Archive for the ‘Crime’ Category
Monday, June 9th, 2014
Here’s a LinkSwarm to kick your week off with:
Gee, what could have possibly sent hospital prices skyrocketing? It’s an unsolvable mystery! (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
Old and Busted: ObamaCare will save the government money. The New Hotness: “In its latest report on the law, the Congressional Budget Office said it is no longer possible to assess the overall fiscal impact of the law.”
“For Obama and his defenders to blame Bush — or anyone but Obama — 64 months into his administration deserves nothing short of lip-curling scorn.”
The New Narrative: Obama is just massively incompetent at everything but campaigning.
The VA Scandal displays “a systemic lack of integrity.”
Nothing says “socialism is a raging success” quite like rationing drinking water. Enjoy your socialist paradise, Caracas, Venezuela! (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
The idiocy of “white privilege.”
“It is not sufficient that transsexuals should be free to act on their delusions — the rest of us are expected to participate in them with unreserved enthusiasm, and the Left is willing to use the state to compel us to do so…The belief that members of minority political tendencies should be jailed for their views is very much in vogue for the Left at the moment.”
Steve Crowder: Having a Penis Doesn’t Equal Misogyny.
Another day, another Social Justice Warrior issung death threats against their political enemies.
50 Years of Democratic Rule tracking Detroit’s decay using Google street view.
Once again, liberal Democrats oppose a project that might give burly blue collar men high-paying jobs.
Christopher Hitchens on Hillary Clinton. Yes, it’s old. (The fact Hitchens exited this vale of tears over two years ago may have been the first tipoff.) But I suspect this will not be the last time I repost it between now and 2016…
New York City now has more cops collecting pensions than walking the street.
The indicted friend of the Boston Marathon Bomber wired $71,000 to people in six countries using fake names. I think we can all agree that that’s not even slightly suspicious…
Best and worst paying college majors.
Vasser’s new Stalinist show trials.
The Texas Republican Convention occurred in Ft. Worth over the weekend, and delegates killed a down-payment on illegal alien amnesty, the so-called “Texas Solution.” How many time does the GOP establishment need to be told that actual voters reject amnesty, and demand that the border be secured before any changes are made to immigration law before they start listening?
Speaking of amnesty, all this “Dream Act” talk has sent children pouring over the border, where there are no housed in overcrowded and unhygienic holding facilities. Thanks, Obama!
Some of them are being dumped in Arizona.
Even Obama’s own immigration adviser says says his amnesty plan is endangering children. Plus “roughly 70 percent of swing-voters want tougher immigration rules.” Obama seems unwilling to stop the flood of illegal aliens because he views them all as potential Democratic voters…
10 essential economic truths liberals need to learn.
Fight gearing up between the Bureau of Land Management and Texas.
Grammer Nazis.
Public Service Announcement: Try not to murder people for imaginary Internet memes.
Samuel L. Jackson takes a selfie at a an Israel Independence parade in New York City. naturally liberals freak out.
When I think “Hip-Hop” the first name that comes to mind is Ron Howard.
Al Sharpton vs. The Teleprompter:
Science Fiction Writer Jay Lake, RIP.
Tags:Al Sharpton, amnesty, Arizona, Border Controls, Critical Race Theory, Democrats, Detroit, Israel, New York City, Obama Scandals, ObamaCare, Samuel L. Jackson, Steve Crowder, Texas, victimhood, video
Posted in Border Control, Communism, Crime, Democrats, Obama Scandals, ObamaCare, Regulation, Texas, unions, video | No Comments »
Thursday, June 5th, 2014
I’ve been busy with other things, so until Dwight covered it, I didn’t realize that indicted California state senator Leland Yee’s suspended campaign still came in third in the race for California Secretary of State, pulling in a quarter-million votes.
Yee finished ahead of ethics watchdog Dan Schnur, a former chairman of the state Fair Political Practices Commission, who framed his campaign around cleaning up Sacramento. Yee also finished ahead of Derek Cressman, a Democrat and former director of the good-government group Common Cause.
“Sure, he’s been indicted on a gun trafficking and murder-for-hire scheme, but I really liked his opposition to banning shark fin soup.”
Alternately, maybe all California voters just naturally assume that all Democratic office holders in their state are crooked.
In other Leland Yee news:
California’s Senate Rules Committee refuses to release his legislative calendar. Because you puny peasants have no right to know what slimy deals your betters are making behind closed doors.
The presiding judge has ordered the material released to the defense attorneys sealed, as per Yee’s wishes, but over the objections of the lawyers for Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow.
“There are sensitive materials identifying numerous individuals who are not believed to have engaged in any criminal activities, but who were nonetheless captured on FBI surveillance or documented in FBI reports, for example after being introduced by charged defendants to undercover agents. Such materials, if improperly disclosed, could be used to besmirch these otherwise innocent individuals,” noted the April 8 motion for a protective order.
Chow’s lawyers, Tony Serra and his team, who claim their client is innocent, take issue with this reasoning.
”He knows the politicians, the celebrities who were investigated and through this order of his gagging us, there’s an implication he’s almost protecting their reputation,” Serra said about Breyer.
Tags:California, Crime, Democrats, Elections, Leland Yee, Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow
Posted in Crime, Democrats, Elections | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014
Lots of news on the Texas vs. California front. An audit turns up $31 billion in California budget mistakes, Democrats hike the minimum wage there, Jerry Brown tries to do something about the growing CalSTARS pension deficit, and people and businesses continue to depart the “Golden State” for Texas…
You know how Democrats were crowing that California had a budget surplus? Forget about it:
The California Bureau of State Audits set off a scandal on June 1st by disclosing that the State Controller’s Office made accounting misstatements amounting to $31.65 billion. The timing of the announcement may be devastating to the Democrats who expected to use their super-majority to pass billions of dollars in increased spending, but may now find the net effects of the accounting restatements are a $7 billion General Fund deficit.
Snip.
As the former Treasurer of Orange County, California it is my preliminary judgment that under state law the negative $7.847 billion impact from overstating general fund assets and revenues and overstating deferred tax revenues may create an “on-budget” deficit to the state’s $96.3 billion “General Fund Budget.”
From the same audit: “There was a deferred tax-revenue figure posted as $6.2 billion when it was actually $6.2 million.”
California Senate votes to hike minimum wage to $13 an hour. It’s like they want to export ALL their jobs to Texas.
Wealth continues to move from high tax states to low tax states. “The nine states without a personal income tax gained $146 billion in new wealth while the nine states with the highest income tax rates lost $107 billion.”
Union-dominated states are sinking further into economic stagnation as Democratic politicians increasingly dominate the local political climate. In 2012, California Democrats won a supermajority in both houses of the legislature and proceeded to accelerate a tax and spending spree that has been ongoing for two decades. For example, California now has the nation’s top state income-tax rate, at 13.3 percent.
Those kind of policies have consequences. The Manhattan Institute released a report in 2012 that found that since 1990, California had lost nearly 3.4 million residents to other states with lower tax rates.
Snip.
The U.S. is swiftly becoming a tale of two nations. States that are following the Reagan model of low taxes and incentives are booming while states that are opting for the Obama model of wealth redistribution and European welfare-state economics are stagnating.
Texas’ unemployment rate “has now been equal to or below the national average since January 2007 and below California’s rate—4th highest in the nation—for 93 consecutive months.”
A look at how many more billions per year California taxpayers will be coughing up for the inevitable CalSTARS bailout.
“Alameda Unified’s pension costs could nearly triple and those of its teachers could rise by 25 percent under Governor Jerry Brown’s proposal to reform the California State Teachers Retirement System.”
But even though its a step in the right direction, Brown’s proposals stretch out installments so far that they’re still not fiscally responsible. “Even with the higher rates, the debt would continue to grow until 2026. That’s because the amortization over 32 years means the payments would essentially not even cover the interest costs for the first 12.”
And the assumptions behind the repayment schedule sound like fantasy: “The state still faces a huge unfunded liability in the teachers’ pension fund—the governor’s proposal would increase employee’s contributions by 3 percent and increase school district’s by nearly 2 ½ times and it would still take 30 years to close the gap with a generously estimated 7.5 percent annual return.”
Judge rules CalPERS can be sued for mishandling a long-term insurance program.
Thanks to various legal rulings, there will be more felons on California streets. “Release on parole continues a steady climb in California. In just the past five years, over twice as many convicts serving life sentences have been paroled than in the last two decades combined.”
Cargo aviation firm Ameriflight is relocating from Burbank to Dallas/Ft. Worth.
Sony Pictures Imageworks visual effects house is relocating to Canada.
Tesla narrows down list of possible factory locations to Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. Not on the list: His home state of California. “The winning state will need to have all the necessary permits approved by the time Tesla plans to break ground next month. With the onerous requirements of the California Environmental Protection Act (CEQA) and other environmental regulations, Tesla would be lucky to break ground by 2017 – when its battery factory is scheduled to open.”
New effort to bring California’s underfunded health liabilities onto the books. “Legislation in the early 1990s created an investment fund for California state worker retiree health care, but lawmakers never put money in the fund.”
Remember the FBI agent who shot and killed a suspect connected with the Boston marathon bombing? Turns out he receives $50,000 a year in disability pay from the Oakland Police Department. And he’s been getting that since 2004, when he retired at age 31. “59% of Oakland Police Department retirees have received disability retirements.” (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
Why people are moving to Texas:
As a growing number of Americans choose to call Texas home, it is critical that policymakers not lose sight of the reasons why: low taxes, limited government, and personal responsibility. Liberty is popular. That’s a message that needs reinforcement, particularly at the local level where some of the macro level trends involving taxes, spending, and debt are moving in the wrong direction. We can keep Texas and our cities beacons of prosperity and flourishing — but to do that, we must understand the principles that got us here, and defend them in policy and the public square.
Some California cities have hidden taxes just to fund government worker pensions. (Hat tip: Pension Tsunami.)
Lawsuit over California teacher’s union seniority rules to go to trial.
Jerry Brown may let California commit more Kelo-like eminent domain abuses.
Sriracha followup: The Irwindale City Council voted Wednesday night to drop its declaration that the hot sauce plant was a public nuisance.
Just so I’m not accused of glossing over the occasional bit of bad Texas economic news, Motorola Mobility (which is owned by Google) is closing their Texas smartphone assembly plant. But I think this says more about Motorola Mobility’s viability in a smart phone market dominated by Apple and Samsung than about Texas’ economy…
Tags:Ameriflight, Budget, California, CalPERs, CalSTARS, Crime, Democrats, Economics, pension crisis, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Sriracha, Tesla Motors, Texas, unions
Posted in Budget, Crime, Democrats, Economics, Texas, unions, Welfare State | 1 Comment »
Monday, June 2nd, 2014
The witchhunt against UT regent Wallace Hall for uncovering cronyism and favoritism in UT admissions may be coming to an an end, thanks to Dan Patrick’s decisive win the Lt. Governor runoff. Patrick has constantly supported Hall in his investigative efforts and condemned the attempt to impeach him.
The effect of Patrick’s statement was immediate. The next day, a legislative committee that had met to draft articles of impeachment against Hall failed to do so. Several members of the committee were quoted saying that it would take a while. Others expressed hope that the Travis County District Attorney would, basically, take the case off their hands.
The piece goes on to note that it is unlikely for Texas House Speaker Joe Straus (who is up to his eyeballs in the scandal) to call a special session just to consider the impeachment of a regent who earns no salary. That would put off a House vote to send the formal charges of impeachment to the senate until next year, when then Lt. Governor Patrick, who controls the Senate agenda, would have numerous tools to delay or kill consideration of the impeachment charges.
In other Wallace Hall/UT Scandal news, the Dallas Morning News published an editorial by Joe Straus ally Charles Matthews in which he tut-tuts the scandal, saying “nothing to see here.”
Says Matthews: “A review has already been conducted by the UT system. After a nine-month inquiry, the report released to the public ‘did not uncover any evidence of a systematic, structured or centralized process of reviewing and admitting applicants recommended by influential individuals.'”
Translation: We’ve investigated ourselves and found ourselves innocent! At least in “the report released to the public,” which seems and awfully specific formulation. (And how about non-“systematic, structured or centralized” abuse?)
The biographical blurb on Matthews states that “Charles Matthews, a Dallas resident, is former vice president and general counsel of the Exxon Mobil Corp.” But the editorial fails to note that Matthews was the University system chancellor from 2005-2010 (i.e., at least some of the scandal presumably occurred on his watch), which would seem to be fairly important information for readers to judge his impartiality.
Also, Hall has threatened to sue one of his legislative critics for making false statements about him…
Tags:Charles Matthews, college, Crime, Dallas Morning News, Dan Patrick, education, Joe Straus, University of Texas, Wallace Hall
Posted in Austin, Crime, Texas | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, May 27th, 2014
Texans: Don’t forget to vote in the runoff today!
Now a LinkSwarm to follow the Memorial Day weekend.
Hillary 2008: “Forget a new campaign managers[sic], she needed a Feng Shui consultant—or an exorcist.”
How ObamaCare screws black doctors.
One of the first polls of doctor’s offices dealing with ObamaCare patients. Tidbits:
“We are going to have to hire additional staff just to manage the insurance verification process.”
“Identification of ACA plans has been an administrative nightmare.”
“Patients have been very confused about benefits and their portion of the cost. Once the patients find out their deductible, they’ve cancelled appointments and procedures.”
ObamaCare is also sowing union/management discord and threatening to cause strikes across the nation.
“Such dealings as I have had with the New York Times suggest to me very strongly that condescending is the house style.”
Nothing says “open-minded” quite like comparing NRA members to supporters of Hitler.
Liberal publications: The whitest guys in the room.
More examples of that voting fraud Democrats swear doesn’t exit. (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
South Carolina replaces Gender Studies with Constitutional Studies.
“Journalists feel particularly underpaid with regard to their self-assessed status.” You don’t say…
I’m sure an MSNBC host dismissing the Holocaust is precisely the image General Electric wants to convey to shareholders.
Terrorist associate given pass by Obama Administration.
The EUrocrats are visibly miffed that members of the peasantry still think they’re allowed to hold opinions contrary to their betters.
More on the victories of UKIP and other Euroskeptic parties: “Populism is a favourite Eurocrat word, meaning ‘when politicians do what their constituents want’ — or, as we call it in English, ‘democracy’.”
Why did John Kerry work so hard to save the life of an illegal alien cop killer?
Getting press accreditation in Fredonia the “People’s Republic of Donetsk.”
Speaking of Donetsk, Ukraine launched an airstrike to retake the airport there.
Another day, another 27 people killed by Jihad in Yemen.
In Thailand, a mountain of rice builds up, thanks to an ill-advised agricultural subsidy scheme.
Mexican drug cartel threatens U.S. law enforcement via billboard.
“Amazon vows 10,000 robots in warehouses by year’s end.” Robots don’t need ObamaCare, or a $15 an hour minimum wage… (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
You deserve a fake today.
All-female J-Pop group AKB48 attacked by a man with a folding saw. When oh when will Japan institute “common sense” saw control? (Hat tip: Dwight.)
Mark Steyn reviews Hotel Rwanda.
Dear NASA: they’re on to you!
Acid-dropping LARP-er guy puts on a clinic of what not to say in an interview when you’re facing felony charges.
Finally, two tweets on the VA hospital scandal:
Tags:Amazon, Border Controls, Hillary Clinton, Japan, Jihad, MSNBC, New York Times, NRA, ObamaCare, People’s Republic of Donetsk, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, Welfare State, Yemen
Posted in Border Control, Crime, Democrats, Elections, Foreign Policy, Jihad, Media Watch, ObamaCare, Welfare State | No Comments »
Thursday, May 15th, 2014
Today it was announced that the Humane Society of the United States and other “animal rights” groups had agreed to pay Feld Entertainment, the corporate entity that own Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus would pay $16 million to settle “a 14-year legal battle initiated over unproven allegations of mistreated elephants.”
That is in addition to a $9 million settlement paid by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Among things both groups did was pay money to the chief plaintiff, a former Ringling employee, who “gave conflicting answers and was repeatedly impeached on the witness stand.”
This is, in fact, good news.
“But wait!” you say. “Doesn’t the Humane Society rescue adorable puppies and kittens?”
Oh, that’s what they used to do, but not so much anymore. HSUSA is now run by militant left-wing vegetarian “animal rights” activists opposed to meat, industrial farming, and even people owning pets.
I haven’t heard that the ASPCA has gone full animal rights wackjob yet, but supporting the initial frivolous lawsuit certainly didn’t cover them in glory.
Tags:Humane Society, Lawsuit, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Posted in Crime, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Thursday, May 15th, 2014
Do you remember District 27 Democratic State Representative Ron Reynolds? I mentioned his indictment back in 2012 on barratry charges in 2012. (For those unfamiliar with the term, “barratry” essentials amounts to illegal ambulance chasing.) Evidently the 2012 charges were thrown out due to fallout from the comic book theft scandal.
However, Brittany Pounders at Liberty Juice brings us news that Reynolds was again indicted on barratry charges in 2013, this time in Montgomery County.
It seems he was a real go-getter in the barratry department:
Reynolds was not only smart enough to profit from the lawyer fees he generated as an ambulance chaser, he also had part ownership in the Greenspoint Health and Injury Clinic, the clinic where these “victims” were sent to be “evaluated” after an accident, giving him a double profit whammy. This practice puts the sleaze in lawyer.
It seems that the Montgomery County Police Reporter is the only news outlet covering the story, and they have significant details on how Reynolds’ boiler-room legal solicitation call operation worked.
“I am an appointment setter for 12 different law firms in Houston. Because the police report shows that you are in the right, at no charge to you, you are eligible to have a rental car while your car gets fixed and you are eligible to go to the doctor to get checked out. Additionally if you went to an emergency room, your bills will be paid and you can receive a personal injury check from $3000 to $6000. If you are interested all you have to do is set an appointment for one of the law firms to have a representative come out to your home to meet with you.”
Liberty Juice also notes Reynolds’ previous legal problems (twice sanction by the bar, several settled lawsuits) and that he has a Republican election opponent in David Hamilton.
Tags:Crime, Harris County, Montgomery County, Ron Reynolds, Texas
Posted in Crime, Democrats, Texas | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 13th, 2014
I’m on enough mailing lists that I get a lot of campaign/PAC/etc. solicitations. One of the ones I get pretty regularly in email are missives from “Patriots for Economic Freedom” seemingly soliciting for one or another notable conservative candidates.
Take, for example, this one for Ted Cruz. They’ve also done solicitations featuring Allen West and Mia Love, and I just got one this morning for Oklahoma Senate candidate T. W. Shannon.
Just one tiny little problem: Ted Cruz never authorized Patriots for Economic Freedom to solicit on his behalf.
Well, actually two problems: The money Patriots for Economic Freedom raises doesn’t seem to get to the candidates. Indeed, the lion’s share seems to go to consultants Tyler Whitney and Dan Backer.
That’s right: “Patriots for Economic Freedom” is a scam PAC, and has been pulling their scam since at least 2012.
I don’t know who exactly is selling Patriots for Economic Freedom their email list (though I’m looking in your direction, NRO and Breitbart), but they need to stop. Every dollar spent supporting a scam PAC is a dollar not spent actually supporting a conservative candidate.
And someone should consider suing Patriots for Economic Freedom for false advertising.
And if you want to donate to Allen West, Mia Love or T.W. Shannon, do it directly.
Tags:Crime, Dan Backer, Elections, fundraising, Lee Stranahan, Mia Love, Patriots for Economic Freedom, scam, T. W. Shannon, Ted Cruz, Tyler Whitney
Posted in Crime, Elections | 6 Comments »
Monday, May 12th, 2014
Health care costs up most since 1980. Thanks, ObamaCare!
And low wage workers are the ones hurt worst by the employer mandate.
Adventures in Liberal Racism:
The late Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.V., a former leader of the KKK, twice was elected the majority leader in the U.S. Senate and served a 6-year stint as, ironically, minority leader in between. Add Harry Reid, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and countless others to the list of elected Democrats who’ve said things just as racist as Sterling, yet faced no consequences.
To liberals, people are their skin color first, and that should dictate their thoughts and behavior. To stray from that is somehow a betrayal. It’s the basest form of racism, even if the victim and the perpetrator share the same melanin.
To progressives, you aren’t an individual, you’re your skin. Clarence Thomas isn’t a man, he’s a black man. He isn’t an American, he’s an African American. It’s the prefix, not the person, that matters. That, at its core, is racism.
(Hat tip: Instapundit.)
“There’s no getting around the fact that people who reject everything the West stands for are guaranteed to live in poverty with a boot on their neck.”
Democrats doing as bad as they were in 2010? Nope. Worse.
Even the Washington Post has Republican chances of retaking Senate up to 82%.
They also admit that Obama’s ratings are hitting new lows.
Mark Steyn slams #BringBackOurGirls: “The wretched pleading passivity of Mrs Obama’s hashtag is just a form of moral preening.”.
Democrats can’t find anyone to run as a Democratic against David Jolly in FL-13 race. And the “independent” they endorsed doesn’t live in the district…
In Illinois, little things like being a convicted felon won’t keep you from overseeing millions of “anti-violence” program dollars.
Alan Derschowitz gets it right: “I don’t think we want the thought police to be intruding on people’s private conversations.”
Is China’s military a paper dragon?
Missed this: Defeated Democratic congressman (and Stupak-bloc flip-flopper) James Oberstar dead.
“What is hereditary in the United States is not wealth but poverty.”
The Left’s focus on the status of wealthy and high-income Americans is precisely backward — backward if improving the lives and opportunities of those born into poverty is your goal. If your goal is to increase the income and power of the public sector for your own economic and political ends, then of course it makes more sense to focus on the rich: That’s where the money is, and the perverse reality of the Left is that it cannot fortify its own interests by improving the lives of the poor but can do so by pillaging the rich.”
GOP establishment leader Eric cantor booed in his own district.
Nothing says “liberal tolerance” quite like a UC Santa Barbara teacher threatening to send Ted Cruz supporters home in a body bag.
Russia passes a “bloggers law.”
2013 Walter Duranty awards for media liars were given out. Seymour Hirsch received a lifetime achievement award…
Egyptian Muslim group declares that democracy must be eliminated because ”it does not allow to save Muslims and theorizes the equality of Jews, Copts and Muslims and must therefore be condemned”.
Three girls fined $3,500 for wearing bikinis. In Italy. [Edited to add: Jihad Watch has updated the story as a hoax.]
Democratic trial lawyer and Wendy Davis backer Linda Blue Baron is leaving Texas. Tort reform just keeps paying dividends…
Jeeze, you commit one or two little axe murders, and suddenly you’re not dating material.
The novel is dead yet again. Or: Will Self implores those uncouth striplings to vacate his sward.
Crazy spider gymnast.
Tags:2014 Election, Alan Dershowitz, China, David Jolly, Democrats, Elections, Eric Cantor, Florida, Illinois, IRS, James Oberstar, liberal racism, Mark Steyn, Obama Scandals, ObamaCare, Robert Byrd, Ted Cruz, Texas
Posted in Crime, Democrats, Elections, Foreign Policy, Jihad, Media Watch, Obama Scandals, ObamaCare, Republicans, Texas | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 7th, 2014
The United States House of Representatives votes 231-187 to hold former IRS Lois Lerner in contempt over the IRS scandal. Six Democrats joined House Republicans in voting for the contempt charge. The House also voted to request that Eric Holder appoint a special prosecutor, with an additional twenty more Democrats voting in favor of that as well.
This vote follows on the heels of emails that revealed Lerner coordinating with Obama’s Department of Justice to harass conservative groups.
If Nixon’s IRS did what Obama’s IRS did to suppress the speech of his political opponents, is there any doubt those charges would receive their own line items in his articles of impeachment?
Tags:Crime, Democrats, IRS, Lois Lerner, Obama Scandals
Posted in Crime, Democrats, Obama Scandals | 1 Comment »
