More out-of-control spending

image credit: redstate.com

Yesterday, the House passed the bazillion dollar omnibus spending bill 256-167. Roll Call reports:

“Is the president going to sign the bill?” Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said of the president and the omnibus spending bill. “Yes.”

Conservative Review reports:

On Thursday, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said the omnibus spending bill, clocking in at more than 2,000 pages, is “not even close” to what Republicans told the American people they would do if elected.

…

“It’s 2,200 pages that funds sanctuary cities, funds Planned Parenthood, restricts Second Amendment liberties, and grows the government at a $1.3 trillion price tag … which will lead to a trillion-dollar deficit,” Jordan said.

“This may be the worst bill I have seen in my time in Congress, the worst bill our leadership’s ever allowed to come to the floor,” he added.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) listed his objections (via Red State):

- Record spending levels

- No wall/border security

- Obamacare intact

- Funds Planned Parenthood

- Sanctuary Cities funded

- Barely 24 hours to read a 2,300 page bill

This Omnibus is so far from what the forgotten men and women of America voted for. I will oppose it.

Hard to know whether Jordan and Meadows are in earnest or are playing good cop. I'll update when I have located the roll call.

UPDATE 5:54pm: The roll call vote is here.

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Mark Steyn on Fox about the weather

via YouTube

If you did not watch Tucker Carlson's show on Fox yesterday evening at 8pm, you'll want to set aside 5 minutes to watch this video clip. If you did watch this segment, here it is so you can watch it again. Author and blogger Mark Steyn is at his most politically incorrect, lampooning insane theories about climate, weather, microaggression, and the Land of Opportunity. 

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Trump’s Bible acquired by Museum of the Bible

photo credit: commons,wikimedia,org.

Katherine Rodriguez at Breitbart Big Government reports:

The Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, has acquired one of President Trump’s two Bibles that he used to take the oath of office on Inauguration Day, 2017.

Trump’s childhood Bible will join several other Bibles used by American presidents that are currently on display at the privately-funded museum.

“We are honored to add this piece of our nation’s history to our growing exhibit of presidential Bibles,” Museum of the Bible President Cary Summers said in a statement. “It is our hope that guests will be able to learn not only about each president’s unique Bible, but also about the influence this book has had on government and elected officials around the world.”

This announcement interested me since earlier this month, my husband and I visited the recently-opened Museum of The Bible in DC. Even though we are not church-goers, we were interested in the Bible’s influence in world history, and in particular America’s history. We spent just over two hours exploring, and we barely scratched the surface. Here are a few photographs from our visit:

These exhibits had murals or videos depicting key events, key figures, and short narratives. Most rooms contained a stunning number of antiquarian books, correspondence, and artifacts.

Our favorite experience was a demonstration by an actor/docent about the Gutenberg Bible and the printing press that Johannes Gutenberg invented in order to print it more efficiently:

The Museum’s website is here and it has a very short opening video when you click.

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At the parade

photo by Cleveland Tea Party roving photographer Pat Dooley 

At the St. Patrick's Day parade yesterday in Cleveland. Recognize anyone?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

image credit: aecliving.com

For information on the Saturday parade and other festivities, click on cleveland.com’s page.

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Trump, Kudlow, and Pompeo

image credit: theconservativetreehouse.com

 

James Delingpole specializes in climate topics at Breitbart London, but his political takes are always thoughtful. Here are some of his remarks on President Trump’s two most recent nominations/appointments (“Trump’s picks Just Get Better and Better”):

Larry Kudlow’s appointment as President Trump’s next Economic Czar has been anti-endorsed by at least two of my favorite foaming leftists.

Here’s Jonathan Chait in New York Mag:

Trump’s New Economic Adviser Lawrence Kudlow Has Been Wrong About Everything for Decades

Here’s Soros-funded Think Progress:

Trump’s new economics director is a climate denier who thinks animals can ‘snuggle’ under pipelines.

Could there be any more encouraging a sign that with his latest appointments, Trump is right over the target?

I wrote the other day that Mike Pompeo was a great choice for Secretary of State – way better than the corporatist swamp denizen Rex Tillerson. But I think I’m even more excited about Kudlow.

First, it means that the battle for the soul of the Trump administration’s economic policy has been won by the Art-Laffer-style supply siders. (This was by no means a given: remember all those GOP experts who told us in the early days that Trump was just a Democrat wearing Republican clothing…?).

Second, Kudlow – like Pompeo, unlike their respective predecessors Tillerson and Gary Cohn – is a climate change skeptic.

The rest of Delingpole’s comments are here.

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More useless legislation

image credit: taxpolitix.com

One of the core Tea Party values is limited government, but Congress knows better. Don Surber's blog "House passes phony school safety bill" is spot on:

Two things tell you a piece of legislation is worthless.

First, it has a cute and clever acronym for its title. Second, it passes with overwhelming bipartisan support.

Wednesday, the House passed the STOP School Violence Act, 407-10.

. . .

STOP stands for (drumroll) Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018.

The bill will prevent no violence. But it feels good. It will spend $200 million or so on "training to prevent student violence against others and self, including training for local law enforcement officers, school personnel, and students," ABC News reported.

The bill is another federal solution to a local problem. A federal program helped cause the Parkland high school shooting, as Obama paid the school and the sheriff not to suspend or arrest belligerent students.

But that is what Congress does: it spends money we do not have on things we do not need.

We need less federal aid, and more local control of the schools.

Yup. Surber’s blog is here.

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