Since when was being stupid better than being sneaky?

Obviously, I'm not a politician, but I can't understand why the Obama administration would use the excuse of being incompetent, stupid boobs whose top officials lied to the president about everything he should know and provided bad "customer service" rather than they were targeting political enemies. The IRS story and who knew what when, now has almost as many versions as the Benghazi story.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday that Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough and other senior officials knew of the general nature of the report but decided to keep the president in the dark about the report’s finding that the IRS had targeted conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny.  http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/domestic-taxes/300753-carney-white-house-officials-knew-of-irs-targeting-but-didnt-tell-obama#ixzz2TxLFp7OH

Exasperated senators questioned the truthfulness of former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, who led the agency from 2008 to 2012, and outgoing acting IRS chief Steven Miller. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah accused Miller of a "lie by omission." http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/21/us-usa-irs-idUSBRE94F10Y20130521

Steven T. Miller, the departing Internal Revenue Service chief, took responsibility on Tuesday for planting a question May 10 at a closed-door meeting with tax lawyers that prompted a top I.R.S. official to disclose that the agency had targeted conservative groups, an awkward move that prompted the inquiries now moving ahead on Capitol Hill.  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/us/politics/senate-testimony-irs-scandal.html?_r=0

America has been at war with its doctors for a decade

“The fundamental paradox of the regulatory state in medicine is that physicians face constant impediments to the actual care of patients.”

“a cultural assault on [doctors’] their fundamental spirits of risk-taking, innovation, and professional autonomy.”

“a gross devaluation of the economic value of their work. Minimal pay from insurers – particularly Medicare and Medicaid – for life-or-death work is the new norm.”

“there is an army of non-physicians, now known as providers, waiting at the ashes of the battleground of America and its physicians.”

Mona Kotecha, MD

And from Bev, who is caring for her 90 something parents:

I have several stories to tell... Even if you have always been able to afford health insurance, the rules of the game have drastically changed in the last three years. If a specialist you have seen for 20 years does not take the new insurance the government forced you to buy you cannot pay out of pocket to stay with that provider. You must get a referral from your GP (if you have one that takes your insurance) and start all over with a new specialist.The GP must send a new referral every year to the specialist. I was told recently by a doctor that with all the insurance possibilities out there I was foolish for picking an HMO for my parents.  Apparently an HMO causes paperwork nightmares for that doctor's staff. When both parents are ninety and have ongoing health concerns you cannot shop around. Because of the government and insurance the doctor loses and the patient loses. It is a lose-lose situation.

Those of us who are considered seniors are a drain on the health system anyway according to the new health laws. I think I studied something about what ultimately happened to those who were found unfit and a drain to society in high school and college history classes. It has been a bad two weeks for me navigating our new improved insurance and medical system.

Another scandal

I’m losing track. They are like the Clinton era bimbo eruptions. Dennis Burke, former aide to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and former U.S. Attorney for Arizona, retaliated against  the whistleblower in the gunwalking fiasco called Fast and Furious. He leaked information, misleading his bosses and violating legal ethics during the “Fast and Furious” firearms-smuggling scandal according to a Justice Department IG report.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2013/05/report-faults-former-us-attorney-dennis-burke-for-164374.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/us/politics/dennis-k-burke-criticized-for-fast-and-furious-leak.html?_r=0

Is this still America?

True the Vote

“True the Vote” mission statement:  “True the Vote is an initiative developed by citizens for citizens, meant to inspire and equip volunteers for involvement at every stage of our electoral process. We promote ideas that actively protect the rights of legitimate voters, regardless of their political party affiliation.”

“Legitimate voters.” “Regardless of political party affiliation.” Sounds reasonable enough. Founder Catherine Engelbrecht applied for nonprofit status for “True the Vote” and “King Street Patriots” in 2010.

To date, this is what Engelbrecht has endured says Paula Priesse: 1) An FBI visit & phone calls 2) A 3 day on-site IRS audit of both the family machine shop & personal returns 3) 5 IRS info requests over 2 years, including every Facebook post and tweet 4) 2 unscheduled ATF audits of the shop & 5) A visit from OSHA who levied 25K in fines Wow! The FBI, IRS, ATF & OSHA all at one time. What are the odds? And 3 years later, Engelbrecht still hasn’t received IRS approval.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2013/05/20/dojs-witch-hunt-against-true-the-vote-n1601527

Such terrible news coming from Oklahoma

Many children killed in Oklahoma tornado

Two elementary schools hit in Moore, Oklahoma.

Time for ghoulish political humor. “Daily Show” co-creator Lizz Winstead says it was aimed at conservatives in a tweet. Sicko.

Shocked and awful

"The president, as usual, acts as if all of this is totally unconnected to him. He's shocked, it's unacceptable, he'll get to the bottom of it. He read about it in the papers, just like you. But he is not unconnected, he is not a bystander. ... It is not even remotely possible that all this was an accident, a mistake. Again, only conservative groups were targeted, not liberal. It is not even remotely possible that only one IRS office was involved. ... What happened at the IRS is the government's essential business. ... Everyone involved in this abuse of power should pay a price, because if they don't, the politicization of the IRS will continue -- forever. If it is not stopped now, it will never stop. And if it isn't stopped, no one will ever respect or have even minimal faith in the revenue-gathering arm of the U.S. government again. ... This is not about the usual partisan slugfest. This is about the integrity of our system of government and our ability to trust, which is to say our ability to function." --columnist Peggy Noonan

Monday memories—no college debt

An article in today’s WSJ reports the average student graduates with $30,000 indebtedness.  I'm surprised the  debt is "only" $30,000. I got married before I finished college, so I had to "borrow" my senior year's tuition from my dad and pay it back, which I did. He was sort of old fashioned and figured once married I was a responsible adult, possibly my husband’s responsibility. Costs at a state university were about $1000/year, so let's say it was $4000 for 4 years in 1961. That's $31,250 in 2013 for inflation.

So why were so many people graduating then without debt? No student loans or grants, and very few scholarships would be my guess. The more money available, the higher the tuition and fees charged by academe.

 http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2013/05/18/number-of-the-week-class-of-2013-most-indebted-ever/?mod=e2tw

             

1958 Father’s Day, University of Illinois at McKinley Hall (I still have that dress in my “archives.”)

Now we know why Obama wanted electronic medical records, unproven to save money or lives

The President admits he has no skills?

The President's race/blame card at a college graduation. Our "Ivy League-educated former community organizer made sure the new grads [at Morehouse] were aware that — in his apparent opinion — “the bitter legacies of slavery and segregation” are not over and that not “for the grace of God” he might be in prison, unemployed or unable to take care of Michelle, Malia and Sasha."

Is he admitting he had no talent or leadership skills and only luck and white folks put him in the White House? He didn't say that to Ohio State graduates; why did he say it to black graduates who have accomplished so much?

http://www.conservativeblog.org/amyridenour/2013/5/20/black-conservatives-call-obamas-morehouse-commencement-speec.html?SSScrollPosition=0

Why do we need the 501c exemptions in the tax code?

IRS targeted 9/12 groups because of Glenn Beck, whom they audited, and Billy Graham and James Dobson's organizations plus other Christian groups and Jewish groups that support Israel. Christians groups were denied for not presenting other view points!  Do they ask Muslim groups to support scanty clothing for women?

In order to get the government out of our business, we need to drop the 501c classes in the revenue code--there are 28 of them. It's just a way to keep track of political enemies and to make them do the government's bidding. All administrations probably do it, but most have been Democrats, and now with Chicago mobsters in office, it's getting worse. Most of these groups in the recent "customer service problem" [Steve Miller’s term] said nothing as the process dragged out 2 years because of fear. That way they couldn't organize and help each other.

Even during the Bush years I was checking on 501c3 groups and it is ridiculous what passes for "educational, art, literary and sports" organizations. Just pay the taxes and get the government out of your organization. And that includes churches.

In May 2012 Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan wrote to the I.R.S. asking for information about all “social welfare” groups that had applied for tax-exempt status in 2010 and 2011, to determine whether the I.R.S. was targeting conservative groups. Big shocker—the approvals started rolling.

Bumper stickers

              

I was driving behind a car the other day with 4 stickers--Obama 2008, War is not the answer, something justice, and something child abuse. I wondered if she bought it that way (rather old), or if she knew how many wars Obama has dabbled in since 2009 and he hasn't closed Gitmo. Wondered if she knew aborted alive babies don't have rights according to Illinois state senator Obama.

Bernadine of Siena—May 20

Whether you're Protestant or Catholic, a "saint of the day" book is an inspirational daily read. Most of these people lived and worshipped before the splits in the church. May 20 is Bernadine of Siena. I think what impressed me about him was he could draw crowds of 30,000 when preaching about sin and vice. No loud speakers, no apps on cell phones, no cameras held up to catch his photo. (no port-a-potties) When he told people to throw their gambling tools into a community bonfire, the manufacturers of playing cards complained he was ruining their livelihood. But in many of our churches we see his work on vestments and paraments. He's the one who promoted the IHS symbol, the first 3 letters of Jesus' name in Greek.

"Worship" is one of those pesky exceptions about not doubling the p. I have to look it up when I use it. The rule is, most verbs ending in ‘p’, like develop or gallop, after an unstressed vowel, have no doubling of that final consonant in standard received British English or American English. But there are exceptions: worship, handicap, kidnap.  I have no idea why.  Just one of the joys of our spelling system.

According to Wikipedia “A Parament or Parement; (from Late Latin paramentum, adornment, parare, to prepare, equip), a term applied by ancient writers to the hangings or ornaments of a room of state. Later it has referred to the liturgical hangings on and around the altar, as well as the cloths hanging from the pulpit and lectern, as well as the ecclesiastical vestments and mitres. In many usages, it is synonymous with altar cloth.”

You may recall (or not) there was a mini-scandal about the IHS being covered up and replaced by the Presidential symbols when Obama spoke at Georgetown (a Catholic university) in April 2009. Just the beginning of many such incidents involving religion. Factcheck confirms this.

Georgetown honored the White House staff’s request to cover all of the Georgetown University signage and symbols behind Gaston Hall stage. The White House wanted a simple backdrop of flags and pipe and drape for the speech, consistent with what they’ve done for other policy speeches.

Very much the monarch.

Gosnell was found guilty; but there are more out there

“Houston doctor Douglas Karpen is accused by four former employees of delivering live fetuses during third-trimester abortions and killing them by either snipping their spinal cord, stabbing a surgical instrument into their heads or 'twisting their heads off their necks with his own bare hands'.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325786/Douglas-Karpen-Second-house-horrors-abortion-clinic-investigated-Texas.html

http://www.operationrescue.org/archives/sordid-history-of-abortionist-karpen-should-be-considered-by-tx-medical-board/

IRS hearings more scary than Benghazi

“U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) told the tale of one of his constituents who applied for tax-exempt status for her Tea Party group in July 2010. Twenty months later she got her first response from the IRS, a letter with dozens of questions. She answered them all, but she’s still waiting for approval. However, during the intervening three years she was visited by the FBI’s domestic terrorism unit, had four additional FBI inquiries, had both her personal and business taxes audited and been the subject of an OSHA inspection.”

I’m assuming he was talking about Catherine Engelbrecht of True the Vote who appeared on Huckabee last night and told how she was audited by IRS after applying for tax exempt status in 2010 for the organization and was asked hundreds of intrusive questions plus was investigated by FBI, OSHA, EPA and ATF for a total of 17 encounters with the federal government.

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/opinion/editorials/2013/05/irs_breaks_the_rules

You Democrats need to be very worried—you could be hit the next time if this type of terrorism against American citizens is allowed to continue. Usually it has been used by Democrats (FDR, JFK, LBJ) but occasionally a Republican gets caught (Nixon).

Seventeen encounters of the Soviet kind

Catherine Engelbrecht of True the Vote was interviewed by Mike Huckabee tonight.  She was audited by the IRS after applying for tax exempt status in 2010 for the organization and was asked hundreds of intrusive questions about her personal life plus got investigated by FBI, OSHA, EPA and ATF for a total of 17 encounters with the federal government. She'd had no visits or inquiries (in her business) the previous 20 years.

Liberals complain that big corporations, special interests and lobbyists control election funding, but when the little guy tries to get involved, the government smacks them down with its power to destroy.

Sometimes I feel like we're living in the now defunct Soviet Union which used these tactics. Now that this abuse is in the open, more will be coming forward I'm sure to follow Engelbrecht’s brave example in going public with what has happened to her.

http://blog.chron.com/texassparkle/2013/05/the-abuse-of-power-by-our-government-on-true-the-vote/

“Know Nothing” Obama

Senior officials in the Treasury Dept. were told in June 2012, in the middle of the campaign, about the targeting and blocking of status of groups with names like Tea Party, 9/12, constitution, patriot, etc. in their name.   According to Obama, he wasn't told.  Benghazi happened on 9/11/2012, late in the campaign, and Obama said he went to bed and knew nothing, and even 2 weeks later was spreading the lie he seemed to accept without question about the video at the United Nations. Why is he surrounding himself with people who tell him about a gay basketball player coming out of the closet, but not important things?  I’m betting he knows nothing about the emerging EPA scandal about granting waivers for public records fees to liberal “green” groups while denying requests for conservative organizations. The full force of the federal government is conspiring against conservatives. And it comes from the top.

“[Steve] Miller only stoked the criticism of many Republicans, who are assailing the administration on a sudden spate of other controversies, as well, even as some Democrats tried to contain the political damage.

The Head of the Treasury Dept. was told in June 2012, in the middle of the campaign, about the targeting and blocking of status of groups with names like Tea Party, 9/12, constitution, patriot, etc. in their name. “

http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_23273115/official-treasury-department-knew-irs-probe-june-2012

Why are Finns falling?

Why are older Finns falling? TBIs among older Finns have increased dramatically since 1970--an increase of 289% among women and 315% in men. Since Finns have always been heavy drinkers and have had a socialist medical system for years, I'm going to guess it's polypharmacy--too many prescription drugs. There are trade-offs for living longer and the pills that help us do that.

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1685851

Book Club selections for 2013-2014

2013-2014 Book Club Schedule--meeting time is 2 PM.  See your member list for details of address and e-mails

               

Sept. 9--The Greater Journey by David McCullough  led by Carolyn A.  at Barb’s home

Oct. 7--Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt led by Letha  at Beechwold Panera

Nov. 4--Shanghai Girls  by Lisa See led by Margie  at Beechwold Panera

Dec. 2--The Play of Isaac   by Margaret Frazer  led by Jean  at Carolyn A's

Jan. 6--There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters  by Claire Berlinski led by Peggy at Beechwold Panera

Feb. 3--The Hobbit    by J. R. R. Tolkien led by Justine  at Beechwold Panera

Mar. 3--The Last Runaway   by Tracy Chevalier  led by Carolyn C.   at Beechwold Panera

Apr. 7--Left Neglected   by Lisa Genova  led by Adrienne   at Beechwold Panera

May 5--Maisie Dobbs   by Jacqueline Winspear  led by Rachel  at Carolyn C's