SnakeRiverLib

Short one tonight, but very concerning. As we go into 2018, there is discussion as to the legislative agenda.  The GOP is feeling pretty confident, with their tax bill (NOT REFORM), and feel like they need to strike now. Speaker Ryan wants to tackle entitlement reform.  I will remind him the last time that the GOP did that, was leading up to the 2006 elections, with Speaker Pelosi as a result.  Don't misunderstand, it is desperately needed.  But it is political suicide.  No way that there is the courage in the Senate to fix those problems.  Majority Leader McConnell wants to do infrastructure.  No doubt, he thinks that this is something that everyone can get behind.  I mean, who DOESN'T want to fix highways, and bridges?  Of course, we all remember the shovel ready jobs of the 09 infrastructure bill, and how, after spending about a year documenting on a website how the money was spent, decided that the optics of saving state and local government jobs with the nearly 1 tri

As we sit on the eve of a tax bill becoming law, with obvious benefits for corporations, (why not 0, since they don't pay taxes anyway? but I digress), I am saddened by the fact that it is NOT real shred-the-code-start-on-a-new-sheet-of-paper tax code.  It could have been. Senators and media shrieking about how bad it is going to be for the GOP next year.  I almost have to believe that it is better than what I think it is, because they are losing their minds. Too much swamp, but you know what is almost as bad?  Everyone thinks that Congress is horrible, except their own representative, and that everything is pork, except the "legitimate" projects their Congressman/woman brings to the district.  Everyone complains about the tax code, and filing taxes, but try simplifying it.  Of course, Congress was stuck, with no Democrats helping at all.  But to be clear, they CHOSE not to.  They were not iced out, like the GOP was during the first two years of the Obama Administrat

If you watch History Channel, they have a show called "Swamp People".  A reality show that tracks several different gator hunters during gator season.  My favorite is Troy.  A Cajun, he seems to consistently bring in the most of any of the assembled group. Why do I bring this up?  If not obvious, it will be in a moment. We have seen that the FBI has been thoroughly discredited.  To be honest, it started way before Trump, or Comey, or Mueller, or even Obama, or Bush.  Of course, Holder, and Lynch, the AGs during the Obama administration set the stage for this disrespect.  The media has a hand in this, because while Democrats controlled the administration, the Department of Justice could do no wrong. Wiretap a reporter?   "Who cares, it was FOX?" Weaponize the IRS?   "It was just those Tea Party people anyway." Put people on a watch list by key words, such as "Constitution", "Patriot", "Liberty"?  "It is just tho

As a review. In 2013, the Supreme Court let stand the 9th Circus ruling that Prop 8 in California was unconstitutional, by default since the state chose not to defend its law against to leviathan government.  King Kennedy essentially said that if states want to have a neanderthal view of marriage that was their business, (skipping his description, he is right, by the Constitution), but that since the state wouldn't defend its law, it was tossed.  In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell that no, even though the Constitution leaves marriage, and any number of other things to the states, states can't decide what marriage means as a legal term.  Again it turned to His Majesty, Justice Kennedy, to completely reverse what he wrote just two years prior.  So here we are, in 2017, and a case regarding gay marriage is before the Supreme Court.  A baker refused to create a cake for a gay wedding, and the couple complained and the state of Colorado went after the baker.  To be

We could be seeing a tax bill signed before the end of the year.  Senate GOP coming together to actually get something done.  A bonus is the elimination of the Individual Mandate of the ACA.  I will be honest, and tell you that I don't like either of the bills.  When they use terms like "revenue neutral" or "middle class tax cuts", you know it really isn't reform, and it really isn't much of a cut.  But doing a comprehensive reform of tax law (as in starting over, and eliminating  the whole thing) cuts out a half a trillion dollar a year industry, and that won't happen.  Democrats biggest fear is that as emasculated as this "reform" or whatever it is is, will work, in spite of the GOP's best attempts to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Kate Steinle's killer was acquitted of murder, and even manslaughter.  But he was convicted of a weapon's charge.  Unbelievable.  Was it an accident?  Who cares?  He illegally possessed,

Dear Conservative, Are you tired of the GOP letting you down?  Are you tired of the constant broken promises? I was you in 2014.  Or rather, 2015, when the GOP controlled Senate was unable to do all of the things that they said "if only we had the Senate" on.  Quoting Roberto Duran, I said "No mas". I voted for Trump, after dallying with Gary Johnson.  I have spent the last year defending the President on these pages, which you are no doubt aware.  He is not the autocrat, fill in the blank -ist, or -obic.  He is apolitical, but is running true to the conservative message.  What about Senator McConnell, the one who couldn't get his Senate to fulfill its promise?  Yes, we are getting good originalist judges.  But repealing Ocare?  What about real tax reform?  The Democrats we can excuse, but the GOP?  I don't think that they are serious about reform.  Yes, we can point at the Senate RINOs, but really it's McConnell.  If they fix anything, they ca

Sort of a paraphrase of a Joe Walsh album (You bought it, you name it) I was at Sonic getting some food way too late tonight, and what did I hear on Sonic Radio while waiting for my order?  Kashmir by Led Zeppelin , what an awesome song, I stayed after my order, until the song was done.  Seemed odd that it was on the Sonic Playlist, don't you think?  Here is a much later, live version, with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vbeilE0UrQ I really don't think Republicans want to be a majority.  I think they just want to go back to being the opposition party, where they all hung out after work and  went home and lied to their constituents.  They would spend their time f u ndraising against whatever the Democrats were doing. They may get their wish I have already written about Roy Moore in AL.  Won't write more until we  KNOW what happened. I think that the GOP has become the Whigs of the 1850s.  The Donald has exposed them to be no differ

I worry about the future of this nation, So many feel that the US is so oppressive,  why can't we be like everyone else?  After all, Syria signed on the Paris Accords for Climate Change, leaving the US as the only developed nation to not sign it.  Of course, what people point to when they talk about how even bad players like Assad have signed on, what does that make us?  Simple, considering that the Paris Treaty is an extortion of the US to the world, I would say pretty darn smart. Judge Moore, the candidate for US Senate in Alabama has had allegations tossed out that he had raped, or assaulted a minor many years ago.   The loudest voices seem to be Republicans calling for him to step down.  It probably doesn't even matter whether the allegations are true, it is probably the end of his political career, (and should be, if they are) and what was once a very positive chance to increase the GOP majority in the Senate is now looking more and more like that is in doubt. No Ocare

No doubt tomorrow we will be seeing all sorts of things regarding how much every one hates the president, and how the russians, and on and on. Truthfully, I don't know how much longer I can write this blog.  I love doing it, understand, but I feel that I have no impact, and even though I do the things that I think we should do.  Write and call congress, more and more people are just getting turned off by politics, right when we are at a very critical point. I won't go through all the names and accusations against the President.  I won't support him when he institutes a ban on this, or a ban on that.  But I would ask you to honestly answer this question. Where is the tyrant that I hear about on the news? He bans travel from countries that are either state sponsors of terror, or do not have an effective government capable of verifying the people coming here, because they are fallen states. He has laid the law down on DACA, which would have been found unconstitutiona

This is the only time that I will make an argument in support of revenue neutrality when it comes to how much we are slaves to the federal government. I am sick of the back and forth on what would be an extremely popular issue that all would agree needs to be done.  State and Local Tax exemptions, charitable contributions, mortgage deductions, tax credits, child tax credits, and on and on.  They could really have FIXED this, but they aren't THAT IS RIGHT!  THEY ARE ADDING TO THE TAX CODE.  ALL OF THE CRAP ABOUT REFORMING OR REPLACING THE CODE WAS EXACTLY THAT...CRAP That felt good. It is, after all, at least a $400 billion dollar industry, and that doesn't include the cost of the IRS.  That is a private sector number, so it is no wonder that they DON'T WANT TO FIX IT!   oops, sorry Start with what was brought in last year.  Take the returns, sort them, not based on Adjusted gross, but on actual.  Establish a baseline of percentages compared to gross  Establish r

Who likes the IRS?  Who likes the tax code?  I would think if anything could be done in the swamp, it would be tax reform.  It would be so simple.  Flat tax?  FAIR tax?  Take your pick, doesn't matter to me, except that if we were to go with the FAIR tax, we need to eliminate the 16th amendment.  Eliminate deductions, period, and drop the rate accordingly. Did you know that Russia has a 13% Flat tax?  I like it.  Yes, I would pay more, but I think all should have to pay something.  Right now, the tax code is not about collecting revenue.  If it were, it would be a simple rate, and it would be simply a percentage of what you earn.  No deductions, no tax credits, no this, that, or the other.  A minimal IRS to ensure compliance by EMPLOYERS withholding  the proper amount.  No $600 Billion a year in tax planning, preparation, and compliance. (yes, that is an accurate number) But it isn't about revenue, is it?  It is about CONTROL .  If you do THIS. .. tax credit.  If you

The answer to all you whiners about the Electoral College. and those that wanted to know. Wahh   But the popular vote.  Shove it.  This ain't a democracy.  It is a Republic.  Period. Wahh  Small states have outsized influence.  Yeah, well, it is the states that decide the Presidency, not the uninformed public, thank heavens.  See the 1st answer Wahh.   Slave owners wrote the Constitution, counting blacks as only 3/5ths of a person.  Are you kidding?  Every single person that makes this argument should be banned forever from voting, regardless of race.  This was a compromise that benefited the north, not the south.  By limiting the population by counting slaves as 3/5ths actually reduced the influence of the South in the House of Representatives. What is the problem? A State's representation in the Electoral College is simple.  One member for each Representative a state has in the House, and a member for each of the two Senators.  Oh, and for some stupid reason, the D

Can we get an amen to repealing the Seventeenth Amendment? If you have forgotten, the 17th took away the voice of states in the Senate.  It was a progressive idea to have a house in Congress more insulated, by way of its six year election cycle, from immediate voter retribution.  Much ado was made of the Senate not being elected by the voice of the people, and how "undemocratic" that was. (you know, like the Democratic Republic of North Korea)  Of course it wasn't democratic.  This nation was a Republic.  The states were represented by the Senate.  The States, as sovereign states, not representing the people, but the state government. Let me know what you think of this option.  As the 17th specifically addresses how to replace a  Senator, could you infer that a method, say through the state's constitution, could be created to recall a Senator?   I am a realist, and know what the odds are of that occurring.  Short of repeal, which would require a 2/3 vote in the H

Today the President signed an Executive Order(EO) changing the Affordable Care Act.   I had argued that this is where the President needed to go.  A libertarian would never have done an EO to make a fix to the ACA.  We needed an apolitical President using the powers assumed by previous presidents to do it. It isn't birth control that is causing health care costs to skyrocket.  It isn't preventative care that is causing it.  It is the number of people choosing to be criminals and remain uninsured rather than try to afford premiums and deductibles that were part and parcel to the "Affordable" Care Act.  What people need is a safety net.  So, what does the EO do? Allows people and businesses to form associations, to pool together and buy insurance. It allows for competition across state lines. It waives the mandate for the minimal coverage requirements.  This allows people to buy the coverage that really matters, catastrophic coverage.   The expansion of He

You probably have heard the name.  Do you know the case?  And why I would bring it up now? For those that don't, the Dred Scott case was decided in 1857 by the US Supreme Court.  It ruled that if your ancestors were brought to the United States as slaves, then you could never be a US Citizen, regardless of whether you were currently a slave, or a free man.  It is universally considered one of the worst rulings in the Supreme Court's history. So, why does that matter today? This fall the Supreme Court will hear the case Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. vs Colorado Civil Rights Commission .   To sum it up, a baker has been accused of discriminating against a gay couple because he refused to provide a wedding cake, citing religious beliefs.  This is only one of many like cases that have come up recently.  Some of these businesses provided their services for the very same people that they are now accused of discriminating against.  It isn't the individuals that they are discr

We are divided.  And divided we are weak. Weak in spirit, weak in love for fellow man Weak in the face of enemies, foreign and domestic. If you think that this division started with the election of President Trump. then stop reading, and go somewhere else. If you think that this division started with President Obama, same. If you think it started with Bush, Clinton , Bush, Reagan, Carter , Ford, or Nixon, same. Senator Obama ran as a uniter, which he threw in the trash once elected.  Two statements can sum up the division that he created. 1. "Never let a good crisis go to waste" (okay, that was his Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel) 2. "Elections have consequences, and we won" He told Republicans when they wanted a seat at the table to discuss legislation. For President Obama, he had the Democrat party as a rubber stamp. (I could mention that he could have used that on Immigration reform, but didn't, but I digress) for two years.  And while it cost the

This is running both here and Ontherim Te amo Espana. Siempre I served my mission in Andalucia, serving in Almeria, Algeciras, Jerez de la Frontera, y Jaen.  I love the people there.  I did have a chance to go back in 1990, and was there for just a few days, but not a day goes by without wishing for a trip back. In 1861, as a result of a tumultuous Presidential election in the United States, southern states, beginning with South Carolina, voted to break from the Union, and to form their own nation, separate from the United States of America.  The argument over whether states could secede was settled by blood.  A tragic war that probably was payment for the ugliness of slavery.  Of course, many scholars feel today that states did and still have the right to secede.  Or rather that they did.  The Civil War changed many things. Tomorrow. in the Catalonia area of Spain, a referendum will be held as to whether Catalonia should remain a part of Spain, or form its own independent nati

Today, Art Rooney II, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, wrote an open letter to fans, explaining how their cowering in the tunnel was not disrespectful of the national anthem.  Perhaps their greatest public fan,  Rush Limbaugh, turning off the NFL, and letting every one of his 20 million listeners know had an effect.  Maybe Youtube videos popping up everywhere, with fans burning their memorabilia did as well. This is a political issue, believe it or not.  It was a knee jerk to the President's remarks. The owners joined in, as even those that hang out with the President felt that he was crossing the line.  They felt that the fans would be to the NFL what special groups are to the Democrat party.  They thought that they would just go along.  I am sure that they were not prepared for boos, and serious boycott threats. We can sort of compare what is happening to the NFL right now, to that moment when the Drive-bys realized that it was going to be President Trump. (and who doesn

Two things tonight. 1.  Of course, the DREAMERS know that they aren't being deported, though some undoubtedly should be.  That isn't what they are wanting.  That isn't what the Democrats want.  They want the DREAMERS AND their parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, friend of their nieces, etc, allowed in, legalized, and put on the path to citizenship. President Obama said, when he unconstitutionally acted, (his own words, at least 22 times) that since Congress refused  to act, he would.  Thing is, Congress didn't refuse to act.  They chose NOT to pass any kind of amnesty.  They cried about the broken immigration system, and that SOMEBODY should do SOMETHING about it.  Not them of course, they recognized that those that could LEGALLY VOTE , didn't want it, even when they had a filibuster proof majority in the US Senate. Let me say that again.  President Obama did NOT push for, Rep Pelosi D-CA did NOT seek any kind of amnesty legislation when they had com

Everyone acknowledges that politicians are, shall we say, not always above board? When asked about all of the broken promises President Clinton had, George Stephanopoulos famously, or infamously said:  "He kept the ones he intended to keep."   How do you feel about that? Do we really want them to keep their promises?  Do we hold them to account when they don't?   Do we really? Sort of .  No.  And, Heck no .  Do we care, when one actually works night and day to uphold those promises? I hope so.  Because such a creature does exist.  More rare than hen's teeth. You already know who, don't you?  Of course, there are actually many in the House Freedom Caucus that are consistent.  That stand on principle.  But they are a group.  And right now, they are getting blamed (Wrongly) because the party can't follow through on its key promise since 2010.  Repealing Obamacare . This idea was what swept the GOP into control of the House in 2010, in

"A republic, if you can keep it." Is what Benjamin Franklin said to someone asking about the government. created in Philadelphia, and ratified in 1787.  A balance between the People's House, the State's House (US Senate), and the Executive.  A judiciary, that many thought had too much power (they were right) to keep the rights of states and people intact, and to keep the federal government in check.  A series of checks and balances, that have been exaggerated, lampooned, but mostly shoved off into the corner. We the People is how it begins. For the first time in world history, a written brake on government.  A statement of limitations placed on a governing body.  Not by the lords, or dukes, but by the People . It was all about what the People said the government COULD do.  And more importantly, what it COULD NOT do.  The Bill of Rights exist, only because some states wanted them.  They were left out, specifically because many of those in Philadelphia felt th

Catchy title, somewhat misleading. In spite of the complaining about President Trump having too much power, and acting unilaterally, a vote took place yesterday that shows who stands for the Constitution, and who stands for ceding the power to the Supreme Chancellor, or President.  At least until this emergency is over.  It really isn't fair to the President, as he seems to be doing every thing he can to dismantle this leviathan.  But Congress doesn't want the power.  With power comes responsibility.  It is hard to get re-elected when you are forced to take unpopular votes.  Especially when you campaign saying one thing, and then have to vote on something that puts you on the opposite side. A STAR WARS and SPIDERMAN reference in the same paragraph.  Cool. Yesterday, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) ,  forced a vote on his amendment sun-setting the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, (AUMF) as part of the 2018 Defense Budget.  He argues that this AUMF has been stret

Too late, well past that number now.  What is it?  The national debt, EXCLUDING future obligations for Social Security, and Medicare.  Want to know what those numbers are? Besides the National Debt, which only includes the day to day needs of the government, there is: $8.5 Trillion in other liabilities, such as federal pensions, accounts payable, and others $29 Trillion for Social Security, ABOVE and BEYOND what is being collected, for CURRENT recipients $32.9 Trillion for Medicare, ABOVE and BEYOND what is being collected for CURRENT recipients. (Agresti, J. D. (2017, September 11). National Debt Facts.  Just Facts . Retrieved September 12, 2017) from   www.justfacts.com/nationaldebt.asp Chew on those numbers for a while.  If you are not a current recipient, well, calculate those odds. For the moment there is no brake on this.  It is rolling like a 120 car freight train. So, with all this money going to the government to fund entitlements, (19% excluding Social Sec

If you would like some mood music for the piece, here it is, if you open it in a new tab, you can listen while you read.  I wonder if they had any issues in the Soviet Union with athletes kneeling while it played, to protest the disappearances of the 3rd and 4th place Olympic finishers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sxTbfeYdO0 How do you know when a President is a would be tyrant?  Or when the media want a president to be a tyrant? When they demand that illegal and unconstitutional Orders be kept as law. Oh, and if that wasn't bad enough, Speaker Ryan (R-WI) who argued for years that DACA was UNCONSTITUTIONAL , has called for this unconstitutional action to stand. As a reminder. In 2009, President Obama had a  FILIBUSTER PROOF MAJORITY  in the Senate and a significant majority in the House.  What did he do with it?  A piece of crap health care law that was never fully enacted, that despite three years of preparation, and hundreds of billions of dollars to sho