Author: kingsjester

64 year old Christian Conservative husband, father, and grandfather who has been writing since April 2010.

Big Brother is Reading Our E-mails

On By kingsjesterIn Politics5 Comments

obamabigbroLast week, the Senate voted to update two acts to “further protect Americans’ privacy”:

Sen. Patrick Leahy’s Website reports that

The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday overwhelmingly approved legislation authored by Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) that updates the Video Privacy Protection Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, two of the nation’s premier digital privacy laws.

The bill updates the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, first enacted in 1986, so that Americans will have added privacy safeguards for their email and other electronic communications. The issue of email privacy was the topic of two Judiciary Committee hearings in recent years, and today’s mark up comes 18 months after Senator Leahy introduced the measure in May 2011.

“Three decades after the enactment of ECPA, Americans face even greater threats to their digital privacy, as we witness the explosion of new technologies and the expansion of the Government’s surveillance powers,” Leahy said during the mark up. “Today, the Committee has an important opportunity to begin to address this privacy challenge.”

After the vote he said: “After decades of the erosion of Americans’ privacy rights on many fronts, we finally have a rare opportunity for progress on privacy protection.”

Leahy’s proposal requires the government to obtain a search warrant based on probable cause in order to obtain email content from a third-party service provider, and it eliminates the outdated “180-day” rule that calls for different legal standards for the government to obtain email content depending upon the age of the emails in question. The government must notify an individual whose electronic communication has been disclosed, and provide that individual with a copy of the search warrant used to obtain the information within 10 business days. To help with sensitive law enforcement investigations, however, Leahy’s legislative proposal provides that the government can seek a court order to delay notifying an individual for up to 180 days. An amendment from Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), which was adopted by voice vote, modified this provision to permit a delay of notice for only up to 90 days for governmental entities that are not law enforcement agencies.

The measure also makes clear that the search warrant requirement for electronic communications content in the bill does not apply to any other federal criminal or national security laws.

Unfortunately for all of us, that measure comes waaay too late.

Rt.com has the story:

The FBI has the e-mails of nearly all US citizens, including congressional members, according to NSA whistleblower William Binney. Speaking to RT he warned that the government can use information against anyone it wants.

One of the best mathematicians and code breakers in NSA history resigned in 2001 because he no longer wanted to be associated with alleged violations of the constitution.

He asserts, that the FBI has access to this data due to a powerful device Naris.

This year Binney received the Callaway award. The annual award was established to recognize those, who stand out for constitutional rights and American values at great risk to their personal or professional lives.

RT: In light of the Petraeus/Allen scandal while the public is so focused on the details of their family drama one may argue that the real scandal in this whole story is the power, the reach of the surveillance state. I mean if we take General Allen – thousands of his personal e-mails have been sifted through private correspondence. It’s not like any of those men was planning an attack on America. Does the scandal prove the notion that there is no such thing as privacy in a surveillance state?

William Binney: Yes, that’s what I’ve been basically saying for quite some time, is that the FBI has access to the data collected, which is basically the e-mails of virtually everybody in the country. And the FBI has access to it. All the congressional members are on the surveillance too, no one is excluded. They are all included. So, yes, this can happen to anyone. If they become a target for whatever reason – they are targeted by the government, the government can go in, or the FBI, or other agencies of the government, they can go into their database, pull all that data collected on them over the years, and we analyze it all. So, we have to actively analyze everything they’ve done for the last 10 years at least.

RT: And it’s not just about those, who could be planning, who could be a threat to national security, but also those, who could be just…

WB: It’s everybody. The Naris device if it takes in the entire line, so it takes in all the data. In fact they advertised they can process the lines at session rates, which means 10 gigabit lines. I forgot the name of the device (it’s not the Naris) – the other one does it at 10 gigabits. That’s why the building Buffdale, because they have to have more storage, because they can’t figure out what’s important, so they are just storing everything there. So, e-mails are going to be stored there for the future, but right now stored in different places around the country. But it is being collected – and the FBI has access to it.

RT: You mean it’s being collected in bulk without even requesting providers?

WB:Yes.

RT: Then what about Google, you know, releasing this biannual transparency report and saying that the government’s demands for personal data is at an all-time high and for all of those requesting the US, Google says they complied with the government’s demands 90% of the time. But they are still saying that they are making the request, it’s not like it’s all being funneled into that storage. What do you say to that?

WB: I would assume, that it’s just simply another source for the same data they are already collecting. My line is in declarations in a court about the 18-T facility in San Francisco, that documented the NSA room inside that AST&T facility, where they had Naris devices to collect data off the fiber optic lines inside the United States. So, that’s kind of a powerful device, that would collect everything it was being sent. It could collect on the order over one hundred billion one thousand character e-mails a day. One device.

RT: You say they sift through billions of e-mails. I wonder how do they prioritize? How do they filter it?

WB: I don’t think they are filtering it. They are just storing it. I think it’s just a matter of selecting when they want it. So, if they want to target you, they would take your attributes, go into that database and pull out all your data.

RT: Were you on the target list?

WB: Oh, sure! I believe I’ve been on it for quite a few years. So I keep telling them everything I think of them in my e-mail. So that when they want to read it they’ll understand what I think of them.

RT: Do you think we all should leave messages for the NSA mail box?

WB: Sure!

So…the next time you feel like telling off somebody in an e-mail, remember Big Brother is watching you.

And, for goshsakes, don’t call President Obama a Muslim-sympathizing, Marxist/Alinskyite worthless excuse for a president, or, the next thing you know,  a Black Helicopter will be buzzing over your roof and the Men in Black will come and

Obamacare: Better Health Through Over-Taxation

On By kingsjesterIn Politics6 Comments

obamadoctor“Let me tell you how it will be, It’s one for you, nineteen for me.” – Taxman, The Beatles

Well, Obama’s wasting no time getting ready to fund his monstrosity known as Obamacare.

Reuters.com has the story:

The Internal Revenue Service has released new rules for investment income taxes on capital gains and dividends earned by high-income individuals that passed Congress as part of the 2010 healthcare reform law.

The 3.8 percent surtax on investment income, meant to help pay for healthcare, goes into effect in 2013. It is the first surtax to be applied to capital gains and dividend income.

The tax affects only individuals with more than $200,000 in modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), and married couples filing jointly with more than $250,000 of MAGI.

The tax applies to a broad range of investment securities ranging from stocks and bonds to commodity securities and specialized derivatives.

The 159 pages of rules spell out when the tax applies to trusts and annuities, as well as to individual securities traders.

Released late on Friday, the new regulations include a 0.9 percent healthcare tax on wages for high-income individuals.

Both sets of rules will be published on Wednesday in the Federal Register.

The proposed rules are effective starting January 1. Before making the rules final, the IRS will take public comments and hold hearings in April.

Together, the two taxes are estimated to raise $317.7 billion over 10 years, according to a Joint Committee on Taxation analysis released in June.

To illustrate when the tax applies, the IRS offered an example of a taxpayer filing as a single individual who makes $180,000 in wage income plus $90,000 from investment income. The individual’s modified adjusted gross income is $270,000.

The 3.8 percent tax applies to the $70,000, and the individual would pay $2,660 in surtaxes, the IRS said.

The IRS plans to release a new form for taxpayers to fill out for this tax when filing 2013 returns.

Here is a brief overview of the timeline for the implementation of Obamacare, from a pdf prepared by the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees on April 2, 2010.

2013

Payments to Primary Care Physicians. Requires that Medicaid payment rates to primary care physicians for furnishing primary care services be no less than 100% of Medicare payment rates in 2013 and 2014.

Administrative Simplification. Health plans must adopt and implement uniform standards and business rules for the electronic exchange of health information to reduce paperwork and administrative burdens and costs.

Encouraging Provider Collaboration. Establishes a national pilot program on payment bundling

Limiting Health Flexible Savings Account Contributions.

Increased Threshold for Claiming Itemized Deduction for Medical Expenses.

Medical device excise tax. Establishes a 2.3 percent excise tax on the sale of a medical device by a manufacturer or importer.

Limiting Executive Compensation.

Fee for patient-centered outcomes research.

2014

Reforming Health Insurance Regulations.

Eliminating Annual Limits.

Ensuring Coverage for Individuals Participating in Clinical Trials.

Establishing Health Insurance Exchanges. Opens health insurance Exchanges in each State to individuals and small employers. This new venue will enable people to comparison shop for standardized health packages.

Local hack politicians are lining up for jobs right now.

Providing Health Care Tax Credits.

Ensuring Choice through Free Choice Vouchers.

Promoting Individual Responsibility.

Small Business Tax Credit.

Quality Reporting for Certain Providers.

Health Insurance Provider Fee. Imposes an annual, non-deductible fee on the health insurance sector allocated across the industry according to market share.

2015

Continuing Innovation and Lower Health Costs. Establishes an Independent Payment Advisory Board to develop and submit proposals to Congress and the private sector aimed at extending the solvency of Medicare, lowering health care costs, improving health outcomes for patients, promoting quality and efficiency, and expanding access to evidence-based care.

Paying Physicians Based on Value Not Volume. Creates a physician value-based payment program to promote increased quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries.

2018

Excise tax on high cost employer-provided health plans becomes effective. Tax is on the cost of coverage in excess of $27,500 (family coverage) and $10,200 (single coverage), increased to $30,950 (family) and $11,850

As I noted earlier,the “Healthcare Exchanges” are supposed to be in place by 2012. Several states are refusing to co-operate. However, if they don’t, the president plans on punishing them,  as newsmax.com reports:

Residents of states that refuse to set up health insurance exchanges under Obamacare are set to be hit with higher premiums under new rules announced by the Health and Human Services Department.

Insurance companies will be charged 3.5 percent of any premiums they sell through the federal exchanges, the department announced Friday.

And insurers are likely to pass that surcharge on to clients, leading to higher premiums.

The only states to be affected are those that refuse to set up their own exchanges because of opposition to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. They are almost certain to be those under Republican control. In those states, HHS will set up the exchanges.

GOP governors are taking a hard line against implementing any part of the healthcare law, which will mean insurers in their states will need to pay the monthly fee, The Hill reports.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced this week that her state will not set up an exchange, calling the proposal “too expensive and too risky.” Her decision brings the total of states refusing to comply with the act’s provisions up to 17.

The exchanges were supposed to be up and running in all states by 2014. HHS plans to charge insurers 3.5 percent of the premiums for each plan they sell through the federal exchange.

There are still some states that haven’t yet decided whether to set up their own exchanges or use the federal exchange option, so it’s not yet known how much money the HHS will collect from insurance companies. In addition, HHS said it might change the user fees later on as more people enroll through the exchanges.

But exchanges that don’t attract enough insurers may make the companies carry larger percentages of unhealthy and thus expensive, patients, making them appeal even less to customers.

Why didn’t Obama and his minions try capitalism, instead of Marxism, as a solution for the high price of Health Insurance? All they had to do was rule that all Health Insurance Companies have to be available for consumers to purchase in every state.

Yes, Scooter. All 57 of them.

That would force them to lower their rates, in order to be competitive.

Affordable health insurance mandated by the free market system.

Imagine that. Sounds like an American Solution, doesn’t it?

Capitalism works. Marxism never has.

Until He Comes,

KJ

I’m 54 Today and I’m Not Taking It Anymore

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics17 Comments

jesterluteI’m 54 years old today.  It has been a remarkable journey.   Some years have passed by much too quickly.  Others have been as slow and painful as Morning Joe on MSNBC.   Some of the lessons that God has taught me have been more painful than others.  But, through it all, His Grace has been sufficient for my every need.

I’ve always had a big mouth.  One of the most painful lessons I’ve had to learn is when to keep it shut.  However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that those who seek to impose their will on us, as a free nation, appear to be doing and saying whatever outrageous, hurtful, treasonous, and unpatriotic things that they want to, counting on all of us average, Christian Americans (78% of the population, per Gallup) to keep our collective mouths shut.

Well, you know what?  I’m 54 and I’m Not Taking It anymore.

05_08_11---Three-Crosses_webI’m not taking it anymore off of the less than 10 % of our population who are so self-involved and bitter in their belief that all of this fantastic Universe around us just happened, that they try to make Christians as bitter as they are.  Especially, this time of year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

These learned individuals completely ignore the writings of brilliant men, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said:

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.

or G. K. Chesterton, who said:

When men stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing.  They believe in anything.

WashingtonPrayingOur nation was founded by people who wished to practice Freedom OF Religion, not Freedom FROM Religion. They were not led in their decision-making by an earthly king, but by their love for the heavenly King.

American Christianity is not comprised of empty rituals. It is fueled by an intrinsic understanding of where our freedoms come from, and Who gave them to us. It is a legacy of Faith handed down to us, generation through generation.

Just as my father, who landed on the beaches of Normandy, made sure that I got to Sunday School, so did I make that opportunity available to my daughter, step-sons, and grandson. I am blessed by the fact that one of those young men is in seminary as I write this.

Shake your fist and try to believe that Divine Providence had nothing to do with the growth of this nation, you will still find that the majority of Americans will not believe you.

hyenasI’m not taking it anymore from the bunch of amoral, treasonous hyenas controlling the entertainment industry.  These are the brilliant individuals who have brought us such cinematic masterpieces as Redacted and The Golden Compass and such high brow television entertainment like @#$% My Dad Says! 

In the music industry, the song  @#$% You! (which was sung on Glee as Forget You!) was, at one time, honored for an industry award.

I can remember when The Rolling Stones had to change the words to their hit, Let’s Spend the Night Together to Let’s Spend Some Time Together on The Ed Sullivan Show because of the CBS Censors.

By the way, they are on tour right now…sponsored by Geritol, I think.

spoiledlakerI’m not taking it anymore from spoiled, crybaby, collegiate,and professional athletes.  These young men have been gifted by God with extraordinary abilities, placing them in the spotlight. They are followed and proclaimed as role models by American’s youth.

Just last week, the Captain of the University of Memphis’ Basketball Team, walked away from a practice, telling the coach that he just “wasn’t that into it.”

He’s back with the team, now, after a game’s suspension and a “come to Jesus” meeting with the Coach.

Some leader. Gimme a break.

mitchdanielsI’m not taking it anymore from so-called Fiscal  Conservatives (i.e., Moderates and Liberals), who believe that whatever you want to smoke, whomever you want to sleep with, is fine and dandy, while expecting Social (Reagan) Conservatives to keep our mouths shut about where the GOP is headed, as it slowly swirls down the porcelain receptacle.

michellestinkeyeI’m not taking it anymore from the Obama’s, and the pinheaded bureaucrats and academicians in their administration who believe that they have the right to tell us how to raise and what to feed our children.

These are our children and grandchildren.  We will raise them as we see fit.

Not only do they want to tell us what we can feed to our children, they want to control what our Armed Forces eat! They want the finest fighting force in the world to run on arugula!

Feed our Brightest and Best steak every day! They deserve it!

I’m 54 years old. If I want to have Popeye’s Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes, fried okra, and biscuits, it’s none of your dadblamed business, Michelle (ma belle).  People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.  Have you surveyed your own Southern flank lately?

pelosigavelFinally, I’m not taking it anymore from Obama, his administration, his political party, and Congress.  These people are so riddled with self-importance, and so intellectually constricted by their self-imposed boundaries of the Beltway Elite society that they live in, that they have completely lost touch with the citizens of the country that they are supposed to represent.  They somehow believe that it is in their best interests to govern on behalf of the 18 % of Americans who identify themselves as being Liberals.

And, judging from the Fiscal Cliff Negotiations, those who don’t really believe in this Liberal/Progressive/Marxist ideology, don’t seem to possess the intestinal fortitude to man up and actually serve the people who elected them.

This oblivious pack of political scavengers seem bound and determined to gnaw as much meat off of the bones of the American Dream as they can.

However, as angered as I am by the irrational, amoral nature of American politics and popular culture, I always have hope.  My hope springs not from any political figure or political ideology, but from the One who created me and loves me, in spite of all my shortcomings.  This video of one of my favorite songs sums up what I’ve been trying to say.   God is good.  All the time.  May God bless you all.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Suicide is Not Painless

On By kingsjesterIn PoliticsLeave a comment

suicideSeveral years ago, this next week, my wife at the time, received a phone call from one of her best friends. Her husband, the father of her two boys, had killed himself.

I could not believe it. This guy was solid as a rock. He was in his early 30s and was working as an Air Traffic Controller. The young man was an American success story. He had dropped out of high school, obtained his GED, and went on to serve in the Coast Guard. Through his hard work and diligence, he had worked himself into his well-playing position at the airport.

The young man had everything to live for. He had a beautiful home, a beautiful, loving wife, and two boys, one in 6th grade and one in Junior High, who worshiped the ground he walked on.

What no one knew was the burden which he carried in his heart. The young man suffered from severe depression. He had been diagnosed and given medication for it, which worked well, and kept him on an even keel.

Unfortunately, he decided to quit taking his medicine, because he was afraid that it would show up on one of the random drug tests at work, and, being an Air Traffic Controller, they would fire him, if his illness and medication were discovered.

While he was off his medication, his personality completely changed. He became addicted to gambling, leaving his widow a gambling debt of $180,000, which, thank goodness, the casinos forgave, rather than trying to collect from his widow.

He also became addicted to porn, which did nothing but help him sink further into that dark corner of the soul where depression comes from, and where Satan can sink his claws of despair deep into your soul.

When the young man had reached the end of his rope, he hatched the plan which lead to his demise. He went to Home Depot and bought some white plastic pipe, until the pretense of using it to alleviate flooding in his yard.

What followed was chilling. Working nights, as he did, his family was used to his being around during the day. While his wife was out of town, taking care of her Father, who had undergone bypass surgery, the young man carried out his plan.  Seeing the boys off to school that fateful morning, he jumped into his
Chevrolet S10 pick-up truck, and headed to one of his favorite fishing holes, down by the Tunica, MS Casinos. Once there, he attached the plastic pipe he bought to the exhaust pipe of his truck, put insulation around his car windows, put in a cassette tape of his favorite songs, and checked out.

He was buried two days later…on his wife’s birthday.

It was the most selfish act I have ever seen.

I was reminded of that tragedy, after hearing about this…

Kansas City linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his 22-year-old girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, then drove to the Chiefs’ facilities at Arrowhead Stadium and took his own life in front of some team employees, including coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli, on Saturday morning.

Police told the Kansas City Star that Belcher, 25, and Perkins got into an argument at approximately 7:00 a.m. Saturday at a residence in nearby Independence, Mo. Belcher shot Perkins multiple times. She was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead there. The couple had a 3-month-old daughter, who is currently safe in the care of a relative.

Members of the Chiefs’ staff tried to stop Belcher from committing any other acts of violence before the player turned a gun on himself. The team’s practice facility was evacuated and put on police lockdown.

The Chiefs were scheduled to host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and the team has announced on its official site that the game will proceed as scheduled.

“After discussions between the league office, Head Coach Romeo Crennel and Chiefs team captains, the Chiefs advised the NFL that it will play tomorrow’s game vs. the Carolina Panthers at its originally scheduled time.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Chiefs and the families and friends of those who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a league statement. “We have connected the Chiefs with our national team of professional counselors to support both the team and the families of those affected. We will continue to provide assistance in any way that we can.”

Perkins’ mother called police after witnessing the incident and told them that her daughter had been shot. Police arrived at the Chiefs’ facility only to find Belcher in the parking lot with a gun to his head. As one officer got out of his car, he heard a gunshot. Belcher was later pronounced dead. Pioli, Crennel, and defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs were among the team employees in the vicinity. Belcher reportedly thanked Crennel and Pioli for all they had done for him, and then took his own life.

“Pioli and Crennel and another coach or employee was standing outside and appeared to be talking to him. It appeared they were talking to the suspect,” Kansas City police spokesman Darin Snapp said. “The suspect began to walk in the opposite direction of the coaches and the officers and that’s when they heard the gunshot.

“They said the player was actually thanking them for everything they’d done for him. They were just talking to him and he was thanking them and everything. That’s when he walked away and shot himself.”

Two successful young men, with everything to live for, allowing the demons of depression to drive them to suicide.

The are no easy answers.

There, but for the Grace of God, and the love of Christ, go you or I.

Hold on to your faith. Hold on to hope. Hold on to God. We will get through these tough times…together.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Terrorists in Thomson, IL (Say Hello to Your New Neighbors)

On By kingsjesterIn Politics3 Comments

Thomson CCWhen Barack Hussein Obama ascended to the throne of the Regime, he promised to close Guantanamo Bay, in acquiescence to the wishes of the clown car known as the United Nations and Obama’s donors…err…I mean, friends….err…I mean, fellow Muslims…umm…let me just say that he was trying to appease Middle Eastern Muslims and quiet their claims of torture going on at Gitmo.

On 22 January 2009, two days after being sworn in as the new U.S. president, Barack Obama signed several Executive Orders covering the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, interrogation techniques, and CIA secret detention sites. Summaries of these executive orders, as provided by the White House, are provided below.

1. Executive Order regarding Guantanamo Bay detainees:

This Order requires closure of the Guantanamo detention center no later than one year from the date of the Order. Closure of the facility is the ultimate goal but not the first step. The Order establishes a review process with the goal of disposing of the detainees before closing the facility. The Order sets up an immediate review to determine if it is possible to transfer detainees to third countries, consistent with national security. If detainees cannot be transferred, there will be a second review to determine if a prosecution is possible and in what forum. If there are detainees who cannot be transferred or prosecuted, the review will examine the lawful options for dealing with them. The Order directs the Secretary of State to seek international cooperation aimed at achieving the transfers of detainees; directs the Secretary of Defense to halt all military tribunals until the review can be completed; and requires that the conditions of confinement at Guantanamo comply with Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and all other applicable laws.

2. Executive Order regarding Detainee Policy:

This Order creates a Special Task Force to consider the policy options for apprehension, detention, trial, transfer, or release of detainees. The Special Task Force must submit its report to President Obama within 180 days of the date of the order.

3. Executive Order regarding Interrogation:

This Order revokes an earlier Executive Order (No. 13440) issued by President G.W. Bush replacing it with the requirement that all interrogations of detainees in armed conflict, by any government agency, follow the U.S. Army Field Manual interrogation guidelines. It further prohibits reliance on any Department of Justice or other legal advice concerning interrogation that was issued between September 11, 2001 and January 20, 2009.

The Order requires all departments and agencies to provide the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to detainees in a manner consistent with the Department of Defense regulations and practice.

It also orders the CIA to close all existing detention facilities and prohibits it from operating detention facilities in the future.

Well, they blew that EO with the reported detention facility run through the ill-fated American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, didn’t they?

Finally, this Order creates a Special Task Force to review the U.S. Army Field Manual interrogation guidelines in reference to the CIA’s methods. This Special Task Force will also look at rendition and other transfer policies to ensure the U.S. policies and practices comply with all obligations and are sufficient to ensure that individuals do not face torture and cruel treatment if transferred.

Also in 2009, Obama and his minions announced that they were interested in buying Thomson Correctional Center in rural Illinois, in order to bring the Islamic Terrorists who want to kill all of us, to the United States.

The Chicago Tribune has the story:

Under orders from President Barack Obama, the U.S. Justice Department moved forward Tuesday with the purchase of Illinois’ long-dormant Thomson prison, cutting a $165 million check to the cash-strapped state and bypassing the objections of a powerful veteran Republican U.S. House member who had blocked the sale.

“At this point, the president had to intervene and do this directly. I hope people understand he’s doing it for his state,” said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the state’s senior senator and No. 2 Democrat in the chamber. Durbin acknowledged it was a “rare” move to bypass the written approval of a high-ranking House Appropriations Committee member to proceed with the purchase of the facility in northwest Illinois.

…The Thomson sale has been mired by Washington politics for at least three years. Built for $140 million in 2001, the state never opened the prison because it lacked the money to operate it.

Though the prison was appraised for $220 million, federal and state officials agreed on a $165 million sale price. Justice Department officials presented the check to a federal judge in Rockford as part of a “friendly condemnation suit,” Durbin said.

“This is excellent news that will create more than 1,100 jobs in northwestern Illinois and provide relief to taxpayers across the state who will no longer be forced to pay for an empty, unnecessary facility,” Gov. Pat Quinn said in a statement.

A Quinn aide said an undetermined amount would be used to retire bonds that funded construction of the facility. The governor’s office said it will work with lawmakers to earmark the remainder to offset some of the state’s multibillion-dollar backlog of unpaid bills.

You know what Obama and his minions are not telling you?

Thomson Correctional Center is located on 1100 One Mile Road in Thomson, IL.

That is 3/10ths of a mile off of Highway 84N.

Guantanamo Bay is on the island of Cuba, at an American Naval Base surrounded by a mine field.

It does not take a genius to figure out which prison location would be safer for the American people if  these Muslim Terrorists  were housed there.

What is Obama’s motive for this stupid move?

A.) Kissing up to the Muslim Brotherhood

B) Providing clients for AG Eric Holder’s old law firm

C) Because he can

D) All of the above

Aw…you guessed.

This must not be allowed to happen. Please contact your Congressman/woman.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Mele Kalikimaka, President Obama…From the Proletariat

On By kingsjesterIn Politics4 Comments

What are you doing for Christmas? Are you going to get to travel?

Heck, most of us will consider ourselves lucky to be able to spend it at a friend’s or family-member’s house.

But, what about the First Family? As I wrote yesterday, he’s in deep…ummmm…negotiations with the Republicans to avoid the “Fiscal Cliff”.

So, surely, he’ll be spending a working Christmas at Camp David, laboring feverishly to save us all from financial ruin, right?

Nope. And, don’t call me Shirley.

The Big Kahuna is going back to “The Land of the Choom Gang”.

The Hawaii Reporter has the story:

Residents living near the beachfront homes where President Barack Obama and First Family vacation with their friends every year since 2008 were alerted on Monday to some specifics of the Obamas’ holiday vacation plans.

The report delivered to residents living along the ocean and canal that surrounds the multi-million dollar homes at Kailuana Place where the President stays, informed them of restrictions that will be implemented for 20 days beginning December 17 and running through January 6.

In a matter of weeks, Kailua residents will see the familiar street barricades fronted by U.S. Secret Service agents and Navy Seals and the U.S. Coast Guard stationed in canal and ocean waters.

The President, who spent some of his childhood years in Hawaii, brings his wife, two daughters, Sasha and Malia, with dog Bo in tow, each holiday season. They settle into the small town community known for its spectacular sparkling beaches, warm turquoise ocean, rolling surf, country shops and restaurants and friendly people.

The homes where they stay are just a two-minute drive from Kaneohe Bay and the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, where the Obamas and friends can access private white sand beaches and military workout facilities.

Kailua Beach

While many residents welcome the First Family, others are disheartened by the restrictions put on air, water and road travel while the President and family are in town, especially because it is the holiday season and many families on vacation want to use their boats or surf and paddle in the welcoming ocean waves fronting the Kailua homes. In addition, the President’s caravan of at least 22 vehicles including an ambulance can easily overwhelm the community that typically has single lane streets.

Adding to the controversy surrounding the President’s visit is the cost of the trip.

With the staff, special forces, local police presence and equipment, the President’s visit adds up annually to at least a $4 million vacation courtesy of the Hawaii and federal taxpayers.

While the President and his friends pay for their own rental homes, taxpayers pick up the cost of security and waterfront housing for the Secret Service, Navy Seals and Coast Guard as well as staff accommodations at a plush beachfront Waikiki hotel.

TRAVEL: $3,629,622

The biggest expense is President Barack Obama’s round trip flight to Hawaii via Air Force One.

A Congressional Research Service report released in May 2012 said the plane typically used by the President, a Boeing 747, costs $179,750 per hour to operate. The U.S. Air Force has listed the cost of travel as high as $181,757 per flight hour.

Travel time for Air Force One direct from Washington D.C. to Hawaii is about 9 hours or as high as $1,635,813 each way for a total of $3,271,622 for the round trip to Hawaii and back.

I want to go back to my little grass shack; In Kealakekua, Hawaii…

While Americans are eating Vienna Sausages, the Obamas dine on Wagyu Beef…on OUR money.

Beforeitsnews.com reported in October that

Over one recent 12 month period, Michelle Obama spent 42 days on vacation (and that does not even count Saturdays and Sundays). The following is an excerpt from a Daily Mail article about the legendary Obama vacations….

The First Lady is believed to have taken 42 days of holiday in the past year, including a $375,000 break in Spain and a four-day ski trip to Vail, Colorado, where she spent $2,000 a night on a suite at the Sebastian hotel.

And the first family’s nine-day stay in Martha’s Vineyard is also proving costly, with rental of the Blue Heron Farm property alone costing an estimated $50,000 a week.

The source continued: ‘Michelle also enjoys drinking expensive booze during her trips. She favours martinis with top-shelf vodka and has a taste for rich sparking wines.

‘The vacations are totally Michelle’s idea. She’s like a junkie. She can’t schedule enough getaways, and she lives from one to the next – all the while sticking it to hardworking Americans.’

As I wrote about the other day, many Americans are working so hard just to survive in this economy that they don’t ever get to take any vacations at all.

But it doesn’t seem to trouble the Obamas that many of their vacation trips cost more than many American workers will make in an entire decade….

The following is from a recent Newsmax article….

A trip to Spain in 2010 by Michelle Obama, family, and staff cost taxpayers $467,585 and a trip by the First Lady and family to South Africa and Botswana last year cost $424,142 for the flight and crew alone, according to Judicial Watch.

Yes, when the family of the president travels it is going to be expensive, but this is ridiculous.

It can even be insanely expensive for the Obamas to take a vacation even if they don’t leave the country.

For example, in 2010 an Obama family vacation to Hawaii ended up costing U.S. taxpayers more than a million dollars.

So how much is too much?

It has been reported that Michelle Obama spent over 10 million dollars of U.S. taxpayer money on vacations during just one recent 12 month period alone.

At a time when there are 46 million Americans on food stamps is this an appropriate amount of U.S. taxpayer money to spend on vacationing?

And yet, this is the president who recently won re-election by playing the Class Warfare Card.

Hypocrite, thy name is Obama.

Until He Comes,

KJ

The Fiscal Cliff: The Spartan Defense

On By kingsjesterIn Politics2 Comments

As the date for the Bush Tax Cuts to cease looms ever closer, it appears that the Republicans might actually be trying to man up and mount a defense, reminiscent of the Spartans defending the pass through the mountains in the movie “300”.

Foxnews.com reports that

House Republican leaders said Wednesday they’ve done their job in negotiations to solve the looming fiscal crisis, while President Obama is returning to the campaign trail to sell tax hikes that studies show won’t have much, if any, effect on solving the problem.

“We have done our part by putting revenue on the table,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

Cantor and fellow House leaders have agreed to close tax loopholes to generate revenue to reduce the $1.1 trillion annual deficit. But they argue the president has yet to say publicly what cuts he will make to the federal budget — specifically to costly entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — to reduce the deficit.

They also say the president’s plan to extend tax cuts only to middle-class Americans will not generate enough revenue to significantly reduce the deficit.

The leaders made their argument the same day Gene Sperling, director of the president’s National Economic Council, told House Democrats that failing to extend Bush-era tax cuts to the top 2 percent of income earners could trickle down to hit the middle class, sources tell Fox News.

On Wednesday afternoon, the president ramped up his public pitch amid a backdrop of hand-picked, middle-class voters at the White House.

“Right now, as we speak, Congress can pass a law that would prevent a tax hike on the first $250,000 of everybody’s income,” he said. “And that means that 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses wouldn’t see their income taxes go up by a single dime.”

He also urged Americans to use social media to try to persuade their congressional representatives to take the deal – telling them to use Facebook and their Twitter accounts. Obama even announced a new White House hashtag My2K — a reference to the estimated $2,200 tax increase that a typical middle-class family of four would see if the Bush tax cuts expire.

Of course, when word got out that Obama and his minions came up with that goofy #Mt2K idea, Conservatives immediately started hijacking it. Your’s truly was no exception:

kingsjester ‏@kingsjester1

Our money – Washington’s “revenue” – #My2k

kingsjester ‏@kingsjester1

“From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” – #My2k

kingsjester ‏@kingsjester1

We’re all going to be too poor to pay attention – #My2k

Have you ever noticed how these modern Democrats try desperately to mask Marxism with the cloak of nobleness?

For example:

We’ve got to raise taxes! It’s for the children!

Republicans want control of your uterus!

and, of course,

The Republicans want you all back in chains!

How…noble? No. Self-serving.

If the Dems were as noble as they claim to be, they would keep their promises.

Like, the promises they made in the Debt Ceiling Compromise last August:

House Speaker John Boehner had to rely on a blend of Republicans and Democrats to push the bill through his chamber, with some conservatives unhappy about key provisions in the compromise.

House Democrats don’t want to carry Republicans’ water, though. Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., said earlier Monday that every Democrat who votes for the bill takes a Republican off the hook — he urged colleagues to wait until Republicans put at least 200 votes on the board “before we give them cover.”

Liberal Democrats are unhappy in part because the first phase of the plan relies solely on spending cuts — $900 billion worth of them.

The second phase of the plan relies on a special committee to come up with roughly $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reduction. Both sides are wary about what that process could produce, in terms of entitlement reform and tax reform.

And conservatives are particularly agitated about a provision that would enact sweeping defense cuts if the committee’s recommendations are not approved by the end of the year. Plus some are peeved that, while the package would call for a vote on a balanced-budget amendment, it would not require its approval in order for the debt ceiling to be increased.

About those Spending Cuts…they never happened.

This scenario, concerning the battle on the edge of the Fiscal Cliff, is, actually just a continuation from the recent presidential campaign.

On one side, you have Obama and the Democrats, playing the class warfare card for all it’s worth, blaming those eeevil rich people (I never got a job from a poor man.) and those wascally wepublicans (The Dems are huntin’ Entitlements. Heheheheheh.) for standing in the way of Baracky Claus delivering all the free stuff that his base really, really wants…err…needs.

On the other side is Speaker John Boehner and the Republicans, trying to man  up and find a Conservative spine among all that Moderation, in order to put on a good show for the home folks.

How long the Republicans will hold to their convictions remains to be seen.

This bunch, who gave us Mitt Romney, the candidate who thought that Obama was a good guy, who is just in over his head, seems to suffer from the same indecisiveness as Romney’s Campaign.

They can’t seem to figure out whether to stand and fight against Obama’s tax increases, go back into negotiations, or, just drop their guns and run.

(By the way…is anybody out there interested in two WW II French Army Rifles? Dropped once. Never shot.)

The question remains…are the Republicans going to be Spartans? Or, Vichy French?

Until He comes,

KJ

BenghaziGate: The “I’m Rubber, You’re Glue” Defense

On By kingsjesterIn Politics1 Comment

The latest “But…but…they did it ,too!” Defensive Strategy from the Democrats,  concerning the unabashed lies told by this Administration and its spokesperson, Susan Rice, regarding the murder of 4 brave Americans on 9/11/12, on the ground of the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, is an attempt to President George W. Bush’s claiming that there were WMDs in Iraq with the Obama Administration’s numerous bald-faced lies blaming an un-watched Youtube video for the Middle Eastern Riots on 9/11/12.

The Democrats’ claim doesn’t hold water.

From the New York Post:

There were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq after all.

The massive cache of almost 400,000 Iraq war documents released by the WikiLeaks Web site revealed that small amounts of chemical weapons were found in Iraq and continued to surface for years after the 2003 US invasion, Wired magazine reported.

The documents showed that US troops continued to find chemical weapons and labs for years after the invasion, including remnants of Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons arsenal — most of which had been destroyed following the Gulf War.

In August 2004, American troops were able to buy containers from locals of what they thought was liquid sulfur mustard, a blister agent, the documents revealed. The chemicals were triple-sealed and taken to a secure site.

Also in 2004, troops discovered a chemical lab in a house in Fallujah during a battle with insurgents. A chemical cache was also found in the city.

Regarding BenghaziGate, Susan Rice had a lot to say yesterday, in her meeting with Senators McCain, Graham, and Ayotte. It was a meeting that did nothing by leave the Senators feeling more uncomfortable about the quadruple murder at the Consulate, than when they began the meeting.

Susan E. Rice may have hoped that paying a conciliatory call on three hostile Senate Republicans on Tuesday would smooth over a festering dispute about the deadly attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, and clear a roadblock to her nomination as secretary of state.

“If you think these three Senators walked in with open minds and no agenda, I’d like to sell you a bridge that crosses the East River into Brooklyn. McCain’s little kangaroo court is about as transparent as his anger.”

But the senators seemed anything but mollified, signaling instead that they would still oppose Ms. Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations, if she is nominated by President Obama, even after she conceded errors in the account of the assault she gave on Sunday morning television programs shortly after it occurred in September.

Two of the Republicans, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, said they would seek to block Ms. Rice, who according to administration officials remains Mr. Obama’s preferred choice to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The third Republican, Senator John McCain of Arizona, said on Fox that he would be “very hard-pressed” to support Ms. Rice.

“Bottom line, I’m more disturbed than I was before,” Mr. Graham said after the tense, closed-door meeting.

The continued criticism of Ms. Rice, 48, a diplomat with close ties to Mr. Obama, deepens an already bitter and unusually personal feud between the White House and Republicans over Libya. Responding to a question about criticism of Ms. Rice at a news conference two weeks ago, Mr. Obama said, “If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me.”

It also raises the prospect of a confirmation battle if the president goes ahead with nominating Ms. Rice. To some extent, that battle is already under way, even before he has submitted her name. Ms. Rice’s visits to senators, which will continue Wednesday, bear all the hallmarks of a presidential nominee seeking to win over reluctant lawmakers.

A senior administration official said the harsh reaction to Ms. Rice’s appearance on Tuesday would have no effect on her chances for secretary of state. “They’ve been saying the same thing for months,” he said.

Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, is the other leading candidate for the post. Several senators, including Mr. McCain, said they would prefer Mr. Kerry and predicted that he would sail through a confirmation hearing.

In a statement after the meeting, Ms. Rice said she incorrectly described the attack in Benghazi, which killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, as a spontaneous protest gone awry rather than a premeditated terrorist attack. But she said she based her remarks on the intelligence then available — intelligence that changed over time.

That’s called “lying”, ma’am.

Those Senators should not rest until they find out who issued the “Stand Down” order on that fateful night, leading to the murders of those brave Americans.

As Americans, we must not relent in seeking the truth in this rapidly evolving scandal.

No matter how many revisions to their initial lie-filled explanation of the attack that they offer.

President Harry S. Truman had a sign on his desk in the Oval Office that said, “The Buck Stops here.”

I firmly believe that President Barack Hussein Obama has one on his desk that says, “It’s Not My Fault.”

Golden Calf 2012: “Our Lord and Savior Barack Obama”

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity16 Comments

On “The Soul Train Awards Program” last Sunday night on Black Entertainment Television, Academy Award Winning Actor (Ray), Jamie Foxx, said,

First of all, give an honor to God and our lord and savior Barack Obama. Barack Obama.

Well, after you pick your jaw up off the floor, let us dissect this statement in 3 ways:

1. It was an attention-seeking statement, designed to elicit endearment from the Black Americans in attendance and watching on television. The statement infers that President Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm) is the lord and savior of all Black Americans.

Brilliant Economist Dr. Thomas Sowell, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, who happens to be a Black American, has a less lofty opinion of the President:

Barack Obama is one of those people who are often wrong but never in doubt. When he burst upon the national political scene as a presidential candidate in 2008, even some conservatives were impressed by his confidence.

But confident ignorance is one of the most dangerous qualities in a leader of a nation. If he has the rhetorical skills to inspire others to have the same confidence in him, then you have the ingredients for national disaster.

…How has Obama gotten away with so many things that are foreign to American beliefs and traditions? Partly it is because of a quiescent media, sharing many of his ideological views and/or focused on the symbolism of his being “the first black President.” But part of his success must be credited — if that is the word — to his own rhetorical talents and his ability to project an image that many people accept and welcome.

The role of a confidence man is not to convince skeptics, but to help the gullible believe what they want to believe. Most of what Barack Obama says sounds very persuasive if you don’t know the facts — and often sounds like sheer nonsense if you do. But he is not trying to convince skeptics, nor worried about looking ridiculous to informed people who won’t vote for him anyway.

2. Foxx was reinforcing the image of  Obama as the guy who gives away all of the “free stuff”, an image that helped to solidify his voting base, the 47%, if you will.

Rush Limbaugh put it best, the day after the election, when, on his radio program, he said:

Conservatism, in my humble opinion, did not lose last night. It’s just very difficult to beat Santa Claus. It is practically impossible to beat Santa Claus. People are not going to vote against Santa Claus, especially if the alternative is being your own Santa Claus.

…All of these things that define the traditional institutions that made this country great, that’s what the Romney campaign was about. It was rejected. That way, or that route to prosperity was sneered at. That route to prosperity was rejected. The people who voted for Obama don’t believe in it. They don’t think it’s possible. They think the game’s rigged. They think the deck is stacked against them.

They think that the only way they’re gonna have a chance for anything is if somebody comes along and takes from somebody else and gives it to them. Santa Claus! And it’s hard to beat Santa Claus. Especially it’s hard to beat Santa Claus when the alternative is, “You be your own Santa Claus.” “Oh, no! I’m not doing that. What do you mean, I have to be my own Santa Claus? No, no. No, no, no. I want to get up every day and go to the tree. You’re the elves,” meaning us.

3. Finally, Foxx’s statement was blasphemous and idolatrous…on purpose. And, the pitiful thing is, this wasn’t the first time an idiot like Foxx has done something like this.

Per Todd Starnes, writing for foxnews.com:

Earlier this month Florida A&M professor Barbara Thompson published a book titled “The Gospel According to Apostle Barack.” The book likens Obama to Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I learned that Jesus walked the earth to create a more civilized society, Martin (Luther King) walked the earth to create a more justified society, but, Apostle Barack, the name he was called in my dreams, would walk the earth to create a more equalized society, for the middle class and working poor,” she wrote in an excerpt published by The Daily Caller. “Apostle Barack, the next young leader with a new cause, had been taken to the mountaintop and allowed to see over the other side.”

A controversial painting of President Obama, posed as Jesus Christ on the cross, is part of an art exhibit at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston.

The Michael D’Antuono painting is called “The Truth” — and features the president with his arms stretched out — wearing a crown of thorns.

The original debut of the painting four years ago was cancelled due to public outrage, Design & Trend reported.

At the time D’Antuono told Air America that he didn’t mean to “disrespect people’s religion. It’s meant as a political piece.”

Last month, Italian artists came under fire for creating figurine replicas of the president and first lady that appeared in Nativity scenes.

One nun told Reuters it was a “cartoon version of a Nativity scene.”

“Something as beautiful as the traditional nativity scene shouldn’t be spoiled by these figurines of personalities and I don’t think children like them,” another critic told Reuters.

And during the Democratic National Convention a number of street vendors sold products depicting President Obama as God — including one poster that declared, “Prophecy Fulfilled.”

The products were not sanctioned by the DNC.

I really do not know if I will be able to take four more years of this idolatry.

A word of warning to Jamie Foxx, and the rest of the Obama Worshipers out there: Do you remember what happened when the Jews, whom Moses was leading out of bondage from Egypt, built and started worshiping a Golden Calf?

Read Exodus 32. It was not pretty.

Obama may be your lord and savior, kiddo, but he sure ain’t mine, or any other Christian American’s.

Allow me to introduce to you the late, Dr. S.M. Lockridge, Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, a great man, who just happened to have been a Black American, explaining exactly whom our Savior is.

Until He comes,

KJ

Washington’s “Revenue” = Our Money

On By kingsjesterIn Politics3 Comments

20 years ago, members of Congress signed the following pledge from the Americans for Tax Reform:

I, _______________, pledge to the taxpayers of the _____ district of the state of__________, and to the American people that I will:

ONE, oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses; and

TWO, oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.

Evidently, Obama’s promises aren’t the only ones that come with expiration dates.

Foxnews.com reports

New York Rep. Peter King and Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday they would break the pledge and accept tax changes to generate more revenue to curb the trillion-dollar federal deficit.

Their statements followed a similar one Thursday by Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

“I agree entirely with Saxby Chambliss,” King said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “A pledge you signed 20 years ago, 18 years ago, is for that Congress. … The world has changed, and the economic situation is different.”

The New York congressman said he was opposed to tax increases but that “everything should be on the table” when President Obama, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid try to broker a deal.

“I’m not going to prejudge it, and I’m just saying we should not be taking ironclad positions,” King added. “I have faith that John Boehner can put together a good package.”

Should Congress and the White House fail to reach an agreement, a $500 billion mix of federal cuts and unrelated tax increases would kick in January 2 — the result of lawmakers failing to reach a more measure approached to cutting the deficit and keeping the country from going over the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

The across-the-board cuts to the federal budget would equal more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years.

Graham has suggested earlier that he would be open to changes in taxes but repeated Sunday only if Democrats are willing to cut federal spending by scaling back entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security.

“I will violate the pledge, long story short, for the good of the country, only if Democrats will do entitlement reform,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

He also said the only pledge that should be made when the country is trillions in debt is to “avoid becoming Greece.”

“Republicans should put revenue on the table,” he continued. “We don’t generate enough revenue.”

However, Graham said he agrees with pledge champion Grover Norquist that tax rates should not be increases and instead suggested generating revenue through capping tax deductions.

Indiana Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, on the same show, acknowledged that his party needs to “bring entitlement reform into the conversation.”

When Politicians like Lindsey Graham use the word “revenue”, it positively chaps my hindquarters.

It’s not “revenue”, Sen. Graham! It is Americans’ hard-earned wages ,which you want to tax the stew out of, in order to continue to fund the out-of-control leviathan known as the United States Federal Government.

The  term “fiscal cliff” refers to

A combination of expiring tax cuts and across-the-board government spending cuts scheduled to become effective Dec. 31, 2012. The idea behind the fiscal cliff was that if the federal government allowed these two events to proceed as planned, they would have a detrimental effect on an already shaky economy, perhaps sending it back into an official recession as it cut household incomes, increased unemployment rates and undermined consumer and investor confidence. At the same time, it was predicted that going over the fiscal cliff would significantly reduce the federal budget deficit.

Grover Norquist, the head of Americans for Tax Reform, summarizes the situation thusly:

Obama’s present demand is that the top two marginal tax rates be increased to 39.6 percent plus the 3.8 percent Obamacare tax surcharge for a top rate of 43.4 percent. The death tax would also jump back to 55 percent, capital gains tax would jump from 15 percent to 23.8 percent, and the tax on dividends would increase from 15 percent to 39.6 percent.

Speaker John Boehner is calling for extending all of the Bush tax cuts for all income groups.

Boehner notes that there are 11 million businesses that pay taxes at the individual level. Obama, on the other hand, is demanding that more than half of small business income be taxed at 43.4 percent rather than today’s 35 percent. This would be a body blow to job creation.

If Obama follows through on his threat and refuses to extend the Bush tax cuts, then there would be an automatic $500 billion tax increase beginning January 1, 2013, that would total $5 trillion over the decade.

…Here’s the thing

Now Obama is trying to conflate these two issues: the automatic tax hike that takes place unless the present rates are not extended as they were two years ago and the automatic spending cuts. They are of course very different. The tax hikes would hurt the economy. The spending cuts would reduce the Obama debt machine and strengthen the economy.

So far, both House Speaker Boehner and Senate Republican Mitch McConnell have both said they would not support any increase in marginal tax rates. They have said they are open to more revenues from economic growth. One fear is that taxes could be raised by limiting tax deductions for home mortgages, health insurance, charitable giving and state and local taxes to raise a great deal of money from taxpayers without technically increasing marginal tax rates.

This would be a bad idea one, because those tax hikes would be instead of spending restraint and second, because reducing deductions now in order to spend more money makes tax reform much more difficult later.

Some had hoped that President Obama would focus on job creation and back off his high tax/stimulus spending agenda that has so damaged the economy. It does appear that four years of failure have taught him nothing.

Obama has not put on the table any specific entitlement reforms and is demanding a total of $1.6 trillion in tax hikes. He is all tax hikes and no spending restraint. Nothing has changed in four years.

Obama, and every politician who decides to jump on his socialist bandwagon and raise taxes during the horrible economic conditions the American Taxpaxers are facing, are playing fast and loose with Americans’ money.

In the business world, that is called poor investing at best, and a con game at worst.

I tell you what, Sen. Graham. Why don’t you and the rest of Hussein Obama’s 40 thieves fix your own fiscal house first, and tighten your own belts, before you force hard-working Americans to pay more taxes to keep you all in the lifestyle to which you have become accustomed.

It’s called being a “good steward” and a “public servant”.

Terms you folks up on Capital Hill seem to have forgotten in the past 20 years, since you signed that pledge.

Until He comes,

KJ