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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Presidential race in 2016 shaping up to be a barn burner

The 2016 presidential race is shaping up to be a barn burner with deep differences among both Democratic and Republican candidates. Traditionally the campaign season begins with the first primary. But this year so many Republicans are running for their Party's nomination that it is safe to say the campaign season begins Aug. 6, 2015 -- the night of the first Republican debate. Fox News will air the debate, featuring some of its most recognizable anchors and reporters, such as Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, and Chris Wallace.

The Republican debate on Aug. 6 will allow all of the GOP candidates to demonstrate to the nation how they handle themselves in a joint news conference, fielding questions from three journalists who are known to hold a candidate's feet to the fire on the hard issues. It is actually a big mistake to call these events a debate since none of the rules of a traditional debate apply. They never have in these televised events. Rather, these are joint news conferences during which each candidate is asked questions from reporters.

More will be written about which candidates have the best ideas, at least in the eyes of conservatives, in the weeks and months to come. But who as of now at least appears to be the best suited to carry the conservative and libertarian message to a new crop of American voters?

The answer to that question is a matter of opinion. Thus, the answer provided here will be opinion, but an opinion that is informed and armed with the facts.

At this point in time it is a bit too early to have one's mind made up. There is plenty of time to do that, and thus the only thing one can do is to cite those candidates who have garnered a generally favorable rating from likely Republican voters in the primaries. It goes without saying that the process at this point is quite fluid among GOP voters. Anything could happen and it is way too early to count anyone out.

As of today the candidates who appear to have gained general favorability are Scott Walker, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, Donald Trump, and Dr. Ben Carson. The next grouping of candidates cites those who have not been able to catch fire as of yet, for various reasons, yet they are within reach of the nomination nonetheless. They are Rick Perry, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and John Kasich. The last group out of the 16 candidates is made up of those that many if not most conservative/libertarian voters within the GOP consider unacceptable due to their stated stance on vital issues. Most believe that these candidates could not get elected anyway, and they are Jeb Bush, Chris Christy, Lindsey Graham, and George Pataki.

Over on the other side the Democratic hopefuls are a train wreck. Hillary's negatives are through the roof, and most view her as basically a dishonest person. The slow drip of news about the various scandals in which she has been involved are not going away. But her rivals for the Democratic nomination have their own baggage.  Most are way too far out of the mainstream to be considered by the general public.  

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Veteran reporter raises questions about Hillary

The campaign for the Democratic nomination for president took an ominous turn Monday when a veteran news reporter raised questions concerning Hillary Clinton's private email server. The private server has been one of the issues conservatives have raised in their probe into charges of corruption at the State Dept. while Hillary was Secretary of State.

So far the investigation into Hillary's role in various scandals -- Benghazi, Fast and Furious, and the use of a secretive investigator who was forbidden by the White House but was on the Clinton payroll -- has been largely a Republican endeavor. Democrats never spoke about it nor showed any interest in delving into it. The mainstream news media helped Democrats by simply not reporting the Republican led probe. This has now changed.

Andrea Mitchel, the veteran NBC news reporter who is known to conservatives as one who will slant her stories and comments to favor Democrats, took a surprising turn toward objectivity. Mitchel stated that she attended a security conference during which she spoke to officials on both sides of the spectrum. She further stated that while there are charges and counter charges, no one can give an adequate explanation for why a cabinet secretary would need a private email server at home, unless she wished to thwart inquiries into her actions.

The special congressional committee that is investigating Hillary discovered 4 emails from her private server that were designated as classified. Hillary had already declared in the strongest terms that she had no classified material on the private server and neither did she send classified material from that server.

These statements have now been proved false. When the congressional committee received the latest batch of material, 40 emails were sent from Hillary's private server that contained the 4 classified emails. But there are hundreds if not thousands more to be turned over to Congress from the State Dept. If 4 classified emails out of 40 have been discovered, that number could grow to hundreds if not thousands.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Report: IRS used donor lists to target taxpayers for audits

The IRS scandal during which the taxing agency targeted conservative organizations for delays, harassment, and outright persecution has confirmed the charge that the IRS is a rogue, lawless, and corrupt organization. This fact was further confirmed by a report released last Friday by Judicial Watch (JW) that shows that the IRS used the donor lists of tax exempt, conservative organizations to decide which citizens it wished to target for audits. In other words, if you donated money to one of these organizations you probably would be audited.

JW indicated that it knew such records existed, but the IRS refused to release them. However, through the Freedom of Information Act JW forced the IRS to release the documents in question. The documents show that the IRS would focus its auditing power toward those who made donations to the tax exempt organizations in question.

In 2010, the Senate Finance Committee Chairman at the time, Max Baucus, D-Mont., wrote to the IRS Commissioner at the time, Douglas Shulman, stating that as a matter of IRS policy the tax exempt groups should be "surveyed." Shulman responded in a letter to Baucus in February of 2011 that within the year the IRS would begin a new program that would focus its efforts on the tax exempt organizations.

JW, however, states that the documents it received last Friday indicate that the new program was already being implemented in 2010, as soon as Shulman received the letter from Baucus. But by 2011 the new process was made the official policy of the IRS.

Although at first glance the information contained above seems to be no big deal, this turn of events represents blockbuster legal ramifications. The IRS began to levy a 35 percent gift tax on citizens who gave large donations to tax exempt organizations. However, the U.S. Supreme Court long ago had already declared that a gift tax of this nature is unconstitutional.

But the IRS began to levy such a tax and targeted for audits those persons who gave large donations to tax exempt groups. Going forward after the implementation of the policy, a key figure who shows up again is none other than Lois Lerner, who lied to Congress concerning her role in the IRS scandal which was designed to hamstring opponents of Barack Obama.

Interestingly, in spite of the fact that much of the information that is crucial to the scandal has been destroyed or withheld, the Acting IRS Commissioner at the time, Steven Miller, ordered that no more resources be spent investigating the audit issue and that the case be officially closed.

But as the nation now knows, this case is far from being closed. This, plus Hillary Clinton's Benghazi scandal at the State Dept., represent the scandal of all scandals that will haunt the candidate and countless personnel within the Obama administration in the foreseeable future and may serve to permanently taint the legacy of Barack Obama.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Like clockwork Obama team uses criminal shooting to push gun control

Since I could not get the following article published, I am posting it right here on The Liberty Sphere. Thanks for reading, my friends.

Almost as soon as the smoke dispersed from the firearm used by the Louisiana shooter who killed two at a movie theater Thursday night, Barack Obama's team and some of his supporters were once again using a tragedy to push for gun control. Obama crony Rahm Emanuel once famously stated, "Never let a crisis go to waste." The Obama team took Rahm's statement to heart. Each time there is a shooting, the minions of the gun ban movement leap into action, inundating the news airwaves with the false meme that had there only been more gun control, the massacre would have never happened.

CNN's anchor reporters the night and morning following the Louisiana shooting wasted no time to chime in, stating that the nation needs to take a more serious look at the issue of gun control. As for Barack Obama himself, before the shooting had taken place he gave an interview with the BBC during his trip to Kenya during which he stated that the biggest frustration of his presidency is the inability to get anything done about gun violence and pass gun control legislation.

Once again, the footsoldiers of the progressive anti-gun movement would mandate that all citizens be deprived of the most effective means of self-defense in order to prevent a few criminals and emotionally unstable persons from getting them. Other than the fact that the U.S. Constitution specifically forbids such laws, this thinking throws all of the components of logic and common sense out the window.

Each year in America between 32,000 and 40,000 citizens on average are killed in car wrecks. Yet Americans continuously shy away from any suggestion that they give up their autos and opt instead for public transportation. Why? Americans like their freedom. They want to make their own choices and do their own thing apart from the watchful eye of government. And this fact is true although 40,000 will die behind the wheel. Most would say that it is up to the individual to remember, "Let the buyer beware." It is up to the individual to put into practice the commonsense measures that enhance the person's chances of staying out of car accidents, or, increase their chances of surviving if they are in such an accident.

So, why is there no push in Washington to ban cars and trucks? Using the logic of the anti-gun cabal, given that 40,000 citizens will die using these instruments of death, Americans should thus be prevented from owning, possessing, and using autos. The thinking of the progressives is all too clear -- if a tiny percentage get hurt or killed using instruments that tens of millions use, force those who use their guns and autos legally, carefully, and with appropriate caution, to give them up even if they are not guilty of any crime. Do not focus on punishing the perpetrators. Punish everyone even though they have never used their firearms or their autos in a haphazard or dangerous fashion.

The latest incident involving firearm abuse by a deranged psych case is no logical reason to deprive all citizens of the right to keep and bear arms. Most Americans are now smart enough to see through this deception that pushes an ominous agenda.