It’s Tax Freedom Day (for some that it is, and not for NY). Freedom, what real economic freedom is there in this?

Ten ‘Outrageous’ Wastes of U.S. Taxes

Friday, 13 Apr 2012 03:43 PM NewsMax By Drew Johnson

(Julie Schaul lobbies passing motorists in Santa Cruz, Calif. (AP Image)

This Tax Day, the federal government expects to rake in $945 billion in individual income tax payments from U.S. taxpayers.

According to the Tax Foundation, the average American worked 32 days last year just to pay their income tax bill from Uncle Sam, and that doesn’t even include federal Social Security, Medicare or unemployment insurance programs, or any state or local tax burdens.As taxpayers across the nation rush to calculate their share of taxes and say a final goodbye to some of their hard-earned dollars, the same question crosses the minds of many Americans: “What is the government doing with all of this money?”
Unfortunately, the answer is rarely anything useful, responsible, necessary, constitutional, valuable or meaningful.
The Taxpayers Protection Alliance has identified 10 outrageous federal expenditures that cost taxpayers dearly, while providing little benefit in return. The programs, and their price tags this year, include:

1. $17 billion for fraudulent and erroneous Medicare overpayments to healthcare providers because no one actually checks Medicare claims for accuracy.
2. $7.1 billion to purchase 98 V-22 Osprey helicopters, despite the fact that MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters offer similar capabilities for one-third of the price and are much safer. The V-22 Osprey is commonly referred to as a “death trap” by pilots because 34 American servicemen and women have been killed in Osprey accidents.
3. $1.5 billion in foreign aid to countries to which the federal government owes money. As the government borrows trillions of dollars from countries such as China, Brazil, Russia and Ireland to underwrite the bloated federal budget, Congress hands U.S. tax dollars right back to those wealthy nations to pick up the tab for their healthcare, agriculture, military, economic development, infrastructure and higher education costs.
4. $1.4 billion to bail out Amtrak. Rather than privatizing the insolvent government-run passenger rail line, federal lawmakers hand over $55 in taxpayer subsidies for every ticket sold.
5. $328 million to bankroll the research and production of energy efficient vehicles, shielding the companies that stand to profit from the sale of the vehicles from much of the economic risk at the expense of taxpayers.
6. $232 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which shells out taxpayer-funded giveaways to museums such as the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Nebraska, the American Museum of Magic in Michigan and a merry-go-round museum in upstate New York.
7. $226 million to fund the Community Transformation Grants aimed at such nanny state activities as banning sodas in schools, making sure adults eat their veggies, and driving up prices for fast food and tobacco products. The scheme, which is part of Obamacare, has granted $18 million to get Minnesotans to lose weight, $1 million to slap calorie counts on menus in Boston and $147,106 to encourage emotional wellness and healthy eating in the Republic of Palau.
8. $174 million in Department of Commerce handouts to subsidize broadband development in areas that lack the population to justify the expenditure. Worse for taxpayers, new private sector technology is already making many of these expensive government efforts obsolete before they are even completed.
9. $70 million to upgrade federal employees from regular coach seats to swanky business or first class cabins on domestic flights purchased with tax dollars.
10. $11 million in subsidies to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a think tank beholden to elected officials since it accepts federal money from Congress and features Cabinet members on its board. The Center recently bestowed its most prestigious award on controversial Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who is perhaps best known for denying his county’s genocide of more than a million Armenians after World War I.

Regrettably, this list barely scratches the surface of the outrageous amount of careless spending or the ridiculous number of unnecessary programs crammed inside the $3.8 trillion federal budget.
In total, these 10 examples of wasteful programs and misused tax dollars alone cost every federal taxpayer this year an average of $400 — making it even more frustrating to write that check to the IRS this year.

Drew Johnson is a senior fellow at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to a smaller, more responsible government. Read more reports from Drew Johnseon — Click Here Now.

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The 11th “Outrageous” Waste Of Your US Tax Dollars (or perhaps more appropriately stated, #1 abuse thereof)

Illegal Aliens Receive Billions in IRS Tax Benefits

Sep 23, 2011 … Illegal aliens are receiving billions of dollars in IRS tax benefits. … these the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the result is tax refunds that …

Tax Cut Talks Focus on Budget Cuts, New Fees

Jan 15, 2012 … Tax Cut Talks Focus on Budget Cuts, New Fees. … at least $9 billion by blocking illegal immigrants from claiming the refundable income tax credit.

GOP: No Tax Break for Illegal Immigrants

Feb 9, 2012 … Republicans are looking to deny tax credits to illegal immigrants, refund checks averaging $1800 a family, in an effort that has roused …

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Tax Facts for Journalists (and Taxpayers)

April 11, 2012

Washington, D.C., April 11, 2012—The deadline for filing federal tax returns this year is April 17^th, and with that date fast approaching, the Tax Foundation has compiled a few statistics to help journalists put the nation’s income tax system in perspective.

This edition of Tax Facts was compiled by Tax Foundation economist Will McBride. The following are based on the most recent Internal Revenue Service data for tax year 2010 and the IRS National Taxpayer Advocate’s 2011 Report to Congress.

• 143 million tax returns were filed with the IRS in 2010, some of which represent households and married couples.
• Americans paid federal incomes taxes of $945 billion.
• Only 85 million actually paid taxes out of the 143 million filers.  In other words, 58 million, or 41%, were non-payers.  96% of these non-payers made less than $50,000.
• The IRS paid out $105 billion in refundable credits to filers who paid no income tax.
• The effective tax rate for those making less than $50,000 was 3.5%, and their share of taxes paid was 6.7%.
• The effective tax rate for those making more than $50,000 was 14.1%, and their share of taxes paid was 93.3%.
• The effective tax rate for those making more than $250,000 was 23.4%, and their share of taxes paid was 45.7%.
• 33% of tax filers itemized.
• 25% of tax filers took the mortgage interest deduction, which reduced taxable income by $381 billion.
• 27% of tax filers took the charitable donations deduction, which reduced taxable income by $158 billion.
• 26 million filers took the refundable earned income tax credit, and they received $56 billion from the IRS despite having paid no income taxes.
• 21 million filers took the refundable child credit, and they received $27 billion from the IRS despite having paid no income taxes.
• 4 million paid the Alternative Minimum Tax.
• The IRS estimates that it takes more than 7 billion hours to comply with the tax code each year.
• The tax code is now 3.8 million words long.
• Over the last ten years there have been about 4,428 changes to the tax code, or more than one a day, including about 579 changes in 2010 alone.

The Tax Foundation is a nonpartisan research organization that has monitored fiscal policy at the federal, state and local levels since 1937. To schedule an interview, please contact Richard Morrison, the Tax Foundation’s Manager of Communications, at 202-464-5102 or morrison@taxfoundation.org.

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Special Report No. 198: Tax Freedom Day 2012

April 2, 2012

Tax Freedom Day® 2012 arrives on April 17 this year, four days later than last year due to higher federal income and corporate tax collections. That means Americans will work 107 days into the year, from January 1 to April 17, to earn enough money to pay this year’s combined 29.2% federal, state, and local tax bill…

Tax Freedom Day By State (And it’s not good news for those in CT [worst] or NY and NJ [tied for 2nd] who have the longest tax freedom days in the country!)

Latest version released April 2012

Illegal immigration: Phony numbers, undermining America, Obama’s lawbreaking, bad policy, and constant impeachability; Border threat generally plus Hezbollah and terrorism; Hispanic commie tactics esp in Calif, hollywood tactics, the lefts tactics of mass action and lawbreaking, the unions and teachers, and NYC’s idiot mayor; The will of the “American People”, the costs and numbers, take action now and stop illegal immigration!

 Ariz. Sheriff: Feds Order Release of Illegals to Phony Up Numbers

The U.S. Border Patrol has told its agents to stop arresting illegal aliens crossing the border from Mexico to keep the illegal immigration numbers down, Arizona Sheriff Larry Dever says.
FULL STORY

“For the secretary of homeland security to say the border is more secure than ever, well, I’ve been there forever and there was a happier time than what it is today. We have a long, long way to go,” says Sheriff Larry Dever.

• Hispanics to Halt Immigration Enforcement Tactic
• Groups Sue to Block New Utah Immigration Law
• Ex-Intel Agent: Hezbollah Terrorists Within Miles of US
• McCain Hits Napolitano on Illegal Border Spotters
• Man Indicted in Arizona Border Agent’s Killing

• Pa. Rep. Barletta Forms House Immigration Caucus

• Utah Laws Seek to Fill Federal Void on Immigration

• Illinois drops federal immigrant screening program

Obama Drops Immigration Ball on Congress
President Barack Obama wants immigration, but he also wants Congress to do the heavy lifting, The Hill reports. That’s trademark Obama style, mirroring his approach to healthcare, financial reform, energy reform, and the budget. Indeed, congressmen on both sides of the aisle have complained about his lack of leadership on these issues.

As for immigration reform, it has little chance of passage without the president’s full engagement. And even if he does get heavily involved the gap between Republican and Democratic views on the issue is huge.

Some critics speculate that Obama is bringing up immigration now simply to assure Hispanic voters that he agrees with them on the issue so that he doesn’t lose their votes next November.

• U.S. Urged to Keep National Guard at Border
  - YOU DECIDE: Extend Guard Deployment at Border?

Blaze Exclusive Social Justice in School PART 1: Piven & Professors Push Voting Rights for Non-Citizens & Borderless, One-World, Anti-Capitalism, 

Read More »

Bill Fletcher Jr - Leading Socialist Calls for Mass Actions, Law Breaking, to Re-Elect Obama in 2012 (and that includes illegals of course)

Submitted by Trevor on April 28, 2011

Bill Fletcher, Jr., is a Senior Scholar with the far left Institute for Policy Studies, and a member of both Democratic Socialists of America and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

In 2008, Fletcher co-founded Progressives for Obama, with veteran communist activist Tom Hayden, leftist actor as well as Chavez and Castro lover Danny Glover and fellow DSAer Barbara Ehrenreich.

Writing in The Rag Blog, Fletcher explains what “progressives” must do, to secure a victory for Barack Obama in 2008.

It is a grass roots vision, taking focus off the President and instead using mass action and the people’s movements to unseat to defeat Republicans and centrist Democrats.

It is a revolutionary vision, in that it calls for law breaking, and “masses of people making a situation untenable”.

It is an internationalist vision, looking to revolutions abroad, both for inspiration and solidarity.

This is a “people’s power” strategy, owing not a little to recent events in the Middle East.

Comrade Fletcher now talking what “progressives” must do for Obama in 2012;

1. Forget running a candidate against Obama in 2012. That would be a sure way to alienate much of his black and Latin base. Instead, there needs to be a progressive strategy focused on Congressional races. That means identifying key races to run genuine progressive candidates against conservative Democrats and/or Republicans.

2. We need to build an electoral organization that can run such candidates. There are examples of these around the country but we need to expand, ultimately building something at the national level that rivals the vision of the National Rainbow Coalition from the late 1980s. It needs to be an organization that has a mass base and can run candidates inside and outside the Democratic Party.

3. We desperately need mass action. Wisconsin was wonderful for many reasons but one important one was the sustained presence in the capitol. A protest movement focused on power needs to be prepared to break the law, not through the actions of a few individuals, but much as happened in Wisconsin, as well as in the Civil Rights movement, with masses of people making a situation untenable.

But we also have to develop key strategic targets for our actions where we are clear on what we want them to do. This will largely happen at the local level at first, but it can also happen at the national level, such as through selective boycotts.

4. We have to think and act globally and locally. We must link with social movements around the world challenging U.S. foreign policy, providing such movements with whatever level of support we can. We cannot allow more Honduras coup situations, and we have to make it clear that U.S. policy in Afghanistan is a disaster.

While many on the US left express disappointment with Obama, when push comes to shove, they will back their man to the hilt,

The US left understands that 2012 is decisive.

If a conservative Republican wins, they know that many of the US left’s hard fought gains will  be rolled back.

If Obama wins, they know the socialist juggernaut will be virtually unstoppable.

Consequently the US left, from Democrats to socialists, to Marxist-Leninists, will throw every thing into this election. Look for mass protests, street violence, intimidation and mass law breaking,  as the US left mounts a do or die, last gasp “The Offensive” against Middle America and its values.

More from New Zeal:

• LEFTIST LOS ANGELES SCHOOL TEACHERS LEAD STUDENTS AT MAY MARCH – 5/1/2011
• Mexican-American Studies Problem in the Tucson Unified School District
• SEIU’s Full Frontal Communism
• AFL-CIO’s Thug in Chief Richard Trumka: Fight, Mobilize, Educate Workers. Spoken like a true Communist. The union members are being used horribly by the union leadership for political and monetary gain.
• California’s Socialist Assembly Member, Gil Cedillo. He and others- ties to La Raza, SEIU, the Obama administration…
• Hezbollah in Mexico

Eva Longoria, Presidential Advisor? (Unbelievable, hollywood dopes advising a President, though maybe fitting considering him a dope too)

• Posted on May 6, 2011 at 2:47pm by Mike Opelka

So, Eva Longoria was brainstorming with the President last week… (wait, what?)

Please tell me this is just a ‘sweeps stunt’ for a very special episode of ABC‘s ’Desperate Housewives.’ (Desperate White House Wives?)

Nope. Ms. Longoria met with the President last week, not just once, but twice. She was part of a small group of Latino celebs brainstorming with the President “to reframe the immigration argument.’

Watch the short clip as she reveals a key part of the Democratic Party’s plan to take back the House in 2012.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwaV7r5gcAY&feature=player_embedded

Based on that brief statement, it is apparent that Democrats are enlisting Latino celebrities to revive the Dream Act. And any incumbent who does not support Immigration Reform, ‘will pay.’

H/T to CNS News

Oooh, look how pretty she is, we should all bow down and listen. We have a better idea, hey Eva and the rest of you pompous privileged hollywoodites, go get a makeover and shutup. We don’t care how much latino support he got, those were legal latinos, not invading foreign nationals (or were they?)

 

Longoria: Latinos Helped Elect Obama So There’s a “Need for Action” on Immigration

Friday, May 06, 2011, 04:36 PM

Actress Eva Longoria, who has met with President Barack Obama at the White House to discuss immigration reform told CNSNews.com that given the amount of Latinos that supported Obama in the 2008 election, there is “…

 

Interior Secretary Salazar Wants Latino Art Museum Added to National Mall (why, so you can hang up paintings of Che Guerva and Fidel Castro in D.C.)

 

NY DAILY NEWS: Mayor Bloomberg has solution to immigration problem: Make them live in Detroit. Mayor Bloomberg has a fix for the nation’s immigration debate: Send ‘em to Detroit. “If I were the federal government,” Bloomberg told David Gregory on NBC‘s Meet the Press Sunday morning. “Assuming you could wave a magic wand and pull everybody together, you pass a law letting immigrants come in as long as they agree to go to Detroit and live there for five or ten years.” Full story

 

Detroit, the end game of liberalism
May 06, 2011
What do you get when a mighty industrial city is subject to six decades of one party rule and unchecked union greed? Detroit.

 

Workforce Report: Half of Detroiters Can’t Read

A Chat About Illegal Immigration- A liberal accidentally explains why she supports illegal immigration.

The Immigration911 citizens’ bill for immigration reform

Stop illegal immigration and protect the rule of law in the United States. Polls show that over 70% of the American people want sweeping changes in our immigration laws and strict enforcement. With runaway government spending leading us toward bankruptcy, immigration reform is essential to shoring up deficits, curbing entitlement growth and creating American jobs. To ensure this reform reflects the will of American citizens, we must take action now!

2009 Federal Expenditures on Illegal Immigrants  $28,795,400,000
2009 State / Local Expenditures on Illegal Immigrants  $84,211,000,000
NET TOTAL after offset of various taxes received $99,594,600,000

and since 2009: $157,748,601,348 and growing!

The Immigration911 citizens’ bill subjects your lawmakers to the will of American citizens. This website allows you to vote on the issues and generate multiple, individually addressed copies of a standard or custom letter to your elected officials. It automatically determines who your elected officials are and what their addresses are. It also tallies votes specific to each elected official’s jurisdiction and attaches a statistical addendum to each letter. This means that with every letter they receive, they will be up-to-date on the latest numbers reflecting their constituent’s feelings on immigration reform. It also means their choice will be clear: Either vote to reflect the will of the people or be voted out of office!

Please join the Immigration911 movement and help save our country. You may feel helpless now, but by spending 10 minutes to complete the following 5 steps, you will be doing something that counts to stop illegal immigration!

The latest on our detestable illegal immigration problem

Our loathing; of the illegal immigration (invasion and insurrection) problem in our country and our state; of the Obama administration,  the DOJ, and their war on Arizona; and of the democrats generally and specifically their insanely left leadership; has not diminished in the least. Here’s some of the latest…

Regardless of what one  liberal activist Federal Judge (a Clinton appointee) has to say, polling hasn’t changed with Americans still overwhelmingly supporting the State of Arizona and their efforts and opposing santuary cities, amnesty efforts, and illegal immigration in general.

So Gov Brewer, Sheriff Arpaio, Rep Pearce, Professor Kobach, and others – WE STAND WITH YOU.

Gov. Jan Brewer called Wednesday’s decision “a bump in the road” and vowed to appeal. The key sponsor of Arizona’s law, Republican Rep. Russell Pearce, said the judge was wrong and predicted that the state would ultimately win the case. “The ruling … should not be a reason for Utah to not move forward,” said Utah state Rep. Carl Wimmer, a Republican from Herriman City, who said he plans to co-sponsor a bill similar to Arizona’s next year and wasn’t surprised it was blocked. “For too long the states have cowered in the corner because of one ruling by one federal judge.”

 

Sheriff Joe Arpaio: I’ll Enforce Arizona’s Immigration Law

Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the controversial top cop in Maricopa County, Ariz., tells Newsmax in an exclusive interview that the federal court ruling Wednesday blocking parts of Arizona’s popular immigration law will have little effect on how he does business. The man who’s responsible for 25 percent of all U.S. deportations plans to kick off Thursday with a major sweep to catch even more illegal immigrants.
FULL STORY

More Stories

• Arpaio Responsible for 25% of US Deportations
• Voters Say Take Action Against Sanctuary Cities

July 29, 2010

Federal judge issues injunction against parts of Arizona’s immigration law

Tom Rowan

Welcome back to the Wild West America! “Federal Judge Bolton” blocked Arizona’s claim to enforce laws today, whether federal, state, or local. 

If this decree is allowed to stand, then I demand that Florida become a “sanctuary state” in regards to drilling for oil. Why not? We could be richer than Kuwait in a matter of months! Scofflaws are to be held in a higher esteem by judges than those who would dare to enforce the laws.

We have just witnessed dyslexic liberal logic at its finest folks. Judge Bolton has decided that actual enforcement of federal laws somehow interferes with the federal government’s prerogative to ignore federal law.

Bolton has pulled yet another thread from the fabric that holds our society and ordered liberty together; The United States was grounded on being a nation of laws and not of men and their current fashions. When illegal becomes fashionable are we to ignore unfashionable laws already on the books? If the AZ law is so outside the bounds then where is the clamor to repeal the federal laws that it simply mirrors?

If this ruling stands, then all bets are off in regards to the rule of law. Far away men in black robes shall decide our fate, safety, and lives from the comfort of their benches. The ACLU runs our legal system along with our wars. Do we have to ask the ACLU permission to go to the bathroom? Apparently, we better check with our guardians of civil rights.

Federal laws against marijuana are flouted in California yet that never seems to collide with State Vs Feds authority of enforcement. Do federal kidnapping laws trump enforcement of state and local law enforcement of kidnapping? If the feds will not enforce kidnapping laws or bank robbery are we all just to throw up our hands and give up and give in to crime? Ignorance of the law or ignoring the law does not make something legal.

Decriminalization of law is practiced everyday by liberal judges. They smite mandatory minimum sentencing laws, reduce sentences for the alleged problem of “overcrowding” in prisons, and generally turn out menaces to society on a daily basis. (Hello Lindsey Lohan!)

It was once said that God created all men and Sam Colt made them equal. But don’t worry; the feds are wasting no time in decriminalizing illegality and criminalizing the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. No wonder ammo & gun sales are up in the downer Obama economy. “Does hope & change” really mean the return to the Wild West where the rule of law came at the point of a gun?

Judge Bolton’s decree invites Arizonans to ignore her very own decree in the instant case. Why not? It’s all the rage, it is very fashionable, and everyone else is doing it.

 (Look how much worse the problem is in NY than AZ, and what is the NYS Governement doing, nothing but going in the wrong direction. Sanctuary cities in Ny contributing to the problem have only grown worse, and as the the budget gap issue, well these are 2009 numbers, and as we know 2010 is far far worse)

HOW MUCH IS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION COSTING YOUR STATE?

State Budget Gaps vs. State and Local Outlays for
Illegal Immigration 2009 (Figures Shown in Millions)
Red = Neg
State		Budget Gap				Illegal Alien Cost				Difference		As % of gap
Alabama		$1,070				$298				$772.00		27.9%
Alaska		$1,520				$139				$1,381.00		9.1%
Arizona		$2,432				$2,569				$136.80		105.6%
Arkansas		n/a			$244
California		$19,639				$21,756				$2,117.00		110.8%
Colorado		$1,185				$1,451				$265.70		122.4%
Connecticut		$1,353				$957				$396.20		70.7%
Delaware		$236				$312				$75.90		132.1%
Florida		$3,175				$305				$2,870.00		9.6%
Georgia		$2,926				$5,463				$2,536.60		186.7%
Hawaii		$639				$155				$483.90		24.3%
Idaho		$405				$188				$217.30		46.4%
Illinois		$4,317				$4,592				$275.00		106.4%
Indiana		$973				$608				$364.80		62.5%
Iowa		$35				$350				$315.00		1000.0%
Kansas		$186				$442				$256.20		237.9%
Kentucky		$456				$326				$130.10		71.5%
Louisiana		$341				$224				$117.00		65.7%
Maine		$270				$66				$203.60		24.5%
Maryland		$1,385				$1,724				$339.50		124.5%
Massachusetts		$2,950				$1,862				$1,088.00		63.1%
Michigan		$313				$929				$616.00		296.8%
Minnesota		$426				$744				$318.00		174.6%
Mississippi		$407				$106				$300.50		26.1%
Missouri		$779				$338				$440.50		43.4%
Montana		n/a				$32
Nebraska		$5				$262				$256.60		4851.9%
Nevada		$1,094				$1,191				$97.00		108.9%
New Hampshire		$250				$129				$121.00		51.6%
New Jersey		$4,400				$3,478				$922.00		79.0%
New Mexico		$454				$608				$153.80		133.9%
New York		$1,707				$9,479				$7,772.00		555.3%
North Carolina		$2,200				$2,063				$137.00		93.8%
North Dakota		n/a				$33
Ohio		$1,181				$765				$415.70		64.8%
Oklahoma		$7				$465				$458.20		6838.2%
Oregon		$755				$705				$50.00		93.4%
Pennsylvania		$2,600				$1,378				$1,222.00		53.0%
Rhode Island		$449				$278				$171.30		61.9%
South Carolina		$1,185				$391				$793.70		33.0%
South Dakota			$71				$39		$32.40		54.6%
Tennessee			$1,074				$547		$527.00		50.9%
Texas			n/a				$8,878
Utah			$875				$453		$422.00		51.8%
Vermont			$75				$63		$11.70		84.3%
Virginia			$1,660				$1,905		$245.30		114.8%
Washington	$1,373						$1,510		$137.00		110.0%
West Virginia			n/a				$71
Wisconsin			$942				$883		$59.00		93.7%
Wyoming				n/a				$59
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, “State Budget Update: July 2009

 

As if the security risks and various degrees of economic harm aren’t bad enough, how about this perspective concerning our health:

Is Illegal Immigration Bad for America’s Health?

by Dr. Manny Alvarez

The simple answer is: Yes. If you look at the way that legal immigration is conducted around the world, it is always based on a set of checks and balances. One of those checks is the prevention of certain communicable diseases.

Here is a list of things people applying for visa/residency status in this country may be tested for during their physical exam as required by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Tuberculosis, Syphilis (for applicants 15 years or older), HIV (blood test), Gonorrhea, Narcotic drug addiction, Physical or mental disorders with associated harmful behavior, Chancroid, Lymphogranuloma venerum, Granuloma inguinal

Under the immigration laws of the United States, a foreign national who applies for an immigrant visa abroad, or who seeks to adjust status to a permanent resident while in the U.S., is required to receive vaccinations to prevent the following diseases:

Mumps Measles-Rubella, Polio, Tetanus and Diphtheria Toxoids, Pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type B, Hepatitis B, Any other vaccine-preventable diseases recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices

Now, this list is not just an American standard — you will find similar lists in most developed countries around the world. Without a system of checks and balances, we run the risk of having diseases that have otherwise been eradicated in this country coming back in a big way. When people travel here illegally, they could have the potential to spread certain diseases that could be very devastating to the general population.

Let’s take tuberculosis for instance. Active tuberculosis is a very dangerous communicable disease that is easily spread if someone is an active carrier. Early onset of tuberculosis may not have any warning signs, and yet it could develop into a full-blown case of the disease, as we have seen happen many times over the last decade in this country. One of the scariest things about tuberculosis, is that there are now many strains of the disease that are resistant to the current medical treatments.

The prevalence of other diseases like malaria and Chagas disease – which is a parasitic infection in the blood stream – are being seen more frequently in areas of the country where some of these diseases were not present before. In the case of Chagas disease, more and more blood banks are testing for this parasite since it can be transmitted inadvertently during a routine blood transfusion. If infected blood happens to be given to patient with a compromised immune system, the consequences can be deadly.

I’m not here to argue what the best solution is for immigration laws in this country. My family and I are certainly beneficiaries of having the opportunity to come to this country and embrace the American dream. However, I do know that whatever immigration policy this administration decides to implement, a non-compromising point must be that the health of the American people be protected, because if we do not protect the health of our citizens, the long-term effects could be dangerous.

Speaking of health, does this sound like emergency life savings proceedures to you?

PENIS PUMPS FOR ILLEGALS?

by Todd StarnesA Minnesota town is outraged over reports that an illegal immigrant was implanted with a penis pump – paid for by taxpayers.

Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate said the expense to taxpayers was more than $50,000.

“It’s shocking,” he told FOX News Radio. “It’s certainly disturbing as well. You know it’s not going to set well with the public at large.”

Scott County Attorney Pat Ciliberto wants to know how an illegal immigrant was able to obtain tens of thousands of dollars in medical assistance.

“There’s no logical argument for why that should have been approved,” Ciliberto told the Shakopee News. “I don’t know how many illegal aliens are getting emergency medical assistance for such a procedure.”

Ciliberto told county commissioners the cost of taking care of illegal immigrants in their community is skyrocketing.

“It should be obvious when Scott County goes from seven bookings in 2006 to 90 bookings in 2009 – that Arizona’s problem is Minnesota’s problem, too,” he told the newspaper.

According to published numbers, the county spent more than $800,000 housing inmates with immigration holds – and that doesn’t include medical coverage.

“We have no control over the southern border,” he said. “We don’t know who is coming in and what country they’re coming from.”

Regardless, local officials said they are required by federal and state laws to provide welfare to illegals – from court costs to health care – including a penis pump.

At least one local said they sympathize with the plight of Arizonans.

“My hats off to Arizona, to people who’ve said, ‘We’ve had enough,’” Commissioner Barbara Marschall told the newspaper. “We’re thousands (of) miles away from the southern border. It’s here and it’s going to get worse.”

AZ Accuses ACLU of Spreading Hate, Fear - Because they are. Remember the ACLU is, was, and apprently will always be a communist and anti christian front group. They are a despotic organization and we have nothing but utter contempt for their positions on this issue.

And yet another example of how much of the “public” education system in many instances is on the wrong side of this issue too!

UNIVERSITY ACCUSED OF HELPING ILLEGALS

A Georgia university president is under fire for granting in-state tuition to a student who is an illegal immigrant and to make matters worse, for using taxpayer-funded resources to interfere with and stop the student’s deportation process.

The controversy surrounds Jessica Colotl. In March her life began to unravel. Colotl was stopped by campus police and arrested on charges of not having a valid driver’s license. Police ran a background check and determined she was in fact – an illegal immigrant.

According to an account in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, her family snuck into the country from Mexico 11 years ago. Until now, the family’s illegal immigration status had gone unnoticed.

A ridiculous policy to begin with; undocumented students are allowed to enroll at Georgia universities but they must pay out-of-state tuition – typically three times as much as in-state. Colotl though was allowed to pay in-state tuition.

As a result of an agreement between local police and the federal government, Colotl was transferred to a detention center where deportation proceedings were launched. That’s where the story gets a bit unusual.

KSU’s president, Daniel Papp allegedly intervened on her behalf. According to the AJC, the university released a statement that said Coltl was a student in good standing and a leader of several campus groups (so what). He also asked that, within the letter of the law, she be allowed to return to the university to finish her education (uh, the letter of the law would be that she is deported and comes back through legal means).

Last week, authorities decided to release her from custody and President Papp said she will be welcomed back to the university. “She was granted a deferment to finish her education,” Papp said in a written statement. “This is great news for Ms. Colotl, her family and friends and for the KSU community. (really!)

Not everyone is overjoyed at the news. Phil Kent, a spokesman for Americans For Immigration Control is demanding the KSU president be fired. “President Papp ought to be fired by the regents of the university,” Kent told WAGA. “He’s undermined the rule of law.”

“Our colleges must not be turned into sanctuaries for illegal immigrants,” he said in a prepared statement. “Papp’s bleeding-heart actions are especially an insult to Georgia taxpayers and their children who hope to attend college yet are discriminated against in favor of illegal immigrants.”

The Republican candidate for governor is also making political hay out of the issue. Eric Johnson issued a statement calling for tougher rules for students who are in the country illegally.

As for Colotl’s family, they are troubled by the incident. Her mother, who does not speak English (still after 11 years !), told WAGA through a translator that the fair solution is to let her daughter finish her education and then return to Mexico. (Fair, you know whats not fair, you sneaking into our country, remaining knowingly illegal all this time, driving without licenses, taking advantage of the tax payers of this country vis a vis the tuition issue, and who knows what else. Want someone to blame, blame yourselves).

Federal Failure and Arizona
Anthony W. Hager
Washington’s wink-and-nod approach to immigration is a losing position whether or not Arizona successfully defends its immigration enforcement statute. More

July 23, 2010
Federal Judge Rips Pres. Obama’s Lawsuit Against Arizona

Did you know? and do you wonder why?

Rhode island – no lawsuit no boycott, Arizona – a lawsuit and a boycott.

Supporters of Arizona’s new illegal immigration law have in recent weeks cited Rhode Island as a state where police have been quietly carrying out comparably tough enforcement without a court challenge from the Obama administration.

In Rhode Island, both sides of the debate agree that the executive order issued by Gov. Don Carcieri in 2008 is less sweeping than the Arizona law, which takes effect this month. However there are comparisons of the two approaches which do tend to rationalize the law in Arizona, generally more conservative than Rhode Island, a heavily Democratic state. Of course not is you ask Steven Brown, a leading critic of the governor’s order and executive director of the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.

“The only reason I can see individuals focusing on Rhode Island is for political purposes and stretching what’s happened here as a way to try and compare a largely Democratic state — a blue state — with a red state and somehow claim that Rhode Island should be looked at similarly,” Brown said. Arizona’s law makes it a crime to be in the state illegally; Rhode Island’s executive order has no such provision. Arizona’s law requires local police officers, while enforcing other laws, to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally. Rhode Island’s order directs the State Police to help with immigration enforcement and encourages — but, importantly, does not require — local police to seek a suspect’s immigration status.

Really,

State troopers in Rhode Island routinely check the immigration status of crime suspects, as well as people pulled over for traffic violations, if they have reasonable suspicion and will alert federal immigration authorities if it’s determined someone is in the country illegally, said State Police Superintendent Brendan Doherty.

A Boston-based federal appeals court last year upheld a Rhode Island trooper’s decision during a 2006 traffic stop to seek immigration documents from passengers in a van carrying about a dozen Guatemalans who were in the country illegally.

In a July 7 post on the National Review website titled “United States v. Arizona — How ‘Bout United States v. Rhode Island?”, commentator Andrew McCarthy, a former New York federal prosecutor, asked why the Obama administration had not already sued Rhode Island for “carrying out the procedures at issue in the Arizona immigration statute.”

William Jacobson, an associate law professor at Cornell University, wrote this month on his blog, Legal Insurrection, that “Arizona is the new Rhode Island” and said it was ironic that strict enforcement practices would be carried out in the “state of Sheldon Whitehouse,” a Democratic senator.

And an Internet post this month by commentator Ed Morrissey said Rhode Island has been doing for years what Arizona now wants to do — but “without a peep” from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Justice Department did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment Monday on whether it had considered challenging laws in states other than Arizona.

Carcieri imposed the executive order in March 2008, blaming illegal immigrants for using up state resources and, like Arizona officials, faulting the federal government for failing to control the problem. The Pew Hispanic Center has estimated Rhode Island’s illegal immigrant population as between 20,000 and 40,000. (now consider why AZ’s approach though similar, is tougher, than RI. The numbers are in the 100′s of thousands, not 10′s of thousands)

The executive order in Rhode Island, as well as Arizona’s law, prompted an outcry from civil rights groups and immigrant advocates who feared it could lead to racial profiling. Some who support the order say they don’t think it goes far enough and prefer the Arizona law, which is the target of a Justice Department lawsuit and is set to take effect July 29.

 

Now as we’ve advocated many times, on the issue of sanctuary cities, to which there are varying degrees of throughout the country, some are outright aggregious (several in NY, and especially Gavin Newsome’s San Francisco as one of the worst examples). They need to be shut down, officials thrown out of office, and some even prosecuted.

Critics Question Why Obama Administration Doesn’t Crack Down on Sanctuary Cities

By Molly Henneberg

Published July 15, 2010

Now that the Obama administration is suing Arizona over its tough immigration law, some critics are asking why so-called sanctuary cities are getting a pass for ignoring federal immigration law.

More than 50 cities in the U.S provide sanctuaries to illegal immigrants. Supporters of such policies say they want the local police to focus on solving crimes and leave the immigration work to the federal authorities.

“What sanctuary cities are saying is, we are not going to preempt the federal government. It’s the federal government’s responsibilities,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill.

But Richard Land, the president of Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Liberty Commission, said while he supports comprehensive immigration reform, he opposes sanctuary cities.

“We can’t have government officials deciding which laws they are going to enforce or not enforce. That undermines the rule of law. We have to have officials who are under the rule of law,” he said.

Sanctuary cities are not a new idea. They’ve been around for decades and no administration — Democrat of Republican — has really gone after them.

But the Obama administration is going after Arizona for its new law that permits officers to ask about a person’s immigration status during the course of other law enforcement duties, such as a traffic stops. Opponents say the law promotes racial profiling and is unconstitutional. But supporters deny those charges.

“The Arizona law is in compliance with federal law,” said Rosemary Jenks, director of government relations at Numbers USA. “The Justice Department should stay out of it. They should be encouraging Arizona to be enforcing the laws. Secondly, they should be enforcing federal immigration law, which means challenging cities and states that have sanctuary policies.”

The Justice Department sees it differently, saying Arizona is unconstitutionally interfering with the federal government’s role in immigration control. “There is a big difference between a state or locality saying they are not going to use their resources to enforce a federal law, as so-called sanctuary cities have done, and a state passing its own immigration policy that actively interferes with federal law,” Justice spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said.

(We dissent, Schmaler – Holder – State officials in sanctuary cities – et al, are not only wrong but they are fools. It is they who are acting unconstitutionally not doing their duty, violating their oaths of office, while perpetuating bad policy and disregard for the law that brings harm in many ways to this Country and our States. To suggest that it’s OK for states not to uphold enumerated constitutional federal laws in this instance is to suggest they don’t have to uphold or enforce any, which is course is a crock. Furthermore, states have rights and also a duty to protect their “citizens” and in a border state like AZ, they have even more constitutional authority in the matter than a state like RI.)

To those who support the Arizona law and oppose the idea of sanctuary cities, the Justice Department positions seem like a cop-out.

“The administration has shown again and again it has no intention of enforcing federal immigration laws,” Jenks said.

 

Obama’s Illegal Immigration Policy: Break the Law, Don’t get Sued

Usually if someone does something illegal, they face criminal charges, a lawsuit, or some other law enforcement action. If someone follows the law, then everything is OK. Afterall, the whole basis for having a law is so that people will follow it, right? Now, let’s look at that idea in terms of local governments. Applying the same principle, a state or local government that attempts to follow a federal law, should be in good shape. But those governments which don’t uphold the law should be subject to prosecution and lawsuits, right? Well, maybe in a “normal” country under “normal” circumstances. However, we are in Obama’s world now, and if you try to enforce illegal immigration laws, you will be sued. Ignore them, and you’ll be fine. Read more

Mexican Border: Route 66 for Terrorists?

July 24, 2010 by Norah Petersen,

 

 

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed this week, Representative Jane Harman (D-California) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) call attention to the on-going threat of Al- Qaeda’s pursuit of dirty bombs. In the article, Harman and Collins cite the danger of terrorist at-large, Adnan el-Shukrijumah, who was recently indicted for his connection to the New York City subway bomb plot. Harman and Collins relate that Shukrijumah is “a trained nuclear technician allegedly tasked by al Qaeda with carrying off an “American Hiroshima.”

What Harman and Collins fail to mention in their op-ed, is that, according to law enforcement officials , Shukrijumah (alias “Jafar the Pilot”) may have traveled into the United States via the Mexican border in 2004.

 Sigifredo Gonzalez, Jr., sheriff of Zapata County in Texas, stated in a 2009 written testimony before a subcomittee of the House Committee on Homeland Security : 

Amazing News Clip Video – everyone should watch this and forward it to everyone you know.

If you don’t live in AZ, this should give you some idea of WHAT SB1070 IS REALLY ALL ABOUT!

What the heck is going on with the Obama administration letting this happen???  We have got to stop this from continuing and reverse this problem now!!!  Please get the word out to every good citizen you know…

http://www.prisonplanet.com/mexicans-take-over-parts-of-arizona.html

and now for a word on jobs and our seriously everlasting unemployment problem

 

 Congress Avoids Best Solution to Assisting Unemployed Americans

 

 

 Congress Avoids Best Solution to Assisting Unemployed Americans

 

 Isn’t the danger of our unsecured border inextricably related to the threat of dirty bombs and the threat of terrorism in general? It would seem so. Yet, if those in Washington feel that way, they have done a smashing job of keeping it to themselves.

 

 

When will politicians stop sweeping this crisis under the rug? Without border security there is no homeland security and there is no national security.

 

 

“We have always maintained that if you don’t live on the border you don’t know how vulnerable this country is for a terrorist attack. Persons living 50 miles or more away from the border have the impression that this border is very well protected. This is a farce. The border is not protected.” 

by Chris Chmielenski, NumbersUSA

While the Senate spent a good part of the week working on an extension of benefits for unemployed Americans, the news was filled with stories that screamed of other obvious ways to help solve the problem.

First, court proceedings began in Arizona on Thursday where the federal government launched its effort at shutting down Arizona’s attempt at enforcing immigration laws. Earlier in the week, more than 80 Members of Congress signed a Friend-of-the-Court brief, supporting Arizona and its right to protect its citizens, especially the unemployed. Laws similar to the one passed in Arizona would help free up the 8 million jobs currently held by illegal aliens.

Meanwhile, a clear line was drawn in the Senate between lawmakers who want tougher enforcement of immigration laws and those that don’t. The Senate struck down an amendment offered by Sen. DeMint (R-S.C.) that would have prevented Justice Department funds from being used in the lawsuit against Arizona. Check our vote tracker to see how your two Senators voted and check your Action Board for new actions in response to their vote.

Also in the news this week was Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s report to Congress on the state of the economy. Bernanke said it would be years before the unemployment rate dropped below 7%. Just a few weeks ago, the esteemed Brookings Institute released a report on the same topic, and by their calculations, it would take 11 years for the number of jobs lost during the recession to be recovered. But journalist and blogger David Frum was quick to note that the Brookings’ report factored in population growth, but failed to mention the greatest source of that growth – legal immigration.

So while leaders in Congress bickered over ways to provide benefits to America’s unemployed, they continue to avoid a simple, low-cost solution – enforce existing immigration laws and a call for a moratorium on legal immigration.

Outrage of the Day: 4500 sex offenders get passports that should have due to inept Obama Admin and Clinton State Dept, and to make matters worse 30 sex offenders are Federal employees!

Report: State Department Unaware of Ability to Limit Passports to Sex Offenders

By Sharon Kehnemui

Published July 15, 2010  | FoxNews.com

The State Department did not know until this year that it has the authority — signed into law by President Bush in December 2008 — to deny passports to people convicted of crimes relating to the sex tourism industry, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday.

That same report revealed that 4,500 registered sex offenders, including 30 federal employees, received U.S. passports in fiscal year 2008. 

GAO reported that the State Department was informed of its authority in April 2010 after congressional investigators began to study the number of sex offenders who are granted U.S. passports.

The State Department does not have the authority to deny passports to Americans based on their registry in the sex offender database. 

However, the GAO report, issued to Senate Finance Committee co-chairmen Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, noted that the State Department can deny passports to people who “crossed an international border to commit an act based on which the individual was subsequently convicted under the federal ‘sex tourism’ statute, but only during the period the individual is imprisoned or on parole or supervised release.”

“I’m shocked that GAO had to inform the State Department that Congress made individuals convicted of sex tourism ineligible for passports back in December 2008,” Grassley said in a statement to FoxNews.com. “It’s inexcusable that the State Department did nothing to enforce that provision for 14 months.

In its investigation of 30 randomly picked individuals identified as on the Sex Offender Registry and receiving passports, the GAO found several troubling cases.  

“In one case study, the sex offender was issued a passport in his name while in prison, which is allowed under federal law, while another was issued a passport after becoming delinquent in child support, an offense for which State must deny passports. Based on interviews with local police departments, several of our cases showed that sex offenders left the country and moved to Mexico,” the report reads.

The State Department lists Mexico as a sex tourism destination.

In its response, the State Department complained to GAO that the report suggests the department was lax in its enforcement. The report “appears to suggest, without any foundation, that the department’s issuance of passports to certain Americans facilitated their commission of sex offenses abroad. There are no facts in the report which show that any of the 30 individuals included in the case studies used his passport to travel to a foreign country to commit a sex crime,” it wrote.

The conclusions, forwarded by James Millette, chief financial officer at the State Department, stated that the department is interested in studying any proposed legislation to give it additional authority to deny passports to sex offenders, and that it is working with the Department of Justice to track sex tourism convictions and develop a procedure to notify the State Department.

But the department listed several other concerns about the report, including that GAO did not list the number of convictions by the Department of Justice under the relevant sex tourism statute and whether the passport could have been denied based on the conviction. 

GAO responded that the law was not enacted during the time frame it studied. 

The State Department also took issue with the title of the GAO report, “Passports Issued to Thousands of Registered Sex Offenders,” calling it “misleading.” 

“We are concerned that it conveys more ‘shock value’ than factual accuracy,” reads the response.

“The title also fails to convey that GAO found no evidence that the offenders used their passports to commit sex offenses abroad,” the letter reads. 

According to GAO, about half of the 4,500 sex offenders who received passports lived in five states — California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Michigan — and at least 12 individuals were approved landlords in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 8 housing program during the two years before the study’s time frame. 

Additionally, 30 of the sex offenders are federal employees and were identified through salary data provided by the Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Postal Service and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

“It also is disturbing that the GAO found examples prior to that new law where the State Department issued passports to convicted sex offenders who fled law enforcement, received government housing subsidies and work for the Post Office. This report raises a lot of serious questions about how effectively the government protects us from child predators,” Grassley said.

The GAO report noted that the U.S. Postal Service recently announced its intention to start identifying any current Postal Service employees who are required by law to register as sex offenders.

The GAO acknowledged that the number of sex offenders it found receiving passports might have been low, because the data compared passport database records to the National Sex Offender Registry, which could lack or contain invalid Social Security numbers.

Click here to read the GAO report.

Looking out for illegals not citizens, forced unionization, collusion, a need to fire someone, and hollywood can go fly a kite

 

Jimmy Smits Joins Socialist Huerta, and Sec. Solis’ Crusade to Force Workers ‘Documented or Not’ into Labor Unions

by Don Loos

Actor Jimmy Smits, Obama’s Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America union and Democratic Socialists of America member Dolores Huerta have recorded Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) directed at workers “documented or not.”

In the video, the three DOL spokespersons announce the Department’s selective enforcement of U.S. laws as they explain that DOL intends to use its resources for both “documented” and “not” documented workers.  But, the real plan is to force all workers to pay union fees as a condition of employment.

U.S. Labor Sec. Hilda Solis’ 30-second script:

I’m U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and it is a serious problem when workers in this country are not being paid every cent they earned.

Remember every worker in America has the right to be paid fairly whether documented or not.

So call us it is free and confidential at 1-866-487-9243

We can help.

Here is how this works.   Undocumented workers call the DOL hot line and say that they are being unfairly paid by Employer X.  Armed with this information, DOL investigators call Employer X and say they have evidence that Employer X has hired so-called undocumented workers and that it may have wage violations. The DOL investigators suggest that some type of remediation needs to occur, and then DOL will likely offer a list of options, any combination of which may be used:  multiple substantial fines, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigation, Wage & Hour investigation, IRS audit, and possibly imposition of a union contract to help prevent future calls from DOL.

The last option may be used as an escape clause to prevent investigations and/or fines.   (During the 1990’s when the Clinton Administration ran DOL, an employer was promised that the Wage & Hour investigation, NLRB charges, and other issues would go away if he signed a contract with SEIU.  Eventually, this led to a dismissal of one high ranking Clinton appointee after an inspector general investigation and a congressional investigation.)

This is another step in the Obama Administration’s continuing shakedown of employers in an attempt to entice them into agreeing to force their employees into unions.

With the legal costs associated with multiple federal agency investigations and the risks of heavy fines, Employer X could be forced out of business.  Under these conditions, Employer X might begin to believe that sacrificing his workers’ rights and forcing them into a union is an option worth taking.

Why should we suspect the Obama Administration’s involvement in this type of shakedown?  Besides the fact that the Wage & Hour Division was used by the Clinton Administration in an attempt to force unions upon employers in the past, there is more recent evidence that indicates that this is occurring now:

• In a November 2008 e-mail, ACORN outlined a special project, or shakedown operation,  comprised of SEIU, UFCW, AFSCME, Teamsters, and the Building Trades unions along with “Legal Aid, NELP, Greater Boston Legal Services” and “dirty money hungry lawyers to suck every dollar out of the employers.”  ACORN’s Ross Fitzgeraldreferred to it as Wage and Hour Centers.  (note: DOL’s Wage and Hour Division put together the Smits, Solis, and Huerta PSAs above.)*
• Quoting the ACORN e-mail: “We see it as a useful tool for [ACORN] offices to have, and bring to different Unions and pitch partnerships that use the Wage and hour center in a way that fits the unions organizing targets. We see this as the only way to get to the informal sector in an EFCA scenario.”   Later the memo refers to this plan as the ACORN — Worker Justice Center concept.
• According to the ACORN memo, SEIU, a substantial Obama political supporter, was eager to get this program off the ground: “Houston, Dallas – SEIU Local 1 has asked if we can specifically target janitorial contractors for litigation in the Dallas and Houston markets. This will be a contract that can hopefully lead to a recognition affiliation and shared dues arrangement.”  Click here to read the e-mails.
• In New York, ACORN was not needed to organize the harassment and shakedown of employers and employees because NY taxpayers funded the operation under the direction of Patricia Smith and Lorelei Boylan through a program called NY Wage Watch that provided a similar service to the one outlined in the ACORN email. Rather than tracking down “money hungry lawyers,” Smith used the power of the state of New York to shakedown employers – much more efficient in terms of costs and time than the ACORN plan.
• Now, Boylan (Wage & Hour Administrator) and Smith (Solicitor of Labor) are in the U.S. DOL and have created a nationwide federal program  like  NY Wage Watch that is running full steam ahead.  DOL likely has targeted employees unencumbered by forced unionism in every significantly sized city in America.
• Wage & Hour whistleblowers have let it leak that they have been ordered to give tips from union officials priority.

These DOL videos provide another peek inside DOL under the Obama Administration.  Sec. Solis and her forced unionism allies intend to use the power of the federal government to force documented and undocumented workers to expand the ranks of SEIU and other unions at the cost of individual worker freedom and choice.  Congress should defund these forced unionism programs; stop Sec. Solis from using the Wage & Hour Division to intimidate workers; and specifically exclude payments to or contracts with unions as a condition of settlement or negotiation with an employer.

* ACORN=Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now; SEIU=Service Employees International Union;  UFCW=United Food & Commercial Workers Union;  AFSCME=American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Teamsters=International Brotherhood of Teamsters union; Building Trades=AFL-CIO Building Trades Organizations;  NELP=National Employment Law Project

California and New York. The worse places to do business in the Nation, again!

Graph of the Day for May 18, 2010

Randall Hoven

“Texas is pro-business with reasonable regulations while California is anti-business with anti-business regulations.”

(CALIFORNIA MAY BE THE WORST, BUT NEW YORK IS TRYING HARD TO CATCH THEM !)

CEOs interviewed by Chief Executive Magazine.

Source:  Chief Executive Magazine.

Unemployment rates (and ranks among 50 states plus DC) by state, as of March 2010:

Michigan:  14.1% (51)

California:  12.6% (48)

Illinois:  11.5% (42)

New York 8.4% (21)  (but here’s the rub and why this is a deceiving number: Ny is one the the most heavily unionized states in the Union, especially with regard to the public sector. Union workers aren’t loosing jobs and Ny has record deficits and huge debt loads, large in part because of funneling all this money to keeping state workers, public education workers, and local government workers, on the job, fat and happy. Large in part in collusion with the Fed and Obama’s stimulus funding, and as such you can take a look to Greece for a snapshot of our future, with respect to both Albany and DC as we now have record levels of Fed employees and Fed salaries under Obama, and record levels of the same in NY state government under the one party rule of the Democrats (otherwise known as the NYC liberals, acornites, SEIU proxies, WFPers, as so on))

Texas:  8.2% (19)

Louisiana:  6.9% (8)

North Dakota:  4.0% (1)

Source:  Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dept. of Labor

“California is terrible. Even when we’ve paid their high taxes in full, they still treat every conversation as adversarial. It’s the most difficult state in the nation. We have actually walked away from business rather than deal with the government in Sacramento.”

“The leadership of California has done everything in its power to kill manufacturing jobs in this state.  As I stated at our annual meeting, if we could grow our crops in Reno, we’d move our plants tomorrow.”

and The Idiot of the day Award goes to: Big Brother Bloomberg

 

 

Michael Bloomberg is a disgrace and must resign. Immediately.     Erick Erickson NYC Mayor initially bet that conservatives, not crazy Muslims, were responsible for the car bombing… Read the full story by Erick Erickson

NY Mayor Bloomberg Speculated Bomber Was Mad About ObamaCare

• May 4, 2010

With Katie Couric drawing him out, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg agreed the Times Square car bombing was likely “homegrown” as he proceeded, in an interview excerpt run on Monday’s CBS Evening News, to speculate it could have been placed by “somebody with a political agenda who doesn’t like the health care bill or something. It could be anything.”

Continue Reading . . .

NYC Mayor: Bias Will Not Be Tolerated

Tuesday, 04 May 2010 10:27 AM

 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says New York City “will not tolerate any bias” following the arrest of a U.S. citizen from Pakistan in the Times Square car bombing attempt.

Bloomberg said Tuesday that also applies to potential backlash against Muslim New Yorkers.

The mayor said there are “a few bad apples” among any groups. He also cited New York’s long history of accepting cultures from the around the world.

NY-State & Federal politics-A train wreck

New York on the Political Brink: What’s Next?

Video: Rep. Massa Says Emanuel ‘Son of Devil’

Massa: Emanuel Forced Resignation Over Healthcare
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — New York Rep. Eric Massa is blaming his resignation on a conspiracy led by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and House Democratic leaders to force him out before a crucial vote on healthcare.

Rep. Massa: ‘I Am Guilty’ and Will Resign New York Democratic Rep. Eric Massa, facing a harassment complaint by a male staffer, said Friday that he is stepping down from his seat with “a profound sense of failure.”"I am guilty,” Massa said in an interview with a Corning, N.Y., newspaper columnist.

Later in the day, Massa released a statement saying that after discovering he had a recurrence of cancer, he learned he was the subject of an ethics complaint by a male staffer who felt “uncomfortable” during an exchange with Massa. The exchange reportedly had sexual overtones.

“I will resign my position,” Massa said in the statement.

Hoyer knew of Massa allegations

_______________________________________ 

March 07, 2010Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT12:03 AM EST

Dangerous Days May Lie Ahead for Paterson 

 New York Gov. David Paterson, left, and aide David Johnson walk down the steps of the Capitol in Albany, N.Y.

Legal experts say New York governor’s administration may be tempted to lie to investigators inquiring about their handling of a domestic violence case involving an aide, which could result in a perjury charge. 

Paterson Faces Legal Minefield in Conduct Inquiries

Paterson Probe Puts Cuomo in a Delicate Position

Common Cause Calls On Gov. Paterson to Quit

Black Leaders’ Support May Buy Time for Paterson

 _______________________________________

 Newsmax – Rangel Stepping Down From Tax-Writing Chairmanship

Mar 3, 2010 … Rangel tells Pelosi he’s ready to step down from Ways & Means chairmanship during ethics probe.

 Newsmax – Rangel Denies He’s Giving up Tax Writing Chair

Mar 2, 2010 … Rangel denies he plans to step down as Ways and Means chair in wake of ethics finding.

Newsmax – Pelosi Protects Rangel

Mar 1, 2010 … Charlie Rangel’s censure by the House ethics panel does not disqualify him from leading the chamber’s vital tax-writing committee, …

Newsmax – House Finds Rangel Violated Ethics Rules

Feb 25, 2010 … The Associated Press, citing an unnamed source, is reporting that a House panel has found that Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep.

Newsmax – Rangel, Other Reps, Party in Caribbean With Citi Funds

Jan 30, 2009 … Rangel, Other Reps, Party in Caribbean With Citi Funds. … In addition to Rangel, other members of Congress who attended were Donald Payne …

Rep. Charles Rangel’s Cuba Trip Subsidized by Castro

Rangel, a frequent critic of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, met with Fidel Castro on a trip to the island in 2002, but only acknowledged that the Cuban …

Newsmax – Rep. Charlie Rangel Plays Race Card, Says Obamacare the …

Sep 4, 2009 … Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., went on the record this week saying that in his opinion “bias” and “prejudice” are fueling opposition to health care … _________________________________________

• Then there’s Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, whom Mr. Paterson appointed to serve the rest of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s term after President Obama named Mrs. Clinton secretary of state. Mrs. Gillibrand is widely viewed as weak and nearly drew a primary challenge from former Democratic Tennessee Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr., who opted out of the race but wrote a column in the New York Times on Monday blasting party leaders including the Obama Administration for protecting Mrs. Gillibrand and trying to “bully” him.

March 06, 2010Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT12:03 AM EST

Democrats Mired in Ethics Swamp They Vowed to Drain

 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 4, 2010. (AP)

The party that vowed to “drain the swamp” if given control of Congress finds itself sinking into the muck nine months from Election Day, when every member of the House and 36 Senate seats will be chosen.

In the past year, the scandals that have rocked the Democratic Party range from the conduct of governors in Illinois and New York to paternity problems for a former presidential hopeful to House ethics investigations that have resulted in one longtime lawmaker giving up his powerful gavel and a freshman congressman abruptly resigning.