Friday, April 8, 2016

Federal Court Bans Cross from Los Angeles Seal

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Wikipedia

by JOEL B. POLLAK8 Apr 2016686

A federal court ruled Thursday that the Los Angeles County supervisors violated the Constitution in 2014 when they voted to restore a small cross to the county seal. The cross appeared on a depiction of a historic mission building.

The plaintiffs, who included a coalition of liberal religious leaders, sued the county on the grounds that the cross violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The court, agreed, and added that the seal violated the No Aid Clause of the California constitution, which prevents the government from conferring a “sectarian” benefit.

Judge Christina A. Snyder, a Bill Clinton appointee, presided.

 

The 2014 seal replaced one approved in 2004, which had dropped a cross from the seal after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) objected. After a contentious debate, the cross was added, as a supposedly historic symbol.

The U.S. District Court for the Western Division of the Central District of California granted a permanent injunction against the seal. The key was not just the presence of a cross on the seal — which might have been tolerable if it had been continued from an earlier use — but the fact that the Board specifically decided to add the cross. Though there was a secular reason for adding the cross, i.e. to show history, that did not blunt its sectarian meaning, the court said.

Judge Snyder rejected an argument by the plaintiffs that the Board had violated the No Preference Clause of the state constitution, but found that it did violate the federal Establishment Clause, noting that a “reasonable, objective observer” would see a sectarian purpose in the addition of the cross to the seal, regardless of the official explanation.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Board of Supervisors was divided in its reaction to the ruling, with retired Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky hailing the decision.

 

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Almost nobody lined up to attended Ted Cruz's victory party in Wisconsin

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The room was nearly empty before Senator Ted Cruz gave his primary night speech as polls closed in Wisconsin. Political reporter David Martosko took a snapshot of the party floor tweeting: "Ted Cruz's sparsely attended (so far) Wisconsin victory party has all the empty floor space of a sixth grade dance."


Trump adviser says Republicans won't have contested convention

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Reuters
Journalists watch Republican U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump (L) and Ted Cruz debate on large video monitors in the media filing center during the Republican U.S. presidential candidates debate sponsored by CNN at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida March 10, 2016.
REUTERS/JOE SKIPPER
X
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump's new top political strategist predicted on Friday the Republican presidential front-runner would amass the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch his party's nomination well before the Republican National Convention in July.
Veteran campaign tactician Paul Manafort was chosen by Trump on Thursday to oversee a fractious nomination process that many Republicans expect may not yield a clear winner before the convention.
Manafort said on CNN's "New Day" program that rival Ted Cruz, the U.S. senator from Texas, will not be able to dent Trump's delegate lead before California's June 7 primary.
"The reality is: Ted Cruz has seen his best day," Manafort said. "The reality is: this convention process will be over with sometime in June, probably June 7, and it'll be apparent to the world that Trump is over that 1,237 number."
Trump has been uncharacteristically quiet on social media after his double-digit loss to Cruz in the Wisconsin primary on Tuesday, which followed a series of missteps on the campaign trail including his statement, later recanted, advocating punishment for women who have illegal abortions.
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In elevating Manafort, Trump said he would add more staff before the convention in an expansion of his campaign team beyond the close-knit group of advisers who have been at his side since he jumped into the presidential race last June.
"People that I know that want to get involved and wanted to before but didn't have a way in," Manafort said.
The next presidential nominating contests before the Nov. 8 election include a number in East Coast states seen as more fertile ground for the real estate tycoon, including in his native New York on April 19.
Manafort cited Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland as states where Trump would do well.
"By the time we get to California the momentum is going be very clear and Ted Cruz' path to victory is going to be in shambles," he said.
Cruz, appearing on the CNN program earlier, said he had a clear path to 1,237 delegates.
"It's difficult. We've got to win and we've got to win consistently," Cruz said. "He's right. He has to win," Manafort said.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Bill Trott)

Government Will Owe More Money Than Entire Economy Produces

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freebeacon.com

AP

BY: Ali Meyer Follow @DJAliMeyerApril 7, 2016 12:15 pm

An auditor for the Government Accountability Office told lawmakers  Wednesday that in the next few years the federal government will owe more than our entire economy produces.

Gene Dodaro, the comptroller general for the Government Accountability Office, testified at the Senate Budget Committee to provide the results of its audit on the government’s financial books.

“We’re very heavily leveraged in debt,” Dodaro said. “The historical average post-World War II of how much debt we held as a percent of gross domestic product was 43 percent on average; right now we’re at 74 percent.”

Dodaro says that under current law, debt held by the public will hit a historic high.

“The highest in the United States government’s history of debt held by the public as a percent of gross domestic product was 1946, right after World War II,” he said. “We’re on mark to hit that in the next 15 to 25 years.”

Another economic projection which assumes that cost controls for Medicare don’t hold and that healthcare costs continue to increase, shows debt rising even further.

“These projections go to 200, 300 percent, and even higher of debt held by the public as a percent of gross domestic product,” said Dodaro. “We’re going to owe more than our entire economy is producing and by definition this is not sustainable.”

Additionally, the audit found fault with the number of improper payments that should not have been made or were the incorrect amount. The audit found that in fiscal year 2015 there were $136.7 billion improper payments, which was up by $12 billion from the year prior.

The audit also called into question the reliability of the government’s financial statements. According to the report, if a federal entity purchases a good or service, that cost should match the revenue recorded by the federal entity that sold the good or service. The report found that this was not always the case and found hundreds of billions of dollars in differences between transactions between federal entities.

“The government-wide financial statements that the GAO audits tell us what came into the government’s coffers and what went out, what the government owns and what it owes, and if the operations are financially sustainable,” said Sen. Mike Enzi (R., Wyo.). “But can we trust the information in the statements?”

“GAO’s audit calls into question the reliability of the underlying financial data,” he said. “The sketchiness is such that GAO remains unable to even issue an audit opinion on the government’s books.”

According to the audit, these weaknesses will eventually harm the government’s ability to reliably report their assets, liabilities, and costs, and this will prevent the government from having the information to operate in an efficient and effective manner.

COMMENTS

Thursday, April 7, 2016

50 REASON NOT TO VOTE DEMOCRAT EVER!!!

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No matter if Trump or Cruz gets the nomination, we must support the
Republican candidate.
Below are 50 reasons why we can't have Hillary, Bernie, or any Democrat
as the next president.
1. The disaster of the last 7 years of Obama.
2. Obamacare, you were lied to about the premiums, and we are covered
with a $10,000 deductible.
3. Immigration: the wall, allowing illegal immigrants to vote and get
Obamacare, welfare, ect, and bring their extended families into the US,
and millions of others overstaying their Visa's. The Federal Government
suing Arizona for trying to enforce Federal laws on immigration.
4. Jobs, 93 million out of work, and lying about the real unemployment
numbers. You are not counted after exhausting your unemployment
benefits, or getting a low paying part time job.
5. Terrorism
6. Giving away Iraq, and ISIS now controls Libya.
7. The Iran deal, and Iran capturing our Navy personnel, and Iran
supports terrorists that kill Americans.
8. The economy, and you can't start your own business anymore, because
of regulations and Obamacare.
9. Printing money. This steals from all on fixed income, or rely on
their savings in the bank. This may cause massive inflation.
10. The deficit, and unfunded liabilities like social security, over 100
trillion dollars. The lock box is full of IOU's.
11. The justice Department scandals with Eric Holder, and refusing to
prosecute the Black Panthers, and Holder said he would never prosecute
Blacks.
12. The IRS scandals, Lois Lerner let free. They are still blocking T
Party groups from being tax exempt.
13. EPA shutting down coal, power plants, fracking, no pipeline, ect.
14. Global warming fraud, and jailing global warming deniers.
15. Religious freedom, jailing or fining those that believe in their
religious rights, or putting them out of business.
16. Common core, brainwashing our children.
17. Fast and furious, Americans died
18. The VA scandal, Americans died.
19. Destroying the military, and the rules of engagement, Americans died.
20. Destroying law enforcement, Americans died.
21. Supreme court nominees, all left wing. Also now there is no
separation of powers. The executive branch grabs power and makes laws
through executive orders, or EPA mandates, and the supreme court
confirms the laws and mandates without going through congress. The only
way congress can stop the executive branch is by the power of the purse
or impeachment, but they won't do it.
22. Hillary and Bill, the e mail scandals, and Bill the sexual predator.
23. Bengahzi, and blaming it on a video, and then throwing the video
maker in jail, and Hillary lying about it.
24. The attack on the 2nd amendment, Americans died.
25. Racial tensions, BLM, and black on black crime and murders,
Americans died.
26. Increase heroin deaths, Americans died. Heroin brought in through
open borders.
27. The destructive results of liberalism.
28. Worldwide slaughter of Christians.
29. Crazy Bernie.
30. Prosecuting planned parenthood video makers.
31. Green energy. Green energy cannot survive without massive government
subsidies, and then usually the green energy companies are run by
cronies and big donors to the democrat party, and they get rich off the
government subsidies.
32. Forcing low income housing in high income neighborhoods. The new
discrimination is economic. The federal government is assisting blacks
to sue local communities that are not providing low income housing in
high income neighborhoods, and the individuals are receiving large cash
settlements from the city or county governments.
33. Voter ID and voter fraud by the democrats, vote early and vote
often. If you ask for an ID, you are a racist.
34. Landlords are now forced to rent to criminals
35. Releasing terrorists from Guantanamo bay, Americans died. If they
bring these terrorists to American prisons, they will recruit more
terrorists.
36. The Government taking over student loans, now they can bribe those
student by offering to eliminate their debt for their vote.
37. Over 400 left wing lawyers have been hired by the US Govt to enforce
civil rights violations and voter fraud. This will affect the next
election.
36. Obama pardoning hundreds of criminals with life sentences.
37. Shutting down Yucca mountain. Now there is no place to store nuclear
waste, and it is stored on site at nuclear facilities all over the
country, ready to be either stolen or leaked out into the environment.
38. Giving Egypt to the Muslim Brotherhood. Then gave them Billions of
dollars. Then the Egyptian military and people threw the Muslim
Brotherhood out.
39. Allowed Putin to take over Crimea.
40. Sanctuary cites, Americans died.
41. The Federal Government controls 27.7% of the land mass in the USA.
They not only refuse to release some land to the States for development,
they also are on a land grab, and also the EPA is stopping the
development of other private land by declaring the private property wet
lands, when they are not.
42. High corporate taxes and regulations are forcing more jobs overseas.
43. American corporations are holding maybe trillions of dollars
overseas, that has already been taxed, but can't bring the money back to
the US, because the Government want's to tax it again.
44. The housing crisis caused by the democrats forcing banks to lend
money to people that could not pay back the loans.
45. Medicare. You pay into all your life, but it is means tested, so
only the very poor get it free, and the cost goes up if you have more
income.
46. The treatment of our allies and Israel.
47. Free speech and political correctness.
48. 50 million Americans on food stamps.
49. Obama's humiliating trip to Cuba, and his picture with Che Guevara,
watching baseball with Castro while Brussels burned.
50. Obama won't recognize radical Islam, and actually supports terrorism
worldwide, including in the USA, while ignoring crimes against
Christians and Jews.

Krauthammer: If Obama Wins Exec Amnesty Case ‘You Can Send Congress Home,’ ‘There Are No Laws’

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by IAN HANCHETT7 Apr 2016195
Columnist Charles Krauthammer argued that if the Supreme Court fails to overturn President Obama’s executive actions in United States v. Texas and allows the administration to grant government benefits to noncitizens “you can send Congress home, and can you eliminate Article I from the Constitution, then there are no laws” on Thursday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel.
Krauthammer said, [relevant remarks begin around 3:30] “If the president is allow to do go ahead and to do this, and it’s decided that it’s constitutional, then you can send Congress home, and can you eliminate Article I from the Constitution, then there are no laws. I mean, the judge is right. As a policy issue, the Congress decides, it passes the law, it decided that this is not appropriate. The president has a big heart, big heart with your tax money, and the Congress said no, it [government benefits] goes only to citizens. And if the president can unilaterally overturn that, then we have no laws and we have, essentially a single branch of government, that legislates. This is a huge decision. I do not understand how the four liberal justices will, as they will, resist the logic here.”
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Campaign Ad? Paul Ryan Video Raises Questions

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Win McNamee/Getty Images
by CHARLIE SPIERING7 Apr 20164,757
A new video released by House Speaker 
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)
56%



 has reporters chattering about whether or not it serves as a subtle campaign ad, as his supporters continue to whisper his name as a potential Republican presidential nominee in a brokered convention.
The video features footage from Paul Ryan’s speech calling for a better brand of politics. That talk implicitly criticized Donald Trump’s brand of campaigning.
The video is the latest of a series of web videos produced by his digital communications director Caleb Smith to highlight the Ryan brand of politics.
Smith’s video includes multiple camera angles, a soundtrack, and shots of the audience reaction to the speech, which quickly drew praise from the digital community for its slick production. The video is also raising questions among journalists.
“The first ad of the Ryan 2016 campaign?” asked ABC’s Jonathan Karl on Twitter, sharing the video.
“Sweet campaign ad from the Ryan team,” noted Jacqueline Alemany from CBS News on Twitter after she saw the ad.
“Hmmmm campaign ad?” wondered Paula Faris from ABC News on Twitter.
“Speaker Ryan still not running for president but is making ads 10x stronger than the current candidates,” tweeted ABC News journalist Alex Mallin in response to the ad.
Mallin’s tweet was highlighted by Ryan’s communications advisor Michael Shapiroand retweeted by Ryan’s Communications Director Mike Ricci.
According to a source in Ryan’s office, the video was the latest of a series of “re-purposed content” from Ryan’s March 23 speech for the purpose of sharing online.
“Ryan has sunk a lot of taxpayer resources into his communications team, hiring eight communications staffers when he took office with plans to hire up to a dozen more staffers, according to Politico’s Jake Sherman. In response to a query from Breitbart News, Ryan spokesperson AshLee Strong said the video was just another example of Ryan’s larger communications effort.
“Upon taking this job, Speaker Ryan was clear he would need to do things differently,” Strong said in a statement. “Speaker Ryan is a communications speaker, as he promised. Ryan introduced the ‘#confidentamerica’ theme in a speech at the start of his speakership. The ‘State of American’ politics speech was a natural follow up.”
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