Monday, June 30, 2014

The smell test

Report: Canada Pulls Plug on Keystone Pipeline – Will Send Oil to Asia

The Gateway Pundit  via Lucianne
"The Keystone Pipeline project was expected to create tens of thousands of high paying jobs in the oil industry. The project itself would create 20,000 construction jobs. And the pipeline would bring oil from Canada and North Dakota to refineries in the United States."

 
"The proposed project would have extended from Alberta, Canada to Illinois, transporting approximately 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Estimated cost is $1.7 billion.

"But Obama rejected the plan in 2011 and 2014.

"Democrats are beholden to the radical green movement – the poor and middle class be damned.

"Now this…
Canada pulled the plug on Keystone and will send the oil to Asia.
Watts Up With That reported:" ...
...
...Rather than purchasing crude from a friendly and allied neighbor, the United States will most likely need to continue its reliance upon hostile sources like Venezuela.


"Only a Democrat could make such a dangerous and irresponsible decision for the country."

The left vs. the courts today

Via Drudge, along with conservative commentary on each.

Justices: Can't make employers cover contraception  " The Supreme Court says corporations can hold religious objections that allow them to opt out of the new health law requirement that they cover contraceptives for women."
As expected, the decision was 5-4

Commentary:
Hobby Lobby 1, Obamacare 0   "Note that this ruling only applies to closely-held corporations, but does not rule out applying the same religious freedom reasoning to publicly-held firms and nonprofits."

Business Insider; Supreme Court Says Small, Private Companies Don't Have To Provide Contraception
"This is the most significant Obamacare-related case argued before the Supreme Court since the high court upheld the law's individual insurance mandate two years ago, in the heat of the 2012 presidential election. In that decision, Roberts cast the deciding vote to preserve the heart of the law and the way for which it is paid."


AP Photo
 
Public union can't make nonmembers pay fees  "The Supreme Court dealt a blow to public sector unions Monday, ruling that thousands of home health care workers in Illinois cannot be required to pay fees that help cover the union's costs of collective bargaining."

Commentary:
 SCOTUS: Private contractors don't have to pay union dues even if union bargains for them   "The ruling affects a very narrow group of employees who recieve compensation from Medicaid disbursements. But it leaves the door open for a broader ruling involving other private workers later."

USA Today: Supreme Court issues narrow ruling against labor unions   "The workers, who were represented in court by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, contended that public employee unions are engaged in lobbying the government, often on issues the workers oppose. That implicates their First Amendment rights because the union speaks for them."

"America": Dinesh D’Souza takes on Obama, Hillary, Saul Alinsky, and Howard Zinn in a single bold film.

NRO  
 
... "Dinesh D’Souza, the controversial social commentator who shook up Hollywood with the $33 million earned by the theatrical release of his Obama 2016, is back with a more polished and more powerful message.

"At one level, his message in "America: Imagine a World Without Her" is deeply pessimistic: “The American dream is shrinking because some of our leaders want it to shrink. Decline, in other words, has become a policy objective. And if this decline continues at the current pace, America as we know it will cease to exist. In effect, we will have committed national suicide.”

"But most people will leave the theater with a more optimistic conclusion: Much of the criticism of America taught in the nation’s schools is easily refuted, America is worth saving, and we have the tools to do so in our DNA, just waiting to be harnessed." ... 
In an interview at a preview of America, D’Souza acknowledged that critics will try to discredit his message by attacking the messenger. A few months ago, he pleaded guilty to campaign-finance violations that could conceivably land him in prison when he is sentenced in September. D’Souza includes in the film a brief section on his legal troubles; in this, he clearly conveys his view that he was selectively prosecuted. But viewers should take the film on its own merits, he says, regardless of what they think of him.
 Full article...   
 

Satire: Letterman's Top Ten Reasons to Vote Democrat

This came strictly as satire and Letterman did not do this routine, I'm sure. But I believe you will find these values espoused in media, on campuses and by the majority of the California legislature. They may have not uttered these exact words, but you see them made manifest in the laws, codes, and entertainment they produce. TD
                              
#10. I vote Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I've decided to marry my German Shepherd.

#9.  I vote Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene, but the government taxing the same gallon at 15% isn't.

#8.  I vote Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.


#7.  I vote Democrat because Freedom of Speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.


#6.  I vote Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves. I am also thankful that we have a 911 service that gets police to your home in order to identify your body after a home invasion.

#5.  I vote Democrat because I'm not concerned about millions of babies being aborted so long as we keep all death row inmates alive and comfy.

#4.  I vote Democrat because I think illegal aliens have a right to free health care, education, and Social Security benefits, and we should take away Social Security from those who paid into it.

#3.  I vote Democrat because I believe that businesses should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as the Democrat Party sees fit.

#2.  I vote Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters.

And, the #1 reason I vote Democrat is:
Because I think it's better to pay $billions$ for oil to people who hate us, but not drill our own because it might upset some endangered beetle, gopher, or fish here in America. We don't care about the beetles, gophers, or fish in those other countries. 
                   
More on this at Before It's News
 

 
Cartoons added by the Tunnel Dweller.
 

 

Sunday, June 29, 2014

"We Found 9 Howlers in the President’s Weekly Address. See How Many You Can Find."


 
"Of course, you know that the President usually releases a weekly address each Saturday morning. This week’s was rivetingly-titled “Focusing on the Economic Priorities for the Middle Class Nationwide.” We can only assume that the unpublished subtitle, per our inside source, is “Republicans are Nasty Nasty Nasty S---- of B------ and are Wrecking Everything.”

"We identified 9 asinine statements in this brief talk, so grab a pad of paper and see if you can find more of your own." ...  Read more...
Michael Hausam             

Shifting Sands

Clarice Feldman   "If you paid close attention this week, you could see the sand shifting under Obama’s feet. From public opinion to the federal courts to the president’s former putative allies, it was not a good week to be Obama, and it’s likely to get worse for him. Walkabouts in D.C., travels to distant fundraisers, preposterous flailing on the international scene, and more shots with his cute kids are not going to change the situation as far as I can tell. Yet he lacks other options.
...
There is much detailed content in MS, Feldman's column and this last paragraph sums it all up nicely:

"However this turns out, the president’s petulance, disrespect for the coequal branches of government, and boundless view of his powers continues to add to the kinds of uncertainty and stasis that is so harmful to our economic and political life. His shortcomings deny him firm footing …they are a kind of quicksand into which he is rapidly sinking beyond rescue."

 

"The number of medical malpractice lawsuits filed in Wisconsin fell to 140 last year, a drop of more than 50% since 1999."

Althouse   "At the same time, a state-run malpractice insurance fund — created because of fears that medical malpractice insurance premiums would skyrocket without it — has grown to more than $1.15 billion, a total larger than all the money it has paid out during its entire 39-year history."

From 2010: Doctors Apologizing for Medical Malpractice Won’t Alone Stop Lawsuits   
 
 
"A recent Bloomberg Business Week article caught my eye.  The headline read “When Doctors Admit Mistakes, Fewer Malpractice Suits Result, Study Says.”  It was an eye-catching title because it seemed to indicate that basic human decency was an effective way to reduce unnecessary patient lawsuits.  Some would say that I have a naïve outlook toward human nature, but I believe that most disputes, especially those that can lead to lawsuits, can be resolved by the harming party simply admitting fault and sincerely apologizing for it.  So opening up the article, I expected to have my beliefs vindicated.  Unfortunately, they were not."   More...
 

Saturday, June 28, 2014

The petulant juvenile dude: 10 times Obama made fun of Republicans in the past year

Washington Examiner
President Obama smiles while making a joke during his speech at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, May 3, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
 
                                             
"President Obama is so over Republican lawmakers.

"He has long lamented what he views as GOP obstructionism, but now he’s not even trying to hide his disdain, belittling them with a newfound fervor.

" 'They don't do anything,” an exasperated Obama said in Minnesota Friday, “except block me and call me names.”

"Well, the president is also in a bit of name-calling mood.

"Here are just a handful of times Obama has mocked conservative leaders in the last year:" 
Full article...


And if that isn't enough, consider these opinions:

Inside the Obama Frat House   ... "There were intimations early in Obama’s Presidency that his leadership team was a boys club. "  Dude.

Our Petulant Child President  From as far back as 2011 they had this guy pegged: ... "The Obama administration has been a veritable Mecca for narcissism and incompetence from the time Obama took the oath of office."

Obama, The Petulant Child
Obama Confessional SC
 
... "I’ve spoken quite a few times to the malignant narcissism of President Obama in the context of his disposition with (or disposal of) those whom he considers dangerous to him, or for whom he simply harbors disdain." ... 

Land of the Free?

American Thinker
...With extorted money available, the land of the free became increasingly buried under progressive mega-government, like FDR’s second Bill of Rights and Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. The left argued that that complex nature of modern society requires more government control. So did Benito Mussolini in 1929:
...

..."Tyranny begins with the consent of the victims who fail to oppose it or even encourage it. Bravery in the men and women of the armed forces, police officers, emergency responders, and the like is not enough if many Americans vote away their liberties. Those unwilling stand up for the land of the free, or vote to destroy it, forfeit the right to live in it, and won’t in the end." 

SUE OBAMA? IT'S ABOUT DURNED TIME

Neal Boortz  "Much gnashing of teeth in the commentariat yesterday.  It seems that John Boehner has finally grown a pair and has announced his intention to sue Barack Obama over his misuse of the powers granted to our president under the terms of our Constitution.

"What’s the big problem here?  Do the proggies really think our Dear Ruler should be beyond the law?  And if he isn’t beyond the law, what do you do to bring him into compliance?  Say pretty please?  Or maybe you’re one of those who don’t think the law actually applies to the president.  After all – Obama was elected by the majority of the people, right?  And the majority rules, right?  So the president can rule on behalf of the majority, right?
       
" Wrong, wrong and wrong.

"'You may not know that, but you’re in good company.  [N]Either did Obama when he was about to enter office.  That’s why he had his head dog-washer, Valerie Jarrett, tell the world that Obama would be “ready to RULE from day one.' ”

2008: Obama Spokesman Says ‘Obama Ready to RULE on Day 1′

Friday, June 27, 2014

Is Hillary Ashamed of Her Vast Wealth?

Hillary Book Tour

Seth Mandel   "In Hillary Clinton’s recent interview with the Guardian, she gave an interesting answer when pressed on whether her exceedingly rich lifestyle is in conflict at all with her party’s class warfare. “But they don’t see me as part of the problem,” she said, “because we pay ordinary income tax.”
 
"Such is the mind of the leftist: good works are done through the government. She didn’t say she’s a good example of the deserving rich because she gives charity. She said she pays her taxes. She surrenders enough of her money to the government, and therefore she gets to keep the rest, no complaints. It’s a bit of a non sequitur: if the concern is income inequality, paying your taxes doesn’t exactly get at the root of the issue, does it?
...
"Sure, it’s not as though–like, say, Mitt Romney–the Clintons were creating jobs or helping businesses adapt to new climates, or turning around failed ventures. And it’s also true that the Clintons are generally paid tons of money just because they’re the Clintons. But trading on celebrity isn’t illegal."
Emphasis added, TD