Politics – Page 33 – Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment.

The fiscal status of all fifty states according to party rule.

The Mercatus Center of George Mason University has come out with a study of which states are most fiscally solvent as of fiscal year 2013. These are their rankings of all 50 states. The best fiscal status in enjoyed by states ruled by a Republican governor, Republican legislature. There are 25 of these with an average score of 0.87

1. Alaska 8.26

2. North Dakota 2.97

3. South Dakota 2.84

4. Nebraska 2.75

5. Florida 2.74

6. Wyoming 2.67

7. Ohio 1.30

8. Tennessee 1.10

9. Oklahoma 0.99

11. Utah 0.95

12. Nevada 0.62

13. Alabama 0.60

15. Idaho 0.32

16. Indiana 0.07

17. South Carolina – 0.03

19. Texas – 0.12

24. Kansas – 0.48

26. Georgia – 0.58

27. North Carolina – 0.63

28. Wisconsin – 0.64

29. Arkansas – 0.66

32. Arizona – 0.78

33. Mississippi – 0.78

34. Michigan – 0.80

35. Louisiana – 0.85

Slightly negative for fiscal responsibility is to have a Democrat Governor, Republican Legislature. There are 6 of these with an average score of – 0.20

10. Montana 0.98

14. Missouri 0.49

20. New Hampshire – 0.13

21 Virginia – 0.21

41. Pennsylvania – 1.14

43. West Virginia – 1.20

Now we are getting into real negative territory for fiscal solvency. We start with a Republican Governor, Split Legislature. There are six of those with an average score of – 1.01

18. Iowa – 0.04

22. Colorado – 0.27

36. New Mexico – 0.92

42. Maine – 1.15

48. Massachusetts – 1.84

50. Illinois – 1.86

Equally bad is to have a Democrat Governor, split Legislature. There are four of them with an average 0f – 1.01

23. Washington – 0.43

31. Minnesota – 0,70

45. Kentucky – 1.42

46. New York – 1.49

Worse still is to have a Democrat Governor, Democrat Legislature. The seven of them have an average score of – 1.09

25. Oregon – 0.50

30. Delaware – 0.69

38. Rhode Island – 1.06

39. Vermont – 1.08

40. Hawaii – 1.08

44. California – 1.41

47. Connecticut – 1.83

And finally, worst of all is to have a Republican Governor, Democrat Legislature. There are two of those with an average

of – 1.42.

37. Maryland – 0.98

49. New Jersey – 1.86

This helps to explain why Democrats want the Federal Government to handle everything for them since their states are hopelessly irresponsible with their states affairs, while Republicans as a rule tend to want to have every state handle their own affairs as they see best fit.

One further startling observation is that New Jersey under Governor Chris Christie came in next to last. This helps to explain the reluctance of the more conservative (or fiscally responsible states) to endorse him for President.

On the other hand, Alaska came in first, not in small part due to the heroic efforts of Sarah Palin during her 31.7 month reign as Governor, where she managed to get the Credit Rating for her state to go from AA to AA+ and then raised again to AAA shortly after her resignation. She accomplished more in this short time than most governors do in two terms.

This also helps in part to explain the irrational hatred for Sarah Palin. She did clean up the graft and corruption in Alaska, and they are afraid she would do the same on a national level should she become President.

Greece facing bankruptcy. A Limerick.

With bankruptcy looming in Greece Prime minister Alexis Tsipras

Their socialist Tsipras decrees:

“You reject their demand.

It will strengthen my hand.”

My charm gives me more fools to fleece.

After Greece going bankrupt, which country comes next? Italy, Spain, Portugal, Puerto Rico?

Maybe even the United States?

Speaking of fools the US president spoke to Mr Tsipras and Ms Merkel before leaders gathered in Brussels.

He told the German Chancellor “it is in everyone’s interest to reach a durable agreement that will allow Greece to resume reforms, return to growth, and achieve debt sustainability within the eurozone,” said a White House statement.

Just what we need, go deeper in debt to bail out the socialist-communist Tsipras.

A Limerick about Sarah Palin and some thoughts about America.

A gal from the forty-ninth state
made “leaders” all bristle with hate.
She resigned from her post
to accomplish the most.
And now, she is Grizzly Mom Great.

On a totally? different note, here is a view from Canada, how the rest of the world sees us with our current “leaders.”

# 10 Only in America… could politicians talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000.00 per plate Obama campaign fund-raising event, or demand $300000 for a speech at a university, claiming to be “one of them”.

# 09 Only in America… could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when they have a black President, a black Attorney General and roughly 20% of the federal workforce is black while only 14% of the population is black, 40+% of all federal entitlements goes to black Americans – 3X the rate that go to whites, 5X the rate that go to Hispanics!

# 08 Only in America… could they have had the two people most responsible for our tax code, Timothy Geithner (former head of the Treasury Department) and Charles Rangel (who once ran the Ways and Means Committee), BOTH turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.

# 07 Only in America… can they have terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the media primarily react by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash, and the administration declare it “workplace violence”.

# 06 Only in America… would they make millions of people who want to legally become American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege, while they discuss letting anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just ‘magically’ become American citizens. (probably should be number one).

# 05 Only in America… could the people who believe in balancing the budget and sticking by the country’s Constitution be called EXTREMISTS.

# 04 Only in America… could you need to present a valid ID to cash a check or buy alcohol, or board a commercial aircraft, but not to vote.

# 03 Only in America… could people demand the government investigate whether oil companies are gouging the public because the price of gas went up when the return on equity invested in a major U.S. Oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of a company making sneakers (Nike).

# 02 Only in America… could you collect more tax dollars from the people than any nation in recorded history, still spend a Trillion dollars more than it has per year – for total spending of $7 Million PER MINUTE, and complain that it doesn’t have nearly enough money.

# 01 Only in America…. could the rich people – who pay 86% of all Federal income taxes – be accused of not paying their “fair share” by people who don’t pay any income taxes at all.

And Yet, the United States of America still stands. It is gives proof through the night that our flag is still there, o’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

The NEA to vote against RFRA. A Limerick.

To be voted on at the next NEA ( National Education Association) meeting: New Business Item A, submitted by the NEA Board of Directors:

“The NEA will develop educational materials for its state affiliates and members about the potential dangers of so-called ‘religious freedom restoration acts’ or RFRAs, which may license individuals and corporations to discriminate on the theory that their religious beliefs require such actions.

The materials will describe the current legal landscape at the federal and state level, provide model state legislative amendments to modify existing laws to prevent such discriminatory applications, provide talking points for advocacy, and link to existing resources for members and state affiliates to use in efforts to prevent the use of such laws as a license to discriminate.”

No RFRA NEA

Faith’s Freedom must not go away

God’s old truth called a lie.

That’s how freedom will die.

But Christ is still Lord; come what may.

Tell Sarah to bring me iced tea. A Limerick.

Former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was the surprise guest at a Tea Party Express rally that drew about 1,000 people at the Arizona Capitol Friday, Oct. 22, 2010, in Phoenix. Palin spoke for only a couple minutes on a stage as she held son Trig Palin on one hip and clutched a sign that read “Party like it’s 1773!” (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Tell Sarah to bring me iced tea.

Queen Hillary issued decree.

Sarah Palin replied:

“Yes maam, sure, Much obliged.

Let’s party like it’s 1773.”

Ted Cruz and AP, Sarah Palin and the left media. Different strokes for different folks. A Limerick.

Ted Cruz with a gun to his head

AP shows its hate, wants him dead.

Sarah Palin was framed

for a cross-hair ad shamed

A blood libel blame-shift instead.

This is the ad that AP released,

claiming they had no intention to

portray Ted Cruz in a negative light:

Hmm.

This is the ad that gave Sarah Palin the blame

for the tragedy in Arizona, when on January 8, 2011,

U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and eighteen

others were shot during a constituent meeting held in

a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the

Tucson metropolitan area. Six people died, including

federal District Court Chief Judge John Roll; Within hours

the liberal press blamed Sarah Palin for the massacre

because of this campaign ad.

Never mind the left had their own bulls-eyes..

And we should not forget CNN with their Cross-fire:

Now of course the Daily Kos site had this to say about Gabrielle Giffords:

But this was quickly taken down by the Daily Kos after the massacre: Hypocrisy, or something more sinister?

Some thoughts on the horrendous murders in a historic church in Charleston, S.C.

After the horrendous murders at the historical Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina 17 June, President Obama said early the next day at the White House. “At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this kind of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries.”

Not to be outdone Hillary Clinton said at the beginning of scheduled remarks at the annual National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference in Las Vegas: “We have to face hard truths about race, violence, guns and division,” and then continued: “How many innocent people in our country from little children, church members to movie theater attendees, how many people do we need to see cut down before we act?”

The Nordic countries have very strict gun-laws, and the murder rate from guns is much lower than in the U.S. Yet , they have had their fair share of mass murders,

Scotland, population 5.1 million.
Shortly after 9 a.m. on March 13, 1996, Thomas Hamilton, a 43-year-old former Scout leader, burst into the gymnasium of a primary school in the tranquil Scottish town of Dunblane.
Within minutes 15 children aged five and six had died in a hail of bullets. One died later in hospital. Their teacher, Gwen Mayor, a 44-year-old mother of two, died in the attack, reportedly while trying to shield her pupils. Two other teachers were also seriously injured while heroically trying to protect children. Hamilton turned one of his four handguns on himself and was found dead at the scene.
Norway, population 5.1 million
OSLO — A lone political extremist bombed the government center here on Friday, killing 7 people, the police said, before heading to an island summer camp for young members of the governing Labor Party and killing at least 80 people. The police arrested a 32-year-old Norwegian man, Anders Behring Breivik, in connection with both attacks, the deadliest on Norwegian soil since World War II. Breivik was at first accused of being a fundamentalist Christian, but as the investigation started it was established he was bent on reestablishing Nordic Pride including the Nordic Gods and the time-old traditions.
Finland, population 5.3 million.

on November 7, 2007, at Jokela High School in the municipality of Tuusula, Finland, a gunman, 18-year-old student Pekka-Eric Auvinen, entered the school armed with a semi-automatic pistol. He killed eight people and wounded one person in the toe before shooting himself in the head; eleven others were also injured by flying shattered glass. Auvinen died later that evening in a Helsinki hospital.
He described himself as “a cynical existentialist, antihuman humanist, antisocial social darwinist [sic], realistic idealist and godlike atheist”

A year later, on September 23, 2008, at the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences[4] in Western Finland, a gunman, 22-year-old student Matti Juhani Saari, shot and fatally injured ten people with a Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol, before shooting himself in the head. He died a few hours later in Tampere (Tammerfors) University Hospital. One woman was injured.

Here are 4 horrendous shooting murders in very civilized and advanced countries in less than 20 years. The population of U.S. is 20 times larger than the combined population of Scotland, Norway and Finland. To have the same frequency of horrendous murders the U.S. should expect 80 mass murders in 20 years, of about 4 a year.

The common thread of these mass murders is that they occur in gun-free environments. Obama’s assertion is therefore false, Hillary’s call for action is even worse: Removing legal gun ownership, but ignoring the multitude of illegal firearms, expanding gun-free zones to include whole high crime districts, leaving the illegal weapons possessors to rule those areas.

(The picture to the right shows the perpetrator, Dylann Roof with a jacket with the insignia of apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia, from his Facebook page, now taken down. Warning: The patches may be photo-shopped. One never know those things anymore.)

What is the solution?

Governor Sarah Palin had a fantastic link on her Facebook page : Prayers for Charleston: http://www.ijreview.com/2015/06/347576-the-only-comment-on-dylann-roof-s-facebook-profile-photo-will-bring-you-to-tears/

Trust me, it will bring you to tears. Pray!

Congress stands up to Obama on Trans-Pacific trade deal. A Limerick.

U.S. President Barack Obama, with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi at his side, walks from a meeting room to make a last-ditch appeal to House Democrats to support a package of trade bills vital to his Asian policy agenda in the U.S. Capitol in Washington June 12, 2015. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque — U.S. President Barack Obama, with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi at his side, walks from a meeting room to make a last-ditch appeal to House Democrats to support a package of trade bills vital to his Asian policy agenda in the U.S. Capitol in Washington June 12, 2015.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The bill on the trade Trans-Pacific

defeated in Congress: Terrific.

It was more like a pact

to lose freedoms – a fact.

Obama as leader – Horrific.

The Veterans Administration, a model for Government Healthcare? Obama promised so in 2008. A Limerick.

The Veterans waiting lists grow.

Obama can no longer crow

about healthcare reform.

Wait for months is the norm

for some it is six feet below…..

Remember that Obama was going to reform VA and make it a model of health care so that when Obamacare failed he could point to the perfect system and transition everybody into “People’s Healthcare Administration”.

This is a statement from Obama in 2008:
“Make the VA a leader of national health care reform. … This includes efforts to improve electronic records interoperability, expand effectiveness research, promote wellness programs, and instill more accountability for performance and quality improvement initiatives.”

Sources:”Fulfilling a Sacred Trust with our Veterans” Click on (original link) and see what happens. This is what you get when you browse https://www.barackobama.com/pdf/VeteransFactSheet.pdf/

Well, at least they claim healthcare.gov is working. That should encourage our veterans.

The U.S. economy shrank by 0.7% in first quarter due to lack of Global Warming. A Limerick.

The U.S. economy shrank by 0.7 in the first quarter of 2015 as harsh weather dampened consumer spending and energy companies struggling with low prices slashed spending.

Gross domestic product contracted at a 0.7% percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said Thursday, coming dangerously close to a recession. That was a big step down from the fourth quarter’s 2.2 percent rise and does not bode well for the rest of the year.

This winter’s cold Climate Disruption

has caused a big growth interruption.

When it’s warm it is good

makes the plants grow more food.

This CO2 scare: Just corruption.

CO2 concentration has increased from about 280 ppm in pre-industrial times to over 400 ppm today, and is increasing at a rate of 2 ppm per year. We are way past the point of no return, 350 ppm which would lead to a temperature catastrophe. But instead, something rather interesting is occurring. The earth is getting greener! This 40 % increase in CO2 the last 250 years has led to a more than 30 % increase in agricultural production all by itself without adding fertilizer or using higher yielding seeds. Thanks to this we can now feed an additional two billion people on earth without starvation. The news are so good, that the per capita food production is increasing, even as the population is increasing.

Look at it this way. The value of basic agricultural products is more than 1.5 trillion dollars worldwide. 30% of that is due to increased CO2. That means that the CO2 emitted is worth 450 billion dollars, spread out over all farmers and ranchers worldwide. This wealth transfer is occurring right now, and knows no national boundary. It is a gift from the developed countries to the rest of the world. Who could be against that?

It turns out that this wealth transfer occurs without global governance. The leaders of the world will not have their say in who gets the wealth transfer, the U.N. bureaucrats will not get their cut, and politicians cannot get a campaign issue since it occurs without their involvement.

The support for this argument: https://lenbilen.com/2014/02/22/co2-the-life-giving-gas-not-carbon-pollution-a-limerick-and-explanation/