THE FOUNDATION
"The multiplication of public offices, increase of expense beyond income, growth and entailment of a public debt, are indications soliciting the employment of the pruning knife." —Thomas Jefferson, letter to Spencer Roane, 1821TOP RIGHT HOOKS
Job Numbers Can Be Summed Up in One Word: 'Unchanged'
When will the U.S. economy roar back to life? First quarter GDP dismally underperformed expectations, and it can't be blamed on the weather. The only good number in April's Bureau of Labor Statistics' jobs report is that the U.S. economy added 223,000 jobs. But even that number is tempered by the paltry number of workers the country added in March. Unemployment "was essentially unchanged" as it was 5.4%, and the U-6 measure of labor underutilization edged down a tenth of a percentage point to 10.8%. And the labor force participation rate remains at historic lows. "Since April 2014, the participation rate has remained within a narrow range of 62.7 percent to 62.9 percent," the report says.Of the jobs that were added, most of the growth was in the economic sectors of professional and business services, health care and construction. The oil and gas industry lost 3,000 jobs in April, which shows it's contracting and jettisoning workers after the glut of energy production in December. The factories are slowing down, as the average manufacturing workweek is shortening to 40.8 hours. This is all in contrast to the Obama administration's mantra that the economy will kick itself out of first gear any day now. Before BLS released the numbers, The New York Times said the shadowy policymakers at the Fed will be watching this report to see if they should raise interest rates. While it would be nice to get a little something for keeping money in a bank, it seems like the Fed will follow the economy's lead and stay frozen.
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Surprise! British Conservatives Win Election
The Conservative Party won an absolute majority in Parliament in Great Britain's elections Thursday, ensuring not only that Prime Minister David Cameron will still reside at 10 Downing Street but that the party can govern alone after five years in a coalition. The results confounded British pollsters, who had predicted a tight race and perhaps even a loss for Conservatives, also called Tories. (Completely wrong polls sound quite familiar.) But National Review's Andrew Stuttaford has a theory: "Where did the pollsters go wrong? Probably by underestimating the amount of ‘shy Tories’ that there are. Brits should pause to think of what it says about the country’s intellectual climate that so many voters on one side of the aisle are unwilling to disclose their voting preferences." That, too, sounds sadly familiar.Cameron ran on a referendum of the Tories' record of turning around the nation’s economy. He defeated Ed Milliband, whose leftist Labour Party promised a return to a more robust, government-led agenda that would increase spending on entitlements. Labour's loss was largely attributable to Scotland, where the Scottish National Party took 56 of 59 seats in a typical Labour stronghold. That could mean a new push for Scottish independence, though Cameron could perhaps head that off with a British version of American federalism, shifting more power to the four home nations of the United Kingdom.
Next up: a referendum by 2017 on British membership in the European Union.
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Lynch Signals Her 'Solutions' to Fixing Unrest in Baltimore
Before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, newly minted Attorney General Loretta Lynch outlined her proposed budget for the Department of Justice, backing rhetoric with proposed dollars for fixing the unrest in places like Baltimore. First, Lynch proposed boosting the money going to the Community Relations Service, a program arising out of the Civil Rights Act designed to smooth over racial and ethnic tension. But when the CRS glided into Ferguson last year, National Review's Ryan Lovelace reported that it lectured residents on "white privilege" and the first town hall meetings disintegrated into shouting. Lynch also announced a proposed $69.5 million boost to the Community Oriented Policing Services to make America's police force more diverse. "Again, it is efforts like these that may help to prevent situations like those in Ferguson and Baltimore," Lynch said in her written testimony to the committee. Finally, the two-week-old AG suggested she will announce a DOJ probe investigating if Baltimore's police department used excessive force. Lynch is doubling down and asking for more funding for the failed programs of the past, the very programs that didn't prevent the problems we have now. More...Comment | Share
MOTHER'S DAY
On Sunday, as we celebrate Mother’s Day, we’re reminded that among the Ten Commandments there is but one that comes with a promise: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation in 1914 proclaiming Mother’s Day a national holiday. But then again, we don’t need a holiday to express our appreciation to moms everywhere. May God bless each and every mother among our Patriot readers!
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FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Hillary Changes Her Immigration Tune
By Michael Swartz
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Ramping up for the 2016 election, however, Hillary has changed her tune, as millions of illegal aliens have now become prospective voters. Democrats today realize that these “new Americans” can become a huge voting bloc and put several states permanently out of reach to the GOP. So Hillary is now squarely in favor of “full and equal citizenship” for everyone who wants to come to America, illegally or not.
Hillary's new message is that she would "go even further” than Obama if Congress doesn't act. “I will fight for comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship for you and for your families across our country,” Hillary told a Las Vegas audience. This includes not only the parents of so-called DREAMers but also illegal aliens who had already been deported but still have relatives here.
“I want to do everything we can to defend the president's executive orders [on immigration] because I think they were certainly within his authority constitutionally," she added. "Legally, they were based on precedent that I certainly believe is adequate. And then still try to go further and deal with some of these other issues like the reunification of families that were here and have been split up since the last eight, 10, 12 years.”
But even the Obama administration won't say whether her idea is legal. “There may be a legal explanation [for her promises] that they have that you should ask them about,” stammered White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.
So how will Republicans respond? It goes without saying that accusing Hillary of flip-flopping won't get them very far, as Democrats are only held responsible for what they're saying at precisely a given moment, subject to change depending on the audience. Moreover, being against unfettered immigration is now equated with racism, and Beltway Republicans run from that comparison like a squirrel from a dog. But the primary hurdle for Republicans is that they're flip-flopping themselves.
In short, Republicans have no idea how to address the issue in a consistent, principled and conservative way.
But there is a sizable contingent of voters that is sick of mere talk about securing the border first; tired of the federal government standing in the way of states seeking to enforce their own immigration laws; worried about the direction of our nation; and disgusted by the unwillingness of this generation of immigrants to even attempt to assimilate. Yet the Chamber of Commerce and other amnesty proponents continue to move the needle. Competing forces remain in a tug-of-war for the Republican Party, paralyzing it and allowing Democrats to control the narrative.
Unfortunately, while Republicans dither on their response, the federal government is working overtime to bring in more potential "citizens." By the time Hillary takes office in 2017, it won't make any difference who she lets in anymore. And what she said in 2003 will be ancient history.
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TODAY AT PATRIOTPOST.US
- ANALYSIS: Senate Surrenders to Obama on Iran
- VA Sends a Very-Much Alive Veteran Condolences for His Death
- Oregon Toughens Background Check Requirements
- IRS Leadership Gave Hundreds of IRS Tax Cheats Free Pass
- 'Where Do We Draw the Line?'
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
- Tony Perkins: GoFundMe Reaches Hypocritical Mass
- David Limbaugh: Is Baltimore's Mosby Seeking Justice or Something Else?
- Jonah Goldberg: The Left's Inconsistent Stance on Provocative Art
- Michelle Malkin: SFC Christopher Speer Is Dead; Omar Khadr Is Free
- L. Brent Bozell & Tim Graham: Hollywood's Climate Hypocrites
- Michael Barone: Why Americans Oppose Economic Redistribution
OPINION IN BRIEF
Tony Perkins: "Aaron and Melissa Klein don’t have much in common with Ray Kasper, convicted sexual predator. But they have even less in common, now that the Kleins have been kicked off GoFundMe — and Ray remains. The felon, who is fighting a 'wrongful conviction' for sexual assault, is just one of the shocking examples of the fundraising company’s hypocrisy. A week after pulling the financial rug out from under the Christian bakers fined $135,000 and florist Barronelle Stutzman, GoFundMe’s alleged policy against raising money for 'formal charges of heinous crimes' certainly rings hollow here. ... All Melissa and Aaron Klein are guilty of is exercising the religious liberty the U.S. Constitution guarantees them — and for that, they were deemed unworthy of support by their fellow Americans. Obviously, the real reason had nothing to do with their litigation and everything to do with pressure from the radical Left. If GoFundMe wants to discriminate against Christians, that’s their business. But at least have the spine to come right out and say it instead of inventing a phony excuse about wrongdoing. One look at their website and it’s clear: the only thing that’s criminal is their application of company guidelines."Comment | Share
SHORT CUTS
Insight: "The most unresolved problem of the day is precisely the problem that concerned the founders of this nation: how to limit the scope and power of government. Tyranny, restrictions on human freedom, come primarily from governmental restrictions that we ourselves have set up." —Milton Friedman (1912-2006)Demo-gogues: "In America, our nation is stronger because we welcome and respect people of all faiths, and because we protect the fundamental right of all peoples to practice their faith how they choose, to change their faith, or to practice no faith at all, and to do so free from persecution and discrimination." —Barack Obama (Unless, of course, you're a Christian baker or florist who has objections to servicing a same-sex wedding, or an Armed Forces chaplain who offers biblical doctrine to a disgruntled serviceman, or a city official publicly expressing his Christian faith, ad nauseam...)
Non Compos Mentis: "Not right: A min. wage-earning single parent of two must work 50 hrs/week to escape poverty." —Sen. Cory Booker, evidently opposed to hard work
Village Idiots: "There are so many kids in this country who look at places like museums and concert halls and other cultural centers and they think to themselves, ‘Well, that’s not a place for me, for someone who looks like me, for someone who comes from my neighborhood.’ In fact, I guarantee you that right now, there are kids living less than a mile from here who would never in a million years dream that they would be welcome in this museum." —Michelle Obama, who seems to think museums are a haven for white supremacists
Dezinformatsia: "Well, [Team Clinton is], frankly, very confident about [the Benghazi] hearing. They think that at the end of the day, Hillary Clinton can take on that committee, and they're going into it almost welcoming the opportunity, I think, to try to clear the air." —MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell
And last... "The great thing about Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate is that everyone already knows not to trust her." —Frank Fleming
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Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
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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