Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Topics - LevelWing

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4

Spin Zone / $1 Trillion Spending Bill Deal

« on: May 01, 2017, 04:43:51 PM »

Quote from: McClatchy D.C.

WASHINGTON
Congressional negotiators have come up with a $1.07 trillion plan to keep the government running through the end of September – but there’s a lot missing from the 1,665-page bill.

And much of it involves items that President Donald Trump promised during his campaign and the early days of his presidency.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article147927964.html

It appears the ~~Democratic~~ Republican majority in the House got the bill they wanted. If there was a doubt in my mind before about Paul Ryan needing to go, it's now gone. Paul Ryan must go and someone, an actual Republican, must replace him. This is ridiculous. The Republicans gave away the entire farm with this bill and got nothing in return. The Democrats retain the majority despite being in the minority for yet another victory.

Spin Zone / President Trump's Tax Proposal

« on: April 26, 2017, 04:22:38 PM »

Quote from: The Washington Post

President Trump on Wednesday proposed a dramatic overhaul of the tax code, calling for sharply lower rates for individuals and businesses but also eliminating key tax breaks.

The proposal is a one-page outline — key details are left incomplete — but it presents an initial offer to begin negotiations with lawmakers, as White House officials think reworking the tax code is one of their biggest priorities to boost economic growth.

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do something big and important on taxes,” White House National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn said Wednesday.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-to-unveil-proposal-for-massive-tax-cut/2017/04/26/2097fe42-2a94-11e7-be51-b3fc6ff7faee_story.html?utm_term=.da44ad08d50f

Here are the key highlights:

3 tax brackets for individuals, instead of 7:

10%
25%
35%

The corporate tax rate would drop from 35% to 15% and some S-Corps would also be able to take advantage of that. Additionally, they are looking at ways to have a tax holiday to allow repatriation of money currently being held overseas by many large U.S. corporations.

All in all, I think there's some good ideas here but I'll want to see the actual details of the bill. Paul Ryan has said that this is a step in the right direction and is pretty much along the same lines as what he was thinking.

Spin Zone / Kennedy May Retire Next

« on: April 11, 2017, 08:59:28 PM »

Quote from: Bloomberg

Long before Gorsuch took his oath of office Monday, speculation was swirling that Kennedy might retire at the end of the term. President Donald Trump’s aides are preparing for the prospect of a new nomination while liberals brace for what could be a seismic shift on the court.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-11/supreme-court-retirement-talk-focuses-on-pivotal-justice-kennedy

I would expect Justice Ginsburg to hold on for as long as she can while Trump is president. However, if Kennedy retires at the end of this term, it will certainly swing the court more to the right. The Democrats wouldn't have much of a fight to put up over it, either, since they decided to fight Gorsuch instead of avoiding the nuclear option and focusing on the next justice to retire. Maybe they're hoping nobody will retire until either Democrats take the Senate back or if Trump is beat in 2020. Either way, this could get interesting.

Spin Zone / Gorsuch and the Senate Battle

« on: March 30, 2017, 11:25:15 AM »

Politico has an article out today discussing the challenges in the Senate regarding the confirmation of Gorsuch. While they like to state how both sides don't want to use the "nuclear option", they admit that the Republicans will do it.

Quote from: Politico

The Senate is careening toward a historic change to its filibuster rules that takes it one step closer to a version of the majority-rule House of Representatives.

But no one seems to care enough to save the Senate from itself.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/gangs-senate-gorsuch-236660

I stated from the beginning that I didn't think the "nuclear option" should be used if it could be avoided because it would lead to more issues and more division down the road. I stand by that. However, after watching the confirmation hearings in which liberal senators chose to play "gotcha" with him and ask him whether or not Merrick Garland was treated fairly (because Judge Gorsuch had so much to do with that), I say just confirm him by any means necessary. Use the Democrat's tactics against them and watch them cry foul while pointing out that it was Harry Reid that started this, not the Republicans. When they complain that this is unprecedented, remind them of the "Biden Rule".

Judge Gorsuch was treated very unfairly by the liberal Senators (no, I'm not surprised). He's incredibly qualified and is likely going to be an outstanding Supreme Court Justice.

Spin Zone / 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Destroys 2nd Amendment

« on: February 23, 2017, 11:45:37 AM »

The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that certain types of weapons are not constitutionally protected under the Second Amendment, in direct violation of D.C. vs. Heller.

Quote from: National Review Online

Freed up by the Supreme Court’s ongoing reluctance to engage in depth with the Second Amendment, the Fourth Circuit has taken it upon itself to rewrite Heller en banc. In a 10–4 decision, issued yesterday afternoon, the court upheld Maryland’s ban on both “assault weapons” and “high capacity magazines.” By so doing, it deprived the people of Maryland, the Carolinas, and the Virginias of the core protections to which the Constitution entitles them.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/445145/fourth-circuit-decision-maryland-assault-weapons-ban-constitutional-travesty

This article does a good job of breaking down why the Fourth Circuit is wrong. Unbelievable how they just ignored Heller and did what they wanted. With any luck, the SCOTUS will take this case on after Gorsuch is confirmed.

Spin Zone / Washington Post Profile of Neil Gorsuch

« on: February 20, 2017, 09:32:12 AM »

This is a surprisingly decent article from the Washington Post on Neil Gorsuch. It's long, but worth the read:

Quote from: The Washington Post

In the weeks since President Trump nominated Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court vacancy, debate over him has split along predictably partisan lines, with praise from the right and anxious condemnation from the left.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/gorsuch-profile/

Spin Zone / Hold Trump's Feet to the Fire

« on: November 16, 2016, 09:32:20 AM »

Trump won the election and now has a mandate. The Senate was retained by the Republicans and the House is still solidly in Republican control as well. All of this is great news and it means we should be able to make some real progress for the country. However, it should be noted that Trump's feet need to be held to the fire on his promises. Immigration, gun rights, SCOTUS, etc. are all important issues and it's important that he remains committed to conservative principles.

No, he's not a conservative but that doesn't mean he can't govern as one. It doesn't mean he won't evolve into one. I have hope that he will. I have hope that he will be a great president and I wish him success. But that doesn't mean I won't call him out when he does things I don't like or don't think are right. That doesn't mean I'm going to defend him when he changes positions on issues that aren't good for the country. Nor should anybody.

Quote from: Ben Shapiro

Trump’s moves thus far can generously be described as a mixed bag. On the one hand, he’s selected RNC chairman Reince Priebus as his White House chief of staff, a move designed to reach out to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in formulating a conservative legislative agenda; on the other hand, he’s hired former Breitbart CEO Steve Bannon, a fellow traveler with the alt-right and ardent enemy of the Republican Party, as his White House chief strategist. On the one hand, he’s said that he would repeal and replace Obamacare; on the other hand, he’s said he would keep Obamacare’s demand that insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions. On the one hand, he’s talked about appointing John Bolton Secretary of State; on the other hand, he’s continued to talk in glowing tones about Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

...

...Trump will hijack the movement for his own ends. Conservatism will shape itself to Trumpism. And that will be a tragedy for the Constitution, the conservative movement, and the country.

http://www.dailywire.com/news/10784/conservatives-hold-trumps-feet-fire-ben-shapiro

Spin Zone / Calls to Abolish the Electoral College - It Begins

« on: November 13, 2016, 08:47:12 AM »

It didn't take long for calls to abolish the electoral college. Here's Eric Holder talking to Bill Maher about how unfair it is and how they need to abolish the electoral college. Maher and Holder admit that it would take a constitutional amendment which would be hard, but Holder believes it can be done.

http://www.youngcons.com/former-attorney-general-eric-holder-says-we-should-abolish-electoral-college/

Spin Zone / Presidential Election Results

« on: November 08, 2016, 04:18:32 PM »

The first set of polls close in less than an hour. I figured we could consolidate states being called into one thread. I'll update this post as the results come in.

Trump:
States won:

Kentucky (8 )
Indiana (11)
West Virginia (5)
South Carolina (9)
Oklahoma (7)
Mississippi (6)
Alabama (9)
Missouri (10)
Tennessee (11)
North Dakota (3)
South Dakota (3)
Wyoming (3)
Kansas (6)
Texas (38)
Arkansas (6)
Nebraska* (5)
Louisiana (8 )
Montana (3)
Missouri (10)
Ohio (18)
North Carlina (15)
Florida (29)
Idaho (4)
Utah (6)
Wisconsin (10)
Iowa (6)
Georgia (16)
Pennsylvania (20)

Electoral votes: 282

* NE-2 is still up for grabs.

Hillary Clinton:
States won:

Vermont (3)
Delaware (3)
New Jersey (14)
Illinois (20)
Massachusetts (11)
Maryland (10)
Washington, D.C. (3)
Rhode Island (4)
New York (29)
Connecticut (7)
New Mexico (5)
Virginia (13)
Colorado (9)
Hawaii (4)
California (55)
Oregon (7)
Washington (12)
Nevada (6)
Maine* (3)

Electoral votes: 218

*Maine-1 is still up for grabs.

Spin Zone / Hillary Cleared - Again

« on: November 06, 2016, 01:50:29 PM »

Comey has said that the FBI's original recommendation has not changed:

Quote from: Washington Post

FBI Director James B. Comey notified key members of Congress Sunday afternoon that after reviewing all of the newly discovered Hillary Clinton emails the agency stands by its original findings against recommending charges.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fbi-director-comey-says-agency-wont-recommend-charges-over-clinton-email/2016/11/06/f6276b18-a45e-11e6-ba59-a7d93165c6d4_story.html

Let's see how quickly everyone reverses position on Comey, again. With just two days before the election, I wonder how much this will change things.

Spin Zone / Obama Encourages Illegals to Vote

« on: November 06, 2016, 08:54:35 AM »

This video shows the President encouraging illegals to vote and then says that there will be no repercussions. I would say that this administration is doing everything possible to ensure a Hillary victory, but it goes well beyond that. This administration has been doing unconstitutional things since he came into office. The female in the video baits him when she says that she believes she is a citizen and he takes it and runs with it.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/11/criminal-president-obama-encourages-illegal-aliens-vote-promises-no-repercussions-video/

Pilot Zone / Bob Hoover Flies West

« on: October 26, 2016, 11:53:11 AM »

Bob Hoover, one of the best pilots in aviation history, has passed away. What a legend.

Quote from: The New York Times

Bob Hoover, a pilot who escaped Nazi captivity in a stolen plane, tested supersonic jets with his friend Chuck Yeager, barnstormed the world as a breathtaking stunt performer and became, by wide consensus, an American aviation legend, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 94.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/us/bob-hoover-dead.html?_r=0

Spin Zone / "Hillary for Prison" - "Let's Make It Happen!"

« on: September 19, 2016, 12:48:07 PM »

I don't usually like posting things from Info Wars but I thought this was pretty funny. As Hillary is campaigning and working the rope line a guy yells "Hillary for prison!" and she responds with, "Let's make it happen!" She probably thought he said "Hillary for president" but I still found it amusing.

http://www.infowars.com/clinton-responds-to-hillary-for-prison-shout-lets-make-it-happen/

Spin Zone / Gun Ownership Rises to 44% Of All Homes

« on: August 28, 2016, 10:11:49 PM »

Quote from: Washington Examiner

After a steady decline in gun ownership in recent years, more homes are reporting having a weapon inside, according to a new survey.

Pew Research Center, in a poll on guns released Friday, showed that 44 percent of the country has a gun in the house. Some 51 percent don't.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/surprise-gun-ownership-rises-to-44-of-all-homes/article/2600319

A few thoughts on this. First, I'm not sure how true these numbers are. A lot of people won't tell you whether or not they have guns in the house. If someone called to survey me, I wouldn't answer because it's none of their business. So I have to wonder how accurate these numbers are.

Secondly, the article mentions that gun sales have been on the rise lately but this poll doesn't discuss how many of those are first time buyers vs. repeat buyers. I'd be interested to see those numbers. I suspect that gun purchases will continue to rise through the election as people become more and more concerned about losing their rights if Hillary is elected. After ATF 41F went into effect, Silencer Shop alone sent a ridiculous number of ATF forms in for silencers and other NFA items.

I also thought the numbers on the "no fly, no buy" were interesting. 71% say that they are supposedly in favor of preventing someone from purchasing a gun if they are on the no-fly list. Out of those, 69% were Republican or lean Republican. I find this hard to believe since that's a gross violation of the 5th Amendment.

Spin Zone / Clinton Begins Planning White House Agenda

« on: August 21, 2016, 01:31:10 AM »

Both candidates have transition teams but this article focuses on Clinton's team and what her agenda will be if she's elected. There are several key parts in this article I found interesting but the overall message I took away from the article was that she is ready to spend, spend, spend.