THE FOUNDATION
"Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories." --Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XIV, 1781TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
Benghazi Panel Filled
In an act of political judo, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) nominated five Democrats to the special committee to investigate the attack on Benghazi. For weeks, the Left was howling that the Right was simply drudging up the issue as political ammunition. During that time, Pelosi said, "We'll have to make a decision as to what the best way is to showcase their unfairness," and options included letting the GOP move forward with its investigation alone. Now, it seems like she's giving in. "I do think it is important for the American people to have a pursuit of these questions done in a fair ... and balanced way," she said. "That simply would not be possible leaving it to the Republicans." Politico says Pelosi's tune change may be to protect Hillary Clinton's 2016 run. While Democrats on the panel will circle the wagons and perhaps hamstring the investigation, only one side is going to come out on top. More...Comment | Share
Republicans Aren't American
Howard "The Scream" Dean is up to his old blathering ways, telling attendees at a fundraiser that Republicans "are not American." Speaking of voter ID laws, he said, "This is a Republican party that has decided they like power so much that they think it's okay to win by taking away the right to vote. They are not American. They could be more comfortable in the Ukraine or Russia. But stay away from our country. We have had enough of the extreme right wing. We have had enough of the politics of anger. We have had enough of the politics of hate. We have had enough of the politics of division." Truth be told, it's Democrats who wear the redder shade of pink like Russia and its communism, and they live and breathe the politics of division. But maybe Dean was confused by Russia's old name: "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics."Comment | Share
GM Recalls More Cars
Government Motors has issued its 30th recall for the year, bringing the total number of vehicles now recalled to 15.4 million globally. "GM has recalled more cars this year than it has sold in several years combined," NPR's Renee Montagne said, "and it's only May." These recalls involve everything from bad welding in Cadillac Escalades preventing proper air bag deployment to the faulty ignition switch blamed for 13 deaths. GM was fined $35 million for that episode, a fraction of Toyota's $1.2 billion fine -- but then again, Toyota wasn't owned by the government.Comment | Share
Investing in Detroit
"Financial giant JPMorgan Chase says it will spend $100 million over five years in Detroit to support and accelerate the bankrupt city's economic recovery," reports the Associated Press. "JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told reporters that his company is 'a for-profit institution' and is investing in Detroit to make money." Last month, news broke that the federal government is considering $100 million for Detroit, too. If Barack Obama had a city, it would look like Detroit, and therefore it would seem that the Motor City's horrendous fiscal history would make it a bad investment. But then again, maybe free enterprise is just the cure. More...Comment | Share
Bloomberg Parties at 9/11 Memorial
The 9/11 Memorial contains the remains of 1,115 unidentified victims of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. It is a solemn place for reflection on those lost, as well as a reminder of why we fight. Yet it's come under deserved criticism for selling t-shirts, toys and various other souvenirs off the blood of the dead. Worse, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided to throw a party -- make that an alcohol-soaked gala -- at the memorial Tuesday. It was supposedly a dedication ceremony, but it was a hobnobbing event for New York's "VIPs" to sip chardonnay served from the converted bar at the main Information Desk. What a disgraceful display of contempt, but we'd expect nothing less (or more) from Nanny Bloomberg.Comment | Share
For more, visit Right Hooks.
Don't Miss Alexander's Column
Read 'Great Society'?, on the 50-year anniversary of LBJ's massive government expansion.If you'd like to receive Alexander's Column by email, update your subscription here.
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RIGHT ANALYSIS
Veteran Care v ObamaCare
How the ObamaCare Political Agenda Killed Veterans
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Saturday, I will be at National Cemetery in Chattanooga, joining with thousands of grateful Americans across our nation, placing flags at each headstone of fellow Patriots who have served our country in uniform. We do this each year in advance of Memorial Day as a fitting gesture in honor of fallen Veterans.
Thus, it is with an especially heavy heart this week that we report not just that Veterans have died in government health care wait lines, but how a political agenda superseded the delivery of that care.
Once again, Barack Obama is entangled in another of his own web of lies, this time in connection with seven years of promises in front of Veteran groups that he would "cut those backlogs, slash those wait times and deliver your benefits."
Three weeks ago, news broke that senior managers with the Department of Veterans Affairs across the nation have been, and are still, deliberately "cooking the books" to appear as if they were efficiently serving Veterans -- and the deception has returned big productivity cash bonuses for those managers.
The number of Vets dying in wait lines has been on the rise since 2009, and their "commander in chief" had nothing to say about the matter for three weeks. Instead, he sent out his press secretary Jay Carney, who insisted that Obama "learned about [the scandal] through [news] reports" (a now-familiar refrain), and that the administration had no knowledge of these problems.
As we noted at the time news broke about the VA managers' deception, the VA is a case study in failed government health care delivery -- there is no effective way to implement accountability in these huge government bureaucracies. We noted also that the VA case study has significant implications for the future of ObamaCare and the Democrats' ultimate goal of central government managed distribution and delivery of health care services across our nation.
Finally this week, Obama took a break from his cross-country fundraising junkets to say a few words about Vets dying in line.
According to Obama: "We all know that it often takes too long for veterans to get the care that they need. That's not a new development. ... That's why when I came into office I said we would systematically work to fix these problems and we have been working really hard to address them. ... When I hear allegations of misconduct, any misconduct, whether it's allegations of VA staff covering up long wait times or cooking the books, I will not stand for it -- not as commander in chief, but also not as an American. None of us should. So, if these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful, and I will not tolerate it -- period. ... Taking care of veterans and their families has been one of the causes of my presidency."
Apparently, "taking care of veterans and their families" has not been "one of the causes," whatever that really means.
Why?
Though Obama made "serving Veterans" a central theme of his campaign, and has since given that "cause" some lip service, the administration could not elevate the colossal failure of government-managed health care services by the VA to front and center without significantly undermining Obama's political agenda to nationalize health care for all Americans. They could not let the epidemic of bureaucratic incompetence in government-managed health care at the VA interfere with their agenda to spread that epidemic across the nation.
Conservative analyst Jonah Goldberg likewise believes the VA presents a huge problem for Democrats: "Why? Because the Democratic party simply is the party of government. It is the party that insists on the nobility, efficacy and intellectual superiority of government. The VA is at the intersection of all the things liberals insist are wise and good and just about government. It is government-run healthcare. It is the tangible fulfillment of a sacred obligation the government has with those who’ve sacrificed most for our nation. It is also the one institution and/or constituency that enjoys huge bipartisan support. The VA, rhetorically and politically, is more sacrosanct and less controversial than Medicare, Social Security, road building, the NIH, or public schools. We are constantly told that we could get so many wonderful, super-fantastic things done if only both sides would lay down their ideological blah blah blah blah and work together for yada yada yada. Well, welcome to the VA. How’s that working out for you?"
Yet Obama still insisted, "I want every veteran to know: We are going to fix whatever is wrong." To the contrary, he has now forced every American into the bureaucratic VA model with its systemic problems.
In May 2008, then-candidate Obama declared, "The true test of our patriotism is whether we will serve our returning heroes as well as they have served us." It comes as no surprise to those of us who have honored our oaths "to Support and Defend" that Obama has failed that test.
The fact is, the administration's political agenda trumped the health care of American Veterans. Obama lied and Vets died.
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Racist Pomp and Hypocritical Circumstance
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Read the rest of the story here.
For more, visit Right Analysis.
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TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
- Cal Thomas: The VA, the NHS and Choice
- Arnold Ahlert: Amnesty by Any Means Necessary
- Victor Davis Hanson: Politics Have Trumped Ethics in the Obama Administration
- Joe Bastardi: Mud in the Eye of the So-Called 'Permanent' Drought?
- Rebecca Hagelin: Truly Celebrate Memorial Day
OPINION IN BRIEF
President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969): "We have never stopped sin by passing laws; and in the same way, we are not going to take a great moral ideal and achieve it merely by law."Columnist Arnold Ahlert: "An additional 12 million illegal aliens attempting to enter the country in the hopes that still another round of amnesty will pass might be a modest total. That's because Americans tend to think of illegal immigration as a problem almost wholly associated with nations to our south. The world is a far bigger place, and an American 'welcome mat' -- comprised of self-interested constituencies coupled with widespread contempt for the law -- suggests we may be dealing with a far larger and more widespread assault on our borders in the future. And that's assuming the word 'border' retains any meaning at all in America's future."
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Columnist Burt Prelutsky: "The First Amendment prohibits Congress from establishing a religion, but it's obvious that Islam has a special place in the pantheon of major faiths. A great many Americans feel free to state their objections to Christianity and Judaism, but when it comes to Islam, we all have to pretend that it's better than the others and that its followers deserve special consideration. I mean, when was the last time you heard an American president say that Christianity or Judaism was a religion of peace? Our government is so tongue-tied when it comes to condemning followers of Islam, they couldn't even describe the mass murders at Fort Hood as Islamic terrorism, dismissing the butchery of Major Nidal Hasan as 'workplace violence.'"
Comedian Conan O'Brien: "A high school girl has invited Joe Biden to be her prom date. However, her father is refusing to let her go with a guy who can't really describe what he does for a living."
Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform -- Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen -- standing in harm's way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.
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