Year: 2012

White House says “nope!” to Boehner’s plan B

Hope Ya’ll enjoy the ride over the cliff!

The White House rejected a House GOP proposal Tuesday to extend the Bush tax cuts for those making up to $1 million, saying it doesn’t go far enough and wouldn’t pass the Senate anyway.

The swift White House response came shortly after House Speaker John Boehner, along with other House GOP leaders, proposed the tax-cut extension as a fallback position, or “Plan B,” in case the “fiscal cliff” talks failed.

Boehner said he still hopes to reach a “balanced” agreement with the administration on the fiscal cliff. But he said he expects the “Plan B” proposal to come to the House floor later this week.

“I believe it’s important to protect as many American tax payers as we can,” Boehner told reporters.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said it wouldn’t pass the Democratic-run Senate. And the White House, which on Monday offered to extend the tax cuts for people making up to $400,000 from its earlier $200,000 for individuals, said Boehner’s plan doesn’t put enough tax burden on the wealthiest Americans.

via White House Rejects Boehner’s Backup Plan.

Ah yes, problem solving, Washington DC style. 🙄

As they say, roll scene:

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Good article on Gun Regulations

This is worth a look.

On December 15, Think Progress published a post titled The Five Gun Safety Regulations Even NRA Members Support. In this blog post, Igor Volsky cites a poll conducted by Frank Luntz for Mayors Against Illegal Guns that found a large majority of gun owners and NRA members support some gun regulations. Volsky describes these gun control policies as “sensible” and as “common sense measures.”

But as usual, statist policies with support from both liberals and conservatives serve to perpetuate privilege and injustice. At least two of these gun regulations would disproportionately disarm marginalized and oppressed groups, fulfilling the bigoted function gun control has often been designed to serve.

In 1967, conservatives led the charge in favor of gun control. California governor Ronald Reagan supported the Mulford Act, a gun control law designed to prevent the Black Panthers from carrying guns to defend themselves against racists, including racist police. While modern gun control laws are not so overtly racist in intent, some of the least controversial gun control laws disproportionately disarm people of color and other members of marginalized populations.

Take, for example, the first gun regulation discussed by Volsky. It turns out that a large majority of gun owners and NRA members polled favor “Requiring criminal background checks on gun owners and gun shop employees.” But who would be most impacted by these criminal background checks?  People of color are disproportionately targeted by this country’s criminal justice system.

via The Trouble With “Sensible” Gun Regulations.

This is whole problem with gun regulations; when you uncork the genie out of that bottle, there is no putting it back. Statism, much like progressive politics, never recedes. It always goes forward and when you start taking liberty away, you never get it back completely. Unless you fight very hard for it.

Hence, my problem with gun regulations. Whenever Government enacts a law or a regulation, it assumes the people are not smart enough to make their own decisions. This is my issue with big government and regulation. I just do not believe that the Government has any business tell me or anyone else that they are not smart enough to make decisions on the buying and selling of guns. It is not their business.

 

A fair look at the assault rifle ban

It might not look it from the headline, but this is a fair assessment of the facts on an assault rifle ban.

The video:

The Story:

When the 113th Congress is sworn in in January, expect the debate over gun control to have renewed urgency. Several prominent lawmakers have already come forth to call for a re-examination and re-working of our nation’s gun laws in the wake of Friday’s mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

While new legislation likely won’t be introduced until after Jan. 3, statements from top Senators such as Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) suggest that new proposals could be similar to the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that was in in place from 1994 to 2004.

“I can tell you that he is going to have a bill to lead on because as a first-day bill I’m going to introduce in the Senate and the same bill will be introduced in the House — a bill to ban assault weapons,” Feinstein said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

via After Newtown, Connecticut Shootings: The Assault Weapons Ban: What Was It and Did It Work? – ABC News.

Go check out the article, I believe it to be extremely fair towards to the gun owners.

Iraq’s President Talabani has had a stroke

I don’t know what role this might play in this stability of that Country, but it is news:

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has had a stroke and his medical team in Baghdad is still trying to stabilize his condition, a spokesman for the prime minister said Tuesday.

Talabani, a rare unifying figure who is seen to rise above the country’s ethnic and sectarian fault lines, has been actively involved in trying to mediate an ongoing crisis between Iraq’s central government and the country’s Kurdish minority.

The spokesman, Ali al-Moussawi, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is at the hospital where the president is being treated.

Doctors have not decided whether Talabani will continue to be treated in Baghdad or will be flown to another country for treatment, he said. He was unable to provide further details.

Talabani’s office earlier said the Iraqi president had been rushed to the hospital after showing signs of fatigue on Monday evening, and that he was being treated for an unspecified health problem.

Talabani’s spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

via Iraq official says President Talabani had a stroke – Washington Times.

I will say this much; as someone who was not a huge fan of that war, I really hope that we do not have to end up going back there again. I mean, once was enough, we gave 4000+ of our blood and treasure there, that was enough, if that Country cannot remain stable then let them be victims to their fate.

I just do not believe that America should be the world’s policeman, we cannot afford it, our Military has been run ragged because of it and we need to just allow the Iraqi’s to handle their own issues. Heck, we gave the Iraqi Government enough military equipment to defeat anyone, who dare tries to invade that Country.

Therefore, I believe America’s mission there was truly accomplished, when President Obama announced the end of American’s military presence there. I pray we never need to return again.

Ugh: The Birthers are still at it

They are still at it….:

You might think that President Obama’s comfortable reelection last month would put an end to the Republican birther conspiracy. But if you do, you don’t know Arizona Republicans.

The latest battle for the movement that believes Barack Obama is ineligible to be President was fought Monday at the state’s Electoral College vote, where a trio of Republican electors — including state GOP chair Tom Morrissey — once again raised concerns that Obama’s birth certificate is a fake during the electoral college vote.

They were rebuffed by other Republicans in the room, including Gov. Jan Brewer. National Republicans have also distanced themselves from the birther movement. But in Arizona, the birthers aren’t going quietly, even if they do recognize that they are going.

Morrissey, the leader of the Republican Party in Arizona and a former Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal for the state, tried to present his concerns over Obama’s eligibility as something other than birtherism.

“My issue isn’t whether he was born here,” he told KFYI radio in Phoenix Monday. “I have questions [about Obama’s longform birth cerfiticate]. … You know, I have a law enforcement background. I come at this with a little different perspective. It just doesn’t ring right with me.”

via Arizona Electors Fight The Birther Fight One More Time | TPMDC.

I will admit something to you all. Back in 2007, When Barack Obama was still running for President, when I was running my old blog; I gave these very stupid people a minute of my time and took them seriously. What a huge mistake that was, I quickly realized that these people were nothing more than bitter and ugly racists. I can also tell you where this whole conspiracy originated from or at least I can tell you were I saw it originally.

Back in 2007, when I was running my old blog, I happened across an article at a site called  The Conservative Voice, which merged with Townhall.com. In it was an article by someone, whom now I forget was his name and in it, it contended that Barack Obama was not an US citizen. Around this time, the Hillary camp picked up the story and feed it to the media. From there, it took a life of its own. The funny thing was in that article was a quote that was not sourced. So, I did a little investigation work and ran the quote through Google search and guess where it came from? It came from none other than the White Nationalist Website, Stormfront.org.

I was shocked that someone would make such an accusation like that, with no real proof. Much less, lifting a quote from another article taken from a site like stormfront. Which brings me to my point here. This “Birther” movement is nothing more than racism at its worst. Barack Obama is a citizen of this Country and the white people just need to get the hell over it. The Klan era is over folks, you lost the battle, now get over it and move on.

What really sucks is that we have people, who are millionaires and of politically privileged ethnic background; who claim to be on the side of liberty and freedom, who have pushed this nonsense and for what? So that they can get into newspapers and get attention paid to them. It is sick and sad, and it makes the Conservative movement, which has some very good American ideals behind it, look like an idiotic clown show.

This is why I stopped paying attention to those who involved with this many moons ago.

Megan McArdle is absolutely correct

There is really little we can really do. 

I gave her hell once, because I didn’t get the humor. But, she’s right here. I just hope the Republicans and Democrats are listening.

The only sad thing is, that she is actually having to explain all that to the masses. What does that say about America? 😯