Double rainbow over Cleveland

Taken late this afternoon during the shower

Photo credit: Pat Dooley Photography

Is Pastor Darrell Scott running for Congress?

L to R: Steve Loomis, Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Assoc.; Pastor Darrell Scott, New Spirit Revival Center; and Ralph King, Cleveland Tea Party / Main Street Patriot.

Photo taken at The Spirit of America Rally in Cleveland last March by CTP's roving photographer, Pat J Dooley.

Headline from cleveland.com:

Pro-Trump pastor Darrell Scott may challenge

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce in 2018 Republican primary

Cleveland.com's report is here.

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Football fans disguised as empty seats

Another Sunday with plenty of empty seats at NFL games. Here's a photo from today's Browns game (I hear they lost again):

photo credit: Gateway Pundit

Frank Jackson vs Zack Reed

Earlier today, Mayoral candidates Frank Jackson and Zack Reed debated each other at the Cleveland City Club. Here is the video:

Too long? Click here for the report on Cleveland.com. One excerpt:

Reed and Jackson presented very different views of where Cleveland stands today.

Jackson said he sees a bright future for the city. He credited his administration for working hard the last 12 years to steer the city through a predatory lending crisis, the foreclosure crisis and the recession, and positioning Cleveland to advance.

"We've worked hard every day to position ourselves where we could have a bright future," Jackson said.

He acknowledged that some parts of the city have fared better than others. His fourth term, he said, would focus on ensuring that all residents benefit from a better quality of life and greater prosperity.

Reed described a different Cleveland - one in which he argued Jackson has failed as a leader and people are suffering as a result.

While acknowledging some neighborhoods have prospered, others have been left behind, he said.

Crime rates, poverty rates and jobless rates continue to be among the worst in the nation, he said.

"When you elect me mayor of Cleveland you'll have a safer city," Reed said.

A contentious exchange.

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Ohio Pharmacists Association opposes Issue 2

Photo credit: El Dorado County Sheriff's Office

After putting together a blog last month on Issue 2 – the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act – it may still be confusing. Here is the very brief summary from the Ohio Pharmacists Assoc. with a link to the full article – which is accessible to any voter. It also contains a video message.

The Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) has joined a growing coalition of stakeholders, experts, and patients in opposition to Issue 2 the so-called “Ohio Drug Price Relief Act” - a proposal (referred to as an initiated statute) that will be on the November 2017 ballot in Ohio.

As part of the Ohioans Against the Deceptive Rx Ballot Issue coalition, OPA will be working hard to defeat a measure that could have serious negative consequences for pharmacies, payers, employers, veterans, and patients.

The "Ohio Drug Price Relief Act" is being pushed by controversial California activist Michael Weinstein, and would prohibit Ohio’s state government from paying any more for prescription drugs than the lowest price paid by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Their web page is here.

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NFL = No Fans Left

 photo credit: IJR

   

The Independent Journal Review published photographs of several football stadiums, like the one above, of NFL games yesterday; they are half-full at kick-off! From the photo-article:

As more and more football players have protested during the national anthem and President Donald Trump has spoken out against them, fans have fired back at the National Football League for not taking action by boycotting, which has resulted in ticket sales plummeting.

Pictures of empty stadiums are the best way to see just how powerful the boycott truly is.

Click here to see more half-empty stadiums.

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Faithful Execution of Obamacare

 image credit: True Democracy Party

Andrew McCarthy is no fan of President Trump, but his clear analysis of Trump’s dismantling of Obamacare is in stark contrast with all the media hysteria:

The law is unraveling on its own terms.

. . . What Trump has actually done is end the illegal payoffs without which insurance companies have no rational choice but to jack up premiums or flee the Obamacare exchanges. The culprits here are the charlatans who gave us Obamacare. To portray Trump as the bad guy is not merely fake news. It’s an out-and-out lie.

Which is to say: It’s about as honest as the Democrats’ labeling of Obamacare as the Affordable Care Act.

The subsidy payments to insurance companies may be “critical” to sustaining the ACA, but they are not provided for in the ACA. The Obamacare law did not appropriate them. No legislation appropriates them. They are and have always been illegal. In essence, we are back to the question we asked a couple of weeks ago in connection with Trump’s then-anticipated decertification of Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal: It is not whether the president should take this action; it is why he failed to take it before now. 

Under the Constitution, no funds may be paid out of the treasury unless they have been appropriated by Congress. It is not enough for lawmakers to authorize a government program or action. The House and Senate must follow through with a statute that directs payment for the program or action. Standing alone, authorization is just aspiration; it does not imply appropriation. Congress authorizes a lot of things, but only the things for which Congress approves the disbursal of public money are permitted to happen.

. . .

Read the rest here. 

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