Team Trump Looks To Send Fifty Judges To Adjudicate Immigration Cases

By William Teach March 10, 2017 – 7:20 am

One of the talking points from illegal alien supporters is that there just aren’t enough judges to deal with all the illegals sitting in detention centers, so, the illegals in the centers should be let go on their own recognizance with a pinky swear that they’ll return for their hearing. With the return rarely happening, surprisingly. So, no

(Reuters) The Department of Justice is deploying 50 judges to immigration detention facilities across the United States, according to two sources and a letter seen by Reuters and sent to judges on Thursday.

The department is also considering asking judges to sit from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., split between two rotating shifts, to adjudicate more cases, the sources said. A notice about shift times was not included in the letter.

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. (snip)

The order called for the end of a policy known as “catch and release,” by which immigrants were released from detention and given a date to appear in court. Immigration courts have a backlog of over 550,000 cases, according to the Justice Department’s data, so many court dates are set years into the future.

Well, we certainly do not want the illegals sitting in Obama’s horrible detention centers for long

(ABC News) Numerous health risks, poor conditions and safety violations were found at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), detention facility in Orange, California, according to a report released Wednesday.

The report alleged that food was mishandled, the housing conditions were “unsatisfactory” and that the facility was violating protocols to separate high-risk detainees and low-risk detainees.

An unannounced inspection on Nov. 16, 2016 of the Theo Lacy Facility (TLF) in Orange, California, found issues that “pose health risks” and other violations that “result in potentially unsafe conditions at the facility.”

So, Obama was running the facility poorly. Interesting that this report comes out now. Regardless, if conditions are that bad for these criminal aliens, well, time for a quick hearing and then deportation.

Speaking of deportation, everyone freaked over the deporation of a grandma illegal. Sob stories were the order of the day, along with calling ICE and Trump big meanies. Then, reality reared it’s head

When the grandmother of a Mira Mesa military veteran’s family was sent back to Mexico last week, her devastated family members focused on her central role helping raise two small children whose father is serving as a contractor in Afghanistan.

More details of her deportation came out this week, as immigration officials offered details of a felony welfare fraud conviction against the woman, Clarissa Arredondo, and disclosed that she had previously been deported.

Arredondo, 43, was removed to Tijuana on Friday after being detained on Valentine’s Day. Her story was featured in The San Diego Union-Tribune on Sunday and became national news. Her daughter is married to a Navy veteran, and they have daughters, 2 and 3.

She was under an expedited removal order from 2005. When someone crossed the border after being previously deported, that’s a felony. This goes with her felony welfare fraud conviction. Sure, it might not be a violent crime, but, then, it’s still a crime. Remember when Representative Larry Craig was caught with a wide stance, a misdemeanor (that shouldn’t even be a crime, but, that’s a different conversation), and the left cheered for him to be kicked out of Congress? Who did he hurt? There was no violence involved. Welfare fraud actually hurts U.S. citizens.

Read: Team Trump Looks To Send Fifty Judges To Adjudicate Immigration Cases »

Posted in Illegal Immigration | 7 Comments | Trackback URL

Paul Ryan Runs Powerpoint To Push Obamacare Repeal

By William Teach March 10, 2017 – 6:55 am

https://twitter.com/byrdinator/status/839882512511946752

So, this happened Thursday (and Ryan was trolled rather hard on Twitter, but, then, that always happens on Twitter)

(NPR) “This is the chance. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said the speaker, roving the stage with a wireless mic, gesturing at both the audience in front of him and the PowerPoint presentation behind him.

TED Talk? Late-night infomercial? Nope — it was House Speaker Paul Ryan, making a hard pitch for his health care plan after a week of loud conservative criticism.

After listening to conservative groups like the Club For Growth blast the bill as a “warmed-over substitute for government-run health care,” Ryan went on offense, saying this is just the first step of an ongoing overhaul of the health system.

Well, really, the GOP has two years to get it done before the 2018 midterms hit, at which point there’s always the possibility the GOP loses the Senate. They could sit there and craft a much better bill. Why won’t they?

The bill, drafted by Ryan and other House Republican leaders, cleared a key hurdle Thursday, passing two House committees after marathon markup sessions. But many members from the Tea Party wing are upset that it keeps too much of the Affordable Care Act in place and effectively replaces the law’s signature tax with a heavy surcharge assessed to people who forgo health insurance.

“There are only so many things you can do in that bill because of Senate floor rules, reconciliation,” Ryan said. “You can’t put everything you want in that legislation, because if you did it would be filibustered, and you couldn’t even bring it up for a vote in the Senate.”

This was not about convincing Democrats, who will be the party of no on any Ocare repeal and replace attempt….even though the mass majority who are left in Congress who voted for it have continuously refused to actually campaign on that vote…it’s about convincing Republicans. Many are still not biting.

Now, Ryan is correct on reconciliation. Here’s the problem: if this is the only way to get past reconciliation, what about the follow up legislation, such as for allowing health insurance across state lines? If it won’t work in this bill, how will it and the other ideas pass muster to get past the 60 vote threshold in the future?

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: Paul Ryan Runs Powerpoint To Push Obamacare Repeal »

Posted in GOP, Healthcare | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

#Fightfor15 Update: Meet The Burger Flipping Robot

By William Teach March 9, 2017 – 3:08 pm

The people in the Fight for $15 an hour crowd should be worried. The more they agitate, the more companies are willing to look at solutions which make low wage low skill workers unnecessary

(UK Telegraph) A burger-flipping robot has just completed its first day on the job at a restaurant in California, replacing humans at the grill.

Flippy has mastered the art of cooking the perfect burger and has just started work at CaliBurger, a fast-food chain.

The robotic kitchen assistant, which its makers say can be installed in just five minutes, is the brainchild of Miso Robotics.

“Though we are starting with the relatively ‘simple’ task of cooking burgers, our proprietary AI software allows our kitchen assistants to be adaptable and therefore can be trained to help with almost any dull, dirty or dangerous task in a commercial kitchen — whether it’s frying chicken, cutting vegetables or final plating.”

Flippy uses all sorts of technology, like cameras and sensors, to make sure the food is cooked correctly each and every time. A human would need to take over then to add condiments, but, how long till Flippy can do that, as well? Caliburgers finds the cost/benefit analysis in a sweet spot, hence, they plan on having them in 50 of their restaurants by 2019. Will other restaurants follow suit? Well, what is the cost of Flippy, along with the maintenance costs? Is it better than the long term cost of employees, who are agitating for $15 an hour (to start, of course), who walk off the job to agitate, who can have workplace accidents, who can be late and miss days, who can bring drama to work, and, really, in some cases, should never interact with other humans?

This goes hand in hand with Wendy’s looking to install ordering kiosks

Fast food giant Wendy’s plans to install self-ordering kiosks in about one out of six of the burger chain’s franchises nationwide by the end of this year.

A typical location would get three kiosks for about $15,000, The Columbus Dispatch reported. David Trimm, Wendy’s chief information officer, estimates that payback on those machines would come in less than two years thanks to labor savings and increased sales.

The kiosks have two purposes according to Trimm: appeasing younger customers by given them an ordering experience they prefer and reducing labor costs.

And, don’t forget, removing people who should never interact with customers yet are also demanding more money for poor work.

So, the question for the #Fightfor15 folks is “do you really want to go there? Cause you’re easily replaced.”

Read: #Fightfor15 Update: Meet The Burger Flipping Robot »

Posted in Economy, Special Snowflake Syndrome | 16 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach March 9, 2017 – 1:00 pm

…is an evil gas fired stove causing heat snow, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Diogenes’ Middle Finger, with a post on TV shows reaching peak gay.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 10 Comments | Trackback URL

The Oceans Will Soon Turn Into A Frothing Cauldron Of Death Or Something

By William Teach March 9, 2017 – 10:30 am

Just when I was about to give up on perusing Google News using the search term “climate change” and check a few other things, well…

Oceans are about to turn into a frothing cauldron of death.

Under the influence of climate change, huge patches of ocean will grow hot, acidic, and barren in coming decades according to new projections published in Nature Communications. If life goes on as usual, climate change will disrupt more than half of the world’s ocean habitat in the next 15 years, and 86 percent by 2050.

That means more coral death and more extinctions. It also threatens the fish — the primary source of protein for a billion people. Some fish are already moving, searching out cooler water.

Of course, the study itself (unsurprisingly based on computer models. Snicker) doesn’t really say this in those terms, and, includes lots of mays, mights, coulds, possiblys, and other means of hedging bets despite being rather doomy.

Read: The Oceans Will Soon Turn Into A Frothing Cauldron Of Death Or Something »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Global Warming | Comments Off on The Oceans Will Soon Turn Into A Frothing Cauldron Of Death Or Something | Trackback URL

Republican Resistance To Ryan Repeal And Replace Bill Grows

By William Teach March 9, 2017 – 8:19 am

The new Obamacare repeal and replace bill has passed it’s first hurdle in the House, but, many, many, many Republicans are not happy

(The Hill) The House bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare is facing growing opposition from Senate Republicans.

The plan, titled the American Health Care Act, is taking fire from both conservative and moderate factions of the Senate GOP caucus — underscoring the legislation’s perilous path in the upper chamber.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) expressed skepticism Wednesday that the measure would be able to win enough support among Senate Republicans to pass.

“The House bill is a beginning, but the House bill as drafted, I do not believe, would pass the United States Senate,” the conservative firebrand told reporters.

He said the House bill doesn’t do enough to lower the cost of insurance and pointed out “significant challenges” stemming from its provision to end Medicaid expansion.

Rand Paul, Susan Collins, and Tom Cotten also have big problems with the bill.

(NY Times) ..as the House debates how to best dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a familiar array of interest groups with deep pockets, incensed talk radio hosts and online agitators is again assuming its posture of aggression toward the House Republican leadership.

“Swampcare,” the writer and radio personality Erick Erickson scoffed at the new American Health Care Act, the culmination of seven years of promises to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement. “Obamacare 2.0,” declared Breitbart.com. “RINOCARE,” Mark Levin wrote on Twitter, using the acronym for Republican in Name Only.

Political groups backed by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch and other powerful players on the right, such as Club for Growth and Heritage Action for America, have come out quickly and strongly against the bill. Some have threatened to punish lawmakers by docking their conservative ratings on the influential “scorecards” they distribute to voters. Activists are already swarming Capitol Hill and demanding that Congress take a harder line and pass a repeal measure that would leave no trace of the Affordable Care Act.

“I feel lied to,” said Anna Beavon Gravely, the deputy state director of the North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-backed group that is funding a grass-roots push against Republicans in Congress who want to stop short of an outright repeal.

There will obviously be much debate and discussion, along with tweeking of the bill. That’s what happens. The problem with the replacement plan is that it seems far, far off from Conservative ideas. This has been discussed ad naseum. Sundance at The Last Refuge notes something I brought up the other day

Additionally, despite claims to the contrary, the GOP has never passed an Obamacare “repeal bill”. Ever. What they did previously pass was a “defund bill” using the lower vote reconciliation process. President Obama vetoed it. A defunding bill was possible because of the financial pathway which falls under reconciliation rules. The current Ryan bill is almost identical to the 2016 defunding bill everyone is mistakenly calling a prior “repeal bill”.

A complete independent repeal bill of ObamaCare is currently impossible.

The only bill that can pass the Senate is a bill that can utilize the process of reconciliation, which has a lower vote threshold of 51 votes. A reconciliation bill is a budgetary bill designed around the financial drivers of ObamaCare. This is what HHS Secretary Tom Price, Speaker Ryan and President Trump are attempting to do.

The Ryan bill is one meant to be able to pass through reconciliation, in a similar fashion to the way Obamacare was passed in the first place, after the Democrats lost their 60th Senate seat with the election of Scott Brown. Sundance offers 3 pathways, and suggests that only #2 would work

Option #2 – We can Repeal and Replace using the three-phase approach being proposed by Tom Price, Paul Ryan and Donald Trump:

  • 1. Pass reconciliation legislation targeting the financial mechanisms.
  • 2. HHS rewrites rules.
  • 3. New laws are proposed by a full congress to adjust ObamaCare and add to it, and laws debated/passed.

Yes, this has it’s risks. No guarantee you’ll get the cookie you want in phase three.

The concerning part is that repealing Ocare without methods to make sure people keep their current plans, among other issues, will certainly be scary to many people. We see the way the media has come unglued over this bill already. They trotted out their disingenuous “tax cuts for the rich” mantra, without noting that a full repeal just resets back to the previous status quo. Republicans should just stand up and say “this is a method to ditch Ocare that gets around the 60 vote threshhold, then we’ll have the real replacement plan.”

Read: Republican Resistance To Ryan Repeal And Replace Bill Grows »

Posted in Healthcare | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

Illegal Border Crossings Down 40 Percent In February

By William Teach March 9, 2017 – 7:53 am

So……it looks like President Trump’s immigration policies, which put the fear of deportation in those who would be caught illegally in the United States, are working

(AP) The number of people illegally crossing the U.S. southern border has dropped 40 percent in President Trump’s first full month in office, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Wednesday.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported that the number of illegal border crossings dropped from 31,578 to 18,762 persons. Kelly said border agents usually see a 10 to 20 percent increase in illegal immigrant apprehensions from January to February.

“The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends,” Kelly said. “Since the administration’s implementation of executive orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years.” (snip)

“We will remain vigilant to respond to any changes in these trends, as numbers of illegal crossings typically increase between March and May,” Kelly said. “However, the early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact.”

It has been noted time and again that the point of getting tough on those who are unlawfully present in the U.S. is not to just deport those who are here illegally but to also make those who would think of coming illegally/overstaying their visas think hard about doing so. If the flow of illegals dries up to sustainable levels, at that point we could think of some sort of pathway to legalization (not necessarily citizenship) for those who are here now.

This is the second straight month that crossing are down, having dropped 39% for January. Of course, Trump wasn’t president till January 20, but, obviously, the threat of him taking office and implementing tougher measures made a difference. Quite frankly, tougher enforcement policies, quicker deportations, and going after those who hire illegals would do more than a wall, when coupled with Trump wanting to hire 5,000 more border patrol agents and 10,000 ICE employees.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: Illegal Border Crossings Down 40 Percent In February »

Posted in Illegal Immigration | Comments Off on Illegal Border Crossings Down 40 Percent In February | Trackback URL

Winning: Fearful Illegals Crossing Into Canada

By William Teach March 8, 2017 – 4:40 pm

So……Trump’s immigration plans are working

Fearful immigrants in U.S. make perilous winter crossing to seek protection in Canada

The migrants staggered into this sleeping border town before dawn, cold and exhausted.

They had struggled through farm fields for hours in knee-deep snow, hoping to evade detection by the U.S. Border Patrol. A man cradling a baby wrapped in a puffy parka and gray blanket peered anxiously at the darkened clapboard homes.

“Is this Canada?” he asked.

The tiny community of Emerson — population less than 700 — has seen its share of U.S. “border jumpers” over the years, but nothing like this. Until last year, residents might spot five or six strangers passing through town over the odd weekend, carrying backpacks and looking disheveled.

But since President Trump was elected last year on promises to crack down on illegal immigration and conduct “extreme vetting” of Muslims, the numbers have surged. Recently, at least 22 people sneaked across the border near Emerson in a single night, including the man with the baby, who said he was from Djibouti.

Canada is welcome to them. They can then learn what it’s like for crime to spike, identities to be stolen and lives ruined, emergency rooms overrun and unable to help legal citizens, wages deflated, money for citizens going to take care of illegals who demand education, welfare, healthcare, places to live, and citizenship, all while refusing to assimilate and learn the language and customs.

Of course, there are more than enough sob stories, including two who came from Ghanna

But after making treacherous overland journeys to the U.S. from Brazil, they did not receive the welcome they expected. They were both detained the moment they showed up without passports at the San Ysidro border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana.

Iyal was placed in handcuffs and chains — standard procedure — for the flight to a detention facility in Arizona. “I was crying, ‘What is going on?’” he said. “Am I a criminal, or am I a terrorist or what?”

Yes, you are a criminal. You came here illegally intentionally. You weren’t asked. You weren’t invited. You didn’t attempt to come legally and apply for legal status. Lots of people have lots of sob stories when they break the law, but, oh well. They made a choice.

You know, a few here and there is fine and dandy. Then the numbers keep growing, and suddenly there are millions living outside the law causing problems.

Read: Winning: Fearful Illegals Crossing Into Canada »

Posted in Illegal Immigration | 7 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach March 8, 2017 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible appliance plugged in and drawing vampire electricity which causes sea rise, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Blazing Cat Fur, with a post on feminism at its worst.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Good News: Scott Pruitt Stacking EPA With Climate Skeptics

By William Teach March 8, 2017 – 10:21 am

This has made the NY Times very upset, along with many EPA employees/activists

In the days since, Mr. Pruitt, a former Oklahoma attorney general who built a career out of suing the agency he now leads, has moved to stock the top offices of the agency with like-minded conservatives — many of them skeptics of climate change and all of them intent on rolling back environmental regulations that they see as overly intrusive and harmful to business.

Mr. Pruitt has drawn heavily from the staff of his friend and fellow Oklahoma Republican, Senator James Inhofe, long known as Congress’s most prominent skeptic of climate science. A former Inhofe chief of staff, Ryan Jackson, will be Mr. Pruitt’s chief of staff. Another former Inhofe staff member, Byron Brown, will serve as Mr. Jackson’s deputy. Andrew Wheeler, a fossil fuel lobbyist and a former Inhofe chief of staff, is a finalist to be Mr. Pruitt’s deputy, although he requires confirmation to the position by the Senate.

To friends and critics, Mr. Pruitt seems intent on building an E.P.A. leadership that is fundamentally at odds with the career officials, scientists and employees who carry out the agency’s missions. That might be a recipe for strife and gridlock at the federal agency tasked to keep safe the nation’s clean air and water while safeguarding the planet’s future.

‘Climate change’ has nothing to do with keeping the air and water clean, and Pruitt has no intention of rolling back actual real environmental regulations. But, hey, it wouldn’t be the NY Times without some activist scaremongering, would it?

Gina McCarthy, who headed the E.P.A. under former President Barack Obama, said she too saw Mr. Pruitt as unique. “It’s fine to have differing opinions on how to meet the mission of the agency. Many Republican administrators have had that,” she said. “But here, for the first time, I see someone who has no commitment to the mission of the agency.”

The EPA wasn’t actually established to be a climate activist agency, just to protect the environment. It’s long forgotten that mission.

Agency employees say morale has already been damaged. After working for years to draft climate change regulations under the Obama administration, many of those same career scientists and lawyers will be ordered to go back and undo them.

Well, they can go work in the private sector. This happens in the private sector all the time. Someone new comes in to change the direction of a company, and, people can either go with the flow or leave.

Tony Heller, ie, Steven Goddard of The Deplorable Climate Science Blog, was mentioned in the article, and has a few thoughts.

Steven Milloy of Junk Science is also mentioned

Trump won. He and the people he appoints now get to set the direction.

Read: Good News: Scott Pruitt Stacking EPA With Climate Skeptics »

Posted in Collapsing Science | 3 Comments | Trackback URL
Pirate's Cove