The Right Lane update 4.21.13

The pursuit of Constitutionally grounded governance, free markets and individual liberty

"There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily." --George Washington

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White House Hires PR Firm to Push Obamacare

The Obama administration has hired public-relations giant Weber Shandwick to help sell Obamacare to the uninsured and persuade them to enroll in a healthcare plan.  Obamacare aims to cover uninsured Americans by expanding Medicaid and by imposing an “individual mandate” requiring everyone to have insurance or pay a tax. There is obvious concern in the White House, however, that many of the nation’s 37 million uninsured Americans will pay the tax rather than buy health insurance. “Weber Shandwick won a $3.1 million contract to assist the Department of Health and Human Services with rolling out a campaign to convince skeptical — or simply confused — Americans that the act is good for them and persuade them to enroll in a health plan,” Advertising Age reported. The PR firm will seek to implement “rollout communication” based on “old-fashioned marketing principles,” the magazine disclosed. The HHS agency in charge of the campaign is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Weber Shandwick is a global public relations firm with offices in 81 countries.

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Obama Warns “Not To Rush To Judgment” About “Motivations” And “Groups”

It’s not a rush to say that Muslims are violent and have no respect for life. They show their disdain for freedom with these cowardly acts all the time. Until we accept this fact in our society we will be at risk. Just ask Israel.
Check it out:

“In this age of instant reporting, tweets, and blogs, there’s a temptations to latch on to any bit of information sometimes to jump to conclusions. When a tragedy like this happens, with public safety at risk and the stakes so high, it’s important we do this right. That’s why we have investigations that’s why we relentlessly gather the facts, that’s why we have courts. That’s why we take care not to rush to judgement, not about the motivations of these individuals and certainly not about entire groups of people.”

What is the common thread Obama wants to ignore?  The call to violence of the Koran?  Even if these were to amateurish brothers, the call to violence by Islamic beliefs is more scary than Al Qaeda connections. Young believers can radicalize overnight and commit similar slaughters we witnessed in Boston - at will.

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NPR Correspondent Dina Temple-Raston points out all the reasons that righties love terrorizing Americans in April including Hitler’s birthday.

Listen here....

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Heritage’s Carafano: Obama’s ‘Head in the Sand’ on Terror

Heritage Foundation security and defense expert James Jay Carafano tells Newsmax the Obama administration is so eager to declare victory in the war on terror that it is “putting its head in the sand” and ignoring the rapid growth of non-al-Qaida terrorist groups. Carafano, the vice president of foreign and defense policy studies at the conservative think tank, praised the post 9/11 homeland security effort as “very effective,” citing some 54 instances where attacks and bombings targeted the United States were thwarted. But he criticized the administration for downplaying the war on terror as if it already had been won.  In an exclusive Newsmax.TV interview on Friday, Carafano charged the administration has “defined their way out of the problem” by focusing only on al-Qaida.  “They’ve basically said that we are fighting al-Qaida central, and al-Qaida and its affiliates, where people are actually planning operations to attack the U.S. or its allies. Well, when you define the enemy that way, you look pretty good. “But the problem is there are a lot of groups that hate us, that aren’t necessarily directly affiliated with al-Qaida, which could attack the United States tomorrow and could be a significant threat, whether it’s Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Iranian Quds Force, or other things. And the reality is you’re not always going to get the early warning or signs that, ‘Tomorrow, I’m just going to decide to attack the United States.’”

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Oh!  The horror of it.  The government is running out of your money to spend on the poor and the needy
So while we all listen to politicians and government employee unions still bemoaning the modest cuts imposed by the Sequester, let's scroll through the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) annual report highlighting just some of the waste and redundant programs still funded by our tax dollars.

Wasteful Spending Program #1: $14 million on Catfish Inspections

“Government doesn’t have a spending problem.”- President Obama, Jan. 2013 Not only does government have a spending problem, but with a budget shortfall estimated at $845 billion this year, we have a massive wasteful spending problem. Take for instance Catfish Inspections. The GAO reports that we could easily save $14 million annually by consolidating the overlapping inspection processes on Catfish.

The actual cost of our absolutely critical Catfish inspections are more than $100 million every year, but due to a system riddled with inefficiencies we’re throwing money down the stream. The United States Department of Agriculture, under a provision of the 2008 Farm Bill, has the power to inspect and create inspection programs for meat, poultry, and seafood. One inspection process, Catfish, has grown into three separate taxpayer-funded agencies each with overlapping research and responsibilities.

Wasteful Spending Program #2: $4 Billion by not buying in bulk

“Deficit reduction is not a worthy goal.” – White House spokesman Jay Carney

Ask any big American family how they save money on groceries and household supplies, and they’ll probably pull out a Costco card. We understand that buying in bulk will reduce costs, but sadly our Federal Government doesn’t understand that basic tip for saving tax dollars. Instead each department or agency buys many of the same goods independently, dramatically reducing our national purchasing power and wastefully spending your tax dollars. The GAO reports that, “By simply buying together the critical agencies like the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Energy, and Veterans Affairs could save over $4 billion a year.”

Wasteful Spending Program #3: $82 million spent on 7 different camouflage uniforms

“It’s almost a false argument to say that we have a spending problem.” – House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

In 2002 the military began a change from two camouflage patterns to the seven service-specific camouflage uniforms, all with different colors and patterns which we have today. The camouflage uniforms look incredibly similar, yet because each branch of the military is developing its own uniforms they are spending nearly $82 million in the design, creation and acquisition of the different uniforms. Instead of the military branches working together, they are all moving separately. The GAO report found that consolidating the uniforms would be more efficient, better protect service members and save millions. During the sequester debate, we made it clear that providing for national defense was a legitimate and vital function of the US Government, but maintained that even the military could trim spending by finding and eliminating inefficiencies.

The $82 million in overspending here seems like a great place to start. Implementing just these three simple changes above would save $5 billion the very first year. With the hundreds of other reforms suggested by the GAO report there would be an annual savings of roughly $250 billion. As Senator Coburn said, “That’s three times what the sequester was. Just in waste, in duplication, in stupidity, and lack of efficiency and effectiveness by the federal government. (It) makes you want to pull your hair out.”  Well said Senator Coburn...well said.

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Saudis: Michelle Obama Visited ‘Person of Interest’

A Saudi Arabian newspaper is reporting that United States First Lady Michelle Obama visited in the hospital Saudi citizen Abdul Rahman Ali Issa Al-Salimi Alharbi, the young man who had been labeled a “person of interest” in the Boston Marathon bombing. The newspaper accompanied its report with an image of Obama, although the background was generic and it couldn’t be confirmed immediately that she was at the hospital where Alharbi was being treated at the time. He reportedly suffered injuries in the Boston bombing. The newspaper’s Arabic-language report is being highlighted by Walid Shoebat, a former Muslim Brotherhood member who now is a peace activist. “Okay, the same prominent Saudi newspaper that published photos of Abdul Rahman Ali Issa Al-Salimi Alharbi in the hospital after the Boston Marathon bombings, is now reporting that the Saudi national was also visited by the first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, during his hospital stay,” Shoebat reported.

Why?  Simple question.

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81% Are Paying More For Groceries

Most adults continue to say they are paying more for groceries than they were a year ago, and they expect that amount to be even higher next year. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 81% of American Adults are paying more for groceries than they were a year ago, down from 86% in March but generally in line with previous findings. Just 12% say their grocery bills are no higher than they were last year.

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Obama Taking Action on Gun Background Check System By: NEDRA PICKLER

Blocked by Congress from expanding gun sale background checks, President Barack Obama is turning to actions within his own power to keep people from buying a gun who are prohibited for mental health reasons. Federal law bans certain mentally ill people from purchasing firearms, but not all states are providing data to stop the prohibited sales to the FBI's background check system. A federal review last year found 17 states contributed fewer than 10 mental health records to the database, meaning many deemed by a judge to be a danger still could have access to guns. The Obama administration was starting a process Friday aimed at removing barriers in health privacy laws that prevent some states from reporting information to the background check system. The action comes two days after the Senate rejected a measure that would have required buyers of firearms online and at gun shows to pass a background check. That's already required for shoppers at licensed gun dealers. Stung by the defeat, Obama vowed to keep up the fight for the background check expansion but also to do what he could through executive action. "Even without Congress, my administration will keep doing everything it can to protect more of our communities," Obama said from the Rose Garden shortly after the Senate voted. "We're going to address the barriers that prevent states from participating in the existing background check system."

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GOP Needs to Get Over the Makers vs. Takers Mindset   By Scott Rasmussen  

Mitt Romney's secretly recorded comment that 47 percent of Americans are "dependent on the government" and "believe they are victims" isn't the only reason he lost the presidential campaign. But the candidate himself acknowledged after the election that the comments were "very harmful."  He added, "What I said is not what I believe."  But many Republicans still believe it, and the "makers vs. takers" theme has a deep hold on the party. In private conversations, many in the GOP are whispering that Romney was right and that his only mistake was saying it out loud. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say something like, "Well, the half who favor government programs is the half who don't pay any taxes."  This is ridiculous -- on many levels.

First, the overwhelming majority of those who don't pay federal income taxes pay a whole variety of other taxes, including state and local taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, sin taxes and more. They don't feel excluded from sharing the tax burden just because they don't pay one particular tax. It's also worth noting that these aren't the people pushing for higher taxes. At Rasmussen Reports, our most recent polling shows that people who make $100,000 or more each year are more supportive of higher taxes than those who make less.

Second, the 47 percent who don't pay federal income taxes include large chunks of the Republican base. Many senior citizens fall into this category because their primary income is from Social Security. They don't consider themselves "takers." They paid money into a Social Security system throughout their working lives and now simply expect the government to honor the promises it made.

Third, low-income Americans aren't looking for a handout. Among those who are living in poverty, 81 percent agree that work is the best solution to poverty. Most would rather replace welfare programs with a guaranteed minimum-wage job. Sharing the mainstream view, 69 percent of the poor believe that too many Americans are dependent upon the government.  Sixty-five percent of low-income Americans consider it "very important" for an economy to provide everybody with an opportunity to succeed. Interestingly enough, low-income Americans consider that more important than those who earn more.

But if I had to pick just one number to highlight how bad the 47 percent remark was, it would be this. Just 11 percent of Americans today consider themselves dependent upon government. Sure, some receive a Social Security check or an unemployment check, but that's not dependence upon government. That's cash received in exchange for premiums paid.

If they want to seriously compete for middle-class votes, Republicans need to get over the makers vs. takers mentality. We live in a time when just 35 percent believe the economy is fair to the middle class. Only 41 percent believe it is fair to those who are willing to work hard. Those problems are not created by the poor.  GOP candidates would be well advised to shift their focus from attacking the poor to going after those who are really dependent upon government -- the Political Class, the crony capitalists, the megabanks and other recipients of corporate welfare.

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Boy Scouts calls for end to ban on gay members

The Boy Scouts of America bowed to pressure and called for an end to its long-standing ban on openly gay youth members Friday, but the organization intends to uphold its ban on gay adult leaders.

The BSA will submit a proposal to the roughly 1,400 voting members of its National Council at a meeting in Texas the week of May 20. If the vote is approved, “no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone,” Deron Smith, the organization’s spokesman, told Reuters. The compromise comes as gay-rights groups have demanded a complete lifting of the ban amid political support from both president Barack Obama and former Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Corporate sponsors, including drugs giant Merck, have suspended funding for the BSA, citing its discrimination against gay people. At the same time some religious and conservative groups have pressed for the ban to remain. The organisation estimates that easing the ban on gay adults could cost the organization 100,000 to 350,000 members. The BSA was founded in 1910 and has 2.7m youth members and over 1m adult volunteers. The Supreme Court upheld its right to ban gay members in 2000.  Caving on principles and moral absolutes lead only to eventual destruction!

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FBI Looking For ‘Sleeper Cell’ Tied To Marathon Bombers

As easy as these bombs are to build and detonate, it is very surprising that more of this hasn’t occurred more. Check it out:

Reports indicate the FBI is searching for a 12-person “sleeper cell” tied to the Boston Marathon bombers. This is an outworking of the belief that “Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were “specially trained” to carry out their attack. The UK’s Daily Mirror quoted an anonymous source with knowledge of the investigation: We have no doubt the brothers were not acting alone. The devices used to detonate the two bombs were highly sophisticated and not the kind of thing people learn from Google. …Someone gave the brothers the skills and it is now our job to find out just who they were. Agents think the sleeper cell has up to a dozen members and has been waiting several years for their day to come.

Don't listen to the talking heads that will tell you how "amateurish" these guys were.  How do you think a "cell" avoids looking like Al Qaeda?

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Islamic Nations: ‘Legitimate Struggle’ Not Terror

This so called peaceful religion is responsible for more murders in the past decade than most all illnesses. How blaming America’s generosity in anyway justifies their killing spree is just ridiculous. Addressing the nation on Friday evening about the actions of the Boston terrorists, President Barack Obama posed the question “why.” After all, the suspects had been direct beneficiaries of American largesse, including a successful asylum application, a green card and citizenship. Clues, however, are not nearly as concealed as the President made out. Look west to United Nations Headquarters in New York City, just a few hours away. At exactly the same time that the Tsarnaev brothers were building their bombs and planning their attack, Islamic front men at the UN were demanding that the organization define terrorism with an exception clause for “legitimate struggle.” In 2013 the United Nations still has no definition of terrorism. For over a decade, a committee involving all UN states has been charged with drafting a so-called comprehensive convention against terrorism and producing a definition. But year-after-year the effort is thwarted by Islamic countries that want no legal impediments to murder in the name of “self-determination” or “national liberation.”

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How Can the US Protect Citizens Against Terrorists with Barack Obama as Commander-in-Chief? By John Lillpop 

Over the past four plus years, Barack Obama has repeatedly gone out of his way to declare that the United States is NOT at war with Islam, despite all evidence to the contrary. Even more distressing, Obama apparently refuses to accept the fact that Islam IS, by its own admission, at war with America! This bone-headed refusal to face truth may be instrumental in the loss of innocent Americans lives, perhaps even including the tragic events in Boston this week. The big question: How much more spilled American blood will it take to convince Barack Obama that 1)the war on terror is not over, 2) the war is now being fought on the streets of America, and 3)adherents of radical Islam are dedicated enemies of American and Americans? Also, when will the US Congress face the fact that Barack Obama has deliberately refused to “defend the nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic” and has chosen to shred, rather than defend, the US Constitution?

John W. Lillpop is a recovering liberal. “Clean and sober” since 1992 when last he voted for a Democrat. Pray for John: He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where people like Nancy Pelosi are actually considered normal!.

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Gosnell Trial Reveals Truth About Abortion

I am a political animal. I scour the news every day, reading numerous stories about foreign policy, social issues, war, domestic policy, and everything in between. When I get tired of fighting; when I become politically and socially lazy; all I have to do is think about this most precious issue, and I am lit up once again with a burning fire. That issue is abortion. The Gosnell trial, and its subsequent media blackout, has brought much attention to the issue that has been debated for generations. I have written a lot recently about Gosnell, and I still have more to say. Today, I saw a bumper sticker that said: “Don’t like abortion? Get a vasectomy.” There is such a disconnect between what people think abortion is, and the actual nature of the procedure. Ask anyone on the street what the procedures are during an abortion, and they will likely stand in silence. In an article for Slate, Matthew Yglesias says: “Banning late-term abortion reduces the quality of abortion providers…such bans would push the residual demand for late-term abortions out of high-quality channels and into sketchy and unsafe ones like Gosnell’s…Making it difficult to establish an above-board competitive marketplace with multiple legal providers of late-term abortion facilities ensures that the demand for the procedure will be pushed into low-quality channels. As you close the legal noose around remaining providers, you’ll more and more have a market served by dubious individuals and you’ll have a market that’s lacking easy access to information and alternatives.”

Mr. Yglesias speaks of abortion in such a clinical fashion that it seems as though it is a routine, above-board procedure. He writes about abortion from a distance; that is a massive problem. His clinical separation from the issue mirrors our own. We–due mostly to Democrat propaganda–have become so distanced from understanding the realities of the act of abortion that we can compartmentalize; shut away the gruesome facts, and go about our day as if nothing barbaric is going on just around the corner. Yglesias speaks of abortion as we would speak about a supermarket chain, or a fast-food chain; as a business trying to compete in a capitalist country. He makes no effort to sketch an image for his readers regarding the wicked nature of abortion. Abortion–specifically late-term–is a form of Genocide. We are terminating a specific group of human beings for purposes of convenience. Roughly 94% of abortions are elective, rather than necessary for the safety of the mother.

The country stands in shock as we learn the disturbing details of the Gosnell trial: Severing spinal chords post birth, killing infants after they have taken their first breath, keeping infants in freezers. But what Americans don’t realize is that what Dr. Gosnell did is almost identical to what is done legally during routine mid and later-term abortions. He simply delayed the slaughter by seconds. He is deemed a monster, but other abortion providers, like Planned Parenthood, are praised for their efforts to protect the “rights of women.” The inconsistency is maddening. We cannot look at abortion clinically; we cannot compartmentalize anymore; we have to see the truth. The following pictures represent the practice of abortion in a real way. I hope these images disturb, because that is what needs to happen in order that we, as a society, may wake up. Look if you dare

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