The Patriot Post Digest 10-18-2017

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The Patriot Post Digest 10-18-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest

Oct. 18, 2017 · https://patriotpost.us/digests/51921

IN TODAY’S EDITION

    Who are the Dreamers — Democrats favored illegals, or American workers with a Dream?
    Scott Pruitt is holding the ecofascists at bay with his strong EPA policies.
    The FBI has revealed the real Russian collusion — involving Obama and Clinton.
    The opioid crisis, a news report, and Trump’s drug czar.
    Political correctness in corporate America trumps common decency and patriotism.
    We’re still facing the consequences of Obama’s having abandoned Iraq.
    Plus our Daily Features: Top Headlines, Memes, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.

THE FOUNDATION

“It is a duty certainly to give our sparings to those who want; but to see also that they are faithfully distributed, and duly apportioned to the respective wants of those receivers. And why give through agents whom we know not, to persons whom we know not, and in countries from which we get no account, where we can do it at short hand, to objects under our eye, through agents we know, and to supply wants we see?” —Thomas Jefferson (1823)

IN BRIEF

Dreamers, or the American Dream Killers?1

By Political Editors

As Congress considers legislation regarding DACA2 and the so-called “Dreamers,” it’s worth noting the effect immigration — illegal immigration in particular — has on the American Dream.

Recently the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) released its latest study3 on the financial cost of illegal immigration on American taxpayers. While the mainstream media often touts illegal immigration as being a boon for the economy, the actual burden of the growing illegal population on Americans is conveniently ignored. FAIR’s study calculates that illegal immigrants are costing taxpayers $116 billion annually even after the economic tax revenues associated with illegal alien labor have been factored in.

These expenses are borne out in three primary areas: Medical care, public education and law enforcement. Another factor often ignored is that state and local governments bear the brunt of these expenses. An estimated $88.9 billion falls on state and local government, while the federal government bears $45.8 billion annually. Once again, the legislators in Washington are insulated from the consequences of their own policies.

Another example of illegal immigrants’ impact on American workers is via the federal government’s immigrant worker permit programs. In fiscal year 2017, the fed doled out nearly two million permits4, with approximately 1.5 million going to illegals. Matthew J. O'Brien, research director at FAIR, stated, “This [H-1B worker permit program] creates an incentive for people to accept lower wages in exchange for being in the United States and having a shot at an employment-based green card.” So, both American workers and immigrants are being taken advantage of by these programs, as wages have effectively been driven down. So much for the American Dream, right?

Thus, an increasingly heavy tax burden is being foisted onto the American worker as a result of a growing illegal population while at the same time Americans’ wages are being undercut by the fed granting a massive number of work permits to illegals. Is it any wonder why Americans are so frustrated with their government?

Pruitt Holds the Line Against the Left at the EPA5

By Jordan Candler

The EPA is getting a refreshing makeover after Gina McCarthy spent years directing the agency to enact unconstitutional power grabs and enforcing other forms of corruption. For example, the Clean Power Plan — a carbon-capture scheme that was developed under Barack Obama’s administration — was recently and mercifully flagged6 by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt for elimination, saving the economy upwards of $73 billion annually.

Now it’s ecofascists’ turn to feel the direct influence of new management. Under McCarthy, “green” interest groups basically viewed the EPA as the go-to agency for changes to climate-related rules and regulations. Not anymore. As Reuters reports7, Pruitt “issued a directive to his agency on Monday seeking to end the practice of settling lawsuits with environmental groups behind closed doors, saying the groups have had too much influence on regulation.”

The report goes on to note, “The EPA under former President Barack Obama quietly settled lawsuits from environmental groups with little input from regulated entities, such as power plants, and state governments.” How’s that for the most transparent administration in history? But according to Pruitt, “The days of regulation through litigation are over. We will no longer go behind closed doors and use consent decrees and settlement agreements to resolve lawsuits filed against the agency.”

Reuters adds, “Daren Bakst, a research fellow in agricultural policy at the Heritage Foundation think tank, said sue and settle has led to ‘egregious antics’ that have ‘effectively handed over the setting of agency priorities to environmental pressure groups,’ and has led to rushed rulemaking by the agency.” Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) regurgitated this view: “The Environmental Protection Agency should not make regulations by settling lawsuits behind closed doors. Under the last administration, the EPA advanced its political agenda by abusing its authority and leaving states and Congress in the dark. The public deserves to know how its government is operating.”

There’s really no reason to oppose these changes — unless you’re an activist who can no longer deploy covert tactics to circumvent the Rule of Law. And, to no one’s surprise, green groups aren’t happy with Pruitt’s move. What became customary at Obama’s EPA should never have become so. But it did, no doubt because McCarthy agreed with these lawsuits. Obama’s EPA was not impartial, nor was it transparent or legally minded. Pruitt is doing a masterful job ensuring this injustice ends.

Top Headlines8

    GOP senators introduce bill to relieve Americans of ObamaCare mandate (The Washington Free Beacon9)

    McCain endorses budget bill in win for GOP tax-reform effort (The Washington Post10)

    Dow tops 23,000 for first time as stock market rally gains speed (USA Today11)

    Military spokesman: ISIS “On the verge of devastating defeat” in Iraq and Syria (CNS News12)

    Judge blocks Trump’s travel ban for third time (The Washington Times13)

    George Soros transfers $18 billion to his “Open Society” Foundation, creating an instant giant (The Wall Street Journal14)

    Mandalay Bay security guard Jesus Campos vanishes after Las Vegas massacre, only to show up to tell his story on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC News15)

    Washington Post “fact-checker” mostly agrees with Steve Scalise on Chicago gun violence — gives him flunking grade anyway (Washington Examiner16)

    Jaguars apologize to military for kneeling for national anthem in London (The Daily Wire17)

    After five cheerleaders take a knee during national anthem, college takes them off the football field (Conservative News Today18.)

    Policy: Untaxing the rich is a misguided Republican obsession (National Review19)

    Policy: A modern leave policy both employers, employees could love (The Hill20)

For more of today’s news, visit Patriot Headline Report21.

FEATURED ANALYSIS
FBI Reveals Russian Collusion… With Obama and Clinton22

By Louis DeBroux

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive.” —Sir Walter Scott (Marmion, 1808.)

For more than a year, the mainstream media and the Democrats (but we repeat ourselves) were positively aflame with righteous indignation, broadcasting 24/7 claims that Donald Trump colluded with the Russians to rig the 2016 election, and demanding investigations into and the impeachment of President Trump.

One might be forgiven, in the age of the 24/7 news cycle that jumps from one outrage and crisis to another, for not recognizing the disappearance of the Russia story from the headlines. One might also conclude the story’s disappearance is due to Democrats being forced to admit there is no evidence23, despite intense effort to find it, of Trump/Russia collusion.

Yet even that misses the real story, which is that Democrats are now desperate to bury this story as evidence mounts that there WAS collusion with Russian operatives … by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

According to recently revealed files, the FBI had uncovered a plot by Russian officials and operatives as far back as 2009 in which The Hill reports24 the Russians were “engaged in bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering designed to grow Vladimir Putin’s atomic energy business inside the United States.”

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 10-18-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Recall it was then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton whose department authorized the sale25 of mining company Uranium One to a Russian state-owned energy company, giving the Russians control of 20% of the U.S. uranium supply. At the time, Hillary and the Obama administration defended their decision, claiming there was no evidence of Russian government wrongdoing and no national security concerns to prevent the committee from authorizing the sale.

We now know that to be an unmitigated lie.

It is also no coincidence that, around the time of the sale’s approval, Bill Clinton cashed in a $500,000 speaking fee to give a speech in Moscow, and the Clinton Foundation raked in $145 million26 in donations from nine shareholders in Uranium One.

Meanwhile, the genesis of the Trump/Russia collusion claim lies in a dossier27 compiled by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele. Despite the claims in the dossier being either thoroughly debunked or still without corroborating evidence, a special counsel, in the form of former FBI Director Robert Mueller, was assigned to investigate.

And while any claims of interference in the internal political processes of our nation must be taken seriously, what must also be taken seriously is the increasingly evident reality that high-ranking Democrats, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, were themselves the instigators of the very collusion they now seek to obfuscate.

The infamous Steele dossier that set these accusations ablaze was assembled on behalf of Fusion GPS, a firm that specializes in political opposition research. So it would seem obvious that the best way to get to the truth is to have the principals at Fusion GPS testify as to their knowledge regarding collusion.

That has become very difficult, however, as lawyers for Fusion GPS CEO Glenn Simpson say he refuses to testify, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. By its own admission, Fusion GPS lobbied for a Russian company28 with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. There is evidence that the Steele dossier, used to attack Trump, was commissioned at the behest of the Russians for the purpose of sowing confusion and discord into the American electoral process.

Mission accomplished.

Just as disturbing is the fact that the FBI — the same FBI that was aware of Russian attempts to bribe and extort American officials and bureaucrats in order to acquire American uranium — has thus far refused to comply with a House Intelligence Committee demand to produce documents related to this investigation.

The tangled web grows more tangled still, as we note with concern that Mueller, the special counsel whose investigative team is loaded with Clinton donors29, was the head of the FBI when the discovery of Russian influence-peddling was made. This discovery would not be made public until four years after Obama and Hillary approved the sale of the uranium to the Russians.

Tangles upon tangles, we note that the investigation was supervised by then-U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, an Obama appointee currently serving as Trump’s deputy AG, as well as Andrew McCabe, who served as assistant FBI director under Obama, and today as Trump’s deputy FBI director. This is the same McCabe who is under investigation for a $500,000 donation given to his wife, a Virginia state senate candidate in 2016, by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, former DNC Chair and prolific fundraiser for the Clintons, also now under investigation by the FBI.

The investigation into the Uranium One deal ended in 2015 at the direction of former FBI Director James Comey30 without ever briefing the FBI’s top counter-intelligence official or Congress on the staggering national security implications. That would be the same James Comey who leaked details31 of his conversations with President Trump for the purpose, by his own admission, of forcing the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Trump, recommending his buddy32 and former Obama FBI Director Mueller, who buried the initial findings.

If you are thoroughly confused by this nefarious web of corruption, bribes, extortion and Russian influence-peddling, you are not alone.

Yet one thing seems increasingly evident: Those who were screaming the loudest now appear to have the most to hide33.

For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union34.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST

    The Opioid Epidemic: Overdosing on Cronyism35 — The Drug Enforcement Administration may have had a hand in the rise of the nation’s opiate crisis.
    Corporate PC vs. Patriotism36 — The widow of a military veteran was denied the ability to honor a fallen soldier by singing the national anthem.
    More Consequences of Abandoning Iraq37 — The Islamic State is losing, but the Iraqis are attacking the Kurds people. The U.S. can do something.

For more of today’s top cartoons, visit the Cartoons archive38.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

    Walter Williams: Who Pays What in Taxes?39
    Byron York: What’s Behind Trump’s Executive Actions40
    Rebecca Hagelin: BSA: It’s Time to Look Elsewhere41
    Michelle Malkin: Beware the Rape Allegation Bandwagon42
    L. Brent Bozell & Tim Graham: Liberal Billionaires Are Never Villains43

For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion44.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Walter Williams: “Politicians love to trick people by suggesting that they will impose taxes not on them but on some other entity instead. We can personalize the trick by talking about property taxes. Imagine that you are a homeowner and a politician tells you he is not going to tax you. Instead, he’s going to tax your property and land. You would easily see the political chicanery. Land and property cannot and do not pay taxes. Again, only people pay taxes. The same principle applies to corporations. There’s another side to taxes that goes completely unappreciated. According to a 2013 study by the Virginia-based Mercatus Center, Americans spend up to $378 billion annually in tax-related accounting costs, and in 2011, Americans spent more than six billion hours complying with the tax code. Those hours are equivalent to the annual hours of a workforce of 3.4 million, or the number of people employed by four of the largest U.S. companies — Walmart, IBM, McDonald’s and Target — combined. Along with tax cuts, tax simplification should be on the agenda.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “In questions of science the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.” —Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

Weak-kneed response: “We did not ask for [players to stand during the national anthem]. We spent [yesterday] talking about the issues players are trying to bring attention to. Issues in our communities, to make our communities better.” —NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on his meeting with team owners

From the “Traitor Files”: “I don’t regret going to Vietnam. … I’m proud that I went. It changed my life all for the good.” —"Hanoi Jane45“ Fonda on "aiding and abetting” American enemies

She really doesn’t understand how our form of government works: “Every time I land in America, how much longer can these generals allow Trump to cause so much damage? [The] 25th amendment is there for a reason.” —Chelsea Handler

Alpha Jackass: “Here’s the thing — Harvey Weinstein’s disgusting. Let’s just say that. But Fox News had [this type of behavior], Clarence Thomas [did too].” —film director Rob Reiner

Holier than thou: “I really don’t think that it’s appropriate to attack comedians. We’re on the right side of things. Also, the comedians are there to say the emperor has no clothes. We’re important people right now. So, I don’t know why [people] attack comedians.” —Joy Behar

Non Compos Mentis: “According to Islam, every man is accountable to stop abuse of women — by their word and by their acts. Many abusers like Weinstein walk our streets, terrorizing our neighbors. Together, we can employ a proven Islamic model that will stop this madness, and re-invoke gender equity today in America, and the world.” —attorney Qasim Rashid in “How the teachings of Islam could help us prevent more sexual abuse scandals”

And last… “It’s one thing to break down cultural stigmas constructively, but the #MeToo movement is collectivist virtue signaling of a very perilous sort.” —Michelle Malkin

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. We also humbly ask prayer for your Patriot team, that our mission would seed and encourage the spirit of Liberty in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis

Nate Jackson, Managing Editor
Mark Alexander, Publisher