And another fully vaxxed pooh-bah gets Covid

Rep. Liz Cheney ("R" - Deep State) announced on Wednesday morning that she tested positive for COVID-19, despite getting fully vaccinated and boosted. The Wyoming lawmaker has promoted COVID vaccines. Four other vaccinated Congress reportedly announced positive diagnoses over the weekend, including Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, as did Reps. David Price, D-N.C., and Susie Lee, D-Nev.

Where do you get your information?

Gary asked, "Where do you get your information?"  He watches only MSNBC and CNN--two channels that pretend to be objective and fair, but repeat the Democrat party talking points, in my opinion.  That is a great question, however, something all librarians and teachers emphasize when teaching research skills. And it’s essential for him particularly to ask because so much of the news is infused with opinion, not research, and he spends a lot of time watching news from one viewpoint. His method is why librarians and teachers usually don’t accept “magazines” as a valid source when teaching research. Some won’t even accept an encyclopedia, which is a shame, in my opinion. I love encyclopedias, and most articles are signed. Not many people own the 11th, 12th, and 13th editions of the Encyclopedia Britannica, but I do.

When I give an opinion, it’s that. Norma’s opinion. When I quote, I try to always cite the source, and my opinion may be learned from others over time, but by checking their sources. Dennis Prager’s recent tirade against Biden reflects mine, but I’ve followed Prager for years. He’s been on radio for 40 years, is Jewish, loves music, literature, politics, has great wisdom, and supports young conservative influencers like Candace Owens, Will Witt and Charlie Kirk who have gone on to their own careers. Pager was anti-Trump in 2016—converted to a fan when Trump accomplished conservative goals of lower taxes, less government control, border security, cutting red tape, best friend Israel had, priorities for prison reform, etc. https://www.creators.com/read/dennis-prager/05/22/joe-bidens-buffalo-speech-was-the-speech-of-an-indecent-man

My opinions are primarily built on my values, even if I don’t think about it. Christian, anabaptist, conservative fiscally, formed by the region I’ve lived in (Midwest U.S.), the language I speak, race/culture, college education, and career. However, my entire life I’ve been pro-life, even before I understood the science and politics of taking the life of a baby in the womb. Even in second grade, I remember thinking evolution was ridiculous and anti-science, because yes, evolution was being taught as truth at Forreston elementary in the 1940s. I learned to pretend I learne it, to answer the questions on the tests correctly, and not rock the boat. I love science—and I see my values about creator/created confirmed every day, especially astronomy and all the “new” critters found at the bottom of oceans. Love that stuff!

When it is rate, number, percentage, average, median, year, I am usually relying on a government or academic source (since academics have government grants it’s hard to know where one stops and the other begins). I always keep in mind those sources also have biases because they are collected and published by humans. For instance, after 2008, certain crime sources just disappeared. After certain years, census sources changed—for instance, additional groups or races were added or divided. What was called white was changed to create Asian or Hispanic (a made-up word that includes hundreds of cultures). Biracial white/black/Asian/Mexican/Cuban/Indian is almost always considered black—probably a carry over from segregation days. It's my impression that liberal/progressive sources are more likely to refer to numbers rather than rate. Most confusing (on purpose) is the writer moving from rate to number to percentage in the same article. For instance, violent crime may have black aggressors 8x the rate of whites, but because white criminals outnumber blacks due to the population, liberal sources will site numbers more often in crimes. You may have to go to the last paragraph or a graph/chart to see percentage or rate.

Over time, I’ve learned when there is a horrific tragedy like last Wednesday in Uvalde, Texas, the tsunami in 2005, or the Louisiana hurricane in 2006, or the strange conflicting figures for the 2020 vote, it may take years to sort out or find the truth. I’ve heard three versions by Saturday of how police acted/reacted to the Uvalde tragedy. Without even listening to the news we know there will be the anti-gun bills and the safety bills. We know Democrats will be anti-2nd amendment and the Republicans will focus on SRO, more cameras, better training.

For some reason, Gary often sites David Duke, a has-been, colorful Democrat, from many years ago, sometimes because he was a southerner, and that was the party of hate he grew up with, the party that held blacks back with various Jim Crow laws, and now do it with money from government programs. He’s really a creation of the media, unlike Antifa, which actually did roam city streets, who were well-educated, rich white supremacists, who covered their faces with hoods, who did burn down buildings, and had clout. When I was a Democrat I certainly didn’t associate my party with Duke, just as I don’t associate any Democrats I know with Antifa.

But Democrats do get in a rut.  They are very suceptible to "progressive" ideas and fall for the socialist clap-trap. They actually believe if we hand more money over to the government, it will be used for whatever purpose they claim.  Republicans have spaghetti spines and no balls, to stick with the body language. 

The legal drugs given to children, especially boys

Think about the amount of prescription drugs given to school kids. Tucker Carlson had some great statistics about that the other night, but without a citation, I couldn’t provide it. And because the MSM demonizes him, it’s hard to sift through a search. Many kids, especially boys, are given drugs from a very early age for ADHD. Probably if they could labor on a farm like most generations until the 1920s some of that energy could be put to use. A consistent side effect for many of the mind/behavior altering drugs is suicidal thoughts and aggressive behavior. Mix that with alcohol when available and it’s a toxic combination. Until the 1950s, I think about half the U.S. population lived/worked on farms—did you hear of ADHD (or similar name) before the 1970s?

https://www.verywellmind.com/side-effects-of-adhd-medications-2633123

These ADHD medications now include:
Short-acting stimulants: Adderall, Dexedrine, Focalin, Ritalin
Intermediate-acting stimulants: Dexedrine Spansule
Long-acting stimulants: Adderall XR, Concerta, Daytrana, Dyanavel XR, Focalin XR, Metadate CD, Ritalin LA, Vyvanse
Nonstimulants: Intuniv, Strattera, Qelbree

That list makes it seem like there are a lot of different ADHD medications to choose from, especially if your child has side effects to one or more of them. Your choices quickly narrow when you understand that the stimulants are really just different forms and variants of the following two types of ADHD medications:

Methylphenidate-based ADHD medications: Concerta, Daytrana, Focalin and Focalin XR, Metadate CD, Ritalin LA
Amphetamine-based ADHD medications: Adderall and Adderall XR, Dexedrine and Dexedrine Spansule, Dyanavel XR, Vyvanse

Note from Norma: The warnings for Methylphenidate based meds are scary!

Also taken by many:

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/ss/slideshow-commonly-abused-drugs

Then add to that, the easily available, and now legal gate way drug, marijuana.

Lakeside is open, and we're not there!

From the Lakeside Blog, https://blog.lakesideohio.com/hoover-shows-are-back/

 "Shirley Stary has been instrumental in creating the Lakeside experience we’ve known and loved and led the charge in bringing chart-topping performances to the stage of Hoover Auditorium for the last 17 years. She says, “The time has flown by,” but the last two seasons have been by far the longest in her career.

Due to the pandemic, Hoover has been mostly silent for two years. But this summer, the floor and walls will be vibrating, and seats will be filled for the first time since 2019 as shows return to Lakeside’s social and cultural hub.

“One of the worst things about the pandemic was not being able to use Hoover,” Stary said. “People come here to see each other as much to see the show, and that’s been lacking the past two years.”

While Stary agreed that Hoover should have been closed, it was also a cause for concern for her. Like everybody else, she didn’t have a crystal ball and had no idea what the future looked like.

“At one point during the pandemic, I was afraid I had done my last show at Hoover without knowing it,” Stary said. “I just thought, ‘What happens if we can’t open again?’ If you knew you were leaving, you’d stand on the stage and say, ‘All right, this has been a good run.’ So, I was mourning the fact that I didn’t relish that last show.”

During Hoover’s two-year hiatus, Stary was also concerned for her staff because shows were part of their income.

With much anticipation, the community will gather again in this central community gem as Masters of Soul take the stage on May 28 and Collision of Rhythm performing the following night.

Lakeside President & CEO Kip Greenhill says Hoover is a unique place that brings a sense of community that can’t be found anywhere else.

“Hoover Auditorium is one of several gathering places in Lakeside that brings people together from different backgrounds, varied geographic areas and a range of experiences to help enhance a culture of belonging,” Greenhill said. “The artistic programming done in Hoover, like the arts everywhere, further connects us into a true community feeling. We are so fortunate to have Hoover Auditorium open again and to bring us together.”

Jeannie Fleming-Gifford is entering her first summer as Vice President of Programming but is a Lakesider who knows how important and special Hoover shows are since she has attended several events there.

“The power of live arts experiences in a setting like Hoover Auditorium is nothing short of magical,” Fleming-Gifford said. “We are so excited to immerse Lakesiders of all ages and interests in a variety of quality, live entertainment programs and connect as a community through the power of the arts.”

Stary said this is a “rebuilding year,” but still has a solid lineup of shows, including The Spinners (June 25), Herman’s Hermits staring Peter Noone (July 16), Tony Danza — one of Stary’s “crushes” (July 23), family-friendly comedian Preacher Lawson (Aug. 6), We Are Messengers (Aug. 13) and Mercury: The Music of Queen & Freddie Mercury (Sept. 3). "

We are not there because Bob tested positive on Thursday for Covid, had a monoclonal antibodies infusion yesterday, and is resting comfortably (like a cold but more tired than usual).

PROTECTING AMERICA’S SCHOOLS--Secret Service Report, 2019

Executive summary https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/Protecting_Americas_Schools.pdf

Ensuring the safety of children at school is a responsibility that belongs to everyone, including law enforcement, school staff, mental health practitioners, government officials, and members of the general public. To aid in these efforts, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) studied 41 incidents of targeted school violence that occurred at K-12 schools in the United States from 2008 to 2017. This report builds on 20 years of NTAC research and guidance in the field of threat assessment by offering an in-depth analysis of the motives, behaviors, and situational factors of the attackers, as well as the tactics, resolutions, and other operationally-relevant details of the attacks.

The analysis suggests that many of these tragedies could have been prevented, and supports the importance of schools establishing comprehensive targeted violence prevention programs as recommended by the Secret Service in Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence.1 This approach is intended to identify students of concern, assess their risk for engaging in violence or other harmful activities, and implement intervention strategies to manage that risk. The threshold for intervention should be low, so that schools can identify students in distress before their behavior escalates to the level of eliciting concerns about safety.

Because most of these attacks ended very quickly, law enforcement rarely had the opportunity to intervene before serious harm was caused to students or staff. Additionally, many of the schools that experienced these tragedies had implemented physical security measures (e.g., cameras, school resource officers, lockdown procedures). Prevention is key. Some of the key findings from this study, and their implications for informing school violence prevention efforts, include:

• There is no profile of a student attacker, nor is there a profile for the type of school that has been targeted: Attackers varied in age, gender, race, grade level, academic performance, and social characteristics. Similarly, there was no identified profile of the type of school impacted by targeted violence, as schools varied in size, location, and student-teacher ratios. Rather than focusing on a set of traits or characteristics, a threat assessment process should focus on gathering relevant information about a student’s behaviors, situational factors, and circumstances to assess the risk of violence or other harmful outcomes.

• Attackers usually had multiple motives, the most common involving a grievance with classmates: In addition to grievances with classmates, attackers were also motivated by grievances involving school staff, romantic relationships, or other personal issues. Other motives included a desire to kill, suicide, and seeking fame or notoriety. Discovering a student’s motive for engaging in concerning behavior is critical to assessing the student’s risk of engaging in violence and identifying appropriate interventions to change behavior and manage risk.

• Most attackers used firearms, and firearms were most often acquired from the home: Many of the attackers were able to access firearms from the home of their parents or another close relative. While many of the firearms were unsecured, in several cases the attackers were able to gain access to firearms that were secured in a locked gun safe or case. It should be further noted, however, that some attackers used knives instead of firearms to perpetrate their attacks. Therefore, a threat assessment should explore if a student has access to any weapons, with a particular focus on weapons access at home. Schools, parents, and law enforcement must work together rapidly to restrict access to weapons in those cases when students pose a risk of harm to themselves or others.

• Most attackers had experienced psychological, behavioral, or developmental symptoms: The observable mental health symptoms displayed by attackers prior to their attacks were divided into three main categories: psychological (e.g., depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation), behavioral (e.g., defiance/misconduct or symptoms of ADD/ADHD), and neurological/developmental (e.g., developmental delays or cognitive deficits). The fact that half of the attackers had received one or more mental health services prior to their attack indicates that mental health evaluations and treatments should be considered a component of a multidisciplinary threat assessment, but not a replacement. Mental health professionals should be included in a collaborative threat assessment process that also involves teachers, administrators, and law enforcement.

• Half of the attackers had interests in violent topics: Violent interests, without an appropriate explanation, are concerning, which means schools should not hesitate to initiate further information-gathering, assessment, and management of the student’s behavior. For example, a student who is preoccupied or fixated on topics like the Columbine shooting or Hitler, as was noted in the backgrounds of several of the attackers in this study, may be the focus of a school threat assessment to determine how such an interest originated and if the interest negatively impacts the student’s thinking and behavior.

• All attackers experienced social stressors involving their relationships with peers and/or romantic partners: Attackers experienced stressors in various areas of their lives, with nearly all experiencing at least one in the six months prior to their attack, and half within two days of the attack. In addition to social stressors, other stressors experienced by many of the attackers were related to families and conflicts in the home, academic or disciplinary actions, or other personal issues. All school personnel should be trained to recognize signs of a student in crisis. Additional training should focus on crisis intervention, teaching students skills to manage emotions and resolve conflicts, and suicide prevention.

• Nearly every attacker experienced negative home life factors: The negative home life factors experienced by the attackers included parental separation or divorce, drug use or criminal charges among family members, and domestic abuse. While none of the factors included here should be viewed as predictors that a student will be violent, past research has identified an association between many of these types of factors and a range of negative outcomes for children.

• Most attackers were victims of bullying, which was often observed by others: Most of the attackers were bullied by their classmates, and for over half of the attackers the bullying appeared to be of a persistent pattern which lasted for weeks, months, or years. It is critical that schools implement comprehensive programs designed to promote safe and positive school climates, where students feel empowered to report bullying when they witness it or are victims of it, and where school officials and other authorities act to intervene.

• Most attackers had a history of school disciplinary actions, and many had prior contact with law enforcement: Most attackers had a history of receiving school disciplinary actions resulting from a broad range of inappropriate behavior. The most serious of those actions included the attacker being suspended, expelled, or having law enforcement interactions as a result of their behavior at school. An important point for school staff to consider is that punitive measures are not preventative. If a student elicits concern or poses a risk of harm to self or others, removing the student from the school may not always be the safest option. To help in making the determination regarding appropriate discipline, schools should employ disciplinary practices that ensure fairness, transparency with the student and family, and appropriate follow-up.

• All attackers exhibited concerning behaviors. Most elicited concern from others, and most communicated their intent to attack: The behaviors that elicited concern ranged from a constellation of lower-level concerns to objectively concerning or prohibited behaviors. Most of the attackers communicated a prior threat to their target or communicated their intentions to carry out an attack. In many cases, someone observed a threatening communication or behavior but did not act, either out of fear, not believing the attacker, misjudging the immediacy or location, or believing they had dissuaded the attacker. Students, school personnel, and family members should be encouraged to report troubling or concerning behaviors to ensure that those in positions of authority can intervene. A multidisciplinary threat assessment team, in conjunction with the appropriate policies, tools, and training, is the best practice for preventing future tragedies. A thorough review of the findings contained in this report should make clear that tangible steps can be taken to reduce the likelihood that any student would cause harm, or be harmed, at school.

Two men on trial, Sussmann and Hale

 

  

In the courtroom of U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper, federal prosecutors have presented a detailed account of the greatest scandal in U.S. political history: the conspiracy of the country’s most powerful interests to fabricate the Trump-Russia collusion hoax in order to sabotage Donald Trump before the 2016 election. . . . 

Unlike Michael Sussmann, who walked free for five years following the commission of his alleged crime, Tim Hale has been in jail under pre-trial detention orders for more than 16 months.

Yet Hale’s alleged offenses were far less damaging to the country than the crimes Sussmann and his accomplices are accused of committing. On January 6, Hale, an Army reservist, drove to Washington after working the night shift at a New Jersey Naval station to hear President Trump speak. Later that afternoon, Hale walked to Capitol Hill. He entered the Capitol building around 2:14 p.m. through a set of open doors; Hale carried no weapon and didn’t assault anyone. On at least two occasions, Hale is seen interacting with police officers, who did not attempt to arrest either him or those around him. . . . 

Stolen Elections: A Tale of Two D.C. Courtrooms › American Greatness (amgreatness.com)

No, we don't have the most frequent mass shootings

It turns out that not only did the U.S. not have the most frequent mass shootings, it was No. 62 on the list, lower than places like Norway, Finland, and Switzerland. There was also no relationship between the rate of gun ownership in different countries and the rate of mass shootings." 

 https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/02/20/the-us-has-the-most-mass-shootings-and-other-bogus-gun-research/?

What the U.S. does have are journalists who don't do research or ask questions. They have agendas and biases.

My goodness--Elizabeth Taylor would be 90!

 

  

I saw this at a librarian fashion website

1932-2011

Biden is a pathological liar

Biden announced we need a special data base on police because they are killing black people, and blacks are in fear every day. They might be fearful because of his lies. 7 unarmed blacks (while committing crimes) were shot by police in 2021, while 7,000 were killed, most by other blacks. There was a time when Biden saved thousands of black lives, but not today. He was a sponsor of the Omnibus Crime Bill of 1993, and violence against blacks plummeted. But a lot of blacks went to prison, so Kamala Harris used it against him in the 2020 campaign. Now he says, "Oh look over there--police, not policing, kill blacks."

He’s also killing blacks by pushing obscene abortion laws, worst in the world for life or common sense. Why do Democrats hate black people? It’s the party of the KKK, Jim Crow, genocide, segregated schools (which it is reinstating with Woke policies), and for years it fought the Republicans on civil rights laws, especially anti-lynching laws. Even the laws they pass to “help” have hurt generations by kicking Dad out of the home, and have kept black adults from climbing the ladder of success.

He’s a pathological liar, and that was known about him before he was elected.

https://the4pm.com/biden-told-2-egregious-lies-this-week-the-mainstream-media-barely-noticed/

https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/oct/30/joe-biden-is-a-pathological-liar/

Biden lies again about the Second Amendment

Why does Biden continue to lie? He's a pathological liar. There were no bans on cannons. Can't help himself. Democrats love liars.

"It does sound bizarre because it is factually and legally untrue. I have received calls from media for years about this claim and it does not improve by repetition. Even the Washington Post has declared Biden’s understanding of the Second Amendment to be false.

https://jonathanturley.org/2022/05/26/president-biden-repeats-false-claim-about-the-second-amendment/

More safety for the schools to repel intruders

I got a driver's license in 1956 and didn't have an accident, not even a fender bender, until 2021. That same accident which left me bruised and frightened, probably would have killed me in 1956. In fact, auto fatalities are half what they were in 1956--23.7 per 100,000 to 11.67 in 2019 (2020 and 2021 were bumped up due to Covid and are outliers). Cars are half as dangerous, despite the millions of more vehicles on the road and silly teen-agers behind the wheel. Cars, roads and bridges are much, much safer--I was driving a 22 year old SUV that had airbags (my only injuries), seat belts and padded dash; the bridge had concrete barriers which kept me from drowning in the river and the woman who stopped to help had a cell phone to call for immediate help (the black ice was still as dangerous as 1956 because some things don't change). The salt truck was behind me, instead of in front, but at least others were safe.

School safety is the same way. Although the President wants to make this a political issue to satisfy his base, it should be a safety issue. The President should be comforting and consoling not ramping up hatred. He continues to belittle the police even after we've seen such bravery yesterday. Even as all the data show minorities are more likely to be the aggressor in racial crimes. Children are much safer at school than anywhere else--we learned that during Covid when hunger, mental health issues, and on-line frustration and bullying increased because of school closings. However, young men like Salvador Ramos who are mentally ill are still dangerous, just as black ice on bridges is as dangerous as 55 years ago.

Arm the teachers. Train the staff. The Robb school had a lot of safety protections, but the fence was extremely weak. I really have no idea about schools in my own community, but I intend to ask. I hope all schools and churches and other soft targets continue to recognize that they are targets for hate and evil. It's not the 1950s or 1960s.

Although social media can shut down a president, it also allows dangerous and out of control people to post their intentions. At least they should be allowed to alert authorities in the community.  And have you noticed the media is not focuses on Ramos' ethnicity?

Cookie supreme recipe and how-to

 https://fb.watch/ddQ69nv7oj/

Cookie dough made into delicious muffin treat with Rice Krispies and chocolate sauce.

Eighty three federal programs to help the low-income, poor, and single mothers

The abortion wars are building. The Pro-Aborts are threatening violence in the streets this summer, even though they will still be able to kill babies under state law. It's a power trip.

 
If you're tired of the old saw that pro-lifers don't care for children, only the fetuses, then you need to tell your accusers the truth. Welfare, under any name, has always been bipartisan, with Republicans often dumping more money on the programs than Democrats. EITC, for instance, was a Nixon plan, and until Obama, GW Bush was the biggest welfare spender. Many of the Covid supplemental programs were Trump's and continued by Biden. Republicans give more in their private lives, and when in government, they can't pass up a chance to be the do-gooder. The exception was Obamacare--which could not garner a single Republican vote because it was just BAD and horribly expensive.

 
Right now we have 83 means tested programs for the low income, poor, and single mothers. You really need to click on some of these and see what is involved. There are 27 programs just for single moms--everything from housing, to food, to medical care, to education. There were special supplements to these programs for Covid. Democrats didn't do this, Congress did, and it's been many years building. What HAS failed is Biden's sub-section of Build Back Better, called the American Families Plan. He's really flogging that dead horse--he makes it sound like we're pikers.

 
However, it will keep more people in poverty than just about anything they've dreamed up in DC. Uncle Sam is not a good step-father. Very few children of married parents ever live in poverty. The low income person will never be able to get ahead because it is too expensive to take a good job or a promotion. A $10/hour raise could cost them hundreds. They will pay a higher tax rate for a promotion than the wealthiest CEO in the country just by losing thousands in gov't benefits.

https://singlemotherguide.com/federal-welfare-programs/?

If you are married with 3 kids earning $57,414 (social worker, school teacher, pastor, retail manager, etc) instead of you paying taxes on it, the gov't will give you $6,728 (EITC).

If you've got a student loan Covid has paused your loan payments and set your interest rate to 0% starting March 13, 2020. This payment pause, also known as the administrative forbearance, will end Aug. 31, 2022. I'm guessing that will be renewed and renewed until we are stuck with complete loan forgiveness. I'd like to be proven wrong, but look who's in the WH.

A 3-person household which got $200 in SNAP, gets $458 as a covid supplement to bring it up to the $658 maximum benefit. No, SNAP doesn't mean you can eat on that amount, the S stands for supplement so you can afford healthier meals, not more chips and pop.

Women eligible for WIC get over $700, plus extra for fruits and vegetables. There is a formula shortage because the WIC program uses/buys 50% of the formula in the U.S. and the gov't really messed up on the supply chain.

Section 502 Direct Loan Program for rural low-income Americans to get decent housing. Special supplements for Covid with payment moratorium.

And on and on. You'll be amazed how generous you are. Because the government has no money except YOUR money.

Trick or treat

 

Words matter, less is more

 The Lord's Prayer has 56 words.

Gettysburg Address has 268 words.

The Declaration of Independence has 1458

The U.S. Constitution has 4,543 words, including the signatures, unamended

Right to Try Act (2018) 5 pages

Report from the National School Board Association's investigation about its letter to Biden suggesting parents could be terrorists is 55 pages.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA ) of 2009 is 407 pages.

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was 2,700 pages at time of pages, not including 20,000 pages of regulations (this number is debated) which followed.

I can't find the number of pages in the "American Families Plan," which is a subset of pages/words of Build Back Better, but it's $1.8 trillion for starters.  

Archbishop Cordileone and Whoopi Goldlberg just doing their job

Archbishop Cordileone did what he's supposed to do--called out Nancy Pelosi for being a hypocrite and a bad Catholic--he has every right to refuse her communion. It's his job. It should have been done sooner, in my opinion, but as a Lutheran, I have no say in the matter. And Whoopi Goldberg, abortion defender, has every right to play the uninformed fool who knows nothing about "separation of church and state," or the Catholic church. Just because she played a fake nun who could sing in some movies doesn't mean she knows anything.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251305/archbishop-cordileone-nancy-pelosi-communion-abortion

https://dailycaller.com/2022/05/23/whoopi-goldberg-archbishop-cordileone-nancy-pelosi-communion/

How Biden's American Families Plan hurts the low income

I disagree with the premise of the headline of this article.  I think Progressives know exactly what they are doing and how their programs keep the low income at the bottom.  It keeps them dependent on the government and thus keeps the progressives in office.  I wrote a blog about this years ago using a fictional character and how she couldn't get ahead because her benefits would be cut if she accepted a promotion or a better job.    https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2021/richardsonmckenzieprogressives.html

 Progressives' Desires to Help the Poor Will End Up Hurting Them Instead

"How do no-income and low-income Americans pay “taxes” when they are welfare beneficiaries? Very simply. Public assistance programs are “means tested,” structured to target households below certain income thresholds. The level of benefits a beneficiary receives under a given program falls at some rate as earned income rises, eventually reaching zero dollars in benefits.

Consider a household that receives benefits from only two welfare programs, with one tapering off at 20 cents for each added dollar earned and another tapering off at 40 cents for each added dollar earned. Those cuts create an implicit tax rate of 60 percent, which means the worker has only 40 cents in additional spendable income for each added dollar earned. This implicit tax rate can be expected to affect work incentives in much the same way that a federal income tax rate does.

To further illustrate, consider a real-life, low-income single mother of two children in Forsyth County, North Carolina earning $10 an hour in a full-time job, which means she has a monthly earned income of $1,600 (or $19,200 annually). Suppose the single mother receives monthly benefits from five welfare programs: $425 in food stamps, $1,471 in subsidized childcare, $370 in housing subsidies, $180 in WIC benefits, and $493 in an earned income tax credit (EITC). Her monthly welfare benefits will total $2,939 (or $35,271 a year).

Now, suppose the single mother takes a new job paying $15 an hour, a 50 percent increase. Her monthly earned income will rise by $800 to $2,400 (with her annual income rising to $28,800 a year, an annual earnings increase of $9,600). However, she will face decreases in four out of her five monthly benefit streams, with each benefit reduction based on the same $800-increase in earnings (a problem known among welfare researchers as the “cumulative stacked effect”). The single mother will lose $231 in food stamps, $80 in childcare benefits, $216 in housing benefits, and $166 in EITC. Her total decrease in monthly benefits will reach $694 (which means her annual benefit total will drop by $8,328).4 Her implicit tax rate on her added monthly earnings of $800 is 87 percent—more than two times the highest explicit marginal tax rate proposed for the rich. (The details of our calculations are in a table we have appended to the end of this article.)

In addition, the single mother will be required to pay an added $185 a month in federal and state income taxes on her added earned monthly income of $800, which is an explicit tax rate of 23 percent. Adding the 87 percent implicit tax rate to the 23 percent explicit tax rate leads to an overall tax rate of 110 percent. Her raise has left her $79 per month poorer in lost wages and benefits—surely a strong disincentive for her to take the higher paying job.5

But the total (implicit plus explicit) marginal tax rate on poor and low-income workers can be worse, and actually spikes to 1,400 percent at an earned income of around $43,000 (which is known as the “welfare cliff”).6 However, studies in different areas of the country show that the total marginal tax rate on poor and low-income workers within an annual earned-income range of $15,000 to $80,000 moves between 28 and 53 percent for full-time workers earning up to an annual earnings of $24,000 (or $12.50 an hour). The implicit tax rate for workers earning between $24,000 and $40,000 jumps to 90 percent.7"

Other sources:  https://taxfoundation.org/american-families-plan/

https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-to-keep-woman-poorgovernment.html

New Film for churches about abortion

  https://youtu.be/1TA8ebssiLc

Tracy Robinson, the producer and director of a new pro-life film shares her conversion story and why she felt compelled to create a documentary that dives deep into the abortion debate. Many women sitting the the pews of believing churches are choosing abortions, and many churches never speak out, or their leadership is not informed. Robinson had formerly been a "pro-choice" Christians, but

"a presentation on the topic of abortion at a church in 2016 changed her mind. The topic of the presentation was the case against abortion, she said.

“In less than two hours the message just clarified for me the true humanity of the unborn child, from the moment of conception and the whole reality of what abortion does really struck me,” Robinson said.

She continued, “and so I immediately felt compelled to make a documentary because I knew there were so many people in my shoes — young adults, who had never heard the message before clearly.”

Baby Formula mess

Biden to the rescue. He's having the military fly in 2 days worth of formula!

Women, Infants, Children (WIC): For the purpose of this program, about half the baby formulas produced in the United States are purchased by state governments with federal money.

“The production of baby formulas is a very regulated industry. In early 2022, the Food and Drug Administration forced the closure of a factory of Abbot Laboratories (producer of Similac) in Michigan. Abbot is the dominant American producer of baby formulas, partly because it is the monopolistic distributor chosen by most state governments. A germ had been discovered in the factory, but not in the products. Some 98% of all the baby formulas consumed in the United States are produced domestically, thanks to a customs tariff of 17.5%, not to mention the regulatory requirements. Industry concentration is a typical result of regulation and protectionism." https://www.econlib.org/how-londoners-survive-without-a-food-czar/

[In other words, it is completely government controlled and 50% is purchased by the government for WIC and it’s free for those families.]

This is called “central planning” and is a feature of Communist/Socialist countries with large bureaucracies that apparently have poor math skills. Women who usually got free formula through WIC are now having to buy it, making a shortage for those who always purchased formula. If you like central planning instead of free market and competition with minimal regulation and fewer monopolies, just keeping voting for Democrats.

The House Squad says Israel doesn't have a right to exist--Listen up America!

"Members of the “Squad” of far-left House lawmakers have called on the US government to describe the events surrounding Israel’s founding with the Palestinian term “Nakba,” an Arabic word meaning “catastrophe.”

The resolution, authored by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, was submitted nearly two weeks after Israel celebrated its independence day and one day after the anniversary of the Jewish state’s 1948 war of independence.

The measure demands the US “commemorate the Nakba through official recognition and remembrance,” while claiming that the word also refers to “an ongoing process of Israel’s expropriation of Palestinian land and its dispossession of the Palestinian people that continues to this day through the establishment and expansion of approximately 300 illegal settlements and outposts in the occupied Palestinian West Bank in which approximately 674,000 Israelis reside as of 2020.” " https://nypost.com/2022/05/17/squad-members-introduce-resolution-calling-israel-founding-catastrophe/