Illegals Supposedly Helping Our Economy: Not!

Illegals Supposedly Helping Our Economy: Not! » Black & Right:
According to the White House…
"It is helpful to take a moment to reflect on the important contributions by the generations of immigrants who have helped us build our economy, and made America the economic engine of the world."

How do immigrants strengthen the U.S. economy?
By earning and sending their money back home.

Mexico received $21.59 billion in remittances from emigrants in 2013, a figure that was down 3.7 percent compared to 2012, the Bank of Mexico said.

Maybe “down” but still almost $22 billion that could have stayed here, and it appears the cost to US taxpayers exceeds what they send back home (and I only say “exceeds” because we don’t have accurate numbers as to how many people we’re talking about)."

History for February 8

History for February 8 - On-This-Day.com

Birth anniversary of Jules Verne, Father of Science Fiction (1828-1905).

Birth anniversary General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-91).

In 1587 Mary, Queen of Scots was executed at Fotheringhay, England.

Happy Birthday! Brooke Adams, John Grisham, Nick Nolte

1861 - A Cheyenne delegation and some Arapaho leaders accepted a new settlement (Treaty of Fort Wise) with the U.S. Federal government. The deal ceded most of their land but secured a 600-square mile reservation and annuity payments.
 

1896 - The Western Conference was formed by representatives of Midwestern universities. The group changed its name to the Big 10 Conference. 


1904 - The Russo-Japanese War began with Japan attacking Russian forces in Manchuria. 


1910 - William D. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America. 


1980 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced a plan to re-introduce draft registration. 

1993 - General Motors sued NBC, alleging that "Dateline NBC" had rigged two car-truck crashes to show that some GM pickups were prone to fires after certain types of crashes. The suit was settled the following day by NBC. 

$5 BILLION?!!!!!!!!!!!--------Billions Wasted on Unreliable Obamacare Exchanges

Billions Wasted on Unreliable Obamacare Exchanges:
"The federal taxpayers have spent over $5 billion to build Obamacare’s exchanges. 
Unfortunately for taxpayers, these investments have not delivered a good return and are ongoing.
Despite the muddled launch of many exchanges, the federal government is still doling out grant money, giving out over $200 million to nine states last month.
Fourteen states and the District of Columbia are running their own Obamacare exchanges and they all received federal grant money to help build them—a total of over $4 billion. California alone received $1 billion to set up its exchange.
Many state-based exchanges have struggled with similar website problems as the federal healthcare.gov site, and some are still barely operational despite being four months into the open enrollment period.
Consider Maryland and Oregon:
The Maryland exchange, called the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, has received $171 million in federal grant money but its exchange still isn’t functioning properly, causing enrollment difficulty and the site even listed an incorrect phone number to call for assistance"

NO mention, at all, this is the medical pot outlet for Muskegon..........Hydroponics business in Muskegon allegedly targeted by thieves

Hydroponics business in Muskegon allegedly targeted by thieves | MLive.com:

MUSKEGON, MI -- A hydroponics business in Muskegon was allegedly broken into over the weekend, police said.

Muskegon Police Department officials were notified to the alleged break-in at Big Blue Hydroponics, in the 500 block of Ottawa Street, around 12:34 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1. The business is equipped with an alarm system which had been activated, sending police officers to the scene.

California’s Two Droughts

California’s Two Droughts | National Review Online:
"Californians have not built a major reservoir since the New Melones Dam more than 30 years ago.
As the state subsequently added almost 20 million people, it assumed that it was exempt from creating any more “unnatural” Sierra lakes and canals to store precious water during California’s rarer wet and snow-filled years.

Then, short-sightedness soon became conceit. 
Green utopians went further and demanded that an ailing three-inch bait fish in the San Francisco delta receive more fresh oxygenated water.
In the last five years, they have successfully gone to court to force millions of acre-feet of contracted irrigation water to be diverted from farms to flow freely out to sea."

Congressman Tried to Shut Down a Tea Party Leader at Thursday’s Hearing — That’s When a GOP Rep. Showed He Wasn’t Having Any of It

Congressman Tried to Shut Down a Tea Party Leader at Thursday’s Hearing — That’s When a GOP Rep. Showed He Wasn’t Having Any of It | Video | TheBlaze.com
That’s when Jordan stepped in to make a simple but effective point.

“Ms. Engelbrecht,” Jordan said, “in the first 20 years of business, did OSHA ever visit your place of business?”
“No sir,” she responded.

“Never once?”

“No sir.”

“After you filed the [tax-exempt application for King Street Patriots], OSHA visited then, right?”

“Yes sir.”

“In the first 20 years of business did the [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] ever come to your business?” Jordan continued.

“No sir.”

“And they came a couple times once you filed your application?”

“Yes sir.”

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) pressed Tea Party group leader Catherine Engelbrecht during a hearing Thursday on Capitol Hill. (AP)

“And in your first 20 years of business, did the IRS ever audit you?”

“No sir.”

“But once you filed your application, they audited you?”

“Many times.”

“And in your first 20 years of business, did the FBI ever visit you?”

“No sir.”

“But once you filed your application, did they visit you?”

“Six times.”

Jordan made his final point: “Mr. Connolly wants us to believes that’s all a coincidence.”

Unamused with Jordan’s line of questioning, an agitated Connolly shot back, insisting that he’s merely looking for evidence of the scrutiny being politically motivated.

“You can believe it’s all a coincidence,” Jordan said. “I refuse to do so.”

“I believe in fact-based, empirical oversight,” Connolly responded. “And innuendo and drawing conclusions and paranoia do not substitute for fact-based, empirical oversight.”

Connolly concluded by muttering the word “McCarthyism”:

Humana Will Get $250-450 Million to Offset Expected Loses This Year. That's Just One Insurer.

Humana Will Get $250-450 Million to Offset Expected Loses This Year. That's Just One Insurer. | National Review Online:
"A few weeks ago, we were told not to listen to the hype about Obamacare’s troubles, because insurers believed it was all going to be okay. Better yet, even after a rocky start in 2014, it was going to be good for their businesses.
And indeed, it is likely that the reason they agreed to let the federal government tell them what they can sell or not and at what price is that they thought this was worth it in exchange for Obamacare’s forcing citizens to buy their products.
But what will this bargain take? 
One large health insurer, Humana, is going to need between $250 and $450 million payment (some or most​ of it could be coming from taxpayers) to compensate for their loses in 2014. "

Jails Enroll Inmates in Obamacare to Pass Hospital Costs to U.S

Jails Enroll Inmates in Obamacare to Pass Hospital Costs to U.S. - Bloomberg:
"Being arrested in Chicago for, say, drug possession or assault gets you sent to the Cook County Jail to be fingerprinted, photographed and X-rayed.
You’ll also get help applying for health insurance. 
 At least six states and counties from Maryland to Oregon’s Multnomah are getting inmates coverage under Obamacare and its expansion of Medicaid, the federal and state health-care program for the poor."

Dems gettin' a bit goosey......

https://my.democrats.org/Impeachment

Geezers take over ski resorts---Wednesday at A-Basin

Kind of amazing.
Maybe a bit depressing but ...
We healthy retireds are sitting up top Arapaho Basin at the Black Mountain Lodge with all the very friendly workers under 30 and hear three songs in a row on the lodge's music system: Bohemian Rhapsody (1975), Layla (1970) and Marrakesh Express (1969).
Our generation has spent this generation into soon-to-be bankruptcy while they wait on us with our geezer music playing in the background.
And still they smile.....and vote for Obama......

Honeybunch disappearing along a ridge at A-Basin. WINDY and COLD!

We stopped shivering for a moment:

This soldier makes me proud to be an American-----Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Silences Crowd After Laughter is Heard

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Silences Crowd After Laughter is Heard:

Think You’re Having a Bad Day? This Guy’s Rude Introduction to the Power of a Snow Plow is Worse

Think You’re Having a Bad Day? This Guy’s Rude Introduction to the Power of a Snow Plow is Worse | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"In movies, it’s what happens right as a person thinks “could this day get any worse?” and then a passing truck sloshes dirty street water at them as they’re walking down the sidewalk.

This video is the winter version of that bad day — only perhaps worse."

An Inconveint Truth-Court Orders Utility To Address Wind Turbine Noise Problems

Court Orders Utility To Address Wind Turbine Noise Problems [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:

""There are only two ways to reduce the noise level," Martis said.

"One would be to increase the distance between the turbines and the homes, and it is too late for that.

The other is to reduce the decibel level, which would significantly increase the operating costs of the plant."

 Lake Winds is a 56-turbine facility located south of Ludington in Mason County.

It was the utility company's first wind plant project in Michigan. Residents who live near the $250 million plant began complaining of health problems shortly after the turbines began operating.

They filed a lawsuit on April 1 arguing that noise, vibrations and flickering lights emanating from the wind plant were adversely affecting their health. 

Among the symptoms noted in the lawsuit were dizziness, sleeplessness and headaches."

National insanity!.... or Media Lies?--------------CNN Poll: Pathway to citizenship trumps border security

CNN Poll: Pathway to citizenship trumps border security – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs: "Washington (CNN) - Americans overwhelmingly favor a bill that would give most undocumented immigrants a pathway towards citizenship, according to a new national poll.

 And a CNN/ORC International survey also indicates that a majority of the public says that the government's main focus should be legalizing the status of the undocumented rather than border security."

Obama's america-FBI Agents revolt against Eric Holder

FBI Agents revolt against Eric Holder | Power Line

FBI AGENTS REVOLT AGAINST ERIC HOLDER

First it was the Justice Department’s career prosecutors; now it’s FBI agents. The federal employees responsible for fighting crime are simply unable to digest the anti-law enforcement slop being served up by their boss, Attorney General Holder.

The FBI’s beef is with the selection of Debo Adegbile as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. The FBI Agents Association’s opposition is based on the way in which Adegbile defended, and led the cheers for, cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal.

The problem isn’t that Adegbile defended Abu-Jamal. 
The problem, as Bill Otis explains, is that Adegbile led a street campaign to denounce the policeman Abu-Jamal killed, Officer Daniel Faulkner, and the police in general, as an occupying fascist army.

Who-d a-thunk it? Government involvement in sports stadiums and the Olympics are financial boondoggles?

Who-d a-thunk it? Government involvement in sports stadiums and the Olympics are financial boondoggles? | AEIdeas:
"Carpe Diem
Who-d a-thunk it? Government involvement in sports stadiums and the Olympics are financial boondoggles?
Mark J. Perry | February 6, 2014, 3:58 pm
From James Surowiecki’s article in The New Yorker “The Sochi Effect“:

Whatever happens on the ice and snow of Sochi in the next couple of weeks, one thing is certain:
this Winter Olympics is the greatest financial boondoggle in the history of the Games.
Back in 2007, Vladimir Putin said that Russia would spend $12 billion on the Games. 
The actual amount is more than $50 billion. (By comparison, Vancouver’s Games, in 2010, cost $7 billion.)

As Josh Barro points out in a Tweet, $50 billion is 2.5% of Russia’s GDP, and the equivalent of the US spending $400 billion on the Olympics (that’s also equivalent to the annual Gross State Product of Massachusetts).
HT: Greg Allar"

Frustrating Medicare catch: Who's an in-patient at the hospital and who's under observation?

Frustrating Medicare catch: Who's an in-patient at the hospital and who's under observation? | Fox News:
"But when she was 95, Felton fell late one night at home and was taken by ambulance to the emergency room, where doctors found she'd broken her pelvis in three places.

Brier said the doctors told her that after leaving the hospital, her mother "would have to go to rehab and learn to walk again and learn to function again."

But Brier and her sisters were told that would mean a skilled nursing facility, which is expensive. But, if she "stayed three full nights, we were told that was the criteria for having Medicare pay for the rehab," Brier said.

There's a nasty catch, however-- many people in the hospital are not officially considered "in-patients" but rather "under observation" although the difference is not obvious.

Says Toby Edelman of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, “Once they are in the hospital and in a bed for several days, getting care and treatment and medicine and food, (a) wristband, they think they're in-patients.  People have no idea that they're out-patients.""

History for February 7

History for February 7 - On-This-Day.com:

50 years ago, The Beatles landed at JFK Airport, New York City, from London, to tremendous crowds and press attention.

Reporter: "Aren't you afraid of what the American Barbers Association is going to think of you?"

Ringo: "Well, we run quicker than the English ones, [so] we'll have a go here, you know."

Birth anniversary of author, journalist, orator, publisher Charles Dickens (1812-70).

Birth anniversaries of  Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951), Sir Thomas More (1478-1535)

Happy Birthday! Garth Brooks, Gay Talese

1795 - The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. 


1882 - The last bareknuckle fight for the heavyweight boxing championship took place in Mississippi City. 


1893 - Elisha Gray patented a machine called the telautograph. It automatically signed autographs to documents. 


1922 - DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace offered 5,000 copies of "Reader's Digest" magazine for the first time. 


1944 - During World War II, the Germans launched a counteroffensive at Anzio, Italy. 


1986 - Haitian President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier fled his country ending 28 years of family rule. 


1991 - The Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide was sworn in as Haiti's first democratically elected president. 

Transparency Website Shows True Cost of Unionized Government in California

Transparency Website Shows True Cost of Unionized Government in California | Union Watch:
"The real shockers, however, are in the individual examples.
On the Transparent California website, click on “All Pensions – 2012” and view the results.
Three retired public servants collected pensions of over $500,000! 
Try your hand at Excel – click on “Download all Pension data for 2012” and sort by amount.
The $200,000 pension club now has a respectable showing at 582 members.
And the much vaunted $100,000 “pension club” now has 31,527 members. 
But why stop there?

The maximum Social Security benefit is currently a whopping $31,704 per year.
For that you have to work until you’re 67 years old, and contribute 12.4% of your total compensation – presumably for over 40 years.
How many retired state and local government workers – that we know of – collect twice that much? Transparent California’s data shows 140,461 retirees collecting $63,408 or more in pensions during 2012. 
Since the “average service life” of a government pensioner is 20 years, very few worked 40 years before retiring."

Oh yeah! This is gonna be GREAT for Detroit!----------Nation of Islam convention to bring 30,000 visitors to Detroit

Nation of Islam convention to bring 30,000 visitors to Detroit | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:

"The Nation of Islam will return to its roots when it holds its annual convention in Detroit later this month, a gathering that’s expected to draw up to 30,000 visitors to Detroit over four days.

 One of the oldest Muslim and black nationalist organizations in the U.S., the Nation of Islam usually holds its annual gathering in Chicago, where the group is based.

But it will be held in Detroit this year for the first time since 2007, when about 50,000 packed Ford Field to hear its leader, Minister Louis Farrakhan, speak.

Farrakhan will speak on Feb. 23 at Joe Louis Arena on the last day of the convention.

 Called Saviours’ Day, the event celebrates the birthday of Wallace Fard Muhammad, who founded the Nation of Islam in Detroit in 1930.

The Nation of Islam’s first temple still exists in Detroit, where its message of black empowerment resonates in the largest black-majority city in the U.S."

A better map would compare debt/capita with states/countries------US States Renamed For Countries With Similar GDPs

131 – US States Renamed For Countries With Similar GDPs | Strange Maps:

"Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a convenient way of measuring and comparing the size of national economies. Annual GDP represents the market value of all goods and services produced within a country in a year. Put differently:

GDP = consumption + investment + government spending + (exports – imports)"

Elitist lipstick on the CBO pig

Blog: Elitist lipstick on the CBO pig:
"The congressional number-crunchers, perhaps the capital's closest thing to a neutral referee, came out with a new report Tuesday, and it wasn't pretty for Obamacare.
The CBO predicted the law would have a "substantially larger" impact on the labor market than it had previously expected: 
The law would reduce the workforce in 2021 by the equivalent of 2.3 million full-time workers, well more than the 800,000 originally anticipated.
This will inevitably be a drag on economic growth, as more people decide government handouts are more attractive than working more and paying higher taxes."