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« on: July 22, 2015, 06:39:53 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 7-22-2015
From The Federalist Patriot
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Daily Digest
Jul. 22, 2015
THE FOUNDATION
“We lay it down as a fundamental, that laws, to be just, must give a reciprocation of right; that, without this, they are mere arbitrary rules of conduct, founded in force, and not in conscience” —Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the state of Virginia, 1782
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
Victims of Illegal Aliens Testify to Senate1
Five families came to Capitol Hill Tuesday to tell lawmakers how the nation’s immigration policies led to the death of their loved ones, and the Left can only play a political game. The father of Kathryn Steinle, the woman who was murdered in July2 by a five-time deported illegal immigrant, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with four other families. “Everywhere Kate went throughout the world, she shined the light of a good citizen from the United States of America,” Jim Steinle said in his written statement3. “Unfortunately, due to the unjointed [sic] laws and basic incompetence of the government, the US has suffered a self-inflicted wound in the murder of our daughter by the hands of a person that should have never been on the streets of this country.” The hearing coincided with a bill the committee’s chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley, introduced4 that would strip state or local jurisdictions of federal law enforcement grants if they continue sanctuary city policies. Furthermore, the law would require a minimum five-year jail sentence for any illegal immigrant who was previously deported but still returned. But the Left is rallying against the effort to fix the problem. “Good policies are made over time,” wrote a coalition of leftist immigration groups to Congress. Ranking member on the Judiciary Committee Sen. Patrick Leahy rebutted the families' testimonies by writing5, “We must resist the urge to hastily adopt legislation that has the unintended consequence of making us less safe.” In other words, collateral damage is okay in the pursuit of Obama’s immigration vision.
‘Infanticide for Profit’6
In the wake of another episode of Planned Parenthood’s evil and twisted ways7, here are a few more things to consider. Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards responded to the first video8 with an “apology9” that spent a few seconds lamenting the “tone” of the abortionist and more than two minutes lauding the abortion mill’s supposed virtue and slamming opponents for objecting in any way. The second video opened with one of her claims: “I want to be really clear: The allegation that Planned Parenthood profits in any way from tissue donation is not true.” That’s especially powerful since the entire second video is about the organization profiting from “tissue donation.” As for the second video, Planned Parenthood continues to insist that nothing in the “heavily edited” videos contain nothing “to suggest any violation of the law or improper activity.”
The Weekly Standard’s Steve Hayes eviscerated Planned Parenthood and its defenders: “Let’s be clear what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about the extraction of infants, many of whom could live outside of the womb were this not done to them — the taking of their body parts and then selling them for profit. This is not morally ambiguous. This isn’t one of those discussions where there are two sides to the discussion. What we’re talking about is wrong. It’s morally reprehensible. I mean, I thought on the scale of things in the world that are morally reprehensible, infanticide is just about the worst. This is worse! It’s infanticide for profit!”
Politicians who receive donations from Planned Parenthood should be made to answer for its practices, as should the numerous businesses that donate10 to the organization. Republicans in Congress are working to strip more than $500 million in federal funding from Planned Parenthood — as well they should. Even aside from constitutional questions, such a morally bankrupt organization should have no claim to Americans' tax dollars.
Handgun Permits Nearly Tripled Since 200711
In 2007, 4.6 million Americans possessed a permit to carry a handgun. Now, eight years later, that number is 12.8 million Americans, or 5.2% of the population, according to a study12 by the Crime Prevention Research Center. And contrary to the stereotype leftists hold of gun owners — that they’re white males bitterly clinging to guns and religion — the body of armed citizens is growing more and more diverse. CPRC reports that there is evidence gun ownership is growing among minorities at a greater rate than among whites. Furthermore, gun ownership among women increased 270% from 2007 levels opposed to the 156% rate for men. While these numbers are heartening for lovers of Liberty and advocates for the right to self-defense, they are also probably low. After all, CPRC notes that there are 10 states in the union that allow some kind of permitless handgun carry (with Maine13 most recently joining those ranks). And there are signs that these gun owners aren’t just exercising their hunting and fishing rights. At the SHOT Show in January, the National Shooting Sports Foundation released a study14 that found the number one reason women get a gun is for self-defense — all inconvenient truths for those who want to impose more gun control.
FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Is Sweet 16 Good Enough for Kasich?15
By Nate Jackson
Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced his bid16 for the GOP presidential nomination Tuesday, becoming the 16th — and likely final — major candidate in the 2016 race. Can the 63-year-old two-term governor gain traction?
Kasich brings to the race more experience both in Washington and in executive leadership than many of his competitors. He served as a congressman from 1983-2001, chairing the House Budget Committee when Congress last managed a balanced budget in the ‘90s. After a stint as a Fox News host and investment banker, he took the helm in Ohio in 2011, steering its economic and fiscal revival — an $8 billion deficit became a $2 billion surplus. He’s worked to cut the income tax across the board (from 6.2% to 4.9%), and he wants to phase it out altogether. He eliminated the death tax.
Under Kasich’s leadership, Ohio’s 2.1% economic growth outpaced all other Great Lakes states, and the state’s unemployment rate fell from 9.1% to 5.2%. Earlier this month, Kasich explained his basic plan for economic recovery at the national level: “What I’m going to focus on is the business investment. This is the single biggest thing, in my judgment, that would help us to overcome wage stagnation.”
Unfortunately, Kasich’s conservatism isn’t always thorough or consistent. For example, he’s a proponent of Barack Obama’s Common Core17 standards that many conservatives see as a federal intrusion into education. He also largely offset his tax cuts with tax hikes in other areas, including raising the state sales tax from 5.75% to 6.25%.
But perhaps his most troubling move was that he circumvented the Buckeye State’s Republican-controlled legislature to expand Medicaid in Ohio as part of ObamaCare. He did so after the legislature rejected the expansion, and after he ran for election in 2010 as an ObamaCare opponent.
“Medicaid’s quality of care, access to physicians and outcomes continue to decline,” notes18 The Wall Street Journal. “Meanwhile, Medicaid spending will consume 49% of Ohio general revenue funds in 2016, 51% in 2017.”
Of his expansion, Kasich took on a decidedly “compassionate conservative” tone, telling his “hard-hearted” critics, “When you die and get to the meeting with St. Peter, he’s probably not going to ask you much about what you did about keeping government small. But he is going to ask you what you did for the poor.” |
