Mehlman noted the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform in the 1990s that called for limits on immediate nuclear family and employment-based immigration. The commission was chaired by former Rep. Barbara Jordan, D-Texas, and was endorsed by then-President Bill Clinton. (For more from the author of “Trump Reform Could Admit More Self-Sufficient Immigrants” please click HERE)
After President Donald Trump gave his first joint address to Congress Tuesday night, numerous lawmakers voiced support for Trump’s tone and agenda.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said Trump’s message was “critical” to Americans and noted Trump’s “strong” message on Obamacare.
“I was pleased to hear President Trump address many issues critical to everyday Americans, such as job creation, tax reform, national security, supporting our military and veterans, and improving addiction treatment services,” Scott said in a statement, adding:
The president made a strong call for the principles that will guide the replacement of Obamacare. I look forward to passing legislation that repeals Obamacare and builds a sustainable system for all American families.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., called the address a “home run.”
“That was a home run,” Ryan said. “President Trump delivered a bold, optimistic message to the American people.”
Ryan also said that Congress and the White House are on the same page in their stance on Obamacare.
“Obamacare is one of the biggest challenges that the American people face,” Ryan said. “Congress and the White House are united in our promise to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a patient-centered system.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also reaffirmed his support for the full repeal of Obamacare.
“The vast majority of people in the country have been hurt by Obamacare,” Cruz said Tuesday morning in an interview with MSNBC and tweeted his support for full repeal of Obamacare during the joint address.
We should honor the promise we made to the American People — #FullRepeal of Obamacare. #Jointsession
“We have undertaken a historic effort to massively reduce job-crushing regulations, creating a deregulation task force inside of every government agency; imposing a new rule which mandates that for every one new regulation, two old regulations must be eliminated; and stopping a regulation that threatens the future and livelihoods of our great coal miners,” Trump said in the address.
In February, Trump signed legislation that removed regulations on coal mining provisions.
Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., who also serves as chairman of the House Budget Committee, said she is excited to see Trump putting actions behind his words.
“I support the president’s efforts to rebuild our military and protect our communities,” Brat said. “As Congress considers spending levels, the firewall between defense and discretionary spending must be torn down. I believe our men and women in uniform must have the capabilities to defend our country against current and future threats.”
Trump told Congress Tuesday night that “ … to keep America safe we must provide the men and women of the United States military with the tools they need to prevent war and—if they must—to fight and to win.”
Freshman Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said he appreciated Trump’s message of unity.
“I applaud the president for his bold vision and for his message of national unity,” Bacon said. “I also look forward to working with this administration, and with congressional colleagues on both side of the aisle to renew our belief in America’s spirit so that we can guarantee our future generations the same opportunities that have been the hallmark of American greatness for over two centuries.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said Trump’s address showcased his commitment to the American people.
“We have a fundamental task,” Jordan tweeted. “Do what the voters sent us here [to] do.”
We have a fundamental task: Do what the voters sent us here 2 do. President Trump understands that, and it’s time 4 all of us 2 get 2 work.
How do 700 tobacco farmers uncover a highly secretive criminal operation generating millions of dollars in fraudulent cigarette sales? By going into business with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as they sold millions of dollars of cigarettes, the number one cause of preventable death, that’s how. And the operation may be as scandalous and controversial as the famed Fast and Furious gun running program with which the ATF was also involved.
Raleigh-based U.S. Tobacco, a group of farmers who operate small farms from Virginia to Florida, was looking to expand its operations by purchasing a distributor, someone with a warehouse and the means to supply retailers with their cigarette brands Wildhorse, Traffic, and 1839. They negotiated a deal with Big South Wholesale and its owners, Jason Carpenter and Christopher Small. Big South had a network of retailers and held out promise for U.S. Tobacco to be able to distribute their own brands.
Because Big South was able to make purchases on behalf of U.S. Tobacco, the distributors had access to U.S. Tobacco funds. The parent company quickly began to notice irregularities in various business transactions. According to the New York Times, Big South bought tobacco for, “$15 a carton and sold it to U.S. Tobacco at $17.50. The profit, about $519,000, went into what was known as a ‘management account.’ That account, while controlled by Mr. Carpenter and Mr. Small, helped pay for A.T.F. investigations.”
That’s right. According to a lawsuit filed by U.S. Tobacco, who is suing its own distributor, the ATF was running a cigarette purchasing operation disguised as a tobacco distributor, all allegedly in an effort to generate black market currency with which the ATF could then use to fund its other off-books operations.
The arrangement U.S. Tobacco had with Big South created an internal conflict of interest. Not knowing that Big South was actually a cigarette-running ATF operation, the parent company turned in the distributor to the Justice Department for investigation. But apparently, since the ATF is a part of the Justice Department, nothing happened as a result of the case. However, a federal judge, after discovering ATF’s involvement within Big South, added the federal government as a defendant in U.S. Tobacco’s case against Big South.
Since the company filed a complaint with the Justice Department, instead of finding a resolution, U.S. Tobacco said they then became the target of a Treasury Department inquiry. In other words, it appears as though the federal government is punishing the cooperative of small-time farmers, for seeking damages they say they’ve sustained as a result of the federal government’s involvement in their tobacco business. The amount of money lost, the parent company claims, amounts to 24 million dollars.
Big South, the Times writes, isn’t your typical distributorship. “Its assets included more than two dozen vehicles, including expensive S.U.V.s and a fleet of Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Lexus and Jaguar sports cars,” the Times describes. Carpenter and Small, Big South’s owners, weren’t hapless participants in the ATF’s scheme. According to heavily redacted documents related to the case, writes the Times, they’ve been serving within the government across various agencies, for years, yet their true employer remains an enigma.
Stuart Thompson, U.S. Tobacco’s CEO, began to question the financial movements at Big South in 2012 when he took over the company. That’s when he met Brandon Moore, Big South’s warehouse manager, who was ready to tell Mr. Thompson all he knew. According to the Times:
The arrangement began to break down in late 2012, when Mr. Thompson joined U.S. Tobacco as the chief financial officer. He was curious why his warehouse was placing so many orders for a brand of cigarette that competes against U.S. Tobacco. He could not get a straight answer, the company said in court documents.
In March 2013, Mr. Moore picked up the phone, called Mr. Thompson and explained what was happening. “I did what I did because of the ethics of it,” Mr. Moore said recently. “What was happening there was wrong.”
Once U.S. Tobacco discovered the bookkeeping irregularities, it reported them to the Justice Department, which investigates white-collar crime and government misconduct. Records show that the Justice Department, which includes the A.T.F., investigated some aspects of the case but no charges were filed.
“We voted unanimously to give everything we had to the government,” said Charlie Batten, a U.S. Tobacco board member whose family has worked the same North Carolina soil for generations. “We thought they would take it and run with it. What happened was, they’ve fought us tooth and nail.”
Because of the sealing order, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Batten and others are prohibited from discussing what happened to the money — even with their own farmers.
Even with the revelations the ATF was running an illegal operation inside of their company, and with the Justice Department being aware, U.S. Tobacco has been unable to divorce itself from Big South. That’s because the federal government now wants its tax revenue from all of the secret tobacco transactions the ATF initiated at Big South. “Those secret tobacco sales, it turns out, should have been taxed. And the government wants its money,” writes the Times. (For more from the author of “ATF Caught Red-Handed Stealing Money From Small Farmers to Fund Rogue, Off-Books Operations” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/6355351769_766503f534_b.jpg7681024Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-28 22:10:182017-03-04 21:50:37ATF Caught Red-Handed Stealing Money From Small Farmers to Fund Rogue, Off-Books Operations
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, the first lady of the United States, and citizens of America.
Tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our nation’s path toward civil rights and the work that still remains. Recent threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week’s shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.
Each American generation passes the torch of truth, liberty, and justice—in an unbroken chain all the way down to the present.
That torch is now in our hands. And we will use it to light up the world. I am here tonight to deliver a message of unity and strength, and it is a message deeply delivered from my heart.
A new chapter of American greatness is now beginning.
A new national pride is sweeping across our nation.
And a new surge of optimism is placing impossible dreams firmly within our grasp.
What we are witnessing today is the renewal of the American spirit.
Our allies will find that America is once again ready to lead.
All the nations of the world—friend or foe—will find that America is strong, America is proud, and America is free.
In nine years, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding—250 years since the day we declared our independence.
It will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world.
But what will America look like as we reach our 250th year? What kind of country will we leave for our children?
I will not allow the mistakes of recent decades past to define the course of our future.
For too long, we’ve watched our middle class shrink as we’ve exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries.
We’ve financed and built one global project after another, but ignored the fates of our children in the inner cities of Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit—and so many other places throughout our land.
We’ve defended the borders of other nations, while leaving our own borders wide open, for anyone to cross—and for drugs to pour in at a now unprecedented rate.
And we’ve spent trillions of dollars overseas, while our infrastructure at home has so badly crumbled.
Then, in 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet. The rebellion started as a quiet protest, spoken by families of all colors and creeds—families who just wanted a fair shot for their children, and a fair hearing for their concerns.
But then the quiet voices became a loud chorus—as thousands of citizens now spoke out together, from cities small and large, all across our country.
Finally, the chorus became an earthquake—and the people turned out by the tens of millions, and they were all united by one very simple, but crucial demand, that America must put its own citizens first … because only then, can we truly Make America Great Again.
Dying industries will come roaring back to life. Heroic veterans will get the care they so desperately need.
Our military will be given the resources its brave warriors so richly deserve.
Crumbling infrastructure will be replaced with new roads, bridges, tunnels, airports and railways gleaming across our beautiful land.
Our terrible drug epidemic will slow down and ultimately, stop.
And our neglected inner cities will see a rebirth of hope, safety, and opportunity.
Above all else, we will keep our promises to the American people.
It’s been a little over a month since my inauguration, and I want to take this moment to update the Nation on the progress I’ve made in keeping those promises.
Since my election, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart, and many others, have announced that they will invest billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs.
The stock market has gained almost three trillion dollars in value since the election on November 8th, a record. We’ve saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by bringing down the price of the fantastic new F-35 jet fighter, and will be saving billions more dollars on contracts all across our Government. We have placed a hiring freeze on non-military and non-essential Federal workers.
We have begun to drain the swamp of government corruption by imposing a 5 year ban on lobbying by executive branch officials –- and a lifetime ban on becoming lobbyists for a foreign government.
We have undertaken a historic effort to massively reduce job?crushing regulations, creating a deregulation task force inside of every Government agency; imposing a new rule which mandates that for every 1 new regulation, 2 old regulations must be eliminated; and stopping a regulation that threatens the future and livelihoods of our great coal miners.
We have cleared the way for the construction of the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines — thereby creating tens of thousands of jobs — and I’ve issued a new directive that new American pipelines be made with American steel.
We have withdrawn the United States from the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership.
With the help of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we have formed a Council with our neighbors in Canada to help ensure that women entrepreneurs have access to the networks, markets and capital they need to start a business and live out their financial dreams.
To protect our citizens, I have directed the Department of Justice to form a Task Force on Reducing Violent Crime.
I have further ordered the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, along with the Department of State and the Director of National Intelligence, to coordinate an aggressive strategy to dismantle the criminal cartels that have spread across our Nation.
We will stop the drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our youth — and we will expand treatment for those who have become so badly addicted.
At the same time, my Administration has answered the pleas of the American people for immigration enforcement and border security. By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions of dollars, and make our communities safer for everyone. We want all Americans to succeed –- but that can’t happen in an environment of lawless chaos. We must restore integrity and the rule of law to our borders.
For that reason, we will soon begin the construction of a great wall along our southern border. It will be started ahead of schedule and, when finished, it will be a very effective weapon against drugs and crime.
As we speak, we are removing gang members, drug dealers and criminals that threaten our communities and prey on our citizens. Bad ones are going out as I speak tonight and as I have promised.
To any in Congress who do not believe we should enforce our laws, I would ask you this question: what would you say to the American family that loses their jobs, their income, or a loved one, because America refused to uphold its laws and defend its borders?
Our obligation is to serve, protect, and defend the citizens of the United States. We are also taking strong measures to protect our Nation from Radical Islamic Terrorism.
According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country. We have seen the attacks at home -– from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and yes, even the World Trade Center.
We have seen the attacks in France, in Belgium, in Germany and all over the world.
It is not compassionate, but reckless, to allow uncontrolled entry from places where proper vetting cannot occur. Those given the high honor of admission to the United States should support this country and love its people and its values.
We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America — we cannot allow our Nation to become a sanctuary for extremists.
That is why my Administration has been working on improved vetting procedures, and we will shortly take new steps to keep our Nation safe — and to keep out those who would do us harm.
As promised, I directed the Department of Defense to develop a plan to demolish and destroy ISIS — a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women, and children of all faiths and beliefs. We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet.
I have also imposed new sanctions on entities and individuals who support Iran’s ballistic missile program, and reaffirmed our unbreakable alliance with the State of Israel.
Finally, I have kept my promise to appoint a Justice to the United States Supreme Court — from my list of 20 judges — who will defend our Constitution. I am honored to have Maureen Scalia with us in the gallery tonight. Her late, great husband, Antonin Scalia, will forever be a symbol of American justice. To fill his seat, we have chosen Judge Neil Gorsuch, a man of incredible skill, and deep devotion to the law. He was confirmed unanimously to the Court of Appeals, and I am asking the Senate to swiftly approve his nomination.
Tonight, as I outline the next steps we must take as a country, we must honestly acknowledge the circumstances we inherited.
Ninety-four million Americans are out of the labor force.
Over 43 million people are now living in poverty, and over 43 million Americans are on food stamps.
More than 1 in 5 people in their prime working years are not working.
We have the worst financial recovery in 65 years.
In the last 8 years, the past Administration has put on more new debt than nearly all other Presidents combined.
We’ve lost more than one-fourth of our manufacturing jobs since NAFTA was approved, and we’ve lost 60,000 factories since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.
Our trade deficit in goods with the world last year was nearly $800 billion dollars.
And overseas, we have inherited a series of tragic foreign policy disasters.
Solving these, and so many other pressing problems, will require us to work past the differences of party. It will require us to tap into the American spirit that has overcome every challenge throughout our long and storied history.
But to accomplish our goals at home and abroad, we must restart the engine of the American economy — making it easier for companies to do business in the United States, and much harder for companies to leave.
Right now, American companies are taxed at one of the highest rates anywhere in the world.
My economic team is developing historic tax reform that will reduce the tax rate on our companies so they can compete and thrive anywhere and with anyone. At the same time, we will provide massive tax relief for the middle class.
We must create a level playing field for American companies and workers.
Currently, when we ship products out of America, many other countries make us pay very high tariffs and taxes — but when foreign companies ship their products into America, we charge them almost nothing.
I just met with officials and workers from a great American company, Harley-Davidson. In fact, they proudly displayed five of their magnificent motorcycles, made in the USA, on the front lawn of the White House.
At our meeting, I asked them, how are you doing, how is business? They said that it’s good. I asked them further how they are doing with other countries, mainly international sales. They told me — without even complaining because they have been mistreated for so long that they have become used to it — that it is very hard to do business with other countries because they tax our goods at such a high rate. They said that in one case another country taxed their motorcycles at 100 percent.
They weren’t even asking for change. But I am.
I believe strongly in free trade but it also has to be FAIR TRADE.
The first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, warned that the “abandonment of the protective policy by the American Government [will] produce want and ruin among our people.”
Lincoln was right — and it is time we heeded his words. I am not going to let America and its great companies and workers, be taken advantage of anymore.
I am going to bring back millions of jobs. Protecting our workers also means reforming our system of legal immigration. The current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers, and puts great pressure on taxpayers.
Nations around the world, like Canada, Australia and many others –- have a merit-based immigration system. It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially. Yet, in America, we do not enforce this rule, straining the very public resources that our poorest citizens rely upon. According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs America’s taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.
Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits: it will save countless dollars, raise workers’ wages, and help struggling families –- including immigrant families –- enter the middle class.
I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation’s security, and to restore respect for our laws.
If we are guided by the well-being of American citizens then I believe Republicans and Democrats can work together to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades.
Another Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, initiated the last truly great national infrastructure program –- the building of the interstate highway system. The time has come for a new program of national rebuilding.
America has spent approximately six trillion dollars in the Middle East, all this while our infrastructure at home is crumbling. With this six trillion dollars we could have rebuilt our country –- twice. And maybe even three times if we had people who had the ability to negotiate.
To launch our national rebuilding, I will be asking the Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in the infrastructure of the United States — financed through both public and private capital –- creating millions of new jobs.
This effort will be guided by two core principles: Buy American, and Hire American.
Tonight, I am also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs, and at the same time, provide better Healthcare.
Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America. The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we will do.
Obamacare premiums nationwide have increased by double and triple digits. As an example, Arizona went up 116 percent last year alone. Governor Matt Bevin of Kentucky just said Obamacare is failing in his State — it is unsustainable and collapsing.
One third of counties have only one insurer on the exchanges –- leaving many Americans with no choice at all.
Remember when you were told that you could keep your doctor, and keep your plan?
We now know that all of those promises have been broken.
Obamacare is collapsing –- and we must act decisively to protect all Americans. Action is not a choice –- it is a necessity.
So I am calling on all Democrats and Republicans in the Congress to work with us to save Americans from this imploding Obamacare disaster.
Here are the principles that should guide the Congress as we move to create a better healthcare system for all Americans:
First, we should ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage, and that we have a stable transition for Americans currently enrolled in the healthcare exchanges.
Secondly, we should help Americans purchase their own coverage, through the use of tax credits and expanded Health Savings Accounts –- but it must be the plan they want, not the plan forced on them by the Government.
Thirdly, we should give our great State Governors the resources and flexibility they need with Medicaid to make sure no one is left out.
Fourthly, we should implement legal reforms that protect patients and doctors from unnecessary costs that drive up the price of insurance – and work to bring down the artificially high price of drugs and bring them down immediately.
Finally, the time has come to give Americans the freedom to purchase health insurance across State lines –- creating a truly competitive national marketplace that will bring cost way down and provide far better care.
Everything that is broken in our country can be fixed. Every problem can be solved. And every hurting family can find healing, and hope.
Our citizens deserve this, and so much more –- so why not join forces to finally get it done? On this and so many other things, Democrats and Republicans should get together and unite for the good of our country, and for the good of the American people.
My administration wants to work with members in both parties to make childcare accessible and affordable, to help ensure new parents have paid family leave, to invest in women’s health, and to promote clean air and clear water, and to rebuild our military and our infrastructure.
True love for our people requires us to find common ground, to advance the common good, and to cooperate on behalf of every American child who deserves a brighter future.
An incredible young woman is with us this evening who should serve as an inspiration to us all.
Today is Rare Disease day, and joining us in the gallery is a Rare Disease Survivor, Megan Crowley. Megan was diagnosed with Pompe Disease, a rare and serious illness, when she was 15 months old. She was not expected to live past 5.
On receiving this news, Megan’s dad, John, fought with everything he had to save the life of his precious child. He founded a company to look for a cure, and helped develop the drug that saved Megan’s life. Today she is 20 years old — and a sophomore at Notre Dame.
Megan’s story is about the unbounded power of a father’s love for a daughter.
But our slow and burdensome approval process at the Food and Drug Administration keeps too many advances, like the one that saved Megan’s life, from reaching those in need.
If we slash the restraints, not just at the FDA but across our Government, then we will be blessed with far more miracles like Megan.
In fact, our children will grow up in a Nation of miracles.
But to achieve this future, we must enrich the mind –- and the souls –- of every American child.
Education is the civil rights issue of our time.
I am calling upon Members of both parties to pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of African-American and Latino children. These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them.
Joining us tonight in the gallery is a remarkable woman, Denisha Merriweather. As a young girl, Denisha struggled in school and failed third grade twice. But then she was able to enroll in a private center for learning, with the help of a tax credit scholarship program. Today, she is the first in her family to graduate, not just from high school, but from college. Later this year she will get her masters degree in social work.
We want all children to be able to break the cycle of poverty just like Denisha.
But to break the cycle of poverty, we must also break the cycle of violence.
The murder rate in 2015 experienced its largest single-year increase in nearly half a century.
In Chicago, more than 4,000 people were shot last year alone –- and the murder rate so far this year has been even higher.
This is not acceptable in our society.
Every American child should be able to grow up in a safe community, to attend a great school, and to have access to a high-paying job.
But to create this future, we must work with –- not against -– the men and women of law enforcement.
We must build bridges of cooperation and trust –- not drive the wedge of disunity and division.
Police and sheriffs are members of our community. They are friends and neighbors, they are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters – and they leave behind loved ones every day who worry whether or not they’ll come home safe and sound.
We must support the incredible men and women of law enforcement.
And we must support the victims of crime.
I have ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create an office to serve American Victims. The office is called VOICE –- Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement. We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media, and silenced by special interests.
Joining us in the audience tonight are four very brave Americans whose government failed them.
Their names are Jamiel Shaw, Susan Oliver, Jenna Oliver, and Jessica Davis.
Jamiel’s 17-year-old son was viciously murdered by an illegal immigrant gang member, who had just been released from prison. Jamiel Shaw Jr. was an incredible young man, with unlimited potential who was getting ready to go to college where he would have excelled as a great quarterback. But he never got the chance. His father, who is in the audience tonight, has become a good friend of mine.
Also with us are Susan Oliver and Jessica Davis. Their husbands –- Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver and Detective Michael Davis –- were slain in the line of duty in California. They were pillars of their community. These brave men were viciously gunned down by an illegal immigrant with a criminal record and two prior deportations.
Sitting with Susan is her daughter, Jenna. Jenna: I want you to know that your father was a hero, and that tonight you have the love of an entire country supporting you and praying for you.
To Jamiel, Jenna, Susan and Jessica: I want you to know –- we will never stop fighting for justice. Your loved ones will never be forgotten, we will always honor their memory.
Finally, to keep America Safe we must provide the men and women of the United States military with the tools they need to prevent war and –- if they must –- to fight and to win.
I am sending the Congress a budget that rebuilds the military, eliminates the Defense sequester, and calls for one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history.
My budget will also increase funding for our veterans.
Our veterans have delivered for this Nation –- and now we must deliver for them.
The challenges we face as a Nation are great. But our people are even greater.
And none are greater or braver than those who fight for America in uniform.
We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of a U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William “Ryan” Owens. Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero –- battling against terrorism and securing our Nation.
I just spoke to General Mattis, who reconfirmed that, and I quote, “Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemies.” Ryan’s legacy is etched into eternity. For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom –- we will never forget him.
To those allies who wonder what kind of friend America will be, look no further than the heroes who wear our uniform.
Our foreign policy calls for a direct, robust and meaningful engagement with the world. It is American leadership based on vital security interests that we share with our allies across the globe.
We strongly support NATO, an alliance forged through the bonds of two World Wars that dethroned fascism, and a Cold War that defeated communism.
But our partners must meet their financial obligations.
And now, based on our very strong and frank discussions, they are beginning to do just that.
We expect our partners, whether in NATO, in the Middle East, or the Pacific –- to take a direct and meaningful role in both strategic and military operations, and pay their fair share of the cost.
We will respect historic institutions, but we will also respect the sovereign rights of nations.
Free nations are the best vehicle for expressing the will of the people –- and America respects the right of all nations to chart their own path. My job is not to represent the world. My job is to represent the United States of America. But we know that America is better off, when there is less conflict — not more.
We must learn from the mistakes of the past –- we have seen the war and destruction that have raged across our world.
The only long-term solution for these humanitarian disasters is to create the conditions where displaced persons can safely return home and begin the long process of rebuilding.
America is willing to find new friends, and to forge new partnerships, where shared interests align. We want harmony and stability, not war and conflict.
We want peace, wherever peace can be found. America is friends today with former enemies. Some of our closest allies, decades ago, fought on the opposite side of these World Wars. This history should give us all faith in the possibilities for a better world.
Hopefully, the 250th year for America will see a world that is more peaceful, more just and more free.
On our 100th anniversary, in 1876, citizens from across our Nation came to Philadelphia to celebrate America’s centennial. At that celebration, the country’s builders and artists and inventors showed off their creations.
Alexander Graham Bell displayed his telephone for the first time.
Remington unveiled the first typewriter. An early attempt was made at electric light.
Thomas Edison showed an automatic telegraph and an electric pen.
Imagine the wonders our country could know in America’s 250th year.
Think of the marvels we can achieve if we simply set free the dreams of our people.
Cures to illnesses that have always plagued us are not too much to hope.
American footprints on distant worlds are not too big a dream.
Millions lifted from welfare to work is not too much to expect.
And streets where mothers are safe from fear — schools where children learn in peace — and jobs where Americans prosper and grow — are not too much to ask.
When we have all of this, we will have made America greater than ever before. For all Americans.
This is our vision. This is our mission.
But we can only get there together.
We are one people, with one destiny.
We all bleed the same blood.
We all salute the same flag.
And we are all made by the same God.
And when we fulfill this vision; when we celebrate our 250 years of glorious freedom, we will look back on tonight as when this new chapter of American Greatness began.
The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is behind us.
We just need the courage to share the dreams that fill our hearts.
The bravery to express the hopes that stir our souls.
And the confidence to turn those hopes and dreams to action.
From now on, America will be empowered by our aspirations, not burdened by our fears –-
inspired by the future, not bound by the failures of the past –-
and guided by our vision, not blinded by our doubts.
I am asking all citizens to embrace this Renewal of the American Spirit. I am asking all members of Congress to join me in dreaming big, and bold and daring things for our country. And I am asking everyone watching tonight to seize this moment and —
Believe in yourselves.
Believe in your future.
And believe, once more, in America.
Thank you, God bless you, and God Bless these United States.
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/5440603914_97c06d6eaa_b-2-1.jpg6831024Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-28 19:55:212017-02-28 19:55:30Watch Trump’s Address to a Joint Session of Congress
President Donald Trump has signed a resolution blocking an Obama-era rule that would have prevented an estimated 75,000 people with mental disorders from buying guns. The rule was part of former President Barack Obama’s push to strengthen the federal background check system in the wake of the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut shooting.
It required the Social Security Administration to send in the names of beneficiaries with mental impairments who also need a third-party to manage their benefits. But lawmakers, the National Rifle Association and even the American Civil Liberties Union criticized the rule, saying it unfairly stigmatized the disabled and infringed on their constitutional right to bear arms. (Read more from “The Latest on the President: Trump Signs Order Loosening Gun Restrictions” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/Gun_violence-1.jpg29124368Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-28 18:44:072017-02-28 18:44:07The Latest on the President: Trump Signs Order Loosening Gun Restrictions
There’s been an ongoing battle between police and the citizenry over who has the right to film in public. Disputes between police and the public have led to cameras being confiscated by police, and citizens being manhandled, beaten, and arrested. Now, it seems, the courts are weighing in, and not on the side of police.
The court’s opinion comes from a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Phillip Turner vs. Driver, Grinald, and Dyess (2017). The plaintiffs are all officers from Ft. Worth, Texas. According to court documents, “Plaintiff-Appellant Phillip Turner was video recording a Fort Worth police station from a public sidewalk across the street when Defendants-Appellees Officers Grinalds and Dyess approached him and asked him for identification. Turner refused to identify himself, and the officers ultimately handcuffed him and placed him in the back of a patrol car.”
Prior to this case, there was no clear precedent that specifically established filming the police as a First Amendment right. In fact, as we’ve reported before, U.S. District Judge Mark Kearney of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued a ruling last year stating that citizens do not have a First Amendment right to record the police in public.
According to the recent precedent:
At the time in question, neither the Supreme Court nor this court had determined whether First Amendment protection extends to the recording or filming of police. Although Turner insists, as some district courts in this circuit have concluded, that First Amendment protection extends to the video recording of police activity in light of general First Amendment principles, the Supreme Court has “repeatedly” instructed courts “not to define clearly established law at a high level of generality”: “The general proposition, for example, that an unreasonable search or seizure violates the Fourth Amendment is of little help in determining whether the violative nature of particular conduct is clearly established.” Thus, Turner’s reliance on decisions that “clarified that [First Amendment] protections . . . extend[] to gathering information” does not demonstrate whether the specific act at issue here—video recording the police or a police station—was clearly established.
The court went on to note that police nor Turner had a precedent to reference in which filming cops was specifically protected as a First Amendment right.
In light of the absence of controlling authority and the dearth of even persuasive authority, there was no clearly established First Amendment right to record the police at the time of Turner’s activities.
Now there is.
In the recent ruling, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals weighed in on the citizens’ rights to film police movement, activities and buildings. The court determined,
“We conclude that First Amendment principles, controlling authority, and persuasive precedent demonstrate that a First Amendment right to record the police does exist, subject only to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions.” The court set the first ever precendent giving citizens the right to film police, within reason, of course. In other words, the court believes the public has a right to film police so long as it is within reason, in public, and not in private. Going further, the court seemed to empathize with the public’s demand for a transparent government. They wrote, “speech is an essential mechanism of democracy, for it is the means to hold officials accountable to the people. The right of citizens to inquire, to hear, to speak, and to use information to reach consensus is a precondition to enlightened self-government and a necessary means to protect it.”
Turner asserted his First Amendment rights were violated when he was disallowed from filming the police station he was recording. For refusing to provide identification when asked, Turner was detained, handcuffed, and placed into the back of a squad car —an action he contends was a violation of his fourth amendment rights to unreasonable search and seizure and arrest.
When the supervisor arrived, Turner told him he was aware of his rights to withhold his identity. The supervisor agreed, he was given back his camera and allowed to leave. Unfortunately, the court’s ruling was not put in place prior to his case, or else he would have been allowed to continue filming and free to come and go as he pleased. Even though he never was sent to jail, his detainment was a form of arrest, a contention he raises going further with his case.
While the Texas precedent is not a national precedent, those who are attempting to film the police can, nonetheless, cite the precedent in the hopes police officers will continue to allow them to film without being impeded. Until such time as the Supreme Court weighs in on the matter, the right to film police will still continue to be a matter of contention between the police and the public, and dealt with on a state by state basis.
For his part, Turner appears to welcome the challenge to take his case all the way to the Supreme Court. We reached out to Turner for comment but have not yet heard back from him as of the writing of this article. But he did post a comment to his Facebook page. “5th circuit established, is the Supreme Court next??,” he stated, apparently feeling the weight of his victory in court.
If you or someone you know is planning to attempt to film cops, here are some things you need to know. According to the ACLU’s guide to photographing in public:
Taking photographs and video of things that are plainly visible in public spaces is a constitutional right—and that includes transportation facilities, the outside of federal buildings, and police and other government officials carrying out their duties.
Unfortunately, law enforcement officers have been known to ask people to stop taking photographs of public places. Those who fail to comply have sometimes been harassed, detained, and arrested. Other people have ended up in FBI databases for taking innocuous photographs of public places.
The right of citizens to record the police is a critical check and balance. It creates an independent record of what took place in a particular incident, one that is free from accusations of bias, lying, or faulty memory. It is no accident that some of the most high-profile cases of police misconduct have involved video and audio records.
As for video, the ACLU recommends;
No matter who you are you have the First Amendment right to:
Peacefully assemble and protest in public spaces and photograph and videotape the police or anything else in a public space.
Here’s the deal:
Public spaces include streets, sidewalks, and public parks.
Private property owners can set rules for public entry (like a theater saying “no cell phones”).
The right to take photos does not give you the right to:
Go places you’re not otherwise allowed, record audio of other people’s private, conversations, trespass, or interfere with police engaged in legitimate law enforcement operations.
Police officers may not: confiscate or demand to view your digital photos or videos without a warrant, or delete your photos or videos under any circumstances.
If you’re stopped or detained for taking photos:
Be polite.
Don’t resist.
Ask, “Am I free to go?”
If the officer says “no,” you are being detained.
If you are detained, ask what crime you’re suspected of committing.
Until you ask to leave, being stopped is considered voluntary.
It’s perfectly reasonable and acceptable to remind the police officer that “taking photographs is your First Amendment right” and “does not constitute reasonable suspicion of criminal activity” according to the American Civil Liberties Union. (For more from the author of “For the First Time, Federal Court Explicitly Establishes Filming Police as a Right” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/mobile-722946_960_720-1.jpg639960Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-28 18:36:502017-02-28 20:43:07For the First Time, Federal Court Explicitly Establishes Filming Police as a Right
Conservatives in the House and Senate are leveraging their numbers in an attempt to influence the direction of legislation repealing Obamacare and ramp up the pressure on Republican leadership to bring a 2015 repeal bill back before members for another vote.
Their efforts began Monday night when Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, and Rand Paul of Kentucky said in a series of coordinated tweets, and later a joint statement, that they would support only a “full repeal” of Obamacare.
2 yrs ago, the GOP Congress voted to repeal Obamacare. That 2015 repeal language should be the floor, the bare minimum. #FullRepeal
They were joined by three key House conservatives—Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker of North Carolina, Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows of North Carolina, and former Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio—in opposing a draft of the repeal they called “Obamacare-lite.”
“We have the votes to now tell the leadership this is what we want to do,” Paul said during a conference call with reporters Thursday. “We do have the votes. We’re a force to be reckoned with, and we want to be part of the negotiation over trying to make sure that we have complete repeal.”
The conservatives are rebelling against the draft bill leaked last week and instead want GOP leaders to revive the successful repeal bill from 2015 and bring it before members for a new vote.
That legislation passed both chambers of Congress, but President Barack Obama vetoed it in January 2016.
The 2015 bill repealed key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, including the individual and employer mandates, Medicaid expansion, tax credits, and taxes. It also stripped Planned Parenthood of federal funding.
But GOP leaders haven’t committed to that wording and instead say they want to include parts of a replacement plan in the bill dismantling the health care law.
Republicans will use a budget tool called reconciliation to repeal Obamacare; reconciliation fast-tracks legislation through the Senate and allows it to pass with 51 votes.
With control of 52 seats in the Senate, Republican leaders view reconciliation as the best way to repeal the health care law, especially since the legislation would earn President Donald Trump’s signature once it lands on his desk.
The GOP has a slim margin in the 100-member Senate, so Paul and his fellow conservatives are hoping to use their numbers to extract concessions from Republican leaders.
Since Vice President Mike Pence can break a tie, Republicans can lose no more than two votes.
“There have been rumors and rumblings of those in leadership putting forward something that is not a complete repeal, that some of us would refer to as Obamacare-lite,” Paul said. “We are for complete repeal.”
The same situation is unfolding in the House, where the bill fails if Republicans lose more than 20 votes.
The House Freedom Caucus stands roughly 40 members strong. If the entire group of conservative members opposed legislation repealing less of Obamacare than the 2015 reconciliation bill did, it wouldn’t pass the lower chamber, where Republicans have 238 seats.
When asked by The Daily Signal whether conservatives were worried their demand for the 2015 bill possibly would derail repeal efforts entirely, Jordan said the lawmakers weren’t concerned.
“We actually think you should do what you said you would do [in the 2016 campaign],” Jordan said.
“They didn’t tell us to repeal it, but keep the Medicaid expansion,” he said, referring to voters. “They didn’t tell us to repeal it, but keep this new tax increase. They didn’t tell us to repeal it and start a whole new entitlement program. They told us to repeal it and replace it.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan said last month that Republicans would vote on a repeal bill this month, but details of a proposal haven’t yet been released.
A draft bill to replace Obamacare was, however, leaked to the press last week.
It was that legislation that sparked the critical response from the six conservative lawmakers, who said the proposal amounted to “Obamacare-lite.”
The draft document would repeal Obamacare’s major provisions, with some aspects effective in 2020 and others sooner, and implement parts of a replacement centered around age-based tax credits.
The conservatives, though, said the draft document stopped short of full repeal and, through the refundable tax credits, would create a new entitlement program.
“The draft legislation, which was leaked last week, risks continuing major Obamacare entitlement expansions and delays any reforms,” Walker said in a statement.
“Worse still, the bill contains what increasingly appears to be a new health insurance entitlement with a Republican stamp on it,” the Republican Study Committee chairman said.
Now, House Republican leaders are distancing themselves from the draft replacement plan.
Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., told reporters at a press conference Tuesday that he had spoken to Walker, who said he couldn’t recommend the 170 members of the Republican Study Committee support the document.
“That draft is not even representative of where we are,” Scalise said. “[Walker is] working with us, and we’re in direct conversations with the chairman of the RSC as well as others about the best way to build a consensus to pass a bill to gut Obamacare.”
“That draft is no longer valid,” he said.
A spokesman for Scalise, the No. 3 House Republican, later told The Hill that the leaked document was an “older draft.”
For the last month, conservatives irked by the slow speed of repeal efforts have been pushing Republican leadership to pass a new bill with the 2015 language.
But although that language cleared both the House and Senate, some senators are skeptical about repealing Obamacare’s taxes and expansion of Medicaid eligibility.
Further compounding the divide between conservatives and their fellow Republicans is Trump, who has said the White House and new Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price would send their own Obamacare replacement plan to Capitol Hill.
Trump has yet to do that, and it isn’t clear when he will. But the president has advocated a simultaneous repeal and replacement of Obamacare, a strategy that some conservatives, Lee among them, said would be dangerous.
Jordan and Paul, though, said Congress should pass a repeal of Obamacare and Paul’s Obamacare Replacement Act the same day.
Though Trump, the House, and the Senate aren’t yet on the same page regarding the future of the health care law, Jordan appeared poised to deliver a message to the president during an interview Tuesday morning on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends,” a morning show Trump is known to watch.
“We make this job too hard,” Jordan said. “Let’s do what we told the voters.” (For more from the author of “Conservatives Use Clout to Press for Full Repeal of Obamacare” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/obamacare-3.jpg8001200Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-28 18:25:082017-02-28 18:25:08Conservatives Use Clout to Press for Full Repeal of Obamacare
Let’s frame the situation in simple terms. You work for a company that has a very lucrative partnership with a big-time money man. That money man gives you a piece of information and tells you it’s important.
What you do every day is spread information. That’s how you earn your living.
Are you going to take that piece of info from the money man and spread it, or are you going to question it and research it and shoot back hard-edged questions to the money man?
If you’re a loyal employee, and if you want to keep your job, and if you’re smart enough to understand how things work, you’re going to spread the money man’s piece of info and keep your head down.
You’re not going to worry your pretty little head about whether the piece of info is true.
Unless you’re a complete dolt, you certainly aren’t going to spread the info with a disclaimer stating that your source, the money man, has a major business contract with your company.
Getting the picture? The truth is irrelevant.
Here are key statements from Norman Solomon’s AlterNet article about the Washington Post, its owner, Jeff Bezos, and the CIA (12/18/13):
“The Post’s new owner, Jeff Bezos, is the founder and CEO of Amazon — which recently landed a $600 million contract with the CIA. But the Post’s articles about the CIA are not disclosing that the newspaper’s sole owner is the main owner of CIA business partner Amazon.”
“Even for a multi-billionaire like Bezos, a $600 million contract is a big deal. That’s more than twice as much as Bezos paid to buy the Post four months ago.”
“And there’s likely to be plenty more where that CIA largesse came from. Amazon’s offer wasn’t the low bid, but it won the CIA contract anyway by offering advanced high-tech ‘cloud’ infrastructure.”
“Bezos personally and publicly touts Amazon Web Services, and it’s evident that Amazon will be seeking more CIA contracts. Last month, Amazon issued a statement saying, ‘We look forward to a successful relationship with the CIA’.”
“As Amazon’s majority owner and the Post’s only owner, Bezos stands to gain a lot more if his newspaper does less ruffling and more soothing of CIA feathers.”
“Amazon has a bad history of currying favor with the U.S. government’s ‘national security’ establishment. The media watch group FAIR pointed out what happened after WikiLeaks published State Department cables: ‘WikiLeaks was booted from Amazon’s webhosting service AWS. So at the height of public interest in what WikiLeaks was publishing, readers were unable to access the WikiLeaks website’.”
“How’s that for a commitment to the public’s right to know?”
“Days ago, my colleagues at RootsAction.org launched a petition that says: ‘The Washington Post’s coverage of the CIA should include full disclosure that the sole owner of the Post is also the main owner of Amazon — and Amazon is now gaining huge profits directly from the CIA’…”
“While the Post functions as a powerhouse media outlet in the Nation’s Capital, it’s also a national and global entity — read every day by millions of people who never hold its newsprint edition in their hands. Hundreds of daily papers reprint the Post’s news articles and opinion pieces, while online readership spans the world.”
“Propaganda largely depends on patterns of omission and repetition. If, in its coverage of the CIA, the Washington Post were willing to fully disclose the financial ties that bind its owner to the CIA, such candor would shed some light on how top-down power actually works in our society.”
“Bezos personally and publicly touts Amazon Web Services, and it’s evident that Amazon will be seeking more CIA contracts. Last month, Amazon issued a statement saying, ‘We look forward to a successful relationship with the CIA’.”
“As Amazon’s majority owner and the Post’s only owner, Bezos stands to gain a lot more if his newspaper does less ruffling and more soothing of CIA feathers.”
“Amazon has a bad history of currying favor with the U.S. government’s ‘national security’ establishment. The media watch group FAIR pointed out what happened after WikiLeaks published State Department cables: ‘WikiLeaks was booted from Amazon’s webhosting service AWS. So at the height of public interest in what WikiLeaks was publishing, readers were unable to access the WikiLeaks website’.”
“How’s that for a commitment to the public’s right to know?”
“Days ago, my colleagues at RootsAction.org launched a petition that says: ‘The Washington Post’s coverage of the CIA should include full disclosure that the sole owner of the Post is also the main owner of Amazon — and Amazon is now gaining huge profits directly from the CIA’…”
“While the Post functions as a powerhouse media outlet in the Nation’s Capital, it’s also a national and global entity — read every day by millions of people who never hold its newsprint edition in their hands. Hundreds of daily papers reprint the Post’s news articles and opinion pieces, while online readership spans the world.”
“Propaganda largely depends on patterns of omission and repetition. If, in its coverage of the CIA, the Washington Post were willing to fully disclose the financial ties that bind its owner to the CIA, such candor would shed some light on how top-down power actually works in our society.”
You may recall that the Washington Post was a main player in launching stories about fake news sites after the presidential election.
One of the biggest fake news outlets in the world (cough, the Washington Post) took the lead in “exposing fake news.”
Then, on January 8, 2017, the Post ran a piece headlined: “It’s time to retire the tainted term ‘fake news’”. That was an attempt to stop the bleeding, because independent news sites all over the world were pointing out that mainstream news outlets had long been the biggest purveyors of fake news. The Post writer, Margaret Sullivan, stated:
“But though the term [fake news] hasn’t been around long, its meaning already is lost. Faster than you could say ‘Pizzagate,’ the label has been co-opted to mean any number of completely different things…”
Actually, the term has been around for quite a while. I named my site nomorefakenews.com in 2001. And the term, in 2016, wasn’t “co-opted.” It was turned against news outlets, like the Post, who were attacking independent media.
The Post is in bed with the CIA to the tune of $600 million. If that isn’t the foundation of fakery on a grand scale, what is?
Try to find one major news outlet that has exposed and pounded on this Washington Post-CIA marriage. You can’t. You see, the fakers protect their own. It’s a club. If you join, you keep your mouth shut about the inherent unholy alliances within the club. It’s a rule.
Memo to the New York Times, LA Times, CNN, FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC, BBC, Reuters, AP: If you want to prove you’re not fake, go after the Washington Post, hammer and tongs, on their marriage to the CIA. Don’t let up. Demand conflict of interest statements from the Post, for starters.
And here’s a talking point for you. Was Jeff Bezos’ cash purchase of the Washington Post a mere coincidence, placed next to his $600 million contract with the CIA, or did he buy the Post so he could offer the CIA an even tighter relationship with the number-one paper of record?
Get it? Or am I going too fast for you? (For more from the author of “Washington Post: Fake News Partner With the CIA” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/Seal_of_the_Central_Intelligence_Agency.svg_.png20002000Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-28 18:24:172017-02-28 20:31:08Washington Post: Fake News Partner With the CIA
Vice President Mike Pence stressed to a group of college administrators that the Trump administration is committed to greater education choice for elementary and high school students.
The vice president spoke Monday at the White House Historically Black Colleges and Universities 2017 Listening Session at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, near the White House. The bulk of his remarks were about the contributions of the more than 100 HBCUs in 19 states, and the administration’s desire to partner with the schools.
With Education Secretary Betsy DeVos attending, Pence also stressed the importance of improving education in a child’s early years.
“Secretary DeVos is dedicated to expanding opportunities through educational choice all across this country, ensuring that whether it’s a public school, a public charter school, or even a private school, that parents on an increasing basis are able to choose for their young children the school regardless of their income and area code,” Pence said.
Research has shown education choice to be particularly helpful to minority communities.
A Harvard study of New York City found minority students with scholarships “to attend private elementary schools in 1997 were, as of 2013, 10 percent more likely to enroll in college and 35 percent more likely than their peers in public school to obtain a bachelor’s degree.”
A Department of Education study of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program found participants had a 21 percentage point increase in graduation rates.
The Trump administration could be moving away from the policies of the Obama administration, which sought to defund the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, said Lindsey Burke, director of education policy studies at The Heritage Foundation.
Though, Burke added, the federal government is fairly limited in what it can do on the issue, aside from President Donald Trump, DeVos, and others using the bully pulpit to promote choice. The exception for a direct impact is the D.C. program, which is funded through Congress.
“Trump could do a lot as a sign of support and expand school choice in a big way by transitioning D.C. to an all choice system,” Burke told The Daily Signal.
During his first week in office, Trump issued a proclamation marking National School Choice Week, which said:
With a renewed commitment to expanding school choice for our children, we can truly make a great education possible for every child in America.
I commend our nation’s students, parents, teachers, and school leaders for their commitment to quality, effective education, and I call on states and communities to support effective education and school choice for every child in America.
As our country celebrates National School Choice Week, I encourage parents to evaluate the educational opportunities available for their children. I also encourage state lawmakers and federal lawmakers to expand school choice for millions of additional students.
(For more from the author of “Pence Highlights Administration’s Commitment to School Choice in Meeting With Black College Leaders” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/29574601420_d165978fe2_b-1.jpg6831024Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-28 18:22:112017-02-28 18:22:11Pence Highlights Administration’s Commitment to School Choice in Meeting With Black College Leaders
On Monday, President Donald Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, announced that the administration will seek a defense budget of $603 billion for 2018—“one of the largest increases in history.”
Trump said nondefense spending would be cut by an equal $54 billion, “the largest proposed reduction since the early years of the Reagan administration.”
The White House characterized the defense bump as a 10 percent increase. Both the percentage increase and the $54 billion figure refer back to the 2011 Budget Control Act caps for fiscal year 2018, which is $549 billion.
As is typical in Washington, nearly everyone can find something to be unhappy about in this proposal. As in most cases, the reality lies somewhere in the middle.
Reasons to View This Announcement Positively
As The Heritage Foundation reported in our 2017 Index of U.S. Military Strength, in the last five years, as a result of a diminishing budget and equipment overuse, the military has been sorely depleted. The Army is smaller than it has been since World War II, the Navy the smallest since World War I, and the Air Force the smallest since its existence.
And it’s not just smaller—it’s less ready. As the military service vice chiefs of staff testified in January, only three of the Army’s brigade combat teams are ready to fight today, one-quarter of Navy aircraft are flyable, and the Air Force is suffering from crippling pilot and maintenance personnel shortages.
Major weapon systems are also aging and not being replaced. The average age of Air Force aircraft is 27 years old, and the Army does not have the ability to replace its main battle tank, which is already 37 years old.
U.S. spending on national defense has declined to 16 percent of the federal budget from 32 percent in the early 1980s, constantly being squeezed lower by larger and larger entitlement spending. Similarly, the percentage of gross domestic product spent on national defense has declined to 3.2 percent from 6.8 percent in 1986.
In real constant dollars, the Department of Defense’s budget has declined by 24 percent since 2011. By any measure, America is not spending enough to sustain its military in these times of increasing global threats.
So any proposed increase in military spending is both welcome and sorely needed. Trump’s proposal to increase defense spending is helpful and represents a clear commitment. It is also encouraging that the president is willing to take on this fight to repeal the Budget Control Act caps and increase defense spending.
Just the Beginning
But this increase on its own is insufficient to begin the rebuilding. It simply represents an “on-ramp” to rebuilding.
The Obama administration had already planned to spend $584 billion in 2018 on defense, and the military services have already prepared detailed plans to spend that amount.
A 2018 budget of $603 billion represents an increase of 3 percent, not 10 percent, over the previous administration’s plans. An $18 billion increase will not be enough to regrow the military, rebuild near term readiness, and commence needed modernization programs.
And this recent announcement did not mention the 2018 “overseas contingency operations” account request, which must remain relatively the same as 2017’s in order to make real progress.
Heritage recommends a 2018 defense budget of $632 billion, with the additional implementation of $14 billion in savings we have proposed through various initiatives as well as a similar level of funding for overseas contingency operations.
Fully rebuilding the military will probably require more than can be reallocated from just discretionary spending, and in future years, more sources will be required.
Both Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, have correctly pointed out that this 2018 budget will not be sufficient to rebuild the military. Hopefully, working together, Congress and the administration can provide the necessary funds in 2018 and beyond to begin rebuilding the military.
In sum, the announcement of an increased defense budget for 2018 is good news for our military and nation. The deterioration of our armed forces did not happen overnight—it occurred over years, and to now rebuild it will similarly take years.
The president’s proposal is a welcome and necessary first step in that process, but more will be needed. (For more from the author of “Trump’s Defense Proposal Would Boost a Languishing Military” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/Flickr_-_The_U.S._Army_-_www.Army_.mil_262.jpg16322464Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-28 18:17:322017-02-28 18:17:32Trump’s Defense Proposal Would Boost a Languishing Military
