Truth Has No Agenda (GB)

Smaller Government

Internal IRS Mandate: ‘Be on the Lookout’ for ‘Organizations Involved In … Educating on Constitution and Bill of Rights’

[CNSNews.com]

May 12, 2013
Barack Obama, Michelle Obama

First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama (AP Photo)

(CNSNews.com) – A timeline of Internal Revenue Service activities that was developed by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and provided to congressional staff indicates that early last year–as the nation was headed toward a presidential election–the IRS issued a “be on the lookout order” (BOLO) for officials in its “Determinations Unit” to ferret out for heightened scrutiny organizations applying for tax exempt status that were involved in educating Americans “on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.”

The inspector general’s timeline indicates that as early as March 2010 the IRS’s “Determinations Unit” had begun targeting for special scrutiny organizations that used in their tax-exempt applications the words “Tea Party” or “Patriots.”

The IG’s timeline says that in March-April 2010: “The Determinations Unit began searching for other requests for tax exemption involving the Tea Party, Patriots, 9/12 and I.R.C. § 501(c)(4) applications involving political sounding names, e.g., ‘We the  People’  or ‘Take  Back  the  Country.’”

In July 2010, according to the IG’s timeline: “Determinations Unit management requested its specialists to be on the lookout for Tea Party applications.”

But by the beginning of the 2012 election year, the IRS had adjusted its “be on the lookout order” to more generally target groups that were involved in teaching people about the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

(more…)


Mitch McConnell Joins Filibuster Against Gun Control

[Breitbart.com]

by AWR Hawkins  CWN Post: April 09, 2013


Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says he will join GOP Senators to filibuster a bill expanding gun control regulations if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) brings it up for a vote this week.

This puts McConnell shoulder-to-shoulder with Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and eight other Senators who have said they will block a push for gun control in the Senate.

Currently, Reid’s gun control package focuses on instituting universal background checks and new laws against gun trafficking. Reid has made it clear he will allow also amendments establishing an “assault weapons” ban and Sen. Richard Blumentahl (D-CT) has made it clear he will also try to add a “high capacity” magazine ban as an amendment.

McConnell says he now stands with Paul, Cruz, Lee, Rubio, Inhofe, and the other Senators who have vowed to oppose any “motion to proceed to any legislation that will serve as a vehicle for additional gun restrictions.”


Gun dealers report striking ammunition shortages

[DailyCaller.com]

February 18, 2013

Gun owners are stockpiling ammunition in the midst of the ongoing national dialogue about gun-control legislation.

The USA Today reports that ammunition prices have skyrocketed in the last year, with some gun dealers limiting the quantity of ammunition that customers can purchase.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation — which represents ammunition makers, retailers, hunters and sport shooters – attributes the shortages in part to the increased popularity of sport-shooting and hunting.  In fact, hunting license sales increased 9 percent from 2006 to 2011, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Participation in skeet shooting is also growing 3-5 percent annually.

However, retailers largely attribute the increased demand for ammunition to expected or threatened policy changes. Owners and sellers of guns say that the run on ammunition began around the time of President Barack Obama’s re-election.

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Boehner warns Obama: If you veto our Plan B bill, the automatic tax hikes on January 1 are all on you

[HotAir.com]

posted at 5:13 pm on December 19, 2012 by Allahpundit

boehner-smallThis is a leverage ploy, right? The House passes Plan B, Reid kills it in the Senate, and then Boehner gets to say, “We did what Democrats wanted by taxing millionaires and they still prefer to go over the cliff.” But … what if it doesn’t even pass the House? Then Democrats get to turn around and say that the GOP caucus won’t even agree to tax the rich when it’s their own Speaker asking them to do so. As of last night, per National Journal, GOP vote counters weren’t sure that Boehner had the votes. Grover Norquist did him a favor this morning by declaring that Plan B doesn’t violate Republicans’ no-tax pledge, and this’ll help too:

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Jesse Jackson Jr. Could Be Faking Bipolar to Dodge Feds, Says BuzzFeed Reporter

[Newsbusters.org]

By Jack Coleman | November 27, 2012

Jack Coleman's picture

Don’t be surprised if you hear less from John Stanton out of left-wing media in the foreseeable future.

Why? Stanton’s penchant for speaking candidly, as he did yesterday on Bill Press’s radio show about embattled former congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.’s resignation from Congress only weeks after winning re-election.

Press told BuzzFeed’s Washington bureau chief of bumping into Jackson at George Washington University Hospital back in June after Press popped a hernia, Jackson telling Press he was “feeling a little under the weather.”

“The last time anybody saw Jesse Jackson Jr. in this city,” Press added, “and I didn’t realize that was the beginning of a long saga which ended over the weekend when he resigned from the United States Congress. Why?”

(more…)


How’s That Obamacare Waiver Workin’ Out for Ya?

[MichelleMalkin.com]

By Michelle Malkin
November 16, 2012 09:21 AM
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2012

How’s That Obamacare Waiver Workin’ Out for Ya?

Exactly two years ago this week, the Obama administration announced it had issued more than 100 waivers en masse to a select group of companies, unions and other health insurance providers seeking relief from the onerous federal health care law. The Obamacare waiver winner’s club now totals 2,000. Where are they now?

Answer: In the same miserable boat as every other unlucky business struggling with the crushing costs and burdens of the mandate.

Among the first and most prominent recipients of the Obamacare waivers for favors were large restaurant chains that provide low-wage, seasonal and part-time workers with low-cost health insurance plans called “mini-med” plans. An estimated 1.7 million workers benefit from such plans. Obamacare forced companies carrying such coverage to raise their minimum limits on coverage to no less than $750,000 annually. Another Obamacare provision forces all employers to spend at least 80 percent to 85 percent of their premium revenue on medical care.

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Reagan: Gov’t Claiming ‘I’m Here To Help’ The ‘Most Terrifying Words In The English Language’

[CNSNews.com]

November 15, 2012

Today, The Drudge Report ran a headline (“I’m Here To Fix It”) about Pres. Obama’s promise to Hurricane Sandy victims in New York, and it reminded me of Pres. Reagan’s famous warning.

“We’ve got some work to do and I want you to know I’m here to do it,” Pres. Obama promised while standing in front of a church in storm-torn New York, The Weekly Standard reports in its article titled, “Obama, In Front Of Church Devastated By Sandy: ‘I’m Here’ To Fix It.”

Both headlines reminded me of Pres. Ronald Reagan’s famous warning to Americans about the dangers of government “help”:

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

(more…)


Thank you to our defenders of freedom

[HumanEvents.com]

November 12, 2012

By: Debbie Lee

Thank you to our defenders of freedom

It is with great respect, admiration and deep understanding that I write this letter to honor each and every Veteran that has served or is serving our blessed Country! I understand and appreciate all who have given so much for me, so that I could enjoy my daily freedoms.

I was able to sleep well in the safety of my bed last night, because you served.

I was able to pray before my meal this morning in a public place without fearing arrest, because you gave.

I am able to freely speak my mind and voice my opinion without fear of retaliation against me or my family, because you cared.

I am able to stand up for what I believe in and not have a Dictators thoughts and opinions forced down my throat, because you stood up to the call to defend.

I am free to worship the one true God who created me in His image, because you were selfless in your actions.

To each one of you I speak from the bottom of my heart when I say Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are my heroes and I want to remember and honor you this Veterans Day. Not a single day goes by that I don’t think of the sacrifices you and your families have given!

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Networks That Hyped Romney’s ‘Bombshell’ Tax Tape Now Skip ObamaCare ‘Penalties’

[MRC.org]

Published: 9/20/2012 4:19 PM ET

The same networks that have been hyping secret video of Mitt Romney talking about who pays taxes, hyperventilating about the Republican’s “seismic” bombshell,” have, thus far, completely ignored the revelation from the Congressional Budget Office that “significantly” more Americans will have to pay a “tax penalty” for being uninsured, many in the middle class.

All three evening newscasts on Wednesday and the morning shows on Thursday totally skipped this report. The Associated Press explained, “The new estimate amounts to an inconvenient fact for the administration, a reminder of what critics see as broken promises.” Writer Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar added, “Nonetheless, in his first campaign for the White House, Obama pledged not to raise taxes on individuals making less than $200,000 a year and couples making less than $250,000.”

Yet, World News, the NBC Nightly News, the CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning and Today all avoided the topic.

GMA opted for more important topics, such as an amusement park mishap that caused several people to be stranded on a roller coaster for hours.

(more…)


Obama’s DOJ Grants ATF New Gun Grab Authority

[FreedomOutpost.com]

by

September 12, 2012

The Obama administration via the Department of Justice has given authority to the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to “seize and administratively forfeit property involved in controlled-substance abuses.” This means now that people who are not dealing illegal drugs, just using them and anyone who might associate with them in the same residence or be in a vehicle can have their God-given right of keeping and bearing arms revoked by the government god. In fact, no conviction is even required in these instances.

(more…)


Without teleprompter, Condoleezza Rice brings GOP faithful to their feet

[DailyCaller.com]

Published: 12:18 AM 08/30/2012

Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks to the crowd at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, on August 29, 2012 during the Republican National Convention (RNC). (ROBYN BECK/AFP/GettyImages)

TAMPA, Fla. — Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rallied the GOP faithful at the Republican National Convention with a barn-burner speech Wednesday night.

The only speaker of the convention thus far to take the podium without the assistance of a teleprompter, Rice spoke of the challenges facing the country, both foreign and domestic, and the need for a leader.

Commencing with an anecdote about the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Rice transitioned to the economic crisis and turmoil abroad. She pointed out that around the world people ask “Where does America stand?” only to find that the answer is ambiguous. To Rice, the country is in need of leadership.

“I know too that there is a weariness I know there is a sense that we have carried these burdens long enough,” she said, noting that the country has no other choice by to be a leader, because “either nobody will lead and there will be chaos or someone else will who does not share our values. We do not have a choice. We cannot be reluctant to lead — and you cannot lead from behind.” Rice asserted that Romney and Ryan are the ones who can lead.

(more…)


RNC Protester Arrested Carrying Machete

[Breitbart.com]

by Breitbart News – August 26, 2012

Police arrested a Tallahassee man protesting at the Republican National Convention for carrying a machete into the Event Zone.

According to authorities, Jason T. Wilson had a “full size” machete (pictured left) strapped to his leg at a Sunday protest.

When deputies approached Wilson, they said he continued to walk away despite orders to stop.

“When deputies caught up to Wilson, he advised he did not have to stop and that he was allowed to carry whatever he wanted,” HCSO spokesperson Larry McKinnon said.

When deputies attempted to physically stop him, Wilson allegedly began resisting arrest and was physically restrained.

The police have not connected Wilson to any particular organization or entity protesting at the RNC.

Although formally organized left-wing protesters promise “non-violent” tactics, they plan to disrupt businesses and not cooperate with police investigating other protesters who may damage property or harass private citizens. An anonymous individual threatened to “legitimately rape” conservative activists Brandon Darby and Lee Stranahan at the convention.


Wash Post Poll: Large Majorities Want Smaller Federal Gov’t, Say Gov’t Controls Too Much

[CNSNews.com]

U.S. TreasuryU.S. Treasury Building (AP Story)

(CNSNews.com) – A survey of 3,130 American adults conducted by the Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation between July 25 and August 5 discovered that large majorities of Americans favor a smaller federal government and believe the government controls too much of our daily lives.

The survey discovered these results even though only 25 percent of the people it polled were Republicans, while another 34 percent were Democrats and another 34 percent were Independents.

(more…)


No-bama 2012: Young voters fed up with economy

[WND.com] EXCLUSIVE

‘Millennials have concluded government intervention is the problem, not the solution’

August 17, 2012

by Drew Zahn

Young voters – the ones who so notably turned out for Barack Obama in 2008 – are fed up with being unemployed, and many are beginning to turn against the president’s big-government solutions to America’s economic woes.

One group tracking this turnaround is Generation Opportunity, or GO, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks to mobilize Americans aged 18-29 toward “real solutions” to joblessness and the flailing economy.

GO boasted this past week that its family of Facebook pages – with names like “We Like Small Government” and “Gas Prices Are too D— High” – have topped over 4 million “likes” and growing, fueled by a young demographic that polls show is increasingly disillusioned with Obama’s economic policies.

(more…)


In Iowa face-off, Ryan hammers jobs message as Obama employs drought politics

[FoxNews.com]

Published August 13, 2012

Paul Ryan used his first solo campaign swing as Mitt Romney’s running mate Monday to hammer President Obama as a jobs killer, forcefully echoing Romney’s message, while Obama used a pair of nearby campaign stops to accuse Ryan of hurting drought-stricken farmers.

Ryan was dispatched to Iowa by team Romney to challenge the president as Obama kicked off a three-day bus tour across the Hawkeye State.

Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman, was occasionally interrupted by hecklers during a speech at the Iowa State Fair but stuck to a meat-and-potatoes message of jobs and the deficit.

“As you see the president come through on his bus tour, you might ask him the same question that I’m getting asked from people all around America, and that is, ‘Where are the jobs Mr. President?’” Ryan said in Des Moines.

(more…)


Ryan Candidacy Puts Debts, Deficits Front and Center

[Breitbart.com]

by Wynton Hall 11 Aug 2012, 4:34 PM PDT

Liberals who are “giddy” at the prospects of Mitt Romney’s selection of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan are in for a rude and sober awakening when they realize the strategic genius behind the decision.

Team Romney’s strategy?  Lure the Obama campaign into attacking Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity” deficit reduction plan as a means to frame the 2012 election as a battle over the economic consequences of debt and deficits.  If Obama strategists David Axelrod and David Plouffe take the bait, Mitt Romney will win.

(more…)


House GOP poised to hold vote on repeal of ObamaCare after Supreme Court ruling [30th Time!]

[FoxNews.com]

By

Published July 10, 2012

House Republican leaders are forging ahead with plans to hold a vote Wednesday on a full repeal of President Obama’s health care law, after launching debate on the repeal measure Tuesday nearly two weeks after the Supreme Court upheld most of the law as constitutional.

Wednesday will mark the chamber’s second vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act in full, though this attempt is being given no greater chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate. Obama has vowed to veto any such measure, were it to reach his desk.

House Republicans have held 29 other votes aiming to gut specific parts of the law since 2011.

(more…)


Should Romney Apologize for Romneycare?

[Townhall.com]

July 9 , 2012, by Byron York

It’s always been a challenge for Mitt Romney to explain the differences between Romneycare and Obamacare. The two programs share a lot of the same features — mandate, penalties, subsidies, exchanges and others. Romney has consistently argued that those provisions are acceptable, even good, at the state level, but not acceptable, and in some cases not even constitutional, at the federal level.

The problem isn’t just that Romney frequently finds himself making detailed explanations, which is never a good thing in politics. The problem is that it always sounds a little odd to voters for Romney to say that when he did it in Massachusetts, it was a great thing, but when Barack Obama did it nationwide, it was a terrible thing.

Now, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision, Romney’s job has gotten even harder — so hard that there will likely be growing pressure on him to admit that Romneycare, his signature achievement as Massachusetts governor, was a mistake.

The problem is the court’s ruling that Obamacare’s individual mandate is a tax. Even though most Republicans had wanted to see Obamacare struck down, many embraced the mandate-is-a-tax ruling because it allowed them to accuse the president of raising taxes.

(more…)


Romney Breitbart Exclusive – Paul Ryan: We Win, We Repeal

[Breitbart.com]

July 5, 2012 by Joel B. Pollak

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), chair of the House Budget Committee–and potential running mate of Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney–told Breitbart News this week that the party’s leaders are “absolutely” committed to repealing Obamacare. 

“It would have been nice for the Supreme Court to repeal it for us,” he said, “but it’s no harder today than it was the day before the decision. We win, we repeal. It’s just that simple.”

Ryan, speaking exclusively with Breitbart News, added that there was no disagreement about repealing Obamacare among the various Republican leaders, or with the Romney campaign. “Not in any of the meetings I have been having,” he said.

Earlier in the week, conservatives criticized apparently conciliatory postures by the Romney campaign and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). McConnell and Romney have since confirmed their commitment to repealing Obamacare as a first priority after the election.

Asked whether Republicans had a plan ready to replace Obamacare, Ryan pointed to several plans that had already been proposed, including his own and that of Rep.Tom Price (R-GA). While there was common agreement on the need for a “patient-centered” system, Ryan said there were “differences of opinion” on the details of an alternative, particularly on the issue of whether to use tax credits to help people buy insurance.

“I don’t think those differences will be resolved between now and the election,” Ryan said. “There will be a cacophony of ideas.” He explained that Republican leaders would introduce reforms one-by-one, following repeal of Obamacare in the 113th Congress.

(more…)


White House claims ObamaCare fine a ‘penalty,’ despite court calling it a ‘tax’

[FoxNews.com]

Published June 29, 2012

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

First it was a penalty. Then it was a tax. Now it’s a penalty again.  [Flippidy-Floppidy]

The war of words over what to call the fine attached to the federal health care overhaul’s most controversial provision continued Friday, as the White House took issue with the Supreme Court’s argument — even though that argument alone spared President Obama’s law.

The five-justice majority argued that, while the fine imposed by the law for not buying health insurance would otherwise be unconstitutional, the fine is actually legal under Congress’ authority to tax.

Ergo, the fine is officially a “tax” in the eyes of the court. The law stands.

But in a case of biting the hand that feeds, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Friday the fine is still just a “penalty.”

(more…)


Romney to Latinos: Obama ‘Taking Your Vote for Granted’

[Breitbart.com]

Posted CWN:  June 23, 2012

by Tony Lee

President Barack Obama has taken the Hispanic vote for granted, according to Mitt Romney in a much-anticipated speech to the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) in Florida on Thursday. 

“He’s taking your vote for granted,” Romney said of Obama. “I’ve come here today with a simple message: You do have an alternative. Your vote should be respected.”

Romney was referring to Obama’s inaction on immigration even though Democrats were in the majority in the House and Senate when he became president.

Romney said Obama, because he cannot sell his economic policies that have left more Latinos (11% as opposed to 8%) unemployed than the general population, will simply tell Hispanics that “things could be worse” and “imply that you really don’t have an alternative.”

(more…)


Clinton in 2010: If It Doesn’t Work In Two Years, ‘Vote Us All Out Then’

[Breitbart.com]

June 14, 2012

In 2010, former President Bill Clinton made a statement that President Obama would probably rather not be reminded of today. “The Democrats are saying something like this: ‘We found a big hole that we did not dig. We didn’t get it filled in 21 months, but at least we quit digging,’” Clinton said “‘Give us two more years. If it doesn’t work, vote us out.’”

President Obama famously told NBC News’ Matt Lauer that his presidency would be a “one term proposition” if his policies did not turn the economy around by 2012.


Media humiliated over election coverage

[WND.com]

WND EXCLUSIVE

June 6, 2012 by Joe Kovacs  Email | Archive

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer transforms from ‘joyous’ to somber in 1 hour [How the liberal mainstream "propaganda" media GOT IT WRONG!]

Some members of the national news media are coming under heavy criticism today for their coverage, or lack thereof, of last night’s Wisconsin recall vote.

Incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker easily won the race with 53 percent of the vote, compared to 46 percent for Democrat challenger Tom Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee.

At 9 p.m. Eastern, when polls officially closed and networks could make their prediction, all of the cable networks including CNN, MSNBC and Fox News all announced the race was “too close to call.”

Radio host Rush Limbaugh said CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer sounded “joyous” when he declared at 9 p.m.: “We begin with breaking news out of Wisconsin where polls have just closed in a recall vote that could preview November’s election. Look at this! Our exit polls show it’s a 50/50 race as of this minute!”

“Why was Wolf Blitzer excited?” asked Limbaugh this afternoon. “Why was 50/50 exciting to Wolf Blitzer and anybody on the left? It was because all the pre-election polls had Walker winning by anywhere from 3 to 10 [points].”

(more…)


Victory for Walker could spell doom for Obama

[FoxNews.com]

By

Published June 05, 2012

Wisconsin Recall.jpg

In this Jan. 17, 2012 file photo, supporters of recalling Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker celebrate after canvassers gathered about 1 million signatures in Madison, Wis. More than a year after the standoff over union rights that rocked Wisconsin and the nation for weeks, the Republican Governor will face Milwaukee’s Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett in Tuesday’s recall election. (AP Photo/Andy Manis) (AP2012)

The Wisconsin recall election could well be a decisive turning point in the presidential election. Recent polls –showing Governor Scott Walker holding a two to three point lead over Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett — indicate that the governor will triumph Tuesday. A victory  would signal a major blow to organized labor and a jolt to Republican governors nationally.

It, too, however, has the potential to be a pivotal, watershed moment in the 2012 presidential election, setting the pace and determining the direction of the race from now until November that could spell disaster for President Obama.

If Walker is re-elected, it will embolden Republicans across the country and alert them that a set of tough positions on fiscal issues, particularly relating to pension and benefits, remains viable.

(more…)


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