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« on: September 25, 2015, 07:46:06 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 9-24-2015
From The Federalist Patriot
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Daily Digest
Sep. 24, 2015
THE FOUNDATION
“In the first place it is to be remembered that the general government is not to be charged with the whole power of making and administering laws. Its jurisdiction is limited to certain enumerated objects, which concern all the members of the republic, but which are not to be attained by the separate provisions of any.” —James Madison, Federalist No. 14
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
The Most Distrusted Administration in History1
In 2006, a relatively unknown U.S. senator named Barack Obama told an audience at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, that one of the most important values a government should foster is openness and integrity. “In the end, if the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists — to protect them and to promote their common welfare — all else is lost,” Obama said. In 2007, as a candidate for president, he announced a plan to restore trust in government. “The American people want to trust in our government again,” he said. “We just need a government that will trust in us.” Throughout his presidency, Obama has repeatedly made a big deal out of restoring trust in government. And in June 2014, he declared, “Government is simply the name we give to the things we choose to do together.”
How’s all that Hope ‘n’ Change™ working out? Obama oversaw a government that lied about its care of veterans while awarding its top bureaucrats with bonuses. It targeted nonprofit conservative organizations though IRS investigations. Obama himself strong-armed wildly unpopular deals through Congress, such as ObamaCare and the treaty-that’s-not-a-treaty condoning Iran’s use of nuclear power. If these instances are not scandals, they are at least scandalous.
And then on Saturday, Gallup released a poll2 that found Americans' distrust in government has grown. When Obama was first in office, 66% of Americans said there is widespread corruption in the halls of government. That number has climbed to 75% today. Nice work, Obama.
Francis Advocates for Social Justice Before Congress3
Pope Francis appeared before Congress today, the first time4 that the leader of the Roman Catholic Church has done so. The concern is that Pope Francis will be turned into a partisan tool. In essence, Barack Obama already has tried5 to place the papal seal on his homosexual and climate change agendas. In this speech before Congress, the pope exhorted the lawmakers to pursue social justice — for strengthening the family, the abolition of the death penalty and to fight against poverty through wealth redistribution. “It is important that today, as in the past, the voice of faith continue to be heard, for it is a voice of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person and in each society,” Francis said6. “Such cooperation is a powerful resource in the battle to eliminate new global forms of slavery, born of grave injustices which can be overcome only through new policies and new forms of social consensus.” In essence, the pope’s comments advocated for big-government solutions to the world’s ills, a position that confuses corporatism with capitalism7. But while the subsequent headlines will blare that the pope spoke against conservative principles, it must be noted Francis slipped away from his itinerary last night to visit8 with the Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of nuns that care for the elderly. A Vatican spokesman told reporters that Francis visited the nuns in order to express support for the group’s legal battle with the federal government over the contraception mandate in ObamaCare. So Francis is at least determined he won’t only be a tool for Obama’s agenda…
Gen. David Petraeus on the ‘Geopolitical Chernobyl’9
During congressional testimony Tuesday, Ret. Gen. David Petraeus didn’t mince words about Barack Obama’s strategy in the Middle East. “We are not where we should be at this point,” he said in regards to Iraq. He had particularly strong words for the situation in Syria, which he called a “geopolitical Chernobyl — spewing instability and extremism over the region and the rest of the world.” The fight, he declared, will come to us whether we like it or not: “The Middle East is not part of the world that plays by Las Vegas rules: What happens in the Middle East is not going to stay in the Middle East.” As part of his testimony, Petraeus, who masterminded the Iraq surge under George W. Bush, laid out the strategic framework he would implement today. According to The Daily Signal’s Natalie Johnson, “Petraeus advised the U.S. to form enclaves in Syria protected by coalition airpower to strengthen support for moderate Sunni rebels, train additional forces, and provide haven for displaced Syrians. He also urged the U.S. to take a hardline position against President Bashar al-Assad’s indiscriminate barrel-bomb attacks that the Syrian Air Force continues to deploy across civilian areas.”
Petraeus also addressed the elephant in the room — his affair with Paula Broadway and subsequent disclosure of secrets to her that landed him in hot water. “Four years ago, I made a serious mistake, one that brought discredit and pain to those closest to me. There is nothing I can do to undo what I did. I can only say again how sorry I am to those I let down and then strive to go forward with a greater sense of humility and purpose, and with gratitude to those who stood with me during a very difficult chapter in my life.” Petraeus — a guy we need now more than ever — was punished for his malfeasance. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is the leading Democrat candidate for president despite far more serious crimes.
Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column
Read Obama’s ‘Gay’ Army Affirmative Action Plan10, on how, as the threat to U.S. security rapidly escalate and military capabilities deteriorate, Obama offers a “gay” solution.
If you’d like to receive Alexander’s Column by email, update your subscription here11.
FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
VW Evades Unconstitutional Rules12
By Allyne Caan
Herbie the Love Bug may have made Volkswagens the cuddly car next door, but the infatuation may soon be fading. In a plot fit for film, stunning news broke that since 2009 VW has been installing software in its “clean diesel” cars to dupe environmental regulators by turning on pollution control features only when the cars are undergoing emissions testing.
The craftily designed software — or “defeat device” — detects certain patterns of steering and pedal movement, and when the patterns suggest testing is in progress, the controls kick in. Once the cars hit the open road again, it’s bye-bye controls and hello pollutants hitting the air at a rate of up to 40 times the regulatory-approved limit.
Who ever said computer programming was boring?
At issue is the tradeoff between mileage efficiency and “clean” emissions. Without a doubt, diesel-powered engines deliver more mileage bang for the buck than gasoline-powered engines, traveling up to 30% farther per gallon. But diesel engines also deliver a rather significant dose of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which in turn smog up the atmosphere and make breathing a health hazard.
Ergo, while diesel-powered cars are popular in Europe, courtesy of more lax emissions regulations, stricter regulations in the U.S. mean gasoline engines rule the American road.
In recent years, however, VW began advertising “clean diesel” cars (courtesy of the secret defeat devices), which boasted diesel-performance alongside environmental friendliness. And consumers and regulators alike bought the advertising. More than 482,000 “clean diesel” cars have been sold in the U.S. since 2008. Meanwhile, the federal government doled out as much as $51 million13 in taxpayer-funded “green” subsidies for those vehicles.
The problem is false advertising. Regulators were deceived, consumers were lied to and taxpayers were robbed.
The ruse was uncovered14 only when the International Council on Clean Transportation conducted a research project in collaboration with West Virginia University, examining “real-world operating emissions” from certain diesel cars. When the “real world” didn’t mirror the lab, researchers knew something was up.
The EPA took notice, and Volkswagen has now admitted to the elaborate scam, sending its stocks tumbling. Wednesday, VW Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn resigned, noting15 in a statement, “I was shocked by the events of the past few days. … I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group.” |
