Tag Archives: Republican

As Georgia’s Gun Freedoms Expand, So Do Others

Tuesday, 08 July 2014 05:28

This article was first published at The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor on Monday, July 7, 2014:

When Georgia’s new “guns everywhere” law became effective on Tuesday, July 1, the governor was ecstatic:

[This is] a great day to reaffirm our liberties….

The Second Amendment should never be an afterthought. It should be at the front of our minds.

The new law allows gun owners with carry licenses to do so in churches, schools, bars, and some government buildings that were previously off-limits. It also expands the state’s “stand your ground” laws to cover those previously convicted of felonies. And it prevents police from demanding without cause a person carrying to produce a license permitting him to do so.

Without saying so specifically, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal expressed a point often missed in the gun debate:

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Obama: A Law unto Himself

Wednesday, 02 July 2014 09:30

This article first appeared at The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor on Wednesday, July 2, 2014:

Events of recent months have clearly revealed Barack Obama for what he is: a revolutionary progressive determined to change the United States into a fascist system of controls over every aspect of a citizen’s life. In spite of a recent series of events that would have humiliated and shamed a less committed totalitarian into silence and withdrawal, Obama instead has pressed on with his agenda.

On Saturday, in his weekly press conference, Obama announced that he was taking things into his own hands:

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Study: All Jobs Growth Since 2000 Went to Immigrants

Monday, 30 June 2014 10:09

This article was first published at TheNewAmerican.com on Monday, June 30, 2014:

Immigrants just arrived from Foreign Countries...

Immigrants just arrived from Foreign Countries–Immigrant Building, Ellis Island, New York Harbor.

With the release of the report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) last week, Director of Research Steven Camarota drove the final nail into the coffin of immigration reform for this year, saying:

Government data show that since 2000 all of the net gain in the number of working-age (16 to 65) people holding a job has gone to immigrants (legal and illegal).

This is remarkable given that native-born Americans accounted for two-thirds of the growth in the total working-age population.… There were still fewer working-age natives holding a job in the first quarter of 2014 than in 2000, while the number of immigrants with a job was 5.7 million above the 2000 level.

All of the net increase in employment went to immigrants in the last 14 years.

This effectively obliterates the assumptions underlying the immigration reform bill SB 744, which was promoted by a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans (called by some observers the “Gang of Eight”) and passed by the Senate, 68-32, a year ago last week. That bill was based on several key assumptions: 1) that there is a labor shortage in the country, 2) that there are some jobs only immigrants want, and 3) that higher levels of immigration would stimulate the economy so that everyone, native-born or immigrant, would find more work.

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Why Are Liberals Jumping on the Teacher Tenure Reform Bandwagon?

Friday, 27 June 2014 10:24

This article was first published at the McAlvany Intelligence Advisors on Friday, June 27, 2014:

English: A bandwagon in the 2009 Great Circus ...

A bandwagon in the 2009 Great Circus Parade, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

It didn’t take long for the decision in California that threw out union rules protecting teachers to galvanize similar efforts in New York. The Partnership for Educational Justice announced its plans to file a similar lawsuit against the same kind of rules extant in New York that so outraged Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu earlier this month when he ruled them unconstitutional.

The Partnership will sue next month to get rid of the same three rules that upset Treu:

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Establishment Republicans Secure Leadership roles Following Cantor’s Defeat

Friday, 20 June 2014 10:34

English: Official portrait of Congressman Kevi...

English: Official portrait of Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA22) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Almost immediately following the surprise defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor the Republican Party moved quickly to fill his slot with clones of Cantor: Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) who will take McCarthy’s spot. The change will take place when Cantor officially relinquishes his seat in July 31.

The media was full of references to “conservative” in describing the two new faces, including The Hill which referred to the “conservative Rep. Steve Scalise to replace McCarthy as majority whip” while noting his chairmanship of the “conservative Republican Study Committee” which he used “as a springboard to the party leadership position.” The Hill only made passing reference to the “handful of members who have long opposed Boehner and his leadership team.”

The Washington Times concluded that all is well now that the leadership of the House remains firmly in control of establishment Republican figures:

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Eric Cantor Handily Defeated by Virtually Unknown College Professor

Wednesday, 11 June 2014 14:41

In a primary election that Paul Rothenberg, a non-partisan political analyst, called “the political version of the San Francisco earthquake,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) lost overwhelmingly to obscure economics professor Dave Brat. This is the first time since 1899 that a House Majority Leader has lost his reelection bid in his party’s primary. Despite being outspent by Cantor by more than 25-to-1, Brat breezed to victory on Tuesday, capturing 55 percent of the vote to Cantor’s 44 percent.

Virtually ignored by establishment Republican groups like Club for Growth and Heritage Action, Bart won by basing his campaign on

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House Passes bill to Increase Funding for Background Checks

Monday, 02 June 2014 09:25

Seal of the National Crime Information Center ...

Seal of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), USA. — “Servicing Our Citizens” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Late last Thursday the House voted, 260-145, to increase federal grant money to states to improve their reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS. It was a textbook case of revolutionary parliamentarianism at work.

Less than one week after the Isla Vista, California, shootings which left seven people dead and 13 wounded, the House voted to increase funding by $19.5 million to assist the states in their data collection and entry into the federal gun registry system. It was all for good reasons, according to Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), who helped sponsor the amendment:

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Political Expediency wins over Economic Reality in Michigan

Friday, 30 May 2014 08:58

Lake Michigan Storm

Lake Michigan Storm (Photo credit: Tom Gill.)

This article first appeared at The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor on Friday, May 30, 2014:

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is no fool, but he’s also a realist: It’s an election year, pressure from the left to do something (even if it’s the wrong thing) is mounting, there’s a petition drive that could make things even worse, and so he caves and calls it good. In announcing that he signed into law a bill passed overwhelmingly by the legislature to raise the state’s minimum wage law by 25 percent over the next four years, he said:

This is something that is good for Michigan. It’s good for the hard-working people of Michigan and I believe it is economically sound….

I commend my [Republican] partners in the legislature for finding common ground on a bill that will help Michigan workers and protect our state’s growing economy.

Of course the new law will do no such thing.

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Michigan joins Other States in Raising Minimum Wage

Thursday, 29 May 2014 09:13

Seemingly determined to keep the state of Michigan near the bottom in employment rates among the fifty states, Republican Governor Rick Snyder signed into law Tuesday a bill to raise the state’s minimum wage by 25 percent. Snyder rejoiced that this was a good thing:

This is something that is good for Michigan. It’s good for the hard-working people of Michigan and I believe it is economically sound…

I commend my [Republican] partners in the legislature for finding common ground on a bill that will help Michigan workers and protect our state’s growing economy.

At present Michigan ranks 46^th among the 50 states with an unemployment rate of nearly 9 percent. By preventing employers from employing those willing to work for less than the state’s new minimum wage, those willing workers won’t be employed. It’s the iron law of economics:

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NJ Gov. Christie’s Conservative Light is Dimming

Thursday, 22 May 2014 09:14

Chris Christie

Chris Christie (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

Less than six months into his second term New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is having an increasingly difficult time pushing the New Jersey “comeback” theme that gained him reelection in January. This is in addition to the Bridge Gate scandal that has already seen five of his top lieutenants resign or be fired, with three investigations continuing into the matter.

First of all there’s the $807 million budget shortfall in his $33 billion budget that must be filled by the end of June. Then there’s the state’s credit rating which has been downgraded three times so far this year (it’s only May!) and

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Dinesh D’Souza Pleads Guilty, Claims Selective Prosecution

Wednesday, 21 May 2014 09:57

Cover of "The Roots of Obama's Rage"

Cover of The Roots of Obama’s Rage

When Federal District Judge Richard Berman ruled that Dinesh D’Souza, co-producer of the documentary film 2016: Obama’s America, had provided no evidence that he was selectively prosecuted for arranging campaign contributions to a friend in 2012, D’Souza had no other defense. In his plea bargain with Berman on Tuesday, D’Souza pleaded guilty to one of the two counts in the indictment, saying:

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Faux Republican Conservative Ben Sasse wins in Nebraska

Wednesday, 14 May 2014 10:50

Nebraska, Our Nation's Capital

Nebraska, Our Nation’s Capital (Photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com)

The winner of the Nebraska Republican primary on Tuesday was Midland University President Ben Sasse, and Tea Partiers rejoiced. Jenny Beth Martin, national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, was delighted to learn of Sasse’s victory, exulting that he would add to the influence of other Tea Party favorites (i.e., Ted Cruz and Rand Paul) already in Washington:

They’ve got reinforcements coming in January. This is a win not just for Ben Sasse but for fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets.

She probably hadn’t read Dean Clancy’s musings on whether Sasse is the real deal, or not. Early in February, Clancy, Vice President for Public Policy at FreedomWorks, posted a blog entitled

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The Likely Happy Ending to the IRS Targeting Scandal

Friday, 09 May 2014 21:05

Stop Corruption

Stop Corruption (Photo credit: kmillard92)

This article first appeared at The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor on Friday, May 9, 2014:

To some, the two votes on Wednesday in the House of Representatives – one to cite IRS official Lois Lerner for contempt, the other to demand that the Justice Department appoint a special prosecutor for investigate further the IRS’ targeting scandal – represents the end of the matter.

The Inspector General’s report issued back in May 2013 has long since been forgotten, the FBI’s investigation came up empty, and now Wednesday’s contempt citation is headed for oblivion.

But the aftermath, the residuals, are significant. And positive.

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New polls Suggest huge gains for Republicans in November

Monday, 05 May 2014 09:01

Cover of "Tragedy and Hope: A History of ...

Cover via Amazon

The change in attitude towards the November midterms is breathtaking, according to the latest poll by Pew Research. Last October when Pew asked “If the elections were held today, would you vote for/lean toward the Republican candidate or the Democrat candidate for Congress in your district?”, 49 percent of those polled favored the Democrat, while just 43 percent favored the Republican. In less than six months, just 43 percent now favor the Democrat while 47 percent favor the Republican.

The shift, according to Pew, reflects dissatisfaction on a number of fronts, including

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Obama Finds Another Excuse to delay the Keystone Pipeline

Monday, 21 April 2014 04:03

Truck hauling 36-Inch Pipe to build Keystone-C...

Truck hauling 36-Inch Pipe to build Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With President Obama’s State Department deciding on Friday to delay further any decision on the Keystone XL Pipeline, his environmentalist supporters were overjoyed. Nearly everyone else saw it as a political stunt designed to put off the decision until after the election.

The State Department is using faintly plausible excuses for the additional delay:

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Social Security Stops Seizing Refund Checks for Decades-Old Debts

Wednesday, 16 April 2014 08:51

Social Security Poster: old man

Social Security Poster: old man (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mary Grice, a resident of Maryland, was expecting her refund checks of $4,462 from the IRS and the state of Maryland. They never came. Instead she got a letter from the Social Security Administration (SSA) saying that they took them to settle a debt owed by her father – in 1977. When the Washington Post learned that she was filing suit over the matter, things began to happen. She told them: “It was a shock. What incenses me is the way they went about this. They gave me no notice.”

Her attorney, Robert Vogel, amped up the issue, putting the SSA on the defensive. Their explanation was spotty. Apparently

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HHS Sebelius resigns, to be Replaced by Budget Director Burwell

Friday, 11 April 2014 09:11

Few noticed but at last week’s Rose Garden announcement by the president that his administration’s signature healthcare initiative had exceeded his 7 million signups goal by the end of March, he failed to mention Kathleen Sebelius’ name even though she was sitting right in front of him. On Thursday Sebelius made it official: she was leaving her post as head of Health and Human Services.

More than a month earlier

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Polls Show Republicans May Take Back the Senate in November

Sunday, 30 March 2014 05:03

This article was first published at The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor on Wednesday, March 26, 2014:

On February 2, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter. He also signaled to pollsters that it was time for them to

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Connecticut Raises its Minimum Wage to $10.10 an Hour

Friday, 28 March 2014 11:24

Governor's Agreement With State Employees

Governor’s Agreement With State Employees (Photo credit: CT Senate Democrats)

In a remarkable display of hubris and economic ignorance, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy proudly announced on Thursday that his state is the first to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour:

This is just a step in moving people in the right direction.

We will be lifting people out of poverty in the state of Connecticut. Increasing the minimum wage is not just good for workers, it’s also good for business.

What the new law will really do as it is phased in over the next three years is

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Preliminary Polls Show Chances Improving for Repubicans to take back the Senate in November

Tuesday, 25 March 2014 11:27

Alan Abramowitz introducing former foster yout...

Alan Abramowitz (Photo credit: flguardian2)

Despite the elections being seven months away – a virtual lifetime in politics – pollsters are coming out of the woodwork to offer their statistical opinions on the outcome in November. Most of them agree that control of the Senate, now firmly in Democrat hands, is

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