Justice Department: ATF misplaced 420 million cigarettes in stings

"Government agents acting without authorization conducted dozens of undercover investigations of illegal tobacco sales, misused some of $162 million in profits from the stings and lost track of at least 420 million cigarettes, the Justice Department's inspector general said Wednesday. In one case, ATF agents sold $15 million in cigarettes and later turned over $4.9 million in profits from the sales to a confidential informant — even though the agency did not properly account for the transaction. The audit came as a new blow to a beleaguered agency still reeling from congressional inquiries into the ATF's flawed handling of the Operation Fast and Furious weapons tracking probes in Mexico." Continue reading

Continue ReadingJustice Department: ATF misplaced 420 million cigarettes in stings

‘Monsanto Protection Act’ attached to Obamacare defunding bill

"The House Republican government funding bill, which passed in the House last week, contains a three-month extension of the Monsanto Protection Act, which shields companies like Monsanto and Dow Chemical from legal action resulting from Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crops. The Act also places the authority of whether or not GMO crops can be grown and sold domestically into the hands of Federal Department of Agriculture rather than with the courts or public referendum. The Democratically-controlled Senate is making no plans to work to keep the rider active beyond its current expiration date." Continue reading

Continue Reading‘Monsanto Protection Act’ attached to Obamacare defunding bill

The IRS Rewrites Obamacare

"Obama and his IRS are bypassing Congress and rewriting Obamacare on their own. The IRS is imposing health insurance mandates on employers and individuals even in states where by law they're exempt (http://shar.es/iI2HW). Obama also broke the law by extending the deadline for the employer mandate by a year. He bypassed Congress in making these arbitrary changes. He's picking and choosing which provisions to enforce, and when. Neither Obamacare nor the Constitution give him that discretion. His actions are illegal. And he's setting a precedent that will allow future presidents to ignore or rewrite legislation. But his lawlessness exposes a truth..." Continue reading

Continue ReadingThe IRS Rewrites Obamacare

The Larger the Deficit, the Greater the Default

"There will be a day of reckoning, of course. There always is. But a majority of voters at that time will be sure to see to it that previous lenders will suffer the losses. There will be a Great Default. The lenders will cry: 'But you promised.' And the borrowers will cry: 'That’s life in the land of Keynes. In the long run, we’re all dead. You go first.' The big losers will be the suckers who lent Uncle Sam the money. The biggest lenders are those who trust the federal government to pay their retirement bills, including medical bills. Those who believe in the welfare state will be the biggest losers. They have believed in something for nothing. They will get left with a pile of IOUs and a note: 'Sorry, Charlie.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingThe Larger the Deficit, the Greater the Default

Mark Thornton on “Government Shutdown”

"Mark Thornton presents a Misesian commentary on why politics is to blame for the impending U.S. government 'shutdown,' and how a gold standard could provide real fiscal discipline. Thornton is a Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute. For more information, visit the Mises Institute online at mises.org." Continue reading

Continue ReadingMark Thornton on “Government Shutdown”

What Will ObamaCare Cost You, Beginning on January 1? Do You Know?

"They call this insurance. It’s not insurance. It’s free care for the already ill. Someone must pay. Guess who? You! How much will your premiums be raised? Have you been told yet? If not, do you know how to find out? Have you made the household budget revisions that will be required on January 1? Or are you just waiting to see what happens? This gigantic change in American health care is due to go into effect on January 1. Everyone is supposed to enroll on October 1. Are they ready to comply? Do they know how to comply? The IRS will administer this. What if most people fail to comply? What will the IRS do then? With what percentage of its employees?" Continue reading

Continue ReadingWhat Will ObamaCare Cost You, Beginning on January 1? Do You Know?

Government Shutdown: An Oxymoron for Real Morons

"The words 'government shutdown' do not mean 'government shutdown.' They mean 'boondoggle shutdown.' They mean 'special-interest-group-subsidy shutdown.' What about the Post Office? Will it get shut down? No. What about the CIA? Will it get shut down? No. What about the NSA? Will it get shut down? No. What about the TSA? Will it get shut down? No. What about the Department of Homeland Security? Will it get shut down? No. My suggestion: stop worrying about a government shutdown. Instead, keep worrying about the government staying open . . . just like you did before." Continue reading

Continue ReadingGovernment Shutdown: An Oxymoron for Real Morons

Shutdown: ObamaCare (No) and the Federal Government (No)

"So, how long will House Republicans continue to take a stand? Until the polls indicate that they will lose in November 2014. On October 1, enrollment in the exchanges is to begin. But hardly anyone knows how to enroll yet. The computer programs are not ready. The confusion has not yet hit. The sense of betrayal has not yet hit Obama’s poll numbers. If Republicans can hold out long enough for resentment against the program to spread, they win politically. They can hold out longer. But at some point, they will capitulate. That’s what the uncertainty is all about. It’s about the timing of their capitulation." Continue reading

Continue ReadingShutdown: ObamaCare (No) and the Federal Government (No)

Peter Schiff Was Right – ‘Taper’ Edition

"When Ben Bernanke announced that the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee was going to continue its monetary expansion program it calls Quantitative Easing, almost everyone in the financial media was taken by complete surprise. According to the mainstream media, the non-taper 'surprised almost everyone out there.' Well it did not surprise me, nor anyone who had been paying attention to what I had been saying. As I said repeatedly over the past several months, the Fed knows that the appearance of economic health would evaporate if its stimulus were withdrawn, or even diminished." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPeter Schiff Was Right – ‘Taper’ Edition