COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Friday, January 27, 2017

NAFTA and Mexico is a Trojan Horse for China

Most studies conclude that NAFTA has had only a modest positive impact on U.S. GDP.

WHARTON School U of P

Supporters of NAFTA estimate that some 14 million jobs rely on trade with Canada and Mexico combined, and the nearly 200,000 export-related jobs created annually by NAFTA pay an average salary of 15% to 20% more than the jobs that were lost, according to a PIIE study. Furthermore, the study found that only about 15,000 jobs on net are lost each year due to NAFTA. “On our reckoning, since NAFTA’s enactment, fewer than 5% of U.S. workers who have lost jobs from sizable layoffs (such as when large plants close down) can be attributed to rising imports from Mexico,” wrote its authors, PIIE senior fellow Gary Clyde Hufbauer and research analyst Cathleen Cimino-Isaacs. For the roughly 200,000 out of 4 million people who lose their jobs annually under these circumstances, the job losses can be attributed to rising imports from Mexico, they wrote, but “almost the same number of new jobs has been created annually by rising U.S. exports to Mexico.” Moreover, “For every net job lost in this definition, the gains to the U.S. economy were about $450,000, owing to enhanced productivity of the workforce, a broader range of goods and services, and lower prices at the checkout counter for households.”

Trade specialists agree that it has proven difficult to separate the deal’s direct effects on trade and investment from other factors, including rapid improvements in technology, expanded trade with other countries such as China and unrelated domestic developments in each of the countries.

When President Bill Clinton signed the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in December 1993, he predicted that “NAFTA will tear down trade barriers between our three nations, create the world’s largest trade zone, and create 200,000 jobs in [the U.S.] by 1995 alone. The environmental and labor side agreements negotiated by our administration will make this agreement a force for social progress as well as economic growth.” Twenty-three years later, scholars and policy makers often disagree about the impact that NAFTA has had on economic growth and job generation in the U.S. That impact, they say, is not always easy to disentangle from other economic, social and political factors that have influenced U.S. growth.

On the positive side, overall trade between the three NAFTA partners — the U.S., Canada and Mexico — has increased sharply over the pact’s history, from roughly $290 billion in 1993 to more than $1.1 trillion in 2016. Cross-border investment has also surged during those years, as the stock of U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in Mexico rose from $15 billion to more than $107.8 billion in 2014. As for job growth, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, six million U.S. jobs depend on U.S. trade with Mexico, a flow that has been greatly facilitated by NAFTA, which has helped eliminate costly tariff and non-tariff barriers. NAFTA has also facilitated a multi-layered integration of the U.S., Mexican and Canadian supply chains. According to the Wilson Center, twenty-five cents out of every dollar of goods that are imported from Canada to the U.S. is actually “Made in USA” content, as are 40 cents out of every dollar for goods imported into the U.S. from Mexico.

Geronimo Gutierrez, managing director of the North American Development Bank (NADB), notes that trade between the United States and Mexico reached over $500 billion in 2015, a five-fold increase since 1992, when NAFTA negotiations concluded. Thus, he explains, Mexico imports more from the U.S. these days than do all of the so-called BRIC nations combined – Brazil, Russia, India and China. (The NADB acts as a binational catalyst in helping communities along the U.S.-Mexico border develop affordable, long-term infrastructure.)


Gutierrez adds that there are lesser-known benefits of NAFTA. By promoting the tight integration of North American industrial supply chains, “NAFTA is creating partners and not competitors among its member countries. As for Mexico’s interest in this bilateral relationship, it can be summarized in two facts: about 80% of Mexico’s exports go to the U.S., while 50% of the accumulated foreign direct investment received between 2000 and 2011 comes from the U.S. Moreover, NAFTA has been the fundamental anchor for reforms that make Mexico a more modern economy and open society.”

A Modest Impact

For all that, most studies conclude that NAFTA has had only a modest positive impact on U.S. GDP. For example, according to a 2014 report by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), the United States has been $127 billion richer each year thanks to “extra” trade growth fostered by NAFTA. For the United States, with its population of 320 million at the time of that study, the pure economic payoff was thus only $400 per person, while per capita GDP was close to $50,000. And while the costs of NAFTA are highly concentrated in specific industries like auto manufacturing — where job losses may be significant for specific firms — the benefits of the trade pact (such as lower prices for imported electronics or clothing) are distributed widely across the U.S., as they are in the case of any trade pact worldwide.

TIME MACHINE 2007 


Most studies conclude that NAFTA has had only a modest positive impact on U.S. GDP.


Supporters of NAFTA estimate that some 14 million jobs rely on trade with Canada and Mexico combined, and the nearly 200,000 export-related jobs created annually by NAFTA pay an average salary of 15% to 20% more than the jobs that were lost, according to a PIIE study. Furthermore, the study found that only about 15,000 jobs on net are lost each year due to NAFTA. “On our reckoning, since NAFTA’s enactment, fewer than 5% of U.S. workers who have lost jobs from sizable layoffs (such as when large plants close down) can be attributed to rising imports from Mexico,” wrote its authors, PIIE senior fellow Gary Clyde Hufbauer and research analyst Cathleen Cimino-Isaacs. For the roughly 200,000 out of 4 million people who lose their jobs annually under these circumstances, the job losses can be attributed to rising imports from Mexico, they wrote, but “almost the same number of new jobs has been created annually by rising U.S. exports to Mexico.” Moreover, “For every net job lost in this definition, the gains to the U.S. economy were about $450,000, owing to enhanced productivity of the workforce, a broader range of goods and services, and lower prices at the checkout counter for households.”

Trade specialists agree that it has proven difficult to separate the deal’s direct effects on trade and investment from other factors, including rapid improvements in technology, expanded trade with other countries such as China and unrelated domestic developments in each of the countries.

Walter Kemmsies, managing director, economist and chief strategist at JLL Ports Airports and Global Infrastructure, notes that that many of the job losses that are popularly blamed on NAFTA would likely have taken place even in the absence of NAFTA, in part because of growing competition from China-based manufacturers, many of which have taken advantage of currency manipulation by the Chinese government that has rendered China-made products more price-competitive in the U.S. Likewise, Mauro Guillen, head of Wharton’s Lauder Institute, agrees that without NAFTA, many American jobs that were lost over this period would probably have gone to China or elsewhere. “Perhaps NAFTA accelerated the process, but it did not make a huge difference.”
“A lot of instant experts on NAFTA don’t really understand trade and what drives trade,” said Kemmsies. “And so they get confused between NAFTA and the globalization of the world’s economy. The fact is, with or without NAFTA, we would have done a lot more trade with Mexico anyway. I’m not sure that NAFTA has even fostered any growth of trade between the U.S. and Mexico. Look at Mexico and forget about everything else for a second: What is the single-biggest trade-flow corridor in the world? It’s East-West — Asia to Europe to North America. Mexico happens to sit right smack in the middle of the East-West trade flow…. Here is Mexico, with 120 million people, and all of these abilities to draw raw materials…. You have a cheap labor force, a global geographic advantage, a rising middle class. It’s a good place to make stuff.”

For a long time, because of a lack of investment, Mexico’s infrastructure was well below par, including its ports, which were made to process raw materials, rather than handle industrial goods. In that respect, NAFTA has had a positive impact on Mexico’s economic development, and it has encouraged foreign investors to trust that Mexico, whose governments were long protectionist and populist, would follow the rule of international law. International trade specialists M. Angeles Villarreal and Ian F. Fergusson of the Congressional Research Service wrote in a recent report: “While Mexico’s unilateral trade and investment liberalization measures in the 1980s and early 1990s contributed to the increase of U.S. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Mexico, NAFTA provisions on foreign investment may have helped to lock in Mexico’s reforms and increase investor confidence [in Mexico.]” Nearly half of total FDI investment in Mexico is in its booming manufacturing sector.

Job Losses and Lower Wages

Some critics argue that NAFTA is to blame for job losses and wage stagnation in the U.S., because competition from Mexican firms has forced many U.S. firms to relocate to Mexico. Between 1993 and 2014, the U.S.-Mexico trade balance swung from a $1.7 billion U.S. surplus to a $54 billion deficit. Economists such as Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Robert Scott, chief economist at the Economic Policy Institute, argue that the consequent surge of imports from Mexico into the U.S. coincided with the loss of up to 600,000 U.S. jobs over two decades, although they admit that some of that import growth would likely have happened even without NAFTA.

“A lot of instant experts on NAFTA don’t really understand trade and what drives trade.” –Walter Kemmsies

While conceding that many U.S. high-wage manufacturing jobs were relocated to Mexico, China and other foreign locations as a result of NAFTA, Morris Cohen, Wharton professor of operations and information management, argues that NAFTA has, on balance, been a good thing for the U.S. economy and U.S. corporations. “The sucking sound that Ross Perot predicted did not occur; many jobs were created in Canada and Mexico, and [the resulting] economic activity created a somewhat seamless supply chain — a North American supply chain that allowed North American auto companies to be more profitable and more competitive.”

Moreover, in their 2015 study published by Congressional Research Service, Villarreal and Fergusson noted, “The overall economic impact of NAFTA is difficult to measure since trade and investment trends are influenced by numerous other economic variables, such as economic growth, inflation, and currency fluctuations. The agreement may have accelerated the trade liberalization that was already taking place, but many of these changes may have taken place with or without an agreement.”

Some of its harshest critics concede that NAFTA should not be held entirely responsible for the recent loss of U.S. industrial jobs. According to Scott of the Economic Policy Institute, “Over the past two decades, currency manipulation by about 20 countries, led by China, has inflated U.S. trade deficits, which [in combination with the lingering effects of the Great Recession] is largely responsible for the loss of more than five million U.S. manufacturing jobs.” Scott argues that while NAFTA and other trade deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership are bad for American workers, the fundamental problem is not that they are “free trade” pacts, but that they “are designed to create a separate, global set of rules to protect foreign investors and encourage the outsourcing of production from the United States to other countries.”

Unlike the earliest generation of “free-trade agreements” – which focused on reducing or eliminating tariffs and duties that stifled trade — these newer pacts are more comprehensive. As Scott explains, they “contain 30 or more chapters providing special protections for foreign investors; extending patents and copyrights; privatizing markets for public services such as education, health, and public utilities; and ‘harmonizing’ regulations in ways that limit or prevent governments from protecting the public health or environment.” When critics of the TPP conflate their criticism of that pact with their criticism of “free trade,” they miss an essential element of the TPP that has disaffected many otherwise loyal supporters of earlier-generation agreements that truly focus on deregulation of “trade” per se, he notes.

The Role of China

Two decades ago, when NAFTA was born, China had only a faint presence in the global economy, and was not yet even a member of the World Trade Organization. However, the share of U.S. spending on Chinese goods rose nearly eight-fold between 1991 and 2007. By 2015, U.S. trade in goods and services with China totaled $659 billion— with the U.S. importing $336 billion more than it exported. China has become the U.S.’s top trading partner for goods — a development never anticipated at the signing of NAFTA. And yet, NAFTA continues to attract the lion’s share of the blame among U.S. critics of globalization, despite the fact that the U.S. and China have yet to sign any bilateral free-trade treaty.

“NAFTA did foster greater U.S.-Mexican integration and helped transform Mexico into a major exporter of manufactured goods.” –Robert Blecker

How is that possible? In a recent study that de-emphasized the impact of NAFTA on the U.S. economy, economists David Autor (MIT), David Dorn (University of Zurich) and Gordon Hanson (University of California, San Diego) stress the role of China’s emergence on job growth and wages in the U.S. In the study, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, they write: “China’s emergence as a great economic power has induced an epochal shift in patterns of world trade. Simultaneously, it has challenged much of the received empirical wisdom about how labor markets adjust to trade shocks. Alongside the heralded consumer benefits of expanded trade are substantial adjustment costs and distributional consequences…. Exposed workers experience greater job churning and reduced lifetime income. At the national level, employment has fallen in U.S. industries more exposed to import competition, as expected, but offsetting employment gains in other industries have yet to materialize. Better understanding when and where trade is costly, and how and why it may be beneficial, are key items on the research agenda for trade and labor economists.”

As Robert Blecker, an economist at American University, notes, “Contrary to the promises of the leaders who promoted it, NAFTA did not make Mexico converge to the United States in per capita income, nor did it solve Mexico’s employment problems or stem the flow of migration.” However, “NAFTA did foster greater U.S.-Mexican integration and helped transform Mexico into a major exporter of manufactured goods.”

The benefits for the Mexican economy were attenuated, however, by heavy dependence on imported intermediate inputs in export production, as well as by Chinese competition in the U.S. market and domestically. The long-run increase in manufacturing employment in Mexico (about 400,000 jobs) was small and disappointing, while U.S. manufacturing plummeted by 5 million — but more because of Chinese imports than imports from Mexico. In both Mexico and the United States, real wages have stagnated while productivity has continued to increase, leading to higher profit shares and a tendency toward greater inequality.”

Blaming NAFTA for all of these disturbing problems may make some NAFTA critics feel good, but as trade researchers have learned in recent years, the growing complexity of today’s economic challenges defies any simplistic explanations.

166 comments:

  1. NAFTA was supposed to be a win-win for the Americas. However, I contend that it is a Trojan Horse for China. How so?

    China exports parts to Mexico, assembles them in Mexico and sends them duty free into the US as Mexican products.

    China also bought up a lot of US brand names and sells them under that name in the US under Nafta.

    Can Mexico divert trade to China replacing the US? Utter nonsense.

    China takes the money they make and buys real estate, Industrial parks and raw materials. Pure mercantilism.


    The factory owners, mostly real estate speculators are making a fortune and lots of poor Mexicans are marginally better off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do you have any evidence of China evading the "rules of origin"? If they are managing to do as you allege wouldn't it be better to tighten up the rules and enforcement rather than start a trade war?

      Delete
    2. That's what TPP was about, also, using Vietnam like they use Mexico.

      Delete
    3. I fail to see a net benefit to the US from our trade experience with China:

      1. If you take the price of anything made in China and divide it by the expected period of use in days, I would bet they fall way short if you compare it with Western and US origin products.

      2. Due to Chinese failures to treat wood packaging from China, US forest lost are at least $5-10 billion a year.

      3. Theft of intellectual commercial property.

      4. Theft of military and aerospace intellectual property.

      5. The use of the Chinese using trade surplus hard currency to develop their military and the cost of US development of counter measures.

      6. Cost to government and the economy of the social services to US workers displaced by Chinese manufacturers.

      7. Environmental costs borne by the rest of the world due to Chinese manufacturing sub par standards and complete disregard for any polution controls.

      8. Damage to third world countries due to Chinese unsustainable deforestation.

      9. Wildlife destruction to large mammals because of the Chines market for their products.

      Delete
  2. Hillary Clinton garnered more than 800,000 votes from noncitizens on Nov. 8, an approximation far short of President Trump’s estimate of up to 5 million illegal voters but supportive of his charges of fraud.

    Political scientist Jesse Richman of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, has worked with colleagues to produce groundbreaking research on noncitizen voting, and this week he posted a blog in response to Mr. Trump’s assertion.

    Based on national polling by a consortium of universities, a report by Mr. Richman said 6.4 percent of the estimated 20 million adult noncitizens in the U.S. voted in November. He extrapolated that that percentage would have added 834,381 net votes for Mrs. Clinton, who received about 2.8 million more votes than Mr. Trump.

    Mr. Richman calculated that Mrs. Clinton would have collected 81 percent of noncitizen votes.


    View Comments Print
    By Rowan Scarborough - The Washington Times - Updated: 9:51 a.m. on Friday, January 27, 2017

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's funny coming from a climate change denier - 'a political scientist calculated...'

      Delete
    2. On his blog even πŸ˜ƒ

      Delete
    3. .

      Based on national polling by a consortium of universities, a report by Mr. Richman said 6.4 percent of the estimated 20 million adult noncitizens in the U.S. voted in November. He extrapolated that that percentage would have added 834,381 net votes for Mrs. Clinton, who received about 2.8 million more votes than Mr. Trump.

      Bushwa.

      I'd like to see the actual study and where this guy got his numbers, the actual poll questions and what the polling population consisted of. My antenna always go up when I hear words like 'extrapolated'.

      .

      Delete
    4. .

      Jesse Richman?

      This is the same study Doug mentioned a couple days ago. It has been debunked by a number of people including the authors themselves when they say...

      There are obvious limitations to our research, which one should take account of when interpreting the results.

      and then go on to spend the second half of the article below explaining what those limitations are.

      https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2014/10/24/could-non-citizens-decide-the-november-election/?utm_term=.d7ee20b2e854

      In addition, the Post puts the following header on the article

      Note: The post occasioned three rebuttals (here, here, and here) as well as a response from the authors. Subsequently, another peer-reviewed article argued that the findings reported in this post (and affiliated article) were biased and that the authors’ data do not provide evidence of non-citizen voting in U.S. elections.

      listing articles that rebut the assumptions and conclusions of the study citing problems with its statistical and scientific rigor.

      .

      Delete
    5. Show me one post or one comment from me where I denied climate change. Just one.

      Delete
  3. MARKETWATCH

    As Trump pointed out, though, the U.S. is on track to run a trade deficit of close to $60 billion with Mexico in 2016, according to government data. That’s about 12% of the nation’s overall annual trade gap.

    The trade deficit with Canada, the third member of NAFTA, is a much smaller $9 billion.

    The industry in which Mexico has made the biggest gains since NAFTA is automobiles — often at the expense of the U.S.

    Ford Motor Co. F, +0.65% and General Motors GM, -0.51% , with other car makers, have dramatically ramped up operations south of the border. In 2015, a record one-third of Mexican imports to the U.S. consisted of autos, engines and other parts.

    Altogether, U.S.-owned companies and their affiliates employed 1.29 million Mexicans in 2015, generating $253 billion in sales, Bureau of Economic Analysis data show.

    By contrast, Mexican firms operating in the U.S. employed just 78,000 workers and registered sales of $32.8 billion in 2015.

    ReplyDelete
  4. .

    Unlike the earliest generation of “free-trade agreements” – which focused on reducing or eliminating tariffs and duties that stifled trade — these newer pacts are more comprehensive. As Scott explains, they “contain 30 or more chapters providing special protections for foreign investors; extending patents and copyrights; privatizing markets for public services such as education, health, and public utilities; and ‘harmonizing’ regulations in ways that limit or prevent governments from protecting the public health or environment.” When critics of the TPP conflate their criticism of that pact with their criticism of “free trade,” they miss an essential element of the TPP that has disaffected many otherwise loyal supporters of earlier-generation agreements that truly focus on deregulation of “trade” per se, he notes.

    This is the key reason I opposed TPP. It is a sop to corporate greed and a potential danger to the people of any country that signs on. It takes away national sovereignty from individual countries in matters that can effect numerous areas including health and safety and hands it over to a group of unelected corporate lawyers.

    That being said, I agree you can't blame all the ills of technology and productivity improvements and globalization on an agreement like NAFTA even though it may hit certain industries especially hard, i.e. autos in the US and local farming in Mexico.

    Other factors such as currency manipulation are probably bigger factors but that is only with countries outside these trade deals like China.

    IMO, the big problem the US has with China is our history of supporting so-called free-trade. For instance, in order to sell product in China companies are forced to build product in China and commit to export product to the world. My experience with the auto industry shows that they also demand that companies also build component companies in China before they are allowed to build final assembly there.

    This is one area where Trump could level the playing field in his dealings with China when he tries to improve the US position on trade.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  5. CNN’s Jake Tapper called it “a stunning allegation for which the White House is providing no evidence.

    And there is a reason they are providing no evidence — there is no evidence. It is not true.”

    Fair and balanced CNN had BILL CRYSTAL on as the man from the right!

    ===

    There is no evidence. Podesta just said they do it for shits and giggles.

    ...and states that make a practice of not checking ID's are clean as the wind driven snow.


    The "lack of evidence" points to the "diligence" of the MSM in pursuing evidence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      It's not the MSM's job to pursue evidence. It's their job to report on it.

      The Bush administration spend 5 years trying to find evidence of extensive voter fraud and came up short.

      Since when did you come to the belief that you can just pull an accusation out of your ass post it and expect everyone is just going to believe with no evidence to back it up?

      You sound like Kellyanne Conway and her puerile "Well, how can you prove it's not true?"

      Ridiculous.

      .

      Delete

  6. Question for Ash and Quirk:

    Why are the Democrats so opposed to voter id?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't speak for Democrats, nor am I c9nfident they are "so against voter ID" (Some ID is required- especially voting from here in Canada - they requested Social Security number among other stuff). I think the general fight against stricter voter ID laws is that, in general, it is desirable to get people to vote and restrictive ID laws discourage people from participating.

      Delete
    2. "nor am I c9nfident they are "so against voter ID""

      " it is desirable to get people to vote and restrictive ID laws discourage people from participating."

      ===

      Classic

      Delete
    3. Since it isn't real:

      I must suffer vivid nightmares of Obama and the rest fighting tooth and nail against voter IDs.

      ...and US Immigration Laws.

      Delete
    4. .

      Since I'm not a Dem, I don't know. I can speculate that some of them do it because they figure it works to their advantage politically. Others I suspect do it, as Ash said, to make it easier for everyone to vote.

      I personally am in favor of making it easier to vote; however, until someone can show me that there is a good amount of fraud going on, I am in favor of providing ID and documentation at the time you register rather than at the time you vote. What I wouldn't mind seeing is an expansion of the absentee ballot process like some states are currently implementing so that everyone could vote by mail. That should eliminate any concerns or arguments about the poor being disadvantaged. But that's just me.

      But as usually, you offer me and Ash your typical passive aggressive type question. You could give a shit about the specifics. What your question really implies is the question, "Why are Dems always trying to cheat?"

      The practical answer to both questions, even if your assumptions are true is, 'if they are unsuccessful at their attempts, what difference does it make? Where is your proof?'

      Now, you can say where its illegal the guilty should be punished. To which I would respond, true, and where there is 'evidence' to support the charge they are, both Dems and Republicans.

      Or, you can pull a Trump and argue there are 3 to 5 million illegal votes cast and they were ALL cast for my opponent. To which I would laugh heartily and ask, "Where's the proof?"

      .

      Delete
  7. QuirkFri Jan 27, 02:57:00 AM EST
    .

    Lordy. Lordy. Lordy.

    A normal child by the age of two will have developed self-awareness enough to experience basic emotions such as shame and embarrassment. I can only assume our two twins are freaks of nature in the sense that through heredity defect or some perverse gene-splicing experiment they find themselves incapable of feeling either embarrassment or shame.

    ===

    Profound, mature insight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .


      Thanks, Doug. I thought you might be upset.


      .

      Delete
  8. ABC deletes Trump’s March for Life reference in its online transcript

    In an interview with ABC News that aired earlier this week, President Donald Trump complained to anchor David Muir about the mainstream media’s lack of coverage for the March of Life.

    When Mr. Muir asked if Mr. Trump could hear the protesters from the progressive Women’s March on Washington from the White House, Mr. Trump responded, saying:

    “No, I couldn’t hear them. The crowds were large, but you will have a large crowd on Friday, too, which is mostly pro-life people. You’re going to have a lot of people coming on Friday. And I will say this, and I didn’t realize this. But I was told. You will have a very large crowd of people. I don’t know as large or larger. Some people said it will be larger. Pro-life people and they say the press doesn’t cover them.”
    Mr. Trump boldly referenced the March of Life, which his Vice President Mike Pence will attend, and correctly said it received little to no air-time on the nightly news shows.

    A report by the Media Research Center released this week found the major television networks gave the Women’s March 129 times more coverage than last year’s March for Life.

    Yet, surprisingly (or maybe not) the entire exchange about the two marches was edited out of ABC’s official transcript of the interview.

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/27/abc-deletes-donald-trump-march-life-reference-its-/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Typical.

      Orwell's 1984 is as predictive today as when it was written.

      The libs will always protect us from our baser instincts such as an appreciation for life and its potential. Well, if we let them.

      .

      Delete
  9. Quirk:

    "It's not the MSM's job to pursue evidence. It's their job to report on it."

    ===

    Right: Woodward and Bernstein sat at their desks and waited for the evidence to be delivered.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Woodward had a long-term relationship with Feld prior to Watergate. You expect the MSM to devote resources to investigate and find evidence of a country wide 'conspiracy' to commit voter fraud involving millions of illegal votes by the Dems based on the delusional claim of a troubled individual who offers zero proof of his accusation, an accusation the federal government spent 5 years investigating a decade ago only to come up empty handed?

      Really?

      And admit it. If they did do it and still didn't find any evidence of fraud you would simply say it was a cover up by the MSM.

      .

      Delete
    2. THIS LAW IS TWO YEARS OLD!

      DMV licensed 800,000 undocumented immigrants under 2-year-old law

      On the day that California officials implemented a controversial law that allows undocumented residents to obtain driver’s licenses, DMV offices throughout the state were packed with immigrants looking to take advantage of the opportunity.

      Two years after the implementation of AB 60 on Jan. 1, 2015, an estimated 806,000 undocumented residents have received driver’s licenses, according to Department of Motor Vehicles statistics this month. About 14,000 of these licenses were issued in November alone, the DMV said.

      Critics also point to another state “motor-voter” law, AB 1461, that starting in 2017 will automatically register most licensed California drivers to vote, arguing it could lead to election fraud if non-citizens barred from voting in federal elections become registered. State officials said there are safeguards in the system to prevent undocumented licensees from being registered to vote.

      The DMV said law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, can obtain driver’s license information — such as name, gender/description, address, date of birth and driver license number — through certain data-sharing systems. But the information doesn’t indicate their immigration status or whether they received licenses under AB60.

      http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/12/28/dmv-licensed-800000-undocumented-immigrants-under-2-year-old-law/

      Delete


  10. California’s Recipe for Voter Fraud on a Massive Scale

    Screenshot details corruption in California voting:

    http://media.breitbart.com/media/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-27-at-4.44.18-AM.png

    All you have to do is follow the money.

    They created a system where it was virtually impossible to ever catch anyone cheating, removed all verification processes, automatically register[ed] all drivers license holders — whether they like it or not, and then launch[ed] that program immediately after granting every one of the untold millions of illegal aliens in California a driver[‘s] license.

    When the Election Integrity Project brought forth a report on documented voter fraud, the LA Times and other publications slamming Mr. Trump — you guessed it — (yawn) ignored the facts.

    California is not an isolated case.

    A Breitbart News story from October documents serious, widespread voter fraud involving non-citizen voting in Virginia. Many of the safeguards previously in place have been removed — in large part due to pressure brought by George Soros-backed organizations ostensibly fighting for voter integrity. The only problem is that these Soros-funded groups oppose Voter ID laws and every effective measure to safeguard the integrity of the vote.

    http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/01/27/voter-fraud/


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Election Integrity Project

      https://www.electionintegrityproject.com/california/home/

      Delete
    2. This leaves no doubt about the corruption of the voting process in California:

      https://www.electionintegrityproject.com/california/the-perfect-storm/

      Delete
    3. Many ingenious methods developed to effectively corrupt voting by mail.

      Delete
    4. .

      Registering to vote by an illegal alien is a felony.

      Voting by an illegal alien involves multiple felonies.

      Given everything that you've posted, it should be easy to prove that 3 to 5 million illegal aliens voted for the Dems.

      Assumptions and assertions are nice but they don't stand up in a court of law. Show us the evidence.

      At that point, we better start building a lot more prisons.

      .

      Delete
    5. I guess they just passed all those laws to not use them.

      Odd use of their time and energy.

      It states in black and white that those who don't answer yes or no whether they are a citizen or not ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE.

      ...but that is not "evidence"

      to you.

      Delete
    6. "Registering to vote by an illegal alien is a felony."

      ...but California automatically registers those who choose not to answer the question of whether they are a citizen or not.

      Delete
    7. .

      ...but that is not "evidence"

      It's not evidence of what we are talking about (no matter how hard you try to change the subject).

      No one is denying voter fraud happens.

      A simple google search will proved examples of where and when it happened.

      That's not what we are talking about.

      We are talking about Trump's charges that...

      - 3 to 5 million illegals voted in the last election, and...

      - ALL of those illegal votes were cast by Democrats.

      You buy it. Most of the country, including me, thinks the claims are bullshit.

      However, if they are true, all that we ask is that he provide evidence of the crime.

      What you provided above is not 'evidence' of either of these.

      .

      Delete
    8. .

      As for California and their voter laws if what you say is true, I agree they suck.

      If there are objections to what they are doing, their system should be examined by the Justice Department and if they do not meet federal guidelines the state should be forced to change.

      However, the process itself is not evidence of the crimes you are purporting.

      .

      Delete
    9. It is evidence that California is committing a felony (according to you) every time they register someone that is not a citizen.

      Delete
    10. WHAT "WE" ARE TALKING ABOUT IS ALWAYS WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT! ...in your mind.

      ...I've never claimed all of Trump's charges are true!

      I do hope they ferret out some of the obvious corruption.

      ...and I'm amazed that you don't see the obvious weaknesses/dangers of motor voter, voting by mail, and all the other helpful things Democrats come up with out of the goodness of their hearts.

      Delete
    11. .

      As to your other comment.

      - Being registered to vote, without your participation, is not your crime.

      - Being registered to vote is not the same as voting.

      - Actually voting is voting.

      I would venture to say that there are many people who are registered vote who have never voted.

      .

      Delete
    12. .

      WHAT "WE" ARE TALKING ABOUT IS ALWAYS WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT! ...in your mind.

      Perhaps, you are right. I am talking about what most of the country has been talking about and I assumed you posts were somehow tangentially related to that subject.

      My apologies.

      .

      Delete
    13. I would contend they are tangentially related.

      You are entitled to your opinion.

      Delete
    14. I also don't purport to be able to discern accurately what Trump says for strategic reasons, and what he says because of his "thin skin."

      He did win.

      Delete
    15. I do disagree with you and Krugman that Trump is mentally ill.

      Delete
    16. .

      And as I said before, I have no problem with Trump following through on his word that he will start an investigation into voter fraud. It might do some good. The stuff you mentioned California is doing for instance. However, as I also said, I think it is a mistake to bring this issue up as a priority the first week of his presidency. It's a distraction that he doesn't need and is putting his people in an uncomfortable position of defending his comments with no evidence at this time to back them up.

      As you say, he won. He can do whatever he wants. I just think it was an unforced error and the timing was bad.

      .

      Delete

    17. I thought the exaggeration was heavy (as usual), OTOH, we don't hear much about Russia anymore, do we?

      Delete
  11. https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15977152_10209816120253760_5294604012343124282_n.jpg?oh=3d236c6e032a2f58e574dff64948243e&oe=59195EE7

    ReplyDelete
  12. Obama admin refused to enforce immigration law in Arizona.

    Arizona crafted immigration law that mimicked Federal Law.

    Obama admin sued Arizona.

    Did Obama’s suit against Arizona accidentally screw sanctuary cities?

    http://patriotretort.com/obamas-suit-arizona-accidentally-screw-sanctuary-cities/

    ReplyDelete
  13. Friday, January 27, 2017

    The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 55% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-five percent (45%) disapprove.

    The latest figures include 40% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 36% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of +4 (see trends).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Previous 3 days were a lot better.

      http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/trump_approval_index_history

      Delete
  14. YouTube Disables MILO Livestream Hours Before Immigration Speech in New Mexico

    http://www.breitbart.com/milo/2017/01/27/youtube-disables-milo-livestream-hours-immigration-speech-new-mexico/

    ReplyDelete

  15. Ah, the election of Trump has brought forth a New Age of Creativity, Innovation, Invention, Industriousness and Development in the USA.

    Loan approval received !

    10 years of interest only payments at record low interest rates, fixed rate.

    Yahoo !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you going to pave the farm?

      Delete
    2. :)

      Well, not with this money. But my little development is being currently farmed.

      Wife and I are visiting with the Small Business Administration next week though. Have no idea what might come of that. HUD doesn't do a thing for folks try to build housing, they told me.

      We've been looking into small scale high density, a big new deal around here. Mini apartments....small apartment, small number of them.

      Got a call from some 'Q Housing Financials' just recently. Somewhere out of Detroit, he said.

      Certainly sounded like a wonderful, very sharp fellow. I feel I can trust him implicitly.

      Humorous dude, too.

      Delete
    3. This Q fellow did say,

      "You can trust me
      Implicitly"
      .

      Delete
    4. He also said:

      I'll never foreclose on you, but I must hold the deeds, a demand of my 'underwriter'

      I like this guy.

      No foreclosures.

      Delete
    5. He'll also demand your underwear.

      Delete
    6. Told him I don't wear any, don't own any.

      Delete
  16. A Ross' gull from Siberia flew 9,000 miles and ended up last week at Pillar Point Harbor near Half Moon Bay, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Naturalists, who predict the event will be the wildlife story of the year, believe that the storms may be responsible for the bird's wayward flight.

    The Jan. 12 sighting is only the second reported incident of the Siberian gull in the Bay. The creature's story ended when it was bushwhacked by two peregrine falcons in Half Moon Bay.

    Wrote the Chronicle, "After a flight of 9,000 miles, one of the rarest wildlife sightings in California history ended up as lunch."

    http://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/article/Wildlife-story-of-year-Siberian-gull-makes-10874401.php

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All that way, riding the winds, only to get bushwhacked in California.

      Now, that's sad.

      Delete
  17. Deuce ☂Fri Jan 27, 02:59:00 PM EST
    I fail to see a net benefit to the US from our trade experience with China:

    1. If you take the price of anything made in China and divide it by the expected period of use in days, I would bet they fall way short if you compare it with Western and US origin products.


    I didn't have to read further. Our newer Chinese made coffee maker just burned out. Planned obsolescence.

    By contrast, out in the barn we still have an old frig made by GE in the USA back in the 1940s that still works perfectly. Small, little open freezer at the top. I turn it on each year just to be amazed.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Slim to the Rescue

    SLIM TO RESCUE FOR MEXICO?

    OFFERS HELP DEALING WITH 'GREAT NEGOTIATOR' TRUMP....DRUDGE


    The Donald may have met his match.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Live stream and blog: The March for Life takes over Washington, DC
    POSTED AT 11:55 AM ON JANUARY 27, 2017 BY ED MORRISSEY

    http://hotair.com/archives/2017/01/27/live-stream-the-march-for-life-takes-over-washington-dc/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 6 stories above it on the front page of the WaPo.

      Delete
  20. Good news. The Hawaiians win.

    FOLLOWING FUROR, ZUCKERBERG HALTS HAWAII LAND LAWSUITS...

    'Clear we made a mistake'....DRUDGE


    Don't fuck with the Hawaiian god Maui -

    Images of Maui:

    https://www.google.com/search?q=hawaiian+god+maui&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS698US698&espv=2&biw=911&bih=425&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi1saTp1ePRAhUT9GMKHWdkBGkQsAQIMA

    Nor with the Hawaiian goddess of fire, Pele, either.

    Images of Pele:

    https://www.google.com/search?q=Hawaiian+god+of+fire&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS698US698&espv=2&biw=911&bih=425&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwikiMTC1uPRAhUSzWMKHeyoD-EQsAQIGQ

    ReplyDelete
  21. HEADLINE

    WHAT ZUCKERBERG SAYS:

    Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is criticizing Donald Trump’s plans to build a border wall with Mexico and to curb migrants entering the United States from several Muslim countries.

    WHAT ZUCKERBERG DOES:

    “Hundreds” of people are reportedly set to protest at Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Hawaiian $100 million estate in response to the billionaire’s large perimeter wall and reports that locals were allegedly “harassed and intimidated by security” for walking nearby.
    “In June 2016, Zuckerberg constructed a six-foot wall along part of his property, despite protests from locals, who called it a ‘monstrosity’ and not neighborly,” wrote McClatchyDC. “Now, more than six months later, around 200 locals are expected to march in protest along the wall this Saturday.”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well imagine that!

      The fine looking lady next to me, says "Zuckerberg should pay for the wall."

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. :)

      Glad to hear you're out on the town....or something....

      Delete
    4. Tell your sweet lady (and WiO) that, here in Canada, we get Health Care included in our government spend paid for by our consumption and income tax.

      Delete
    5. The irony is that y'all will be paying for a big ugly wall that is mostly useless.

      Delete
    6. But, aye, what a fine symbol that wall is. Maybe, someday, it'll rank right up there with The Great Wall of China. Or, it'll reign in infamy like the Israeli separation barrier.

      Delete
    7. So, your shitty health care is paid for by your taxes.

      I wish I had some 'government spend' deposited directly in my checking account each month, that's what I wish.

      Zero chance of it though.

      Delete
    8. The Israeli 'separation barrier' has been a fine thing.

      Very few bombs going off in pizza parlors or on buses in Israel now.

      All good countries build walls or barriers of some sort to protect themselves from barbarians when needed.

      Delete
  22. Replies
    1. Kiss the cod baby and screeeech!

      Delete
    2. Reminds me of Trish's description of you as our 'international roaming Romeo'.

      Nice place, Newfoundland.

      Beautiful intelligent women there.

      Delete
    3. O Memory !

      I think Trish's words were 'Globetrotting Romeo'.

      Delete
  23. She says that since Trump has been elected, there is a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment in Newfoundland.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most of the newfis are immigrants (I. E. Residing elsewhere).

      Delete
    2. I think this one arrived with Vikings.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. Ash, that actually makes some sense.

      Most immigrants haven't lived in the USA for generations, like my ancestors, for instance.

      Excellent observation.

      1/2 point for you !

      You've finally scored !

      Delete
    5. Viking blood ?

      Great bloodline !

      Delete
    6. I have never seen anyone with such grey eyes.

      Delete
    7. Reflections of Newfoundland Weather?

      Delete
    8. Offer her some mead on me, you paying for it, of course.

      Delete
  24. Replies
    1. Rufus would like her too.

      Sounds like a wonderful gal to me.

      Delete
    2. Screech socks. Got a kick though - white lightning.

      Delete
  25. The Prosecutor is not charging Gov. Christie in the Bridgegate case.

    Says the case is a farce.

    So that's over.

    Christie vindicated.

    ReplyDelete
  26. January 28, 2017
    Illegal Aliens Really Do Vote – a Lot
    By William Campenni

    A warm, sunny Saturday a decade ago, there was a Hispanic festival in our small town, a bedroom community for illegal aliens seeking day labor jobs in the nearby wealthy suburbs. It was a sanctuary city at the time. No problem with the festival itself. The music was lively and the food tasty. And don't the Irish have St. Patrick's Day, and the Italians Columbus Day?

    While wandering around the festivities, I noticed a table with three nice ladies in front of a "Register To Vote" sign. Curious about its presence at a festival where the bulk of the crowd was either illegal alien day laborers or legal non-citizens, I went over to inquire. Before I spoke, one of those nice ladies asked me if I was registered to vote. Wanting to see where this would go, I said no, and asked how to sign up. A voter registration form was thrust in my hands. The very first item on these forms, in Virginia and the rest of America, was "I am a citizen of the United States of America," with YES and NO blocks to check.


    "Don't I need to show you some proof of citizenship?" I asked. She replied "no." I asked her how she could verify that I wasn’t lying. Sensing she might be on a slippery slope, she called over a supervisor from the Registrar's Office and told the woman of my concern. The official told me they never checked citizenship status because I would be penalized if I lied. Really? So I asked her how she would verify my truthfulness, or those of the dozens of new voters being registered that day. Defensively, she replied that they checked all registrations for accuracy at the Registrar's Office when they were turned in.

    I called the Registrar Monday, and asked if they do indeed verify citizenship status. I was told that they didn't unless someone made a specific complaint against an individual applicant...

    http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/01/illegal_aliens_really_do_vote_a_lot.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .


      Well, they may register a lot. Haven't seen much proof of voting. Matter of fact, from that story there was no evidence that they even register a lot.


      .

      Delete
    2. .

      Illegal Votes

      I’ve assumed Trump pulled the 3 to 5 million number out of his butt because Hillary won the popular vote by a reported 2.9 millions votes.

      But what if the number was pulled out of someone else’s butt?

      The Conspiracy Theorist

      .

      Delete
    3. .

      Does it make anyone else uncomfortable that our president buys into these conspiracy theories so easily?

      And what does it say about the others who do the same?

      .

      Delete
    4. If all this ends in a classical tragedy, his character flaw after will be analyzed as raging egotism and overbearing pride.

      Oddly enough, much like Obama, though Obama had the additional flaw of being a muzzie at heart.


      From Churchill's unabridged The River War:

      How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity."

      The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property – either as a child, a wife, or a concubine – must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die. But the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.

      Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step, and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it (Islam) has vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.

      And lastly:

      Indeed it is evident that Christianity, however degraded and distorted by cruelty and intolerance, must always exert a modifying influence on men's passions, and protect them from the more violent forms of fanatical fever, as we are protected from smallpox by vaccinations. But the Mohammaden religion increases, instead of lessening, the fury of intolerance. It was originally propagated by the sword, and ever since its votaries have been subject, above all the peoples of all other creeds, to this form of madness.


      My gut check is that President Obama, the man who couldn't utter the phrase "radical Islamic terrorism," banished the visage of Sir Winston Churchill from the White House because of his distinct anti-Islamic views, and that is the same subtle reason President Trump, who is not afraid of calling "radical Islamic terrorism" for what it is, welcomed the wise old man back into the Oval Office.

      January 28, 2017
      President Obama and the bust of Churchill
      By Mark A. Hewitt

      http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/01/president_obama_and_the_bust_of_churchill.html



      Illegal voting is not a conspiracy theory.

      The only question is:

      How much ?

      Delete
    5. .

      Arguing that there were 3 to 5 million illegal votes cast in the last election and that they were ALL for Trump is definitely a conspiracy theory.

      It's the same as those other crazy stories generated by political operatives and hicks out in the boonies geared towards the never ending supply of credulous dupes across this land.

      .

      Delete
    6. .

      Indeed it is evident that Christianity, however degraded and distorted by cruelty and intolerance, must always exert a modifying influence on men's passions, and protect them from the more violent forms of fanatical fever, as we are protected from smallpox by vaccinations.

      Trump doesn't seem to agree. As part of his latest purge, he authorized the cancellation that was being used to bring non-Muslim minority groups (Christian, Jew, etc.) from Iran.

      .

      Delete
    7. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    8. I imagine that will be corrected soon as someone points it out.

      Delete
  27. .

    Serena Williams wins the Australian Open over her sister Venus.

    She now has 23 Grand Slam victories, the most of any women in the modern era. She's the best women tennis player in the modern error and the majority would probably say she is the best ever.

    And she's still going.

    And Venus is no slouch. What a pair.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have committed a modern error, once again.

      Damn that keyboard !

      The Williams sister are indeed fantastic.

      Delete
    2. .

      Shoot.

      I need some sleep.

      .

      Delete
  28. .

    I leave you with this...


    I, Robot

    While driving in my car the other day, I heard a story on the radio about a proposal in the EU Parliament that has now passed their legal review and will be going to the parliament for a full vote in February. When I heard it, my first reaction was “Oh, Shit!”

    The proposal is to grant legal rights including personhood under the law to Robots.

    In the report I heard, they talked of forming a special EU agency for setting up rules and regulations on robots (sounds a little like US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc., from Asimov’ book I, Robot).
    However, not to worry.

    The report said where appropriate certain robots that would be defined as ‘electronic persons’ would be programmed to act in accordance with various rules and regulations some of which will be in line with Asimov’ three laws of robots:

    • Law One – “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”
    • Law Two – “A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.”
    • Law Three – “A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.”

    Asimov later added a fourth law.

    • Asimov later added the “Zeroth Law,” above all the others – “A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.”

    Sounds great, well, except that it is bullshit for so many reasons, the first and probably most important being ‘How do you teach a bunch of wires and steel what it means to be a human or, for that
    matter, what is humanity.

    I’m kind of glad I won’t be around to see the coming revolution.

    Doug said he was bother with the changes he has seen in our culture. Wake up to our ‘brave new world’, son.

    Day One of The Brave New World

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. Best reason it's bullshit is bots don't have an indwelling Spirit.

      We do, though it's been forgotten in much of our current era of modern error.

      Delete
  29. "It's the same as those other crazy stories generated by political operatives and hicks out in the boonies geared towards the never ending supply of credulous dupes across this land."

    ===
    Indeed
    ===

    Then there are the hundreds of millions that expose themselves to the relentless programming of TV day after day, year after year.

    In the last 45 years, I have done so for less than 2 years.

    And you?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Top of Telegram Tribune, San Luis Obispo, CA:

    "Trump order separates refugee mother from son approved for U.S. immigration"

    NOT on the front page of ANY MSM Outlets for the past 8 years:

    "Kate Steinle story repeated thousands of times thanks to open borders and sanctuary cities."

    https://www.google.com/search?q=Kate+Steinle&rlz=1CAACAO_enUS720US720&oq=Kate+Steinle&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 4 Months of restrictions on our insane immigration system: CATASTROPHIC

      DECADES of death and destruction perpetrated on US Citizens:

      Business as usual.

      Delete

    2. Time for another Nasty Girls Day March.

      (Sponsored by Soros)

      Delete
    3. Who was that young up and coming white bitch with the crudest remarks. I don't keep track of the new stars.

      That women has a real career before her, the cunt.

      Delete
    4. And what's up with all the cunt caps ?

      I wanted to get one for Quirk, and then I added Ash, too.

      Delete
  31. AshFri Jan 27, 09:10:00 PM EST
    Tell your sweet lady (and WiO) that, here in Canada, we get Health Care included in our government spend paid for by our consumption and income tax.

    Crossing the Border for Care
    Frustrated by long waits, some Canadians are heading to the U.S. for medical treatment.

    http://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2016-08-03/canadians-increasingly-come-to-us-for-health-care

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. More than 52,000 Canadians travelled abroad for health care last year, study finds

      http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/number-of-canadian-patients-travelling-abroad-for-treatment-increased-by-25-study-finds

      Delete
    2. " In a 2014 study by the Commonwealth Fund, a private American health care reform and international health policy organization, Canada had the second-worst overall ranking among the health care systems of 11 industrialized nations and ranked last in the wait-time category. Only the American health care system ranked worse overall."

      American system even worse - that's right out of the article you posted WiO.

      Delete
    3. True, or not true?

      Canadians travel to the US for health care.

      Delete
    4. Some have, true. Some have gone to Mexico and England and...

      Some Americans have left the US for health care.

      Delete
    5. ObamaCare is that bad, Ash ?

      We gotta change things.

      Delete
  32. LA Times top Headline:

    Confusion and consternation as new 'extreme vetting' policy blocks Middle East immigration

    Confusion and consternation as new 'extreme vetting' policy blocks Middle East immigration


    ===

    Glad the "Free Press" protected us so vigilantly through the Obama years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oops, I was twice as vigilant as the Times.

      Delete
    2. Lack of extreme vetting of his work by Doug-O.

      :(

      Delete
  33. Gentlemen, what we need is a Laser Wall.

    (In addition to fencing, etc)


    India Activates Miles of ‘Laser Walls’ Along Border with Pakistan

    by THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D.30 Apr 2016452

    Given the impossibility of active human surveillance along its lengthy border, India has installed a dozen “laser walls” along its border with Pakistan, which will set off a loud siren if breached.
    The immediate catalyst behind India’s decision was the Pathankot terror attack this past January, when a band of heavily armed United Jihad terrorists allegedly crossed over the border from Pakistan to storm India’s Pathankot Air Force Station, killing seven soldiers and wounding 20 more.

    In coming months, India intends to install 45 such laser walls along the international border in Punjab and Jammu, especially in areas where traditional barbed wire fences would be impractical.

    Eight of the infra-red and laser beam intrusion detection systems are already “up and working,” and four more will be operational in the next few days, according to a senior official of India’s Border Security Force (BSF).

    “The laser walls have started working and their functioning is being monitored. Preliminary results in detecting illegal movements are encouraging,” the official said, adding that agents were using a satellite-based signal command system to monitor the sensors, which are armed with night and fog operability tools.

    India had already begun investigating the feasibility of installing laser walls two years ago as a means of keeping more effective surveillance against intruders and terrorists who might exploit out-of-the-way border areas to cross into the country.

    India’s move to install laser fences is the latest installment in a string of similar efforts around the globe, aimed at preserving national sovereignty and security.

    Spurred on by Europe’s migrant crisis, walls and fences have been erected in a number of countries in an effort to seal porous borders and better control the flow of migrants.

    By the fall of 2015, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Hungary had all built versions of the anti-immigrant fence along parts of their borders, and in October Austria announced the construction of up to 15 km-long border barriers at several border crossings with Slovenia. It is now in the midst of erecting a border barrier at the Brenner Pass at the border with Italy.

    Slovenia began erecting a razor-wire border fence along its border with Croatia in 2015 to stem illegal migration into the Schengen Area, and Latvia started construction of a fence along its border with Russia this past December.

    http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/04/30/india-activates-laser-walls-along-border-with-pakistan/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Laser-Wall

      “The laser walls have started working and their functioning is being monitored. Preliminary results in detecting illegal movements are encouraging,”the official said; and we have already captured over 3000 Pakistani mountain goats, 425 Chinese yaks, and 2 yeti of unknown origin.


      .

      Delete
    2. Listen up, Slicker, yeti are extremely hard to catch.



      Delete
    3. The yeti were captured on the India/Nepal border.

      Delete
    4. I think we need a laser wall around the greater Detroit, Michigan area to keep the quirks IN....they are extremely mischievous creatures:

      mis·chie·vous
      ˈmisCHivΙ™s/Submit
      adjective
      (of a person, animal, or their behavior) causing or showing a fondness for causing trouble in a playful way.
      "two mischievous kittens had decorated the bed with shredded newspaper"
      synonyms: naughty, badly behaved, misbehaving, disobedient, troublesome, full of mischief; More
      (of an action or thing) causing or intended to cause harm or trouble.
      "a mischievous allegation for which there is not a shred of evidence"

      that no one wants around.

      They often frequent legitimate blog sites trying to bring them down with monkey wrenching comments, too.

      The Trump Administration has spoken of the need to ban them from the Internet.

      Delete
  34. Hey Ash, why not offer your house as a safe space for Moslem refugees ?

    I never see lefties doing this.

    It could make you famous.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Calexit Gaining Steam

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/california-campaign-secede-gains-momentum-030236966.html

    ReplyDelete
  36. Al Franken was finally declared the winner of his Senate seat by a little over 300 votes.

    A later inspection of the election found that over 1,000 votes were cast by felons who should not have been allowed to vote under the state laws there.

    A later survey of these 1000+ "voters" revealed that over 90% of them had voted for....Al Franken.

    ReplyDelete
  37. .

    "It's the same as those other crazy stories generated by political operatives and hicks out in the boonies geared towards the never ending supply of credulous dupes across this land."

    ===
    Indeed
    ===

    Then there are the hundreds of millions that expose themselves to the relentless programming of TV day after day, year after year.

    In the last 45 years, I have done so for less than 2 years.

    And you?



    Glad to see you are so parsimonious with your free time, Douglas; however, what does television watch time have to do with my comment?

    The conspiracy theories we have seen out there over the last year, some of which have been posted here, the 3-5 million illegal voters, the 11,000 phony Hillary ballots stored in that Ohio warehouse, the Clinton child sex ring run out of a pizza parlor, the idea that Trump was really a Dem planted to assure Hillary's victory, that Obama was planning on declaring martial law and cancelling the election, none of these were started on TV or for that matter in the national newspapers, unless you consider the National Enquirer a newspaper with their story about Ted Cruz' father being a friend of Oswald.

    Perhaps, you are talking about Alex Jones or people of his ilk. I think he has a TV show but not sure. Bob would probably know.

    As to your question, for the most part, I do watch the news a lot on TV (in some cases I am forced to as my wife is a news addict). Other than that I watch sports (less lately since all of our teams suck), shows on Masterpiece, and certain series like Game of Thrones, Pirates, and Orphan Black.

    That's not to say the TV isn't on a lot. My wife likes it on as background noise when she's on her computer.

    But face it, most of the conspiracy theories we talk about these days are being started and propagated on far left/right blogs, twitter feeds, and other social media which I tend to avoid.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Douglas ?

      OH--Ooo !!

      Penultimate to a Q Curse....

      Delete
  38. .

    I think we need a laser wall around the greater Detroit, Michigan area to keep the quirks IN....


    Silly man, my uniquely constructed tinfoil hat (rolled counterclockwise as with toilet paper set up to draw from the bottom rather than the top) offers me protection from the occasional rain storm AND makes me impervious to detection by lasers walls, x-rays, cosmic rays, garage door openers, government mind control, the snares of the Illuminati, night vision binoculars and scopes, and wildlife detection cameras both standard and night vision.

    The Magic 8 Ball says...

    Try again, later.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Note: Tinfoil hats available fro Souls_R-Us - Hats, L.L.C.

      Wide range of tinfoil hats available from traditional cones to our news 'Pussy-hats'.

      Also, review our premium lines which protect from UFO detection and tracking.

      * Some models in short supply or on backorder.

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      Watch our new 'Pussy-hat' infomercials featuring celebrity host Ashley Judd on Saturday and Sunday mornings on the FOX News stations in your area.

      .

      Delete
    3. .

      Note: Despite the fact our infomercials are never aired in prime time, the FCC requires that we inform you that these spots are XXX rated.

      .

      Delete
  39. Douq will recall that the army and air force of the fifties and sixties, had two basic head covers, the Class A bus driver's hat and the pleated cloth version, garrison or flight cap. No prize for guessing that about 95% of Gi's, never in the presence of women, were called "cunt caps".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side_cap#/media/File:Titovka.jpg

      Delete
  40. Ashley Judd is the nasty bitch's name.

    Ashley Tyler Ciminella

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Judd

    Henceforth, I shall call her:

    CRIMINELLA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Which was, by the way, Q's nickname back in grade school, when he first began to curse like a sailor, wear cunt hats, and shoplift sardine tins from the local IGA Grocery Store. This was also the period in which he first began to get haircuts at Ye Olde Mafia Barber Shoppe in Detroit, Michign, and listen to the yarns being told there.

      Delete
    2. He began, later, calling himself "Q" at advertising school, in a futile attempt he rid himself of this moniker, appellative, cognomen, tag....

      Delete
    3. What our country needs now is a Marlene Dietrich:

      Dietrich was noted for her humanitarian efforts during the war, housing German and French exiles, providing financial support and even advocating their US citizenship. For her work on improving morale on the front lines during the war, she received several honors from the United States, France, Belgium, and Israel. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Dietrich the ninth-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema.[3]

      and not a witch/bitch like Ashley Criminella.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Dietrich

      Delete
    4. Q-Criminella later in life began manufacturing pornographic caps -

      QuirkSat Jan 28, 05:06:00 PM EST
      .

      Note: Tinfoil hats available fro Souls_R-Us - Hats, L.L.C.

      Wide range of tinfoil hats available from traditional cones to our news 'Pussy-hats'.


      The man has lived a fascinating life to be sure, including fighting the Nazis at Brenner Pass in WW2, and stealing cases of the best wines in the world from the Vatican, and penetrating Area 51.

      Delete
  41. DRAIN: TRUMP SETS 5-YEAR AND LIFETIME LOBBYING BAN FOR OFFICIALS....DRUDGE

    The way is now cleared for Q-Criminella to become a lobbyist !

    The two professions, advertising executive, and lobbyist, being nearly genetic twins of one another....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .


      Exactly the point. I applaud Trump's attempt to fix this long standing problem. However, I'm not sure it's legal unless everyone involved makes it part of the employment contract and secondly it sounds like you could find a loophole fairly easily.


      Things would be much easier if there was any integrity in D.C.

      .

      Delete
    2. Well, speaking seriously, and sucking up, for what reason I do not know, things would be better if folks like you were in D.C.

      Might not last long in that shark tank, though.

      I'll stay out this way and keep the farming alive as a 'safe sane space' for us all.

      Delete
  42. Replies
    1. Though you'll probably turn out to be a day late.

      Delete
  43. Leave it to the Israelis, who know what they are doing -


    January 28, 2017
    Protecting America from ill intended refugees
    By Rachel Ehrenfeld

    President Donald Trump’s draft executive order on “Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals,” which was leaked on Wednesday, has been met, as anticipated, with alarm by opponents at home and abroad who resent the new American president and his actions to protect the country, as he promised to do.

    His executive order proclaims (emphasis added): “The United States must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those approved for admission do not intend to harm Americans and that they have no ties to terrorism. In order to protect Americans, we must ensure that those admitted to this country do not bear hostile attitudes towards our country and its founding principles. Section 2 of the active order states that the policy of the U.S. is “(a) protect our citizens from foreign nationals who intend to commit terrorist attacks in the United States; and b) prevent the admission of foreign nationals who intend to exploit United States immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”


    To prevent such individuals from entering the U.S., the executive order requests the development of a uniform screening program, which in fact would reinforce requirements that have been deliberately ignored by the Obama administration. But even if the screening is done by the book, and all necessary documentation has been obtained and verified, and the applicant declares he holds no ill intentions toward America and Americans, nothing available to the screeners today would easily reveal that he is lying.

    An effective way to find out the applicant’s intentions would be screening through an efficient, unbiased, and non-intrusive system. Such a system was developed by an Israeli company with a grant from the Department of Homeland Security, which the Obama administration refused to utilize.

    The Suspect Detection System (SDS) has developed counter-terrorist and insider threat detection technology named COGITO. This technology enables law enforcement agencies to rapidly investigate U.S. visa applicants (and other travelers) entering the country, insider threats among employees, etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. COGITO technology is an automated interrogation system that can determine in 5-7 minutes if an individual is harboring hostile intent. The system interviews the examinee with up to 36 questions while measuring the psychophysical signals of the human body. The system has 95% accuracy and has helped security agencies globally to catch terrorists and solve crimes.

      According to the company’s website, the SDS allows the screening of a large number of people in a short time. It “does not require operator training. One operator can handle simultaneously ten stations. It has a central management and database system that allows storing all tests results, analysis, and data mining, and is deployed and integrated with governmental agencies.” Using this system would eliminate the need to use often biased U.S. Consulate employees. Moreover, the SDS uses an automated decision-making system, which is “adaptable to a variety of different questioning contexts, different cultures, and languages. The examination lasts 5 minutes when there are no indications of harmful intent, and 7 minutes to ascertain it (with only 4% false positive, and 10% false negative).”

      The COGITO is used in 15 countries including Israel, Singapore, China, India, and Mexico. U.S. airlines operating in Latin America are using COGITO to check their employees.

      But last year DHS refused to use the SDS, claiming that it “would constitute an intrusion on the privacy of those screened by the system” and “[i]t may reflect on VISA applicants or Immigrant's civil rights.” However, foreigners applying for a U.S. visa are not protected by American laws.

      SDS capability to detect intent seems to fit President Trump’s promise of “extreme vetting” of Muslim refugees from high-risk regions. This and other similarly objective systems would not only assist in making America safer, but also be in keeping its policy and tradition of accepting refugees who do not wish us harm.

      Rachel Ehrenfeld is director of the New York-based American Center for Democracy.

      Delete
    2. http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/01/protecting_america_from_illintended_refugees.html

      ....Such a system was developed by an Israeli company with a grant from the Department of Homeland Security, which the Obama administration refused to utilize....


      ....The COGITO is used in 15 countries including Israel, Singapore, China, India, and Mexico. U.S. airlines operating in Latin America are using COGITO to check their employees....


      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. .

      COGITO technology is an automated interrogation system that can determine in 5-7 minutes if an individual is harboring hostile intent. The system interviews the examinee with up to 36 questions while measuring the psychophysical signals of the human body.

      Sample Cogito Questions:

      Question 1: Ok raghead, who was the American League Cy Young winner last year?

      Question 2: You just bought a hot dog. Do you ask for ketchup or mustard on it?

      Question 3: Who is the greatest quarterback...

      Question 25: Which is your favorite finger?

      Qhestion 33: I say aluha. You say ------?

      Question 36: There are four doors that have the following behind them:

      A. Mom
      B. Apple Pie
      C. Baseball
      D. 72 Virgins

      Which door do you choose?


      .

      Delete
    5. .

      The system has 95% accuracy...

      People who have fallen into the other 5% have historically either committed major terrorist attacks or become collateral damage when they were shipped to Gitmo or other foreign 'black sites'.

      .

      Delete
    6. QuirkSun Jan 29, 12:03:00 AM EST

      Ho ho ho

      QuirkSun Jan 29, 12:06:00 AM EST

      OH, Ho ho ho

      The "System" has already identified you as Q-Criminella....and is now determining the degree of your threat to the country....results soon....


      Delete
    7. Well that didn't take long.

      No threat at all detected.

      Notes:

      1) Total gas bag
      2) Attention seeking slave
      3) Tall tale teller, 1st Degree
      4) Preternaturally brave and prescient when soused

      #4 is an oddity.

      Never come across that one before.

      Delete
    8. .

      Example of why the Dems lost the last election:

      Tinder now has a screen that list 39 gender identification options.


      Example of why Trump will lose the next one:

      Just made Steve Bannon part of his national security team.


      .

      Delete
    9. R e a l l y stupid prediction.

      It will all depend on whether the economy is doing well, and how the wars are going, if we're all still alive.

      Delete
    10. 39 !

      You got to be shitting us.

      Delete
  44. Question #11

    Have you ever been, are you now, or do you wish to be a total gas bag ?

    Q-Criminella response:

    Hmmm...(pause, face reddening, squirms in seat)....I'm thinking about it.

    System:

    You're outta here.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Trump’s Executive Order on Refugees — Separating Fact from Hysteria

    http://www.nationalreview.com/article/444370/donald-trump-refugee-executive-order-no-muslim-ban-separating-fact-hysteria

    ReplyDelete
  46. I'm using AVG anti virus for many years now, I would recommend this Anti-virus to everybody.

    ReplyDelete