The Patriot Post Daily Digest 1-14-2014

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The Patriot Post Daily Digest 1-14-2014
From The Federalist Patriot
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Daily Digest

Jan. 14, 2014

THE FOUNDATION

“I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious.” –Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Ludlow, 1824

TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
More Bad News for ObamaCare Costs

The White House boasted this week that one out of four Americans now enrolled in ObamaCare are aged 18-34 (assuming they’re paid up). That’s great except ObamaCare depends on 39% of enrollees being young and healthy to make the system appear to work. Unless that mix dramatically improves by the March 31 deadline, premiums will go up even further to make up the difference. In related news, the CBO estimates that ObamaCare’s caps on insurance-borne claims and bailouts for insurance losses will mean a transfer of $1.071 trillion from taxpayers to insurance companies over the next decade. Not to mention 79% of enrollees are currently getting subsidies. And Democrats had the audacity to call it the “Affordable” Care Act.

FBI Finally Contacts Tea Party

In May 2013, IRS bureaucrat Lois Lerner admitted that the powerful tax agency was targeting the Tea Party – political opponents of Barack Obama – in the lead-up to the 2012 election. The Obama Justice Department promised to do their best (wink, wink) to get to the bottom of it, so, of course, they hired an Obama donor to investigate1. The latest is that the FBI just last week – seven months after the supposed start of the investigation – actually contacted a few of the affected Tea Party groups. On top of that, the FBI says it doesn’t plan to file criminal charges over the scandal. It’s no surprise that the Justice Department’s finding is essentially “nothing to see here; move along.”

Gas Pump Alarmism

We’ll give eco-fascists credit for one thing – a strong devotion to hyperbole. By their logic, no atmospheric event exists that’s not somehow a result of global warming. And no evidence to the contrary will prevent even more extreme alarmism. In San Francisco, the environmental group 350.org is now demanding labels be posted on gasoline pumps that warn Americans of the danger presented by “dirty oil.” Citing the popular talking point that “we’re not going to feel the effects until well into the future,” group member Jamie Brooks claims, “The goal isn’t to take transportation away from people and say, ‘You’re a bad person.’” Instead, “The goal is to create a signal saying, ‘You need to change your behavior.’” Unsurprisingly, Brooks didn’t bother to offer a practical alternative. On the other hand, we’ll be glad to offer them a horse and carriage to aid in distributing the stickers.

Hillary Wins Last Place

Hillary Clinton, one of the most adored faces of progressivism and feminism on the Left, may be gearing up for another presidential run, but she’s got some serious catching up to do with the majority of other popular figures. The Times of London in a new poll found that Clinton took last place among the top 10 individuals most admired by Americans, and near last in the world survey, coming in at #27 out of 30. Most notably, among Americans, the former state secretary is preceded by radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh (#9) and former president George W. Bush (#4). [Source2.]

The Pope Is Catholic

Pope Francis continues to confound those on the Left, who were all too thrilled to hear his critique of capitalism and his concern for the poor. “Hey,” they thought, “this guy’s one of us!” Contrary to popular Leftmedia belief, however, the pope is Catholic. For example, speaking on the subject of abortion, Francis called the practice “horrific” because “there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day.” Reuters headlined, “Pope, in nod to conservatives, calls abortion ‘horrific.’” His position is not new and it’s not a “nod.” It’s an age-old belief held by Christians (and others) of all stripes that life is sacred. But that’s news to Reuters.

For more, visit Right Hooks3.

Don’t Miss Patriot Humor

Here’s yesterday’s edition, What’s Up?4

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RIGHT ANALYSIS
Obama’s Recess Appointments Under Scrutiny

Ever since the beginning of the country, the executive branch has been making questionable appointments to further political ends. The Judiciary Act of 1801 allowed John Adams to make his (in)famous “midnight appointments” of federal judges in the waning days of his administration. The second, and last, Federalist president sought to pack the federal judiciary to disadvantage the incoming administration of Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson. One appointment, that of William Marbury, wasn’t recognized by Jefferson’s Secretary of State, James Madison, leading to one of the most important decisions in American jurisprudence, Marbury v. Madison, in which Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall established the principle of judicial review.

Monday once again saw a significant Supreme Court case – Noel Canning v. NLRB – and it centers on the legality of Barack Obama’s “recess” appointments to the National Labor Relations Board. The Constitution gives the president the power to appoint federal judges and officers with the “advice and consent” of the Senate with one exception – that the president “shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate.” Those appointments then last for the duration of the current Senate session.

But taking the position that it is both judge and jury, the administration argues it has the power to decide for itself when the Senate is in recess for purposes of making recess appointments, making it irrelevant whether the Senate considers itself to be in session or not. Obama’s expansive view of his own authority seems to include unlimited appointments power. George W. Bush never sought to make recess appointments during pro forma Senate sessions when the Senate technically gavels in and out to fulfill a constitutional requirement, but does not conduct any business. Obama’s actions go to the heart of separation of powers.

During oral arguments, leading originalist Justice Antonin Scalia went after U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, who took the position that the Constitution’s recess appointments clause is ambiguous enough to validate Obama’s temporary appointments. “It’s been assumed to be ambiguous by self-interested presidents,” Scalia retorted. Scalia argued that the text of the Constitution does not permit presidents to appoint individuals to government agencies during pro forma sessions. He suggested the power ought to be restricted to official recesses. Indeed, based on the tone of arguments Monday, the vote may even be 9-0 against Obama.