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Issa chastises Cummings with letter

Written by Fox News on . Posted in Politics

Publisher's note:  While I'm in complete agreement with Mr. Issa as to how he conducted himself during the latest 'testimony' of Lois Lerner, We the People are still no closer to getting to the bottom of the IRS targeting conservatives, and Lois Lerner is no closer to jail.  

The other day I saw something that said, loosely paraphrased:

"Every time there is a major event on an issue, the news reports say something like, "the democrats scored a major victory today," or "the republicans soundly defeated the democrats today."  Well, screw the democrats and the republicans.  The real question that needs to be asked when the dust settles each and every time is "did the American people win or lose today."

It seems to me it was a good day for Mr. Issa and republicans, and not such a good day for Mr. Cummins and democrats; but it didn't effect us one iota.

Fox News:  Republican Rep. Darrell Issa has penned a personal, scathing letter to his Democratic counterpart on the House oversight committee, escalating the public feud between the two high-ranking lawmakers amid the committee's investigation into IRS targeting. 

The letter to Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., top Democrat on that committee, was obtained by Fox News. In it, Issa countered, point by point, a series of claims that Cummings and two legal experts made earlier this week about whether former IRS official Lois Lerner could be held in contempt for refusing to testify. 

Issa went further, effectively accusing Cummings of running interference on behalf of his party and the administration. 

"... rather than pursuing the facts where they lead -- which is the function of effective congressional oversight -- you have made yourself an obstacle  to effective congressional oversight, in effect, a defense counsel for Lerner and others who acted to deprive Americans of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights," the committee chairman wrote. 

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'Crash and Burn' Clause

Written by Fox News on . Posted in Politics

Publisher's note:  As the spin and whittling down of the unaffordable train wreck known as ACA continues to unfold, this lastest exemption provides more proof of just how poorly conceived this law has been from the beginning.  It begs the question of why not just admit the total failure of ACA and add it to the pile of wasted money spent by this administration?  

Fox News:  In what might be the death knell for ObamaCare's most controversial component -- the individual mandate to buy insurance -- the administration has added a mega-exemption that critics say would allow virtually anybody to skirt the rule. 

"The door's wide open," economist Doug Holtz-Eakin told Fox News. "[The] mandate which they said was absolutely crucial to ObamaCare is falling apart day by day." 

House Speaker John Boehner said the latest change, made ahead of the March 31 enrollment deadline, applies to "essentially everyone." 

The most recent exemption appears to have been included last week, in an ObamaCare application document. There already had been 13 distinct exemptions, but this document added one more. 

The document said that individuals can now qualify for a "hardship exemption" -- meaning they would not have to pay a penalty for not buying insurance -- if they "experienced another hardship in obtaining health insurance." 

The document does not define what "another hardship" means, and suggests the administration might not be a stickler when it comes to proof either. It says anyone seeking this exemption should "submit documentation if possible." 

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No road for Alaskans...

Written by Fox News on . Posted in Politics

Publisher's note:  This story really got to me!  It's simple enough really; a small, very remote fishing village in Alaska...where US Citizens live, work, and play, has being denied an emergency road for over three decades.  These people are not asking for another Al/Can Highway, they're asking for a very simple, much needed 11 mile gravel access road that would lead to a year round airport. Not so they can jet set around the planet, but so they can get to emergency medical facilities when needed.  

Since they started this quest, nineteen of their friends and family members have died because they couldn't get through to said medical facilities.  During the most recent plea for this road in August of last year, Interior Secretary  Sally Jewel, (not an elected official, I might add) stated after listening to the stories of the locals, "...I’ve listened to your stories, now I have to listen to the animals.”  

Excuse me?!  Once again, a very heartless, over-reaching political appointee has decided that human life is not as important as some trumped up hazard to wildlife or the environment.  Perhaps recognizing the medical aspects of this need, Secretary Jewel felt it doesn't fall in line with her boss' ACA.  

While I'm no expert on such matters, I would suggest the State of Alaska invoke the 10th Amendment and simply build the road themselves.

Fox News:  In one of Alaska's most remote outposts, where a thousand hardy souls make their homes, the Obama administration has put the fate of birds and bears above the lives of people, blocking construction of an 11-mile gravel trail connecting a tiny fishing hamlet to a life-saving airport. 

For more than three decades the predominantly Aleut fishing community of King Cove has been fighting to build a one-lane,gravel track connecting the Cove to the nearby hamlet of Cold Bay. What they have gotten is 30 years of flat-out federal refusals or stall tactics.

Cove residents say a road is necessary so they can reach an all-weather airport in Cold Bay that will transport them to Anchorage, about 625 miles away, for medical treatment. They say that in emergency situations, it's a matter of life and death. 

Late last year, though, the Department of Interior announced it was rejecting plans for a proposed land swap that would allow the road to be built. The Dec. 23 decision cited the negative environmental impact on grizzly bears, caribou and water fowl like the Pacific black brant.

“(Interior Secretary Sally Jewell’s) decision on King Cove was heartless and wrong, and her message to me ever since has been that I need to ‘just get over it and move on,’” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told FoxNews.com. “She thinks it’s over because she’s made her decision. But it’s not done. And it is not going to be done until those people have access to safety.”

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Medal of Honor to be awarded en mass

Written by Fox News on . Posted in Politics

Publisher's note:  In an effort to right "potential" omissions in the awarding of our highest military honor, President Obama will award 24 US Army Veterans, who "may have been by-passed," the Congressional Medal of Honor.  All of the recipients had previously been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, which is the second highest award.

I don't claim to be an expert in these matters, however, the idea of specifically searching for and selecting only among select groups of individuals seems to be at least as discriminatory as the initial first "potential" wrong doing.  That is to say, it appears that there was no review of Caucasian recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross during this Congressionally mandated review.  

Fox News:  WASHINGTON –  Seeking to correct potential acts of bias spanning three wars, President Obama will award the Medal of Honor to 24 Army veterans following a congressionally mandated review to ensure that eligible recipients were not bypassed due to prejudice.

The unusual mass ceremony, scheduled for March 18, will honor veterans, most of Hispanic or Jewish heritage, who had already been recognized with the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest military award. Only three of the recipients are living.

"I never really did worry about decorations," said one of those being honored, Melvin Morris of Cocoa, Fla., who was commended for courageous actions while a staff sergeant during combat operations on Sept. 17, 1969, in the vicinity of Chi Lang, South Vietnam.

Morris, who is black, said in an interview that it never occurred to him that his race might have prevented him from receiving the Medal of Honor. He said it was a huge surprise when the Army contacted him last May about the review and then arranged for a call from Obama.

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Guns bad; Marijuana good

Written by Fox News on . Posted in Politics

Publisher's note:  As many will remember, VISA, through its companies CyberSource and Authorize.net decided last year that they wouldn't process sales of legal guns online; which very naturally ticked off a lot of gun owners.  

The operative word there being legal.  I can't say 100%, but I'd be willing to wager that this decision came about as a result of pressure from the same federal government that has now waved the checkered flag for banks to do business with pot dealers where it is legal.  No doubt, this was a first step for all electronic firearms/ammo transactions.

My major point is; that same government that takes daily steps to prevent We the People from protecting ourselves, wants to keep as many of the masses stupified on drugs they've made legal for just that purpose.  Wake up America.

Fox News:  The Obama administration took the unprecedented step Friday of clearing the way for banks to do limited business with marijuana sellers, releasing guidelines for how financial institutions can work with pot shops in states where it's legal. 

The move immediately was greeted with relief from the budding marijuana industry. Before the guidance, banks largely had avoided the new pot shops in Colorado for fear of federal prosecution -- leaving marijuana sellers running cash-only operations. 

"This is a huge victory for our members, our communities, and the banks that take this opportunity to serve a thriving new market," National Cannabis Industry Association director Aaron Smith said in a statement. "No legitimate business should be forced to manage its payroll, taxes, utility bills, and licensing fees entirely in cash." 

It's unclear, though, to what extent banks will engage those businesses. One industry group, the Consumer Bankers Association, voiced legal concerns despite the new guidelines and urged Congress to get involved. 

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