What Could Possibly Go Wrong

U.S. General: US military intervention in Syria would create ‘unintended consequences’

"The top US military officer warned senators on Monday that taking military action to stop the bloodshed in Syria was likely to escalate quickly and result in 'unintended consequences', representing the most explicit uniformed opposition to deeper involvement in another war in the Middle East. Dempsey's letter came after McCain announced he would block the general's reappointment to chair the joint chiefs of staff, the most senior position in the US military, until Dempsey provided the Senate with his assessment of the merits of US military action in Syria." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. General: US military intervention in Syria would create ‘unintended consequences’

Al-Qaeda claims Iraq prison raids, says 500 inmates freed

"Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for simultaneous raids on two Iraqi prisons and said more than 500 inmates had been set free, in a statement posted on militant forums on Tuesday. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which was formed earlier this year through a merger between al Qaeda’s affiliates in Syria and Iraq, said it had carried out the attacks on Abu Ghraib and Taji jails after months of preparation. Sunni Islamist militants have in recent months been regaining momentum in their insurgency against Iraq‘s Shi’ite-led government, which came to power after the U.S. invasion to oust Saddam Hussein." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAl-Qaeda claims Iraq prison raids, says 500 inmates freed

Congress moves towards arming Syrian rebels

"President Barack Obama’s plan to provide vetted Syrian rebels with weapons and strategic military aid has gained traction in Congress, US lawmakers said Tuesday. The United States is currently providing humanitarian and non-lethal military aid to rebel groups battling the regime of strongman Bashar al-Assad. Obama’s administration promised an expansion of military aid to Syria’s rebel forces in June after accusing the regime of using chemical weapons, but such aid has yet to be disbursed. Lawmakers have been split on the proposal, but on Monday House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers said a 'consensus' had been reached." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCongress moves towards arming Syrian rebels

Meredith Whitney: ‘Detroit Will Start A Wave of Municipal Bankruptcies’

"At the root of the problem is the incentive system that elected officials used to face. For decades, across the US, local leaders ran up tabs for future taxpayers; they promised pensions and other benefits for public employees that have strong legal protection. That has been a great source of patronage for elected officials: they can promise all sorts of future perks to loyal supporters with very little accountability on the delivery of those promises.[...] Leaders across the country cannot continue as they have. They must choose sides because there is simply not enough money to go around. Will they side with taxpayers, unions or the municipal bondholders?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMeredith Whitney: ‘Detroit Will Start A Wave of Municipal Bankruptcies’

Police raid on wrong address felt like home invasion

"He was claiming to be a police officer, but the man she had seen looked to her more like an armed thug. Her boyfriend, Dorris, was calmer, and yelled back that he wanted to see some ID. But the man just demanded they open the door. The actual words, the couple say, were, 'We're the f------ police; open the f------ door.' Then, to the couple's horror — and as Goldsberry huddled in the hallway with gun in hand — the front door they had thought was locked pushed open. A man edged around the corner and pointed a gun and a fiercely bright light at them, and yelled even more. 'Drop the f------ gun or I'll f------ shoot you,' he shouted, then said it again and again." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice raid on wrong address felt like home invasion

Move over NSA, here comes the Obamacare Big Brother database

"The massive, centralized database will include information such as income and financial data, family size, citizenship and immigration status, incarceration status, social security numbers, and private health information. It will compile dossiers based on information obtained from the IRS, Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Veterans Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, the Social Security Administration, state Medicaid databases, and for some reason the Peace Corps. The hub will be used on a daily basis by so-called Navigators, but there are only sketchy guidelines on how they will be hired, trained and monitored." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMove over NSA, here comes the Obamacare Big Brother database

Obamacare, Simplified

"The process for determining subsidy eligibility could require 21 different steps, involving at least five separate entities—the Social Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Internal Revenue Service, and state exchanges—and utilizing a process called the Income and Family Size Verification Project. Yet the Obama Administration believes spending more money will solve the problem. Just for the IRS implementation of Obamacare, the Administration requested $439.6 million for nearly 2,000 bureaucrats." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObamacare, Simplified

25 Facts About The Fall Of Detroit That Will Leave You Shaking Your Head

"On Thursday, we learned that the decision had been made for the city of Detroit to formally file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. It was going to be the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of the United States by far, but on Friday it was stopped at least temporarily by an Ingham County judge. How 'honoring the president' has anything to do with the bankruptcy of Detroit is a bit of a mystery, but what that judge has done is ensured that there will be months of legal wrangling ahead over Detroit's money woes. But one thing is for sure - the city of Detroit is flat broke. One of the greatest cities in the history of the world is just a shell of its former self." Continue reading →

Continue Reading25 Facts About The Fall Of Detroit That Will Leave You Shaking Your Head

Detroit’s City Pensioners Finally Figure It Out After 40 Years: No Pensions.

"Fiscal conservatives have said for years that this was inevitable. We were dismissed as crackpots. The red ink could flow forever, we were told. 'No problem!' They say the same thing today about the federal government. The suckers line up for jobs with the federal government, with its fat pensions and unfunded liabilities. The result will be the same: default. Cities can do what individuals do: run up large bills, and then declare bankruptcy. The voters will shrug off 20,000 pensioners who lived in a fantasy world all their lives. They are no longer politically viable. They are merely a tiny voting bloc that has no money to give to campaigns." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDetroit’s City Pensioners Finally Figure It Out After 40 Years: No Pensions.