I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article. Help your friends and relatives stay informed by passing the digest on.
The Coming Collapse of the American Republic
Info about my book. All royalties go to a charity to help wounded veterans. Please forward and post where possible.
Collapse book interview on the Rob Schilling Show
I'm scheduled to be interviewed about my book on Tuesday, 28th June from 1:15 pm EDT until 2:00 pm EDT (That's 12:15 pm CDT to 1:00 pm CDT). Also on the show will be Chet Nagle, author of The Iran Covenant and a former Naval Aviator and former CIA Agent. The show originates from Charlottesville, Virginia, home of the University of Virginia and streams live on the internet. You can get it on the "Listen Live" link at www.SchillingShow.com They welcome callers at (434) 977-1070 on their 'comment line.' Mark your calendars.
Barack Obama in his Own Words
Some updates added.
Resources
For those who want further information about the topics covered in this blog, I recommend the following sites. I will add to this as I find additional good sources.
Pictures of America’s Fiscal Nightmare
Thank God for the Easter Bunny. Well, what are you counting on to rescue us from a fiscal collapse? ~Bob. Excerpt: There's urgency in Washington to fix a problem that's been a long time coming: America's fast track to fiscal implosion. In The Heritage Foundation's just-released, expanded 2011 Budget Chart Book, you can see just how bad the country's spending problem is and how America racked up so much debt. Congress is coming to grips with the need to enact reform, in part because there's a new breed of Tea Party conservatives making their voices heard on Capitol Hill and also because the government has reached the legal limit on how much it can borrow. The Washington Post reports this morning that it's crunch time in Washington, with legislators and the White House working to find a way to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget by 2021. Now is indeed the time for them to take action. In roughly 20 years, the typical American’s share of the national debt will more than triple unless Washington gets the nation’s fiscal house in order. Right now, the national debt averages $31,871 for each American—nearly two-thirds of the median household income of $50,255.
Must Read: The Missing Money by Thomas Sowell
Excerpt: Recently that image came back, in a wholly different context, while seeing pictures of American seniors carrying signs that read "Hands off my Social Security" and "Hands off my Medicare." They want their Social Security and their Medicare to stay the way they are -- and their anger is directed against those who want to change the financial arrangements that pay for these benefits. Their anger should be directed instead against those politicians who were irresponsible enough to set up these costly programs without putting aside enough money to pay for the promises that were made -- promises that now cannot be kept, regardless of which political party controls the government. Someone needs to say to those who want Social Security and Medicare to continue on unchanged: "Don't you understand? The money is not there any more."
Evidence Osama is dead
This week he registered to vote here in Chicago. (Internet joke.)
Excerpt: Green may be good, but it's not free. That's what energy giant American Electric Power told EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson last week. She wasn't listening. The company said new EPA emission-reduction regulations would cost hundreds of jobs at AEP, and hike electric rates by tens of millions of dollars. "Misleading at best, scare tactics at worst," she hummed to reporters. Ah, but she didn't say wrong. How could she? … "Because of the unrealistic compliance timelines in the EPA proposals, we will have to prematurely shut down nearly 25 percent of our current coal-fueled generating capacity, cut hundreds of good power-plant jobs" and spend billions to meet the requirements, said AEP Chairman Michael Morris. That means "significant" rate hikes for some 5 million customers in 11 states. (Consumers in the UK are now getting huge electric bills, due to this type of “green” activity. ~Bob.)
How Many Canadians Seek Medical Care outside of Canada?
Excerpt: There are a growing number of companies providing Canadians with easier access to medically necessary treatments outside the country. Of course, leaving Canada for medically necessary treatment is nothing new; Canadians have been doing so for many years, either in response to the unavailability of certain treatments, in response to concerns about quality, or in response to long wait times for medically necessary treatment, says Nadeem Esmail, the Fraser Institute's former Director of Health System Performance Studies and Manager of the Alberta Policy Research Center. How many Canadians receive treatment outside Canada each year, though? Esmail estimates based on the results of the Fraser Institute's Waiting Your Turn survey and the counts of procedures completed each year in Canada: An estimated 44,794 Canadian in total received treatment outside Canada in 2010. This is a notable increase from the 41,006 Canadians estimated to have received treatment outside Canada in 2009. The national increase in the estimated number of patients treated outside Canada occurred at the same time as a national increase in the median wait time for medically necessary treatment -- specifically, the national median wait time for treatment after consultation with a specialist was 8.0 weeks in 2009 and 9.3 weeks in 2010. This estimate likely underestimates the actual number of patients who received treatment outside the country in 2010, says Esmail.
Harrisburg Works to Prevent Bankruptcy
Could beat Detroit into the abyss. ~Bob. Excerpt: A Pennsylvania state agency outlined a plan last week to steer the deeply indebted city of Harrisburg toward recovery by streamlining services, downsizing government and increasing certain property taxes if necessary, says the Wall Street Journal. Harrisburg, a city of about 50,000, has been working for months to try to stave off a potential bankruptcy filing that would provide legal protection from creditors but could hurt the long-term standing of the capital city and the state in the eyes of bond markets. The report said Harrisburg faces "a direct, immediate and grave financial crisis" so severe that the city "teeters uncomfortably on the verge of bankruptcy that could be triggered at any moment by parties outside its control." The report also projected that Harrisburg will be out of cash and unable to pay bills or make payroll by the fourth quarter of 2011. It cited a $2 million structural deficit in the city's 2010 operational budget, which it said will grow to $3.4 million in 2011 and top $10 million by 2015. The plan -- named after a 1987 law, the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act, or Act 47, designed to aid distressed municipalities -- outlines recommendations to help Harrisburg deal with a $300 million debt burden it inherited from a failed incinerator project whose funding the city guaranteed. In particular, the 418-page plan recommends the sale of the incinerator facility to the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, as well as the sale or lease of assets of the Harrisburg Parking Authority. Some of the plan's main tenets include negotiating contracts to freeze wages, restructure health benefits and control the growth of personnel costs; selling or leasing certain assets; outsourcing commercial sanitation collection; merging two departments; and cutting 19 jobs.
Democrats and Dying Cities: What South Bend tells us about the 2012 election.
Excerpt: Now maybe Newsweek's criteria weren't exhaustive, and maybe "dying" was too strong. Still, despite real advantages including a downtown riverfront and a good location not far from Chicago, South Bend by almost any measure—crime-plagued neighborhoods, boarded-up homes, people fleeing—is a challenged city. In fact, it's not really even a college town, notwithstanding the presence of Notre Dame and the university's growing involvement in some development projects. It is, however, an excellent case study. Especially when its dismal performance is set against the economic recovery that Gov. Mitch Daniels's reforms have brought to the rest of the state. When Mr. Daniels was first elected governor in 2004, he inherited a state whose budget was in the red, whose citizens were losing hope, and whose businesses were being weighed down by taxes and regulation. Over the next few years, he pursued an agenda that he described this way in his latest state of the state address: "We live within our means, we put the private sector ahead of government, the taxpayer ahead of everyone, and we will stay in the black, whatever it takes." It seems to be working, too. Even as the nation has faced hard economic times, Indiana has put its budget in order. It has done so, moreover, while cutting taxes, adding jobs at twice the national rate, and building roads and bridges at a record pace. South Bend, alas, has been an exception. There's a reason for that too.
Huntsman launches campaign with post-partisan message
Excerpt: Former Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman (R) launched his presidential campaign Tuesday with an emphasis on leadership, and a post-partisan message. Speaking against a backdrop that included the Statue of Liberty and part of the Manhattan skyline, Huntsman said he would bring to the presidency a focus on substance, and not on politics. “We will conduct this campaign on the high road,” Huntsman said during his speech, calling modern political debate mostly “corrosive.”
Judge asked to dismiss immigration suit
By golly, if the federal government isn’t going to enforce federal law, no one else is either! ~Bob. Excerpt: Civil liberties groups argued Monday that Georgia's law cracking down on illegal immigration should not take effect until a lawsuit challenging it as unconstitutional is resolved, and a judge said he likely would rule on that request before the law takes effect. The lawsuit asks a judge to find the law unconstitutional and to prevent its enforcement. U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash also heard arguments from a lawyer for the state, who said the lawsuit should be dismissed. Judge Thrash repeatedly questioned Senior Assistant Attorney General Devon Orland, with the exchange sometimes bordering on testy. Omar Jadwat with the American Civil Liberties Union argued the law infringes on federal authority, while Ms. Orland said the measure is needed because medical facilities and prisons are being strained by illegal immigrants.
The Taliban just have to be patient. Let Obama save face and in a few years they will be able to marry all the nine-year-old girls, stone all the teen rape victims and train all the American-murdering terrorists their hearts desire with no opposition from us. ~Bob. Excerpt: It is clear that the United States is beginning the drawdown of its forces in Afghanistan, and it will ultimately likely turn out more rapid than previously expected. This comes along with clear signs that U.S. relations with Pakistan are deteriorating to a point where cooperation — whatever level there was — is breaking down. These are two intimately related issues. Any withdrawal from Afghanistan, particularly an accelerated one, will leave a power vacuum in Afghanistan that the Kabul government will not be able to fill. Afghanistan is Pakistan’s back door, and its evolution is a matter of fundamental interest to Pakistan. A U.S. withdrawal means an Afghanistan intertwined with and influenced by Pakistan. Therefore, the current dynamic with Pakistan challenges any withdrawal plan. There may be some in the U.S. military who believe that the United States might prevail in Afghanistan, but they are few in number. The champion of this view, Gen. David Petraeus, has been relieved of his command of forces in Afghanistan and promoted (or kicked upstairs) to become director of the CIA. The conventional definition of victory has been the creation of a strong government in Kabul controlling an army and police force able to protect the regime and ultimately impose its will throughout Afghanistan. With President Hamid Karzai increasingly uncooperative with the United States, the likelihood of this outcome is evaporating. Karzai realizes his American protection will be withdrawn and understands that the Americans will blame him for any negative outcomes of the withdrawal because of his inability or unwillingness to control corruption.
Pakistan, forced conversions of Hindu girls to Islam. Often unreported out of fear
Excerpt: Young Hindu girls forced to become Muslim and forced to marry their captors, denounce Pakistani Hindus members of the Rights Movement for "scheduled castes" recently formed in Pakistan. They also call for greater respect for their rights. Hindus belonging to "scheduled castes", ie the protected Hindu minorities, form 6% of the total population of Pakistan, and 10% in the region of Sindh, but are under-represented in both public service and in the elected assemblies. In addition, the movement calls for the creation of a law for the registration of marriages of "scheduled castes" that used the term "Hindu" rather than "scheduled castes" in the column that specifies the religion in the registrar, and that the National Parliament promote a law against religious hatred against them.
Girl, nine, used as human bomb
Remember the liberal mantra: all cultures are equally valid, including those who use children as bombs. ~Bob. Excerpt: A girl of nine has told how she escaped Pakistani terrorists who tried to use her as a human bomb. Sohana Jawed said she was kidnapped on her way to school in Peshawar, and forced to wear a remotely-controlled suicide jacket. But she escaped her captors as they prepared to send her towards a paramilitary checkpoint. Sohana, wearing her a blue and white school uniform, recounted her ordeal during a news conference with police in Lower Dir district. Militants in Pakistan have often used young boys to carry out attacks, but the use of young girls is rare.
Government San Fran City Employees‘ Pensions Higher than Average Workers’ Earnings
When they can no longer make the retirement payroll nut, things may get ugly. Coming sooner than you think. ~Bob. Excerpt: When it comes to citizen pay and annual salaries earned, San Francisco has an interesting dynamic going on. On average, public retirees who have retired and are earning pensions are receiving higher pay than non-government residents who are currently in the workforce. According to the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System, the average retiree earns a pension of $46,272 per year; retirees who have worked in city government for at least 30 years earn an average annual pension of $76,981. The numbers tick even higher when looking at the Fire Departments’ retirees, as the average pension is $108.552. Police walk away with $95,016.
Supreme Court reins in trial lawyers in Wal-Mart case
Excerpt: Left-wing nonprofits and private law firms probably thought they had struck gold when they brought a discrimination case against Wal-Mart on behalf of all current and many past female employees. A panel of the infamous 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco had allowed this mammoth case against the country's biggest retailer to go to trial in Wal-Mart v. Dukes, reasoning that the cases of the many and varied alleged victims could be adjudicated in a one-size-fits-all litigation. The 9th Circuit did so over the objections of its chief judge, who wrote in dissent that the plaintiffs had "little in common but their sex and this lawsuit."
Harold Koh is the Gollum of Foggy Bottom
They should have called it, “The kinetic Military Action Powers Act.” ~Bob. Excerpt: "No more ignoring the law when it's inconvenient," then-Sen. Barack Obama proclaimed on the campaign trail; as president, he'd show the world "that the law is not subject to the whims of stubborn rulers." So, last week must have been tough on the half-dozen or so liberals still naive enough to believe that. On Thursday, the president answered House Speaker John Boehner's request for an explanation as to why, 90 days into our Libyan misadventure, he isn't in violation of the War Powers Resolution, which requires him to terminate U.S. engagement in "hostilities" after 60 days in the absence of congressional authorization. "We are acting lawfully," said Harold Koh, the State Department's top legal adviser. You see, since we're hitting Tripoli with offshore missiles and unmanned drones, and the Libyans can't hit back, we're not engaged in "the kind of 'hostilities' envisioned by the War Powers Resolution."
Hawaii's New Budget Deficit: $1.3 Billion
Excerpt: The state's top budget official has raised his estimate of the budget hole lawmakers will have to fill: The total shortfall is now $1.3 billion — more than one-third larger than previous estimates. The new figure represents a 34 percent increase over the previous deficit estimate of $969 million and echoes the Senate Ways and Means Committee chairman's outlook, which pegged the shortfall at $1.2 billion. Kalbert Young, director of the Department of Budget and Finance, told Civil Beat, that Gov. Neil Abercrombie's administration is "being prudent" by assuming a negative 2 percent growth in tax revenues for the year ending June 30.
Gates: War fatigue a factor in Obama's Afghanistan troop withdrawal plans
Only question now is can Obama get a “decent interval” before the Taliban are back stoning rape victims and training terrorists. ~Bob. Excerpt: Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday said growing war fatigue in Congress and among the American people will shape the coming Afghanistan troop withdrawal plan.
14 Reasons Why Rick Perry Would Be A Really, Really Bad President
Excerpt: Supporters of Texas Governor Rick Perry are not going to like this article at all. Right now, Republicans all over the United States are touting Rick Perry as the "Republican messiah" that is going to come charging in to save America from the presidency of Barack Obama. Many believe that if Rick Perry enters the race, he will instantly become the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Perry certainly looks the part and he knows how to give a good speech, but when ordinary Americans all over the country take a hard look at his record, they may not like what they see. The truth is that Rick Perry is a big-time globalist, he has raised taxes and fees in Texas numerous times, he has massively increased the size of government spending and government debt in Texas, he has been trying to ram the Trans-Texas Corridor down the throats of the Texas people and he tried to force young women all over Texas to be injected with the Gardasil vaccine. No, Rick Perry is not going to save America. In fact, he would likely be very, very similar to both Bush and Obama in a lot of ways.
Five Points in Perry’s Favor http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/270101/five-points-perry-s-favor-kevin-d-williamson
Excerpt: Five reasons you might like to see Rick Perry get into the GOP primary race? Easy. How about 1. Mitt Romney; 2. Tim Pawlenty; 3. Michele Bachmann; 4. Herman Cain; 5. Ron Paul? Here’s five more: Boeing, eBay, DynaPump, SunPower, Fluor.
And here’s five longer ones:
MAS' Activist Wing Closes Shop
Excerpt: The Muslim American Society (MAS) announced the closure of its activist wing, the MAS Freedom Foundation ("MAS Freedom"), in a press release issued Friday due to a lack of funding. Headquartered in Alexandria, Va., MAS was founded as the United States chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood, a global Sunni revivalist movement that seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate governed by Sharia or Islamic law. The MAS website describes MAS Freedom as its "national grassroots advocacy arm" that seeks to "build an American Muslim community that is politically empowered, civically engaged, fully protected in the areas of civil and human rights, and able to contribute to the advancement of society, both in the United States and the world."
The 'Jim Crow' Lie; How could asking for ID be discriminatory only when it comes to voting?
Very good questions. ~Bob. Excerpt: Today railroads and hotels, along with almost all providers of public accommodations in almost all circumstances, are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race. So what happens when you ride on Amtrak, the government-subsidized railroad? You hear an announcement over the PA system advising you to be prepared to show your identification if the conductor asks to see it. Likewise, these days there is a good chance you will be asked for identification when you check into a hotel. You need ID to board an airplane or to drive a car. Recently we visited a doctor whose office is in a hospital. Just to enter the premises, we needed to present ID to a security guard. If black people have trouble producing identification, how come nobody ever claims that these requirements are discriminatory? Another important aspect of civil rights is equal employment opportunity. Under the 1986 immigration law, when you are hired for a job, you are required to provide your employer with documents proving both your identity and your citizenship or legal residency. How come nobody ever claims these requirements discriminate against blacks?
Man Charged With Being Fake Army Ranger, Larceny
http://www.military.com/news/article/man-charged-with-being-fake-army-ranger-larceny.html?ESRC=eb.nl
Excerpt: A Greenwich man picked to speak at a Memorial Day event in town about his four tours of duty in Afghanistan turned out to be a fraud, police said. Jesus M. Garcia, 20, wore a military uniform in public. He claimed he had been wounded while in the Middle East. And he asked friends, family and the public for money to help pay for medical services and other costs. But Garcia was never actually in the U.S. Army as he had claimed, police said. Garcia didn't get a chance to speak at the Memorial Day event, and now, he finds himself in a lot of legal trouble.
AZ Sheriff: Why More Troops at Korean Border Than U.S. Border?
Excerpt: Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu said the Obama administration’s decision to extend the deployment of 1,200 U.S. National Guard troops along the U.S. border with Mexico until Sept. 30 is “pandering” and that those numbers “fall far short” of what military power is needed to keep the country safe. Babeu noted, for comparison, the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea to help defend it against North Korean aggression; U.S. troops have been stationed in South Korea for 58 years. Babeu is the sheriff of Pinal County in southern Arizona and is on the frontlines against illegal immigration, human traffickers, drug smugglers, and potential terrorists. He was named the 2011 National Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriff’s Association on Sunday, June 19. “What are we doing?” Babeu told CNSNews.com by telephone. “We need 6,000 armed soldiers on our border to protect America. Homeland Security starts at home.” He was talking about the National Guard.
Illegal re-entry is the top federal criminal charge
Excerpt: Illegal re-entry into the United States accounted for nearly one-quarter of all federal prosecutions and almost half of all immigration prosecutions in the first half of the year, making it the top federal criminal charge, according to Justice Department data.
The statistics, analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, showed that convictions under the felony law, typically resulted in an average sentence of 14 months in prison. Undocumented immigrants who are apprehended and have been previously processed into the immigration system for illegal entry or other immigration related violations face charges of illegal reentry. Illegal entry, when an individual is caught for the first time entering the U.S. illegally, is the second most common immigration crime and is considered a misdemeanor, which averages a sentence of one month in custody, according to the report. (Not to worry, Obama says the border is secure. They just have to try until they make it through, then the feds won’t touch them and will sue the states if they try. ~Bob.)
Europe's IMF game
Excerpt: Most Americans had barely heard of the International Monetary Fund before the arrest of its managing director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, for sexually assaulting a hotel housekeeper. Yet the race to replace him offers a chance to rethink everything about what the real American interest is in the IMF -- including whether its continued existence is beneficial. The top contenders for Strauss-Kahn's job are French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde and Bank of Mexico Governor Agustin Carstens. Europeans have headed the IMF since its founding, as Americans have led the World Bank -- prerogatives that Third World countries increasingly resent as vestiges of colonialism. Carstens' candidacy is the most visible manifestation of this rising discontent. Until now, America has reflexively supported the IMF candidate chosen by Europe, in a tacit deal whereby the Europeans always backed Washington's selection of an American to head the World Bank. Needless to say, the Third Worlders don't like that deal at all.
Getting over Dubya
Excerpt: The Republican noncandidate flavor of the week is Texas Gov. Rick Perry. If you squint just right, you could mistake him at a podium for his predecessor, George W. Bush. Except for his message. There might be no more powerful symbol of the death of compassionate conservatism in the Republican Party than Bush's successor and former running mate in Texas stomping all over it with cowboy boots emblazoned with the words "Freedom" and "Liberty." Bush rose from Texas to the national stage in 1999 talking of his federal education agenda, the courage of single mothers, the power of drug and alcohol recovery programs and the need for government to forge partnerships with faith organizations. Perry is emerging from Texas talking of the 10th Amendment, cutting government, defending freedom -- and defending freedom some more.
Issa: ATF Chief Should Go But Higher Ups Also Culpable
Excerpt: Amid reports that Kenneth Melson will be forced to resign as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a Republican congressman says “he should” lose his job.
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Robert A. Hall
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