Republicans
Standard-Capacity Ammunition Magazine Ban Passes Out Of Illinois Senate Executive Committee
Gun “control” is on the move again in Illinois as legislation banning standard-capacity ammunition magazines has passed out of the Illinois Senate Executive Committee, setting up Senate Bill 1002 to be voted upon by the full chamber. Lauren Leone-Cross reported on Springfield’s The State Journal-Register website late yesterday:
The Democrat-controlled Senate Executive Committee passed the measure 12-3, with two Republicans, Minority Leader Christine Radogno of Lemont and Sen. Matt Murphy of Palatine, voting “yes.”
“I think this is a chance that this bill could save lives, and I think it’s worth taking that chance,” Murphy said.
Leone-Cross added later in the article:
Sponsoring Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, said that while he doesn’t know when he’ll call SB 1002 for a vote in the full Senate or whether he has the votes, it “looks promising.”
Illinois residents who think their Republican state senator will oppose this legislation might be in for a rude shock, seeing that Senators Radogno- the Minority Leader no less- and Murphy have now aligned themselves with the gun “control” camp on this bill.
In the meantime, the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action has sent out the following:
Illinois: Anti Self-Defense Amendment to be Considered in Senate as Early as Tomorrow
Contact your state Senator IMMEDIATELY and urge him or her to oppose Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 1002!
Today, in another attempt to further disarm the law-abiding residents in Illinois, an amendment offered by state Senator Dan Kotowski (D-28) to Senate Bill 1002, was heard by the Senate Executive Committee. Amendment 2 to SB1002 would limit the sale and transfer of all standard capacity magazines. Rather than addressing criminals engaging in gang violence, Chicago politicians want to limit the ability of law-abiding gun owners to defend themselves against those criminals.
In a state that is under court order to enact concealed carry reform laws for the self-defense of its residents, this restriction on standard capacity magazines is a step in the wrong direction. This legislation will only remove the ability of responsible gun owners to defend themselves and their loved ones.
It is critical that you contact your state Senator and urge him or her to resist this legislative attempt to disarm and punish law-abiding citizens. Contact your state Senator TODAY and respectfully urge him or her to uphold Illinoisans’ right to self-defense by opposing Amendment 2 to Senate Bill 1002.
Contact information for your state Senator can be found here.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Source:
Leone-Cross, Lauren. “Illinois Senate panel endorses ammunition limit.” The State Journal-Register. 20 May 2013. (http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x776192437/Senate-committee-to-vote-on-proposed-high-capacity-magazine-ban?zc_p=0). 21 May 2013.
Poll: 29 Percent Of Americans Think Armed Revolution Might Be Necessary In Next Few Years
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”
-Thomas Jefferson (Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and 3rd U.S. President) to William Stephens Smith, Paris, November 13, 1787
Armed revolution in the United States.
I heard it being talked about yesterday in the mainstream media after the release of some new poll findings, so I decided to go to the source this morning. From a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind news release Wednesday, concerning their most recent national survey of 863 registered U.S. voters from April 22 through April 28, 2013:
The poll finds that 29 percent of Americans think that an armed revolution in order to protect liberties might be necessary in the next few years, with another five percent unsure. However, these beliefs are conditional on party. Just 18 percent of Democrats think an armed revolution may be necessary, as opposed to 44 percent of Republicans and 27 percent of independents.
“29 percent of Americans think that an armed revolution in order to protect liberties might be necessary in the next few years.”
Wild.
Well, I’ve come across increasing chatter of a Second American Revolution for a number of years now on various blogs/websites, so I can’t say I’m too surprised to read of these findings.
You can view the entire Fairleigh Dickinson University news release here.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Columbia University Economist Decries Criminal Behavior On Wall Street, ‘Corrupt Politics To The Core’
Stumbling on the following made me reminisce about the “good old days” as editor of Boom2Bust.com, “The Most Hated Blog On Wall Street,” when I would following the shenanigans on Wall Street a lot more than I’m able to today. From Jeffrey Sachs, an economist and Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, at the 31st Annual Monetary & Trade Conference on April 17:
A lot of what’s happened actually and what’s been revealed is in my view prima facie criminal behavior. It’s financial fraud on a very large extent. There’s also a tremendous amount of insider trading, and you can even watch it when you’re living in New York, how that works…
I believe we have a crisis of values that is extremely deep, because the regulations and the legal structures need reform. But I meet a lot of these people on Wall Street on a regular basis right now. I’m going to put it very bluntly. I regard the moral environment as pathological. And I’m talking about the human interactions that I have. I’ve not seen anything like this, not felt it so palpably. These people are out to make billions of dollars and nothing should stop them from that. They have no responsibility to pay taxes. They have no responsibility to their clients. They have no responsibility to people, counterparties in transactions. They are tough, greedy, aggressive, and feel absolutely out of control, you know, in a quite literal sense. And they have gamed the system to a remarkable extent, and they have a docile president, a docile White House, and a docile regulatory system that absolutely can’t find its voice. It’s terrified of these companies.
If you look at the campaign contributions, which I happened to do yesterday for another purpose, the financial markets are the number one campaign contributors in the U.S. system now. We have a corrupt politics to the core, I’m afraid to say, and no party is – I mean there’s – if not both parties are up to their necks in this. This has nothing to do with Democrats or Republicans. It really doesn’t have anything to do with right wing or left wing, by the way. The corruption is, as far as I can see, everywhere. But what it’s led to is this sense of impunity that is really stunning, and you feel it on the individual level right now, and it’s very, very unhealthy.
I have waited for four years, five years now, to see one figure on Wall Street speak in a moral language, and I’ve not seen it once. And that is shocking to me. And if they won’t, I’ve waited for a judge, for our president, for somebody, and it hasn’t happened. And by the way it’s not going to happen anytime soon it seems.
“SR 76 Wall Street”
YouTube Video
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
List Of U.S. Senators Who Crossed Party Lines On Manchin-Toomey-Schumer Amendment
The following is a list of U.S. Senators who crossed party lines on the Manchin-Toomey-Schumer proposal to expand firearm background checks. The amendment failed in the Senate Wednesday on a 54-46 vote.
Republicans who voted “yes” on expanding checks:
• John McCain (AZ)
• Mark Kirk (IL)
• Susan Collins (ME)
• Pat Toomey (PA)
Democrats who voted “no” on expanding checks:
• Mark Begich (AK)
• Mark Pryor (AR)
• Max Baucus (MT)
• Heidi Heitkamp (ND)
• Harry Reid (NV)
Harry Reid voted “no”?
According to the FOX News website yesterday:
Reid only voted no for procedural reasons, so that Democrats can call up the provision later on.
By the way, I’m not sure I’d call Senator Kirk from Illinois “Republican” anymore. The word is out around Illinois he’s really a RINO (“Republican In Name Only”). I’ve got to believe he’ll have his hands full trying to fend off both Republican and Democratic challengers for his seat when his term expires in 2016.
Anyway, take note and factor into your vote the next time these candidates come up for election.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Source:
“Senators who crossed party lines on background check vote.” FOX News. 17 Apr. 2013. (http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2013/04/17/senators-who-crossed-party-lines-background-check-vote/). 18 Apr. 2013.
Illinois House Democrats Approve Bill Amendments Banning ‘Assault Weapons’ And ‘High-Capacity’ Magazines
Democrats in the Illinois House of Representatives are pushing forward to ban “assault weapons” and “high-capacity” ammunition magazines. From the Associated Press last night:
The Illinois House on Tuesday voted in favor of bans on semi-automatic assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines, though the proposals still face several legislative battles before they could become law.
The approved proposals were six amendments to a bill that House Speaker Michael Madigan left blank on purpose, and they were okayed in an unusual process that Madigan began using last week to allow legislators to debate at length on contentious topics. The House still must approve the full piece of legislation for it to move to the Senate, and none of the six votes taken Tuesday as lawmakers debated what would go into the measure had the same support as what is required for a bill to pass the House.
Republican legislators in the Illinois House refused to cast votes.
Gun rights supporters in the “Land of Lincoln” remain hopeful that the gun “control” legislation will fail. Zach Buchheit reported on the Chicago Sun-Times website last night:
While members voted to add the measures to an overall bill, the closest any vote came to meeting the minimum 60 votes needed for a bill to pass in the House was still two votes shy. The legislation cannot become law until the House passes the entire adopted piece of legislation, which is sponsored by House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago).
This is “Madiganistan.” Something tells me the powerful House Speaker might get the required votes to pass the larger bill. And remember, after last November’s elections Democrats now have a super-majority in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, as well as a pro-gun “control” governor in Pat Quinn.
If you’re an Illinois resident whose representative to the Illinois House is a Democrat but has been pro-gun rights up to now, now is a great time to contact them and remind that legislator just how important this issue and legislation is to you.
Because something tells me this might be your last chance as it concerns being able to legally own/possess military-pattern semi-automatic rifles and standard-capacity ammunition magazines within the state of Illinois.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Sources:
“Illinois House OKs amendments banning semi-auto guns.” Associated Press. 5 Mar. 2013. (http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1037519821/Ill-House-OKs-amendments-banning-semi-auto-guns). 6 Mar. 2013.
Buchheit, Zach. “Illinois House advances assault weapons ban, but short on votes to pass bill.” Chicago Sun-Times. 5 Mar. 2013. (http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/18658704-418/illinois-house-advances-assault-weapons-ban-but-short-on-votes-to-pass-bill.html). 6 Mar. 2013.
GAO: ObamaCare Could Add $6.2 Trillion To Long-Term Federal Deficit
Here’s another headline-worthy story you may not hear/ready about in the mainstream media. Andrew Stiles reported on the National Review blog The Corner earlier this week:
Obamacare will increase the long-term federal deficit by $6.2 trillion, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today.
Senator Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.), who requested the report, revealed the findings this morning at a Senate Budget Committee hearing. The report, he said, “confirms everything critics and Republicans were saying about the faults of this bill,” and “dramatically proves that the promises made assuring the nation that the largest new entitlement program in history would not add one dime to the deficit were false.”
President Obama and other Democrats attempted to win support for the health-care bill by touting it as a fiscally responsible enterprise. “I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits — either now or in the future,” Obama told a joint-session of Congress in September 2009. “I will not sign it if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future, period.”
You can read Stiles’s entire February 26 post on his blog here.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Illinois Vs. Wisconsin On Gun ‘Control’
Gun “control” supporters in Illinois are giddy this week. In preliminary voting Tuesday, Illinois House members approved limitations on the right to carry a concealed weapon, barring guns from schools, public transit, and amusement parks, among other locations in the state. And then there’s the victory of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg-supported Robin Kelly also on Tuesday in the special Democratic primary for the U.S. Congressional 2nd District. In Kelly’s victory speech, she told supporters:
You’ve sent a message that was heard around our state and across the nation. A message that tells the NRA that their days of holding the country hostage are coming to an end. And their days of scaring Congress into submission on gun “control” are coming to a close. You came together, you gave us your time, you knocked on doors, you made calls, you shared with us your heart-wrenching stories of love and loss, of broken dreams, and unfulfilled potential. You cried with us, you fought for us, and you told the NRA and their allies in Congress and around the country that we, we the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandchildren, friends and neighbors, the families of the fallen, the neighbors living in fear, we are united in our mission to end the killing in our streets.
I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t make much sense to me to blame a group of civic-minded, law-abiding gun owners for the actions of criminals.
“But Chris, the NRA is allowing gun violence to continue by not allowing more laws to be implemented.”
Gun “control” doesn’t work, if only because criminals don’t give a rat’s butt about the law. Not to mention there are reportedly 22,000 gun laws on the books now in America, yet the “killing in our streets” continues. And if such laws are so effective, then why is the poster-child for strict gun “control” in the country- my hometown of Chicago- also the “Deadliest Global City” among the world’s Alpha cities?
Anyway, that’s what’s going on in the “Land of Lincoln” today as it concerns gun “control.”
On the flipside, there’s our neighbors to the north- Wisconsin. Kevin Wang of the Associated Press reported this past weekend:
Amid continuing debate over cutting gun violence, Republicans in control of the Wisconsin Legislature say it’s unlikely the state will pass any gun-control legislation this session.
While some other states and Congress mull bans on assault weapons or high-capacity magazines, or tighter background checks on buyers, Wisconsin Republicans say they will focus instead on potential gaps in the state’s mental health system.
“I’d be really surprised if anything passes here in Wisconsin that would restrict gun access,” said state Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend. “We haven’t talked about it because we’re not going to do it.”
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
You mean, Wisconsin is looking into its mental health system after recent mass shootings committed by possibly mentally-ill individuals rather than blaming and pushing more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners for the actions of criminals?
Outrageous, I tell you!
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Sources:
Pearson, Rick and Ruthhart, Bill. “Kelly easily wins Democratic race to replace Jesse Jackson Jr. in Congress.” Chicago Tribune. 27 Feb. 2013. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/clout/chi-2nd-congressional-district-jackson-20130226,0,4718425.story). 27 Feb. 2013.
Wang, Kevin. “Wisconsin GOP: Don’t look for new gun restrictions in state.” Associated Press. 24 Feb. 2013. (http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci_22660434/wisconsin-gop-dont-look-new-gun-restrictions-state). 27 Feb. 2013.
Barack Obama, Democrats Now Own Gun ‘Control’
In case there were still any doubts that U.S. President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats don’t own the gun “control” issue now, check out this portion of tonight’s State of the Union address:
“Democrats chant ‘Vote!’ as Obama calls for more gun control during State of the Union”
YouTube Video
I was a U.S. Senate aide during the 104th United States Congress (1995-1997). You know, the one where Republicans won majorities in the House and Senate for the first time since the 1950s. And I remember distinctly what a number of Democrats said about their push for more gun “control” and securing a 10-year-ban on “assault weapons” just prior to the “Republican Revolution:”
What the hell were we thinking.
Probably not political hara-kiri, which is what resulted.
Something tells me President Obama and Democrats of the 113th Congress are hoping Mark Twain was wrong about his notion that history doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes.
They’ll find out soon enough, like on November 4, 2014, when elections are held for 33 out of 100 U.S. Senate seats and all 435 U.S. House seats.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
GDP Drop Blamed On Hurricane Sandy, Republicans
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, some talking heads on the TV were saying how the U.S. economy would take a significant hit from all the destruction. I remember turning to my girlfriend and saying, “Well, there’s their out.” I went on to explain that if the economic numbers for the fourth quarter ended up being crummy, the White House would just go ahead and blame Sandy.
So while I was a little surprised to hear about the drop in GDP today (I thought enough “stimulus” was already coursing through the financial system), the same can’t be said about what the White House said this morning. Alan Krueger, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, wrote on The White House Blog today:
According to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis today, real GDP edged down 0.1 percent at an annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2012, amid signs that Hurricane Sandy disrupted economic activity and Federal defense spending declined precipitously, likely due to uncertainty stemming from the sequester. This was the first quarterly drop in real GDP in three-and-a-half years (see first chart below). Over the last fourteen quarters, the economy has expanded by 7.5 percent overall, and the private components of GDP have grown by 10.9 percent. During the four quarters of 2012, real GDP grew by 1.5 percent, the third consecutive year of economic expansion.
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
Don’t get me started on that “economic expansion” bit, as it’s been oh-so-terrific for many Americans.
Hurricane Sandy’s economic impact and a decline in government spending last quarter is repeatedly mentioned in the blog post, leading some to believe that the Obama administration is blaming the economic contraction last quarter a good deal on that late October storm and the Republican Party. Reuters’ Mark Felsenthal wrote on Yahoo! News this afternoon:
The White House on Wednesday blamed the surprising contraction of the economy at the end of last year at least partly on Republican “political brinkmanship” for threatening to let defense cuts take effect.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said similar threats over a looming March 1 deadline when defense and other cuts take effect absent a broader budget deal could similarly hurt the U.S. economy and taxpayers.
“This is political brinkmanship with one primary victim, and that is American taxpayers and the American middle class,” Carney said at a briefing.
“Our economy is facing a major headwind … and that’s Republicans in Congress.”
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
Since the campaign for the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, Barack Obama and the Democratic Party have consistently blamed George W. Bush and the Republican Party for the nation’s ongoing economic woes (I submit both major political parties are truly at fault and the damage began decades earlier). Believing that this strategy worked to retain the Oval Office in 2012, and based on Carney’s words today, be prepared to hear even more blamethrowing of this type going forward in President Obama’s second term.
In the meantime, the financial house of cards keeps growing more unstable with trillions of dollars of debt being continually heaped upon it.
Hurricane Sandy. The GOP. How about the “stimulus” being injected into the cancer (debt)-ridden patient is perhaps becoming less effective over time? Instead of a strong, sustainable economic recovery, we’re seeing a weak one that’s requiring constant assistance.
What QE are we on again?
Furthermore, Washington and the Fed are “running out of bullets.” It’s somewhat amazing they’ve managed to “kick the can down the road” this far.
Looking back on today’s GDP announcement and related events, it’s apparent the blamethrowers are alive and well in the nation’s capital.
And the proverbial brick wall- or our “financial reckoning day,” as some like to call it- keeps getting closer.
Be advised.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Sources:
Krueger, Alan. “Advance Estimate of GDP for the Fourth Quarter of 2012.” The White House Blog. 30 Jan. 2013. (http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/01/30/advance-estimate-gdp-fourth-quarter-2012). 30 Jan. 2013.
Felsenthal, Mark. “White House blames Republican ‘brinkmanship’ for GDP contraction.” Reuters. 30 Jan. 2013. (http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-accuses-republicans-brinkmanship-spending-cuts-181022857–business.html). 30 Jan. 2013.
U.S. Reaches $16.4 Trillion Debt Limit
You may have been distracted by events related to New Year’s Day and negotiations over the “fiscal cliff” to notice that the United States reached its authorized debt ceiling of $16.394 trillion on New Year’s Eve. Rich Barbieri and Jeanne Sahadi reported on the CNN Money website Monday morning:
It’s official: U.S. debt reached its legal borrowing limit Monday, giving Congress about two months before it must raise the debt ceiling or risk causing the government to default on its bills and financial obligations.
“I can confirm we will reach the statutory debt limit today, Dec. 31,” a Treasury Department official said Monday.
As for increasing the nation’s debt ceiling yet again, U.S. President Barack Obama doesn’t want debate from Congress on the subject. From Reuters this morning:
President Barack Obama vowed on Tuesday to avoid a repeat of last year’s divisive fight with Congress over an extension of the nation’s borrowing authority.
“While I will negotiate over many things, I will not have another debate with this Congress about whether or not they should pay the bills they have already racked up,” Obama said in remarks in the White House.
“I will not have another debate.” Hmm. Back on December 5, Zachary Goldfarb wrote on the Post Politics blog on the Washington Post website:
As part of the fiscal cliff negotiations, Obama has proposed effectively ending the need for Congress to periodically raise the debt limit, which Republicans have rejected.
I wonder if this proposal won’t be pushed again in the near future?
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (http://www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Sources:
Barbieri, Rich and Sahadi, Jeanne. “It’s official: U.S. hits debt ceiling.” CNN Money. 31 Dec. 2012. (http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/31/news/economy/debt-ceiling/) 2 Jan. 2013.
“Obama Debt Ceiling Statement: Limit Increase Not Up For Debate After Fiscal Cliff Showdown.” Reuters. 2 Jan. 2013. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/02/obama-debt-ceiling-fiscal-cliff_n_2394164.html). 2 Jan. 2013.
Goldfarb, Zachary A. “Obama on debt ceiling fight: ‘I will not play that game.’” Post Politics. 5 Dec. 2012. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2012/12/05/obama-on-debt-ceiling-i-will-not-play-that-game/). 2 Jan. 2013.
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