The Patriot Post Digest 6-13-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 6-13-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Jun. 13, 2017

IN TODAY’S EDITION

Absurd media bias plus a Demo donor’s directive is collusion on a massive scale.
The EPA’s job is to protect the environment. How’s it really doing?
Seven months later, two clear reasons for Trump’s election win merit a look.
Daily Features: Top Headlines, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“We are, heart and soul, friends to the freedom of the press. It is however, the prostituted companion of liberty.” —Fisher Ames (1807)

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

DemoMSM Demolition Backed by Demo Donor1

Media bias isn’t news — the mainstream media has always leaned hard left. In fact, countering that bias was one of the main reasons for launching2 The Patriot Post in 1996. Last month, we noted3 a study that showed not just bias, but Trump Derangement Syndrome in the media. An astounding 80% of the MSM’s overage coverage of Donald Trump has been negative. The Washington Post (83% negative) has taken a particularly noticeable nosedive in our opinion, becoming an obsessed, rant-filled rag. Every single day, its email broadcasts are full of literally nothing but negative Trump headlines.

“Isn’t that terribly unfair?” the Post’s Margaret Sullivan asks. “Here’s my carefully nuanced answer: Hell, no.”

She continues, “That’s because when we consider negative vs. positive coverage of an elected official, we’re asking the wrong question. … If a president is doing a rotten job, it’s the duty of the press to report how and why he’s doing a rotten job.”

Fair enough in a sense. Barack Obama, in our estimation, almost never merited positive coverage because he was doing a rotten job. But the true conservative complaint about the media isn’t that they don’t offer one good news story for every bad news one. It’s that they make up news out of whole cloth and use it to push an agenda, all while pretending to be objectively calling balls and strikes. Sullivan is essentially protesting that they’re not the ones pitching; they’re just umpiring. And that’s hogwash. The DemoMSM’s sole purpose ever since helping Trump win the GOP nomination has been to destroy him and derail his agenda, using fake news whenever it suits them. Sullivan promises that will continue as long as Trump is “doing a rotten job.”

In a seemingly unrelated news item that actually illustrates our point, Tom Steyer, a billionaire lefty who’s superPAC donated $100 million to Democrats in 2016, wrote a letter to Congress imploring them to begin impeachment proceedings4. He argues that the “clear and undisputed facts about Mr. Trump’s attempt to impede an FBI investigation demand an immediate impeachment inquiry by the House of Representatives.”

When the media’s revenue is soaring5 thanks to its hyperventilating Trump coverage, and when the Democrats’ top donor is calling for impeachment, it seems to us that’s evidence of collusion on a massive and institutional scale.

Pruitt Refocuses the EPA on Environmental Cleanup6

Environmental Protection Agency Director Scott Pruitt recently announced a plan to reform the Superfund program, which was established in 1980 to clean up hazardous waste sites. The EPA currently numbers 1,336 sites on its Superfund list, and Pruitt aims to prioritize and accelerate the EPA’s efforts in cleaning up these waste sites — an issue for which action is long overdue.

Many of the efforts to engage in the actual cleaning up of these sites has been stymied by a combination of the inefficacy of government bureaucracy and legal disputes. An example of this inefficient and costly government bureaucracy is seen in Portland Harbor, Oregon, where the EPA listed a Superfund site in 2000. The agency spent millions of dollars and years researching a plan to clean up the site only to eventually throw out the plan and research it again. It was just this past January, right before Donald Trump took office, when Barack Obama’s EPA administrator, Gina McCarthy, finally settled on a plan for cleaning up the site. This is only one of many instances where the agency tasked with protecting the nation’s environment has wasted time and money, primarily due to bureaucratic distractions.

Pruitt has directed a task force to review the Superfund program’s business and management practices. Part of the reform plan will be to centralize leadership on decisions for projects costing over $50 million, with the aim of removing unnecessary obstacles in order to provide greater efficiency in implementing cleanup plans. This move would also help to cut costs, an important issue for Trump as he has called for a 30% cut to the EPA’s projected budget over the next fiscal year.

If it has to exist at all, it’s about time the EPA got back to its original purpose in doing real environmental protection work rather than spending so much time and funding on promoting the Marxist propaganda of climate change.

Top Headlines7

Former FBI supervisor: Comey likely behind three anonymous stories. (PoliZette8.)

Reminder: A year ago, Loretta Lynch tried editing ISIS out of the Orlando Pulse attack. (Washington Examiner9)

With Army stretched too thin, military buildup should begin right now. (Daily Signal10)

Mattis blasts Congress over defense budget. (Real Clear Defense11)

Nearly two million dropped from ObamaCare coverage through mid-March — 10.3 million remain. (Politico12)

Obama’s plan made $729 million in erroneous payments to doctors. (The Washington Free Beacon13)

Delta, Bank of America drop “Caesar” sponsorship over “Trump assassination” charade. (NY Daily News14)

In many states, the pension time-bomb is ticking. (Washington Examiner15)

U.S. opts out of G7 pledge committing to Paris climate debacle. (ABC News16)

U.S. mining industry sees first profitable quarter in two years. (CNS News17)

Policy: Medicare’s current design and an alternative. (Mercatus Center18.)

Policy: What is the future of “responsible nationalism”? (American Enterprise Institute19)

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report20.
Don’t Miss Patriot Humor

Check out I Smell Trouble21.

If you’d like to receive Patriot Humor by email, update your subscription here22.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Seven Months Later, Why Did Voters Choose Trump?23

By Robin Smith

The reasons voters supported Donald Trump in November 2016 instead of Hillary Clinton are still the reasons President Trump’s agenda remains supported. We’ll focus here on two reasons — one economic, and the other religious.

Sure, there are myriad distractions, but Americans are seeing effective policy implemented by a guy who’s on track to keep more campaign promises in 20 weeks than many in the GOP have kept in 20 years of starch-collared incumbency.

There remains an elevated level of incredulity among Democrats that their nominee was so terribly flawed. Clinton’s reputation preceded her as an opportunist whose wealth was the result of “public service” and the clear pay-to-play philosophy of the entire corruption Clinton cabal. The collective disdain by the Democrat Party for the average working American was only surpassed by their nominee, whose volcanic spew scorched the “deplorables” and “irredeemables” who support legal immigration, strong national defense, actual health insurance versus Medicaid-for-all and an opportunity to work instead of fearing unemployment due to job elimination following burdensome regulation.

Yet results are funny things. After decades of promises to stop the flow of illegal immigrants, the abysmal standing in the world after the lead-from-behind approach of foreign policy, and an overregulated economy that killed jobs, pushed record numbers onto welfare and turned our health insurance plans into worthless policies with high premiums, Americans abandoned tradition and common thought related to politics. Voters rejected the policies and promises of the previous eight years. Americans want to work for their wealth and see their government serving their interests, not the bureaucracy itself.

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The Patriot Post Digest 6-13-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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A recent Wall Street Journal analysis24 took a large bank’s annual report presented by M&T Bank CEO Robert Wilmers and validated the case. Without mentioning presidential politics or politicians, the report noted that a “declining share of households even consider themselves to be part of the middle class; 63% did so in 2001. By 2015, that number had fallen to just 51%.” Citing stagnant wages that have only increased 13% since 1973, poor returns on more traditional investment tools such as savings accounts and other bank deposits, and the fact that only half of Americans invest in the stock market versus 72% in 2008, Wilmers makes a declaratory statement: “No wage growth. No investment earnings growth. No wonder families are stretched and stressed.”

And no wonder they dumped the establishment candidate.

The full M&T Bank’s Message to Shareholders25 bemoans flawed monetary policy and excessive regulatory burdens that have been the anchors for lending institutions. These same anchors indiscriminately weigh down any forward movement toward growth. And, again, that’s where Trump’s campaign promises turned into a presidential win.

Using the Congressional Review Act, President Trump has reversed 14 regulations26 that will save $3.7 billion in regulatory costs and $35 billion just in compliance costs. According to the conservative think tank American Action Forum, a total of $86 billion will be saved by Trump’s repeal and elimination of just these few regulations.

Make no mistake: these costs are taxes. These regulatory costs kill jobs. And while leftists still erroneously believe that only dumb white people elected the 45th president, voters chose to pursue a much-needed economic turnaround — one that’s already occurring. The Hill featured a story27 Sunday declaring the economy as a “bright spot” for Trump with the Standard & Poor’s up more than 12%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 16%, unemployment at a 16-year low, and an expected 2.3% growth in GDP.

A second reason Trump upset Hillary and the status quo was faith-based issues. The promise of an originalist to fill the vacancy of deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was reason enough for many voters to look past the imperfections of a massive personality named The Donald. That promise has already been fulfilled with the brilliant appointment of Neil Gorsuch28.

Leftists perpetually shame Christians for their supposedly intolerant, bigoted ways. The Rainbow Mafia is particularly ruthless in “correcting” this “wrong.” But the reality is that Christians don’t want a theocracy. Nor, however, do we want to be sued into oblivion by a tiny minority for not baking a wedding cake for a homosexual redefinition of marriage.

Understand that while Trump was the recipient of votes as the candidate for president, it was the full rejection of the open assault on those of the Christian faith by brazen leftists that moved Bible-believing Christians to support a very imperfect man. Just this weekend, the same leftist activists demanding free health care, free birth control, debt forgiveness and any other socialist agenda item marched in the streets29 with Sharia Law proponents who seek a parallel judicial system that places Islam’s teachings as the basis of law, not our U.S. Constitution. Square that circle with the homosexual agenda.

Be advised that the hectoring of evangelicals for their support of Trump by those who obsess on the “right” to kill babies in the womb, to pick-a-gender-of-the-day and marry whomever, to enable Sharia compliance that permits so-called “honor killings” is transparently pitiful.

Conventional wisdom told us that the 2016 election was supposed to be another Bush-Clinton face-off. Conventional wisdom was rejected repeatedly because those entrusted with leadership to right the ship of state have failed to stand erect with an intact spine to fight against Democrats’ efforts to “fundamentally transform America.”

Despite the pigpen politics, Donald Trump won and, yes, America is winning.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

The Poverty of Food Stamps30 — Trump understands that, like a business, a nation cannot survive endless deficit spending with its ever-growing national debt.
Puerto Rico — the 51st State?31 — Way too much debt, pathetic and deceptive voting numbers, and a Republican Congress all stand in the way.
Trump Shoots Down NATO Article 5 Fears32 — The concern that he wouldn’t honor commitments was always overblown, but he reiterates his support for NATO.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Gary Bauer: Collusion Sinks, Obstructions Soars33
Stephen Moore: Now Hear This!34
Rebecca Hagelin: What You Have in Common With Anderson Cooper35

For more, visit Right Opinion36.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Gary Bauer: “This weekend there were rallies in numerous American cities by people of varying faiths. They came together to warn that Sharia law is something America should resist because it is incompatible with our constitutional rights, including our First Amendment rights of free speech and religious liberty. In several cities, the attendees were attacked by progressive thugs. The controversy in the media was not the attacks against peaceful rallies. The controversy was that so-called ‘bigots’ were being allowed to demonstrate against Sharia law. Of course, the great irony is that if Sharia law were ever instituted in America, the lifestyles and social mores of millions of progressives would be illegal.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “Totalitarianism begins in contempt for what you have. The second step is the notion: ‘Things must change — no matter how, Anything is better than what we have.’ Totalitarian rulers organize this kind of mass sentiment, and by organizing it articulate it, and by articulating it make the people somehow love it. … Totalitarianism appeals to the very dangerous emotional needs of people who live in complete isolation and in fear of one another.” —Hannah Arendt (1906-1975)

Non Compos Mentis, part I: “The USA, created by int'l community in Treaty of Paris in 1783, betrays int'l community by withdrawing from #parisclimateagreement.” —Harvard professor Joyce E. Chaplin

Non Compos Mentis, part II: “James Comey Is The Sex Symbol America Needs Right Now.” —The Daily Beast’s Lizzie Crocker

Dezinformatsiya: “The Washington Post’s one-year retrospective of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting omitted any mention of shooter Omar Mateen’s motives and ideology. … Despite the Post’s piece clocking in at over a thousand words, the words ‘terrorism,’ ‘terror,’ ‘ISIS,’ ‘Islam,’ ‘Muslim,’ and ‘al-Baghdadi’ never appeared once. The sole reference to ‘Islamic State’ occurs in a photo caption, and never in the body of the piece.” —The Washington Free Beacon

Alpha Jackass: “If you’re in NYC, go see Julius Caesar, free in Central Park, brilliantly interpreted for Trump era. A masterpiece.” —Fareed Zakaria (Trump is assassinated in the play.)

Grasping for votes: “I hope Congress and the administration will listen to [the voters] and enable Puerto Rico to become the fifty-first state. Its people — already American citizens — deserve full and equal representation in the Congress and equal treatment by federal agencies.” —Steny Hoyer

And last… “It’s an incredible privilege to lead the men and women who are providing intelligence so that we can do the national security mission, and in the finest tradition of the CIA, I’m not going to say a damn thing in front of the media.” —CIA Director Mike Pompeo

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.