Permanent TARP?; Fiscal Armageddon; Gays weakened Dutch Army

1) Nasty Attacks On Tea Party Movement The curtain is being lifted and the truth about the liberal movement in the United States is being exposed. Earlier this week anti-war protesters interrupted a speech from Karl Rove. One protestor even attempted to handcuff Rove in order to make a citizen’s arrest. Harry Reid supporters threw eggs at Andrew Breitbart at a Tea Party rally and threatened to take him to jail. Yesterday, Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) compared the Tea Party movement to segregation. “The group in Washington fighting against the health bill and fighting against the president looked just like and sounded just like those groups that attacked the Civil Rights movement in the South,” said Rangel. Yet, despite all the threats, the egg-throwing and disruptive behavior that has come from the left, Democrats in Congress think it's the Tea Party Movement that is out of control! See: http://www.hannity.com/show/2010/04/02 2) What is in Senator Dodd’s Latest TARP Bill? …Among the key provisions of Dodd’s plan: 1. A new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to be located within the Federal Reserve Board bureaucracy. While not technically independent, the new agency would be largely autonomous, virtually guaranteeing conflict with other regulators focused on the safety and soundness of financial markets. Moreover, the new agency would do little to actually help consumers, instead limiting their options and increasing their costs. 2. A new $50 billion fund that is to be used in “emergencies” to settle the affairs of failing financial institutions. This fund is virtually certain to be used for bailing out politically significant financial institutions, and is nothing less than a permanent TARP program. And, although Dodd argues that this fund will be financed by fees on financial firms, not taxpayers, the real cost will doubtless be passed on to American consumers. 3. The bill would establish a powerful Financial Stability Oversight Council. It would be made up of nine existing agencies, with almost unlimited regulatory powers over firms considered "systemically important." Not only is such open-ended power dangerous, it also institutionalizes the notion of “too big to fail.” By designing certain firms as systemically important, regulators in effect would be telling investors that the government would not allow them to go under. In effect, these firms would enjoy an implicit federal guarantee, protected from the full consequences of risk-taking. See: http://www.askheritage.org/Answer.aspx?ID=871 2a) Republicans dispute course of financial overhaul WASHINGTON – End the public lifeline for large financial institutions, Republicans are demanding as they push back against Democratic efforts to set new rules for the financial industry. The GOP is trying to fight many of the changes that President Barack Obama and majority Democrats want. Legislation would give the government authority to split up big financial companies and force the industry to pay for its most massive failures. Republicans have offered alternative legislation that calls for new bankruptcy proceedings to dismantle failing institutions. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, said that creating more federal agencies and putting taxpayers on the hook for more bailouts will not help revive the economy. "It will only compound the pain for struggling small businesses and for families who played by the rules, lived within their means and acted responsibly," McCarthy said in the Republicans' weekly radio and Internet address Saturday. The House passed a regulatory overhaul in December. The Senate has yet to vote on a similar measure. …Obama used a recent Saturday address to urge Congress to act, saying it's necessary to prevent firms from again taking on the kind of risks that led to the nation's recent economic woes. But McCarthy attempted to frame the effort as one that would lead to more federal spending while the deficit is soaring. "We have run out of money," he said. "And yet this administration and congressional Democrats want to spend even more." See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100403/ap_on_bi_ge/us_republicans_financial_overhaul 3) Fairness is in the Eye of the Beholder Vice President Biden In a recent interview with Yahoo Finance, Vice President Joe Biden said the following: “the top 1 percent of earners get 22 percent of all income made in the U.S. Taxes have been lowered for the wealthy considerably over the years. It’s about time we get a little tax equity here.” Putting aside the fact that the Vice President thinks top-earners “get” their income instead of earning it through hard work, innovation and business acumen, he is right that the top one percent of taxpayers earn 22 percent of all income. But what he fails to mention is that they also pay more than 40 percent of all income taxes. By most people’s standards that is more than enough “equity”. In fact, the top one percent of taxpayers pay more taxes than the bottom 95 percent of taxpayers combined. And the bottom 50 percent of taxpayers pay less than 3 percent of all taxes. If current trends continue, the bottom 50 percent will soon pay no income taxes at all. This is a dangerous situation because that means a majority of taxpayers, and therefore voters, will be able to vote themselves a larger and larger share of government benefits at no cost to themselves. All government spending will be financed entirely by a shrinking minority of taxpayers. Politicians will have no incentive to say no to more government spending since there are more votes to be won from increasing spending (emphasis mine). According to Vice President Biden’s conception of fairness this isn’t a bad thing. In fact, he thinks top-earners should pay more and lower-earning taxpayers should pay less. But if he gets his way, we will quickly pass the threshold where more than half of all taxpayers pay no income taxes. If that were to occur, never-ending increases in government spending would be the result. And more and more taxpayers that pay nothing will inevitably lead to fiscal implosion when there are no longer enough productive taxpayers to fund all the government spending. Fairness is ultimately in the eye of the beholder, but consider the share of taxes the top one percent would pay under a more proportional tax system than our current highly progressive tax code. Under a flat tax, for example, if they earned 22 percent of all the income, they would pay 22 percent of all taxes. That seems more equitable than the system Vice President Biden desires that would only lead us into fiscal Armageddon. See: http://blog.heritage.org/2010/04/01/fairness-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder-vice-president-biden 4) Perhaps a way out of the healthcare monstrosity…Which religious groups are exempt? A foundation of the health care overhaul bill is that, starting in 2014, everyone must purchase health insurance or pay a fine. As noted previously , religious groups are among a few exceptions to this rule. But most religious people do not fall under the exemption category. The ones who do must be members of an "exempt religious sect or division." Those belonging to Old Order Amish and Mennonite communities qualify since their religious beliefs reject assistance from the government and other outsiders. When members of these insular communities need medical attention, neighbors and friends take up church collections to pay the doctors' fees. Organized groups called "health care sharing ministries" are also exempt from purchasing health insurance. These groups are defined, by the language of the bill, as nonprofit organizations whose "members share a common set of ethical or religious beliefs and medical expenses among members in accordance with those beliefs." Like the Amish, members of these ministries believe that the teachings of Christ dictate a philosophy of giving and sharing rather than taking, in this case from the third-party insurance providers. Individuals can opt into a cost-sharing program where regular contributions are distributed to other members in the network to pay for various healthcare services. Medi-Share, Christian Healthcare Ministries, and Samaritan Ministries International are three such networks. The only requirement for joining, aside from paying your share, is that you practice a lifestyle in strict adherence to Christian philosophy. See: http://www.congress.org/news/2010/03/24/which_religious_groups_are_exempt 5) Retired General: Gays Weakened Dutch Army WASHINGTON (AP) - A retired U.S. general says Dutch troops failed to defend against the 1995 genocide in the Bosnian war because the army was weakened, partly because it included openly gay soldiers. The comment by John Sheehan, a former NATO commander who retired from the military 1997, shocked some at a Senate Armed Services Committee, where Sheehan spoke in opposition to a proposal to allow gays to serve openly in the U.S. military. Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin told Sheehan he was "totally off-target." …Dutch troops serving as U.N. peacekeepers and tasked with defending the town of Srebrenica in 1995 were an example of a force that became ill-equipped for war. "The battalion was understrength, poorly led, and the Serbs came into town, handcuffed the soldiers to the telephone poles, marched the Muslims off, and executed them," Sheehan said. "That was the largest massacre in Europe since World War II," he said of the killing of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim boys and men after Serbian forces captured the town. Levin, D-Mich., appeared incredulous. "Did the Dutch leaders tell you it (the fall of Srebrenica) was because there were gay soldiers there?" he asked. "Yes," Sheehan said. "They included that as part of the problem." He said the former chief of staff of the Dutch army had told him. Levin said it may be the case that some militaries have focused on peacekeeping to the detriment of their war-fighting skills. See: http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/john.sheehan.gays.2.1573566.html 6) Volunteer force of Mexico border watchers disbands The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, which posted hundreds of civilian volunteers along the U.S.-Mexico border over the past five years, has disbanded, citing what it called "rising aggression" in the country and decisions by lawmakers in Washington who have "pushed amnesty down our throats." …Ms. Mercer, a Tombstone, Ariz., restaurant owner, said that although MCDC was dissolving, the organization's chapters and various offshoot groups would continue to organize border watches. She blamed Republican lawmakers such as Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina for offering to work with Mr. Obama on immigration policy and weakening border controls. Messages left Monday seeking comment from the offices of Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham were not returned. See: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/30/volunteer-force-of-mexico-border-watchers-disbands 7) Google wants law to reflect 'cloud computing' environment Google is a leading member of Digital Due Process, a coalition of tech companies and privacy advocates pushing for updates to digital communication laws. They want to update the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which governs how law enforcement can access electronic data. In a blog post today, Google spelled out the ideas behind the recommendations. It boils down to the government needing to get a search warrant before obtaining any private communications or documents stored online. The government should also demonstrate to a court that the data it wants to access is relevant and material to a criminal investigation before monitoring digital communication records. including email, instant messaging and text messaging. See: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/89863-google-wants-law-to-reflect-cloud-computing-environment 8) Barbara Hollingsworth: Time for the truth about Gardasil Cervical cancer accounts for less than 1 percent of all cancer deaths, so it was somewhat surprising when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fast-tracked approval of Gardasil, a Merck vaccine targeting the human papilloma virus that causes the disease, in 2006. As of Jan. 31, 2010, 49 unexplained deaths following Gardasil injections have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (http://vaers.hhs.gov/index). By contrast, 52 deaths are attributed to unintended acceleration in Toyotas, which triggered a $2 billion recall. No recall for Gardasil, which is required for sixth-grade girls in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and many other states. Parents can opt out, but few know the true risks. That was the certainly the case for Mary Davison of Frederick, Md., whose three daughters had the second of a three-shot vaccination regimen in January 2008. Her two younger girls had no reactions, but 20-year-old Mary Katherine felt sick and dizzy. A subsequent magnetic resonance imaging scan showed that the Hood College student had a major stroke, and she spent almost two months in rehab before she could walk again. However, it wasn't until the family's primary care physician refused to schedule Mary Katherine's third injection that her mom "finally put two and two together," she told the Washington Examiner. See: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Time-for-the-truth-about-Gardasil-89466882.html 9) Earth will reel (Isaiah 24:20)…Magnitude-7.2 quake strikes Baja California LOS ANGELES – Damage reports from the U.S.-Mexico border region are growing after a magnitude-7.2 earthquake in Baja California that was felt from Tijuana and Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Phoenix. The quake struck south of Mexicali, Mexico, at 3:40 p.m. Sunday, but damage also was being reported north of the border. Calexico Fire Chief Peter Mercado tells KABC-TV in Los Angeles that there is substantial damage in the older section of the southeastern California city. Mercado says there is structural damage and broken windows, leaking gas lines and damage to the water system. But he says no injuries have been reported. Across the border, a parking structure at the Mexicali city hall has collapsed. Mexicali is a bustling commerce center where trucks carrying goods cross into California. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100405/ap_on_re_us/us_baja_earthquake