February, 2018, Part 2, I Am A Global Warming Doubter and a Believer In Science: Stupid In Washington State and Censoring Those that Disagree

Every month we have enough material to return to a continuing theme in this blog, namely that “I am a global warming doubter AND a believer in science.” This became of interest because of people like Al Gore who fanatically and verbosely claimed that you had to be an idiot to not believe in manmade global warming. It has been my life belief that anyone that is that loud and that obnoxious is hiding something, that rather than argue facts and reality it is better to beat down and insult anyone who disagrees.

As we have dove into the whole issue of manmade global warming, or its new rebranded title of climate change, we found that Al Gore and people like him were guilty of a number of things:

• Ignoring science and realities that did not support their opinions and positions.
• Rather than have an adult conversation about climate, these types of advocates like Gore sank to the level of insulting those who dared look at ALL science by calling them a variety of names including racists, homophobes, terrorists, flat earth believers, and other slanderous names.
• Continuing to insist that politicians step up their intrusions into our lives with higher taxes, more regulations, and more control of our freedoms and standards of living based on a shaky theory at best.

To see the past posts and the multitude of evidence that we have compiled that showed it is perfectly okay to be a global warming doubter and a believer in science, enter the phrase "global warming doubter” in the search box above or go through the monthly historical posts listed on the right side of this page.

Thus, let’s see the latest facts and science that prove you can be a global warming doubter and a believer in science, regardless of what Al Gore proclaims.

1) Despite the fact that global warming by any measure stopped about twenty years ago, global warming advocates refuse to give up. Despite the fact that every global warming forecast model over the years, from a wide variety of entities, were so wrong in predicting the earth's temperatures, global warming advocates refuse to give up. Given that wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, and other natural phenomena show no distressful climate changes, global warming advocates refuse to give up.

A perfect example of this refusal to believe science, data, and realities, is the current set of politicians in the state of Washington, led by its governor, Jay Inslee. The governor is pushing state global warming legislation that would in theory counteract manmade global warming and climate change, a problem that is becoming more and more of a myth everyday. The legislation would impose a carbon tax on carbon based fuels in the state.

But a February 1, 2018 article by Benjamin Zycher, writing for the National Review, showed that this inane plan is, “A Washington State Carbon Tax: All Pain, No Gain Washington Governor Jay Inslee:”

• Even with very optimistic assumptions, the Governor’s plan would reduce the state’s greenhouse emissions enough to drop the overall temperature of the Earth by 2/1000 of a degree.
• Thus, Washington state taxpayers would be more heavily taxed for a potential, best case impact on the Earth’s temperature of, again, 2/1000 of a degree.
• Oh, and by the way, this reduction is not accomplished in a year, or two years, or a dozen years, it would not be accomplished until the year 2100, 82 years from now, 82 years in which Washington state taxpayers would be paying more in taxes for virtually no positive impact.
• These estimates come from the EPA’s climate model, using very favorable assumptions, certainly not an entity famous for being a global warming doubter.
• The article goes on to point out that two other famous efforts efforts to reduce carbon emissions, Obama’s strategies on climate control, which would have reduced the Earth’s temps by a whopping 25/1000 of a degree, and the Paris climate agreement that would have reduce the Earth’s temps by only 17/100 of a degree, according to the EPA models.
• This assumes that numbers this small can be accurately read within in statistical variation, i.e. the noise of the measurement process might make any accurate reading that is so small impossible.
• And replacing current fuel sources with so-called renewable fuel sources is not nearly as “clean” and Earth friendly as people like Inslee would claim if you look at the whole renewable energy provisioning process: there is heavy metal pollution from mining and the production of wind turbines and solar panels, there are negative impacts in nature on bird populations and land use, etc.
• And the article correctly pointed out, as we have often in this blog, that despite the increase in greenhouse emissions over the past century, the impact on sea levels, polar ice caps, tornado activity, hurricane frequency and intensity, wildfires, droughts, and flooding has been consistent with long term trends over the centuries and the models that forecasted dire environmental impacts because of global warming have all proven to be wrong.

But these realities continue to elude the minds of politicians like Inslee. He wants to subject his constituents to higher taxes, upheavals in their lifestyles, and less freedom in their lives for what might be, under the most optimistic assumption set possible, an eight decade gain of 2/1000 of a degree benefit. Insanity.

Maybe Mr. Zycher, the author of the article sums up this political insanity best: “Climate change caused by GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions might prove to be a serious problem. It might prove to be a minor problem, and it might prove to be beneficial on net. We simply do not know, and the argument that very large costs ought to be imposed by climate policies upon the economy — that is, upon actual people — with trivial or unmeasurable benefits is deeply problematic. More research, more technological advance, and adaptation over time are likely to prove far wiser.”

But as we all know, associating the term “wiser” with any American politician is usually a fool’s bet.

2) Despite massive doses of reality (e.g. there have NOT been massive increases in the intensity and frequency of tornadoes, droughts, hurricanes, wildfires despite what global warming advocates claimed would happen) and massive failures of global warming forecasts to ever be correct, manmade global warming/climate change advocates still refuse to believe the reality in front of their faces and computer models.

Thus, rather than having open minds and admitting that maybe, just maybe they were wrong, they often go on the attack and try to suppress the freedom of speech rights of others and the sources of other statistical and scientific evidence that refute what they have spent their lives and careers on falsely defending. 

Such was the case when they threatened and demanded that the American Museum of Natural reject funding and donations from people that dare not blindly believe what they believe. They would rather censor the opinions of others than engage in an adult conversation that considers all of the available climate data and research, as the following letter illustrates:

“The American Museum of Natural History in New York (AMNH) is a treasured and influential institution. Museums must be protected as sites that build understanding, help the public make meaning, and serve the common good. We are concerned that the vital role of science education institutions will be eroded by a loss of public trust if museums are associated with individuals and organizations known for rejecting climate science, opposing environmental regulation and clean energy initiatives, and blocking efforts to reduce pollutants and greenhouse gases.

Rebekah Mercer and the Mercer Family Foundation, political kingmakers and the financiers behind Breitbart News, are major funders of climate science denial projects such as the Heartland Institute, where they have donated nearly $6 million since 2008. The Mercer Family Foundation is also a top donor to the C02 Coalition and the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, institutions that assert that an increase in C02 emissions from fossil fuels will be a great benefit to plant and animal life on Earth. The renewed attention to Mercer Family Foundation chair Rebekah Mercer, who sits on the AMNH Board of Trustees (since 2013), spurs us to reissue a statement that scientists first co-signed in 2015:

“When some of the biggest contributors to climate change and funders of misinformation on climate science sponsor exhibitions in museums of science and natural history, they undermine public confidence in the validity of the institutions responsible for transmitting scientific knowledge.”

Since that original letter, we have seen welcome changes as many museums updated their policies related to fossil fuel financial interests; the American Museum of Natural History increased its focus on climate change concerns and global sustainability in its investments and business plans. But given the prior AMNH funding and board membership associated with Exxon Corporation and David Koch, the prominence of Rebekah Mercer and the Mercer Family Foundation as current AMNH donors and on the Board of Trustees can prompt skepticism and hunts for signs of corruption, no matter the quality of the museum priorities and exhibits overall.

Last week thousands of people shared a Twitter comment by environmental economist Jonah Busch, PhD, who pointed out misleading information on climate science in an Exxon-funded exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. To its credit, the AMNH’s response was swift: it committed to updating the outdated information to reflect the best available science. But the initial online public anger showed that trust in the museum is undermined by the museum’s association with climate science opponents.

The most important asset any museum has is its credibility. This can be damaged by ties to donors and board members who are publicly known for investing in climate science obfuscation and opposing environmental solutions.

We ask the American Museum of Natural History, and all public science museums, to end ties to anti-science propagandists and funders of climate science misinformation, and to have Rebekah Mercer leave the American Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees.”

Typical global warming advocate strategy: if challenged on a statistical and scientific level, look to just shut up the opposition rather than continue to look for the scientific truth, as practiced by non-scientists like Al Gore and Barack Obama. To these people, the truth is secondary to not being proven wrong.

Our book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at:

www.loathemygovernment.com

It is also available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Please pass our message of freedom onward. Let your friends and family know about our websites and blogs, ask your library to carry the book, and respect freedom for both yourselves and others everyday.

Please visit the following sites for freedom:

http://www.cato.org
http://www.bankruptingamerica.org
http://www.conventionofstates.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08j0sYUOb5w

February, 2018, Part 1, I Am A Believer In Science and A Global Warming Doubter: Sandwiches Are Bad, The Sun Is Bad, and Hillary is Just Plain Zany

Every month we have enough material to return to a continuing theme in this blog, namely that “I am a global warming doubter AND a believer in science.” This became of interest because of people like Al Gore who fanatically and verbosely claimed that you had to be an idiot to not believe in manmade global warming. It has been my life belief that anyone that is that loud and that obnoxious is hiding something, that rather than argue facts and reality it is better to beat down and insult anyone who disagrees.

As we have dove into the whole issue of manmade global warming, or its new rebranded title of climate change, we found that Al Gore and people like him were guilty of a number of things:

• Ignoring science and realities that did not support their opinions and positions.
• Rather than have an adult conversation about climate, these types of advocates like Gore sank to the level of insulting those who dared look at ALL science by calling them a variety of names including racists, homophobes, terrorists, flat earth believers, and other slanderous names.
• Continuing to insist that politicians step up their intrusions into our lives with higher taxes, more regulations, and more control of our freedoms and standards of living based on a shaky theory at best.

To see the past posts and the multitude of evidence that we have compiled that showed it is perfectly okay to be a global warming doubter and a believer in science, enter the phrase "global warming doubter” in the search box above or go through the monthly historical posts listed on the right side of this page.

Thus, let’s see the latest facts and science that prove you can be a global warming doubter and a believer in science, regardless of what Al Gore proclaims.

1) I always find it interesting that people that have no science background think they are valid scientists. The most obvious examples are people like Al Gore and Barack Obama. To that list I would like to add Hillary Clinton who recently had some really, really bizarre words when it comes to the her views on climate change:

• She was recently on a panel discussion at a university where a question on climate change came up.
• Someone either intentionally, most likely, or unintentionally, gave her the ridiculous set up question is whether or not women would suffer more when the climate changes.
• She responded that it is absolutely, not conditionally, not maybe, not probably but ABSOLUTELY true that women will “bear the brunt” of climate change:“Women around will be looking for the the food, the firewood, the place to migrate to when all of the grass is finally gone...and will be primary ones burdened with climate change.”

If this was not so sexist it would be hilarious. Yep, Ma’s out moving the cattle, foraging for food, chopping the firewood, churning the butter, etc. while the guys are just drinking beer and watching the game. Seriously, are you kidding me? Of course, she offers no rationale, research, or anything of value to support her claim that women around the world will have to handle most of the “burden” of climate change. Ridiculous.

Of course during the course of the interview she has to get in her opinion that global warming, a phrase that most climate change advocates dumped years ago when all of their climate models failed miserably, when she mentions how the soaring temperatures in northern Africa are causing something she called “desertification.” Again, no data presented to justify her claims that mankind’s activities are causing either climate change or global warming.

The interview clip can be viewed for yourself at:

http://patrioticviralnews.com/articles/hillary-explains-climate-change-is-sexist-against-women/

2) Let’s review an article on the Constitution website by Andrew West on January 19, 2018 where we find out that both NASA and Einstein agree that the long term future of the Earth is not global warming but global cooling. But before we get to NASA and Einstein, let’s review and add to some realities that global warming/climate change advocates always seem to be bouncing off of:

• Extra wet winter? Must be climate change.
• Extra dry winter? Must be climate change.
• Extra cold winter? Must be climate change.
• Fewer, calmer hurricane seasons? Must be climate change.
• More, less calm hurricane seasons? Must be climate change.

You get the idea. It must be great to believe in a theory that you can change whenever realities do not work out to your current theory.

Okay, let’s get back to NASA and Einstein:

• NASA recently released a press release that claimed that research, and Einstein’s theories prove that the Earth is facing a long time global cooling trend.
• According to the press release: “As our sun gets older, it’s losing mass, and so its gravitational pull becomes weaker. As a result, the orbits of all the planets in our solar system are expanding, not unlike ‘the waistband of a couch potato in midlife. A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Maryland and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has shown that the aging sun is behaving according to Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. The key to testing his theory? The planet Mercury.”
• The release went on to say: “Einstein’s famous theory accounts for the fact that the gravitational fields of huge objects—like the sun—warp the space-time continuum around them, according to Gizmodo. Because Mercury is the planet in our solar system closest to the sun, its orbit is the tightest.”

So long term, the sun will be giving off less heat and the Earth will be moving away from the sun, making it even colder. Another reality to contemplate in the total global warming/climate change discussion, a discussion that we now have to add global cooling if Einstein and NASA are to be believed.

3) Let’s wrap up today’s discussion with another loony theory from a global warming source. In the past we have reviewed any number of wacky theories about what is causing global warming including, but not limited to, the theory that beavers building dams are a significant source of global warming. But possibly a more inane theory was covered by writer David Szondy, writing for The New Atlas on January 25, 2018:

• Believe or not, scientists from the University of Manchester have blamed, wait for it, sandwiches, for helping cause global warming.
• According to the article, “The researchers carried out an in-depth audit of various sandwiches throughout their life cycles and found the triangular meals could be responsible for the equivalent annual carbon emissions of 8.6 million cars in Britain alone.”
• Yes, quite possibly the most popular meal in the world is an evil global warming creator!
• The researchers studied 40 different sandwich types and analyzed such factors as how these 40 sandwiches are made, packaged, transported, and stored.
• The researchers found that different types of sandwiches have “different carbon footprints” depending on what goes into them and how they are stored.
• The researchers estimated that changing recipes and packaging while could reduce sandwich carbon emissions by 50%, as if anyone really cares about the carbon footprint of sandwiches.

It gets crazier and crazier. Imagine how much lower the carbon footprint could go if we ate NO sandwiches! Or if beavers did not build dams! How can one have an adult conversation with these folks when everything in their perception and world causes global warming and climate change.

So what did our global warming climate/change discussion teach us today: sandwiches are bad, the sun is bad, and Hillary is just zany.

Our book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at:

www.loathemygovernment.com

It is also available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Please pass our message of freedom onward. Let your friends and family know about our websites and blogs, ask your library to carry the book, and respect freedom for both yourselves and others everyday.

Please visit the following sites for freedom:


http://www.reason.com
http://www.cato.org
http://www.bankruptingamerica.org
http://www.conventionofstates.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08j0sYUOb5w

The Horrors and Destruction that Donald Trump Has Imposed On America...Just Kidding! Part 5

Before we start today’s discussion, let’s review my voting history: 

• I have never voted for a Republican for President in my life. 
• Thus, I did not vote for Trump. 
• I have rarely voted for a Republican for national office in my life. 

A year ago, many liberals, Democrats, and millenials were besides themselves with grief and fear because their pre-ordained queen, Hillary Clinton, was not elected President. Instead, Donald Trump was elected, an individual that these same people despised, hated, and feared, an individual they felt would endanger and possibly destroy the country and our democracy. For the past year they fretted, worried and lashed out at anything or anyone that even remotely smelled of Donald Trump.

Given that Trump has been in office for a year, I thought, that as someone who did not vote for him, it would be a good idea to review the horror, trauma, and terrible things that Trump has subjected the country to in just one short year. The four previous posts we did on this topic identified 100 good things that have happened since Trump became President:

https://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-horrors-and-destruction-that-donald.html

https://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-horrors-and-destruction-that-donald_31.html

https://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-horrors-and-destruction-that-donald.html

https://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-horrors-and-destruction-that-donald_27.html

I wanted to do another update to the good things that have come about during the first year of the Trump Presidency, something that Democrats and liberals never thought would happen. Today’s discussion is based on an analysis from the Americans For Tax Relief (ATR) website at:

https://www.atr.org/list

ATR has been compiling the number of companies that have given back to their employees, customers, customers, and shareholders as a result of the Trump tax cuts. Their analysis identified the following benefits of Trump’s tax cuts:

• Over 340 companies have already announced benefits to employees, charities, customers, and shareholders as a result of the tax cuts.
• Many of these companies have given their employees one time benefits ranging up to $3,000 per employee.
• Many of these companies raised the hourly wage levels of their employees.
• Many of these companies decreased the cost of health care that their employees and their families have had to pay.
• Many of these companies increased the amount they are contributing to their employees’ 401k plans.
• Many of these companies have given free stock shares to their employees.
• Many of these companies have increased the amount of investment they invest for employee training and education.
• Many of these companies have announced new hiring plans for their companies.
• Many of these companies have increased the amount of money they will be donating to charities.
• Many of these companies are passing their tax savings along to their customers.
• Many of these companies have done multiple things from the above list, e.g. increased wages, gave bonuses, AND increased charitable giving.

These benefits ranged from small companies to large companies, from local businesses to multinational companies, from publicly owned companies to privately owned companies, from manufacturing companies to service companies to banks.

Some of the companies giving back to their employees and the economy that ATR identified include:

- 1A Auto, Inc. (Westford, Massachusetts) -- bonuses for all full-time employees

- 1st Source Corporation (South Bend, Indiana) -- 10 shares of stock; base pay increases, higher tuition reimbursements.

- 1st Summit Bank (Johnstown, Pennsylvania) – $1,000 bonuses to full-time employees; salary raises; increased charitable donations.

- AaLadin Industries, Inc. (Elk Point, South Dakota) – Bonuses of $250 - $1,000 based on length of service; base wage raised; increased capital expenditures.

- AAON (Tulsa, Oklahoma) – this heating and cooling firm gave $1,000 bonus checks to 2,000 employees.

- AbbVie, Inc. (North Chicago, Illinois) -- permanent salary increases for all non-executive employees; increased profit sharing for employees; one additional holiday for U.S. employees.

- AccuWeather (State College, Pennsylvania) – year-end bonuses to all employees. (Approx. 450 – 500 employees)

- Adams Community Bank (Adams, Massachusetts) -- $1,000 bonuses for full-time employees; $500 bonuses for part-time employees; base wage raised to $13.25 per hour; other wage increases; increased charitable contributions, increased capital expenditures, reduction in employees’ cost of medical and dental costs.

- Advance Financial (Nashville, Tennessee) – increase in 401(k) match; increase in profit sharing; increase in charitable donations.

- Advanced Sciences and Technologies, LLC (Berlin, New Jersey) – increased 401(k) match for employee.

- Aflac (Columbus, Georgia) – increase 401(k) match from 50% to 100% on the first 4% of compensation plus one-time $500 contribution to every employee’s 401(k); $250 million increase in overall U.S. investment.

- Alaska Air Group (Seattle, Washington) -- $1,000 bonuses for 23,000 employees:

- Albert Lea Public Warehouse (Albert Lea, Minnesota) – $2,000 bonuses for all 12 employees.

- Ally Financial Inc. (Charlotte, North Carolina) -- $1,000 bonuses to employees and increases to charitable donations by $6 million.

- Altria Group Inc. (Richmond, Virginia) – $3,000 bonus to approximately 7,900 non-executive level employees, a total of $24 million in bonuses and increased charitable contributions.

- Amarillo National Bank (Amarillo, Texas) – $1,000 salary increases for over 300 employees and investment in current properties..

- Ameren Illinois (Chicago, Illinois) – the utility requested that tax savings be passed onto customers.

- Americollect (Manitowoc, Wisconsin) $300 - $500 bonuses for 250 employees

- American Airlines (Ft. Worth, Texas) -- $1,000 bonuses for every employee (excluding officers). The bonuses will total $130 million. AA had 127,600 employees as of Sept. 2017. It will also increase investment in its facilities.

- American Bank (Allentown, Pennsylvania) – $1,000 bonuses for 60 employees.

- American Community Bank & Trust (Woodstock, Illinois) -- $500 bonus to each employee; additional employees will be hired

- American Express (New York, New York) -- $200 million additional investments for customer-facing growth initiatives; increased contributions to employee profit-sharing plans; $200 million higher investment.

- American Family Insurance (Madison, Wisconsin): 11,000 workers will receive a $1,000 bonus and the company will increase charitable donations.

- American Savings Bank (Honolulu, Hawaii)– $1,000 bonuses to 1,150 employees; base wage increase from $12.21 to $15.25.

- AndyMark, Inc. (Kokomo, Indiana) – This mechanical and electrical parts supplier will be able to expand the business and hire more employees thanks to tax reform.

- Anfinson Farm Store (Cushing, Iowa) -- $1,000 bonuses and 5% pay raises for employees.

- Anthem -- $1,000 in extra 401(k) contributions for 58,000 employees.

- Apple (Cupertino, California) -- $2,500 employee bonuses in the form of restricted stock units; $30 billion in additional capital expenditures over five years; 20,000 new employees will be hired; increased support of coding education and science, technology, engineering, arts, and math; increased support for U.S. manufacturing.

- APPS Portamedic (Bellevue, Washington) – employee bonuses.

- Aquesta Financial Holdings (Cornelius, North Carolina) -- $1,000 bonuses to 95 employees; base wage hike to $15 per hour

- AR-15 Gun Owners of America (Warner Robins, Georgia) – tax reform bonuses; increased salaries for all employees.

- Arizona Public Service (Phoenix, Arizona) -- the utility requested a $119 million bill reduction for customers due to tax reform:

- Associated Bank (Green Bay, Wisconsin) – $500 employee bonuses (exact number receiving bonus unknown at this time); base wage will rise from $10 to $15 per hour.

- AT&T (Dallas, Texas) -- $1,000 bonuses to 200,000 employees; $1 billion increase in capital expenditures.

- Atlantic Packaging (Wilmington, North Carolina) -- $1,000 bonuses for 1,000 employees.

- Atlas Air Worldwide (Purchase, New York) -- $1,000 bonuses to 3,100 employees.

- AutoNation – doubling of 401(k) match; launch of cancer benefit program and a $5,000 cash benefit if an employee or family member gets cancer.

- AVANGRID (Orange, Connecticut) – the utility is passing savings from tax reform to customers.

At this point we got tired of listing the hundreds of companies that ATR identified in its tracking and analysis. As you can see, we stopped at the letter “A”, the ATR website article went on to list companies that began with “B” to companies whose name started with a “Z”. You can go to the ATR website listed above where you can also read the press releases that most of these companies put out describing how the Trump tax cuts were the driving force for all of these good outcomes for Americans and America.

So for those of you that feared the end of the world with Trump’s election, here is a list of many companies that benefited from Trump’s tax cuts in addition to the over 100 other benefits we listed in the four previous posts on this topic. Let’s be honest Trump haters, he has done a pretty good job in just the first twelve months of his term.

Given your gross error in judgment relative to Trump, let me ask that you to do us all a favor by implementing the following changes in your behavior and attitude:

• Chill out, tamp down your TDS affliction. No matter how much you hate Trump on a sexist, personal basis, get over it. He is the legally and duly elected President, he will be around for a while so refocus your hatred on more constructive issues and matters. You will live a lot longer if you take your hatred out of your heart and soul and devote it to something positive.
• I would really appreciate it if some of you would apologize to the Trump voters you have disrespected in some of the grossest terms possible over the past year. You have called millions of voters racists, ignorant, stupid, Nazis, KKK members, and other horrible names simply because you disagreed with their voting choice. No American should be called such disgusting names simply because they exercised their Constitutional rights to the best of their abilities. Plus, slandering over 60 million Americans is no way to unite the country and get it focused on the real issues facing us all.
• More personally, I would like, no I am demanding, an apology from some of you for your slanderous and disgusting name calling because in doing so, you insulted and disrespected my sister, my family members, my friends, and my co-workers who simply voted their conscience. I will defend their right to vote anyway they wanted and will no put up with your childish and vicious venom and bile directed at them, very important people in my life
• And finally, I challenge you to read the following blog post, a post that shows quite clearly that it was hateful people like some of you and your silence during the Obama years that actually caused Trump to be elected. Thus, the people you hate for voting for Trump are actually looking back at you in the mirror:

https://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-american-liberals-and-washington.html

If you were silent in the dozens of instances listed in this post then you were responsible for the very thing you hate: a Trump Presidency. Or put another way, a so far successful and productive Trump Presidency. Over 100 accomplishments in less than a year is not too shabby despite many of wanting both Trump and the country to fail.

Our book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at:

www.loathemygovernment.com

It is also available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Please pass our message of freedom onward. Let your friends and family know about our websites and blogs, ask your library to carry the book, and respect freedom for both yourselves and others everyday.

Please visit the following sites for freedom:

Term Limits Now: http://www.howmuchworsecoulditget.com
http://www.reason.com
http://www.cato.org
http://www.bankruptingamerica.org
http://www.conventionofstates.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08j0sYUOb5w

February, 2018, Part 6, Political Class Insanity: Pelosi Still Living In A Different Reality and FEMA and DHS Incompetence Shining Through Again

It is the beginning of another month which means it is again time to review the latest political class insanity from Washington and around the world. Political class insanity takes many forms including the wasting of taxpayer wealth, criminal fraud within government programs, inane and stupid political quotes and actions, the inability to create and implement effective and efficient government programs, stupid and ill performing economic policies and strategies, and other forms of insanity that continue to evolve and surprise and shock us.

Let's get started:

1) We have not reported on a good old fashioned government wasteful spending project so let’s review a doozy today. The Freedom Outpost website reported a recent FEMA screw up as reported by the New York Times:

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) contracted with a company owned by Dr. Tiffany Brown to provide 30 million meals to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
• The cost to taxpayers was $156 million.
• Unfortunately, Brown’s company, Tribute Contracting LLC, ended up delivering only 50,000 meals.
• By the way, Brown was the only employee of her company that had just received a $156 million government contract.
• Brown also runs three other companies including Tiffany Brown Designs (women’s clothing line), Tiffany Brown Holdings Inc. (a consulting firm that has five divisions: entertainment, vending, radio, food, nonprofit management and book publishing, and Luxe Fuel (a beverage delivery software app), leading one to believe that she may have not been the best, most experienced business person to deliver life saving meals to Puerto Rico.
• Not only did Brown have no experience in large scale disaster food relief but she had at least five canceled Federal government contracts in her past.
• She ended up hiring an Atlanta wedding caterer which had a staff of only 11 people in order to deliver the millions of meals she had been contracted to provide.
• By the time that 18.5 million meals were due for delivery Brown had only delivered 50,000, at which point her contract was terminated.
• To add to the insanity of the situation, Brown is now suing FEMA and the American taxpayer for $70 million for breach of contract.
• The New York Times summarized some of her past shenanigans: “The government has also canceled Tribute contracts on at least five occasions. Four cancellations involved the Federal Prison System, which found that Tribute failed to deliver meat, bakery, cereal and other food products to various correctional institutions. A fifth termination involved the Government Publishing Office, which terminated a contract for 3,000 tote bags after Tribute failed to print the Marine Corps logo on both sides of the bags. An investigation by the office’s inspector general found that Tribute “altered and submitted a false shipping document and subcontracted the predominant production function on two contracts without proper authorization,” according to a 2015 report submitted to Congress.”

And despite this pathetic history of wasting taxpayer money, FEMA STILL went ahead and granted her another big contract that, surprise, surprise, was another failure.

2) But as we all already know, FEMA is not the only inept Federal organization:

• According to Mark Swanson, writing for the NewsMax website on February 5, 2018, somehow a set of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) anti-terrorism documents were found by a CNN employee in a seat back pocket on a commercial airline flight.
• The documents were marked "for official use only" and "important for national security." 
• They contained strategies for after action government responses to a simulated biological attack.
• The documents apparently belonged to DHS microbiologist Michael Walter since his boarding pass and travel itinerary were attached to the secret government documents.
• A former DHS official, Juliette Kayyem, who is now employed by CNN, stated the obvious, that leaving the documents behind on a plane was a "really stupid thing:" "Who knows who else could have picked this up. The biggest consequence of this mistake may have less to do with terrorists knowing our vulnerabilities and more to do with confidence in the Department of Homeland Security. In the end, confidence in the federal government at a time of crisis is what the American public deserves."
• CNN reported that the documents showed shortcomings in local state, and Federal agencies responses to a potential attack in Minneapolis, the recent site of the Super Bowl.

So FEMA is stupid and wasteful when it comes to resolving a problem and DHS cannot keep secrets secret. Insanity.

3) We have discussed the many real benefits that the Trump tax cut has had on millions and millions of Americans:

• Hundreds, if not thousands, of American companies have given millions of Americans bonus checks of upwards of $3,000 as a result of the tax cut.
• Many companies have raised the minimum wage they pay their workers (e.g. Walmart, CVS, etc.) as a result of the tax cut.
• Over a hundred million taxpayers will see a reduction in their 2018 tax bills as a result of the tax cut.
• Companies have promised to increase their domestic spending on capital improvements, employee training, and donations to charities as a result of the tax cut.

Some of these benefits can be viewed in more detail by accessing the following post:

https://loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-horrors-and-destruction-that-donald.html

Americans get to keep more of their hard earned money, great! Employees are getting higher wages, bonuses and more job training, great! Companies are bringing up home overseas earnings to invest in the domestic economy, great! Charities are seeing greater contributions from companies, great! 

Well not so great if you are Nancy Pelosi. According to a recent article by Caleeb Hull, writing for the Independent Journal Review on February 1, 2018, Pelosi characterized these benefits to the American worker and American economy as “crumbs”: “In terms of the bonus that corporate America receives versus the crumbs they are giving to workers to put the schmooze on is so pathetic.”

So, employees getting $1,00, $2,000, or possibly up to $3,000 in bonuses is crumbs? Families getting a doubling of the child care credit is crumbs? Employees saving on their taxes on every paycheck for at least eight years is crumbs? 

This idiotic response to the tax cuts raises two questions Ms. Pelosi:

1. Isn’t giving Americans “crumbs,” crumbs that were basically theirs to begin with before the government confiscated their “crumbs” via high taxes, better than nothing, which was the position of you and every other Democrat who voted against giving American back some of their hard earned wealth or crumbs?
2. Second, how is a tax cut and thousand dollar bonuses crumbs when back in 2012 you hailed the $40 tax cut you engineered several years ago as the best thing in the world: “160 million Americans will continue to receive their payroll tax cut — nearly $40 per paycheck in the pockets of the average family. I salute the work of the unified House Democratic caucus on behalf of the American people.” 

So the Trump tax cuts and the reduction in taxes every paycheck AND millions of Americans getting thousands dollar bonuses is crumbs but in your world $40 is worth saluting? I still wonder what the color of the sky is in Pelosi’s world because she is certainly not living in this world.

That will do it for today’s insanity: Pelosi is still living in another reality, FEMA is still inept when it comes to managing taxpayer wealth, and the DHS cannot keep a secret. More insanity to follow.

Our book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at:

www.loathemygovernment.com

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Please visit the following sites for freedom:


http://www.reason.com
http://www.cato.org
http://www.bankruptingamerica.org
http://www.conventionofstates.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08j0sYUOb5w