May, 2016, Political Class Insanity, Part 2: Another Whopping Obama Lie, Taxing The Bagel Eaters, and Giving The Rich Taxpayer Wealth

It is the beginning of another month which means it is time again to review the latest political class insanity from the American political class. Each month it takes us multiple posts to cover the wasteful spending, incompetent government organizations and employees, government programs that usually make a problem worse than resolving it, inane and idiotic politician comments, etc. In fact, last month we set a record, needing ten full posts to cover it all.To review past posts on this insanity and idiocy, just click on the first few posts in each month listed to the right of this page. After reviewing just a handful of these insanity posts we think you will agree that we are currently being served by the worst set of American politicians ever to hold office in our entire history.It looks like our politicians have been especially insane over the past month or so let’s get started with the latest insanity from today’s American politicians1) Obama has spewed forth any number of memorable deceptions and lies during his time in office. A small sample of the bigger ones include:
- He falsely claimed that if you liked your current doctors, insurance plan, or hospital, then you would be able to keep it under Obama Care.

- He falsely promised to go through the Federal budget “line by line” to get rid of wasteful government spending but he never did.

- He falsely promised to never take a vacation if elected, devoting every waking moment to the American people but ended up taking more extravagant vacations than any other former President.

- He falsely promised to run the “most transparent” administration ever but ended up operating the least transparent administration ever.

- He falsely promised to cut the annual deficit in half by the end of his first term but ended up running up multiple TRILLION dollar annual government deficits.

We could list many more but you get the idea. And now we have another lie/deception to add to the list. Many, many times Obama vowed that he would not send American troops into Syria, that there would be “no boots on the ground” that belonged to U.S. service men and women. Well, that promise, like many of his others, has proven to be false.Obama recently announced that he would deploy 250 special operations military personnel to Syria to assist local allies to beat back the ISIS terrorist group. Now, the administration is trying to spin it that this is not a lie in that these newly deployed troops will be just advisors, not to be actively involved in combat operations. However, Obama never said that, never drew that distinction. He always said “no boots on the ground,” he never said “no boots on the ground except for military advisors.” It seems that this President thinks that by just saying something he can change reality or change history. We are not that stupid, boots on the ground are boots on the ground. You can be sure that those 250 U.S. troops will be defending themselves in combat at some point in time, ISIS would love to get their hands on a live U.S. troop or two. These are military boots on the ground and Obama is still a liar.2) Political class insanity and stupidity is not restricted to those politicians in Washington DC. The politicians at the state government level have done a pretty good job of providing their own versions of political class insanity. Consider the following oddball taxes that are currently in place in some of the nation’s states. Then try to figure out why these laws ever became reality and how much time at the state government level was wasted passing these pieces of tax nonsense:Alabama - In Alabama you have to pay 10 cents to the government every time you buy a deck of standard playing cards. Comments: how much tax revenue could this tax possibly be worth to the state government and is it more expensive for retailers and state employees to collect it than what the tax actually generates?Florida - In Florida there is something called a “greenbelt law” that taxes farmers and ranchers at a lower rate. Comments: sounds like a good idea until you realize that property developers now actually rent cows to graze on their properties to avoid paying higher taxes while preparing their land for building. Even Disney World got a $1.5 million tax break with this cow tax loophole.Kansas - In the state of Kansas, a hot air balloon experience will only be taxed if it is tethered to the ground. If you go somewhere, the ride will be tax free because it is considered “transportation.” Comments: when did anyone anywhere use a hot air balloon to “transport” themselves to a particular place?New Jersey - No matter how close to Halloween it is, pumpkins are categorized as a food and thus tax-exempt it New Jersey. However, if the pumpkin is “painted, varnished or cut and sold as decorations,” sales tax applies. Comments: As with the Alabama card deck tax, is the effort worth it from both a retailer and state government tax employee to collect what has to be a very small tax revenue stream?New York - In New York, bagel buyers get a little something extra with their lox and cream cheese – “an 8-cent bagel cutting tax” on any bagel that comes sliced or is served to be eaten on the spot. Comments: Again, how much time and effort is expended tracking down if the $.08 is collected dependent on whether the bagel is sliced or not? Not clear if you can avoid the tax if the bagel is not sliced and the lox and cream cheese is put on top of the uncut bagel.Tennessee - In Tennessee, you are expected to pay taxes even while breaking the law. In 2004, Tennessee passed the Unauthorized Substances Tax, also known as the “crack tax” that requires anyone possessing illegal drugs to purchase and attach a stamp to the product. Comments: so the Tennessee politicians expect a criminal who is in possession of an illegal drug to actually self identify themselves to authorities in order to purchase a state-required stamp? I don’t think so.Just once it would be nice to talk to some of these politicians who actually conceive, write, and vote on these pieces of nonsense. Just once I would like them explain to me what is the rationale for this insanity. For a state-by-state summary of more stupid taxes, go to:http://freedompartners.org/latest-news/honor-tax-day-ludicrous-taxes-state/3) Government welfare abuse happens at all levels of income and and in all walks of life. Consider this travesty of wasting taxpayer dollars from the Ecowatch website:

• According to Robert Coleman, writing for the website on April 19, 2016, 50 billionaires across the country received $6.3 million Federal government farm subsidies even though most, if not all, of them could not rationally be classified as “farmers.”
• The money was paid out from 1995 to 2014 as part of a Federal crop insurance program, according to analysis by the Environmental Watchdog Group (EWG).
• Fifty members from the Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest Americans received taxpayer money under the program.
• The recipients included banker David Rockefeller, Sr., Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, well known stockbroker Charles Schwab and other billionaires.
• Other, lesser known but still wealthy recipients included Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, owners of three professional sports teams, and the founder of the Bass Pro sporting goods business.
• The total net worth, according to the EWG, of the billionaires who got the Federal money was $331.4 billion. 
• Examples of some of the subsidies include the following:

I am sorry, but someone who is worth almost $18 BILLION (Paul Allen) should not be getting thousands of dollars in taxpayer money for his farming operation. If you want to subsidize farmers, than subsidize those that truly need a little financial help. Paul Allen et al do not need financial help.Either return that $6.3 million to the taxpayers or use it for a real human suffering purpose to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, or treat the addicted in this country, do not give over a $1 million to someone who is worth $2 billion (Lee Bass). Enough insanity for today. Making the rich richer with taxpayer money, taxing the less rich more when they buy a bagel or pack of cards, and another whopping Obama lie. Political class insanity comes in all forms and ways, more of it tomorrow.

March, 2015, Part 6, Political Class Insanity: Expensive Obama Adventures, Failing Urban Schools, Failing Energy Legislation, and Subsiizing Billionaires

It is the beginning of another month which means it is time once again to review the latest insanity and ineptness from the American political class. We do this review every month to prove our hypothesis that we are currently being served by the worst set of politicians in the history of our country. 

They waste hundreds of billions of dollars of our wealth every year, they never resolve any of the major issues facing Americans today, they continually put their foot in their mouth with their idiotic statements and positions, and they operate government functions that are bloated and ineffective in delivering quality service to taxpayers. And worse of all, they have rigged the country’s elections processes so that their election and subsequent re-elections are almost guaranteed to ensure their mediocrity continues. 

To review the past examples of political class insanity just type in “political class insanity” in the search box above.

So let's get started on what has become a multi-day review of their latest incompetence and insanity,of which today is the last post in this month’s update:

1) According to a Washington Post article that was summarized in the February 27, 2015 issue of The Week magazine, over the past two decades, the Federal government has paid out more than $11 billion in farm subsidies to 50 billionaires including Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, investment executive Charles Schwab and Chic-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy. This comes out to over $220 million on average paid out to each billionaire.

The insanity of these numbers and the idiotic government programs that allow them to happen need no discussion, ordinary taxpayers allowing the political class to funnel outrageous amounts of wealth to outrageously wealthy Americans.

2) According to an article in the April, 2015 issue of Reason magazine, only 19 out of 594 students in Paterson, New Jersey public high schools who took the SATs last year scored high enough to be considered college ready. This is anemic success rate of only 3%.

Rather than fix what is obviously a severely broken school system, a system that uses up vast amounts of local taxpayer money without educating the kids, the school decided to longer use the SAT process to measure students’ academic success or failures. Rather than fix the problem we will just hide the problem, and taxpayer money will continue to be wasted, kids will continue to be under educated and nobody will be the wiser.

3) Many times we have covered examples in this blog of government programs that were totally ineffective in resolving the problem they were supposed to resolve or actually made the original problem worse. 

Such is the situation that was recently reported in the April, 2015 issue of Reason magazine. California passed legislation in 1978 that attempted to make building codes in that state much more energy efficient. Did it work?

Not according to an extensive study done by Georgetown University economist Arik Levinson. Levinson compiled data from both before and after the new building codes were implemented in California and other states and found that “no evidence that homes constructed since California instituted its building energy codes use less electricity today than homes built before the codes went into effect.”

This is quite a difference from the predicted results that politicians promised from the legislation. Back then, the predicted outcomes of the new building codes was up to an 80% decrease in energy use. The reality is that there was no incremental decrease in energy use, quite a miss in forecasted results. Another political effort that resulted in...nothing.

4) Given that spring is coming and vacation season is right behind it, it seems a good time to review a recent article in the Washington Examiner by Paul Bedard that was published on March 7, 2015. The article discussed the reality that the American taxpayer has already spent tens of millions of dollars to facilitate Obama family vacations, likely far more Presidential family vacation expenses than any other recent President.

And this is even more obnoxious to taxpayers when you consider another broken promise this President made a few years ago when he promised not to take any vacations if the country elected him President: "The bargain that any president strikes with is, you give me this office and in turn my fears, doubts, insecurities, foibles, need for sleep, family life, vacations, leisure, is gone. I am giving myself to you. The American people should have no patience for what's going on in your head because you've got a job to do." (See the video where the President made this since broken promise: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Obama-vacation-video-golf/2014/08/12/id/588289/#ixzz3Tku6G26f )

The article then goes on to document the extensive vacation history of the Obama family, which is certainly in contrast to his promise that he would give up a whole bunch of stuff including vacations:

2009

• Feb. 13-16, the first family travels to Chicago. President plays some basketball and takes Michelle out for Valentines Day dinner at a restaurant run by one of Oprah's former personal chefs.
• May 30, the first couple travel to NYC for a date night where the saw "Joe Turner's Come and Gone."
• June 3-9, on a working trip to the Middle East and Europe, the Obama family takes in the sights, including a visit to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Michelle Obama and her girls stay behind in Paris to continue vacationing. .
• August 14-16, the president goes fly fishing in Montana. The Obama family went on to Yellowstone National Park and other sights.
• August 23-30, the Obama's start their first vacation on Martha's Vineyard, Mass. in a home that rents for more than $35,000 a week.
• Dec. 24-Jan. 3, the first Obama presidential Christmas in Hawaii where they stayed in an $8.9 million home. 

2010

• March 20-24, Michelle, Sasha, Malia, mom Marian Robinson and some pals go to NYC for Broadway shows, a tour of the Empire State Building lunch at the Russian Tea Room.
• April 23–25, President and Mrs. Obama in Asheville, North Carolina for a weekend vacation. 
• May 27-31, Obama skipped the traditional Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery and traveled home to Chicago. He spoke instead at a smaller military cemetery.
• July 17-18, a family vacation with first family dog Bo in Bar Harbor, Maine.
• August 4-8, Michelle Obama, daughter Sasha and others. Judicial Watch estimated the trip cost at $467,000.
• August 3-4, Obama in Chicago by himself his 49th birthday.
• August 14-15, the first family vacations on Florida's Gulf Coast to show support for locals hit by the BP oil spill.
• August 19-29, the first family is in Martha's Vineyard for their second summer vacation. 
• Dec. 23-Jan. 2 in Hawaii for their second Presidential Christmas vacation in a $3,500 a night home. 

2011

• Feb. 19-21, Michelle, Sasha and Malia got to Vail to ski. t
• March 21-25, Obama, Michelle, Sasha and Malia, on spring break, on a vacation to Latin America  were the girls took in Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue.
• Aug. 16-28, for the first family's third summer vacation on Marthas Vineyard.
• Dec. 23-Jan. 2 in Hawaii for Christmas vacation. 

2012

• Feb. 17-19, Michelle and her daughters go to Aspen to ski. 
• March, Malia goes to Mexico with friends. Judicial Watch said basic costs totaled $115,500.
• Dec. 22-26 the Obama's spend Christmas in Hawaii. 

2013

• Feb. 15-18 MIchelle and daughters sky in Aspen.
• Feb. 16-18, President Obama flies to Palm Springs for three days of golf. 
• March 2013, Sasha and Malia Obama vacation at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
• June 17-18, while the president was at a summit in Ireland , Michelle and her daughters did some sightseeing that cost an additional $251,000, according to Judicial Watch.
• June 26–July 2, Michelle vacations in several African nations with her daughters after meeting up with president.
• Aug. 10-18, the fourth summer vacation is spent in Martha's Vineyard.
• Dec. 20-Jan. 6, for 17 days in Hawaii for Christmas.

2014

• Feb. 14-17, Michelle Obama with daughters Sasha and Malia for a ski vacation in Aspen, Colorado.
• Feb. 14-16, Obama golfs in Palm Springs, Ca. Judicial Watch said the flight cost was $2,066,594.
• March 8-9, the president and first lady go to Kay Largo, Florida for a golfing vacation.
• March 19-26, Michelle Obama, her mom and daughter Sasha and Malia spend spring break in China. 
• Aug. 9-24, the first family their fifth summer vacation on Martha's Vineyard, staying in a seven bedroom, nine bathroom, 8,100-square-foot home they rented by the Vineyard Sound.
• Dec. a 17 day Christmas vacation in Hawaii

2015

• February 14-16, Michelle  Obama and daughters ski in Aspen, Co.
• Feb. 15-17, President Obama travels to Palm Springs, California  for a boys weekend of golf.

Now some people might say that Bush also took a lot of vacations. Yes, but he usually went home to Texas, a trip that was much shorter and much less taxpayer expensive than flying the Obama family around to different parts of the country and different parts of the world. Plus, 1) Obama promised he would not take vacations and 2) he constantly accuses the wealthy in this country of not paying enough taxes while he was burning through tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds for his own family’s joy and benefit. So out of touch with reality and the suffering of Americans struggling in a weak economy.

That will do it for this month’s political class insanity. Another set of episodes where politicians waste taxpayer wealth, take care of the political donors, operate inefficient government organizations, implement government efforts that either fail to resolve any issue or make an existing crisis even worse, etc. Worse set of politicians ever to serve the country with no relief in sight. Insanity.


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