Pentagon extends troops at the border as new Migrant Mob forms

The Department of Defense announced Monday that it will continue to support DHS along the U.S. – Mexico border until late 2019.
In response to the December 27, 2018 request from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Acting Secretary of Defense Pat Shanahan approved Department of Defense assistance to DHS through Sept. 30, 2019. DOD is transitioning its support at the southwestern border from hardening ports of entry to mobile surveillance and detection, as well as concertina wire emplacement between ports of entry.

The Defense Department will continue to provide aviation support, but the announcement was unclear on whether or not members of the DoD would be available to build new sections of border barrier should the president declare a national emergency and request unused DoD funding to do so.

At last report, there were 5,900 active duty military along the border and another 2,100 National Guard troops providing assistance to Homeland Security.

The support comes just in time as another Migrant Mob, this one with a reported 15,000 migrants, has formed in Honduras and is expected to begin its march north towards Southern Mexico on Tuesday. This group isn’t pushing towards the U.S. at this point after learning the fate of the previous migrant group.

Thousands of migrants from the previous wave have been deserted by the coordinators who talked them into taking the 2,000-mile journey only to get left in camps in Tijuana, Mexico while they await the long asylum process. Most won’t be granted asylum once the process is complete.

With this mob hoping to get work and/or benefits in Mexico, Mexicans aren’t as supportive as they were when the mobs were destined for America.

“That work is for Mexicans that need it,” said Anna Pérez from Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico on Facebook. “Opportunistic people who just want to take advantage of the Mexicans.”

And the long treck north may not have made those families any safer than they would have been at home. Tijuana, where many are stuck, is a city with more than 2,000 homicides this year, leaving the Central American migrants almost as vulnerable as they were grappling with the gang violence that caused them to flee their homeland.

IRS Punishes Excellence: The Tax Burden on Olympic Athletes

This week, the best of American athletes, who’ve spent years putting hard work and effort into training for their respective sports, are in London for the Olympics.

It’s a wonderfully capitalistic competition- the best, the most talented, the hardest working from around the world competing to see who is the best. Excellence is rewarded with medals, international recognition and the personal satisfaction of knowing that your dedication has propelled you to victory.

Yet, how does America, the supposed bastion of the free market, reward the excellence of their athletes upon their return home?

By taxing them of course.

United States tax law states that U.S. athletes, who face a top tax rate of 35%, must add their Olympic medals and prizes to their taxable income.

Americans for Tax Reform notes that a gold medal is worth $675, a silver medal is worth $385 and a bronze medal’s worth is under $5.

Their is also a cash prize that accompanies each medal won- $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze.

The following chart, from Americans for Tax Reform, shows the tax burden, graduated by medal type, that athletes pay on each individual medal they receive:

  Medal Tax Prize Tax Total Tax Burden
 

Gold

 

 $236 $8,750 $8,986
 

Silver

 

 $135 $5,250 $5,385
Bronze $2 $3,500  

$3,502

This astounding tax on excellence is made even worse by the fact that U.S. athletes are virtually the only competitors who are taxed for their winnings, because the U.S. is one of the only countries that taxes worldwide income- income earned overseas by taxpayers.

However, Tea Party favored Florida Senator Marco Rubio is making an attempt to end the tax. Calling the American tax code a “complicated and burdensome mess that too often punishes success”, Rubio introduced a bill that would end the tax on Olympic medals.

Feds Offer $1000 To Adopt Wild Horses Because They Can’t Cull Them

The Department of the Interior is offering up to $1,000 to people willing to adopt a wild horse or burro, according to a press release.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which runs the federal government’s wild horse and burro adoption program, launched the new incentive program March 12.

“The goal of the program is to reduce BLM’s recurring costs to care for unadopted and untrained wild horses and burros while helping to enable the BLM to confront a growing over-population of wild horses and burros on fragile public rangelands,” the press release says.

The number of wild horses and burros on federal lands passed most areas’ holding capacity years ago. The BLM currently manages roughly 82,000 animals in pastures that cannot sustainably support more than about 27,000, according to BLM data.

The federal government is required by law to remove animals over the limit that the land can support, but federally controlled corrals and private partners are at or nearing their limits. The cash incentive for adoption is aimed at taking away excess animals currently held in the corrals.

The BLM adoption and sales programs have declined over recent decades. In 1995, the government placed, either through adoption or sales, about 9,700 wild horses and burros into private homes. In 2005, the number had dropped to 5,700, and in 2017, just 4,099 animals were removed from federal holding corrals to private homes.

Federal law prevents BLM officials from selling the animals for slaughter or giving or selling animals to individuals who intend on killing them. To control the burgeoning population, BLM officials rely on PZP, a drug used to prevent contraception. Officials must administer the drug to each mare at least once a year for four years before the affects begin to become permanent.

An amendment proposed in Congress last year would have lifted the restriction on horse and burro euthanasia. The BLM issued a statement in support of the amendment, though the amendment was later dropped.

“With few natural predators and limited tools for controlling herd growth, our nation’s wild horse and burro herds are chronically overpopulated and increasing exponentially,” the BLM said. “Given the extensive overpopulation, wild horses and burros routinely face starvation and death from lack of water. The high number of excess wild horses and burros causes habitat damage that forces animals to leave public lands and travel onto private property or even highways in search of food and water.”

How much support did Rep. Paul’s Audit the Fed Bill Get? Check out the Co-sponsors

I’ll keep it brief, but Rep. Ron Paul’s Audit the Fed bill (HR 459) garnered significant bi-partisan co-sponsorship showing that his legislation truly crosses party lines. According to Rep. Paul’s government website, this is the list:

 

Audit the Fed Cosponsors – 112thCongress   Bold=Original Cosponsor Italics = Democrat
1 Mike Coffman 21 Cathy McMorris Rodgers 41 David McKinley
2 Glenn Thompson  22 Mike Simpson 42 Frank LoBiondo
3 Rodney Alexander 23 Adrian Smith 43 Gary Miller
4 Tom McClintock 24 Doug Lamborn 44 Jeff Miller
5 Gus Bilirakis 25 Lamar Smith 45 C. W. Bill Young
6 Spencer Bachus 26 Denny Rehberg 46 Randy Forbes
7 Jason Chaffetz 27 Sue Myrick 47 Scott Garrett
8 Jeff Fortenberry 28 Buck McKeon 48 Jim Gerlach
9 Steven LaTourette 29 Robert Wittman 49 Louie Gohmert
10 Dan Burton 30 Marsha Blackburn 50 Bill Huizenga
11 Bill Posey 31 Kenny Marchant 51 Blaine Luetkemeyer
12 Walter Jones 32 Elton Gallegly 52 Dennis Kucinich
13 Tom Reed 33 Marcy Kaptur 53 Don Young
14 Paul Broun 34 Lynn Woolsey 54 John Campbell
15 Dean Heller 35 Aaron Schock 55 Tom Petri
16 Joe Barton 36 Michael Burgess 56 Roscoe Bartlett
17 Rob Woodall 37 Dennis Ross 57 Lynn Westmoreland
18 Michael McCaul 38 Ken Calvert 58 David Schweikert
19 Dana Rohrabacher 39 Bill Flores 59 James Lankford
20 Leonard Lance 40 Tom Graves 60 Vern Buchanan
61 Justin Amash 81 Thaddeus McCotter 101 Donald Manzullo
62 John Duncan 82 Joe Wilson 102 Michael Michaud
63 Francisco Canseco 83 Tammy Baldwin 103 Mike Rogers (MI)
64 Scott Rigell 84 Tim Johnson 104 Todd Young
65 Rich Nugent 85 Bob Goodlatte 105 Jared Polis
66 Mick Mulvaney 86 Chris Gibson 106 Joseph Heck
67 John Carter 87 Tom Latham 107 Jaime Herrera Beutler
68 Geoff Davis 88 Tom Marino 108 Virginia Foxx
69 Mike Ross 89 Lee Terry 109 Steve Austria
70 David Dreier 90 Lynn Jenkins 110 Cliff Stearns
71 Stephen Lee Fincher 91 Reid Ribble 111 Judy Biggert
72 Tim Walberg 92 Marlin Stutzman 112 Cynthia Lummis
73 Sandy Adams 93 Kurt Schrader 113 Jeff Flake
74 F. James Sensenbrenner 94 Sam Johnson 114 Blake Farenthold
75 Lou Barletta 95 Andy Harris 115 John Conyers
76 Kay Granger 96 Trey Gowdy 116 Tim Murphy
77 Connie Mack 97 Ander Crenshaw 117 Pete Visclosky
78 Mack Thornberry 98 Peter DeFazio 118 Scott Tipton
79 Jason Altmire 99 Morgan Griffith 119 Robert Schilling
80 Joe Walsh 100 Jack Kingston 120 John Kline
121 Sam Graves 141 Raul Labrador 161 Tom Price
122 Tim Griffin 142 Larry Kissell 162 Jim McGovern
123 Michele Bachmann 143 Mike Rogers (AL) 163 Frank Wolf
124 Steve Austria 144 Tom Cole 164 Zoe Lofgren
125 Randy Neugebauer 145 Todd Rokita 165 Maurice Hinchey
126 John Shimkus 146 Dan Benishek 166 Patrick Meehan
127 Rodney Frelinghuysen 147 Mike Kelly 167 Mike Pompeo
128 Wally Herger 148 Kevin McCarthy 168 Peter Roskam
129 Jeff Duncan 149 Charles Boustany 169 Paul Gosar
130 Todd Platts 150 Bill Shuster 170 Kevin Yoder
131 Frank Guinta 151 Michael Turner 171 Candice Miller
132 John Culberson 152 Steven Rothman 172 Phil Roe
133 Jon Runyan 153 Robert Hurt 173 Sean Duffy
134 Cory Gardner 154 Patrick Tiberi 174 Phil Gingrey
135 John Tierney 155 Randy Hultgren 175 Austin Scott
136 John Yarmuth 156 John Sullivan 176 Steve Womack
137 Pete Stark 157 Todd Akin 177 Tom Rooney
138 Tim Huelskamp 158 Peter Welch 178 Dave Camp
139 Robert Latta 159 Jo Bonner 179 Brett Guthrie
140 David Wu 160 Brian Bilbray 180 Tim Scott
181 Vicky Hartzler 201 Ben Quayle 221 Adam Kinzinger
182 Mike Fitzpatrick 202 Jean Schmidt 222 Howard Coble
183 Kristi Noem 203 Mo Brooks 223 Ralph Hall
184 John Barrow 204 Diane Black 224 Collin Peterson
185 Steve Scalise 205 Rob Bishop 225 Daniel Lungren
186 David Loebsack 206 Fred Upton 226 Daniel Webster
187 Allen West 207 Rick Crawford 227 Bill Johnson
188 Michael Grimm 208 Sanford Bishop 228 Mike Pence
189 Frank Lucas 209 Bill Cassidy 229 Paul Tonko
190 Gene Green 210 Steve Pearce 230 Harold Rogers
191 Greg Walden 211 Dan Lipinski 231 Jo Ann Emerson
192 Chip Cravaak 212 Michael Conoway 232 Charles Fleischmann
193 Jeff Landry 213 Ruben Hinojosa 233 Gregg Harper
194 Jackie Speier 214 Alan Nunnelee 234 Shelley Moore Capito
195 Erik Paulsen 215 John Mica 235 Steve King
196 Mark Amodei 216 Bob Gibbs 236 Leonard Boswell
197 Mary Bono Mack 217 Steve Stivers 237 Charles Dent
198 Rick Berg 218 Charles Bass 238 Ben Chandler
199 Jerry Lewis 219 Jim McDermott 239 Jim Jordan
200 Ted Poe 220 Chris Smith 240 Mario Diaz-Balart
241 John Fleming 261 Ann Marie Buerkle
242 Billy Long 262 Pete Olson
243 Scott DesJarlais 263 Brad Sherman
244 Renee Ellmers 264 Hansen Clarke
245 Ed Whitfield 265 Raul Grijalva
246 Duncan Hunter 266 Larry Bucshon
247 Patrick McHenry 267 Doc Hastings
248 Jeff Dunham 268 Chellie Pengree
249 Trent Franks 269 Shelley Berkley
250 Steven Chabot 270 Adam Schiff
251 Richard Hanna 271 Nan Hayworth
252 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen 272 Ed Royce
253 Jeb Hensarling 273 Steven Palazzo
254 Pete Sessions 274 William Owens
255 Robert Aderholt
256 Jim Renacci
257 Bruce Braley
258 Silvestre Reyes
259 Joe Pitts
260 Lloyd Doggett

*sourced site is a government property making this information public domain

And who were in the small minority (1/3 of House members) that voted no?

Ackerman
Andrews
Bass (CA)
Becerra
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Brady (PA)
Brown (FL)
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardoza
Carney
Carson (IN)
Castor (FL)
Chu
Cleaver
Clyburn
Conyers
Cooper
Crowley
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
DeGette
DeLauro
Deutch
Dicks
Dingell
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Eshoo
Fattah
Frank (MA)
Fudge
Gonzalez
Gutierrez
Hanabusa
Hastings (FL)
Himes
Hinchey
Holt
Hoyer
Israel
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Keating
Kind
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lowey
Maloney
Markey
Matsui
McCollum
McDermott
Meeks
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Moore
Napolitano
Neal
Olver
Pallone
Pelosi
Peters
Price (NC)
Rangel
Reyes
Rothman (NJ)
Roybal-Allard
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sánchez, Linda T.
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schwartz
Serrano
Sewell
Shuler
Sires
Slaughter
Stark
Thompson (MS)
Towns
Turner (NY)
Van Hollen
Velázquez
Wasserman Schultz
Watt
Waxman
Wilson (FL)
Woolsey

Half Of America Doesn’t Have Confidence Mueller’s Report Will Be Fair

The majority of Americans support congressional Democrats’ calls to investigate President Donald Trump’s past communication and financial ties with Russia, but half of them lack confidence that special counsel Robert Mueller’s report will be fair and even-handed.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Sunday showed that 50 percent of Americans surveyed don’t believe Mueller’s probe, which is currently investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, will result in an unbiased, fair report.

A random sample of 1,001 U.S. adults were asked between Jan. 21-24 how much confidence they have that Mueller’s report will be even-handed, to which 28 percent responded “Just some” and another 22 percent responded “None at all.”

Just 24 percent said they have “A great deal” of confidence in the report, which stands in contrast to the large public support for such investigations.

The poll, which had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points, showed that 57 percent of respondents support a Democratic investigation into potential collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia; 61 percent support investigations of suspected financial ties between Trump and foreign governments; and 59 percent support investigations into Trump’s relationship and communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At the same time, a plurality of respondents, 46 percent, also said they think Democrats will go “too far” in investigating Trump.

A majority of Americans, 55 percent, said they don’t think Congress should begin impeachment proceedings either, which could create a potential disconnect between elected officials and the country as a whole as lawmakers continue to call for impeachment.

Over the course of Trump’s presidency, several members of Congress have unveiled articles of impeachment and called to remove the president from office, including Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters and Brad Sherman of California, Marcia Fudge of Ohio and Al Green of Texas.

Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib made headlines hours after being sworn into Congress earlier in January when she told a group of left-wing supporters that she would help Democrats “impeach the motherf****r.”

Presidential hopefuls so far, including Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, have stopped short of calling for the president’s impeachment, but progressive billionaire Tom Steyer told Politico Sunday that he plans to spend $40 million in 2019 on the impeachment cause. “Unless you support impeachment, we’re not supporting you,” he said.

Happy Days! Twinkies to Return Soon!

No need to test the longevity of your Twinkies purchased pre company breakup, your favorite snack may be back on the shelves as soon as July!

A Columbus, Georgia Dolly Madison plant is scheduled to be up and running by July. The reformulated Hostess Brands expects the most popular products to be back on the shelves this summer.

In a bankruptcy forced liquidation Hostess due in part to a lengthy impasse by striking workers, the brand and five of the bakeries were bought in a joint venture by two private equity companies.

The Dolly Madison plant in Columbus, Ga., will be the first to reopen. The ‘new’ bakery is inviting former workers to apply for positions. There has been no talk of unions in the new company.

In its new iteration, the company will hire 200 workers for jobs starting this summer. Another 100 jobs will follow. Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson said her town is better off with the opportunities — whether they’re union or not.

“I think we’re very happy to have the jobs back; 300 jobs is better than zero jobs,” she said.

Read more at CNN Money.

Optimize Your Dollar: Making Tough Choices

This week I talked to my friend “Dee”.

Dee has been through some trials due to the continued poor economy.

Three years ago Dee was working in the career she loves. She was teaching young children at a private school. Unfortunately, the economy caused her school to make a tough choice. They closed. It was no one’s fault (well, you could blame the Obama administration but…) Parents were losing their jobs, had hours reduced or took pay cuts; homes were upside down and there just wasn’t enough money to send kids to school when there were charter and neighborhood schools available at no cost.

Dee, like so many others, had been living on a shoestring. Everything was very finely balanced; the paycheck just matched the bills. So when the school told Dee they would be closing the end of May and that there would be no unemployment available well, you can imagine. Suddenly, expenses were more than income.

Of Hispanic descent, raised in Texas, Dee was familiar with being poor. After her mother died her father took over both roles. A landscaper, who often worked two jobs, he taught the children the importance of education carefully monitoring their school work and pushing them to go further than he. This desire that the children lived a better life meant Dad often had to make very tough choices.

The teacher cuts were statewide that year. My friend had to swallow her pride and accept assistance from the Salvation Army and the Catholic food bank. She cut her cable television and then the internet and then the phone. Finally, she found a new position. Unfortunately, the pay was less.  When her young adult daughter lost her part time job due to the economy they made one more tough choice. They had to give up their car.

For Dee the past two years have been a challenge. But things are improving. She found a coworker nearby who would give her a ride to work. Her daughter eventually found a job at a discount store close enough that she could ride her bike.

Going back to her roots, Dee began cooking from scratch and found her crock pot to be invaluable once she returned to work. They also decided that eating out would be reserved for special treats. The family decided they could continue to live without cable television and now weekly visits the local library for free movies and books.

This week when we talked Dee said the family no longer needs to use the food bank to help with their groceries. And she is starting to save money so she can buy a car with cash. She doesn’t want to worry again about making payments.

Some people might choose to run up the credit cards during challenging times. Dee instead chose to make some tough choices. As this family gets back on its feet I know they are glad that they’ve got their bills in check.

If you have suggestions to stretch your shopping dollar or questions please let me know.

 

Majority Of House Democrats Vote To Let 16-Year-Olds Vote For President

A majority of House Democrats voted Wednesday to lower the federal voting age from 18 to 16.

A number of high-profile Democrats voted in favor of the legislation, including California Reps. Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, Maxine Waters and Ted Lieu, Hawaii Rep. and Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) introduced the legislation Tuesday evening as an amendment to House Democrats’ “For The People Act,” (H.R. 1) which would overhaul federal election laws and would require a Constitutional amendment to implement.

Section 1 of the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states:

The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age.

The change ultimately failed to pass thanks to a split Democratic vote and near-unanimous Republican opposition.

Democrats voted 125-108 in favor of Pressley’s amendment, with two members voting present and three members not voting while House Republicans voted against the amendment 197-1. Texas Rep. Michael Burgess was the only Republican to vote aye.

Pressley cited teen activists pushing for gun control as a reason to give 16-year-olds the right to vote, which she compared to having a driver’s license.

“Young people are at the forefront of some of our most existential crises,” she said in her remarks Tuesday. “The time has come. Our young people deserve to have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.”