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One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics
is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. -- Plato
(429-347 BC)
Friday, November 17, 2017
Speaker Ryan, House GOP Reach Important Milestone on Taxes
by Newt Gingrich: Speaker Ryan and House Republicans deserve real acclaim for passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act this week.
After enduring a painful first half of 2017, consumed primarily with the seemingly endless Obamacare repeal and replace debate, Speaker Ryan announced in July that he was ready to focus his efforts on passing tax cuts – a wise decision that provided Republican members with more time to come up with solutions for Obama’s problem-ridden healthcare legislation.
However, Speaker Ryan also recognized that after nearly six months of bickering amongst themselves, Republicans were stifling their own progress (much to the delight of the news media and the Left) and that he could unify GOP members in the House, Senate, and White House by focusing the Republican legislative agenda on an area where they were likely to find common ground: tax cuts and job creation.
Many in the media, and even some in his own party, criticized Ryan for his decision. However, two months later, he – along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Trump – announced the Republican tax framework that became the foundation for both the House and Senate versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
This immediately showed the nation that Republicans were on the same page and were determined to work together to bring much-needed tax relief to hardworking Americans. The Left and the media became unable to ignore the fact that Republicans at every level of government were working and progressing toward making a tax cut overhaul a reality.
Now, two months after the tax framework was announced, the House of Representatives has passed legislation that will grow our economy, cut taxes for most Americans, and help make the United States more competitive on the world stage.
Ryan and other Republican leaders were able to accomplish this feat in roughly four months – which is incredibly fast for drafting and passing legislation in the House. In 1981, President Reagan submitted his tax cut proposal to Congress in February, and it was signed into law six months later. If the Senate moves quickly, they may meet or beat Reagan’s record.
However, there is still much more work that needs to be done.
If Republicans are to meet President Trump’s goal of passing tax cuts by Christmas, the GOP senators must work diligently to pass their version of the bill, and then both chambers will need to come together and work out the terms of the final legislation.
It is tremendously important that Republicans stay focused on the common ground in both of these bills and not get mired in or distracted by arguments over niche policy.
The news media will be desperately trying to magnify every minor disagreement between Republican members over the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in an effort to deter GOP legislators from enacting real, positive change for the American people. I am certain that across the nation, editors and reporters are already conceptualizing the “GOP at odds over taxes” storyline. No doubt, they have their preferred Democrats on speed dial ready to bolster their stories.
Republican members can successfully defeat the elite media’s attempts to overshadow the positive strides that GOP legislators are making toward economic reform, but to do so, they must all remain united, resolute, and focused on their efforts to pass tax cuts by Christmas.
This week, Speaker Ryan and House Republicans took a vital step toward that goal, but there is still a long race ahead – one that Republicans must win.
---------------------- Newt Gingrich is a former Georgia Congressman and Speaker of the U.S. House. He co-authored and was the chief architect of the "Contract with America" and a major leader in the Republican victory in the 1994 congressional elections. He is noted speaker and writer. The above commentary was shared via Gingrich Productions. Tags:Newt Gingrich, commentary, Speaker Ryan, House GOP, Important Milestone, Taxes To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
Do Socialism and Communism Create Opportunistic Tyrants Like Stalin?
by Chelsea Follett: The admiration of your fellow college students for communist leaders is slightly down from last year, according to the annual report on U.S. attitudes toward socialism, which was released by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Joseph Stalin saw the greatest fall in popularity, from 12 percent of millennials reporting a favorable impression of him down to 6 percent. However, a horrifying 23 percent of Americans between ages 21 and 29 believe that Stalin was a “hero.” Also, 32 percent of millennials hold a favorable view of Karl Marx, slightly down from 34 percent last year.
This drop in popularity is comforting, but only slightly. Chances are you have friends who still idealize socialism, communism, and the men who enforced these ideologies with an iron hand. But what they probably don’t realize is the awful truth about these utopian visions of a better world. Let’s quickly walk through some of the history they ought to consider.
Sitting in the reading room of the British Museum, Marx theorized that society was a struggle between wage laborers and the owners of the means of production, and that the latter were “class enemies.” He feared that factory owners were exploiting factory workers, farm owners were exploiting day laborers, and so on. Many university students today share his fear of exploitation, rail against “the one percent” and the “privileged,” and desire a class-free society.
“I wonder what Karl Marx would have made of [the factory workers I met],” said Leslie T. Chang in her TED talk, The Voices of China’s Workers. She continued: “His view of the world persists, [as does] our tendency to see the workers as faceless masses, to imagine that we can know what they’re really thinking. … Certainly, the factory conditions are really tough, and it’s nothing you or I would want to do, but from their perspective, where they’re coming from is much worse.”
Chang notes that since China’s economic liberalization, factory work has allowed hundreds of millions of Chinese workers to escape rural poverty to become middle class, and that most factory workers go on to start their own small businesses. They work in factories willingly because the alternative is grinding rural poverty.
Marx and his followers, sadly, did not realize that capitalism-driven industrialization ultimately creates widespread prosperity, and they ended up hurting the very workers they aimed to help. Thanks in part to the factories that Marx detested, the United Kingdom’s average income was three times higher when he died than when he was born.
After communists seized power in Russia a century ago, in the name of equality, anyone who was too well-off had to be identified and punished. Those with specialized knowledge, such as engineers, or those who had “non-labor income” were suspect.
In the Russian countryside, any farmer who produced enough food to sell as surplus, as opposed to any farmer who produced only enough for his family, was labeled a “kulak”—a class enemy, engaged in the alleged crime of enrichment through trade. Any farmer who hired help, who owned a creamery or other machine, or who rented out agricultural equipment, was also labeled a “kulak.” The kulaks’ poorer neighbors were encouraged to take away their homes and steel their possessions.
Comforting his wife, who was troubled that her acquaintance Marusia’s family had been imprisoned as kulaks, a devout communist said the following: “You see, they can’t make a revolution with white gloves. Annihilating the kulaks is a bloody and difficult process, but it has to be done. Marusia’s tragedy isn’t as simple as it seems to you. What was her husband sent to the camps for? It is hard to believe that he wasn’t guilty of anything at all. You don’t end up in the camps for nothing.”The man quoted above was eventually arrested and shot. No specific charges were ever given. His wife was sent to the labor camps shortly thereafter.
That anecdote is representative of the madness of that era. Millions of “class enemies,” political dissenters, and other unfortunate victims were sent to work in the Gulag, the forced-labor-camp system created under Lenin and greatly expanded under Stalin. Anyone who tried to escape was summarily executed. Those close to Stalin were not exempt, and more than a third of leading camp executioners ended up as prisoners in the camps themselves.
In some camps, prisoners mined radioactive material without adequate protection and died of radiation poisoning. In others, frostbitten prisoners chopped timber and dragged the logs back to camp barefoot in the winter. In others still, prisoners labored to produce food on collective farms while they themselves were allowed only meager rations. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “It is estimated that the combination of very long working hours, harsh climatic and other working conditions, inadequate food, and summary executions killed off at least 10 percent of the Gulag’s total prisoner population each year.”
The slave labor of the camps helped sustain the ruling class of the allegedly classless Soviet regime as the economy collapsed. Agricultural productivity plummeted following the removal of the kulaks and the collectivization of the farms. As millions starved to death, some resorting to cannibalism to survive, Stalin forbade use of the words famine, hunger, or starvation. Even doctors dared not diagnose a starving patient’s condition accurately. Stalin blamed the clear failures of his centrally planned system on deliberate sabotage and undermining of the economy by disloyal elements. He claimed that hidden enemies were everywhere and used that as an excuse to send more and more people to death and to the labor camps.
In sum, to bring about equality, the communist system imprisoned or killed those who had attained expertise and achieved success—whether in farming or in a technical occupation such as engineering. They initially redistributed wealth, but many of the peasants who at first benefited from robbing the kulaks ended up starving to death. By imprisoning or murdering many of the most productive people, while simultaneously eliminating market incentives for productivity by collectivizing industries and banning competition, communists brought about far deeper and more widespread poverty than under capitalism. (Capitalism, in fact, has helped bring world poverty to an all-time low.)
Research suggests that the number of unnatural deaths wrought by communism may be upward of eighty million—a number so high that the violence of Tsarist Russia, the Spanish Inquisition, and “Bloody” Mary’s English counterreformation pale in comparison. Today, seven out of ten Americans underestimate the number of lives that communism extinguished. Perhaps that explains part of communism’s continued appeal. But if your friends could travel back in time to the Stalin era, they would see that literal class warfare benefits no one except opportunistic tyrants like Stalin.
And they would see that he was no hero.
-------------- Chelsea Follett (@chellivia)is the managing editor of HumanProgress.org, a project of the Cato Institute. The Intercollegiate Review (IR) is published by Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) and is dedicated to advancing the principles that make America free, virtuous, and prosperous. ISI shared this article with the editor of ARRA News Service. Tags:Socialism, Communism, Create, Opportunistic Tyrants, Like Stalin, Chelsea Follett, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, ISITo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
Restoring, Reinforcing and Remembering the Alamo Is My Mission
by George P. Bush, Texas Land Commissioner: As a native Texan, as a veteran, and as Texas Land Commissioner, it is my solemn duty and my great honor to be the caretaker of the Alamo. Who we are as Texans started there and who we can be as Texans and Americans still lives there.
You may have heard or read stories about the Alamo recently. Let’s set the record straight about what we are and are not doing.
We are not changing the Alamo’s name or story. We are seeking new ways to tell that story, and tell it to rising generations, to keep Texas values alive.
We are preserving and protecting the Alamo and the story of the battle. It was the 13 days of siege and battle in 1836 that made this mission sacred, and it’s that same battle that gives us our sacred mission today. Simply put, we want to tell the story of the battle of the Alamo, proudly, purposefully and better than we ever have before.
The beautiful Alamo Church is one of only two buildings that remain from the battle in 1836. At that time there were great walls of stone that made a frontier fortress. There were acequias to bring in water. There were lodgings for soldiers, and a headquarters where Col. Travis wrote his famous letter calling for reinforcements. There was a great gate to the south. But just two structures, the Church and the Long Barrack, are all that’s left. All the rest has been lost to history, lost to the growth of San Antonio, or just lost.
Today these priceless buildings are crumbling before our very eyes. The Alamo must be preserved so future generations can learn its story as we have. We will preserve it.
That’s what we are doing at the Land Office, in San Antonio and with people of good will across our great state and country. Despite what you may have heard, we are working tirelessly to ensure these sacred 300-year-old artifacts stand for at least another 300 years. This shrine will continue to be a place where 1836 lives and breathes every single day. It will always be called the Alamo, as it has been since 1803.
No, the United Nations will never have any say in what we do or say at the Alamo. Ever. In addition to reinforcing the Alamo, we must recapture its battlefield.
What does that mean, to “recapture the battlefield”? Well, under the streets in front of the Church and Alamo Plaza is the Alamo battlefield. You may not have known it, but that is sacred ground. It doesn’t look very sacred today.
Cars and buses and vending carts drive and stand where the Defenders fought and died. In fact, the large trucks and buses driving past day in and day out vibrate the ground, rattling the Alamo and accelerating its deterioration.
Don’t we owe the Defenders more than this?
Since I came into office in 2015, I have made protecting the Alamo and its story my top priority. The Alamo is the most sacred place and artifact in Texas. In order to protect it, we must recapture the battlefield from under the streets and keep the damaging traffic away from it. We must also reinforce the Alamo itself. Reinforce its aging, 300-year-old structures through preservation. Reinforce its story through our improved battlefield tours, our improved living history program, through exhibits such as Bowie: Man – Knife – Legend, and simply by honoring it.
The master plan that you have probably heard much about recently focuses on three main goals: preserve the Alamo, close the street to restore reverence, and build the world’s largest museum dedicated to the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution. That’s what we are doing.
David Crockett gave his life at the Alamo. He once said a simple thing that revealed much about his character. Crockett said, “Let your tongue speak what your heart thinks.” My heart thinks there is no greater symbol of Texas than the Alamo. The Alamo defines Texas. There is no greater honor than to reinforce this place and tell its story. Its story is the story of Texas. There is one name above others that echoes around the world, speaking courage and liberty to all who hear it – and that name is the Alamo.
You may find more facts about the Alamo’s future at this page on the Alamo’s website, and at SavetheAlamo.com.
--------------- Articles shared by PJMedia. Tags:George P. Bush, Land Commissioner, Texas, Restoring, the AlamoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
First The House Of Representatives, Then The Senate Finance Committee Passed Sweeping Tax Reform legislation
House Passage A ‘Key Milestone,’ ‘Significant Leap Forward’ In Republicans ‘Quest To Cut Taxes For Businesses And Individuals’
SPEAKER RYAN: “We need to restore growth. We need to restore opportunity. We need to restore this beautiful thing we affectionately call the American Idea. Passing this bill is the single biggest thing we can do to grow the economy, to restore opportunity, and to help middle-income families that are struggling. … That’s what this is. This is one of the most historic and the biggest things that we will ever do. And the reason is because this is one of the biggest things we can do to improve people's lives, to revitalize that beautiful, American idea, to spread liberty and freedom. This is something that's going to refresh our confidence in ourselves, in our confidence in each other.” (Speaker Ryan, Remarks, 11/16/2017)
“The House of Representatives passed a bill that would usher in the most far-reaching overhaul of the U.S. tax system in 31 years, a plan that would reduce the corporate tax rate to its lowest point since 1939 and cut individual taxes for most households in 2018.”(“House Passes GOP Bill To Overhaul Tax System,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/16/2017)
· “With 227 Republican votes, the House passed the most sweeping tax overhaul in three decades on Thursday, taking a significant leap forward as lawmakers seek to enact $1.5 trillion in tax cuts for businesses and individuals and deliver the first major legislative achievement of President Trump’s tenure.” (“House Passes Tax Bill, As Does Senate Panel,” The New York Times, 11/16/2017)
‘Hours After The House Republicans Passed A Tax Bill Thursday, The Senate Finance Committee Approved Their Tax Bill’
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT): “After months of hard work and nearly a week of robust deliberation on the merits of this legislation, the Senate Finance Committee acted tonight to advance the most comprehensive tax reform bill in a generation. This is a historic moment and one we should all be proud of.” (Sen. Hatch, Press Release, 11/16/2017)
“The focus now shifts to the Senate, where Republicans are quickly moving ahead with their own tax overhaul… After four days of debate, members of the Senate Finance Committee voted 14 to 12 along party lines to approve their version of the tax package late Thursday night. The approval helps clear the way for the full Senate to consider the bill after Thanksgiving…” (“House Passes Tax Bill, As Does Senate Panel,” The New York Times, 11/16/2017)
Researchers say the baby was lethargic; suffered a seizure; became unresponsive; and experienced fluctuations in heart rate.
Although doctors worked hard to save the child’s life, he ultimately passed away. An autopsy revealed the child appeared to be healthy, but had high levels of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his system.
Some say this is the first time someone has died from a marijuana overdose. However, the truth is many people have been harmed or killed by marijuana use. For example:
August, 2017: A baby in Wisconsin was hospitalized after eating part of a marijuana-infused cookie that allegedly belonged to the child’s babysitter.
August, 2017: A 10-month-old baby in Pennsylvania was hospitalized after eating a gummy bear laced with THC–the active ingredient in marijuana.
August, 2017: Four people were injured in a car crash in California by a driver that police believe was operating under under the influence of marijuana.
July, 2017: A 14-month-old baby in Washington was sent to the hospital after mistakenly eating candy laced with marijuana. Representatives from the Washington Poison Center report receiving calls regarding children accidentally ingesting marijuana edibles at least once per week.
July, 2017: Eleven teenagers were hospitalized after ingesting gummy candy laced with THC–the active ingredient in marijuana. One teen reportedly complained of rapid heartbeat, leg pain, and blurry vision.
July, 2017: Two children were hospitalized in Florida after eating several gummy candies laced with marijuana. The children reportedly felt sick and faded in and out of consciousness.
June, 2017: A Rhode Island toddler nearly died from overdosing on “medical” marijuana edibles. The child reportedly ingested “medical” marijuana edibles that belonged to her grandfather.
May, 2017: In Ohio, a toxicology report revealed the driver in a fatal accident had marijuana in his system.
May, 2017: Two children in Utah were hospitalized after mistakenly eating a cookie laced with marijuana.
May, 2017: A ten-year-old in New York was reportedly hospitalized after mistakenly eating candy infused with marijuana. The candy appeared to have been sold to the boy’s father as “medical marijuana.” According to news sources, the piece the boy ate contained 250mg of THC–approximately 25 times a normal “serving” of marijuana.
May, 2017: Emergency personnel in Oregon responded after a woman called to report she began experiencing hallucinations and abnormal breathing following marijuana use. The woman was transported to the hospital. The next day police and medical personnel responded to a woman who had overdosed on chocolate laced with marijuana.
March, 2017: According to authorities, the driver who fatally struck a jogger in Washington had twice the legal limit of marijuana in his system at the time of the crash.
March, 2017: A two-year-old suffering from lethargy was taken to the hospital E.R., where she tested positive for THC–main ingredient in marijuana.The child’s daycare provider reportedly admitted to serving the child cookies that were baked in a pan previously used to bake marijuana brownies.
March, 2017: A five-year-old in Ohio was sent to the hospital with marijuana poisoning after eating a gummy bear laced with THC–the active ingredient in marijuana. The child reportedly found the gummy bear in a dresser drawer and mistook it for ordinary candy.
March, 2017: A high school student in Ohio was hospitalized after eating a brownie laced with marijuana. A second students also required medical attention, according to news reports.
January, 2017: A Wisconsin man believed to be driving under the influence of marijuana crashed into a van, killing its driver. Police say the man responsible for the fatal accident was likely traveling around 80 miles per hour and that there was an odor of marijuana in his vehicle.
January, 2017: A middle school student in Massachusetts was hospitalized after eating several gummy bears laced with marijuana. The boy reportedly found the gummy bears on a school bus. He became very sick, and was taken to the hospital, where doctors determined he had overdosed on marijuana. His mother described the boy’s condition as “trance-like.”
December, 2016: A Massachusetts man who crashed his vehicle into a school bus full of children a few days before Christmas reportedly confessed to police that he had smoked marijuana prior to the accident.
December, 2016: A Texas man was arrested after he flipped a car carrying him and at least one other passenger following marijuana use.
December, 2016: A man believed responsible for a deadly crash may have been under the influence of marijuana. The man in question reportedly was speeding when he crashed into a car, injuring its driver and killing one passenger. Police say the man’s car smelled of marijuana, and that they recovered marijuana from the vehicle.
December, 2016: A thirteen-year-old Michigan boy was reportedly hospitalized after smoking a concentrated paste extracted from marijuana.
December, 2016: A Louisiana man arrested for striking a grandmother and her grandchild with his car reportedly used marijuana before the incident.
November, 2016: An assistant principal was hospitalized–and subsequently arrested–following a marijuana overdose. The woman’s daughter reportedly provided her with cookies containing large amounts of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, after the woman said she wanted to try marijuana for her 50th birthday. She was hospitalized after she overdosed by eating too many of the cookies.
September, 2016: Schoolchildren in Utah became sick and were hospitalized after eating brownies laced with marijuana. The children reportedly acquired the brownies from a student at school.
September, 2016: An Alabama woman was arrested for giving marijuana-laced brownies to a teen girl. The girl reportedly became ill and was taken to the emergency room for treatment.
August, 2016: A Minnesota man crashed his pickup truck into a tree, killing himself and two passengers. According to police, the driver had elevated levels of THC, marijuana’s active ingredient, in his system at the time of the crash.
August, 2016: A Connecticut man crashed his vehicle into a police cruiser after smoking marijuana. The driver reportedly admitted to smoking marijuana two hours before the crash; had marijuana in his possession; and failed a field sobriety test.
August, 2016: Two dozen people were hospitalized in Ohio after accidentally ingesting large amounts of candy laced with marijuana at a musical festival. The candy was reportedly labeled “Prescribed Medibles by Dr. Greenbuds,” which would seem to indicate the candy was originally intended for “medical use.” Health professionals initially believed concertgoers had overdosed on opioids, but later realized the candies contained high levels of marijuana’s active ingredient, THC.
August, 2016: Nineteen people were hospitalized after accidentally ingesting gummy candy laced with marijuana at a birthday party in California. They suffered adverse reactions including rapid heart rates, high blood pressure, dilated pupils, dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, lethargy, and confusion.
July, 2016: A 5-year-old Oregon girl was hospitalized after eating candy laced with marijuana. According to officials, the girl experienced hallucinations and an elevated heart rate. Local police issued a press release, saying, “As many of these edibles come in the form of cookies, brownies, and candy, children are naturally drawn to them. However the small size of children, and the usually higher/concentrated THC levels found in the edibles can easily lead to overdoses by children and adults.”
July, 2016: A Massachusetts teen called 911 after his friend began reacting negatively to marijuana-laced candy. Authorities say the pair had eaten marijuana-laced candy that appeared to have come from a medical-marijuana supplier. The two teens reportedly were sent to the hospital.
July, 2016: Police in Arizona arrested a mother for allegedly giving her 11- and 12-year-old children gummy candy infused with marijuana. Police say the marijuana-infused candy was originally purchased by an Arizona medical marijuana user, but was illegally transferred to the mother in question.
July, 2016: Two California teens were hospitalized after eating a marijuana-laced cookie. The teens reported purchasing the cookie from a third teenager who was subsequently arrested.
July, 2016: A Wisconsin teen admitted to using marijuana shortly before his vehicle missed a stop sign and collided with an SUV. The crash killed two people and put a third in the ICU.
July, 2016: A California man was arrested for giving candy laced with marijuana to a 6-year-old boy and an 8-year-old boy; the 6-year-old was hospitalized for marijuana poisoning.
June, 2016: A Pennsylvania driver with marijuana in his system caused an accident that injured a one-year-old child. The child, who was a passenger in the car when it crashed, is expected to suffer long-term neurological complications as a result of head trauma from the crash.
June, 2016: Authorities in Arizona believe the woman who caused a deadly crash was driving under the influence of marijuana. Court documents reveal the woman was driving at least 75 MPH in a 40 MPH zone when she crossed the center line, plowing into an oncoming vehicle and killing a man and his daughter.
May, 2016: A Washington man pleaded guilty to giving his 4-year-old daughter a piece of chocolate cake infused with marijuana. The man reportedly went to his daughter’s daycare, where he gave her the cake. The girl later became “extremely lethargic,” and was taken to a local hospital, where she tested positive for THC–the main, active ingredient in marijuana.
May, 2016: Several churchgoers were sent to the ER after accidentally eating marijuana-infused cookies following church services.
May, 2016: A 7-year-old boy in Washington was paralyzed by a car accident involving a teen believed to be driving under the influence of Marijuana.
April, 2016: A twenty-four year old man and two teenage girls were hospitalized after eating gummy candies containing high levels of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. One of the girls was even admitted to the ICU. According to investigators, each gummy candy contained 450 Mg of THC, and the three victims experienced negative reactions that included seizures, hallucinations, and vomiting. By contrast, 10 Mg of THC is considered a “standard serving size” for a marijuana edible.
April, 2016: A Georgia woman was arrested after her five year old said he ate a marijuana cake for breakfast. The child was taken to the hospital for treatment following the incident; according to officials, his pulse was measured at over 200 beats per minute. According to the child’s mother, the cake laced with marijuana was given to her by another person.
February, 2016: An eight-year-old Oregon boy was taken to the hospital after eating a marijuana-infused cookie he found. The cookie was sealed and labeled that it contained approximately 50 milligrams of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
February, 2016: A Pennsylvania driver involved in an accident that severely injured a pedestrian tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
December, 2015: A Michigan driver collided with a horse-drawn buggy, killing a pregnant Amish woman and injuring her other children who were in the buggy with her. Records indicate the driver had THC, the main ingredient in marijuana, in his system at the time of the crash.
October, 2015: A 27-year-old Oregon man admitted to using marijuana shortly before he struck and killed a female pedestrian.
August, 2015: An Indiana woman who tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, crossed the median, striking another car head-on and killing its driver.
August, 2015: A Michigan man drove his car off the road, crashing it into a tree and killing his girlfriend who was a passenger in the vehicle. Officials initially believed the driver was drunk, but later determined the driver had THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his system.
August, 2015: A New York man crashed into a motorcycle carrying two riders; both riders died at the scene of the accident. According to court testimony, the driver admitted to smoking marijuana twice on the morning of the crash.
June, 2015: A California man involved in a fatal crash tested positive for elevated levels of THC, according to police. The crash killed one woman and injured five other people. Police said the driver was at a local medical marijuana dispensary prior to the crash, that marijuana was found in his car, and that the driver admitted to smoking marijuana at the dispensary before the accident.
May, 2015: An Indiana man who officials say tested positive for THC was involved in a head-on collision that resulted in the death of another driver.
March, 2015: Four high school students were hospitalized after eating brownies laced with marijuana hash oil. One student was actually found unresponsive in a school bathroom after eating a marijuana-laced brownie.
March, 2015: A Virginia man driving under the influence of marijuana collided with an oncoming train, killing a three-year-old child riding in his car, and injuring two other children.
February, 2015: A 20-month-old Canadian toddler overdosed after eating a marijuana-laced cookie authorities say his father baked. The child survived, but suffered seizures and had to be admitted to a hospital.
December, 2014: Oklahoma authorities reported a man with marijuana both in his system and on his person drove into oncoming traffic, crashing into another vehicle and killing its driver.
December, 2014: A high school teacher in Maryland was hospitalized after a student gave her a brownie containing marijuana.
December, 2014: Two middle school students in Oklahoma were rushed to the hospital after one of them reportedly passed out following marijuana-use at school.
October, 2014: Officials say a Washington woman with high levels of THC in her system sped through a stoplight at high speed before broadsiding another car and killing its driver.
June, 2014: According to The Aspen Times, a seven-year-old girl was taken to the hospital after eating marijuana-laced candy her mother brought home from work at an area hotel. The candy was left by a hotel guest–presumably as a tip.
May, 2014: A Utah man driving under the influence of marijuana crashed into another vehicle, severely injuring a teenage girl and her 30-year-old cousin. The driver was sentenced to up to 5 years in prison.
March, 2014: A California man driving at high speeds under the influence of marijuana ran a red light before losing control of his car and striking another vehicle, killing its driver.
March, 2014: A 19-year-old college student jumped to his death after eating a marijuana-laced cookie purchased at a licensed marijuana store in Colorado. Reports indicate the man began shaking, screaming, and throwing objects in his hotel room after eating the marijuana “edible.” He ultimately jumped over the fourth-floor railing, into the lobby of the hotel at which he was staying. According to CBS News, the autopsy report listed marijuana as a “significant contributing factor” to his death.
December, 2013: An Illinois driver reportedly was traveling at a high speed and ran at least one red light before losing control of his vehicle, taking the life of a passenger. Police found marijuana-related items in the vehicle following the accident. The driver reportedly admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the day and tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
December, 2013: A two-year-old in Colorado overdosed and was hospitalized after eating a cookie laced with marijuana. News outlets indicate the girl found the cookie in the yard of an apartment complex.
As we keep saying, marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them
-------------- Jerry Cox is the founder and president of Family Council and the Education Alliance. Tags:Jerry Cox, Family Council, Colorado, Doctors, Baby Boy, Died, From Marijuana OverdoseTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
by Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: D.C. Rocked - Shocking allegations against Senator Al Franken (D-MN) rocked Washington, D.C., yesterday. Leeann Tweeden, a news anchor for KABC in Los Angeles, came forward with accusations that Sen. Franken sexually assaulted her during a 2006 USO tour. A second woman, Melanie Morgan, leveled other disturbing charges against Franken yesterday.
Franken is now under heavy fire. Senate leaders Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have called for an Ethics Committee investigation.
There are also calls for Franken's resignation, such as this one:
"This revelation is a test of the Democratic Party's consistency, honesty, and decency. If Democrats wish to preserve whatever moral standing they have today, they must exhort Franken to leave the Senate, with no hesitation or reservations."
That biting indictment did not come from the Republican National Committee, but from the left-wing news site Slate.
There is a big difference between Tweeden's charges against Franken and those against Judge Roy Moore in Alabama. There is real evidence against Franken, and this inappropriate conduct is much more recent. There is very little evidence in the accusations against Moore and there are many questions about what happened four decades ago.
Speaking of Alabama, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said yesterday, "The President believes that these allegations are very troubling and should be taken seriously, and he believes that the people of Alabama should make a decision on who their next senator should be."
But there is a bigger story ready to explode on Capitol Hill.
Earlier this week, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) testified before the House Administration Committee that two current members of Congress have committed sexual assault. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) said that one congressman "decided to expose himself" to a female staffer.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is demanding that these congressmen be named and held accountable. My good friend Mark Levin has been making that same demand for several days on his radio show.
Over the years, there have been incredible scandals on Capitol Hill -- Barney Frank, Bob Packwood, Gerry Studds, Mark Foley. As we have seen from the continuing scandal in Hollywood, this could easily become a huge story.
Operation Raging Bull - Do you remember just a few years ago when there was a surge of children, "unaccompanied minors," crossing the Southern border into the U.S.? When this surge happened, we were deluged with pictures of kids clutching teddy bears.
Even though such images were proof positive of our open, porous borders, left-wing talking heads and politicians lectured us ad nauseam about compassion.
Well, the government just announced the results of "Operation Raging Bull," a nationwide crackdown against the dangerous Latin American gang, MS-13. Law enforcement authorities arrested 214 MS-13 members across the country, and another 53 in El Salvador.
Only 16 of those arrested are U.S. citizens. And nearly one-third of the illegal immigrants arrested in this sweep came into the country as "unaccompanied minors."
Many school districts and local communities saw their budgets stretched to the max attempting to accommodate these illegal immigrants. We have no idea how many crimes these gang members committed. But we do know that the more than 55,000 illegal immigrants in federal, state and local prisons committed on average 12.7 crimes.
We will never know the total cost to society for the "compassion" of the Obama Administration and its left-wing enablers.
Kudos To Grassley - Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced hearings yesterday for two of President Trump's conservative judicial nominees. This was no mere routine announcement.
The nominees -- David Stras for the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and Kyle Duncan for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals -- were being held up because their home-state senators had not returned their "blue slips."
There is nothing in the Senate rules about blue slips. They are just a tradition that developed over time. But since Harry Reid eliminated the filibuster against judicial nominees, Democrats have started abusing the blue slip policy as a substitute filibuster, with individual senators effectively wielding veto-power over a nominee's fate.
Chairman Grassley has had enough of this stonewalling. During a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, Grassley said: "The blue slip courtesy is just that -- a courtesy. For 100 years, Judiciary Committee chairmen have asked for the views of home-state senators on judicial nominees via the blue slip. The blue slip is meant to solicit insights into nominees and ensure that the White House is adequately consulting with home-state senators. . .
"But some of my Democratic colleagues and left-wing outside groups mistakenly assert that the blue slip affords a home-state senator veto power over a nominee. That is not true."Please take a moment to contact Senator Grassley at 202-224-3744. Thank him for advancing President Trump's conservative judicial nominees.
------------------- Gary Bauer is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families Tags:Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families, D.C. Rocked, Senator Al Franken, Raging Bull, Kudos To GrassleyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
Will Political Setbacks Unite the Republican Party?
Michael Barone
by Michael Barone: The inexorable workings of the political marketplace seem to be enforcing some discipline over hitherto fissiparous Republican politicians. The question is whether this is happening too late to save the party's declining prospects in the 2018 midterm elections.
You can see this in Republicans' reactions to the tax bills Congress is currently considering. Last spring, when the party's congressional leadership teed up its health care bills, purportedly repealing and replacing Obamacare, they faced rebellions from practically every corner of their party's caucuses.
In the House, the Freedom Caucus trotted out one criticism after another. This is in line with standard practice, going back at least to October 2013, when Freedom Caucus types, heeding newly elected Senator Ted Cruz's calls to defund Obamacare, produced a government shutdown that sent the party, predictably, plummeting in the polls.
House Republican rebels made purist arguments, cited pledges never to vote for government expansion, called for constitutional conservatism. They chided Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell for insufficient boldness, seemingly forgetting that the Constitution gave President Barack Obama a veto.
Now things look different. With Republicans holding the White House and majorities in both houses of Congress, the purism that resulted in defeat of the House's first attempt at Obamacare revision, followed by the defeat of a second in the Senate, leaves Republicans double-digits behind Democrats on the generic which-party-would-you-back question.
Democrats' big victories in the Virginia and New Jersey governor races also struck a chord. These states, dominated by high-education suburbs in major metro areas, tilt more Democratic than the nation. But Republicans have been losing legislative special elections even in red-state Trump districts.
So just about all the erstwhile rebels are suddenly supporting Speaker Paul Ryan's tax bill, even though it's easy to find complex provisions to which purists could object. They've discovered that in the American political marketplace, whose rules usually limit competition to two parties, a majority party that can't perform is liable to severe punishment.
But for some -- notably former White House advisor Steve Bannon -- the point is not to win, but to oust the current Republican leadership. Just as California billionaire Tom Steyer conditions contributions on pledges to vote for impeachment, so former Goldman Sachs exec Bannon requires pledges to vote for ouster of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
That left him endorsing, apparently with no visible effect, Roy Moore in the special election Republican runoff for the Alabama Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore, a dim bulb, was twice ousted from the state Supreme Court for disobeying a federal court order (banning his Ten Commandments courthouse statue) and the Supreme Court decision proclaiming a right to same-sex marriage.
His stands proved popular with many evangelical voters. But his argument, that the order and decision were wrong, shows either ignorance of the supremacy clause in Article VI of the United States Constitution or a commitment to lawlessness that is the opposite of conservatism.
But all that has been pushed to the side after last week's Washington Post story that as a 30-something lawyer, Moore had at least one sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl and pursued four other teens; this week came charges of sexual harassment by another. Moore's quasi-denials, even to the sympathetic Sean Hannity, have been unconvincing. Polls have shown him losing ground and even trailing against a respectable Democratic candidate in a state that Donald Trump carried 62 to 34 percent.
Republican senators, including McConnell and Alabama's Richard Shelby, have responded by saying he should withdraw from the race. His name can't legally be removed from the Dec. 12 ballot, but there is speculation about a write-in campaign for Luther Strange, the appointee he beat in the runoff, or even Sessions.
Corey Gardner, head of the Senate Republicans' campaign committee, has gone father. "If he refuses to withdraw and wins, the Senate should vote to expel him." Under the Supreme Court Powell v. McCormack decision, the Senate must seat him, but could expel him by a two-thirds vote.
Contrary to claims that there is no precedent for this or that a senator can't be expelled based on conduct prior to election, a move by senators to expel Michigan Senator Truman Newberry was frustrated only when Newberry resigned in 1922.
No possible outcome looks helpful for beleaguered Republicans now. Unless, perhaps, Republican politicians -- and voters -- heed the signals in the political marketplace and reject Steve Bannon's burn-the-barn-down strategy.
Michael Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime co-author of The Almanac of American Politics.
-------------- Michael Barone is a Senior Political Analyst for the Washington Examiner and a Resident Fellow at theAmerican Enterprise Institute, a Fox News Channel andTownhall contributor and co-author of The Almanac of American Politics. Tags:Michael Barone, editorial, Will Political Setbacks, Unite, Republican PartyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
"A Pro-Growth, Pro-Family Proposal That Will Reduce Taxes’
Conservative Groups Say Senate Tax Reform Plan ‘Simplifies The Code, Reduces Taxes For Families And Businesses, And Grows The Economy’
AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM: “The Senate’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a pro-growth, pro-family proposal that will reduce taxes on Americans at every income level and dramatically simplify the 70,000+ page tax code. It will also provide a much-needed overhaul to the outdated tax code so that businesses large and small will again be able to compete against foreign competitors and create jobs across the country.” (“Senators Should Support the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” Americans for Tax Reform Website, 11/15/2017)
·GROVER NORQUIST, ATR President: “The release of the Senate outline for tax reform following the House Ways and Means legislation makes it clear that existing differences can be negotiated within a matter of weeks to enact a pro-growth tax reform package that reduces taxes for Americans at all income levels and fulfills the promises of the tax reform framework put forward by the GOP leadership this summer.” (“ATR Analysis of the Senate’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” Americans for Tax Reform Website, 11/10/2017)
PETE SEPP, National Taxpayers Union President:“Passing tax reform will unleash needed economic growth and benefit all Americans…. Today’s debut of the Senate’s tax reform package, along with the House’s progress on legislation, sends a clear message that Congress’ commitment to the American people remains real and achievable.”(National Taxpayers Union, Press Release, 11/09/2017)
20 Conservative Groups: “We write in support of the Chairman’s mark of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The release of this legislation marks an important step in passing comprehensive tax reform before the end of the year. We urge your committee to swiftly approve this bill and send it to the full Senate for consideration. Just like the House bill, your proposal is pro-growth and pro-family. This legislation simplifies the code, reduces taxes for families and businesses, and grows the economy, leading to higher wages and new or better jobs.”(20 Conservative Groups, Letter to Sen. Hatch, 11/13/2017)
Letter signed by:
·Americans for Tax Reform
·National Taxpayers Union
·Americans for Prosperity
·60 Plus Association
·ALEC Action
·American Commitment
·Center for Freedom and Prosperity
·Center for Worker Freedom
·Concerned Veterans for America
·Consumer Action for a Strong Economy
·Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
·Digital Liberty
·Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce
·FreedomWorks
·Generation Opportunity
·Hispanic Leadership Fund
·Independent Women’s Voice
·The LIBRE Initiative
·Property Rights Alliance
·Taxpayers Protection Alliance
RALPH REED, Faith & Freedom Coalition Chairman: “On behalf of the over 1.5 million members and supporters of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, I urge you to vote YES on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. A vote for this bill is a vote for tax cuts that Republicans have promised and America’s hardworking families desperately deserve. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will help struggling American families succeed in today’s economy and make our job-creating businesses more competitive. … America’s families have already waited too long for tax cuts that let them keep their hard earned dollars and care for their families. We must not fail them. We look forward to working with you to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and strongly support efforts to simplify the code so that it is fairer for families and individuals, while also encouraging the economy to grow, leading to the creation of more jobs and higher wages.” (Ralph Reed, Letter To Senators, 11/15/2017)
AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY: “This is a critical moment for tax reform. … Now is the time for the Senate to unite around this plan that delivers on the pro-growth promises of the unified tax framework.As the Senate leadership looks to bring this bill to the floor for a vote, we are urging lawmakers to follow through on their commitment to the American people to overhaul the tax code in a way that spurs job creation, drives economic growth and provides middle-class relief. Moving forward, we urge lawmakers to hold strong against special interests, and we look forward to working with both the House and the Senate to see this once-in-a-generation opportunity through.” (Americans For Prosperity, Press Release, 11/16/2017) Tags:Conservative Groups, Senate Tax Reform, Pro-Growth, Pro-Family Proposal, Will Reduce TaxesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
Comparing U.S. to Cherry-Picked Countries on Guns Fools No One but the Ignorant
This is what emulating other countries on “gun laws”
look like. (United Nations)
by David Codrea: “These 4 countries have nearly eliminated gun deaths — here’s what the US can learn,” senior innovation reporter Chris Weller presumes to instruct in a Wednesday Business Insiderapologia for global citizen disarmament. “Some countries have figured out how to curb gun violence through targeted strategies.”
Those countries are Japan, Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom, and Weller claims they “may all offer insight.” If the goal is to abandon the Constitution and Bill of Rights and embrace citizen disarmament, he has a point.
Starting with Australia, he lauds the effectiveness of the government’s ban on ownership of semi-automatic firearms and pump action shotguns, and its subsequent mandatory (and misnamed) “buyback” and destruction ofsurrendered guns, fantasizing that the same could be accomplished here.
Economist and author John Lott has compellingly challenged the validity of many of the claims about the crime reduction that supposedly resulted from the Aussie gun-grab. As for compliance, this year marked the fourth attempt at a “buyback” amnesty since 1987 in an attempt to account for massive noncompliance with registration. And last, but certainly not least, a good many of us are just not going to surrender our guns. Ain’t gonna happen.
“Japan seldom has more than 10 shooting deaths a year in a population of 127 million people, due to its strict laws for obtaining firearms,” Weller assures us next. Really? He’s sure that’s the reason?
It couldn’t be that Japan is essentially a homogeneous and traditional culture that has not allowed the conditions that breed generational violent lawlessness, as exist in U.S. urban areas under “progressive” rule? Because if it’s the guns, explain why the five million members of the NRA – arguably the most heavily-armed civilian population on the planet – are every bit as peaceable — more so, actually — as “law-abiding” Japanese. Don’t forget to add in Japan’s much higher suicide rate than the U.S. has. And you might also want to consider the just-caught serial killer who beheaded nine young people. As for Japan’s comparatively low murder rate and numbers, the city where I live has a much lower rate (as in non-existent), and talking to my neighbors it’s evident we have plenty of guns.
Our next stop is Norway (not that I mean for this to sound like one of those travelogues from the 50s). And Weller declares that “Norway exemplifies the power of social cohesion and trust … through measures like community policing.”
Give the globalist-manufactured refugee “crisis” time to percolate on that “social cohesion” bit, although it looks like somebody may be waking up to that with “[t]he number of asylum seekers … plummet[ing] by 95 per cent since the start of this year as the country continues strict border checks and financial incentives for migrants to leave voluntarily.”
As for trust in the police and the desirability of adopting Norwegian gun laws, let me quote the first paragraph of one of my GUNS Magazine “Rights Watch” columns from 2011:“A maniac disguised as a policeman went on a bombing and shooting spree in Norway, unopposed by responding law enforcement for a full 90 minutes. At this writing, eight people were killed by a car bomb explosion in Oslo, and less than two hours later, 69 people were shot and killed at a youth camp on Utoya Island. Per Radar Online, it was ‘the deadliest attack by a single gunman in history.’”I’m just not seeing the “insight” being offered here on “how to curb gun violence through targeted strategies.”
Last up, the UK. They “took a multi-pronged approach,” meaning they banned handguns, semi-auto and pump action firearms, required shotgun registration, held their own “buybacks,” and destroyed surrendered firearms and ammunition. And again, the comparison between the UK and the U.S. is meaningless without factoring in key population differences.
Intent on changing that through insane European “immigration” policies, we now see headlines like “22 Dead, 120 Injured, Youngest Victim Eight Years Old After ‘Suicide Bomb’ at UK Ariana Grande Concert.” And give it a few years, because my prediction is “When It Comes to ‘Gun Violence,’ the UK Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet.”
If you’re starting to get the feeling that Weller had an assignment to fill and access to gun-grabber talking points, you’re probably not far off the mark. Because another article came out just last week by someone who does his own research, attorney David Kopel, who scored op ed space in The Washington Post of all places, and who demonstrates:“The global history of mass shootings demonstrates that the vast majority of these crimes are perpetrated in places where citizen firearms ownership is close to nil. While people can argue about cause and effect, the facts are indisputable.”Let’s see: Listen to Weller and emulate foreign nations by renouncing our guns and turning our backs on the Second Amendment, or reject that subversive call and respond to surrender demands like men who intend to win?
------------------ David Codrea blogs at The War on Guns and writes for other orgaizations including Oath Keepers. Tags:David Codrea, War on Guns, Oath Keepers, guns, comparing, U.S., cherry-picked countriesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
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