Day: March 11, 2017

Commentary: Republicans Should Remember the Lessons of the Scurrilous Path to Obamacare Passage

Christina Botteri

By George Rasley, CHQ In 2009 Democrats, flush with victory in the 2008 election and in control of the White House, Senate and House – a victory won largely on jobs and economic issues – embarked, not on the passage of a job creation and economic reform agenda, but on a costly and politically debilitating government takeover of the healthcare and insurance industries. The legislation, written behind closed doors by a handful of Democratic leaders in consultation with liberal consultants, was rammed through Congress by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-President Barack Obama. Pelosi famously said at the time, “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy” and Obama spent enormous amounts of his political capital framing the healthcare takeover as one of government acting to improve and reform the healthcare insurance market and selling the socialist utopian idea that access to healthcare unlimited by market forces is a “right.” Both of these sales points turned out to be lies and everyone on the inside knew them to be. MIT Professor Jonathan Gruber, the architect of the bill said that if Americans knew the truth “the…

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Mexican Man Arrested In Nashville For Heroin Possession

Wendy Wilson

A man from Mexico remains in custody after being arrested in Nashville Tuesday night when caught with more than half a pound of heroin that police say he intended to sell. Hugo Contreras-Gonzalez, 34, was driving a minivan along I-65 South near Trinity Lane when he was pulled over for speeding, according to a news release issued Wednesday by the Metro Nashville Police Department. Police dog Stryker detected a narcotic odor and in searching the minivan, police found heroin in two separate grease tubes in the rear passenger area. Contreras-Gonzalez was charged with possessing heroin for resale. He did not have a valid driver’s license and presented a passport, saying he had only been in the country for 15 days. His bond was set at $82,000 and he remained in jail Friday, police spokeswoman Kris Mumford told The Tennessee Star Friday afternoon. A court date is set for March 15. Contreras-Gonzalez had previous contact with local law enforcement in March 2011 when he was pulled over in Madison for not having headlights on during a rainstorm and was given a misdemeanor citation for not having a valid driver’s license, Mumford said.

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Volkswagen Apologizes, Pleads Guilty to $4.3 Billion Diesel Emissions Fraud Scheme

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

“A federal judge in Detroit on Friday accepted a guilty plea from Volkswagen on three federal charges connected to the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal,” the Detroit Free Press reported: However, Judge Sean Cox said he wanted more time to review the terms of a proposed settlement agreement of $4.3 billion, an amount far less than what the company could be fined under federal sentencing guidelines. “With all due respect … this is a very, very serious offence,” Cox said. “It is incumbent on me to make a considered a decision.” Cox scheduled another hearing for April 21. Volkswagen did, however, appear in court, plead guilty and waive its right to a jury trial in a wide-ranging investigation into the company’s diesel engines that were equipped with software designed to fool federal emissions tests. Manfred Doess, Volkswagen’s general counsel, traveled from Germany to Detroit to appear on behalf of the world’s largest automaker. Read more at: https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7184404-volkswagen-apologizes-pleads-guilty-to-fraud/ – – – Editor’s note:  In 2011 Volkswagen opened an assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee that currently employs 2,000.      

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