E-MAILS SHOW GEITHNER, TREASURY TERMINATED PENSIONS OF NON-UNION WORKERS

In what may contradict testimony by Obama administration officials under oath and may be a violation of federal law, The Daily Caller obtained emails that show Timothy Geithner’s Treasury Department “was the driving force behind terminating the pensions of 20,000 salaried retirees at the Delphi auto parts manufacturing company,” and the move, according to The Daily Caller, “appears to have been made solely because those retirees were not members of labor unions.”

As The Daily Caller notes, “Under 29 U.S.C. §1342, the PBGC is the only government entity that is legally empowered to initiate termination of a pension or make any official movements toward doing so” and “the White House and Treasury Department have consistently maintained” the PBGC “independently made the decision to terminate the 20,000 non-union Delphi workers’ pension plan.”

These emails contradict sworn testimony by several Obama administration figures and is yet another example of Obama’s administration misleading lawmakers, the courts, and the public -- as they did with Obamacare -- when it came to these pension cuts. 

Via: Breitbart

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Wife of steelworker in new Obama Super PAC ad still had job and health insurance after he lost his

I wonder if Bill Burton and crew knew about this and greenlit the smear anyway or if they didn’t care enough to even find out. Why would they? The point of calling Romney a murderer is to keep him on the defensive; the more ridiculous the charge is, the more media/online oxygen it sucks up and the less air there is for Mitt’s own attacks on O to breathe. They tried a straightforward offensive against Romney’s complex private equity record a few months ago but the results were inconclusive. Now they’re trying again with a bolder, simpler narrative: Romney’s layoffs literally killed people. If you’re a low-information voter who pays attention to this stuff in bits and pieces, a story you’re half-listening to about a rich guy and a steelworker and a plant closing and a young wife tragically dying from cancer sounds really bad, even if it’s a gross smear. In fact, the grosser the smear, the more compelling the half-listened-to story seems. Right, Harry?

Question: Knowing what we know now about the timeline of all this, what’s left of the accusation in the original smear ad? What is it, precisely, that Bain is being faulted for doing or not doing? They shouldn’t have closed down the plant because … it was unfair to expect the workers who were laid off to ever find new jobs with insurance? It was negligent not to predict that some workers’ wives might get laid off too and wouldn’t find a new job for years before they became ill? There appears to be no actual policy or business critique here. It’s just a string of events spread over five whole years, with certain key data omitted, and you’re supposed to infer causation without really being told why or how. This is what the Unicorn Prince has come to after promising four years ago to heal America or whatever. Perfect.

Via: Hot Air

Propaganda Minister Jay Carney: Being President “Restricts” Obama’s Ability To Campaign…

                   

Reporter: At this point, the president has had to attend so many more fundraisers than, say, George W. Bush had during this point in his reelection campaign. Does that impact the president’s ability to do his day job?

Jay Carney: Well, it does not. It certainly is part of running for president and running for reelection. But as we’ve discussed here, it is a simple reality that even as he is a candidate for reelection, he continues to be president of the United States. And the demands of the job restrict his capacity, in some instances, to focus entirely on the campaign. He simply cannot do that. So he, and we, carefully allocate his time, working with the campaign, and when matters of state trump campaign requests for his time, that’s a fact that he has to live with and we have to live with because that is his primary responsibility.

Via: Weasel Zippers

KILLING WELFARE REFORM: OBAMA RUNS ON CLINTON LEGACY WHILE DISMANTLING IT

President Obama spent nearly a trillion dollars of our children's and grandchildren's in a Kenyesian binge that not only hasn't lowered unemployment or created economic growth, but likely got in the way of what would've been a stronger economic recovery had Obama simply done nothing. This is a difficult economic record for a sitting president to run for reelection on but with the help of a corrupt and complicit media, Obama's not only a couple of points ahead of his challenger in the polls. he's pulling off the neat trick of running on Bill Clinton's record even as he dismantles Clinton's legacy -- including welfare reform.

From an ad the Romney camp released today:

--

Under Clinton and the Gingrich congress that reigned him in, America saw boom times; an extension of an unprecedented economic growth period that started with Reagan's tax cuts in the early eighties and was interrupted only by a single short-lived and shallow recession that, ironically, would be the downfall of Reagan's successor, George H. W. Bush.

Via: Breitbart

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OBAMA ADMINISTRATION PAVES THE WAY FOR SHARIA LAW

The most terrifying danger Americans face from a second Barack Obama term isn’t the economy, which is scary enough.

The most harrowing prospect is the Obama Administration’s passivity in the face of attempts to introduce aspects of sharia law into our legal system.  Now there is strong and open evidence of the Obama administration collaborating with Islamist activists to ensure the path toward sharia law is accelerated.

Just last week, Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division, was asked this question by Trent Franks (R-AZ), a member of the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution: "Will you tell us here today that this Administration's Department of Justice will never entertain or advance a proposal that criminalizes speech against any religion?"

Perez refused to answer. Four times.

And why would Franks target Perez?

Via: Breitbart

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Mooch: “Building Our Economy Starts With The Restaurants”…

(CNSNews.com) - Striking a similar theme to one her husband also struck last week, First Lady Michelle Obama said on Friday that President Barack Obama’s tax plan will help build the economy by building up restaurants.

“So I want you to remind folks that Barack has cut taxes for working families by $3,600, and he has cut taxes for small businesses 18 times--18 times,” Mrs. Obama said in Springfield, Mass. “Because what your president understands is that building our economy starts with the restaurants and the stores and the startups that create two-thirds of all new jobs in this economy. That’s what we need you to do.”

On Thursday at Loudon County High School in Leesburg, Va., President Obama had said that hiring new teachers will help the economy because those new teachers will go out and eat at restaurants.

Via: CNS News

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More Tips to Avoid Obamacare’s 3.8% Surtax

“It’s a tax that punishes people that have been diligent over the years and did the right thing,” says Certified Public Accountant Bob Keebler on the Medicare surtax that kicks in on Jan.1. 

As I wrote last week, the additional 3.8% tax is part of the president's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, ak.a. “Obamacare,” and affects individuals Congress has decided are “wealthy:” single taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of $200,000 or more and married couples with a MAGI of at least $250,000.

If you fall into one of these categories, you’ll pay 3.8% more in federal income tax on the lesser of your investment income or your “excess” MAGI- the amount that exceeds the $200,000 or $250,000 threshold.

“Congress has introduced a third dimension- this surtax- that will affect every investment decision and transaction you make,” warns Keebler, who holds a Master of Science degree in taxation and addresses tax professionals around the country.

Via: Fox Business

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Illinois to Spend More on Pensions Than on Education

The state of Illinois faces at least $83 billion in unfunded liability between its five pension systems, and is on track to spend more on its government pensions than on education by 2016, a new study released by Governor Pat Quinn’s office says.

The state budget office conducted the study based on a “district-by-district analysis” if the state does not enact comprehensive pension reform, the governor said in a statement. Governor Quinn released the study a few days after calling a special session dedicated to pension reform on August 17.

Illinois faces severe underfunding in its pension system. It reported a funded ratio of 43.4%, way below the 80% considered healthy. Based on fiscal 2010 data, Illinois had the lowest funded ratio of any state, according to a June 2012 report by the Pew Center on the States.

Via: Fox Business

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Pelosi: Harry Reid’s accusation against Romney is ‘true’ and ‘a fact’

Rep. Nancy Pelosi D-Calif. is backing up  Sen. Harry Reid D-Nev. baseless accusation that Mitt Romney hasn’t paid taxes for ten years.

“Harry Reid made a statement that is true. Somebody told him. It is a fact,” Pelosi told The Huffington Post in a Sunday interview. “Whether he did or not can easily be disposed of: Mitt Romney can release his tax returns and show whether he paid taxes.”

Pelosi also added that “Harry Reid is a person who is, as we know, A, is a fighter, B, he wouldn’t say this unless it was true that somebody told him that.”

Reid has attacked Romney, in recent days – with permission from Obama’s re-election campaign – insisting that he was told by “an extremely credible source that Romney has not paid taxes for ten years.”

Via: Washington Post

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NASA rover 'Curiosity' lands on Mars

PASADENA, Calif. –  In a show of technological wizardry, the robotic explorer Curiosity blazed through the pink skies of Mars, steering itself to a gentle landing inside a giant crater for the most ambitious dig yet into the red planet's past.

Cheers and applause echoed through the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory late Sunday after the most high-tech interplanetary rover ever built signaled it had survived a harrowing plunge through the thin Mars atmosphere.

"Touchdown confirmed," said engineer Allen Chen. "We're safe on Mars."

Minutes after the landing signal reached Earth at 10:32 p.m. PDT, Curiosity beamed back the first black-and-white pictures from inside the crater showing its wheel and its shadow, cast by the afternoon sun.

"We landed in a nice flat spot. Beautiful, really beautiful," said engineer Adam Steltzner, who led the team that devised the tricky landing routine.

Via: Fox News

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Obama says Amnesty is yours for $465

The Obama administration will formally begin granting some young undocumented immigrants legal status and work permits later this month under a controversial new policy first announced by President Obama in June.

The Department of Homeland Security today announced details of the application and approval process for the DREAM Act-like program, outlining specific eligibility requirements and a $465 fee. It will begin Aug. 15.

Illegal immigrants younger than 30 who came to the United States before age 16, have lived here for at least five years continuously, attend or have graduated from high school or college, and have no criminal convictions are eligible to submit requests for so-called deferred action (legalese for an official exemption from deportation).

Via: ABC News

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A New Era of Prohibition: The Rise of the Californian Nanny State

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his listeners that a man with a beam in his eye ought not to criticize another with a mere speck in his. The message: sort out your own crippling shortcomings before presuming to meddle in someone else’s. It’s good advice for an individual; it would be even better advice for the state of California. Good counsel, however, has a way of falling on deaf ears in the Golden State. While lawmakers have found themselves incapable of dealing with crippling budget deficits, a public-pension liability that hovers around a half-trillion dollars, and a business environment consistently ranked as the nation’s worst, they’ve decided that the state’s most pressing problem is its people—specifically, their culinary eccentricities.

On July 1, the state with the nation’s largest economy ushered in a new era of prohibition, banning the sale of foie gras, a French delicacy made out of the intentionally fattened liver of a duck or goose. As anyone who has ever patronized a Sacramento tavern while the legislature is in session knows, this is perhaps the first time in recorded history that state lawmakers regarded hepatic dysfunction as cause for alarm.

The ban was a long time coming. Like many of California’s logic-starved but passion-distended nanny state impulses, it traces its origins to the era of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who signed the bill into law in 2004. As written, the law’s apologists point out, the statute isn’t quite an outright prohibition; it simply makes illegal within state borders the sale or production of foie gras produced by force-feeding the birds—the only method that has ever brought widespread success. The nearly eight-year window between passage and implementation was intended to allow time to develop alternative methods of production. Outlawing proven business models while waiting for a superior alternative to emerge from whole cloth is what passes for cultivating entrepreneurialism in California.

Via: CA Political Review

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NASA spacecraft speeding toward a landing on Mars

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — After an 8 1/2-month voyage through space, NASA's souped-up Mars spacecraft zoomed toward the red planet for what the agency hopes will be an epic touchdown.

The fiery punch through the tenuous Martian atmosphere at 13,000 mph Sunday night marks the beginning of "seven minutes of terror" as the Curiosity rover aims for a bull's-eye landing inside a massive crater near the equator.

The latest landing attempt is more nerve-racking than in the past because NASA is testing out a new routine. Curiosity will steer itself part of the way and end on a dramatic note: Dangling by cables until its six wheels touch the ground.

That's the plan at least.

"Can we do this? Yeah, I think we can do this. I'm confident," Doug McCuistion, head of the Mars exploration program at NASA headquarters, said Saturday. "We have the A-plus team on this. They've done everything possible to ensure success, but that risk still exists."

Via: CNS News

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Clint Eastwood endorses Mitt Romney (Updated)

"Dirty Harry" star Clint Eastwood, who made waves when he appeared in the "it's halftime in America" Super Bowl ad, was at a Mitt Romney fundraiser tonight, per a pool report flagged by POLITICO's Ginger Gibson.

Per Gibson's pool report, Eastwood deadpanned, "I haven't endorsed Gov. Romney," and then laughed.  He later added he was kidding. "I think the country needs a boost somewhere," he added.

UPDATE: Romney appeared pleased by the endorsement from Eastwood, whose Chrysler ad during the Super Bowl earlier this year was widely seen as a tacit nod to President Obama, even though he never said anything specifically about the campaign.

From Gibson's report, a transcription of Eastwood's ode to his film Mystic River and how it brought him to Romney:

Romney: "There is a guy here from the world of acting, who has pursed his dreams in a very unsuual way, he stood up to the industry and did things his own way."

Via: Politico

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SHUNNED!!

Tenn. Democratic Party disavows its own US Senate nominee

The Tennessee Democratic Party disavowed its own U.S. Senate nominee Friday, announcing that he is “associated with a known hate group” — in this case, a conservative advocacy organization.

Mark Clayton won Tuesday’s Democratic primary with 30 percent of the vote in a field of seven candidates.

“The only time that Clayton has voted in a Democratic primary was when he was voting for himself,” said the Tennessee Democratic Party in a statement. “Many Democrats in Tennessee knew nothing about any of the candidates in the race, so they voted for the person at the top of the ticket. Unfortunately, none of the other Democratic candidates were able to run the race needed to gain statewide visibility or support.”

“Mark Clayton is associated with a known hate group in Washington, D.C., and the Tennessee Democratic Party disavows his candidacy, will not do anything to promote or support him in any way, and urges Democrats to write-in a candidate of their choice in November,” the statement concluded.

Via: The Daily Caller
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Boehner: Obama Has “Never Even Had A Real Job, For God’s Sake”…

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) lashed out at President Obama during an interview Tuesday, saying the president has "never even had a real job, for God's sake."

Boehner was discussing the presidential election, and accusing President Obama's campaign team of using "over-the-top" rhetoric to distract from his economic record.

Sometimes I have to catch my breath and slow down because the rhetoric in this campaign is just so over-the-top," Bohener said during an appearance on "Kilmeade and Friends." "And that's because the president's policies have failed. Listen — 93 percent of Americans believe they're a part of the middle class. That's why you hear the president talk about the middle class every day, because he's talking to 93 percent of the American people."

Via: The Hill

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POLL FARCE: PEW OVERSAMPLES DEMOCRATS TO BOOST OBAMA

On what alternate universe will Democrats enjoy a D +19 turnout advantage over Republicans on election day? Well, that would be Planet Pew:

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted July 16-26, 2012, among 2,508 adults, including 1,956 registered voters, finds that, in keeping with his favorability advantage, Obama continues to hold a sizable lead over Romney in the election contest. Currently, 51% say they support Obama or lean toward him, while 41% support or lean toward Romney.

Except….

Sample Size:

459 Republicans

813 Democrats

599 Independents

In the best election season Democrats have enjoyed since Nixon resigned, 2008, the Democrat advantage was only D+8, but Pew is now attempting to hustle us into believing the turnout this  year is going to be D +19.

Via: Breitbart

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The Obama Lie Machine

        Obama tax calculator offers tax cuts for millionaires

The Obama campaign unveiled a new website Thursday as part of a major communications push to convince voters that Mitt Romney’s tax plan favors the rich.

The website includes a tax calculator that allows voters to compare their tax savings under President Obama’s and Gov. Romney’s competing plans.

However, the tax calculator seems to be doing some fuzzy math. President Obama has promised to raise income taxes on all Americans making more than $200,000 and all families making more than $250,000 a year. Obama campaign spokesman Jen Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One earlier today, “If you’re a millionaire or billionaire, it’s probably not looking good for you in our plan, but otherwise, you’re great under our plan.  So we encourage people to go [to the calculator website].”

Via: The Washington Free Beacon

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ICE Agent Faces Suspension For Arresting Illegal Alien

A veteran Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is facing suspension after he refused to release an illegal immigrant who was not considered a priority target under the Obama Administration’s new immigration enforcement policies, according to documents provided exclusively to Fox News.

“They’re punishing law enforcement officers who are just trying to uphold U.S. law,” said Chris Crane, president of the National ICE Council. Crane is a union representative acting on the unidentified officer’s behalf.The officer under fire is an 18-year law enforcement and military veteran.

On March 27 he and another officer were conducting surveillance on a vehicle in Newark, Del. with plates that were registered to a criminal alien target. During the surveillance, they observed an individual get into the vehicle. The person was detained, questioned and taken to an ICE office so that his fingerprints could be run through a federal database.

Via: Fox Nation

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Obama’s Racism-Obsessed Surrogate

Virginia state senator: 'I absolutely believe it's all about race'

The Obama surrogate who blamed the president’s falling poll numbers in Virginia on racist tactics by Republicans has a history of claiming racism.

State Sen. Louise Lucas (D., Portsmouth), told a radio host that Republican candidate Mitt Romney is “speaking to that fringe out there who do not want to see anybody other than a white person in a leadership position.”

“I absolutely believe it’s all about race and for the first time I’ve convinced my children finally that racism is alive and well,” she said.

Lucas appeared on the WHKT talk show in her official capacity as an Obama surrogate. The president’s reelection campaign refused to respond to media requests about the comment.

Via: The Washington Free Beacon

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Bonus Blowout: GSA Gave Out $44M

Employees at the obscure General Services Administration are quietly gobbling up 10 percent of the entire federal government's bonus checks, a top Republican lawmaker revealed Wednesday, with the tab reaching a stunning $44 million last year.

The $44 million amount is far more than was previously reported. As House lawmakers convened a hearing Wednesday digging deep into alleged mismanagement and waste at the embattled agency, Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla, called the latest revelations "absolutely outrageous."

Disclosing the results of what he described as a preliminary investigation, Mica said bonuses totaled $44 million, with many bonuses worth $50,000 apiece and some going to workers now under investigation. One employee, he said, received a $79,000 bonus, adding up to nearly $260,000 in total compensation.

Lawmakers also said overtime payments were over the top. Mica cited one case where a worker with an $84,000 salary received $115,000 overtime.

Via: Fox News

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Flashback: Obama Promised In 2008 He Would Not Run Negative Ads...

When there is nothing left but a string of broken promises too numerous to list.  Then there's this.....

Via BuzzFeed


Posted by Conservative Happenings (c)2012

California: Political Sinkhole of the West (Part 2)

Last week Gov. Jerry Brown traveled to two different cities for the ceremonial signing of the High-speed rail bill. The only thing missing from the event was the ditch that the train is heading for if this project ever gets off the ground. The hole that will be dug to accommodate the high-speed rail project better be big enough to bury the state. The "Project" if completed will travel from SF to LA and beyond. To say this project is a waste of money is a testimony to the democrat thinking that has continued to permeate the state when common sense has been in short supply and stupidity is at the top of the list.

No one knows what the final cost will be but when you include the costs of bonds at the current rate, it cost the state about $2.25 for every dollar borrowed. It is a wonder how the state has not gone bankrupt yet. With the gimmicks and games that are being played, the arbitrary budget that was just passed makes for interesting conversation that all bets are off as to when and not if California falls into the ocean. In the past month three California cities have filed for bankruptcy protection with many more lining up to fail as well.

Obama: "Its a Step in the Right (Wrong) Direction"

What the Obama Administration is really saying is "Don't read the job numbers.  It will just tell you what we don't want you do know,  its worse than we want it to appear to be and we really don't know what we are doing;" For those of you that think that everything is fine just because the President says, "It's a step in the right direction" you are sadly mistaken.

The creation (a word that the President loves to throw around) of 80,000 jobs should be added jobs. And for the record 150,000 people entered the job market in June which means we "added" a net loss of 70,000 jobs. If this logic does not make sense to you, it's called government speak and it is used to distract and confuse even the most seasoned bureaucrat. The real truth lies (another word that can be used to describe what they are telling you) in the statistics you won't hear or see in the MSM.  You are going to see them here today.

California: Political Sinkhole of the West

Anyone who follows politics in California knows that the republicans are fighting a losing battle.  Jerry Brown is again going to the taxpayers to bail out the state.  To add insult to injury the 2012-2013 budget bill he just signed includes revenues of $8.2 billion that will come from his tax initiatives "IF" they pass.

There are many ways that we can paint this picture.  First of all, if history is any indication of the failures of the past, higher taxes do not raise revenues.  It usually has the opposite effect.  When Illinois passed a tax increase in last year, revenue went down faster than a roller coaster at Disneyland. There is only so much you can do to tax your way out of trouble.  Business's and people have moved to neighboring states where the tax burden is lower and the business environment is pro-active.  This is the exact same thing that has been happening in California for the past few years.  Business's are leaving at the rate of five a week and this is not the worst of it.  California has ranked at the bottom of the least friendly state to do business eight years running according to Chief Executive magazine.  And as the taxes and regulatory burden increases more and more people are leaving the state for friendlier pastures. You know when things are getting worse when you see other states putting up billboards in your state.