In a not totally unexpected move, Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) are exploring ways to reintroduce and pass legislation similar to their bill that was rejected by the Senate by 54 to 46 (60 votes were needed for passage) back in 2013. That rejected bill— which was described as a “compromise” measure — would have expanded background checks to include sales made at guns shows and online in addition to the already-required checks for buyers purchasing firearms made from licensed commercial gun dealers.
The senators’ attempt to revive their 2013 bill is not unexpected in the wake of the recent tragic shooting in Charleston because their original legislation was created as a response to the December 2012 shooting spree by a lone gunman that killed 20 school children and six adults at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. After such highly publicized mass shootings occur, gun control advocates routinely capitalize on the natural horror resulting from such tragic events to pin the blame on the weapons, themselves, rather than on the unbalanced individuals who wielded them.
Before the Sandy Hook shootings, the same reaction resulted from the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, and the Fort Hood shooting in 2009. Lost amidst all the grief and emotions is the realization that each of these shootings occurred among a group of unarmed, defenseless people, who might have defended themselves had the personal possession of firearms not been so heavily restricted.
Once again, while emotions over the Charleston shooting still run high, Manchin and Toomey are dusting off their repertoire. However, they are proceeding with caution.
Toomey told the Washington Post he was trying to figure out if there was “something that could get the support of the 60 votes that we would need in the Senate.” Elizabeth Anderson, a spokesperson for Toomey, said that it would be erroneous to describe the senator’s efforts as “revisiting” his 2013 bill, but he “is open to exploring” legislative options. (Read more from “Senators Manchin and Toomey Consider Reviving Failed Gun Control Legislation” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-06-26 03:30:122016-04-11 10:59:38GOP Senator Pat Toomey Trying to Revive Failed Gun Control Legislation
Carl Icahn warned investors on Wednesday that he believes the market is “extremely overheated—especially high-yield bonds.” ( Tweet This)
“I think the public is walking into a trap again as they did in 2007,” the activist investor told CNBC’s “Fast Money Halftime Report.” “I think it’s almost the duty of well-respected investors, like myself I hope, to warn people, to tell people, that really you are making errors.”
Icahn compared the current market situation to the prerecession days, when mortgage-backed securities were being widely sold. “It’s almost deja vu,” he said. Many companies are selling at huge multiples and reporting earnings that are “sort of fudged” due to various accounting methods, he said.
“I do think you are going to have a dramatic pullback, certain things may happen,” he said. To remedy this, Icahn would like to see the government and regulators look at the way earnings and guidance are reported by companies. (Read more from “Investor: Markets ‘Extremely Overheated,’ Especially in Junk Bonds” HERE)
Fast-tracking the TPP, meaning its passage through Congress without having its contents available for debate or amendments, was only possible after lots of corporate money exchanged hands with senators. The US Senate passed Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) – the fast-tracking bill – by a 65-33 margin on 14 May. Last Thursday, the Senate voted 62-38 to bring the debate on TPA to a close.
Those impressive majorities follow months of behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing by the world’s most well-heeled multinational corporations with just a handful of holdouts. (Read more from “Here’s How Much Corporations Paid US Senators to Fast-Track the TPP”
Using data from the Federal Election Commission, this chart shows all donations that corporate members of the US Business Coalition for TPP made to US Senate campaigns between January and March 2015, when fast-tracking the TPP was being debated in the Senate:
•Out of the total $1,148,971 given, an average of $17,676.48 was donated to each of the 65 “yea” votes.
•The average Republican member received $19,673.28 from corporate TPP The average Democrat received $9,689.23 from those same donors.
The amounts given rise dramatically when looking at how much each senator running for re-election received.HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-06-25 02:24:052016-04-11 10:59:39Here’s How Much Corporations Paid US Senators to Pass the Sovereign-Killing Trade Bills
By Al Weaver. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter dismissed the “completely moronic” debate going on about the Confederate flag Tuesday, arguing that the Democratic Party should be banned in order to help African-Americans . . .
“I think it’s completely moronic,” Coulter said. “I mean, this is an awful thing that happened in Charleston. Luckily, it’s quite rare. But to jump on this and go back to a litany of liberal talking points that make Republicans look bad, how about banning the Democratic Party?”
“They were the ones who supported — who were on the Confederate side of the Civil War. They were the ones that supported segregation for a hundred years,” Coulter said. “If we want to do something nice for black people, how about ending immigration which is dumping millions of low-wage workers on the country, taking jobs from African-Americans, as enumerable studies have shown.” (Read more from “Coulter: Forget ‘Moronic’ Confederate Flag Talk, Ban ‘Democratic Party’ to Help Blacks” HERE)
Whoa: This Is How the Slain Pastor Felt About the Confederate Flag…
By Michele Hickford. Matthew 5:9 says “Blessed are the peacemakers” and it would appear Pastor Clementa Pinckney was definitely one of those.
While the mainstream media is decrying the fact that the Charleston shooting victim’s body was carried past a Confederate flag today, the good pastor may not have found it all that offensive.
In 2000, during his first term in the South Carolina State Senate, Pinckney actually voted in favor of H5028, the May 2000 compromise which placed the flag at its current location.
H5028 related to THE PERMANENT PLACEMENT OF THE UNITED STATES FLAG, THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE FLAG, AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA INFANTRY BATTLE FLAG OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA.
You can see here that Pinckney’s name is among the “93 yeas.” (Read more from this story HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-06-25 02:23:582016-04-11 10:59:39Coulter: Forget ‘Moronic’ Confederate Flag Talk, Ban ‘Democratic Party’ to Help Blacks [+video]
As Republican lawmakers brace for the U.S. Supreme Court’s King v. Burwell decision, a conservative plan has emerged that would eliminate the subsidies awarded under the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare.
In anticipation of the King v. Burwell decision, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., introduced the Premium Reduction and Insurance Market Reform Act. The bill would end Obamacare’s subsidies and eliminate the law’s age rating restrictions, benefit mandates and minimum actuarial value requirement—addressing the issue if the Supreme Court rules against the Obama administration. A decision could come as early as Monday.
The Supreme Court is examining the legality of subsidies awarded to consumers purchasing health insurance on the federal exchange. As it was written, the law limits the availability of subsidies to states operating their own exchanges. Just 16 states and the District of Columbia originally established their own exchanges.
However, the administration extended the tax credits to include the remaining 34 states using the federal exchange, HealthCare.gov.
If the court rules against the Obama administration, striking down federal subsidies, Republicans are expected to roll out a response to the decision that would still provide a safety net for the approximately 6.4 million Americans at risk of losing their tax credits.
GOP lawmakers in both chambers gathered Wednesday night to discuss legislative options.
A plan from Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., being discussed in the House allows for the allocation of block grants to states wanting them. Those states would be able to determine how to best spend the block grants to cover consumers. States that do not want the block grants would be able to keep the subsidies offered under Obamacare.
“It block-grants the money to states that opt into our state program, and then they can set up their own exchange; they can give tax credits; they can set up health savings accounts; they can do whatever they want,” Rep. John Fleming, R-La., told The Hill.
In the Senate, Republicans are discussing options that include extending Obamacare’s subsidies through 2017.
“We’re going to be prepared,” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told Politico. “We wouldn’t call them subsidies. But we’d certainly keep people whole so that they wouldn’t suffer because of this interim time.”
Republicans are also looking into aspects of legislation introduced separately by Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Ben Sasse, R-Neb.
Though GOP senators appear to be uniting behind a plan that extends subsidies to those living in states on the federal exchange, conservatives like Gosar are pushing for the elimination of them.
In a statement, Michael Needham, chief executive of Heritage Action for America, praised Gosar’s legislation for getting rid of the subsidies. The group touted the plan as the “conservative” response to King v. Burwell.
“A continuation of illegal subsidies will simply cover up the law’s costs while giving the impression Republicans believe subsidies are necessary for Americans to afford health insurance,” he said. (“House Republican Unveils Conservative Response to King v. Burwell”, originally posted HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-06-25 02:21:562016-04-11 10:59:39House Republican Unveils Conservative Response to King v. Burwell [+video]
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) is nothing if not a team player. Having narrowly lost his first bid for the U.S. Senate, Buck ran again for the Senate in 2014. But Buck graciously stepped aside for Congressman Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and, instead, ran for a congressional seat . . .
That has all come to a head now. The Republican Leadership in Congress has decided to rapidly, and without due process, strip Buck of his status as Freshman class President. The honor was given to Buck not by Leadership, but by his incoming House freshman colleagues.
Buck dared to stand up to the House Leadership on the trade promotion authority legislation. He voted against the rule. Just as Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) was stripped of his subcommittee chairmanship, Buck must be stripped of his title . . .
It does not matter to the House GOP Leadership though. They are rushing a meeting in the next 24 hours. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) 31% and Rep. Mimi Walters (R-CA), who are the go to freshman congresswoman for Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and leadership, has set the meeting for at 8:30 am tomorrow in room HC-8. (Read more from “House Republican Leaders Targeting Congressman Ken Buck for Retribution” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-06-25 02:21:252016-04-11 10:59:40RINO House Republican Leaders Targeting Congressman Ken Buck for Retribution
Top presidential adviser Valerie Jarret is well known for being a far-left liberal, but FBI files obtained by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch show she comes from a family even further left than most Democrats would want to admit.
Jarrett’s father, her father-in-law and her maternal grandfather were all under investigation by the FBI for deep Communist ties during the 1950s, Judicial Watch reports.
According to Judicial Watch:
Jarrett’s dad, pathologist and geneticist Dr. James Bowman, had extensive ties to Communist associations and individuals, his lengthy FBI file shows. In 1950 Bowman was in communication with a paid Soviet agent named Alfred Stern, who fled to Prague after getting charged with espionage. Bowman was also a member of a Communist-sympathizing group called the Association of Internes and Medical Students. After his discharge from the Army Medical Corps in 1955, Bowman moved to Iran to work, the FBI records show …
The Jarrett family Communist ties also include a business partnership between Jarrett’s maternal grandpa, Robert Rochon Taylor, and Stern, the Soviet agent associated with her dad.
(Read more from “FBI Files Reveal Obama Adviser Valerie Jarrett’s Deep Family Ties to Communist Activities” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-06-24 03:48:252016-04-11 10:59:40FBI Files Reveal Obama Adviser Valerie Jarrett’s Deep Family Ties to Communist Activities [+video]
Charged with discriminating against a gay couple, the owners of another Christian family-run business are being forced to shut their doors.
“We can’t pretend it’s going to get better,” Betty Odgaard told The Daily Signal in an exclusive interview. “There wasn’t enough business.”
Betty and her husband, Richard, are the owners of Görtz Haus Gallery in Grimes, Iowa. In 2002, they purchased the 77-year-old stone church and transformed it into a bistro, flower shop, art gallery and wedding venue.
On August 3, 2013, a gay couple from Des Moines asked to rent Görtz Haus for their wedding.
Because of their Mennonite faith, the Odgaards told the couple they could not host their wedding.
Within 24 hours, the couple filed a discrimination complaint through the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.
“We knew that the business was going to be in trouble almost immediately,” Richard, 69, said. “We had to get rid of the wedding business to avoid another complaint and possibly a higher penalty.”
The Odgaards never admitted to any discrimination, but agreed to a $5,000 settlement.
They also returned two non-refundable deposits for couples who, after hearing media reports, didn’t want to use their space for their weddings anymore.
“It was just the right thing to do,” Richard said.
Going On Life Support
After leaving the wedding business, Görtz Haus went on life support.
If they continued to offer wedding-related services, the Odgaards knew they could be subject to another discrimination complaint.
“We didn’t have a choice,” Betty, 63 said. “We would be targets.”
Around town, Görtz Haus became known as the business that refuses to serve gays.
If a group of ladies went to lunch and one disagreed with their opinion not to host same-sex weddings, the entire group boycotted the bistro, the Odgaards explained.
“They didn’t come in because the people who are against us are more vocal than the people who are in our court,” Richard said.
Betty said the situation drove her into a “really dark depression”—so bad, that she had to seek the help of professionals.
“I’m a melancholy artist and no stranger to depression, but this took me down to the darkest I’ve ever been before,” she said.
The case was the first of its kind in Iowa, but it didn’t receive the same sort of media attention as the bakers in Oregon, the photographers in New Mexico or the farmers in New York.
The couple says that’s because pending litigation prevented them from being able to speak out, further isolating them from their community.
“We didn’t get the Chick-fil-A response,” Richard half-heartedly joked.
Iowa’s Involvement
The Odgaards don’t blame the gay community for shutting them down, but rather, the state of Iowa.
“I think if people in Iowa would have had a chance to vote on this, it would have never have been this way. People in Iowa are pretty conservative,” Betty said.
“With the discrimination laws and the legality of same-sex marriage in this state, now you have to prove that you didn’t discriminate,” added Richard.
The Odgaards also feel they never got their day in court, and had the case turned out differently, they might not have been driven out of business.
“This was all administrative judgement,” Richard said. “The [gay couple] had a platform to file their case and we didn’t get our day in court with a jury of our peers.”
Like the other lawsuits involving charges of discrimination, complaints are filed—and judged—in the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.
“We knew what the outcome was going to be, the judge knew what the outcome was going to be, but we had to go through it,” Richard said.
Originally, the gay couple asked for $10,000, but lawyers for the Odgaards at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty were able to negotiate a settlement for half that amount.
“Now the precedent has been set,” Richard said. “The administrative process has demonstrated what it will do if this happens, so it’s a matter of setting somebody up and collecting money. It’s that simple. It’s all they have to do.”
Moving On
Yesterday, the Odgaards spent the day calling vendors and sharing the news that by the end of August, they’ll be closed completely.
“We have to look on the positive side, but just telling our family what we are doing, telling vendors the decision that we’ve made, it’s been very tough,” Betty said.
The couple has decided to take their story and use it to advocate for Christian teachings by creating God’s Original Design Ministry.
With the ministry, they hope to promote the importance of religious liberty, “regardless of what your religion is,” Richard said.
They received their nonprofit status earlier than expected, which they took as a sign from God.
As for the future of Görtz Haus, the Odgaards hope that it will return to its original function: a church.
“That would be the most wonderful option,” Betty said. (“Fearing Another Lawsuit, Christian Business Owners Stopped Hosting All Weddings. Now Their Business Is Dead”, originally posted HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-06-24 03:44:512016-04-11 10:59:40Fearing Another Lawsuit, Christian Business Owners Stopped Hosting All Weddings, Now Their Business Is Dead
Fox News has learned that the number of victims of a pair of massive cyberattacks on U.S. government personnel files has soared to at least 18 million — but the head of the hacked Office of Personnel Management refuses to blame anyone in her agency.
“I don’t believe anyone is personally responsible,” OPM Director Katherine Archuleta said Tuesday.
The statement came during tense Capitol Hill testimony on a breach that seems to be growing wider by the day. Archuleta, who faced tough questioning at a House hearing last week, likewise faced angry senators on Tuesday before a Senate appropriations subcommittee.
Grilled on whether anyone takes responsibility, Archuleta said only the perpetrators should be blamed — she said current failures result from decades of meager investment in security systems, but said changes are being made and in fact helped detect the latest breaches.
Still, the assurances are unlikely to ease concerns on Capitol Hill and among those who may have been affected. The web has expanded to include not just current and former government workers, but also those who may have applied for a government job. (Read more from “Who’s at Fault? 18 Million Government Workers Exposed and No One to Blame” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-06-24 03:43:472016-04-11 10:59:41Who’s at Fault? 18 Million Government Workers Exposed and No One to Blame
