Day: February 12, 2019

New Tennessee Bill Goes After Civil Forfeiture Laws

Chris Butler

State Rep. Martin Daniel, R-Knoxville has proposed a new law that, if enacted, would change Tennessee’s civil forfeiture laws. Specifically, the proposed law would require that local district attorneys general review the underlying circumstances of a seizure to determine if probable cause exists to justify forfeiture. When appropriate, the law requires that he or she “file a motion to dismiss the application for forfeiture warrant, upon which the court shall dismiss the application and return the seized property.” As The Tennessee Star reported last year, a State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said Tennessee’s civil forfeiture laws remain among the least protective of property owners in the nation.” Daniel told The Star that civil asset forfeiture in Tennessee “has gotten out of hand.” “We need to impose safeguards to ensure innocent persons are not swept up in this effort. We can do that by making sure law enforcement is subject to Tennessee law and limit their ability to hand the matter off, via the equitable sharing process the federal government allows,” Daniel said. According to Recuro.org, a federal program known as “Equitable Sharing” “allows prosecutors to bypass more stringent state asset forfeiture laws by passing cases…

Read the full story

Commentary: Progressing America Into the Abyss

Admin

by Thaddeus G. McCotter   Leftists self-identify as “progressives.” Yet anyone with a scrap of sanity and a rudimentary understanding of their philosophical antecedents, as well as their injurious policy prescriptions, objectively identifies the Left not as “progressive” but as “regressive.” Their incessant, implacable lust to destroy the American Revolution’s novel birth of individual freedom and replace it with an antiquated, governmentally coerced collectivism cannot be classified as anything ordinarily understood to be “progress.” Today’s “progressives” stand in opposition to the autonomy of the empowering times in which we find ourselves, namely the communications revolution. Their deluded aim seeks a societal regression back through serfdom to “noble savagery” all in the name of an “equality” that ultimately reveals itself to be one of penury, misery, and servitude (unless one is a member of the Leftist governing elite). Yet, is this view fair to the Left? After all, isn’t regression simply the march of progress in reverse? Is it not, then, possible the regressive Left is, in point of fact, also progressive? Is it not, then, only fair to credit the Left for its “progressive” deeds; and, further, donning radically chic Leftist berets is it possible to reimagine ourselves as good…

Read the full story

US Steel Cites Trump in Resuming Construction Project

Admin
Donald Trump

U.S. Steel Corp. will restart construction on an idled manufacturing facility in Alabama, and it gave some of the credit to President Donald Trump’s trade policies in an announcement Monday. Trump’s “strong trade actions” are partly responsible for the resumption of work on an advanced plant near Birmingham, the Pittsburgh-based company said in a statement. The administration’s tariffs have raised prices on imported steel and aluminum. The manufacturer also cited improving market conditions, union support and government incentives for the decision. Work will resume immediately, the company said, and the facility will have an annual capacity of 1.6 million tons (1.5 million metric tons). U.S. Steel said it also will update other equipment and plans to spend about $215 million, adding about 150 full-time workers. The furnace is expected to begin producing steel in late 2020. The 16,000-member United Steelworkers praised the decision to resume work, which followed an agreement with the union reached last fall. “This decision paves the way for a solid future in continuing to make steel in Alabama and the Birmingham region,” Leo W. Gerard, the president of the international union, said in a statement. U.S. Steel shut down its decades-old blast furnace at Fairfield Works…

Read the full story

Huawei Global Business Model Relied on Bribes, Corruption

Admin

by Masood Farivar   In Algeria, it was banned from bidding for public contracts after one of its executives was convicted of bribery. In Zambia, it was probed over allegations of bribery involving a multi-million-dollar contract to build cell towers in rural areas. In the Solomon Islands, it was accused of offering millions of dollars to the ruling party in exchange for an undersea fiber optic cable contract. In all three cases – and half a dozen others in recent years – the alleged perpetrator was Huawei Technologies, the Chinese telecom behemoth facing scrutiny from Western nations over allegations of intellectual property theft and espionage. Saying it poses a national security threat, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand have banned the company from building new, state of the art 5G telecom networks. Other Western countries are debating over a similar ban. Security concerns about Huawei and other Chinese telecom equipment providers are mounting after U.S. prosecutors last month charged the company founded by a former People’s Liberation Army officer with violating U.S. sanctions on Iran, purloining trade secrets from T-Mobile and encouraging its employees to steal intellectual property. The focus on national security concerns about Huawei has eclipsed a little reported…

Read the full story

Angel Dad: Border Wall Funding ‘Would Have Been There Months Ago’ if Pelosi or Schumer’s Child Was ‘Hit and Killed’

Admin

by Tim Pearce   If congressional Democrats suffered the way the family of Dan Ferguson, an angel dad, has, funding for a border wall would have been approved months ago, Ferguson told “Fox & Friends” hosts Monday. Ferguson’s daughter Amanda was killed in a hit-and-run accident in November 2018. Joel Velazquez, 24, is in the U.S. illegally and had been drinking the night he allegedly ran several red lights and hit and killed Amanda, Ferguson said. Ferguson appeared on Fox News hours before President Donald Trump is expected to hold a rally in El Paso, Texas, where Ferguson lives. He supports Trump’s plan for border security and said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would too if they lost someone because of an illegal alien. “I’m 100 percent behind him on his deal on the wall and securing the border,” Ferguson said. “You know, he also needs to look at cutting off all the money for sanctuary cities, because all that does is let these illegal aliens back into our society to commit more crimes.” “I know President Trump has looked into the eyes of angel dads and angel moms like me. He knows the pain,” he added. Velazquez was arrested in…

Read the full story

Commentary: The Indecent Inquisitors of the Democrats

Admin

by Julie Kelly   The first contest of the 2020 primary season is one year away and the Democratic Party’s agenda now is coming into sharp focus: An income tax rate upwards of 70 percent, a Green New Deal that would send America back to the Stone Age, postpartum baby-killing, and the elimination of federal control over our southern border are just a few of the lowlights. Sprinkle that message with a heavy dose of anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, anti-white, anti-male rhetoric and voila! – Democratic presidential contenders are ready to swarm Iowa and New Hampshire. But another destructive sideshow now animates the Democrats ahead of next year’s elections: The multi-pronged, unprecedented and possibly unconstitutional investigation into President Trump. To satisfy the bloodlust of the party’s rank-and-file, still bitter about losing the 2016 presidential election and gobsmacked that Trump somehow remains in office, congressional leaders are seeking vengeance in the hearing rooms of Capitol Hill. Since taking the helm of powerful House committees last month, Democratic chairmen are wasting no time in probing every crevice of Trump World; no one, including the president’s family members, will be spared. Hundreds of New Investigations The government’s formal investigation into Donald Trump began in July 2016, when Barack Obama’s FBI launched a counterintelligence probe…

Read the full story

Constitutionalist, Pro-Life, and Pro-Military: North Carolina Congressman Walter Jones Passes Away at 76

A.P. Dillon

On Sunday, February 10th, Congressman Walter B. Jones (Republican, NC-3) passed away. He leaves behind his wife, JoAnn, and his daughter Ashley. Jones was 76 years old. “Congressman Jones was a man of the people,” said the statement released by his office. With a kind heart and the courage of his convictions, he dedicated his life to serving his Savior and to standing up for Americans who needed a voice. https://t.co/JqP0wk3ECi — Rep. Walter Jones (@RepWalterJones) February 10, 2019 The statement continued: “He was a champion for our men and women in uniform and their families, always mindful of their service and sacrifice. “Congressman Jones will long be remembered for his honesty, faith and integrity. He was never afraid to take a principled stand. He was known for his independence, and widely admired across the political spectrum. Some may not have agreed with him, but all recognized that he did what he thought was right. He will be sorely missed.” On January 2nd, Jones had stated that he would not be running again in 2020 and later that month it was announced he had entered into Hospice care. Jones has apparently been battling with an undisclosed illness. Walter Jones attended…

Read the full story

Steve Cortes Commentary: The U.S. Economy Is Proving Critics Wrong Yet Again

Admin

by Steve Cortes   The booming U.S. economy is proving the Democrats wrong yet again — liberals keep predicting a recession, but businesses just keep on hiring. According to the recently published data from the Department of Labor, nonfarm payrolls surged by 304,000 jobs in January, nearly doubling the 165,000 jobs that so-called experts predicted in light of the government shutdown. “The job market weathered the government shutdown well. Despite the severe disruptions, businesses continued to add aggressively to their payrolls,” Moody Analytics chief economist Mark Zandisaid Wednesday in anticipation of the report. “As long as businesses hire strongly the economic expansion will continue on.” Although the unemployment rate rose slightly — from 3.9 percent to 4.0 percent — that was partly because the labor force participation rate also increased to 63.2 percent, its highest level since President Trump took office. The strong private sector growth in January directly contradicted the doomsday forecasts of Democrats and the mainstream media, who spent weeks arguing that the government shutdown would negatively impact the economy. “It’s Christmas Eve and President Trump is plunging the country into chaos,” then-House Speaker nominee Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement last December. Their deliberate fear mongering…

Read the full story

Rep. Rashida Tlaib Wrote Column For Nation Of Islam Publication

Admin

by Peter Hasson   Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib in 2006 wrote an op-ed column for Final Call, a Nation of Islam publication founded by Louis Farrakhan, in the latest tie to emerge between the congresswoman and anti-Semitic figures. Tlaib authored the column in 2006, while working as the advocacy coordinator for the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), two years before she first won election to the state legislature. Tlaib was described as a “guest columnist” in the article, which argued against deporting immigrants found guilty of “minor offenses.” Final Call describes itself as “the official communications organ of the Nation of Islam” and was founded by the group’s leader, Farrakhan, according to Final Call’s website. Farrakhan’s history of unapologetic anti-Semitism including describing Jews as “satanic” and praising Hitler as a “very great man,” was well established by 2006. Final Call has published a steady stream of articles defending Farrakhan from charges of anti-Semitism. An October 2018 Final Call article quoted Farrakhan’s social media director, Jesse Muhammad, saying the backlash was proof that Farrakhan “must have sprayed some form of termite repellent that stirred up those that have practiced and continue to practice Talmudic ways by eating at the foundation and the carcass of a dead people chosen by God.”…

Read the full story

Denver Teachers Strike Over Pay

Admin

Denver teachers went on strike Monday after failing to reach a deal with administrators on pay. The school district said schools will remain open during the strike and will be staffed by administrators and substitute teachers. However, the district has canceled classes for 5,000 preschool children because it doesn’t have the staff to take care of them. Teachers started picketing before the start of the school day and students crossed through the picket lines on their way to class in some locations. At a press conference Monday morning, union leaders expressed frustration at failed talks to reach a deal over the weekend. Union president Henry Roman said teachers were committed to reaching a deal but said that both sides needed a cooling off period. Another negotiation session is expected Tuesday. “They need us. They need our labor, they need our minds, they need our talents to really make it happen,” lead union negotiator Rob Gould said. The main sticking points in the talks over a contract governing Denver’s incentive pay system, which started over a year ago, are lowering bonuses to put more money in teachers’ base pay and how to allow teachers to advance in pay based on education…

Read the full story

Sandusky, Ohio Will No Longer Observe Columbus Day, Election Day To Become State Holiday Instead

Andrew Shirley

For the first time since 1934, government workers in Sandusky, Ohio will be working on October 12th. The city commissioners approved a measure that would officially eliminate Columbus Day as a federal holiday. In lieu of the lost holiday, Election Day would officially replace it. In a statement to the Sandusky Register, city manager Eric Wobster explicitly stated that the reason for the shift was twofold; We are swapping them to prioritize Voting Day as a day off so that our employees can vote…It’s also because Columbus Day has become controversial, and many cities have eliminated it as a holiday. The city appears to consider this “killing two birds with one stone.” However, each decision is sure to face its own set of controversy. The overall legality of this decision is a matter of some question. According to Ohio Revised Code Chapter 124.18(B)(1)  public employees cannot be required to work on federal holidays unless their job is ruled essential (firefighters, police officers, etc…). Should they be forced to work On Columbus Day, they might be entitled to some form of overtime pay. It is unlikely that employees will press the issue, but certain advocacy groups might. In recent years the Columbus Day holiday has the been the subject of…

Read the full story

The Department of Transportation Poised to Loan $3.7 Billion for Japan-Mexico High-Speed Rail Project in Florida

Admin

by Robert Romano   The Department of Transportation could be on the verge of approving a $3.7 billion Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) low-cost loan to Virgin Trains USA, owned by the $100 billion market cap SoftBank Group based in Tokyo, to build a higher-speed train project on a freight rail line in eastern Florida owned by Grupo Mexico. The project would expand Virgin Trains USA from southeast Florida, currently operating between West Palm Beach and Miami, all the way to Orlando.  Future phases include Orlando to Tampa and up the eastern coast to Jacksonville. The RRIF Loan would be more money than the Trump administration has received from Congress to date to build the southern border wall and that was only $1.6 billion to repair existing fencing. It would also be the largest RRIF loan in Department of Transportation history, beating out Amtrak’s $2.45 billion loan in 2016. Virgin Trains USA has already raised $1.2 billion in private equity from Fortress Investment Group, which Japan-based SoftBank Group bought in 2017. The Virgin Trains USA (formerly Brightline) project has been approved by the Build America Bureau (also run by the Department of Transportation) for $1.75 billion of tax-exempt private activity bonds, $600 million for phase one and…

Read the full story

Minnesota Democrats Introduce Bill to Create ‘Minnesota Health Plan’

Anthony Gockowski

A bill was introduced Monday in the Minnesota Senate to establish the “Minnesota Health Plan,” which would “ensure all Minnesota residents are covered.” Senate File (SF) 1125 was referred to the Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee, and is co-sponsored by five DFL lawmakers, including Sens. John Marty (D-Roseville) (pictured above), Thomas Bakk (D-Cook), Chris Eaton (D-Brooklyn Center), Susan Kent (D-Woodbury), and Ann Rest (D-New Hope). The bill states that “in order to keep Minnesota residents healthy and provide the best quality of health care, the Minnesota Health Plan must:” ensure all Minnesota residents are covered; cover all necessary care, including dental, vision and hearing, mental health, chemical dependency treatment, prescription drugs, medical equipment and supplies, long-term care, and home care; allow patients to choose their providers; reduce costs by negotiating fair prices and by cutting administrative bureaucracy, not by restricting or denying care; be affordable to all through premiums based on ability to pay and elimination of co-pays; focus on preventive care and early intervention to improve health; ensure that there are enough health care providers to guarantee timely access to care; continue Minnesota’s leadership in medical education, research, and technology; provide adequate and timely payments to…

Read the full story

President Trump Holds Massive Border Wall Rally in El Paso, Texas

Jason M. Reynolds

“Finish the Wall” is President Donald Trump’s slogan, which he brought Monday to El Paso, Texas in a rally to continue his push for the $5.7 billion border wall. Fox News said the president kicked off his 2020 re-election campaign with the El Paso rally. Banners with his slogan adorned the El Paso County Coliseum, where the rally took place at 9 p.m. ET, The Hill said: Trump last week in his State of the Union address used the border city of El Paso as an example of border walls working. He said during the speech that El Paso “used to have extremely high rates of violent crime, one of the highest in the country, and considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities.”Now, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of our safest cities,” he said. The re-election campaign on Monday released a video with the voices of El Paso residents who have lived in their border community before – and after – the construction of a wall. According to a campaign statement on the video: As one resident in the video recounted, “They put the fence up and ever since then, the crime rate has gone down dramatically.” Another…

Read the full story