Let's start today's postings with this front page
newsbite (Hat Tip to Michelle Zornes) to go along with the newsbites you'll
find in the comments section - as soon as I start putting them there!
* * *
* * *
Veterans affairs leaders in Congress have announced a
compromise to help address the problems overwhelming the U.S. veterans
healthcare system.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Jeff Miller
announced a $17 billion deal that reconciles Senate and House bills passed in
June. It provides healthcare to about nine million veterans.
* I HAVE NO IDEA WHETHER $17 BILLION IS TOO MUCH OR TOO
LITTLE. (AND FOLKS... I DOUBT ANY SENATOR OR CONGRESSMAN DOES EITHER.) AS FOR
THE MEDIA... FOLKS... THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO CONTEXT HERE WHICH GIVES US A CLUE
AS TO THE WORTHINESS OF THIS BILL.
The agency has been stung by revelations of falsified
records and months-long waits for appointments.
* RIGHT. AND NOW THESE SAME PEOPLE ARE GETTING $17
BILLION.
A recent VA audit revealed more than 57,000 veterans had
to wait three months or longer for initial healthcare appointments. An
additional 64,000 veterans who requested appointments over the last 10 years
never received them. At the same time, it has been revealed hospital employees
falsified records to conceal the long wait times from administrators in
Washington DC.
* FOLKS... SOMETHING TELLS ME THAT THROWING MORE MONEY
OUT ISN'T GOING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS AT THE VA.
The agreement announced on Monday includes about $10 billion
in "emergency spending" for veterans to obtain outside care if they
cannot get prompt appointments with Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors, $5 billion
to hire doctors, nurses and other medical staff, and $1.5 billion to set up 27
new VA clinics around the country.
* AGAIN... TOO MUCH... TOO LITTLE... WHO KNOWS...
(*SHRUG*)
Mr. Sanders, the Senate veterans committee chairman who
is one of the most liberal members of the chamber, said the legislation
"makes certain that we address the immediate crisis of veterans being
forced on to long waiting lists" while strengthening the VA's ability to
hire medical professionals and "permanently put an end to the long waiting
lists."
* Er... FOLKS... BERNIE SANDERS ISN'T JUST
"LIBERAL" - HE'S A SELF-DESCRIBED SOCIALIST. PUTTING THAT ASIDE,
SANDERS HAS BEEN IN WASHINGTON SINCE 1991; HE'S ONE OF THE POLITICIANS WHO HAVE
BEEN "OVERSEEING" THE VA ALL ALONG.
(*SIGH*)
The bill, which will need to be approved by both the
House and Senate, would also grant the VA secretary authority to fire senior
executives immediately.
* THAT'S GOOD!
Tom Tarantino, chief policy officer of Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America, said the agreement was several months too late. "It's
about time they're doing their jobs," he said. "You don't get a medal
for doing your job."
* APPARENTLY YOU DO! WELCOME TO WASHINGTON!
The deal was struck over the weekend after six weeks of
talks. Among the compromises was a provision limiting outside care to veterans
who had enrolled prior to 1 August.
* SO NOW WE HAVE TWO DISTINCT "CLASSES" OF
VETERANS...???
Congressional budget analysts had suggested that without
limits, tens of thousands of veterans who currently are not treated by the VA
would likely seek care if they could see a private doctor, dramatically
increasing costs.
* SO... THE "SOLUTION" IS TO PROVIDE
DELIBERATELY DISPARATE CARE?
In another compromise, $5 billion of the $17 billion
would be offset by other spending cuts within the VA.
* SO IT'S SMOKE AND MIRRORS... $12 BILLION... NOT $17
BILLION...
Veterans Affairs chief Eric Shinseki resigned in late May
amid the scandal, after a damning internal VA investigation uncovered the
"systemic" problems in delivering care to veterans across the
country.
* GOOGLE "SHINSEKI." HE'S ONE OF THE DEMOCRATS'
FAVORITE GENERALS. (AND NOT SURPRISINGLY... A TOTAL INCOMPETENT.)
6 comments:
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/new-sanctions-will-hurt-more-russia-n168016
The U.S. and its European allies...
* THE ANVILS HANGING AROUND OUR NECKS...
...have stepped up an ongoing economic and trade war to pressure Moscow...
* WHY CAN'T WE JUST MIND OUR OWN FRIGGIN' BUSINESS...? (WHICH WE'RE LOUSY AT, BY THE WAY!)
The moves could provoke President Vladimir Putin to unleash a wider retaliation — including an energy embargo on European countries heavily reliant on Russian oil and natural gas.
* GUESS WHO WOULD THEN SEND EUROPE OUR OIL? GUESS WHO WOULD THEN PAY HIGHER PRICES AT THE PUMP HERE AND WHO WOULD PAY MORE TO HEAT AND COOL OUR HOMES HERE? (THAT'S RIGHT! US! THOSE OF US WHO LIVE... HERE!)
The latest round of sanctions is intended to tighten the screws on Russia by targeting broad sections of its economy and financial markets. So far, the U.S. and Europe Union have limited those targets to influential government officials — so-called phase two sanctions.
The new "phase three" sanctions target key specific sectors of Russia's economy from the defense industry to the banking sector. Those include an embargo on arms sales to Russia; a ban on exports of so-called dual-use goods such as computers or equipment that have both civilian and military uses; and efforts designed to cut off Russian banks from European capital markets.
* AND YET WE'RE BUDDY-BUDDY WITH CHINA...
(*BANGING MY HEAD AGAINST THE WALL*)
With an economy roughly the size of Italy's, Russia will feel the pain more intensely. Existing sanctions have all but wiped out growth in gross domestic product this year; the latest round is expected to throw the Russian economy sharply into reverse.
* THAT'S RIGHT... MAKE THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE HATE US...
Among the sanctions announced Tuesday, the capital restrictions are expected to have the most damaging effect on Russia. Last week, the Russian central bank raised interest rates from 7.5% to 8% — the third hike this year — to try to stem capital outflows and tamp down rising inflation.
* FRANKLY, WE SHOULD BE DOING THE SAME. (ANYONE BEEN TO A GROCERY STORE LATELY...???)
France stood the most to lose from the arms embargo, thanks to a $1.2 billion order to deliver two warships to Russia. But the sanctions reportedly apply only to future deals.
* YEP. YOU READ THAT RIGHT. FRANCE (AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED HERE ON USUALLY RIGHT) IS BUILDING RUSSIA TWO WARSHIPS.
* ACCORDING TO THIS... THAT DEAL REMAINS ON!
* FOLKS... OUR FOREIGN POLICY... IT'S FRIGGIN' NUTS...!!! THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM!
http://www.wowktv.com/story/26144003/wv-attorney-general-patrick-morrisey-files-lawsuit-challenging-obamas-refusal-to-faithfully-execute-the-law
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced July 29 the State of West Virginia had filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging President Barack Obama and his Administration have “repeatedly demonstrated that they will change or ignore certain laws or statutes in order to promote or protect their political agenda,” according to a news release from Morrisey’s office.
(*THUMBS UP*)
The lawsuit cites several instances when the Obama Administration ignored the law on immigration matters, environmental and mining regulations as well as the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to the news release.
“The President cannot pick and choose which laws to follow and which to ignore on the basis of political convenience,” Morrisey said in a news release.
* BUT HE THINKS HE CAN... AND... HE'S BEEN GETTING AWAY WITH IT!
“West Virginia knows firsthand the consequences that the administration’s illegal and flawed interpretation of the law can have on our coal mining jobs.
* AGAIN... FOLKS... NO REAL-LIFE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE WHO ROSE TO THE PRESIDENCY WOULD EVER BEEN ABLE TO HURT AMERICA THIS BADLY IN A MERE NEAR-SIX YEARS!
“This lawsuit simply asks the court to require the Obama Administration to follow the laws and restore the constitutional boundaries on presidential authority.”
* GOOD LUCK...
According to the news release, the lawsuit specifically challenges President Obama’s decision last fall to suspend the enforcement of ACA requirements for existing health care policies and place that burden on the states.
“Congress controls the pen for writing, editing or shrinking laws, not the President,” Morrisey said. “Yet we see this President regularly making up his own rules for government, be it by ignoring immigration laws or imposing new regulations that could cripple the coal and natural gas industries.”
* AND, AGAIN... HE GETS AWAY WITH IT... HE GOT RE-ELECTED...
* THERE'S A CANCER WITHIN THE BODY POLITIC KILLING AMERICA FROM WITHIN.
The suit, State of West Virginia ex rel. Patrick Morrisey v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, has been assigned Civil Action No. 14-1287.
* IT'LL BE THROWN OUT... BUT THANKS, PATRICK MORRISEY... THANKS, WEST VIRGINIA... FOR AT LEAST TRYING...
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/average-price-electricity-climbs-all-time-record
For the first time ever, the average price for a kilowatthour (KWH) of electricity in the United States has broken through the 14-cent mark, climbing to a record 14.3 cents in June, according to data released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(*CLAP...CLAP...CLAP*)
* CHANT IT WITH ME, FOLKS... O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A!
Before this June, the highest the average price for a KWH had ever gone was 13.7 cents, the level it hit in June, July, August and September of last year.
* O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A! O-BAM-A!
The 14.3-cents average price for a KWH recorded this June is about 4.4 percent higher than that previous record.
Average Price for a KWH of Electricity.
* JUST KEEP CLICKING THOSE RUBY SLIPPERS TOGETHER AS YOU CHANT, "THERE'S NO INFLATION... THERE'S NO INFLATION... THERE'S NO INFLATION..."
Typically, the cost of electricity peaks in summer, declines in fall, and hits its lowest point of the year during winter. In each of the first six months of this year, the average price for a KWH hour of electricity has hit a record for that month. In June, it hit the all-time record.
* JUST RELAX... LIKE THE FROG IN THE POT OF WATER AS THE FLAME UNDER THE POT SLOWLY HEATS THE WATER...
Electricity prices have not always risen in the United States. The BLS has published an annual electricity price index dating back to 1913. It shows that from that year through 1947, the price of electricity in the United States generally trended down, with the index dropping from 45.5 in 1913 to 26.6 in 1947.
In the two decades after that, electricity prices were relatively stable, with the index still only at 29.9 in 1967 — an increase of 12.4% over two decades.
However, from 2003 to 2013, the annual electricity price index increased from 139.5 to 200.750, a climb of almost 44%.
BUSH... RINOs... DEMOCRATS... OBAMA...
So far, overall annual electricity production peaked in the United States in 2007. ... According to the Census Bureau, however, the resident population of the United States increased from 300,888,674 in April 2007 to 317,787,997 in April 2014. So, per capita electricity production in the first four months of 2014 was less than the per capita electricity production in the first four months of 2007.
(*MORE FAUX APPLAUSE FOR OBAMA*)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/07/30/cruz-whipping-tonight-against-boehner-border-bill/
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), an influential tea party leader...
* THERE IS NO "TEA PARTY." THAT'S THE PROBLEM. "TEA PARTY" IS AN IDEOLOGY... A PHILOSOPHY... A FACTION AT BEST IN PARTISAN TERMS.
...will meet with a group of House Republicans Wednesday to urge them to oppose House Speaker John A. Boehner’s plan to stem the flow of migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to several House members who plan to attend the 7 p.m. gathering at Cruz’s office.
* GOD BLESS TED CRUZ! BOEHNER'S "PLAN" IS A DISASTER.
* FOLKS... UNDERSTAND... BOEHNER, MCCONNELL, AND THE REST OF THE RINOs BASICALLY SUPPORT OBAMA'S OPEN BORDER VISION! BOTH THE RINOs AND THE LEFT WANT TO EXPLOIT ILLEGALS FOR THEIR OWN PURPOSES AND PERCEIVED SELF-INTERESTS AND "SCREW AMERICA AND THE AMERICAN WORKER AND TAXPAYER!"
Cruz’s huddle is the latest example of the combative freshman senator wading into House affairs and serving as an informal whip against the leadership’s immigration position.
* AGAIN... GOD BLESS TED CRUZ!
It is also a direct shot at Boehner’s effort to pass his legislative package, hours before the bill is scheduled to come to the House floor on Thursday.
On Friday, the House adjourns for a five-week recess...
* CONTEMPLATE THAT...
* SIMPLY... CONTEMPLATE THAT..
...leaving Boehner little time to cobble together the votes necessary to pass his proposal.
* FOLKS... BOEHNER'S PROPOSAL IS PART OF A BACK-DOOR DEAL HE MADE WITH OBAMA AND THE DEMS. HE'S HOPING THE VIA "BIPARTISAN COVER" HE CAN GET AWAY WITH ONCE AGAIN STABBING GRASS ROOT REPUBLICANS IN THE BACK.
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) will be at Cruz’s closed-press session, as will more than a dozen other House Republicans. Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), a member of the House GOP’s working group on the border, is also planning to attend.
(*STANDING OVATION*)
An aide to Boehner declined Wednesday to comment on Cruz’s activities.
* I TRULY DO PRAY FOR BOEHNER'S DEATH. (I KNOW... I KNOW... "TERRIBLE." BUT, FOLKS... THAT'S HOW DANGEROUS BOEHNER IS... THAT'S HOW MUCH HARM HE'S DONE... THAT'S HOW MUCH HARM HE'LL DO WITH EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY HE REMAINS IN POWER.)
Boehner unveiled legislation Tuesday to make it easier to deport Central American minors who have entered the United States illegally, provide $659 million to federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year, and change a 2008 anti-trafficking law.
* OF COURSE THAT'S HOW THE WASHINGTON POST DESCRIBES IT...
(*SNORT*)
(*SPITTING ON THE GROUND*)
* THOSE ABREAST OF THE DETAILS KNOW BETTER!
* FOLKS... IF THIS WERE A GOOD DEAL CRUZ WOULDN'T BE AGAINST IT - AND BOEHNER WOULDN'T BE FOR IT!
(*RUEFUL CHUCKLE*)
Cruz has said he would like House Republicans to defund Obama’s Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) program, a suggestion Boehner has so far resisted.
(*SHRUG*)
* AGAIN, FOLKS... WHAT'S BOEHNER HAVE TO DO - ACTUALLY SWITCH PARTIES...?
“The only way to stop the border crisis is to stop Obama’s amnesty."
* DUH...!!!
* CRUZ CONTINUED...
"It is disappointing the border security legislation unveiled today does not include language to end Obama’s amnesty. Congress cannot hope to solve this problem without addressing the fundamental cause of it.”
* DUH...!!!
Cruz, who is mulling a 2016 presidential bid, met with House Republicans over breakfast last week to discuss immigration and border issues. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has also advised House Republicans to oppose Boehner’s plan.
* WHERE ARE THE REST OF THE GOOD GUYS AND GOOD GALS?
(*SIGH*)
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/business/economy/us-economy-grew-4-in-second-quarter.html?_r=0
* PUT DOWN THE HOOKAH...
* WONDERLAND ISN'T REAL...
The United States economy rebounded heartily in the spring after a dismal winter...
* NO. NO IT DIDN'T. (FOLKS. YOU'RE LIVING IN THE SAME COUNTRY I AM - RIGHT?)
...the Commerce Department reported on Wednesday, growing at an annual rate of 4% from April through June...
* YOU FOLKS DO UNDERSTAND THAT BOTH INFLATION AND DEBT COUNT AS "GROWTH" FOR THESE A--HOLES... RIGHT?
(*SNORT FOLLOWED BY A SMIRK*)
In its initial estimate for the second quarter, the government cited a major advance in inventories for private businesses...
* SO...??? (WHAT IF THE "INVENTORIES" END UP BEING SOLD AT LOWER THAN USUAL PROFIT... OR EVEN AT A LOSS...? HMM...???)
...higher government spending at the state and local level...
* THIS IS GOOD...?!?! THIS IS THEIR FRIGGIN' IDEA OF GOOD...?!?!
(*GUFFAW*)
...and personal consumption spending as chief contributors to growth.
* I*N*F*L*A*T*I*O*N
“Fantastic,” Douglas Handler, chief United States economist for IHS Global Insight Analysis, said of the second-quarter G.D.P. increase.
* AHH... THE OLIGARCHS ARE PLEEEAAASSSED...
More optimism for the economy came on Wednesday as ADP, the payroll processing company, said private employers added 218,000 jobs in last month, which was down from 281,000 in June. It was the fourth straight month of job gains above 200,000. While ADP’s numbers offered reason to be hopeful, the company’s figures cover only private businesses and often do not track with the government’s jobs report, which will be released Friday.
* FOLKS... CHECK THE LABOR PARTICIPATION RATE.
(*SIGH*)
Besides inventory increases, several other factors fueled the gains of the second quarter. Consumers spent more money on furniture, recreational goods and health care.
* AND THIS IS GOOD...???
(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD IN AMAZEMENT*)
* AND BTW... WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE FURNITURE WAS MADE IN THE U.S.A.? HOW'BOUT THE RECREATIONAL GOODS...???
Gains in housing helped the economy expand...
* AGAIN... I*N*F*L*A*T*I*O*N
The Council of Economic Advisers said in a release that the second-quarter gains were strong but that the economy could perform even better if Congress makes sure infrastructure improvements such as work on roads and bridges doesn’t stall this fall.
* THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN'T MEET OPERATING EXPENSES. A HUGE SEGMENT OF THE BUDGET IS SIMPLY PUT ON THE OL' CREDIT CARD EACH YEAR... PILING UP... DEMANDING INTEREST PAYMENTS... A DOG CHASING IT'S OWN TAIL...
* BTW... WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE "STIMULUS." HOW'BOUT THOSE "SHOVEL READY PROJECTS?"
* I TELL YA... THE AMERICAN SHEEPLE ARE A BUNCH OF DUPES.
While the economy has bounced back from the recession...
* BOUNCED BACK...? (ARE THESE CLOWNS SERIOUS...?!?!)
...overall growth remains lackluster. Wages have failed to rise significantly, an area of concern that Janet L. Yellen, chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, noted when she appeared before Congress this month.
* DOWNPLAYING IT A BIT, AREN'T WE NEW YORK TIMES...? THE MIDDLE CLASS HAS SHRUNK AND GOTTEN POORER. THAT'S THE REALITY.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/07/30/exclusive-report-reveals-disturbing-trend-brazen-attacks-against-border/
A game warden hit in the head with a rock while trying to seize a raft.
Police officers wounded in an hours-long standoff with a gang member wanted for murder.
Criminals spewing obscenities and death threats at local cops before asking for – and receiving – medical treatment.
And that was just last week.
A weekly report distributed by a Texas state agency to senior law enforcement officials paints a grim picture of the Mexican border, where authorities regularly confront illegal immigrant gang members and draw automatic gunfire from across the Rio Grande, and where local, state and federal authorities fight a never-ending battle against drug smugglers.
The most recent Border Operations Sector Assessment report compiled by the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Border Security Operations Center, dated July 25 and obtained by FoxNews.com, details local and federal authorities encountering smugglers carrying millions of dollars’ worth of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine, some of which was found in vehicles filled with biblical passages and religious items; federal agents being assaulted and shot at; gang members brazenly approaching people in their homes; and ranch workers witnessing men crossing into the U.S. wearing camouflage and carrying long guns and automatic weapons.
(*PURSED LIPS*)
"In recent weeks the traffic appears to have slowed slightly, yet assaults on law enforcement have increased. This is a disturbing trend that needs to be addressed,” Chris Cabrera, vice president of the National Border Patrol Union, Rio Grande Valley Sector, told FoxNews.com.
“It is paramount that we get this problem under control. It is evident that we need more agents in the field to address the various threats posed to law enforcement as well as to our nation."
* FOLKS... HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF BORDER AGENT JESUS E. DIAZ, JR.? READ THIS:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/25/border-agent-jaile-arrest-teen-drug-smuggler/
* AND THEN OF COURSE THERE'S THE BETTER KNOWN TALES OF AGENTS RAMOS AND COMPEAN...
* FOLKS... UNDERSTAND... A COUP HAS TAKEN PLACE. THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM. (HOW COULD ANYONE EXPOSED TO THE FACTS NOT SEE THIS AND BE OUTRAGED BY IT...???)
Last week FoxNews.com reported that Border Patrol agents patrolling the Rincon Peninsula, south of Mission, Texas, and across the river from Reynosa, Mexico, had been forced to run for cover when rounds of .50 caliber gunfire were shot from the Mexican side to the U.S. side of the Rio Grande. Without any protection from such high-caliber rounds, the agents were forced to hide until the barrage stopped. Federal and state sources who work in the area said they believe the gunfire continued for about 15 minutes.
“This happens all the time. We’re out on the border, often we are alone, and all you hear is gunfire,” a Border Patrol agent working an overnight shift along the Rio Grande said last week.“We are sitting ducks, and it’s only getting worse. Every night, it gets worse.”
* IT'S GETTING WORSE WITH WASHINGTON'S BLESSING...
* FOLKS... ALL I CAN DO IS SHARE...
Sources interviewed on the border in recent weeks echoed his statement and said they believe the real situation along the border is not being told. All asked that their names not be revealed, due to strict orders not to speak with the media. FoxNews.com has confirmed that senior Border Patrol officials have sent out memos to employees warning them that they can be fired for speaking to reporters.
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