(Daily Caller)  California Republican Rep. Tom McClintock opened a congressional hearing by reading a Washington Post article detailing the “unheard of†impacts global warming had on the Arctic ecosystem.
“The Arctic Ocean is warming up, icebergs are growing scarcer and some place the seals are finding the water too hot,†McClintock read in a Wednesday hearing, adding that reports “all point to a radical change in climate conditions and hitherto unheard of temperatures in the Arctic zone.â€
McClintock went on, then asked President Barack Obama’s top climate adviser Christy Goldfuss if “this the crisis you’re referring to?†— referring to a new guidance her Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) staff issued on accounting for global warming impacts of federal agency actions.
Goldfuss said she was Very Concerned about this crisis, but wasn’t familiar with the report
“Perhaps the reason is because it was November 2, 1922 that The Washington Post carried this article,†McClintock said.
It turns out McClintock was reading a Washington Post article from November 1922, not November 2015 as many listening, including Goldfuss, likely assumed.
Of course, let’s not forget that the Cult of Climastrology is now trying to say that it was Mankind’s actions starting back in the early 1800’s that started this current warm period, because, of course they do.
It’s no longer a fine or tax or fee. It’s reaching out
(Forbes) As many as 20 million Americans soon will be getting a letter from the Internal Revenue Service “suggesting†they sign up for ObamaCare insurance.
Getting a letter from the IRS can be a threatening and nerve-racking experience; it seldom is seen as a suggestion and more of a threat. But at President Obama’s direction, the IRS is “reaching out†to people who paid the tax penalty for not buying mandatory health insurance or who claimed an exemption in hopes of “attracting†more people to sign up for ObamaCare insurance. The government is particularly interested in compliance from healthy young people.
It probably won’t help Hillary if those young people receive the letters prior to them casting a vote. It won’t necessarily mean a vote for Trump, but, they are already increasingly turning to Gary Johnson and Jill Stein.
Congress is not happy. “We strongly object to any action by the Administration to improperly use sensitive taxpayer information to identify and harass individuals who have rejected the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) by choosing to pay a tax rather than be forced into a health care plan they don’t need and don’t want,†House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Majority Whip Steve Scalise, and Ways & Means Chairman Kevin Brady said in a letter today to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
They warned the IRS about the use of “protected taxpayer information†and sent Koskinen a list of sharp questions demanding more details about how the IRS plans to “reach out directly to individuals†and how the Department of Health and Human Services will be involved in encouraging “their compliance with the individual mandate.â€
The question here is whether this it is even legal
Is it legal for the IRS to do this? The leaders warn the IRS that “As you are aware, the confidentiality of tax returns and return information is protected by law.†The “sole permitted use of this confidential data†is to determine whether people are eligible for ACA subsidies.
For most unpaid taxes, there are a variety of ways that the IRS can recoup their money. But the text of the ACA is very clear in stating that taxpayers who don’t pay their ACA penalty are not subject to levies, liens, or criminal prosecution.
The only way that the IRS can collect the ACA penalty is if you pay it voluntarily, or if you’re owed a refund. In the latter case, the IRS deducts the penalty from your refund. Seventy-five percent of tax filers receive a refund, and the average refund was about $2,700 in 2013.
Pretty much every article I’ve perused says the same thing: their only enforcement mechanism is to deduct the penalty from any tax return refund. Not that the IRS has seemingly cared about legalities, especially since 2009. And they have never been shy when it comes to harassing citizens.
Meanwhile, liberal and moderate Dems (not that there are many of the latter left) are feuding over adding a full public, ie government run, option, now that Ocare is collapsing in exactly the manner that was predicted.
More: Funny headline from The Hill: Dems to GOP: Help us fix ObamaCare. The article is exactly what you think, just missing a quite from a Republican noting that this whole mess is on Democrats, and Republicans have zero obligation to fix this mess. Oh, and there’s this
But many Democratic senators want to act much more ambitiously, through the legislative process. There are now 33 senators who have signed on to a resolution from Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) calling for adding a government-run insurer, or “public option,†to ObamaCare.
President Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton have also called for versions of the public option in order to increase competition.
Nothing says competition like putting our health care and health insurance in the hands of the government.
I watched the protests riots on TV off and on for a couple hours last night, and it was rather surreal. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Charlotte, and I had no idea that it was so brightly lit. You could pretty much see everything, including the large number of white people present and causing problems with the black people. And everyone seemed to have their phone out recording, including all their selfies
(WNCN)Â The North Carolina governor declared a state of emergency after a person was critically injured in a shooting as more intense violence and looting broke out Wednesday night during protests against the Charlotte police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.
Late Wednesday night, N.C. Governor Pat McCrory declared a State of Emergency after it was requested by the Charlotte police chief, officials said. McCrory also announced that the N.C. National Guard and N.C. State Highway Patrol would be deployed to Charlotte after a request from police there.
The Charlotte Police Chief on Wednesday night announced that a shooting victim died, but hours later the city said the person was in critical condition on life support.
City officials said the shooting was not due to a police officer and instead was a civilian who shot another civilian.
Supposedly, the violence was so bad and the crowd’s mood so ugly that EMS had to use an armored vehicle to retrieve the shooting victim. How bad was it all?
Around 10:35 p.m., protesters were near Trade and Caldwell streets and were trying to break windows at the Hyatt House hotel when the third round of tear gas was deployed. Many windows were eventually broken and WBTV reported that two Hyatt workers were assaulted by crowds.
Protesters moved downtown from Trade Street to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and tear gas was used for the second time during the evening around 9:45 p.m.
The Hornets’ team store at the downtown arena was looted after several windows were broken, according to photos and info from WCNC-TV.
A CNN reporter was knocked down on live TV. Many in the media were saying it was unsafe, and were saying this live on TV. You could see the threatening behavior from the “protesters”, including
WCCB is reporting a few people tried to put a news photographer into a flaming trashcan and police came to his aid
You could see the “protesters” committing assault and violence live on TV. There’s tons of damage to buildings and vehicles in the Charlotte downtown area. But, you know what I learned from what protesters in the streets and on Twitter?
Per Henry M. Paulson, yeah, the one you’re thinking about, it’s all about private invesment. Or, is that “private”?
(NY Times) SAVING our planet from the worst effects of climate change won’t be cheap. A new report from the United Nations says that the world will need to mobilize $90 trillion in public and private capital over the next 15 years.
As a point of comparison, global gross domestic product in 2015 was $73 trillion. But there is no question that the world needs to ramp up its transition to a low-carbon, environmentally sustainable and resilient economy, and to do so rapidly. The question is, how do we pay for it, given the limited availability of government funding, particularly in developing countries?
The answer: private financing. The good news is that there is a global abundance of private capital.
And how will it be unlocked? Come on, you know the answer
To unlock these riches, governments must create conditions that encourage private investment in clean technologies and sustainable development. With smart, well-designed and coordinated policies, financing models and instruments like bonds and incentive programs, countries have the potential to solve some of the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges while still maintaining economic growth.
Let’s be honest: with proper government policies, economies can grow. These are policies that get government out of the way, reducing regulations. Le economic freedom ring! How often does that happen? Of course, he doesn’t really mean it
For this to happen, countries will need to adopt policies that reduce the price of low-carbon investments to make them more attractive for private investors. These policies include environmental regulations to stimulate clean, sustainable development; incentives and subsidies for clean energy investments; and the pricing of carbon emissions, which can be done in a variety of ways, including emissions trading and taxes. We also need to eliminate subsidies that encourage the use and extraction of carbon-based energy like coal and oil. Such policies will take strong political will, especially as economic growth is slowing.
Yeah, he’s all for the domineering hand of Government. Paulson loves what the tyrannical government of China is doing.
Financing the world’s transition to a low-carbon economy will be costly, but we can’t afford not to do it and, it is important to note, it is feasible.We have the ideas, the models and the capital to make it happen. What’s needed now is leadership from global policy makers to prioritize the development of a global green finance system.
Funny how every policy prescription from Warmists revolves around increasing the power of government.
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation that regulates emissions from dairy cows and landfills for the first time as California broadens its efforts to fight climate change beyond carbon-based greenhouse gases.
Will this hurt California’s cow farmers, which revolves heavily around milk production?
(NY Post) Dairy farmers will be required to reduce methane emissions from manure to 40 percent below their 2013 levels by 2030, with the help of $50 million from the state’s fee charged to polluters, known as cap-and-trade.
The money will help a handful of them buy dairy digesters, which use methane from manure to generate energy that’s sold to electrical utilities.
The law also allows the Air Resources Board to regulate cow flatulence if there’s viable technology to reduce it.
Taxpayer money will be used for this idiocy, but, you can still expect the price of milk to go up.
What’s mostly missed, though, in the absurdity of regulating cow farts, is
The new law requires steep reductions in a variety of pollutants, including methane; HFC gases used in aerosols and air conditioning refrigerants; and soot, known as black carbon. It’s tied to $90 million in funding for the dairy industry and garbage collectors.
Everything in there will increase the costs to consumers. But, hey, the majority of Californians who voted for this, keep your mouths shut when you start feeling the economic pain. It’s on you.
This has to make a few people in the Hillary camp as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs
(Washington Examiner) The latest vote projection from elections guru Nate Silver has Republican Donald Trump just six electoral votes short of winning and one point away from equaling Hillary Clinton’s popular vote.
The newest Five Thirty Eight survey Trump at 264 and Clinton at 272, two more than needed. It’s the closest in recent weeks.
Silver is famous for making a prediction of victory and that’s nearly close to, Clinton at 51.9 percent and Trump at 48 percent, his closest since the conventions.
The chart shows a huge gain for Trump, recovering from just a 3 percent chance of winning a month ago.
It’s changed a tiny bit in Hillary’s favor overnight, going from 51.9%-48% to 53.3%-47.7%.
Except for a brief time around the GOP convention, Trump’s chances have been pitiful. The slow erosion of Hillary’s chances are very interesting, though, as Trump slowly rises. Quite frankly, for Trump it will most likely all come down to the Monday night debate (which never should have been scheduled against a football game, even if it is just Atlanta vs New Orleans, not a big ratings hit). If he does poorly, he’s most likely done. If he holds his own or defeats Hillary, well, that could really boost his chances.
Here in Raleigh, we’ve had at least two officer involved shootings which led to the death of the suspect. Neither has turned into anything, beyond a tiny and utterly peaceful protest. In Charlotte, they dealt with riots. What’s the difference?
(Charlotte Observer) All lanes of Interstate 85 were reopened early Wednesday but still littered with some rocks and glass after a night of protests over an officer-involved shooting of an African-American man in the University City area. The officer was also African-American.
Twelve police officers were injured Tuesday night in a series of clashes, and reports were coming in early Wednesday of motorists on Interstate 85 being hurt and their vehicles damaged when protestors threw rocks, bottles and traffic cones off interstate overpasses onto traffic below.
At least seven of the police officers needed to be hospitalized after the clashes, including one who was hit in the face with a rock.
Mayor Jennifer Roberts sent out a message on Twitter early Wednesday, noting: “I will continue to work with our manager and (police) chief…We are reaching out to community to ask for calm.â€
Well, it’s those kinds of mealy mouthed responses that give people more license to continue to riot and loot.
In addition to Interstate 85, protestors attacked and looted the Walmart on North Tryon Street at about 3:30 a.m. The store was closed early Wednesday, with wooden pallets piled in front of the doors and shopping carts blocking the driveway into the lot.
Three or more tractor trailer trucks were stopped and looted on Interstate 85, and at least two fires were started on the interstate, as the protestors burned items taken from the trucks.
Nothing says “don’t shoot us, we aren’t breaking the law” like looting and arson, along with the throwing bottles and rocks things.
What led to all this?
The man who died was identified late Tuesday as Keith Lamont Scott, 43, and the officer who fired the fatal shot was CMPD Officer Brentley Vinson, a police statement said.
Police said they had been searching for someone who had an outstanding warrant at The Village at College Downs complex on Old Concord Road when they saw Scott leave his car holding a gun.
Officers approached Scott after he got back into the car. He emerged from the car again armed with a firearm “and posed an imminent deadly threat to the officers, who subsequently fired their weapon striking the subject,†police said in a statement. “The officers immediately requested Medic and began performing CPR.â€
Medic took Scott to Carolinas Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Officers state they have recovered a firearm from the scene. He was reportedly tazed 4 times before being shot with a bullet, so, it’s not like they just fired a gun at him immediately. And that’s where it all breaks down. Scott’s daughter, who goes by the name Lyric YourAdorable on, started taking video claiming that he was just sitting in a car reading a book, made a quick video of the scene, and streamed it to Facebook, causing it to go viral.
The victim's daughter says she was sleeping when she heard gunshots, she got up and a neighbor told her what happened. #Charlotte
— Beatrice Peterson (@missbeae on all platforms) (@MissBeaE) September 20, 2016
How would she know he was sitting in the car reading a book when she was sleeping?
Scott’s sister says he didn’t have a gun. Who is lying? Her or the police?
During the riots, people did the standard, yammering about Hands Up, Don’t Shoot, Black Lives Matter, and It’s A Books. They also had signs of the same. Then they looted trucks and a WalMart, and set stuff on fire.
What really happened? Time will tell. All the stories seem to reference the recent Tulsa shooting, which, IMO, looks like utterly bad and wrong action by the officer. It looks like murder. In the Charlotte case? Time will tell. We’ll have to see if there is any video of the incident.
People have looted semi-trucks stopped on I-85 and started fires as protests continue in Charlotte pic.twitter.com/ODWH7Sswo1
(Reuters)Â The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Thursday it would start focusing on crimes linked to environmental destruction, the illegal exploitation of natural resources and unlawful dispossession of land in a move hailed by land rights activists.
Company executives or politicians could now be held responsible under international law for illegal land deals which violently displace residents following the shift, campaigners and lawyers said. (snip)
Environmental crimes will now be considered in investigations of cases that fall within the ICC’s existing remit, according to Global Diligence LLP, a London-based human rights law firm said in a statement.
Campaigners and human rights lawyers said the move reflects increasing global recognition of the severity of environmental crimes. It also allows victims to seek justice through the international criminal justice system if their complaints are not heard in national courts.
What’s the old saying about the road to Hell being paved with good intentions? You can certainly see the good uses of this, such as
The shift comes ahead of a decision by ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on whether to investigate a case filed by human rights lawyers in 2014 accusing Cambodian officials and businessmen of engaging in illegal land dispossession.
Global Diligence LLP, the firm representing the Cambodian plantiffs, said the ICC’s policy shift opens the door for the case to be investigated by the court.
Getting beyond the notion of investing more and more power over what goes on in nations to international weenies who are outside any chain of command, you can see them jumping into local and national issues whenever the mood strikes them. Then continuing to expand their investigations more and more into business practices, how people use their own land, how nations use their land. Will they be responsive to the Cult of Climastrology, going after fossil fuels companies and such? The problem here is that there are no limits, nor any true controls on their self created mandate.
But, that’s rather the point of the Progressive movement. Unchecked power.
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