The House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing this morning to examine the allegations of misconduct against IRS Commissioner John Koskinen and decide whether he deserves to be impeached.
Lawmakers on the committee summoned Koskinen to answer accusations from the House Oversight panel that he failed to preserve documents Congress requested, and didn’t tell the full truth about Lois Lerner’s erased backup tapes, but the IRS chief will not be appearing at the hearing.
The IRS issued the following statement:
“When the committee announced this hearing, he was returning from China after meeting with tax administrators of 43 nations,” the statement reads. “The committee’s quick timetable left him without the time to fully prepare for Tuesday’s hearing. In addition, he also has been preparing for a previous commitment to appear before a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Wednesday.”
Once again, my friend in DC weighs in on the state of the 2016 presidential horse race:
As most polls predicted, and I agreed, that Trump would get the GOP nomination, my further prediction was that he will pick either Cruz or Perry as VP, but that would eventually come around only after a brief pause to lick one’s wounds. At the very least, my guess is that Trump’s VP will be a Texan or somebody from another large electoral state to give him the lock on at least 45 states in the electoral. What that means is: no Gingrich, no Ryan, nor even Kasich, no Walker, or certainly not JEB! would be on the Trump short list. Although I did think for a while that it could be Rubio, now, not so much. Trump pretty much has Florida in the bag. So for what its worth, I still think it will be a Texan.
Have u seen Trump’s SCOTUS nominee list? I’m sure you have. IMO, for no other reason that list alone should make all true conservatives vote for the Trump ticket. Remember, #neverHillary means Never Hillary Matters!
Now for a little fun. Here are my latest predictions:
1. Trump will win at least 45 states in November. Actually thought it would be 47 or 48, but a lot of very big hitters
from as long ago as the Reagan administration’s Art Laffer and Pat Buchanan are now saying at least 45, so I will go with that number also.
2. Hill/Bill will have a medical “problem” soon.
3. Another shocker, re: above number 2, … but so will Bernie. 😉
4. Trump will also win in November with the most votes of any candidate in US history. It will be that historic.
5. Three major world events are happening this summer: first, the GOP convention followed almost immediately by the DNC convention, then a few weeks later the Rio Olympics. The GOP convention will be orchestrated and run by the premiere folks who Trump has used in the past to run major events like beauty pageants, sporting events, etc. only this time, the ratings will be through the roof – for all the good reasons. We are talking about the one major media/celebrity event of the century, and it will be so spectacular and over-the-top that from coast-to-coast and in flyover mid-America, from North to South from East to West and all over the world even, there will be a Trump media-bomb like no other in history. To say that it will be a big production isn’t strong enough… it will be yuuuge. Do not doubt that.
6. The second major event will be the disaster at the DNC convention in Philadelphia immediately after the GOP convention concludes. It will be Occupy Wall Street plus 1968 Chicago, times ten. The Clintonistas will want their revenge by then, and so will the Bernouts. Nobody has a clue who the DNC will actually put forward as the nominee to take on the mega-Trumpasaurus, but he/she will do so very reluctantly… knowing full well that they will fade into history as just another trivia factoid that nobody will remember. Yes, the DNC will come undone and the Democratic Party will implode on its own bloated ideological obesity, just as I predicted in my previous opinion piece.
7. The news legacy media will be reeling from the DNC disaster, and will be desperate to switch focus to anything – literally anything – other than the US presidential race. Ergo, no matter how bad the weather, infectious pandemics, crime, corruption, etc, at the Rio Olympics, it will be THE only story we will be seeing or hearing about for three weeks. Maybe longer if they can get the body count up. And no, that’s not a mis-type. Rio 2016 won’t be about the medal count. It will be about the body count. And I ain’t talking about the lurid media cronies in their exclusive reporting beachside, counting all the scantily clad Girls From Ipanema. No, unfortunately I’m talking about dead bodies.
8. And the worst prediction is the only thing that isn’t part of my political preview, yet remains the one thing that hovers over all humanity like a modern day bubonic plague: nuclear/bio/chemical/jihadic terrorism. It will happen. Soon. I don’t think it will be in the US, but could be. More likely it will be in a foreign port with US and allied-flagged vessels nearby. Rio 2016? No thanks. I ain’t buying that ticket.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee led by Rep. Jason Chaffetz is holding a hearing this morning titled, “White House narratives on the Iran Nuclear Deal” to examine the process by which the Obama administration negotiated the Nuke deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Obama’s Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes was invited to appear before the committee, but late last night, the White House declined, citing Executive Privilege. (Which of course, WH spox Josh Earnest told reporters last week, would not be an issue.)
BACKGROUND:
On July 14, 2015, Iran and the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany finalized the JCPOA, also known as the “Iran Nuclear Deal.”
The JCPOA is intended to ensure Iran’s nuclear program is used for purely peaceful purposes, in exchange for a broad lifting of sanctions.
President Obama asserts the JCPOA represented the most effective means to ensure Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.
Critics of the agreement expressed concerns that the extensive sanctions relief would give Iran additional resources to extend its influence in the region. Critics also assert the lifting of a U.N. prohibition on arms sales to Iran or arms exports by Iran, and on Iran’s development of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, will set the stage for Iran to emerge as a key regional actor.
The nation would be shocked by the details surrounding Iran’s treatment of U.S. sailors when they were captured by Iran back in January, a member of the House Armed Services Committee said Monday after receiving a full classified briefing about the abduction.
Rep. Randy Forbes (R., Va.) told the Washington Free Beacon that the classified details are currently being withheld by the Obama administration and it could be awhile before the American public gets a full accounting of the incident.
“I’ve had a full classified briefing” from military officials, Forbes told the Free Beacon. “It could be as long as a year before we actually get that released.”
Details of the abduction are likely to start an uproar in the nation and call into question the Obama administration’s handling of the incident, which many experts say violated international and maritime law.
“I think that when the details actually come out, most Americans are going to be kind of taken aback by the entire incident, both how Iran handled it and how we handled it,” Forbes disclosed. “I think that’s going to be huge cause for concern for most Americans. That’s why I’ve encouraged members of Congress to get that briefing so they do know exactly what did take place.”
Capt. Gary Leigh, the commanding officer of the riverine squadron at the time of the incident, was relieved of his duties last Thursday. He was the first officer to be publicly disciplined in the wake of the debacle which according to the Navy Times, “nearly scuttled the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal at the 11th hour.”
But it was worse than that for the Obama White House. It nearly scuttled the the president’s SOTU theme of America “leading the world toward shared peace and prosperity.”
According to New York Times reporter David Samuels, the president’s Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, was furious when his media toadies refused to suppress the story which had inconveniently happened on the day of the president’s State of the Union address.
“They can’t keep it a secret for two hours?” Rhodes told Samuels, exasperated at “the break in message discipline.”
Obama at least was disciplined. He went on to deliver his SOTU speech without mentioning the unwelcome distraction from his message.
The Obama administration went on to frame the entire situation as an exampleof their deftness at international diplomacy.
Essentially, the White House said, two American boats simultaneously broke down and floated into Iranian waters, at which point the IRG generously towed them to Farsi Island, provided the crew shelter, and then returned them. “Ten US Navy Sailors safely returned to US custody today, after departing Iran,” reported the US Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs Office. “There are no indications that the Sailors were harmed during their brief detention…The Navy will investigate the circumstances that led to the Sailors’ presence in Iran.”
Secretary of State John Kerry then added his praise for the Iranians:
I’m very pleased that our Sailors have been safely returned to US hands. As a former Sailor myself, I know the importance of naval presence around the world and the critical work being done by our Navy in the Gulf region. I’m proud of our young men and women in uniform and know how seriously they take their responsibilities to one another and to other mariners in distress.
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter then added his voice to the chorus of love for Iran:
I am pleased that ten US Navy sailors have departed Iran and are now back in US hands. I want to personally thank Secretary of State John Kerry for his diplomatic engagement with Iran to secure our sailors’ swift return. Around the world, the US Navy routinely provides assistance to foreign sailors in distress, and we appreciate the timely way in which this situation was resolved.
Vice President Joe Biden was even more glowing:
No, there was no apology, there was [nothing] to apologize for. When you have a problem with a boat, do you apologize the boat had a problem? No, and there was no looking for any apology. This was just standard nautical practice…The Iranians picked up both boats, as we have picked up Iranian boats that needed to be rescued [and then] released them like, you know, ordinary nations would do. That’s the way nations should deal with one another. That’s why it’s important to have channels open.
Now, of course, news is leaking out that these scoundrels were lying their asses off as usual. Rep. Forbes suggests that Iran’s treatment of the U.S. sailors “may have been much worse than what has been publicly reported.”
“I think clearly there were violations of international and maritime law that took place here,” Forbes said. “We [the United States] did almost nothing in response, in fact, to have Secretary [of State John] Kerry actually thank them for releasing our sailors after they way they captured them, I think was a slap in the sailors’ face.”
It’s like the Bergdahl debacle all over again, which as you remember began with a triumphant Rose Garden announcement of Pvt. Bowe Bergdahl’s glorious release from an Taliban prison (in exchange for five Taliban commanders) and ended with an order that he face a court-martial for his disgraceful desertion.
There is just no end to the weak, craven, and dishonest behavior of this God-forsaken administration.
Joe, a self-employed construction worker from Caret Virginia, called into the Mark Levin Show Wednesday to “bust the myth” about the minimum wage.
Joe was bitter because he has always worked hard and played by the rules, while illegal immigrants and welfare cheats make their living off of the American taxpayer.
He said that the first thing a head of the household with two kids making minimum wage does, is head over to the Social Security Administration.
“You get $400 a month in food-stamps,” he began. “That comes from me. He doesn’t earn it. It’s free. Then he goes and he gets a Section 8 house. Instead of paying $1,100 a month like I have to pay, he gets $900 paid by the government, tax free. Then he gets temporary cash assistance. He has 2 kids in school – that’s $300 a month as long as they’re in school. Then he gets another $1,000 a month in free Medicare (Medicaid) because he, his wife, his family get free insurance that I get to pay for, but he gets it for free. I guarantee his kids have ADHD so his kids get free Adderall that he and his wife can go out and sell.”
Joe said he knows construction workers who go to the doctor claiming to have a backache (when they’re not hurt) so they can get the Oxycodin which he says is worth $1 per milligram on the street. He added “that’s worth another $700 to $1,000 a month in cash.”
“That’s why we have a heroin epidemic,” Joe explained. “Because doctors are hooked on the Medicare just like the people are.”
He continued, “then at the end of the year they get an unearned income tax credit worth $2,500 per family member.”
He said it is impossible to get workers to come in and work for a decent wage when it’s more profitable to stay home and do nothing.
“These people don’t want to earn over a certain amount because they’ll lose subsidies,” Levin summed up.
Joe said he joined the military at age 16, served his country, broke his back twice and still managed to work his way up without ever taking a dime from the government. But it wasn’t easy. At one point he had to hitchhike to work. “Nobody helped me,” Joe seethed. Not that he would have accepted assistance from the government because that’s not how he says he was raised.
“I hate my government,” he added. “I’m angry.”
Joe said that it’s nearly impossible for businesses to make a profit today with all of the taxes and regulations they have to pay. “I’m out now,” he concluded. “I said to hell with it.”
Most conservatives support a “safety net” for people who temporarily fall on hard times or for whatever reason can’t (not won’t) help themselves. But cradle to grave dependency on government is not only unsustainable, it’s deeply immoral. It’s so very very wrong — not just because it adds to the debt and hurts the economy. It also hurts the people it is intended to help, turning them into adult children with no shame, no work ethic and no sense of responsibility. The worst become violent street predators who wreak havoc on the peace and tranquility of peaceful communities.
What kind of person is proud of living his/her life totally dependent on government?
Meet “Lucy,” the 32 year old Welfare queen who called into a radio talk show in Austin Texas, a few years ago. Remember Lucy?
She gets $550.00 for rent $425.00 for food stamps, $150.00 for electric, free cell phone, $100.00 for water, and even Christmas presents for her three kids. “Why should I work?” she asked. She’s married, but her husband rarely works. “He doesn’t really see the need for it”, she said.
“…To all you workers out there preaching morality about those of us who live on welfare… can you really blame us? I get to sit around all day, visit my friends, smoke weed.. and we are still gonna get paid, on time every month…”
She said “taxpayers are the fools.”
For the past seven plus years everything bad about the welfare system has skyrocketed. (Of course,everything bad skyrockets under Obama.)
“O Deus Ego Amo Te,” Prayer of St. Francis Xavier by the heavenly Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles.
“O Deus, ego amo te, O God I love Thee for Thyself…”
The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, a secluded group of nuns living in the farmlands north of Kansas City, have become the unlikely rock stars of traditional classical music. Tracy Smith takes us on a first-ever look inside the place where it all happens.
Nice Deb 