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« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2016, 05:35:16 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 4-14-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
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FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Boeing Is Flying Low24
By Allyne Caan
As the world’s largest aerospace company, Boeing prides itself25 on “support[ing] airlines and U.S. and allied government customers in 150 countries.” Unfortunately, the company has a rather loose definition of “allied.”
Boeing is in talks to sell commercial passenger airplanes to Iran — you know, that state sponsor of terrorism and avowed enemy of the U.S. and our strongest ally in the Middle East, Israel. And the company wants to use our tax dollars to make the deal happen.
It’s all the honeyed government cronyism treats that Boeing (and other multi-billion dollar companies) enjoy via a lesser-known government entity called the Export-Import Bank. In short, Ex-Im provides taxpayer-backed financing26 for companies and countries to buy U.S. goods — including Boeing airplanes. In fact, Boeing alone receives a whopping 30% of Ex-Im’s financing, amounting to billions of dollars each year.
Here’s the catch for Boeing, though. For any deals more than $10 million, a quorum of the Ex-Im’s five-member board must approve. Currently, only two of the five seats are filled. Barack Obama has been trying to get a nominee into the third seat for months, but so far, to no avail — thankfully.
What’s Boeing to do? Well, naturally, the corporate behemoth is pressuring Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) to move on Obama’s nominee. As Fortune magazine reports27, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg says the company stands to lose billions unless the government finds a way to give them billions. Well, those weren’t his exact words, but close enough.
And some of those billions could help Iran buy enormous airliners that the terrorist nation could very well use to transport troops or, oh, say fly into buildings.
The Wall Street Journal reports28 that Iran is only too “eager to re-establish ties with Western companies after the deal to limit its nuclear program.” (Apparently Iran is also eager to break the deal29 and continue expanding its nuclear program, but that’s another story.)
And while Tehran has managed to seal deals with several European companies, American agreements haven’t been as forthcoming. Perhaps some American companies still have a little thing called patriotism.
Still, as the Journal notes, “A deal for Boeing planes could become the biggest signal yet that the U.S. and Iran are moving toward normalized trade relations.” Only Iran supposedly doesn’t have access to oodles of financing to buy Boeings' planes. One might wonder what happened to the $150 billion in sanctions relief…
Boeing could very well finance its own deals or arrange for third-party financing for Iran, as The Daily Signal notes30. But with a high-risk customer — like Iran — companies aren’t as quick to the financing draw.
Enter Ex-Im, which doesn’t care if it loses millions in taxpayer dollars. It seems the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree with this government-created entity.
Still, last month, Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg attempted to alleviate concerns over a potential Iranian agreement, stating flatly28, “We’re not stepping into Iran.”
Well, actually, Fred, you might be.
The Foreign Assistance Act may prevent31 Export-Import Bank funding from going to state sponsors of terrorism. But what’s a law in the hands of a lawless leader?
As Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) explained after the Republican-led House rejected his amendment to stop Ex-Im financing from funding terrorist states, “Some parts of the law … prevent Ex-Im from engaging with state sponsors of terrorism. But these commonsense prohibitions are subject to presidential waivers, and we have seen the president abuse waivers to pursue his agenda over and over again on Iran.”
Boeing can whine all it wants that politics are keeping it from accessing billions in business subsidies. But the constitutionality (or lack thereof) of subsidies aside, when the company’s frequent flyer miles say “Destination: Tehran,” they won’t receive one iota of sympathy here.
MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE
ANALYSIS: The Left Will Teach You How to Think32
The ‘Ferguson Effect’ Crime Wave11
ObamaCare Nearing the Tipping Point of Failure33
Is the U.S. Sending More Arms to Syrian Rebels?34
TOP HEADLINES
Trump Manager Won’t Be Prosecuted35
Feds Pressured New Balance to Stay Quiet on TPP36
Russia Hits U.S.’s ‘Painful Reaction’ After Buzzing Baltic Destroyer37
For more, visit Patriot Headline Report38
OPINION IN BRIEF
L. Brent Bozell & Tim Graham: “Now that it looks like the GOP nomination won’t be decided until a contested convention in Cleveland, Donald Trump and his supporters assert that the whole system is undemocratic. But if democracy was organized to give everyone a fair and equal shot to impress voters with their knowledge and experience, then our system has been rigged for Trump for the last nine months. The media — not just the liberal media, but some ‘conservative’ media, too — have been the gale-force wind beneath Trump’s wings. On the nightly news shows on ABC, CBS and NBC, Trump has far outpaced anyone other GOP candidate for attention. From last July through April 6, he’s drawn 1,228 minutes of airtime, or 56 percent of the total coverage of the Republican primary race. The other 16 candidates have split the remaining 44 percent. Trump’s closest rival, Sen. Ted Cruz, has only been granted 269 minutes of airtime, or 12 percent. That’s roughly a 5 to 1 disparity. Gov. John Kasich has received only 46 minutes, or 2.1 percent of the Republican nightly news pie. Even when Cruz or Kasich win a primary, the dominant story is Trump stumbling, not them winning. It’s Trump or virtually nothing by design. … Defenders of this overcoverage insist that Trump is the most newsworthy one, so his actions make the most news. But the problem is not just the quantity of Trump segments, but the quality. Reporters let his bluster and theatrics dominate, and they ignore the substance of his assertions.”
SHORT CUTS
Insight: “Those who take the most from the table, teach contentment. Those for whom the taxes are destined, demand sacrifice. Those who eat their fill, speak to the hungry, of wonderful times to come. Those who lead the country into the abyss, call ruling difficult, for ordinary folk.” —Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956)
Buck stops over there: “Well, look, it was Mayor de Blasio’s skit. He has addressed it, and I will really defer to him because it is something that he’s already talked about.” —Hillary Clinton on her pitiful attempt at humor39
Braying Jackass: “The president is committed to ensuring that individuals who are conducting criminal prosecutions do their work without influence from politicians or anybody that’s involved in politics.” —Obama spokesman Josh Earnest, cleaning up the mess his boss made by publicly influencing the investigation40 into Hillary Clinton’s email
Friendly fire: “[Barack Obama] has factually been the least transparent administration probably in this nation’s history, certainly in modern time. It comes at a time when people are demanding to have more transparency in their government, when we need to have more transparency in our government and when we are losing all trust in our government.” —Leftmedia pundit Ron Fournier
Art of the whine: “You have to remember I’m leading. I’m more than 200 delegates ahead, so over all, I’m doing very well. … Don’t forget, I only complain about the [states] where we have difficulty.” —Donald Trump
Late-night humor: “House Speaker Paul Ryan … issued a formal statement ruling himself out41 as a potential replacement candidate if there is a contested Republican convention. And you know things are bad in the Republican Party when people who aren’t even running are dropping out of the race.” —Seth Meyers
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families. |
