Saturday, March 25, 2017

The Sheep Demand a New Sheepdog

Trevor-and-the-dogThat’s the concept anyway

Let’s be clear: When your party holds the Presidency and you are Speaker of the House your role is that of a sheepdog. You are to round up your flock and get them to vote in a block.

red sheepRound up the Red Shirts!

Of course if you’re busy playing games with the other dogs in the pack,

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and if you promise to repeal and replace Obamacare but deliver a Trojan Horse instead…

trojan sheep

well, your sheep might decide to take a flyer.

sheep fly

 

rain storm

To say that Speaker Ryan failed is an understatement. Let’s face it, you had one job…

healthcare fail

And it was D.O.A. We need a new leader.

_80784566_shaun the sheep

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and Free Republic, Thanks!

Friday, March 24, 2017

Pop Quiz: Civics

Pop Civics Test

1. Which is worse:

a) The Russians “hacking” the election as they have since the beginning of the Cold War or

b) Your own government hacking the campaign of the of the sitting President’s political opponent(s)? If you think this is a tough question you’re probably a liberal and can’t correctly define “fascism” either.

Hint: one presents a Constitutional crisis, the other doesn’t.

31057_large_Patriot_Act_Spying_Wide

2. Is “sanctuary” status for illegal aliens who have committed crimes sanctioned by the Constitution? Or even by common sense?

a) Yes

b) NO

c) HELL NO

Correct answer to #1 is b, why do you even ask? Note to MSM: you can continue to ignore the biggest political scandal in US history (way bigger than Watergate) if you wish but it won’t go away. That a sitting Administration very likely spied on a presidential candidate/president-elect and his campaign/transition team with the complicity of the CIA, FBI, NSA and the British GCHQ intelligence agency is considered rather newsworthy by most thinking Americans. Or as Joey B might say, “it’s a really BFD.” Even Bob Woodward thinks the so called “unmasking” of names could be a BFD:

He drove the point home, adding that "under the rules, that name is supposed to be blanked out, and so you've got a real serious problem potentially of people in the Obama administration passing around this highly classified gossip."

american-spy-state-government-compromisedPretty complicated mechanism for tracking “gossip”

And the answer to #2 is C, “HELL NO.”

chicago sanctuaryOf course “sanctuary” may not mean what you think it means.

Note 2 to MSM: you can continue to NOT report the case of the (alleged) brutal rape of a 14 year old at the hands of two 23 year old (“freshman”) illegal aliens in Maryland if you wish. But the fact that the Maryland legislature is in the middle of cementing their “sanctuary” state status probably indicates that it is a newsworthy item and you will be shirking your (First Amendment) responsibility if you don’t.

But today the MSM along with everyone else will be focused on the fact that President Trump has demanded his party go ahead with the vote on the so-called “repeal” of Obamacare to replace it with RyanCare, with or without the required votes to pass. Trump has no patience for the established practice of long-term horse trading, he’s done. If he doesn’t come up with a fish he’ll cut the bait  Fine by me. Move on; cut taxes and let Obamacare wither on the vine under it’s own weight/wait. And get to work on a real repeal of this monstrosity.

It’s Friday so, as always, recipes are not only accepted, they are encouraged. Carry on, troops.

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and iOTWREPORT, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and Free Republic, Thanks!

Thursday, March 23, 2017

What’s So Hard About Repeal and Replace

one of those days calvinI find myself increasingly ambivalent about the fate of the RyanCare bill. I don’t relish handing the media another reason for a 2 week news cycle bashing of the President; on the other hand this is not what I signed on for and I’m betting it’s not what you signed on for either.

President Trump and Congressional Republicans ran on  “Repeal and Replace” not “Piecemeal and Reface.” If we wanted Obamacare-lite we could have voted for Hillary and the rest of the Democrats: they all ran on preserving Obamacare and Obama’s eponymous health care grab. Barry himself told us that it would be a personal insult if we let the R-words win and destroy his  legacy legislation; let’s get on with it.

mrz030717-color_orig

The Republicans won, remember?  Presidency, House, Senate. So why is it so hard to deliver on this campaign promise? Who are they trying to appease?  Surely no one who took the #SaveObamacare oath will ever vote for a Republican regardless of what they do or don’t do. And just as surely, those who voted for the R-words promise to “Repeal and Replace” Obamacare will hold them to account if they fail to deliver.

The current 3-Phase “Repeal and Replace” bill, “RyanCare,” being pushed by Rhinos and Republican leadership is a far cry from “Repeal.” If - and it’s an increasingly big if - it can pass the House it faces likely defeat in the Senate. Perhaps that’s a blessing; defeat in the House could check the R-word leadership hubris currently on display and perhaps even result in a bill that will actually “Repeal and Replace” Obamacare.

Aside from DJT, nobody on our side seems to know how to use power except for punishing their own. If we want to win, they have to start acting like Democrats;  use the power that voters handed them and ignore the professional protestors who will never vote for any Republican anyway.

You know, this really isn’t that hard. Do I have to do everything for our Ruling Class? Alright then; here’s a simple plan that fulfills the “Repeal and Replace” promise in 2 easy steps that could be enacted simultaneously if the R-words were to miraculously grow a pair overnight. Alternatively they can do it in 2 phases, giving them time to grow a pair and allowing them to iron out all their differences in public. Imagine that: a replacement Healthcare Insurance Plan (HIP) plan where we’d actually know what’s in it before they passed it.

Screenshot Studio capture #3093

My plan repeals Obamacare entirely, effective December 31, 2018 for everyone unless replaced earlier by a new Health Care Insurance Plan (HIP). Further, my bill will immediately eliminate all mandates, taxes, penalties and coverage requirement minimums. It will continue the pre-existing condition mandate and allow children under 26 years of age to remain on their parents plan until 12/31/2018 or until replaced by a new HIP.

mrz032017dAPR

Specifically this is what we need our federal government to do:

  1. Repeal Obamacare entirely effective December 31, 2018 or upon the enactment of a replacement HIP law. Immediately eliminate all mandates, taxes, penalties and coverage requirement minimums. Continue the pre-existing condition mandate and allow children under 26 years of age to remain on their parents plan until 12/31/2018 or until replaced by a new HIP.
  2. Enact a replacement HCI law doing the following:
    1. Allow the purchase of health care insurance across state lines.
    2. Lower costs in Medicare & Medicaid
      1. Negotiate maximum price for prescription drugs as is done everywhere in the civilized world.
    3. Simplify Medicare by eliminating the absurd prescription “donut hole”
    4. Require insurance companies to allow individuals to purchase any plan the insurance company offers to anyone, including any group plan whether the purchaser is a member of the group or not.
    5. prohibit health care providers, including pharmacies and medical device providers from charging uninsured higher amounts for products and services than they charge insurance companies.
    6. Return Medicaid eligibility to pre-Obamacare standards, allowing states to establish different eligibility standards which would be self-funded by the state.
    7. Permit states to establish work related requirements, co-pays and deductibles for Medicaid eligibility.
    8. Allow taxpayers to receive a tax credit (not a refundable tax credit) for out of pocket health care and health care insurance costs including co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles.
    9. Increase tax credit for contributions to Health Savings Accounts (HSA) to $5,000 for an individual and remove the maximum limit on contributions. Remove all requirements that HSA participants be enrolled in any particular health insurance plan and allow HSA participants to enroll in any insurance plan of their choosing or not enroll in any plan at all.

And please, don’t tell me this can’t be done without 60 votes in the Senate. Implement the nuclear option and completely eliminate the filibuster immediately. The filibuster only works if you have the balls to make it benefit your side and it seems that only Democrats and Newt possess such a pair. Once it’s gone we can “Repeal and Replace” Obamacare and confirm Neil Gorsuch to SCOTUS within a week. Then we can move on to pass tax reform, build the border wall, actually reform immigration (I’m not talking amnesty or any of the amnesty-light plans), fix our bad trade deals and Make America Great Again! All this year!

Alternatively, they could just pass the Rand Paul Plan and run the same game plan. 

If they fix the current mess that is Obamacare we don’t need no stinkin’ filibuster because Republicans would maintain a long term control of the White House and both houses of Congress. Too much to hope for? Probably, but I’m not tired of winning yet.

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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Say “Cheese”

cheese man

Don’t believe a word you read, including this. However if you are a cheese-head and have cut it out for health reasons – because it’s “bad for you” - I have good news: As it turns out, not only is cheese not bad for you, it may in fact be good for you!

180-degrees edited

The research from University College Dublin has concluded that people who eat a lot of cheese are thinner than those who don’t, and it doesn’t actually raise cholesterol levels…

They found that the people who consumed the most dairy had lower BMIs, lower body fat percentages, smaller waists and lower blood pressure.

What’s more the participants who ate low-fat dairy tended to have higher cholesterol levels…

The study reinforces recent research from various countries which has suggested that saturated fat from cheese doesn’t increase blood cholesterol levels because of the unique set of nutrients it contains.

“What we saw was that in the high consumers [of cheese] they had a significantly higher intake of saturated fat than the non-consumers and the low consumers and yet there was no difference in their LDL Cholesterol levels,” said study lead author Dr Emma Feeney. – The Independent

Like eggs, which many people had virtually banished from their diets, cheese is well on its way to being rehabilitated as a “good” nutrient rich food. Along with a slew of other nutrition nonsense we’ve been fed constantly over the years by “experts” and government agencies doing their bidding this too will end up being completely debunked. Butter? Coconut oil? Red meat? None of them are actually “bad” for you at all.

Yet, people are still telling us, as recently as last week, how bad high-fat dairy products are for your health. That’s how propaganda works.

make_the_lie_big_make-987-92

So when you hear – over and over and over – that there is “no evidence of Trump being under government surveillance” prior to the election – not only should you not believe it you should assume the opposite.

cheese make america grate again

So truth will out eventually; in the mean time, say “cheese!”

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and Free Republic, Thanks!

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

J. Edgar Comey: “Such Men Are Dangerous”

j edgar hoover comey copy

So, did everyone enjoy yesterday’s kabuki theatre? Both the Comey testimony in the House and the Gorsuch hearing in the Senate was Congressional Open Mic Night at its best: pols otherwise unknown outside their home districts pontificating their respective talking points. Lately all Congressional hearings seem more like a game of reverse-rule Jeopardy: all contestants are required to ask their question in the form of an answer.

Occasionally a rookie lands a seat on the panel who doesn’t follow the rules and asks real questions:

Representative Elise M. Stefanik is a young, freshman republican congresswoman from the Albany New York area.  And using a probative questioning timeline, she single-handily pulled the mask from FBI Director James Comey, yet no-one seemed to notice. - CTH

Given that Congress was first notified about the investigation of the Trump campaign in July, 2016, Rep. Stefanik tries to find out when the sitting President was advised that his FBI had launched an investigation of the Trump campaign’s possible collusion with Russia. At what point did President Obama give tacit approval of the FBI investigation of the campaign of his Party’s opposition?

“when did you notify the White House, the DNI and congressional leadership”? - CTH

Or in other words, what did he know, and when did he know it?

Comey’s response is an uncomfortable study in obfuscation; watch the first 3 minutes carefully. He begs the question - in the form of an answer:

“Because of the sensitivity of the matter.” 

That covers a wide berth, but a reasonable man might conclude that Comey notified Obama at one of those “quarterly meetings” after July 16th and before the election. Which in my simple mind gives credence to Trump’s claim that the Obama administration was “wire-tapping” him. Fake News of course, disagrees with my conclusion: Comey's testimony humiliates Trump - The Washington Post. That’s why they’re Fake News.

So why, you ask, would a President not fire a troublesome FBI director like Comey who’s working both sides against the middle for his own nefarious purposes? As it often does, history once again provides an answer. Here’s LBJ’s response when asked why he didn’t fire J. Edgar Hoover:

LBJ

Believe me, there’s nobody spookier than a high-level spook. Never underestimate the number of dossiers they have assembled nor the amount of “intelligence” that might be contained therein. Because you never know when you might need it.

comey machine gun copy“Ok, who wants me outside the tent?”

“Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous.” – Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and Free Republic, Thanks!

Monday, March 20, 2017

Is There Anything This Man Cannot Do?

calvin end is near

Trump holds such power over the Left that it is a little scary to contemplate. It actually started before the election, when liberals simply contemplated the possibility of Trump:

As that reality sets in, a hallucinatory sense of slow-motion doom is descending on many liberals. (Though not only on liberals.) Victims of Trump-induced anxiety describe nightmares, insomnia, digestive problems, and headaches. Therapists find themselves helping their patients through a process that feels less like an election than a national nervous breakdown.

So you can imagine the depth of their despair when Trump was actually elected. In addition to their normal levels of neurotic anxiety, depression, and  stress there was the horror of Trump induced weight loss (Lena Dunham blames Trump for her weight loss), weight gain:

streisand

and now…  Trump induced insomnia

calvin insomnia

Which might explain all the confused thinking and idiotic behavior on the Left as of late, but probably not. It appears their desperation has reached levels previously unheard of:

Trump’s election has Sharon Van Epps from Seattle turning to prayer. “I ask that God will help us with this mess and show us how to help ourselves,” Epps said.Daily Caller

Wow, “help ourselves?” Irony, thy name is Liberal. When was the last time they were interested in helping themselves? They would like to help everyone else (with your money of course) but that whole bootstrap thing is foreign to them, especially to those in the snowflake generation. I mean, isn’t that what government is for?

Please_Stop_FNL

I for one can’t wait to see the melt down of the snowflakes when Gorsuch is approved as Supreme Court Justice.

calvin snowflake

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and Free Republic, Thanks!

Sunday, March 19, 2017

No Presidential Brackets This Year

For 8 long years the President of the United States would set everything else aside to study up and give ESPN his NCAA Tournament bracket picks – both the men’s and women’s so as not to be considered sexist.

But now, that tradition is over:

brackets

It seems President Trump has work to do and doesn’t have time. Funny, because Barry always made it look so easy -being President I mean:

obama-hold-signShoot! Did I forget to write down my economic plan!? Again?

Obama_Iraq_speech,_8_31_10_ with very clean desk__1It must have gotten lost on my desk.

obamatelepromp_320prompterNo worries, TOTUS will come up with something.

totusSee?

Maybe the trick was knowing how to relax:

obama-beer-white-houseThe Chief SJW kicks back and enjoys a glass of Big White organic honey ale after a hard day’s work of fundamentally transforming America.

I guess we just came to expect all future presidents to be as talented at multi-tasking as Barry was.

obama-umbrellaWalkin’, Talkin’, Chewing gum: check. Whoa! Umbrella?

However even The Most Intelligent Man Ever Elected President™ didn’t always get his picks right. In 2011 his final four picks were Ohio State, Duke, Kansas and Pittsburgh; the actual Final Four were:

Kentucky, Connecticut, Butler and Virginia Commonwealth — the improbable, the implausible, the unthinkable and the downright unimaginable.

The same thing they said about Trump becoming President; which is why you should never rely on experts to tell you how to vote.

So here’s the deal - no presidential brackets this year. President Trump and his team will not be spending their first year in the White House studying team stats like his predecessor did in order to get a slam dunk in the brackets department:

[march-madness%255B7%255D.jpg]

Nope. President Trump may be at Mar-a- Lago but he works more there than Barry did in the White House. In fact, while he was there yesterday the G-20 leaders withdrew their anti-protectionist vow after the Trump administration opposed the free trade statement.

Unlike a certain former President who found it difficult to work anywhere:

 April 23, 2009
“The President throws a football to one of his aides before a meeting in the Oval Office.”
(Official White House photo by Pete Souza)

This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

President Trump works at Making America Great Again from everywhere.

donald-trump-mar-a-lago-guestworkerMr and Mrs.Trump dine with the Japanese Prime Minister and his wife, Mar-a-Lago February 12. 2017 after discussing the menace of North Korea.

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