Drudge Retort: Sames1's blog

A Couple Of Flashbacks To Bill Clinton's Audits

sames1 — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:43:46 -0400

The White House denied today that it had any knowledge of an Internal Revenue Service audit of Paula Corbin Jones, who has accused President Clinton of making an improper sexual advance in a Little Rock hotel room six years ago.

Michael D. McCurry, the President's press secretary, was asked today whether the White House had ordered or approved the audit of Ms. Jones, now a Southern California homemaker. "None whatsoever," he responded sharply.

"We may do some dumb things from time to time but we are not certifiably insane," Mr. McCurry said. "The I.R.S. and the I.R.S. solely is the one that makes decisions about the enforcement of tax laws."

UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger

sames1 — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:34:49 -0400

The report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that eating insects could help boost nutrition and reduce pollution.

It notes than over 2 billion people worldwide already supplement their diet with insects.

However it admits that "consumer disgust" remains a large barrier in many Western countries.

Kucinich calls for impeachment of Obama

sames1 — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:38:56 -0400

Politico reports that while a number of liberal Democrats are raising "strong opposition" to President Obama's actions in Libya, one Democrat - Ohio's Dennis Kucinich - wants the President impeached.

Kucinich also sought the impeachment of both President Bush and Vice President Cheney over the Iraq War, but was blocked by Democratic leaders.

According to Politico, an un-named Democrat said Kucinich's call for impeachment "got no support from anyone else on the call."

One Democratic lawmaker noted that while the Administration consulted with the Arab League and the United Nations, "They did not consult the United States Congress." According to Politico:

Stevens murdered to coverup U.S. gun running in Syria?

sames1 — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:05:50 -0400

The president of the United States, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense have lied about the motivations leading to the murders at Benghazi on 9/11, blaming the attacks on an obscure, unknown video rather than a planned attack by the AlQaeda franchise, Ansar al Shariah. They are also holding back the truth and evidence of what occurred, what they saw and what they knew. The question remains "Why was the Ambassador targeted by radical Islamists?

Dionne: Obama, Heed Your Supporters

sames1 — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:31:22 -0400

E.J. Dionne Jr.: President Obama got roughed up by the pundit class last week. The question is what lessons he draws from the going-over. Here's one he should take: The nation's political conversation has grown stale, and many Americans have lost the sense of what he is doing to improve their lives. You can argue that this perception isn't fair. The Affordable Care Act, if it's implemented well, will improve a lot of lives. The economy is adding jobs, not shedding them. The deficit is coming down. Two front-burner initiatives, immigration reform and broader background checks for guns -- yes, they'll be voted on again -- really do matter.

Online sales tax sails through U.S. Senate

sames1 — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:00:16 -0400

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate on Monday overwhelmingly approved a bill that lets states make online merchants collect sales taxes on out-of-state purchases made by their residents.

The 69-27 Senate vote marks a major victory for traditional retailers such as Minnesota-based Target and Best Buy, both of which have spent millions of dollars over the the past decade trying to remove what they consider an unfair advantage for online sellers.

However, some experts believe House approval of online sales tax legislation will be far more difficult because of no-tax pledges signed by many House Republicans. A House version of the Marketplace Fairness Act has 65 co-sponsors but is stuck in a subcommittee.

"If it gets to an up and down vote on the floor, it would pass," said Rep. Betty McCollum of St. Paul, who is a co-sponsor of the House version of the bill. But McCollum says many Republicans who would vote for the bill refuse to take a stand before it gets to the floor.

Governor Scott Kicks Off Teacher Pay Raise Pep Rally Tour

sames1 — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:16:40 -0400

Sunrise, Fla. – Governor Rick Scott today kicked off the Teacher Pay Raise Pep Rally Tour celebrating $480 million for teacher pay raises at Piper High School in Broward County.

Governor Rick Scott said, "$480 million in teacher pay raises is a tremendous victory for Florida teachers. We all had a teacher who inspired us and as we celebrate National Teacher Appreciation week, I cannot think of a better way to recognize the hard work and commitment of our teachers than with a well-deserved pay raise. Our students are achieving great things in our classrooms, and the success of our students is tied to the hard work and dedication of our teachers."

Florida to Cut Subsidized Coastal Insurance

sames1 — Sat, 04 May 2013 19:30:43 -0400

Eli Lehrer: Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) will soon have the opportunity to begin writing another chapter to a rich and under-appreciated history of small-government environmentalism. The legislation he'll almost certainly sign in the next few weeks -- the "coastal preservation" title of a property insurance reform bill -- will protect millions of undeveloped acres in the State of Florida, shield taxpayers from giant potential liabilities, defend private property, and won't cost a penny of tax money. The bill that Florida lawmakers just sent to Scott's desk contains language that ends state-subsidized insurance for people who build in high-risk coastal areas seaward of an "Coastal Construction Control Line." Without the subsidies that the state currently provides for property insurance in storm-prone areas, developers and homeowners wanting to build along the coasts will probably have to either self-insure or buy much more expensive "excess and surplus lines" insurance.

Free condoms for your 12-year-old? California

sames1 — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:36:46 -0400

With just a few clicks of a mouse, kids as young as 12 can have free condoms delivered to their doors in California.

And the program has now expanded to two new counties.

News of the expansion comes as the federal government approves the "morning-after pill" without a prescription for girls as young as 15.

And the development has garnered mixed reactions from Californians.

"I would ask parents the question, 'Who should be making decisions for the best welfare of your child -- you as a parent, or the state, who has no direct connection, has no understanding, has no relationship with your child?'" San Diego-area pastor Chris Clark told CNN affiliate KSWB.

USDA: Get kids on food stamps without showing documents

sames1 — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:27:04 -0400

The Department of Agriculture, via the Mexican government, assures potentially ineligible immigrants that they can still apply for food stamps on behalf of their eligible children without giving information about their immigration status, according to documents released Thursday by Judicial Watch.

A USDA Spanish language flyer provided to the Mexican Embassy, according to Judicial Watch, reads that if potentially ineligible immigrants want to obtain benefits for their children they "need not divulge information regarding your immigration status in seeking this benefit for your children."

The Daily Caller has reported extensively about the USDA/Mexico partnership that seeks to promote taxpayer-funded nutrition assistance among eligible Mexican Americans, Mexican nationals and migrant communities in America.

Bush policies still alive in Obama White House

sames1 — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:59:25 -0400

Obama's policies are more like his Republican predecessor than he would care to acknowledge.

From drone strikes in foreign countries to the troop surge in Afghanistan to drawing up legal justification for killing U.S. citizens abroad, Mr. Obama's administration has embraced and even expanded on some of Mr. Bush's more controversial programs.

"The policies that have produced successes in the foreign arena have been policies where he has stuck the closest to the Bush legacy," said Peter Feaver, who was a national security aide to Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush will share a stage Thursday at the dedication of the Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. It's their first public meeting since Mr. Obama's re-election campaign, in which he frequently blamed Mr. Bush's stewardship -- especially on economic policy -- even four years after Mr. Bush left office.

Anhony Weiner hints he sexted many more women

sames1 — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:00:11 -0400

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner put the world on notice Wednesday: More women might step forward to say he sent them inappropriate texts and pictures.

Weiner has spent the past two weeks exploring a run for mayor after two years of self-imposed exile due to his sexting scandal.

But he gave two television interviews Wednesday that raised more questions than they answered.

Boston got what it deserved

sames1 — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:52:47 -0400

U.N. Official Says Boston Got What It Deserved

UN Human Rights Council "expert" Richard Falk has published a statement saying Bostonians got what they deserved in last week's terror attack. He quotes W.H. Auden to make his point: "to whom evil is done/do evil in return."

Richard Falk is the UN's "Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967." He has held the post since 2008, despite exposure as a 9/11 conspiracy theorist.

In his latest rant, published online on April 21, 2013 by foreignpolicyjournal.com Falk repeats the libel that prior to 9/11 President George W. Bush was seeking a "pretext" for war, and that anything Israel is the opposite of "justice and peace."

And then he attacks Bostonians head-on. The police action in Boston was a "hysterical dragnet." Boston's dead were "canaries" that "have to die" because of America's "fantasy of global domination."

Obama's budget: a higher tax burden for most Americans

sames1 — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:43:00 -0400

President Obama's budget would raise taxes mainly on people earning more than $200,000 a year, although earners at nearly every income level would face a somewhat higher tax burden, according to a new nonpartisan analysis.

The study by the Tax Policy Center finds that in 2015, 86 percent of the increase in taxes would be borne by people earning $200,000 or more a year. That would largely be a result of dramatically scaling back tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the wealthy and establishing a minimum level of taxation for people who earn $1 million a year.

But the study also finds that some Americans of more modest backgrounds would face more taxes. Some people earning between $100,000 and $200,000 a year would pay about $150 more, while some earning less than $100,000 a year would pay less than $100 in additional taxes.

Funding big boost for IRS to enforce ‘Obamacare'

sames1 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:43:32 -0400

President Obama's budget proposal seeks a major funding boost to bolster the IRS, which will enforce his health care law's individual mandate, and to set up insurance exchanges.

The 2014 plan, submitted to Congress on Wednesday, requests $440 million to help the Internal Revenue Service get ready.

The agency must process tax credits for the exchanges and will assess tax penalties on those who fail to acquire insurance. Both of those provisions are slated to begin in 2014.

Mr. Obama also requested $1.5 billion through the Department of Health and Human Services to fund federally run health exchanges.