Bluegrass Pundit

U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey Mass. Senate strategy: Hide and hope everyone pushes the "D" button...

2013-05-21T06:15:00.000-04:00

U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey promises to release his tax returns sometime between now and when hell freezes over.

Via The Boston Herald:

If you haven’t been paying much attention to U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey’s Senate campaign, that’s just fine with Markey.

Debates? He's only agreed to one so far against GOP opponent Gabriel Gomez, according to the Markey campaign.

Releasing his tax returns? He’ll get to it — eventually.

Public campaign appearances? Good luck finding Markey. He made few campaign appearances last week — and most of those were not open to the public.

The Malden Democrat’s general election strategy is to stall, delay, play keep-away and count on a low- turnout election in which most independent voters stay home.

Dumbest CNN Story Evah: Muslims to Tea Party: Welcome to our world

2013-05-21T05:49:00.000-04:00

Via CNN:

Muslims to Tea Party: Welcome to our world

Reports that the Internal revenue Service has been targeting Tea Party-affiliated nonprofit organizations has grabbed headlines, but should come as no surprise. In part because of ten years of expanding government powers, much of it under the guise of national security, selective enforcement of the law has increasingly become a norm rather than an aberration.

But some in the Muslim community might have a question – why are conservatives so surprised (and outraged) by this news when Muslim nonprofits and their leaders have been under intense scrutiny for over a decade? And when so many Muslim groups and individuals have faced scrutiny simply for the religion they follow? [...]

While some may see the case of Muslim organizations and Tea Party affiliated groups as different, the same principles are involved – the uneven application of the law and discriminatory treatment directed at a minority. In one case the minority is targeted for its faith, while in another they are targeted for their politics.

But something I find troubling is that for the largely white, conservative, anti-government Tea Partiers and their supporters it is apparently acceptable to target legal immigrants or first generation American Muslims in the name of national security, even as any singling out based on political affiliation is treated as an outrage.

IRS senior official that thwarted conservative groups fast tracked Obama charity with UPS store address....

2013-05-21T05:41:00.002-04:00

Nothing beats an IRS agent with a political agenda...

Via Daily Caller:

The “charity” run by President Barack Obama’s half-brother that was fast-tracked for IRS tax-exempt status is based at a Virginia UPS store, according to its website.
The organization’s IRS filings list another Virginia address that is actually a drug rehab center where the foundation does not appear ever to have been based.

The Barack H. Obama Foundation is run by Abon’go “Roy” Malik Obama, the half-brother of Barack Obama.

As first reported by The Daily Caller, the foundation was sptracked Obama charity with eedily approved for IRS exemption by Lois Lerner, the IRS senior official at the center of the targeting of conservative organizations that have waited over two years to receive tax exempt status.

The charity was even given retroactive tax-exempt status despite never having bothered to apply for it. And its history of soliciting donations before receiving tax-exempt status was apparently overlooked.

Keep on reading…

Shameful: Democratic Senator uses Okla. tornado for anti-GOP global warming rant...

2013-05-20T20:31:00.001-04:00

Actually, tornado activity has recently been at a 60-year low...

Via The Daily Caller:

While many Americans were tuned into news coverage of the massive damage from tornadoes ravaging the state of Oklahoma, Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse took to the Senate floor to rail against his Republican colleagues for denying the theory of anthropogenic global warming.

Whitehouse spent 15 minutes chastising GOP senators and justified his remarks by alluding to states that seek federal assistance in the wake of natural disasters.

Tea Party approval up nine percentage points since public learns IRS targeted them...

2013-05-20T19:51:00.001-04:00

Let's hope Barack Obama's fallibility rating drops by nine points...

Washington (CNN) - As a major tea party group plans protests Tuesday at Internal Revenue Service offices across the country Tuesday, a new national poll indicates that the IRS controversy has given the four-year-old movement a shot in the arm.
The week-and-a-half-old controversy, which involves the IRS targeting of tea party and other conservative groups which were seeking tax exempt status, has dominated headlines and put the White House on the defensive.

And according to a CNN/ORC International survey released Monday, it’s also boosted the favorable rating for the tea party movement. Thirty-seven percent of people questioned said they see the tea party in a favorable light, up nine percentage points from CNN’s March poll. But a plurality still view the movement unfavorably.

“Politically, the group that may have benefitted the most from last week’s news is the tea party movement, which may be getting something akin to a ‘sympathy vote’ for being targeted by the highly unpopular IRS,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
The 37% favorable rating for tea party is just one point shy of their all-time high in CNN polling, which they reached twice in 2010, during the heyday of the movement.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki refuses to criticize Iran for excluding women candidates...

2013-05-20T19:45:00.002-04:00

Tell me again why women vote for democrats...

Via Weekly Standard:

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki refused to criticize Iran for excluding women candidates from the upcoming “election” there. The remarkable exchange, which concludes with Psaki saying this(“We want this [election] to be free and fair. There’s a lot of ways to, of course, define that.”) happened at Friday’s press briefing.

Keep on reading…

Scary Video: Time Lapse Footage Of Oklahoma Tornado…

2013-05-20T19:35:00.003-04:00

The awesome power of nature...

Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee
tornado, amazing video, Time Lapse Footage Of Oklahoma Tornado, cyclone, video, tornado, amazing video, tornado, Oklahoma

Obama doesn't want a planet that is "in chaos because of decisions that we made" or something...

2013-05-20T19:28:00.001-04:00

Global warming scaremongering...

Via Junk Science:

From Obama’s commencement address at Morehouse College:

“And there’s still a lot more work to be done to make our economy more energy-efficient, to make sure that we’re dealing with serious issues like climate change. When I look at Arthur’s incredible kids and grandkids, I’m thinking, just like I’m thinking about when I see Malia and Sasha — I want to make sure that 30 years from now, 40 years from now, when they’re with their kids and their grandkids, that they’ve got a planet that isn’t in chaos because of decisions that we made or decisions that we failed to make. We’ve got a lot more work to do there.

Losing that Hopey-Changey Feeling: "This not the President Obama we voted for"

2013-05-20T05:32:00.000-04:00

Heather Long sums up the liberal disappointment with Obama...

You can argue that Republicans have blocked President Obama from doing just about anything. You can argue that he's had bad luck. You can argue that he isn't always the greatest orator. But you can't argue away that the Department of Justice took the unprecedented step of seizing phone records from the Associated Press. Or the flimsy rationale justifying drone attacks abroad and at home. Or the bizarre step the Pentagon has taken to expand the ability of the military to intervene in state and local matters. Or the fact that Guantanamo Bay is still open years after Obama vowed he would close it, and the US is making headlines for force feeding inmates.

These are actions that President Obama and his top team have taken on their own.

Yes, the various scandals have been politicized this week. That's the American we live in today, but even among Obama voters, there should be genuine disappointment. This not the President Obama we voted for, not even close. Read it all...

Obama Adviser Dan Pfeiffer: 'The Law Is Irrelevant' On IRS Fiasco (Video)

2013-05-20T05:23:00.000-04:00

Sadly, the law is irrelevant for the Obama administration anytime it conflicts with their goals...

Later, Pfeiffer tried to walk the comment back,,,

Before folks quoting me out of context get too far ahead of themselves, of course the law matters, IRS conduct is wrong even if legal
— Dan Pfeiffer (@pfeiffer44) May 19, 2013

Shocker: Bill 'The Second Amendment Is Bullsh*t' Maher has two guns...

2013-05-19T20:52:00.000-04:00

Hypocrisy, Bill Maher is your name...

MAHER: I say all the time on this show, as long as we live in the gun country, I ain’t giving up my gun. S.E. CUPP: There you go.
MAHER: There have been twelve home invasions in my neighborhood in the last year.
CUPP: Of course you want one.
SORKIN: You have a gun?
S.E. CUPP: Of course he has a gun.
MAHER: I have two guns.
ZACH GALIFANAKIS: He's carrying one now.
MAHER: One upstairs and one down.
MOORE: How often do you go to a shooting range to practice?
MAHER: Few times a year.
MOORE: You need to go more than that. I mean, if you wake up in the middle of the night. Well, the middle of the night for you is ten in the morning.

Read more here...

Burglar stuffs armed home invasion victim in closet where he stores his guns. The result is predictable...

2013-05-19T15:20:00.002-04:00

If you are a burglar and want to lock your victim in a closet, you might want to see what is stored in there...

The victim of an armed home invasion in Houston has turned the tables on the brazen intruders after they stuffed him into a closet that turned out to be the place where he stores his gun.

Police say it all started at around 2pm Tuesday when three men broke into a home in the 8200 block of Braeburn Valley Drive and assaulted the resident.

After a brief scuffle, the hapless perpetrators shoved the man into a closet, not knowing that there was a gun in there.

When the homeowner thought the burglars had left, he went downstairs, carrying his gun in case the suspects were still around, the Houston Chronicle reported.

On the first floor, the man confronted one of his assailant and the two exchanged gunfire, according to police.

The resident, who shares the house with his parents, escaped unharmed, but the armed suspect was much the worse for wear after being struck in the shoulder and leg.
He fled on foot down the street, but did not get far before he collapsed. His two suspected accomplices took off from the scene in a Chevrolet Tahoe.

Golfer-in-Chief Hits The Links For The 123rd Time…

2013-05-19T14:56:00.002-04:00

The upside is the more he golfs, the less time he has to finish the destruction of America...

Via WHD:

President Obama is golfing today at Joint Base Andrews with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and White House chef Sam Kass.

This amounts to something of a show of support for Sebelius, who is under fire for trying to end run Congress by demanding donations from health care companies to fund efforts to encourage people to enroll in Obamacare.

Keep on reading…

Rep. Charles Rangel worried the criminals at the IRS will get a bad name or something...

2013-05-19T12:44:00.001-04:00

I doubt Americans opinion of the the IRS could go any lower...

Via The Hill:

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) on Sunday said that he feared the Internal Revenue Service scandal over political targeting of Tea Party groups would unfairly stigmatize other workers at the agency.

“The biggest problem is that tens of thousands of IRS workers that work hard with all of this stigma being tax collectors, are getting a bad shake out of this,” said Rangel during a panel discussion on ABC’s “This Week.”

The IRS acknowledgement that agents used higher scrutiny against conservative groups seeking tax exempt status has already claimed the job of acting director Steven Miller and has the White House and Congress both vowing thorough investigations.

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) was found guilty and censured for 11 ethics violations, including neglecting to pay taxes on his Dominican Republic vacation villa in 2010. Perhaps he appreciates the IRS not putting him in jail.

Hillary Clinton: “We still live in a state of denial,”

2013-05-19T09:18:00.002-04:00

Hillary Clinton made the comment about ~~Benghazi~~ global warming...

Via Breitbart:

In the midst of government investigations, subpoenas, and hearings relating to last September’s deadly terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has been laying relatively low since she departed the administration earlier in the year, was interviewed by Hollywood actor Harrison Ford about global warming.

“We are in a race against time,” former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Wednesday night, in an interview with actor Harrison Ford.

“We still live in a state of denial,” Clinton suggested, regarding the future impacts of climate change. “We see it, we experience it, but we have a great deal of difficulty in summoning the political will … to address it.”

Ford interviewed Clinton on challenges ranging from climate change to poaching as part of Conservation International’s annual New York Gala Dinner.

EU takes time off fighting the euro crisis and bans open containers of olive oil in restaurants...

2013-05-19T09:15:00.001-04:00

Priorities of the nanny state...

(Reuters) – Critics ridiculed European Union bureaucrats on Saturday for taking time off fighting the euro zone’s debt crisis to impose strict new rules on how restaurants serve olive oil.

From January 1, 2014, eateries will be banned from serving oil to diners in small glass jugs or dipping bowls, and forced instead to use pre-sealed, non-refillable bottles that must be disposed of when empty.

The European Commission said the move is designed to improve hygiene and reassure consumers the olive oil in restaurants has not been diluted with an inferior product.

But critics say the rules are a sop to Europe’s olive oil producers, and will only add to the frustration felt by many towards a bloated EU bureaucracy regarded as out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Europeans.

“If the European Union was logical and properly run, people wouldn’t be so anti-Europe. But when it comes up with crazy things like this, it quite rightly calls into question their legitimacy and judgment,” said Marina Yannakoudakis, a British Conservative member of the European Parliament.

Keep on reading…

Change: Some French tax rates top 100%

2013-05-18T22:20:00.001-04:00

Barack Obama most envious...

(Reuters) - More than 8,000 French households' tax bills topped 100 percent of their income last year, the business newspaper Les Echos reported on Saturday, citing Finance Ministry data.

The newspaper said that the exceptionally high level of taxation was due to a one-off levy last year on 2011 incomes for households with assets of more than 1.3 million euros ($1.67 million).

President Francois Hollande's Socialist government imposed the tax surcharge last year, shortly after taking office, to offset the impact of a rebate scheme created by its conservative predecessor to cap an individual's overall taxation at 50 percent of income.

The government has been forced to redraft a proposed bill to levy a temporary 75 percent tax on earnings over 1 million euros, which had been one of Hollande's campaign pledges.

The Constitutional Council has judged such a high rate of taxation to be unfair, leaving the government to rehash it to hit companies rather than individuals.

Silly: House democrats introduce bill to deal with nonexistent effects of global warming...

2013-05-18T21:31:00.001-04:00

Morons...

Via The Hill:

A bill introduced Friday calls on the federal government to craft a national strategy for dealing with the public health effects of climate change.

Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) is sponsoring the measure. She said climate change has factored into recent increases in allergies, asthma, tropical diseases, drought and high temperatures.

“Regardless of what one believes about its causes, climate change is very real,” Capps said in a statement, adding, “We have to provide our public health officials with the tools and resources they need to effectively track and prepare for these significant public health challenges.”

Democratic Reps. Edward Markey (Mass.), Doris Matsui (Calif.) and Jan Schakowsky (Ill.) are co-sponsoring the bill.

Is this the next scandal shoe to drop on Obama?

2013-05-18T07:27:00.002-04:00

GOP Congressman is asking if Obama's treasury department targeted GOP dealers during GM bankruptcy and bailout...

Two Congressmen are asking the Treasury Department if it inappropriately scrutinized conservative-owned businesses the same way it targeted Tea Party groups filing for tax-exempt status.
Republicans Mike Kelly (PA-03) and Jim Renacci (OH-16) circulated a letter Thursday requesting Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to release documents detailing the process and methodology the Automotive Task Force used to shut down General Motors dealerships in 2009 during the automotive industry crisis.

Renacci's Northeast Ohio Chevrolet dealership was closed in 2010 after losing a battle with General Motors. Congress loaned General Motors $50 billion in 2009 after GM declared bankruptcy, which resulted in the federal government owning a majority share of the company. Roughly 2000 dealerships received "wind-down" agreements, and while hundreds were able to survive an exhaustive arbitration process, Renacci-Doraty Chevrolet in Wadsworth did not. Renacci, then a Congressional candidate challenging incumbent John Boccieri, placed the blame squarely on President Obama.

IRS asked pro-life group about the content of their prayers...

2013-05-18T07:11:00.001-04:00

Obama's IRS was also demanding they promise not to picket Planned parenthood...

Via The Examiner:

During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing today, Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., grilled outgoing IRS commissioner Steven Miller about the IRS targeting a pro-life group in Iowa.

“Their question, specifically asked from the IRS to the Coalition for Life of Iowa: ‘Please detail the content of the members of your organization’s prayers,’" Schock declared.

“Would that be an inappropriate question to a 501 c3 applicant?” asked Schock. “The content of one’s prayers?”

Video: GOP Rep. Mike Kelly Receives Standing Ovation After Taking IRS Chief Steven MillerTo the Woodshed…

2013-05-17T17:01:00.001-04:00

Excellent...

Busted: Obama administration officials were aware of IRS targeting Tea Party during the presidential campaign year

2013-05-17T16:42:00.002-04:00

I wouldn't be surprised if the targeting of tea party groups for political gain goes all the way to the oval office...

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department’s inspector general told senior Treasury officials in June 2012 he was auditing the Internal Revenue Service’s screening of politically active organizations seeking tax exemptions, disclosing for the first time on Friday that Obama administration officials were aware of the matter during the presidential campaign year.

At the first Congressional hearing into the I.R.S. scandal, J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration, told members of the House Ways and Means Committee that he informed the Treasury’s general counsel of his audit on June 4, and Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin “shortly thereafter.”

It remained unclear how much the disclosure would affect the broader debate over the I.R.S.'s problems. Complaints from Tea Party groups that the I.R.S. was singling them out became public in 2012, through media accounts.

Denial: Jay Carney dismisses the idea that these are scandals

2013-05-17T10:29:00.000-04:00

~~Denial~~ lies...

Bonus, Carney claims he is "inspiring reporters to ask hard questions..."

On CNN Thursday night, however, Carney explained to Piers Morgan that he has actually enjoyed his job this week.

“Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve kind of enjoyed it,” Carney said, as Morgan asked him how his week has been.
Carney has hosted only two press briefings this week.

Carney added that the week had been “challenging” but that he enjoyed “inspiring reporters to ask hard questions” as Obama’s press secretary.

Lies often do that...

Shameful: Trustees of $600 million underfunded Detroit school pension fund jetting to Hawaii for conference...

2013-05-17T09:20:00.001-04:00

This story is typical of what's wrong with Detroit and public employees unions in general...

Four trustees of Detroit’s two public pension funds are heading to a Hawaiian beach resort this weekend with their $22,000 tab paid for by the funds, which are mired in claims of mismanagement and said to be at least $600 million underfunded.

Trustees say the conference provides the education they need to manage complex investments for the funds’ retirees and beneficiaries. But other major public pension systems, including the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions, avoided sending their officials to Hawaii because of concerns the exotic locale sends the wrong message at a time when pensions nationwide are contemplating or implementing reduced benefits to cope with rising retirement costs and shaky investment returns.

Records obtained by the Free Press under the Freedom of Information Act show the expenses cover airfare — including a first-class flight for one trustee — lodging at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort in Honolulu, registration fees, meals and a per diem for miscellaneous expenses. Keep on reading...

Woman in charge of IRS office that targeted tea Party got a promotion...

2013-05-17T09:14:00.001-04:00

Sarah Hall Ingram is in charge of the IRS Obamacare office. What could go wrong and why hasn't she been fired yet?

Via ABC News:

The Internal Revenue Service official in charge of the tax-exempt organizations at the time when the unit targeted tea party groups now runs the IRS office responsible for the health care legislation.

Sarah Hall Ingram served as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012. But Ingram has since left that part of the IRS and is now the director of the IRS’ Affordable Care Act office, the IRS confirmed to ABC News today.

Her successor, Joseph Grant, is taking the fall for misdeeds at the scandal-plagued unit between 2010 and 2012. During at least part of that time, Grant served as deputy commissioner of the tax-exempt unit.
Grant announced today that he would retire June 3, despite being appointed as commissioner of the tax-exempt office May 8, a week ago.

As the House voted to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act Thursday evening, House Speaker John Boehner expressed “serious concerns” that the IRS is empowered as the law’s chief enforcer.