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Arizona: Free Markets vs. Religious Protection

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Arizona wants to protect business owners who want to deny a product or service because of their religious beliefs.

This should be a pretty open and shut deal as long as you look at it from a free market standpoint. Take a second and think about it. That would be the only reason a business would want to be able to protect themselves from anyone in the LGBT community who would be refused service.

In one sense, the table has shifted against the LGBT community. Instead of LGBT’s going on the offence, they are now on the defense. And, of course you’ll get those extremists on either side who are shouting YES or NO.

But take a second and take a second to look at this in the eyes of the free market system. Because, that’s how things work in the real world.

When the free market is allowed to work, there are real winners and losers. If someone wants to purchase a good or service from you and you deny them because of your religious beliefs, the real winner is the person who was denied.

And here’s why:

You are offering either a good or a service, you aren’t selling your personal beliefs. The only one’s that are out doing that are churches. But, then again they aren’t selling anything.

The free market allows for you to be a winner as long as you continue to sell your good or service. If not, you’ll close up and go broke! If you make the best cake in the town, but you won’t sell that cake then it’s time to consider yourself done.

Denying your good or service to the LGBT community is no different than telling a non-white to use a certain water fountain. This is a giant step backwards.

Mike Rowe Hits Back at Critics of Walmart Ad

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Though the attacks are mind-boggling, Mike Rowe is still fighting back critics over his decision to appear in a Walmart ad emphasizing the beauty of hard work. More importantly, the ad promotes the giant retailer’s pledge to invest $250 billion in U.S. manufacturing.

“I’m back. Three days of press, five hours of sleep, four bottles of wine, a speech, a job offer, 5,000 form letters, and a couple of good-natured death threats. All because of a commercial that I narrated about American manufacturing paid for by Walmart,” Rowe wrote on Facebook on Monday.

Perhaps because he finds some amusement in pointing out the misleading arguments being made against him, the former “Dirty Jobs” host hit a few writers over their reporting on his relationship with Walmart.

Read on to find out what Rowe said to critics via The Blaze.

Here is the Walmart ad that started it all:

Proposed Pentagon Budget to Offer Huge Cuts

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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel went out today to talk about the defense budget and the huge cuts it will make.

From cutting troop levels to pre-WW2 numbers to cutting the number of A-10’s, this budget could place our military in a very vulnerable state. Not only that, but place our ability to provide a strong national defense in peril.

So what are we looking at?

  • shrinking American forces from 520,000 active duty troops to between 440,000 and 450,000

  • reduce the size of the Army National Guard from 355,000 to 335,000

  • decrease the number of Army Reservists from 205,000 to 195,000

  • Marine Corps would shrink from about 190,000 to 182,000

  • elite special operations forces will be increased to 69,700 — up from 66,000 currently

  • scrapping the Air Force’s entire fleet of A-10 “tank killer” aircraft and retiring the storied U-2 spy plane

  • basic pay raises will be held to 1 percent in 2015 under the budget, general and flag officers would see a pay freeze

It’s crazy to think that this proposed budget would be a good thing. It’s also easy to worked up when talking about making cuts to defense spending. But there are places in the budget that can be cut without putting a financial burden on those in the military.

If we really want to make budget cuts, we would first take a look at welfare reform and cutting back ‘entitlements.’ We could also look at shutting down the Department of Education. We could also reform the tax code. Lastly, we could even take a look at Obama’s prize possession: Obamacare.

We’ve got some serious problems that need to be addressed. Working a budget that gets us in a fiscally strong position is one thing. This proposed budget is very damaging and frightening.

The New Common Core Tactic: Rename and Rebrand

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For good reason, parents continue to be in a uproar over Common Core. But with the new tactic to rename and rebrand is causing even more to voice their opposition.

With angry parents protesting the standards, and curriculum they say is tailored to it by writers of textbooks and lesson plans, several states have decided the solution is all in the name. Common Core is now referred to as “The Iowa Core” in the Hawkeye State. Florida calls it the tongue-twisting “Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.” Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer recently signed an executive order to erase the name “Common Core” for their new math and reading standards and Louisiana lawmakers are mulling a name change as well. – FoxNews.com

It has been said numerous times before that the only way to fix Common Core is to scrap it completely. This federally controlled top-down approach to education standards will do more harm than good.

Glyn Wright, executive director of the Eagle Forum echoes this saying, “Rebranding the Common Core does not change the fact that it is still a top-down, federally controlled approach to education that is untested and unproven. We know that Americans will not be fooled by dressing-up this failed initiative.”

House Committee Concludes No ‘Stand Down’ Order Given in Benghazi

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by  via TheBlaze.com

A House committee formally concluded for the first time that there was no military “stand down” order given on the night of the deadly terror attacks in Benghazi, Libya.

It’s a finding that one committee aide acknowledged to TheBlaze, “some people are going to be upset about.” The allegation that the military was told to stand down on aiding the Americans in Benghazi has long been used to accuse the Obama administration of not doing enough to save the lives of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and others during the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks.

The Republican-led House Armed Services Committee, however, concluded in its new report that no such order was given; rather, Army Lt. Col. S.E. Gibson, then-head of the site security team at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, was ordered by higher commanders to remain in Tripoli, lest another attack take place there as part of a larger coordinated assault.

“The term ‘stand down’ means different things to different people. To someone in uniform, it means you are to do nothing … that is not the direction that Lt. Col. Gibson was given,” the committee aide told TheBlaze.

The finding is part of the committee’s Benghazi report set to be released Tuesday. Stevens, information technology specialist Sean Smith, and CIA security contractors and former Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were killed.

“They didn’t know where the next attack was coming from,” the aide said. “They were given alternate orders to stay in Tripoli.”

Read the full story at: The Blaze

Full Text: House GOP ‘Standards for Immigration Reform’

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House GOP leadership has finally released their “Standards for Immigration Reform” that breaks down each of the pillars of what they are pushing.

Below is the full text of the ‘principles.’

Standards for Immigration Reform

PREAMBLE

Our nation’s immigration system is broken and our laws are not being enforced. Washington’s failure to fix them is hurting our economy and jeopardizing our national security. The overriding purpose of our immigration system is to promote and further America’s national interests and that is not the case today. The serious problems in our immigration system must be solved, and we are committed to working in a bipartisan manner to solve them. But they cannot be solved with a single, massive piece of legislation that few have read and even fewer understand, and therefore, we will not go to a conference with the Senate’s immigration bill. The problems in our immigration system must be solved through a step-by-step, common-sense approach that starts with securing our country’s borders, enforcing our laws, and implementing robust enforcement measures. These are the principals guiding us in that effort.

Border Security and Interior Enforcement Must Come First

It is the fundamental duty of any government to secure its borders, and the United States is failing in this mission. We must secure our borders now and verify that they are secure. In addition, we must ensure now that when immigration reform is enacted, there will be a zero tolerance policy for those who cross the border illegally or overstay their visas in the future. Faced with a consistent pattern of administrations of both parties only selectively enforcing our nation’s immigration laws, we must enact reform that ensures that a President cannot unilaterally stop immigration enforcement.

Implement Entry-Exit Visa Tracking System

A fully functioning Entry-Exit system has been mandated by eight separate statutes over the last 17 years. At least three of these laws call for this system to be biometric, using technology to verify identity and prevent fraud. We must implement this system so we can identify and track down visitors who abuse our laws.

Employment Verification and Workplace Enforcement

In the 21st century it is unacceptable that the majority of employees have their work eligibility verified through a paper based system wrought with fraud. It is past time for this country to fully implement a workable electronic employment verification system.

Reforms to the Legal Immigration System

For far too long, the United States has emphasized extended family members and pure luck over employment-based immigration.  This is inconsistent with nearly every other developed country. Every year thousands of foreign nationals pursue degrees at America’s colleges and universities, particularly in high skilled fields. Many of them want to use their expertise in U.S. industries that will spur economic growth and create jobs for Americans. When visas aren’t available, we end up exporting this labor and ingenuity to other countries. Visa and green card allocations need to reflect the needs of employers and the desire for these exceptional individuals to help grow our economy.

The goal of any temporary worker program should be to address the economic needs of the country and to strengthen our national security by allowing for realistic, enforceable, usable, legal paths for entry into the United States. Of particular concern are the needs of the agricultural industry, among others. It is imperative that these temporary workers are able to meet the economic needs of the country and do not displace or disadvantage American workers.

Youth

One of the great founding principles of our country was that children would not be punished for the mistakes of their parents. It is time to provide an opportunity for legal residence and citizenship for those who were brought to this country as children through no fault of their own, those who know no other place as home. For those who meet certain eligibility standards, and serve honorably in our military or attain a college degree, we will do just that.

Individuals Living Outside the Rule of Law

Our national and economic security depend on requiring people who are living and working here illegally to come forward and get right with the law. There will be no special path to citizenship for individuals who broke our nation’s immigration laws – that would be unfair to those immigrants who have played by the rules and harmful to promoting the rule of law. Rather, these persons could live legally and without fear in the U.S., but only if they were willing to admit their culpability, pass rigorous background checks, pay significant fines and back taxes, develop proficiency in English and American civics, and be able to support themselves and their families (without access to public benefits). Criminal aliens, gang members, and sex offenders and those who do not meet the above requirements will not be eligible for this program. Finally, none of this can happen before specific enforcement triggers have been implemented to fulfill our promise to the American people that from here on, our immigration laws will indeed be enforced.

(via Breitbart.com)

What is MyRA?

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Obama talked about MyRA during his State of the Union speech, but what is MyRA?

MyRA is a new type of investment aimed at the lower class, and is designed to help them save for their retirement. In other words, it is Social Security 2.0!

What is MyRA?

  • A new kind of savings bond: Don’t expect to get rich off of this. It will be based off the same type of fund offered federal employee’s that averaged 1-2% return.
  • Easy to fund: You won’t pay any fees. You can start your MyRA with as little as $25 with a monthly minimum of $5.
  • Beware the caps: It will be available to anyone with an annual income of $191,000 or less. Once you have saved $15,000 in your MyRA, it will roll over to a private-sector Roth IRA.
  • After-Tax funded: It will be structured like a Roth IRA account. Which means that the money you put in will already have been taxed.

Predictions for Obama’s 2014 SOTU Speech

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Tonight, Obama will address the nation in his 2014 State of the Union speech. Listed below, you will find a few predictions on what we can expect to hear.

1)      Economy

a)      Income Inequality

b)      Unemployment is on the decline

c)       How the administration can help those still unemployed/hurting/struggling

2)      Obamacare

3)      Amnesty

a)      It will be the focus of the year

4)      Budget

a)      Blame-Game central

5)      Society/Culture

a)      Race

b)      LGBT

6)      Foreign Policy