Thursday, February 11, 2016

Debate continued from previous entry

Regarding Syria.

Easy one. Bernie Sanders is correct and while Secretary Clinton has thought out the details (which is nothing I would not expect from her), the focus on the global community to end hostilities are important.

Iraq is an example above all others, of "unintended consequences."

President Obama has lead the world in a way that has brought the idea of peace to the forefront of America's international priorities. As a result today there was an announcement of a pending ceasefire in Syria.

12 February 2016
World powers have agreed (click here) to seek a nationwide "cessation of hostilities" in Syria to begin in a week's time, after talks in Germany.
The halt will not apply to the battle against jihadist groups Islamic State (IS) and al-Nusra Front.
Ministers from the International Syria Support Group also agreed to accelerate and expand aid deliveries.
The announcement comes as the Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, advances in Aleppo province....
There is no doubt Secretary Clinton would weigh all the facts and I am also confident she would not go to war with a country that was disarmed and no threat to the USA as Iraq was not at all a threat to the USA.
BUT.
If the world does not have a reason to end war, it won't end so long as the USA is putting the troops on the line along with it's national debt.

If find it interesting that the man in the White House that is bringing a new balance of power to the middle east also did not vote for the war in Iraq. 

US Troops are already moving into NATO's responsibility in Europe. 

Bernie Sanders wants no Russia aggression in Europe. That's fine, but, I think what is not being stated is the potential to instability in Europe by covert soldiers of Daesh. There are many reasons then for the USA to be within it's NATO responsibilities. 

The reason this ceasefire is becoming reality is because Russia stepped into Syria to end the mischief of the US CIA and Senator McCain who never had a real rebel group that could lead Syria in the first place. The nonsense pulled by the USA in this issue with Syria is an international shame. There was no valid sovereign authority able to step into Syrian leadership if the fighting ended yesterday. It is ridiculous. The USA could not even train foreign troops to stand against Assad. 

There are some areas of the world where the USA DOES NOT BELONG!

The USA could not even rein in Turkey from killing the Kurds and shooting down and interfering with AGREED activities of Russia. The entire lack of 'place' for the USA in this humanitarian disaster could not be more obvious. NATO's Turkey needs to do better. The Russia's didn't explode the bombs among innocent peole in Turkey. 

Bernie Sanders:

"The only thing the American people have to fear is fear itself."

FDR took his place in history because he saw a place for government in rebuilding the USA after the Great Depression.

Hillary Clinton:

FDR is an admired figure along with Nelson Mandela. Today, Bernie Sanders criticized President Obama regarding Syria. Secretary Clinton stood up for President Obama. Fine. I think he's been a great president. She is annoyed with Senator Sanders in expecting to be a president if he can't find the virtue of the Obama administration. I think President Obama has been an exceptional President under very difficult politics and economics.

Bernie: "The next President has to be aggressive in bringing people into the politics of the country." I agree.

Hillary: She states Bernie verbalized personal attacks and she does not approve of that. Me either.

Bernie is correct, he is bringing Americans back into their country's law making because they were estranged from the very process that was suppose to serve and protect them.

Hillary wants to get unaccountable money out of politics. She states there are barriers to break down to bring quality of life to Americans. She's right. 

You know, both of these candidates see the problems. 

Wow, that is the first time I heard the word unions and their important place in the country. Nice. Thank you, Hillary. 

But, both these candidates are talking to the truth. They are both willing to address the issues of oppression and lack of opportunity of the American people. 

The primary process proceeds.

Debate continued from previous

Hillary Clinton is asking her online contributors to do more and raise the spectrum of involvement. Koch Brothers have a very damaging agenda for the country and it will be a focus when running against for President.

Bernie Sanders states the USA political system is corrupted by big money. He's right. It is admirable Hillary Clinton seeks to bring small money donors. And, yes, she still has a SuperPAC and Bernie doesn't.

Before the USA Presidential candidates announced, the Koch Brothers laid their plans to manipulate the power of the President Elect.

Jan. 28, 2015
By Nicholas Confessore

The political network overseen (click here) by the conservative billionaires Charles G. and David H. Koch plans to spend close to $900 million on the 2016 campaign, an unparalleled effort by coordinated outside groups to shape a presidential election that is already on track to be the most expensive in history.
The spending goal, revealed Monday at the Kochs’ annual winter donor retreat near Palm Springs, Calif., would allow their political organization to operate at the same financial scale as the Democratic and Republican Parties. It would require a significant financial commitment from the Kochs and roughly 300 other donors they have recruited over the years, and covers both the presidential and congressional races. In the last presidential election, the Republican National Committee and the party’s two congressional campaign committees spent a total of $657 million....

This is BEFORE the candidates announced. 

Hello, America?

The last of the radicals and criminals left the Oregon nature refuge. While on the subject of anti-American Kochs; they are backing criminals and militia in the USA.

Feb. 11, 2016
By Jenny Rowland

The political network of the conservative billionaires (click here) Charles and David Koch signaled last week that it is expanding its financial and organizational support for a coalition of anti-government activists and militants who are working to seize and sell America’s national forests, monuments, and other public lands.
The disclosure, made through emails sent by the American Lands Council and Koch-backed group Federalism in Action to their members, comes as the 40-day armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon is winding to an end.

The occupation came to a head Wednesday night, with the FBI moving in on the four remaining militants at the refuge and arresting scofflaw rancher Cliven Bundy at the Portland airport under charges of conspiracy to impede federal officers. Occupation leaders Ammon and Ryan Bundy were previously arrested under the same charge on January 26. The Bundys and their group of militants want the federal government to cede national public lands to state and private control.
Though ClimateProgress has previously uncovered and reported on the dark money that the Kochs have provided for political efforts to seize and sell public lands, recent organizational changes reveal that the Koch network is providing direct support to the ringleader of the land grab movement, Utah state representative Ken Ivory, and has forged an alliance with groups and individuals who have militia ties and share extreme anti-government ideologies....

The Kochs don't care who dies in the process. Kindly, pay attention to that.

continued in next entry...

PBS News Hour Debate

Both made compelling statements. I believe them both. 

Senator Sanders plans increase the size of the federal government by 45 percent.


Is Senator Sander's plans possible? I think the plans belong to the people as much as Senator Sanders. 


29 million people are without health care insurance today.



Decreasing the number of uninsured (click here) is a key goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which provides Medicaid coverage to many low-income individuals in states that expand and Marketplace subsidies for individuals below 400% poverty. The ACA’s major coverage provisions went into effect in January 2014 and led to significant coverage gains. The number of uninsured nonelderly Americans in 2014 was 32 million, a decrease of nearly 9 million since 2013. This fact sheet describes trends in coverage leading up to and after the ACA expansions, examines the characteristics of the uninsured population, and summarizes the access and financial implications of not having coverage....
I think there has to be a compromise to bring about a guaranteed insured population. There is a middle ground by adding a Public Option to the existing ACA. 

Hillary and the average American family and how the costs would change for them. She wants the plans of each candidate vetted to bring about a reality for the American people.

Hillary states her plan will cost for health care $100 billion per year and paid for.

Bernie wants to bring about the truth about jobs in the USA and the gaps that exist as never before regarding the unemployed. He sees the removal of advantageous tax loops holes such as offshoring. He wants a Wall Street speculation tax to return the favor to the country of bailing Wall Street out.

Hillary's Debt free tuition is mentioned but not vetted. She makes the point Senator Sander's plans for free tuition relies on Governors and $23 million in the state treasury on the first day of the legislation.

Senator Sanders wants free tuition for students in State Colleges. I agree. Public colleges were built on the backs of Americans. Those employed in the public system are due to the investment Americans made in building and staffing their state universities. Where do colleges find the nerve to charge ridiculous tuition to the children of the people that paid to build and staff the university. It is nonsense. 

Secretary of State Albright has a rather exceptional place in USA history. She has a very strong personality. She is known to be decisive. She stated, "There is a special place in hell for women that don't support women." 

Fine. 

I am happy she is among Americans currently celebrating the real reason to bring a woman to the White House. It is special for her and I am sure it is a special time for many women.

Secretary Clinton can't be held responsible for freedom of speech Secretary Albright has defended in her career.

Bernie Sanders wants the hipocrisy to stop regarding double standards for women in their health care and family choices. He also speaks to the FACT there is a broken criminal justice system. He wants fundamental police reform. 

Hillary Clinton states she completely agrees with Bernie Sanders and points to real statistics. She believes there is still racism in the USA that has real impact on the minority communities. She wants a full effort to end all the negatives in the African American community.

Bernie Sanders specifically states he wants the police demilitarized. He is concerned about the education of minorities to keep them out of the vicious cycle of recidivism. 

Are there no Democrats that are police officers that can bring about a clear understanding of where this has all gone wrong.

Good models exists according to Hillary Clinton. Okay. Why aren't they implemented already? Is the Republican majority that indifferent to the lives of our minorities struggling in ways Caucasian communities are not? Maybe they are simply because they are politicizing the issue of unarmed African American deaths at the hand of police officers, which happens far more often than any other USA ethnic group. 

It is a real problem. It is not at all a political issue. It definitely starts with impoverishment.

Published by Allison Wignal...But getting into, (click here) paying for, and graduating from college is no easy task, and it’s only made more difficult for those students with low-income backgrounds. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 52% of 2011 high school graduates from low-income families enrolled in college immediately after high school, a figure 30 percentage points lower than their high-income peers. Nearly two-thirds of low-income students attend community colleges and for-profit institutions, which often have low graduation rates....

There is impoverishment of some Caucasian communities as well. Some of this is due to a political standard laced with religion that brings people to surrender rather than demanding better services from their government. My favorite example is Louisiana. It has the most wealthy industry in the USA, the petroleum industry; yet, Americans that service the petroleum industry are making poverty wages to their family. The reason the petroleum gets away with this is because the Louisiana government caters to their political cronies at the cost of the quality of life of their citizens. The reason the people are thankful for the pittance they receive is because there are no alternatives which is another failure of the "Christian identified Republican" government. Louisiana is just the beginning. It also has among the highest federal subsidies to pad their state treasuries rather than having well paying jobs for their people, with benefits and a significantly better tax base. The federal subsidies for these impoverished states have gone on far too long. What is their excuse already for allowing the USA face such problems while their industries make filthy abundant profits.

Bernie Sanders wants to stand up to the Trumps of the world and want to provide a path to citizenship. 

Hillary Clinton wants the 2007 bill invoked for immigrants.

Continued in next entry.

Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) takes the floor for one minute to argue in favor of S.1639, the Immigration bill.

I hate lies and I think the Republican electorate has been taken for granted long enough.

December 2, 2011
By Jeremy W. Peters


It’s officially a reality television Republican primary now. (click here)
Donald Trump is pairing up with Newsmax, the conservative magazine and news Web site, to moderate a presidential debate in Des Moines on Dec. 27.

“Our readers and the grass roots really love Trump,” said Christopher Ruddy, chief executive of Newsmax Media. “They may not agree with
him on everything, but they don’t see him as owned by the Washington establishment, the media establishment.”

Mr. Trump’s role in the debate, which will be broadcast on the cable network Ion Television, is sure to be one of the more memorable moments in a primary season that has already delivered its fair share of circus-like spectacle....

There is nothing surprising about Donald Trump's candidacy, unless you weren't paying attention.

I really think JEB! saw him coming. Donald Trump tried to put a casino in Florida. Ultimately, then governor Jeb Bush kicked him out. What no one wants to say is that the governor then invited a different franchise to build a casino. The casino JEB! chose for Florida, really isn't prospering and that is notable.

I measure success for such buildings like hotels and casino-hotels by nightly occupancy and those flocking to the hotels regardless of their expense.

And let's not forget the political paupers and kissing the ring in Las Vegas.

March 24, 2014
By Neal Colgrass
(Newser) – Jeb Bush and a handful of other GOP presidential hopefuls (click here) are heading to Las Vegas later this week to court big bucks—mostly from the pocket of casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, the LA Times  reports. Bush will be featured speaker at the Republican Jewish Coalition (for donors offering $25,000 or more,  Time notes), followed by talks from Govs. Chris Christie, Scott Walker, and John Kasich for lesser donors. All have their eye on billionaire Adelson, who almost single-handedly sustained Newt Gingrich's run for the GOP nomination in 2012 by giving his "super PAC" $10 million....

So just stop and tell the Republican electorate what needs to be done for the country and how the country is going to achieve it.

Donald Trump was wheeling and dealing in real estate at a time when NYC was undergoing gentrification.

February 18, 2016
By Kwame Opam

...Blinder's series (click here) was done for Envision New York 2017, a web-based art project that shows New York artists' ideas about life, art, and politics in the city. For each GIF in Vacated, Blinder used the NYC Department of City Planning's PLUTO dataset to find buildings built in the last four years throughout the city. The pieces transition from empty spaces or rundown corners to condos or construction areas and back again almost instantaneously, in a way that's pretty visually arresting. According to Blinder, "Vacated mines and combines different datasets on vacant lots to present a sort of physical façade of gentrification, one that immediately prompts questions by virtue of its incompleteness."...

This is a recent art rendition of continued needs for gentrification. There are many cities in the country that could use some gentrification.  

Gentrification is often viewed as an untoward movement because it moves the elderly out of buildings where they have lived for a very long time. There was a movie about that called "Batteries Not Included."

I think the truth is more important. There are many adjectives to describe Donald Trump, but, it is arguable this projects improved lives. No one stopped the gentrification, the activists focus on the elderly helped them to relocate without being put on the street. It was upsetting I am sure, but, it had to occur at sooner or later.

Donald Trump did not discriminate between parties in his generosity.

December 11, 2001
By Jennifer Steinhauer

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, (click here) who has frequently encouraged New Yorkers to hop on commercial airplanes as a way of returning to normalcy, asked to borrow an airplane belonging to Donald Trump for his visit to Israel last weekend. Mr. Giuliani, who had been invited to ride along with Mayor-elect Michael R. Bloomberg and Gov. George E. Pataki on Mr. Bloomberg's private jet, chose to take Mr. Trump's plane instead.
''The reason for doing it that way was merely to be able to get back in time,'' Mr. Giuliani said yesterday, adding that it would have taken an extra 12 hours to fly commercial, something he said he had ''absolutely no trepidation about doing.'' He added that he planned to fly on commercial planes frequently once he left office in January. The mayor took two Continental Airlines flights to Arizona for the World Series in October, but those were charter flights.
Mr. Giuliani also said yesterday that the city's Conflict of Interest Board had signed off on the use of the Trump jet, and that the trip was paid for by a number of private donors. Under the City Charter, city officials are barred from accepting gifts from people who do business with the city or who give gifts specifically because the recipient holds a government post. Mr. Trump has received various tax breaks from the city....


This would not be a problem for Mexico if there were no drug cartels.

Monterrey, Mexico, Feb 11 (Reuters) - A battle between the feared Zetas drug cartel (click here) and rivals at a prison left 52 people dead in the northeastern Mexican city of Monterrey, authorities said on Thursday, days ahead of a planned visit by Pope Francis to another jail in Mexico's far north.
The incident was one of the worst in a series of deadly riots in recent years to rock the country's overpopulated prisons, some of which are largely controlled by cartels.
Fighting broke out before midnight in two areas of the Topo Chico prison between supporters of a gang leader known as "Zeta 27" and another group, Nuevo Leon state Governor Jaime Rodriguez said.
"Topo Chico is a...very old prison. A prison with very difficult security conditions," said Rodriguez, who survived two assassination attempts while opposing drug cartels as mayor of a suburb of Monterrey, Mexico's third most populous metropolitan area and home to many of the country's largest corporations.
A 2014 human rights report faulted Topo Chico for not preventing violent incidents. The prison has long housed members of the Zetas, known for extreme violence. One Zetas leader was stabbed to death there in September....
February 11, 2016
Denver (AP) — A Colorado gun shop owner (click here) who appeared on the reality show "American Guns" is accused of illegally selling firearms after losing his license.
U.S. Attorney John Walsh announced Thursday that 52-year-old Richard Wyatt was indicted by a grand jury on conspiracy and tax charges and dealing guns without a license Tuesday.
According to the indictment, Wyatt surrendered his license in 2012 for unspecified violations of federal laws and regulations. He allegedly continued to sell guns from his suburban Denver shop by conspiring with another gun shop that had a license. Prosecutors allege that after customers paid for guns at Wyatt's shop, they were sent to the other shop to fill out background-check paperwork and pick up the guns....

This isn't the first time gun sales in Denver are linked to crimes. What happens when gun dealers provide illegal venues for guns? Who loses?

Bulk gun sales tied to crimes
By David Olinger
Denver Post Staff Writer
Dec. 19, 1999 - In a typical week, (click here) American firearms dealers sell 4,000 handguns to people buying at least two - and sometimes dozens - at once.
Some customers are collectors investing in rare weapons they hope will increase in value. Some are buying gifts for Christmas, the peak season for multiple-handgun purchases.
But others who buy handguns by the handful from licensed dealers provide what law enforcement experts call a persistent source of "crime'' guns in the United States. They shop for cheap, semiautomatic pistols that can be resold on the streets for profit, either in cities and states where handgun permits are hard to get, to juveniles or to people who wish to avoid a criminal background check.

In Colorado, The Denver Post identified nearly 100 handguns seized by law enforcement agencies that could be traced to adults who made multiple purchases in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas alone. The guns were used in homicides and armed robberies, the shooting of a federal agent and the near-fatal beating of a retired Lakewood teacher. Dozens were taken from juveniles, one from a 13-year-old cocaine dealer....

The USA debt comes from the tax refunds of 2002, 2003 and two wars not paid for. That is where the $19 trillion comes from.

There are members of Congress concerned about the $1.1 trillion in mandatory reductions to the USA debt because there is no transparency as to where the $1.1 trillion might be coming from pensions to the military and federal employees. 

I can't find the reference in the "Treasury Secretary Report on the Debt."  I'll keep looking, but, the very fact there is no transparency to the way the National Debt is being reduced is very worrisome.

I didn't know there was a daily statement. This is not the document on the US House floor. The font on this looks okay.

DAILY TREASURY STATEMENT (click here) PAGE: 1
Cash and debt operations of the United States Treasury
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
(Detail, rounded in millions, may not add to totals)

The national debt of the USA is not a mystery. With daily reporting Congress should know exactly when the brinkmanship starts.

As of February 9, 2016 this is the amount of tax returns refunds:

The highest amount in tax refunds so far today goes to Businesses. Since the fiscal year began individuals have received the highest returns. EFT means Electronic Funds Transfer. Checks are checks.

Current Daily Treasury Statement (click here)








One human being in the USA and his political organization controls the FACT the interest on the debt simply continues to mount rather than passing appropriate taxes to pay down the debt more quickly and ending the hideous interest the USA people are paying that will be passed on to their children and grandchildren. ONE HUMAN BEING AND HIS POLITICAL ORGANIZATION PREVENTS PASSAGE OF APPROPRIATE TAXES TO BRING DOWN THE DEBT.

The Summary Debt Accounting (click here) program is key to meeting our responsibility to account for the more than $17.4 trillion of public debt and more than $415 billion in related annual interest expenses.
This program provides the overarching control structure for dozens of subordinate securities systems and reconciles more than $124 trillion of securities transactions and related cash flows handled by these subsystems annually. These cash flows represent funds received from the sale of securities and funds disbursed as interest and principal payments.

The program produces daily reports on the balances and composition of the public debt, the Monthly Statement of the Public Debt, and the annual, audited Schedules of Federal Debt, which reports on the single largest liability in the annual Financial Report of the United States Government....

Grover Norquist holds the American political system by the throat and it is costing our children their futures.

ONE HUMAN BEING.

SUMMARY OF TREASURY SECURITIES OUTSTANDING, JANUARY 31, 2016 (click here)

There is no secret. The US Treasury Secretary has documents available to the public. The only way to tackle the national debt head on is to create new taxes for a period of time it takes to pay it down. The bill(s) that would pass such taxes would have to be stipulated the monies would be applied to the national debt and not new spending. If such taxes were left unstipulated the USA would be at a forever war again! There would be more and more unpaid wars.

Much of what is being fussed about today in the US House is nothing but politics. The Red State politicians make up all kinds of excuses why they can't cut costs and this bill on the floor today is nothing but politics. The FACTS about the national debt is open to the public. Evidently, there are issues still unresolved that causes the public worry such as the $1.1 trillion mandated reduction to the National Debt. The reductions of $1.1 trillion is unknown. It is unknown even to the Congress and there is no resolution passed today to be sure that is transparent. The Republicans don't want the public to know if their lives are effected by these reductions, so it is all hush, hush.

Congress has been wasting the American tax dollar since 2010.

March 23, 2010
By Stephanie Rosenbloom

Buried deep in the health care legislation (click here) that President Obama signed on Tuesday is a new requirement that will affect any American who walks into a McDonald’sStarbucks or Burger King. Every big restaurant chain in the nation will now be required to put calorie information on their menus and drive-through signs....

Health of the American people is not provide at doctor's offices alone, it happens when lifestyles are changed and people appreciate better health.

This delay is ridiculous and happens because the Republicans are trying to run out the clock until the next President that hopefully will be one of them and not of the people that demands such important educational standard regarding nutrition.

Anyone promoting OBSTRUCTION of important regulation to protect and educate Americans is not a friend they should consider seriously.

This is the sixth year these games have continued. How much of the American taxpayers taxes have been spent in opposing a regulation that is important. Anyone want to eat melamine? I didn't think so.

The ingredients of a product and the calories it carries is important to the consumer. Assigning it a reasonable font size on all educational materials is just as important as protecting consumers from POISONS!

Is there any federal authority the Republican agree with?

The Republican majority of the Congress wants to stop the FDA from 
assigning a specific font size of type on menus to allow the consumer to be 
informed.


The current bill before the Congress allows companies to generate their own
definitions of transparency to consumers. That is called corruption. No one
needs to have a Congress if the companies are allowed to carry on their own
deceptive standards?

Every restaurant that publishes their menu to their customers will have print
costs no different than this bill would demand. This bill will provide CONTINUITY
to consumers. That continuity will provide confidence to consumers.

Additionally, when government sets standards for consumer education such as
this it improves the expertise of the industry it impacts. The current rule 
by the FDA is valid and appropriate and needs to pass into regulatory law. 

This is more waste of time of the taxpayer's monies when they could be receiving
services that will provide a healthier life through these measures. It is time to
end the dummying down of American businesses and provide them expertise
that regulations such as this provides.  



















Agency: Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Parent Agency: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Summary: 
FDA published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to establish requirements for nutrition labeling of standard menu items in chain restaurants and similar retail food establishments. FDA also proposed the terms and conditions for restaurants and similar retail food establishments registering to voluntarily be subject to the Federal requirements. FDA is issuing a final rule, and taking this action to carry out section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
RIN: 0910-AG57
Impacts and Effects: None
CFR Citation: 21 CFR 11,21 CFR 101
Priority: Economically Significant




President Obama is not traveling to the US southern border, his work is done with the USA southern border.

May 27, 2015
By Jerry Markon
Monica Camacho-Perez (click here) came to the United States from Mexico as a child, crossing into Arizona with her mother in the same spot where her father made the trip before them. “Nobody stopped us,’’ Camacho-Perez, now 20, said of her 2002 journey.
Three years ago, her uncle tried to cross the border and join the family in Baltimore, where they remain illegal immigrants. He was stopped three times by the U.S. Border Patrol and jailed for 50 days.
“He doesn’t want to try anymore,” said Camacho-Perez. “Now, it’s really hard.”...

Trying to play politics on the House floor is unethical, especially politics determined to create hate of the President.
Luckily, the Republican Party has a candidate unafraid to visit the USA southern border.
The Republicans don't remember Donald Trump's visit to Laredo? Why? This is a high priority for the Republicans and they have a candidate that satisfied their concerns. This is unappreciated? Outrageous.
Donald Trump wants Americans to have confidence in his leadership, risks his own life to bring a message of confidence to the electorate and those in fear of the Undocumented and the Republicans reject this and demands President Obama to travel to the border when it is not necessary? That is incredible.
I would think the GOP would be saying thank you to Donald Trump. Donald Trump is not playing around. What's the issue?

Mr Trump arrived on his private plane and will tour the Texan border town Laredo

23 July 2015
Donald Trump (click here) has visited the Texas town of Laredo, on the US-Mexico border, vowing to tackle immigration.
Border security and immigration have been two key topics for Mr Trump since he announced his candidacy.
Mr Trump's blunt comments about Mexican immigrants have enraged Latinos across the country.
A local branch of border patrol agents who were going to host the Laredo event pulled out at the last minute. Mr Trump said they were "scared".
His team decided to go anyway "despite the great danger".
Mr Trump arrived wearing a hat with his campaign slogan "Make America Great Again"....

Speaker Ryan has 21 days to brinkmanship.

And what is his answer? 

To disregard the President's budget and rewrite the US Budget at some unknown date in the future.

21 Days, Ryan.

It is a brave man that cries without the benefit of a handkerchief.

Fiscal Year 2017 Budget (click here)

AVAILABILITY: As of February 9, 2016, all Fiscal Year 2017 Budget documents have been officially released by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

• ORDER METHODS: Customers may order both print and CD-ROM versions here from our online bookstore, by calling toll-free from the US and Canada to 1.866.512.1800, or by shopping at our main retail bookstore located at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, (202) 512-0132.


Outgoing House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) hugs his successor, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, October 29, 2015.

November 2, 2015
By Harry Stein


After threats to shut down the government (click here) and default on the national debt, Congress instead chose to work with the White House to pass a bipartisan budget agreement that finally delivers some stability for the country. While the budget deal is not perfect, it is a positive step for the economy, and it includes most of the recommendations that the Center for American Progress made in a recent report—“Setting the Right Course in the Next Budget Agreement.”

However, lawmakers still must resolve several lingering issues. First, Congress needs to pass a spending bill to implement this budget deal without ideological policy riders. And when crafting future budget deals, lawmakers will need to include more significant reforms to ensure that the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share. Finally, after this budget deal expires, the White House and Congress will need a plan to remove programs that are not directly related to wars from the war spending budget....