Tuesday, January 21, 2014

NOTHING TO CUT: Meet the Multi-Millionaire Who Collected His Dead Mom's Social Security Checks for 23 Years

Guest post by Laura Trueman

The 2014 omnibus bill contains an increase in funding for running the Social Security Administration (SSA). Maybe now they can stop paying Social Security benefits to dead people.

According to a December Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, SSA systems do not accurately note and confirm the deaths of beneficiaries, resulting in payments being made to dead people—sometimes for decades. The flawed system doesn’t just impact Social Security payments, either. Multiple other federal agencies that pay benefits—from federal pensions to payments to farmers and the disabled—rely on SSA’s flawed death data.

Collecting Dead Mother’s Social Security for 23 Years. Raymond O’Dell made news this week when he was sentenced for collecting his dead mother’s Social Security benefits for 23 years. O’Dell collected $188,000 in benefits, while building a successful Taco Bell franchise. His accountant put his net worth at $4 million (including $431,000 in cash). This week, he was sentenced to pay back the benefits, along with a $20,000 fine, and will serve six months in prison.

There, fixed it for you

The painting View of the World from 9th Avenue is the classic New Yorker cover from 1976:


Nearly 40 years later, we need an updated version:

DEMOCRAT LOGIC COMIX: But They Loved Carter

Via @BiffSpackle:



Hat tip: Mark Levin.

Wendy Davis (D-LIAR) tells her paraplegic GOP opponent to "walk a mile in my shoes"

Texas Democrat and Gubernatorial Candidate Wendy Davis -- you may know her by the name she prefers, "Abortion Barbie" -- has watched her campaign melt down over the last few days thanks to a series of lies and gaffes. Her latest statement, a haphazard defense of her various biographical fables, is a doozy:

We’re not surprised by Greg Abbott’s [her Texas governorship opponent] campaign attacks on the personal story of my life as a single mother who worked hard to get ahead.

Actually, Abbott didn't "attack" her -- "the decidedly non-conservative" Dallas Morning News did. But that said, let's keep going:

The truth is that at age 19, I was a teenage mother living alone with my daughter in a trailer and struggling to keep us afloat on my way to a divorce. And I knew then that I was going to have to work my way up and out of that life if I was going to give my daughter a better life and a better future and that’s what I’ve done. I am proud of where I came from and I am proud of what I’ve been able to achieve through hard work and perseverance.

And I guarantee you that anyone who tries to say otherwise hasn’t walked a day in my shoes.

As Neo-neocon notes:

...I appeared to be the only one making the connection between her “walk in my shoes” remark and that fact that he is a paraplegic...

Stand up, Chuck! Jon Gabriel, writing at Ricochet, offers the executive summary of the Wendy Davis business plan:

Low Information Voters: adding faces to the voices

Guest post by The People's Cube

You may have already seen these LIV thoughts here and here. But what a difference does putting a face to a voice make! The success of the Obamacare graphic (the first one below) made me want to do more with this concept.




Larwyn's Linx: Amnesty Here We Come! GOP Leaders Ready to Sell Out Their Conservative Base

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

Amnesty: GOP Leaders Ready to Sell Out Conservative Base: GWP
Wendy Davis' Ex Demanded She Not Use Drugs Before Seeing Kids: RS
The Latest From Obamacare Central: David Limbaugh

Fact-Free Liberals: Thomas Sowell
Obama blames low approval numbers on racism: John Hayward
Government conspiracy theories aren't crazy: Glenn Harlan Reynolds

Hillary's 'Political Football' Baggage: Warren Beatty
Millennials Unhappy With Obama’s War on the Young: Michael Barone
GOP Leaders Join Obama to Fundamentally Transform America: CHQ

Fed Judge To Chicago: Ban On Guns Doesn’t Prevent Violent Crime: WZ
Hannity to Leave NY After Cuomo's Anti-Conservative Rant: Breitbart
From the Files of Police Squad: No CCWs Allowed?: Ace

Economy

Change: Number of Black Men In Labor Force Hits All-Time Low: WZ
Staples might save Post Office, unless unions get their way: WyBlog
5 States Potentially Headed for Obamacare Disasters: Keith Speights

Scandal Central

Wendy Davis is a stone-cold bitch, basically: NakedDC
Did TX Gov. Candidate Wendy Davis Commit Perjury in Federal Court?: Ken Klukowski
Meet Valerie Jarrett daughter Laura’s computer scandal tinged father-in-law: CFP

Climate & Energy

EPA Administrator Says Coal Rules Necessary Because of ‘Devastating Impacts on the Planet’: PJM
The $128 Trillion Ripoff: Breitbart
Belief That Global Warming Isn’t Happening Grows: Pirate's Cove

Media

The Left’s War on the Free Press: Sonny Bunch
Last week’s TODAY interview with Wendy Davis is suddenly a lot more interesting: ConIntel
'The Economist' Prints Anti-Semitic Cartoon: TruthRevolt

David Zirin, Marxist Sports Blogger: R.S. McCain
Megyn Kelly asks what everyone else is thinking: What about IMPEACHMENT?: YoungCons
20 Great Moments in Liberal Bigotry: IHTM

The Playboy Article (NSFW): RS
The Democrat Party’s Heart Disease: Blasted Fools
RUSH: So white Americans have just figured out Obama is black in the last two years?: Scoop

World

America’s Honor Besmirched: Appeasement Assures War!: J.D. Longstreet
Blaming the victim, with the best of intentions: Rob Miller
Only one in five Israelis trusts Obama on Iran: Times of Israel

Miracle on the Nile: Walid Phares
Four Questionable Claims Obama Has Made on NSA Surveillance: Kara Brandeisky
GRAPHIC: Gruesome Syria photos may prove torture by Assad regimet: CNN

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Hacking expert David Kennedy says he cracked HealthCare.gov in 4 minutes: Jessica Chasmar
Two coders closely tied to Target-related malware, security firm says: Jeremy Kirk
First Ever Universe-Wide Cosmic Web Filaments Captured on Keck Observatory: ScienceWR

Cornucopia

The West: American Digest
He had a Dream...: Diogenes
Lady M’s Eyebrow Re-Vitamization Secret: MOTUS

Image: Photos of Syrian torture victims piles pressure on Assad
Sponsored by: Send a love letter to the cowardly GOP Establishment: support Matt Bevin for Senate

QOTD: "The coming weeks will see the formal start of the GOP House leadership’s attempt to sneak an immigration amnesty through the Republican caucus and into law. We don’t know the exact details of the proposals, but we know enough:

1) There will be some form of legalization (conditional amnesty) for the 11 million illegal immigrants already here... [and] once the bill has passed the Democratic campaign to paint the GOP as racist for not granting general citizenship to the whole group will begin.

2) There will be an attempt to describe Speaker Boehner’s “piecemeal” collection of immigration bills as an “enforcement first” arrangement that will prevent another, future illegal wave despite the incentive created by what will be two successive amnesties. Since Democrats and Latino groups would never go for an actual “enforcement first” approach–e.g., enacting universal E-verify, an exit-entry system, building a fence and waiting a few years for legal challenges to peter out–this claim will necessarily be a fraud...

It takes some chutzpah for Boehner to make his amnesty push now, given the sour jobs news, falling measured support for amnesty, and the need for party unity in the coming midterm elections. You’d think the employment news alone–almost 3 unemployed Americans for every available job–would cause savvy lobbyists to postpone any attempt to push for a massive addition to the unskilled and skilled workforce.... Maybe that could fly in a boom. But now? ...

If you are, get your dialing finger ready. --Mickey Kaus

Monday, January 20, 2014

The Relentless Hillary Clinton

Guest post by Alan Caruba


Who said:

• “We’re going to take things from you on behalf of the common good”

• “It’s time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few…and to replace it with shared responsibility, for shared prosperity”

• “(We) …can just let business as usual go on and that means something has to be taken away from some people.”

• “We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own…in order to create this common ground.”

• “I think it’s time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in the entire economy that they are being watched.”

• “I certainly think the free market has failed.”

Was it Joseph Stalin? Lenin? Hugo Chavez? Kim Jong II? All reveal a communist philosophy.

It was Hillary Clinton. Over the years, Hillary has made it clear that the redistribution of wealth—communism—is central to her beliefs and that her regard for capitalism and the free market economy of America is nil.

The election of Hillary Clinton would be an extension of the two terms of Barack Obama and, if possible, worse.

MY OPEN LETTER TO THE "LET IT BURN" CROWD

You know who you are.


COMPARE AND CONTRAST: It's the little things

Via Roger Kimball:



Hat tip: BadBlue Real-Time News

OH, MY: In 5 Seconds Flat, Mark Levin Shreds Obama's Football Idiocy

Can y'all fetch Prezzy an ice-pack?

Mark Levin opened his show today hitting Obama square between the eyes in response to him saying yesterday that he wouldn’t let his ‘son’ play football:

So he wouldn’t let his son play football – this pretend son that he has. It’s like Jimmy Stewart with the pretend rabbit.

Well let me tell you something Mr. President. I wouldn’t let my son be an ambassador under you. I’d much rather that he played football.

You can hear the audio at The Right Scoop.


Hat tip: BadBlue Real-Time News

Larwyn's Linx: FreedomWorks Polling Suggests a Simple Path for Uniting Republicans

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

FreedomWorks Polling Suggests Path for Uniting Republicans: Rudy Takala
Stopping Tyranny with 'The Liberty Amendments': Spyridon Mitsotakis
Liberals’ worst nightmare about to come true: Jack Minor

Yearning for the Bush League: DiploMad
The Nonsolution: Richard Fernandez
Lawless: Another Obamacare Rule Delayed: Rick Moran

Obama blames America's racism to explain dropping poll numbers: GWP
Collectivist Chump Cuomo to Catholics: You’re Not Welcome in NY: SSI
Democrat Wendy Davis Caught in Major Lies: TPNN

Economy

The Evils of Capitalism: Roger Kimball
Illegal alien with 7 kids: food stamps, housing, cash for 20 years: YoungCons
Cancer patient Josie Gracchi treatment put on hold over ObamaCare: FAM

The Retail Death Rattle: Burning Platform
USPS IG finds sex on the job, stalkers and slashed tires: Michael Conger
NJ Gov. Christie's office denies claims of withholding Sandy aid funds: Fox

Scandal Central

White House Let Muslim Brotherhood Skip Customs Inspections: IPT
Who fed gun-running propaganda to WaPo's James Grimaldi and Sari Horowitz? : Clarice Feldman
Democrats Playing in GOP primary for Texas Supreme Court: RS

Climate & Energy

Sen. Jim Inhofe on Obama Global Warming Claims: He 'Just Made that Up’: RWN
The Unreported Propane Shortage: DTG
US Temps vs. NASA 1988 Global Warming Predictions: Embarrassing Failure: C3

Media

No Mention of Benghazi or Obamacare Lies in Intimate New Yorker Obama Profile: GWP
Uh oh, Wendy Davis’ life story not what it seems: LI
Time's Hillary Cover too much even for the Boston Globe: Peter Wilson

Oh, My: "I Have Never Fought the Word 'Genius' When People Have Said That About Me": Ace
I'm an Eric Cantor Zombie: Tom White
List of 100 Black Conservative Blogs and Websites: Politisite

Happy Anniversary to The Jawa Report – 10 Years of Excellent Blogging: GWP
GOP establishment panics over Christie’s troubles: “I think we need Mitt back”: Hot Air
The #JusticeForDrV Madness: ESPN Offers Belated ‘Condolences’? Really?: R.S. McCain

World

The New Intolerance: Ed Driscoll
Muslims Gang Rape American Woman In Colorado, In Rare And Horrific Ways: Shoebat
Allah vs atheism: ‘Leaving Islam was the hardest thing I’ve done’: Sarah Morrison, The Independent (UK)

The two state solution. So, Israel and...?: Commentator
Implementation of interim Iran nuclear deal begins: Fox
Echoes From The Holocaust: Western Rifle Shooters

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Tesla's toy boat: A drone before its time: Jon Turi
Bird steals camera, films gorgeous aerial footage of penguin colony: Jacob Kastrenakes
Your next phone may charge and receive data through these incredible screens: Appy-Geek

Cornucopia

Richard Sherman’s Email To His Stanford Dorm Is Freaking Hysterical: Joshua Riddle
So Hip It Hurts: Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen looks back.: Ian Feman
NASA: Martian Rock That ‘Appeared’ From Nowhere ‘Like Nothing We’ve Ever Seen Before’: Dollard

Image: Seahawks Cornerback Richard Sherman Gives Fox Sports' Erin Andrews Angry Post-Game Interview
Sponsored by: Send a love letter to the cowardly GOP Establishment: support Matt Bevin for Senate

QOTD: "U.S. border agent Brian Terry was shot on December 14th and died the following day, December 15th. That was the very day the Washington Post writers rolled out the administration propaganda that more regulation was needed to prevent drugs from crossing the border.

Drug cartels have aggressively turned to the United States because Mexico severely restricts gun ownership. Following gunrunning paths that have been in place for 50 years, firearms cross the border and end up in the hands of criminals as well as ordinary citizens seeking protection.

"This is not a new phenomenon," Webb said.

What is different now, authorities say, is the number of high-powered rifles heading south -- AR-15s, AK-47s, armor-piercing .50-caliber weapons -- and the savagery of the violence.

Federal authorities say more than 60,000 U.S. guns of all types have been recovered in Mexico in the past four years, helping fuel the violence that has contributed to 30,000 deaths. Mexican President Felipe Calderon came to Washington in May and urged Congress and President Obama to stop the flow of guns south.

U.S. law enforcement has ramped up its focus on gun trafficking along the southwestern border. Arrests of individual gunrunners have surged. But investigators rarely bring regulatory actions or criminal cases against U.S. gun dealers, in part because of laws backed by the gun lobby that make it difficult to prove cases.

Who fed this poppycock to James Grimaldi and Sari Horowitz? Is the Washington Post the least bit concerned that it was used -- and by whom? -- to provide cover for this lunatic government operation and propagandize its gun grabbing ploy?" --Clarice Feldman

Sunday, January 19, 2014

DEMOCRAT LOGIC COMIX: Dude, where's my jobs?

With a tip o' the derby to Liberal Logic 101:



How to Prevent Another World War

Guest post by James Carafano

Gavrilo Princip was no sharpshooter. He didn’t have to be. His target passed just feet in front of him. Princip plugged the heir to the Hapsburg throne in the jugular vein. Archduke Franz Ferdinand bled out in his car.

That single killing sparked a global slaughter. European security issues had grown so tangled, mangled and confused that no amount of statesmanship or diplomacy could keep the dogs of war at bay.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Great War that engulfed the world in violence, toppled nations and empires, and left millions starved or slaughtered. It offers modern civilization only one profitable lesson: If global peace is the goal, don’t live in world like that.

After Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, the European powers ensured general peace by each carving out its own sphere of influence and respecting those of the others. That arrangement generally worked, until the rise of Germany in the last quarter of the 19th century upset the status quo.

FOOD STAMP FUNNIES: The Hilarious Ripoff of American Taxpayers in Pictures #EBT

If you're not following Biff Spackle on Twitter (@BiffSpackle), you might consider doing so to keep pace with his comic strips.


A simple Google news search yields plenty of results on a daily basis.


Housing Crisis Architect Andrew Cuomo Now Claims Republicans Really Can Stay in New York

Had the media been doing its job during the campaign for the governorship of New York, Andrew Cuomo would be a punchline, not a high-ranking official. Cuomo's role in the housing meltdown -- serving as Secretary of HUD for Bill Clinton -- earned him the nickname "Architect of Ruin". He was the nation's foremost purveyor of subprime loans, using the force of law to compel financial institutions to disregard traditional underwriting norms and instead issue mortgages to those who could never repay them.

Cuomo is a radical Marxist progressive who believes in a single party, totalitarian government and admitted as much himself.

In [a] radio interview [public radio's "The Capitol Pressroom" on Friday], Cuomo detailed what he sees as a "schism" in the Republican Party among an "extreme" faction and a "moderate" faction.

"Are they these extreme conservatives, who are right to life, pro assault weapon, anti-gay, is that who they are?" Cuomo said Friday. "Because if that is who they are, and if they are the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York. Because that is not who New Yorkers are." ...Later in the [interview], Cuomo said it was "fine" to be opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage, but that it's "not the opinion of this state." ...

In other words, Cuomo took an oath to uphold the United States Constitution, but routinely spits on it instead.

He now claims he was misinterpreted.

GENIUS: House Leaders Prepare to Push Amnesty Though Only 3% of Americans Believe It's a Priority

Guest post by Van Esser

As Speaker John Boehner and House Republicans gear up for an internal debate over whether to address immigration in 2014, a new Gallup poll lends support to those who want to delay consideration. The poll found that only three percent of Americans think immigration is the top problem Congress must tackle this year. This is consistent with rankings in the recent past so why does Boehner consider immigration to be urgent or even a priority?

Of the new poll, Gallup’s Lydia Saad said, “Americans start the new year with a variety of national concerns on their minds. Although none is dominant, the government, at 21%, leads the list of what Americans consider the most important problem facing the country. The economy closely follows at 18%, and then unemployment/jobs and healthcare, each at 16%. No other issue is mentioned by as much as 10% of the public; however, the federal budget deficit or debt comes close, at 8%.” And below that at 3 percent, just above "lack of respect for each other," comes immigration.

There are a variety of reasons why Americans' top priority is the category “dissatisfaction with government/Congress/politicians; poor leadership; corruption; abuse of power.” Anyone who reads or listens to the news knows there have been a string of governmental failures and outrages, including President Obama’s setting aside enforcement of the immigration laws he does not like. Second and third come the economy and unemployment – two matters that Congress has debated for years but failed to address, at least in any effective manner. That in itself is an outrage. Unemployment remains high, especially for less-skilled/educated Americans and young Americans, and long-term unemployment is forcing people to abandon the workforce. The labor participation rate is the lowest it has been in the last 36 years yet politicians find time to address everything but putting Americans back to work.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: Vast Stretches Of Impoverished Appalachia Look Like They Have Been Through A War

Guest post by Michael Snyder

If you want to get an idea of where the rest of America is heading, just take a trip through the western half of West Virginia and the eastern half of Kentucky some time. Once you leave the main highways, you will rapidly encounter poverty on a level that is absolutely staggering. Overall, about 15 percent of the entire nation is under the poverty line, but in some areas of eastern Kentucky, more than 40 percent of the population is living in poverty. Most of the people would work if they could. Over the past couple of decades, locals have witnessed businesses and industries leave the region at a steady pace. When another factory or business shuts down, many of the unemployed do not even realize that their jobs have been shipped overseas. Coal mining still produces jobs that pay a decent wage, but Barack Obama is doing his very best to kill off that entire industry. After decades of decline, vast stretches of impoverished Appalachia look like they have been through a war. Those living in the area know that things are not good, but they just try to do the best that they can with what they have.

In previous articles about areas of the country that are economically depressed, I have typically focused on large cities such as Detroit or Camden, New Jersey. But the economic suffering that is taking place in rural communities in the heartland of America is just as tragic. We just don't hear about it as much.

Most of those that live in the heart of Appalachia are really good "salt of the earth" people that just want to work hard and do what is right for their families. But after decades of increasing poverty, the entire region has been transformed into an economic nightmare that never seems to end. The following is a description of what life is like in Appalachia today that comes from a recent article by Kevin D. Williamson...

Ben Carson Comix

Via @BiffSpackle:



Larwyn's Linx: Assault on US from southern border to explode with 'immigration reform'

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

Assault on US from southern border to explode with 'immigration reform': Exam
Surprise: Team Obama Delays Equal Coverage Provision: RWN
President’s Weekly Address – I Don’t Need No Stinking Congress: Caleb Howe

Oh, my: far left 9th Circuit confirms Citizens United: Ace
Latina Actress Blacklisted for Supporting Republican Candidate: R.S. McCain
Little Sisters vs. Goliath: Thomas Purcell

Triumph of the Mediocre: Theodore Dalrymple
Man Posts On Facebook About "Police State"-Guess Who Shows Up?: FreePatriot
Patriot Comments: John Boehner Weekly Facebook Top Ten Comments: IM41

Why is DHS participating in human smuggling operation?: John Hawkins
Barry explains Cloward-Piven Strategy: Allen West
Number of able-bodied adults without dependents on food stamps doubles: Breitbart

Economy

1.1 Trillion Reasons to Dump Boehner and McConnell: J. Robert Smith
Common Core to teach ‘all right wing extremist groups’ are fascist: BPR
Four Reasons Oregon Medicaid Results Even Worse Than They Look: Avik Roy

Scandal Central

Stopping food stamp fraud is racist: MinorityReport
The stealth jihad of Islamic immigration: Allen West
Kerry Dismisses 98% Support for New Egypt Constitution as Just One Election and Not ‘Inclusive’: PJM

Judge Jeanine Blasts Hillary Clinton on Benghazi: IM41
Shredding the layers of the ObamaCare onion: CFP
Stop? She Shouldn’t Even Be in a Position to Start: iOTW

Media

Politico silent on pay-to-play scandal: Breitbart
John Feehery – Under the Glare: Jen Kuznicki
It's Not Only NSA Spying on Americans: Ballseye's Boomers

50 Ways to Celebrate Michelle Obama's Birthday: Cube
Hillary Clinton’s Google Problem: Glob
Free At Last: Federal Court Hands Bloggers Legal First Amendment Protections: Publius

The Education of Barack Obama: The Devil’s in the Details: MOTUS
Weinstein UNCHAINED — The Top 7 Most Violent, Gun-Toting Harvey Weinstein Films: Bryan Preston
Gowdy Places Blame On Press – Outstanding: A Nod to the Gods

World

I Need a Favor: Ann Barnhardt
Hamas losing control of Gaza Strip: ynet
Pope may seek to unseal Holocaust-era archives: Times of Israel

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Microsoft employees reportedly call Windows 8 ‘the new Vista’: Brad Reed, BGR
Engineering Managers Should Code 30% of Their Time: Eliot Horowitz
A Broken Cell Phone As A Survival Tool...: 90 Miles

Cornucopia

For the Laughs: Say Uncle
Hidden Talent: 700hp And Street Legal: Brad Lord
Signature Accomplishment: PCP

Image: Fundamentally Transforming America
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: An Article V Symposium

QOTD: "If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." --Samuel Adams

Saturday, January 18, 2014

FORMER NSA CHIEF CONFIRMS SNOWDEN REVELATIONS: It's official, we're living in a totalitarian police state

I'd somehow missed this (yes, I'll say it -- terrifying) Snowden revelation:

Bill Binney is the high-level NSA executive who created the agency’s mass surveillance program for digital information. A 32-year NSA veteran widely regarded as a “legend” within the agency, Binney was the senior technical director within the agency and managed thousands of NSA employees.

Binney has been interviewed by virtually all of the mainstream media, including CBS, ABC, CNN, New York Times, USA Today, Fox News, PBS and many others...

...today, Binney told [us that] the government is spying on virtually everything we do.

All of the information gained by the NSA through spying is then shared with federal, state and local agencies, and they are using that information to prosecute petty crimes such as drugs and taxes. The agencies are instructed to intentionally “launder” the information gained through spying, i.e. to pretend that they got the information in a more legitimate way … and to hide that from defense attorneys and judges.